Bleeders

“Only Bleeders know the truth. It is not for an Upendix to know.”— Last Pathfinder
The **Bleeders** were a tribe in *Fallout: the Frontier.*

## Background

They were one of the four old tribes descended from natives of pre-War Portland, along with the Branded, the Snowblind and the Scavengers. Now, only the scavs remain. One last "true" member of the tribe can be found in the Bleeder Sanctuary, up North.

The Bleeders were composed of natives that fled from the bombs and ended up surviving the Great War in the North of Portland. They established their village at a pre-war clinic and called their home Sanctuary. Before the arrival of the NCR and Legion, the Bleeders were one of the most powerful tribes in the Frontier, controlling a great portion of northern Portland. The Bleeders often times waged war against the Scavs and the Snowblind, but despite their losses they managed to come out on top and ruled the wasteland with an iron fist. As time went on, though, they became weaker and complacent, losing a big portion of their territory to the other tribes.

Their demise, however, came by the same blood that built their culture. The Bleeders kidnapped and raped a woman who unknowingly carried Viralistis (syphilis in reality). Their communal bleeding ritual led to an epidemic breaking out in their community, many of the Bleeders got infected and most of them died. The few that survived scattered around the wastes, in which the majority decided to join the Legion and ultimately had their culture assimilated. There is but one member who still keeps up with the ancient tribe's customs: Last Pathfinder, living his last days in the Sanctuary up North.

## Society

The culture of the Bleeders revolved around the worshiping of blood, believed to be the source of life and able to cure diseases. They also believed that their flesh, material body, was but a temporary prison to their souls (blood) and they could only be freed from this world and travel to Paradise when they died. Their rituals were gruesome and brutal, involving cutting open wounds into their own bodies and transfusing their blood between the members. Other rituals involved battles against beasts or other fellow tribals, in which the defeated would have his blood consumed by the victor. Age also factored into the matter, with older or more aged Bleeders able to be challenged by younger members in order to give them a good death in the arena.

The Bleeders also don't believe in names. In their tribe, each member is given a name related to their role.

## Language

Due to their contact with pre-War books on medicine, the Bleeders developed their language around medical terms, reflecting on their worship of blood, believed to be the source of all life.

### Examples of words and phrases

* Antbod- Friend.
* Cellon - Warrior.
* Chondria - Chieftain.
* Upendix - Outsider.

## Notable Members

* Adam (formerly)
* Last Pathfinder
* Rezner (formerly)

## Behind the Scenes

The Bleeder's culture has a lot in common with western gnostic beliefs, specially catharism.[citation needed]

## References

1. ↑ The Courier: *"Tell me the history of your tribe."*
The Last Pathfinder: *"When the bombs fell our ancestors moved north to escape the blasts. They found themselves here, in the sanctuary. It was here they found books that showed them the truth regarding the blood. Dr. Hurt is in possession of those books now, speak to him if you want to see them."*
2. ↑ The Courier: *"What was this disease?"*
The Last Pathfinder: *"We called it the Viralistis - "The Dying Shadow". Dr. Hurt calls it Syphilis."*
3. ↑ The Courier: *"Before you go, what happened to the Bleeders?"*
Hurt: : *"Well, I guess you are a Bleeder now. Before I arrived one of the Bleeders \*ahem\* "took" a woman. That woman had syphilis. The Bleeders, true to their name, liked to do communal bleedings, this caused the disease to spread like wild fire. I did what I could... but I couldn't save anyone... not even Last Pathfinder."*
4. ↑ The Courier: *"You seemed disappointed when I didn't fight you."*
The Last Pathfinder: *"You noticed that? I meant no disrespect, but I'm old, older than any Bleeder should be. Typically when one began to grow into an advanced age, a younger Bleeder would challenge them in the arena and give them a good death. That is now impossible. I will die a slow death, Dr. Hurt my only company."*
5. ↑ The Courier: *""*
The Last Pathfinder: *"You're right. All this time I've just sat here feeling sorry for myself. I was obsessed with our past... when I should have looked toward the future. Thank you for doing this. From this day forward you are Antbod... that means friend."*
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 The Courier: *"What are some other words?"*
The Last Pathfinder: *"Cellon is warrior, Chondria is Chieftain, etc."*
7. ↑ The Courier: *"What does Upendix mean?"*
The Last Pathfinder: *"It means outsider in my language."*