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The Unity will bring about the master race. Master! Master! One able to survive, or even thrive, in the wasteland. As long as there are differences, we will tear ourselves apart fighting each other. We need one race. Race! Race! One goal. Goal! Goal! One people... to move forward to our destiny. Destiny.Master

The Unity (also called the Master's army[3][4][5][6][7][8]) was the military and political organization created by the Master to advance his agenda. The Master desired to forcefully evolve humans into a single, perfect race removing the inequalities that are the cause of strife among humans. To this end, he used the Forced Evolutionary Virus (FEV) on humans to uplift them. The Master's race would colloquially be known as the super mutants by most people of New California.

With the discovery of the Los Angeles Vault, and the establishment of the Children of the Cathedral, the Master created the means of conversion and recruitment of people into his project. Under the guise of apostles of peace; establishing hospitals and churches in the cities of the wasteland. The Children and the mutants, led by the elite nightkin warriors, prepared for a war that would change the face of the Earth and bring upon the Master's goal for an ethnostate. It was cut short by the Vault Dweller in the final months of preparation.

History[]

The Unity began with the ill-fated expedition to Mariposa Military Base, undertaken by Harold, Richard Grey, and a group of other adventurers in 2102. On June 23, the party was routed by mutants inhabiting the base. Grey was knocked into one of the Vats. His wounded state combined with extreme long-term exposure to the FEV precipitated his evolution into the Master.[Non-game 2] After he regained consciousness and dragged himself from the Vats, he continued to mutate after the weeks-long immersion.[Non-game 3][9] The mutation eventually stabilized enough for him to notice his greatly increased mental capacity, capable of resolving the most complex of philosophical questions. He began experimenting on animals infesting the military base by exposing them to the Virus. When he dipped a rat and a dog into the Virus at the same time, the resulting fusion inspired him to begin formulating a philosophy of unification, laying the groundwork for the Unity.[Non-game 4][10] However, experiments were frustrated by a lack of subjects or understanding of the virus.[Non-game 5][11]

In December 2102, following a series of directed mutations by injecting doses of the virus into various areas of his mutated body, Grey gained the ability to neurolink with computers, allowing him to access the base's databanks. Aided by the data, he began experiments on humans who strayed into the facilities, without much luck.[12][13] Finally, in January 2103, he finally isolated radiation exposure as the crucial factor affecting transformation success. The first successful super mutant was assimilated by Grey as a fellow mind, creating the Master hive mind. The Unity began in earnest.[14][Non-game 6] as the Master began to gather test subjects from local human communities. The process was slow, hampered by their scarcity, but over the next thirty years he built up a small force of super mutants until the Great Winter of 2130 convinced the Master that it is no longer feasible.[15][Non-game 7]

In 2131, the Master decided to focus on acquiring subjects from caravans that crossed the wasteland in ever increasing numbers. The human settlements were blissfully unaware of the raids, blaming them on monsters, allowing the army to grow tremendously.[Non-game 8] By 2137, there were enough super mutants to sustain mass production. While the success rate was between 15-20%, with a half going on to join the Master's army, it grew rapidly into a potent military force. The resulting army was named Unity by the Master, becoming the foundation of his vision for humanity and the world.[Non-game 1] For the next fifteen years, the Unity would expand over New California, striking from the shadows. In 2152, the Master enlisted the aid of Morpheus and his doomsday cultists, creating the Children of the Cathedral to act as the Unity's public face and maintain secrecy.[Non-game 9]

FO01 NPC Master B

The Master, key philosopher and leader of the Unity.

Just three years later, in 2155, the Unity experienced a breakthrough in its operations. After apprehending a caravan of Vault dwellers from the Los Angeles Vault, the Master transferred his command there and ordered Morpheus' cultists to renovate the building above the Vault, establishing the Cathedral and its Children. The Vault provided a wealth of information to the Master and the Unity, most importantly the locations of other Vaults. Super mutants began searching their suspected locations, gathering prime subjects for super mutant conversion.[Non-game 10][Non-game 11] Not all operations were successful: The detachment sent to investigate Bakersfield and Vault 12 wound up engaging the ghouls living among the ruins, with fighting only ceasing when Set brokered a ceasefire, explaining that the ghouls were what remained of Vault 12's dwellers. A garrison was left behind to ensure Set's cooperation and apprehend the occasional human passing through.[Non-game 12]

The steady expansion of Unity operations and preparation for the attack on New California, spearheaded by the Children of the Cathedral seemed impossible to prevent. However, the Master did not account for the Vault Dweller's interference. The Unity was destroyed before it could be created, by the Vault Dweller: The Dweller was spurred into action by the Vault 13 overseer, and on March 3, 2162, they infiltrated the Cathedral and destroyed it with a nuclear weapon, killing the Master.[Non-game 13] The Unity retaliated by attacking Necropolis, trying to locate the Vault dweller, but it was too late.[Non-game 14] On April 20, less than two months after the death of the Master, the Dweller delivered the killing blow to the Unity by destroying the Mariposa Military Base.[Non-game 15] Although the Vault Dweller disappeared into the wasteland, the Brotherhood of Steel picked up where they left off, driving the super mutants away with minimal loss of life, on both sides of the conflict, and establishing itself as a major power in the wasteland, but wisely remaining out of the power structure.[16]

Surviving super mutants split into several different groups, each pursuing a different goal: Many groups migrated away from New California, north and east, looking for new places to settle.[17] Some settled in the Mojave, first at Black Mountain and later in the settlement of Jacobstown. A large group journeyed into the Rockies.

Some settled down to coexist with humans to attempt to integrate into society or find a new life for themselves, with one of the most notable attempts being Broken Hills, founded by Marcus and Jacob in 2185, as a place where regular and mutated humans could live side by side.[Non-game 16] Eventually, together with ghouls, the mutant population would become large enough to become a distinct population group in the New California Republic, which would pass laws prohibiting discrimination based on a mutation in 2205.[Non-game 17] However, this didn't completely eliminate social discrimination against super mutants.

Not all super mutants would adapt to the new situation. Some took to the desert, refusing to lay down their weapons and surrender. The die-hard remnants of the Master's armies would continue to plague northern New California and the Mojave, contributing to lingering prejudice against mutants. Even as late as 2281, some mutants would fall prey to the prejudices of man, such as Mean Sonofabitch, tortured and maimed by a group of bigots.[18] Some politicians even seek to capitalize on the anti-mutant sentiment for the benefit of their political career.[19]

Society[]

The Unity was an egalitarian society. The Virus elevated all super mutants to a common level of physical aptitude, eliminating many of the differences that lay at the heart of the inter-human conflict. Many super mutants actually preferred the transformation, as the Unity was free of pettiness, hatred, and jealousy that plagued regular mankind. The only problems were one with intelligence. While perfect transformations led to induction into the Nightkin, the true new humans of the Master's ideal order, some candidates for transformation did not have the mental fortitude necessary to withstand the strain.[20] While they were a minority among the mutants (most retained their pre-dipping intellect), their impact was severe enough to interfere with the Unity's goals.[Non-game 18]

Most mutants didn't hate humans, instead believing theirs to be the better way. Humanity's reluctance to overcome its inherent problems meant that most had to be forced to change and adapt, as they would run when they heard the call, rather than embracing it.[21] If humans embraced the call, the Master's plan would never be required in the first place, after all.[22] There were differing beliefs, of course: Some super mutants viewed themselves as equals to normal humans, owing to their common ancestry. They viewed the mutation as merely a rebirth - and supported the Unity, believing it to be the best chance for peace, despite misgivings.[23]

However, human converts drawn from the Children of the Cathedral made for poor conversation partners, due to their religious fervor (genuine or staged). FEV was commonly referred to as the Blood of God, the restraints used to prepare humans for dipping were holy, while the Vats were the womb where the armies of god were created.[24] Despite that, honesty and trust prevailed between the mutants and even their human charges, even when it came to critical matters.[25] Joint meditation sessions between super mutants and normal human faithful from the Cathedral were common as well, even if they reinforced the religious side of the Unity.[26]

There was one critical flaw in the Unity's perfect society: Even if the Master did succeed, the Unity would fail, as the FEV rendered the super mutants sterile and the Unity would bring about the final end of humanity. While it did not damage primary sexual characteristics, allowing super mutants to have intercourse, it did interfere with gametes, correcting the DNA within. As a result, conception was impossible.[27]

Political doctrine[]

The Unity was originally coined by the Master in 2102, referring to his ability to assimilate living creatures into himself. In fact, he was apparently planning to assimilate the "wonderful variety of life" into a single, unified biomass in these stages.[15] However, this idea was abandoned entirely by 2137, when the Unity came into existence as a military force focusing on advancing the Master's philosophy and vision for mankind.[Non-game 1]

Said vision eventually evolved to focus on figurative unification. The Unity would eliminate differences between humans and the resulting strife and war by uplifting: Exposure to the Forced Evolutionary Virus. The resulting super mutants would not only be unified but capable of thriving in the wasteland as one race and one people, united behind a single goal. Neither ghouls nor normal humans were seen as competitive, the former being victims of the nuclear death brought upon mankind by the latter.[28] To become a super mutant was to reach the next step in human evolution - and save the world in the process.[29]

All worthy humans would be converted by FEV, becoming the perfect human specimens in the process.[30] Faster, stronger, more intelligent, and immune to disease or radiation, prepared for living in the ash-covered world. Sacrificing choice in the matter was deemed an acceptable trade-off for the ability to live without fear.[31] All the worthy individuals would undergo the conversion - regardless of their opinion on the matter.[29] Those who did not qualify would be permitted to live out their lives under Unity control and protection but deprived of the ability to perpetuate their species.[32]

Military[]

Fo1 Unity vs

Territorial control of the Unity in the Central Valley (upper left) compared with the Brotherhood (lower right), its only equal in terms of military power.

The Unity was a highly militarized society and there was no clear distinction between soldiers or civilians, leading to it being commonly called the Master's army. The super mutants were uniformly strong, resilient, and immune to the hazards of the wasteland, and received training in the use of weapons and tactics. The Children of the Cathedral were the closest to a typical civilian, but even they were expected to participate in the conquest of New California as irregulars and support units for the Master's soldiers.[33]

However, even among the egalitarian mutants, there were certain divisions. Regular super mutants (later referred to as first-gen after the excavation of Mariposa by the Enclave and the subsequent appearance of a new generation of mutants) possessed green skin and formed the bulk of the Master's forces. Above them were the Nightkin, perfect results of FEV transformation considered elite even by the Unity's standards, provided with the best armor and weapons the Unity could offer, as well as Stealth Boys, and used as the Master's commander, spies, assassins, and liaisons eg. with Morpheus.[34][35]

To bolster his fighting forces, the Master tried to create guardians through gene splicing but was stopped by the Vault Dweller before he could complete his plans. Many of his early creations have outlived him and continued to roam the wasteland. These abominations included centaurs and floaters, which are often found together as though they feel some sort of kinship for one another.[36]

Technology[]

The Unity was one of the most technologically advanced organizations in the wasteland. Its soldiers were commonly equipped with high-end heavy weapons and energy rifles while relying on their thick hide for protection. Armor was typically limited to joint or shoulder protection. All members of the Unity had access to quality medical care and reliable sources of food and water, an incredibly rare feat in the wasteland.[37]

Research into exotic branches of science was conducted. The Master's scientists conducted experiments in psionic warfare, attempting to replicate the Master's psionic potential by injecting FEV directly into the various areas of the brain, with mixed results. Four partial successes were recorded, creating incredibly powerful psychics who were nonetheless terminally insane. All four were kept sequestered and nullified in the laboratories of the Los Angeles Vault.[38]

The Unity was one of the only powers in the wasteland to possess a nuclear weapon. The salvaged device was kept in a secure location beneath the Cathedral, while the nuclear arming key was entrusted to the Lieutenant at Mariposa Military Base. It was intended for use as a weapon of last resort, should the Unity encounter a foe it is unable of overcoming. However, even this was considered doubtful, as the Master did not want to unleash the dreaded nuclear flame once again.[25]

Appearances[]

The Unity appears only in Fallout and is mentioned in Fallout 2, Fallout: New Vegas, Fallout Tactics and Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel.

Behind the scenes[]

As I recall, there was an unimplemented design idea in which the Master's army slowly radiated outward from the Cathedral and the Military Base, so that over time various locations were overrun by Super Mutants. Places closest to the Master were hit first, and places further away had more time. This did result in the challenging problem that since the player started relatively far away, if they moved slowly they might get to the Hub and discover that it was already overrun, and never experience any of the story or characters there. In terms of the ratio of payoff to implementation time, this just wasn't as important as finishing the core functionality of the various zones.Jesse Heinig, Modiphius Discord
  • Fallout originally had a more dynamic wasteland, with the super mutants expanding and invading settlements across the wasteland as time passed by. The longer the player took to complete the game, the more settlements would be invaded, with all characters removed, with only super mutant invaders present. A remnant of this mechanic can be seen with Necropolis, where entering after 110 days pass triggers the invasion: All ghouls are killed off by script, with super mutant invaders added to surface maps, along with a ghoul refugee who recounts the invasion. The time limits are still included in Vault13.gam and are as follows:
    • Followers of the Apocalypse would be invaded 90 days after the start of the game (March 5, 2162).
    • Necropolis falls after 110 days (March 25, 2162).
    • The Hub falls after 140 days (April 24, 2162).
    • Lost Hills is invaded after 170 days (May 24, 2162).
    • Junktown is invaded after 200 days (June 23, 2162).
    • Shady Sands falls after 230 days (July 23, 2162).
    • Vault 13 finally falls and the game ends in a fail state after 260 days pass (August 22, 2162). This was modified to 500 days for release (corresponding to April 19, 2163).
  • In the end, the idea of introducing a distinct, invaded variant of the major locations was scrapped in favor of focusing on finishing the game. However, the time limits were retained and entering any of the locations except for the Brotherhood does trigger the corresponding bad ending in the end slides (eg. entering The Hub after 140 days pass triggers the destruction ending; for Followers, all that suffices is entering the Blades' map).
  • The time limit for the Vault 13 invasion was lengthened from 260 days to 500 for release, to reduce the time pressure, before being completely removed in subsequent patches. It was also affected by other factors: Purchasing healing from the Children of the Cathedral reduced the time limit by 1 day, ordering water deliveries from Martha Rastello reduced it by 90 days, while blowing up the Mariposa control computer to trigger the self-destruct sequence halved the invasion time limits for Vault 13, Shady Sands, and The Hub. The removal of the hard time limit only affected Vault 13, with the functionality retained for the other two locations.
Other changes
  • The Unity continued to play a major role in two additional games, due to its successors. Gammorin's Army Fallout Tactics and Attis Army Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel were descended from the Unity. Gammorin's Army featured in Fallout: Tactics went as far as Illinois, becoming Gammorin's Army. This army was pursued by the Brotherhood of Steel, who moved in to the Midwest part of the USA, using the blimps to manuver the territory. One of them crashed, and its survivor, Paladin Latham, challenged the super mutant leader, Gammorin, and killed him, taking the position of the army. In the battle, however, Latham injured his head, which led to a psychological disease that made him obsessive to take control over this army, using the previous leader's name, Gammorin, as an alias. It made him go as far as have Erkal in charge of a research to find a solution to mutant sterility. Due to attacking human settlements and capturing General Barnaky, the Brotherhood of Steel was able to find Latham and defeat Gammorin's Army. Upon his dying words, Latham expressed his annoyance how the organization was unable to see a much greater threat that even the mutants were unable to stop.

Gallery[]

References[]

  1. See here, northwestern corner
  2. 2.0 2.1 Mutant transmissions
  3. Lieutenant's character description: "{100}{}{You see the Lieutenant of the Master's army.}"
    (LT.MSG)
  4. Fallout 2 random encounters: "{300}{}{You encounter remnants of the Master's army.}"
    "{302}{}{You encounter NCR Rangers battling remnants of the Master's army.}"
    "{304}{}{You encounter farmers fending off remnants of the Master's army.}"
    (BHRNDDST.MSG)
  5. Super mutants random encounter character description: "{100}{}{A die-hard soldier from the Master's army.}"
    (ECMSTAMY.MSG)
  6. Fallout 2 script description: "ECMstAmy.int; Random Encounter Master's Army"
    (SCRIPTS.LST (Fallout 2))
  7. Journal of Sir Latham
  8. New Canaan design document/1
  9. Richard Grey's audio diary: "==0000 - 0004==
    I'm dying. I need to get this down before the pain overwhelms me.
    ==0005 - 0020==
    I can't believe that I was finally able to drag myself out of that vat. The slime did not affect me, but I nearly drowned. I don't know what happened to Harold - he was standing right next to me when the crane knocked me into the vat. He must have been killed or he would have tried to help me. Francine is dead, killed by one of those robots.
    ==0021 - 0027==
    I have no idea how much time has passed. I was able to hack the computer to turn off the robots and record this, but now my mind is slipping away.There is much pain...
    ==0028 - 0043==
    The green slime that I was immersed in is the source of all the mutations we traced to here. My skin is starting to fester and peel. In other areas it is bubbling and is expelling a green mucus-like substance. Some days the pain is almost tolerable.
    ==0044 - 0057==
    I can actually walk a few steps again...It seems inconceivable that I dragged myself all the way up here from the vat room. Strangely, I'm actually feeling stronger, though I'm still in a lot of pain. Everything seems to be getting smaller.
    ==0058 - 0096==
    I think I consumed one of the mutated things scurrying around here today. Before I knew what was happening, some sort of tendril had sprang from my stomach and covered the poor creature. As soon as it had sucked the rodent into my gut I could actually feel its mind. I think. There is the very real possibility that I'm going slowly insane and can no longer differentiate between what is real and what is a hallucination. Maybe I'm still slowly dying in the vat and I've imagined all this. "
  10. Richard Grey's audio diary: "==0097 - 0111==
    Things are becoming more clear to me every day. This toxin has actually improved my mind. I feel that I can understand even the most complex philosophical questions simply and directly. It's as if all the layers of artifice have been stripped away. I wonder what would happen if I submerged an animal in the vats for a prolonged period of time? Would it gain awareness?
    ==0112 - 0134==
    The strangest thing is happening to the animals. They actually become smarter and more aware of their surroundings. I dipped a dog and a rat at the same time today, and they were fused together. It's not quite two creatures anymore, but it's more than one. Perhaps this is the future - a coming together of different creatures in some sort of harmonious unity. I no longer consume the different animals I create simply for sustenance - I have become the instrument through which unity will be achieved. I am so much more than a human being now."
  11. Richard Grey's audio diary: "==0135 - 0139==
    It is time to bring others into the glory that is the Unity.
    ==0140 - 0153==
    A lost soul has finally strayed into my home. I was so surprised I consumed him before dipping, a mistake I shall not make again. His mind was so primitive as to be repulsive to my refined cognitive abilities."
  12. Fallout Bible 0: "2102 Dec Grey continues his experiments on wanderers that enter Mariposa... with no success. The creations are flawed (due to the radiation counts in their bodies), making them big but incredibly stupid, and Grey consumes them rather than letting them live."
  13. Richard Grey's audio diary: "==0154 - 0172==
    I've begun to modify myself to be more pleasing to the Unity by injecting small doses of the virus into my body. The slime in the vats is a man-made virus called the Forced Evolutionary Virus. This information was acquired from my newly grown neurolink with the base computer.
    ==0173 - 0198==
    The few wanderers that have found their way here have been a disappointment to me. They can't seem to mutate correctly. The best I've been able to create are some big and dumb mutants. Most can recall nothing from before I initiated them into the wondrous Unity. I only feed on them for fuel, now. Their minds are nothing to me."
  14. Richard Grey's audio diary: "==0199 - 0236==
    Oh glorious creator!! I have succeeded in spreading the complete joy of unification to another soul! Unlike the others, his total radiation count was low. I believe this is the factor we have been overlooking all this time, as it seems the conversion is more successful in the cases with less radiation damage. I have never known such glory as I felt when taking his mind into our own."
  15. 15.0 15.1 Richard Grey's audio diary: "==0237 - 0281==
    We are beginning to create an army dedicated to unifying the wonderful diversity of life. We have trained them to continue our work here while we search out more populated areas to take into ourselves. We are beginning to feel the limitations of a body that is mobile. We must find a permanent home, with a greater store of knowledge, and a steady supply of bio-mass.
    ==0282 - 0303==
    We have stopped increasing ourself until we can find this new unification center. When we have arrived we will continue to grow and feed until we have brought peace and unity to the entire world."
  16. Fallout endings
  17. The Chosen One: "{119}{}{So, tell me what you know about the Master.}"
    Leanne: "{144}{}{Well this might take a bit. Be a gentleman and buy me a drink, wouldn't you please? Not whiskey though, Nuka-Cola please.}"
    The Chosen One: "{147}{}{Sure.}"
    Leanne: "{149}{}{Thanks. Now let's see... I remember my mom telling me about this huge migration that happened 70... or was it 80 years ago...}"
    The Chosen One: "{150}{}{Please, go on.}"
    Leanne: "{151}{}{Really big mutants with weapons as tall as you and me came from the south. Mom said it looked like a big migration of some sort.}"
    The Chosen One: "{152}{}{How many?}"
    Leanne: "{153}{}{Don't know, but there were multiple groups of them. Some would continue north, others headed east. No one knew where they were going.}"
    The Chosen One: "{154}{}{Go on.}"
    Leanne: "{155}{}{They were quite upset and seemed to be fleeing from something.}"
    The Chosen One: "{156}{}{Really?}"
    Leanne: "{157}{}{Yeah, there were also others in dirty, tattered purple robes... they kept babbling about how the Master was dead...}"
    The Chosen One: "{158}{}{Interesting.}"
    Leanne: "{159}{}{Some of them even committed suicide right here in town!}"
    The Chosen One: "{160}{}{So?}"
    Leanne: "{161}{}{Well don't you see. They were talking about the Master, the one your ancestor killed.}"
    The Chosen One: "{162}{}{Thanks for the story.}"
    (Dcstory1.msg)
  18. The Courier: "Do you know anything about that Super mutant walking around town?"
    Klamath Bob: "Oh, heh. Yeah, that's Mean Sonofabitch. I know the name sounds bad, but he likes it. He's one nasty old coot. Far as I can tell, he's one of them original Super Mutants, what came from the Boneyard. Wandered about after that "Master" fellow died. Eventually got caught somewhere around the Hub, back in NCR. Boy, they sure treated him mean down there. Cut him up so bad he can't talk no more. I tried to buy him, just so they'd stop hurting him, but they didn't want any of it."
    (Klamath Bob's dialogue)
  19. Mercenary note
  20. The Chosen One: "{240}{}{You were a human. How can you justify what the Master did to you?}"
    Marcus: "{262}{mcs46}{My memories of being a human aren't as clear as they once were, but I remember pettiness, hatred, jealousy... I prefer being a mutant.}"
    The Chosen One: "{263}{}{So you think the Master’s plan was right?}"
    Marcus: "{266}{mcs47}{It was flawed. We should have only taken the best. Look around. Most mutants didn't have the mind or will to withstand the strain. (sigh) If only we had chosen better…}"
    (HcMARCUS.msg)
  21. The Chosen One: "{255}{}{Why did you hate humans back then?}"
    Marcus: "{230}{mcs36}{Right. Well, never really HATED humans. We just had a better way. These new governments, they think they've got all the answers. Blah, blah. Been there, seen that, got the scars.}"
    The Chosen One: "{231}{}{So what was the better way?}"
    Marcus: "{232}{mcs37}{The Master wanted to elevate everyone to his level, so we wouldn’t fight each other anymore. He was convinced we wouldn’t do it by ourselves – couldn’t. We had to be forced to evolve.}"
    The Chosen One: "{233}{}{Do you agree?}"
    Marcus: "{234}{mcs38}{While Jacob was alive, I thought the Master was wrong. But it seems that while some men can heed the call and rise above it all, most just run away.}"
    The Chosen One: "{235}{}{So you think the Master was right?}"
    Marcus: "{236}{mcs38a}{Jacob heard the call and embraced it. So did the Vault Dweller. But no matter how many rise above, the masses will always destroy them, right?}"
    The Chosen One: "{237}{}{Maybe.}"
    Marcus: "{238}{mcs39}{The Master just wanted everyone to see clearly. The Vault Dweller ended that dream.}"
    (HcMARCUS.msg)
  22. The Chosen One: "{239}{}{Sounds like you admired and hated the Vault Dweller at the same time.}"
    Marcus: "{243}{mcs40}{You’re right. If all humans fought for what they believed in like that, we wouldn’t have needed the Master’s plan in the first place.}"
    The Chosen One: "{244}{}{The Master wanted to enslave humanity!}"
    Marcus: "{246}{mcs41}{Don't forget, I knew the folks involved. They were the best humanity had to offer. Your people are going to tell the story a different way, right?}"
    The Chosen One: "{247}{}{Err… maybe. Umm, I have more questions.}"
    (HcMARCUS.msg)
  23. The Vault Dweller: "{131}{}{I'm here to protect humanity from the likes of you.}"
    Kyle: "{134}{}{What kind of foolish bigotry is that, we are 'humanity.' We're just as human as you are.}"
    The Vault Dweller: "{136}{}{There is no possible way that you are human.}"
    Kyle: "{137}{}{My name is Kyle. I was born to a mother and a father, like yourself. The Master just oversaw my rebirth. These muscles, this skin, this strength does not make me any less human than you. I do not like all that the Unity stands for, but it is the best chance for peace that we have.}"
    (AIRGRD.MSG)
  24. The Vault Dweller: "{112}{}{What is this place?}"
    Children of the Cathedral technician: "{116}{}{This is the birthplace of the superior race! This is the womb from which the armies of god will strike from! From the flesh of the weak comes the next race of man. Those who survive the dip will become the soldiers of god, and with their hands we shall shape the Unity.}"
    The Vault Dweller: "{118}{}{How does it work?}"
    Children of the Cathedral technician: "{119}{}{You will be bound in the holy restraints. We will lower you into a vat of the blood of god, the holiest of holies. The FEV will shape and change you. You will be strong. You become a Nightkin if you are fortunate and worthy of the honor, else you will die the most painful death possible. Soon, I will be honored. I will become strong. Then I will fear no man.}"
    The Vault Dweller: "{121}{}{Just why are you telling me this?}"
    Children of the Cathedral technician: "{123}{}{You will only leave here as part of the Unity, or a lost soul in Hell! [pause] Besides, I sit down here with a bunch of converts. It felt good to get this off my chest.}"
    (CHOCTECH.MSG)
  25. 25.0 25.1 The Vault Dweller: "{201}{}{Hey, this looks like a nuclear bomb. Why is it here?}"
    Super mutant sergeant: "{202}{}{This is our Master's weapon of last resort. If we find an enemy we cannot defeat in battle, then we will destroy them with this. But I doubt this will ever happen. Even our Master does not want to unleash the dreaded power of the atom again!}"
    The Vault Dweller: "{205}{}{You're welcome. Now be quiet, I need to concentrate on guarding this device.}"
    Super mutant sergeant: "{206}{}{Oh, yes, it is. We keep it in perfect working condition, ready to be detonated at a moment's notice. The Unity will not be defeated!}"
    The Vault Dweller: "{208}{}{Aren't you worried that someone could steal some robes and sneak in here to set it off?}"
    Super mutant sergeant: "{209}{}{No. We are here to guard it from intruders. No one could access the device without us noticing. Besides, the nuclear arming key required to arm the device is not here.}"
    The Vault Dweller: "{211}{}{Well, for my sense of safety, could you tell me where the key is located?}"
    Super mutant sergeant: "{212}{}{Oh, sure, no problem. The Lieutenant keeps the key. He's at the Military Base, so he isn't even around here. That keeps the nuclear bomb from being set off under our beloved Master.}"
    (GENSARG.MSG)
  26. Praying super mutant and praying Child of the Cathedral's character descriptions: "{100}{}{You see some mutants and children kneeling before a video screen.}"
    Praying super mutant and praying Child of the Cathedral: "{101}{}{Pray with us for peace, child.}"
    "{102}{}{The Unity will prevail if we are strong. Meditate on the quality of strength.}"
    "{103}{}{Our mission to save humanity requires faith. Pray with us.}"
    "{104}{}{Unbeliever! Blasphemer! You will be punished!}"
    "{105}{}{We must pray to be strong. The change is almost upon us.}"
    "{106}{}{The Unity is our future, brother.}"
    "{107}{}{The Unity is our future, sister.}"
    "{108}{}{I believe in the Master. His will is our salvation.}"
    (PRAYING.MSG and SMPRAY.MSG)
  27. The Vault Dweller: "{127}{}{You've got a problem with your master plan.}"
    Master: "{130}{Mast09}{And what is that?}"
    The Vault Dweller: "{132}{}{You can't possibly take on the entire world.}"
    Master: "{134}{Mast10}{I'm not after the world, yet. When I turn your fellow vault-dwellers into mutants, my forces will be too strong for any to stand against! But don't worry, you won't care. Care! Care!}"
    The Vault Dweller: "{133}{}{I happen to know that your mutants are sterile.}"
    Master: "{135}{Mast11}{Preposterous! The FEV-2 virus doesn't destroy the reproductive organs of those it mutates.}"
    The Vault Dweller: "{136}{}{Perhaps the virus didn't sterilize people once, but it does now.}"
    Master: "{139}{Mast12}{Do you have proof?}"
    The Vault Dweller: "{140}{}{Of course, I do! Here it is . . .}"
    Master: "{149}{Mast17}{But it cannot be. This would mean that all my work has been for nothing. Everything that I have tried to . . . a failure! It can't be. Be. Be. Be.}"
    The Vault Dweller: "{150}{}{Sorry, this isn't an option for you. Your race will die out after this generation.}"
    Master: "{153}{Mast19}{I . . . don't think that I can continue. Continue? To have done the things I have done in the name of progress and healing. It was madness. I can see that now. Madness. Madness? There is no hope. Leave now, leave while you still have hope . . .}"
    The Vault Dweller: "{156}{}{Did you think to ask a female mutant?}"
    Master: "{162}{Mast25}{Reasonable. One moment. Are you sure? What about the other females? It cannot be. Be.}"
    (MASTER.MSG)
  28. The Vault Dweller: "{116}{}{I can't know you represent the best future, unless you prove it to me.}"
    Master: "{117}{Mast05}{Very demanding for one in your tenuous position. But I can respect your needs.}"
    The Vault Dweller: "{118}{}{So tell me.}"
    Master: "{119}{Mast06}{The Unity will bring about the master race. Master! Master! One able to survive, or even thrive, in the wasteland. As long as there are differences, we will tear ourselves apart fighting each other. We need one race. Race! Race! One goal. Goal! Goal! One people . . . to move forward to our destiny. Destiny.}"
    The Vault Dweller: "{120}{}{That race being the mutants, of course.}"
    Master: "{122}{Mast07}{Of course. Mutants are best equipped to deal with the world today. Who else? The ghouls. Please. Normals. They brought nuclear death to us all. This will be the age of mutants. Mutants.}"
    (MASTER.MSG)
  29. 29.0 29.1 The Vault Dweller: "{130}{}{Tell me about the Unity.}"
    Lieutenant"{137}{LIEUT10}{The Unity is our goal. It is quite simple, really. Certainly, even you have noticed the steady downhill slide of civilization?}"
    The Vault Dweller: "{138}{}{Well ,yeah, but . . .}"
    Lieutenant: "{139}{LIEUT11}{The Super Mutant is the next advancement in human evolution. To save the world, we will convert all the worthy individuals. Simple, efficient, glorious.}"
    The Vault Dweller: "{140}{}{So you're making everyone into big, green, ugly mutants to save the world?}"
    Lieutenant: "{143}{LIEUT12}{Your human mind is rather under-equipped to handle this, so a simple yes will suffice for now. Soon everyone in the world will be converted, and peace will reign.}"
    (LT.MSG)
  30. The Vault Dweller: "{150}{}{Pretty lofty goal. How are you made like this?}"
    Lieutenant: "{151}{LIEUT15}{Ahh, the wonders of technology. Before the war, the human scientists made a chem called FEV. It was designed to make the perfect human.}"
    The Vault Dweller: "{152}{}{So you're the perfect human?}"
    Lieutenant: "{153}{LIEUT16}{Better. More than human. I, too, was once human. Like you, I was a slug, wallowing in the mud before being exposed to FEV and undergoing my glorious transformation.}"
    The Vault Dweller: "{154}{}{So you're planning on dipping everyone in this FEV?}"
    Lieutenant: "{155}{LIEUT17}{Exactly. Now you see.}"
    (LT.MSG)
  31. The Vault Dweller: "{144}{}{But what about free will?}"
    Lieutenant: "{146}{LIEUT13}{Did you make the choice to be born into this ash covered world? We, the Super Mutants, are the best prepared for the world to come. What is free choice compared to life?}"
    The Vault Dweller: "{147}{}{Debatable point. But how are you more prepared than normal humans?}"
    Lieutenant: "{149}{LIEUT14}{Intuitively obvious to the most casual observer. We are highly intelligent and immune to disease. The strong survive! It is our goal to improve the human race.}"
    (LT.MSG)
  32. The Vault Dweller: "{123}{}{You mean to change all the others into mutants, as well.}"
    Master: "{126}{Mast08}{All that resist, yes. All those that are required for the Unity as well. The remainder will be allowed to live out their days, but under Unity control and protection. But none shall breed, for they will be the last of their race.}"
    (MASTER.MSG)
  33. See Children of the Cathedral for details.
  34. Nicole
  35. Lily Bowen and Dog/God mention being assassins for the Master.
  36. Fallout 2 Official Strategies & Secrets
  37. Appearances in Fallout
  38. The Vault Dweller: "{103}{}{I'm here to check on your progress.}"
    Mad scientist: "{112}{}{It's not going well. I've been injecting the FEV directly into the pineal gland, but I'm not getting the results I'd hoped for.}"
    The Vault Dweller: "{115}{}{What results are you getting?}"
    Mad scientist: "{120}{}{The Master's truth is revealed, resulting in increased psychic ability. [shakes his head] But the poor souls become terminally insane and must be sequestered and nullified to keep them from harming themselves or others.}"
    (MADSCI.MSG)

Non-game

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Fallout Bible 0: "2137Master's begins to mass-produce super mutants. Only about one in six or one in five attempts are successful, and of these successes, only half seem to last to go on to be part of his growing army, called the Unity."
  2. Fallout Bible 0: "2102 June 23 Richard Grey's Expedition [including Harold] finds the Mariposa Military Base and the Expedition is scattered and defeated by mutants at the base. Grey is knocked into one of the vats of FEV by a robotic arm, and Harold is knocked unconscious, only to awaken later out in the wasteland."
  3. Fallout Bible 0: "2102 July Richard Grey, now horribly mutated by the virus, crawls from the Vats covered with FEV and in terrible pain. Barely able to think or perceive his surroundings, he crawls into the Vat control room and begins his audio log. He fades in and out of consciousness, sometimes for days or weeks at a time."
  4. Fallout Bible 0: "2102 July-Nov Richard Grey begins to acclimate to his condition, and begins his first tests of animals by exposing them to FEV. These experiments and his growing awareness lay the foundation for his plans for the Unity and the master race. He takes the name, "the Master.""
  5. Fallout Bible 0: "2102 Nov The first human victim wanders into Mariposa, and Grey consumes him."
  6. Fallout Bible 0: "2103 January The Master discovers the problem with the influence of radiation on his mutations, and he begins to choose his subjects more carefully. The first classic super mutants are born, butt-scratching animations and all. He begins his plans to build an army."
  7. Fallout Bible 0: "2103-2130 Throughout this period, the Master begins slowly gathering test subjects, willing or unwilling, from local human stock. The Great Winter of 2130 and the scarcity of human subjects make building his army difficult."
  8. Fallout Bible 0: "2131-2135The Master begins ordering his super mutants to gather human stock from caravans. For many years, the caravan disappearances are blamed on monsters in the desert, and even when the abductions begin to occur on Hub caravans, the deathclaws are blamed. The super mutant army grows."
  9. Fallout Bible 0: "2152 As their influence slowly spreads throughout the wastes, the Master finds humans, doomsday cultists, and rather than dip them in the vats, he demands their obedience as spies - their leader is a man named Morpheus, and he pledges his followers to the Master. Morpheus and his cultists form the future core of the Children of the Cathedral."
  10. Fallout Bible 0: "2155-2156 After capturing a caravan of strange-garbed travelers (vault dwellers), Master learns the location of the Boneyard Vault, the future site of the Cathedral. He conquers the inhabitants and sets up operations there, and the human cultists begin to use the Vault as their powerbase. Within the Vault, the Master learns of other Vaults, and realizing their human occupants are ripe for transformation, begins to send out patrols to Vault locations in search of these other Vaults."
  11. Fallout Bible 5: "2155-2156 After capturing a caravan of vault dwellers, Master learns the location of the Boneyard Vault, the future site of the Cathedral. He conquers the inhabitants and sets up operations there, and the human cultists begin to use the Vault as their powerbase. Within the Vault, the Master begins to send out patrols to Vault locations in search of these other Vaults."
  12. Fallout Bible 0: "2157 The Master learns the location of the Bakersfield Vault, Vault 12, and sends a detachment of super mutants there to seize the vault. Many ghouls are snapped like twigs in the attack, and Set finally parleys with the super mutants, telling them that the ghouls are the Vault survivors the super mutants are looking for. The super mutants, angered at failing to find an intact Vault, set up a small garrison at the watershed to watch the inhabitants and insure Set's... cooperation in the war to come."
  13. Fallout Bible 0: "2162 March 3 Vault Dweller kicks the Master's ass."
  14. Fallout Bible 0
  15. Fallout Bible 0: "2162 April 20 Vault Dweller destroys the Military Base. Dogmeat dies defending his master."
  16. Fallout Bible 0: "2185 Summer At high noon, Marcus and Brotherhood of Steel Paladin Jacob cross paths many, many miles southwest of Broken Hills and punch and shoot each other for a few days. Eventually, they give up, unable to get an advantage over the other. The two start traveling together, arguing over Master and BOS doctrine and whether or not the Master could truly neurolink his biology into the Cathedral computer network."
  17. Fallout: New Vegas Official Game Guide Collector's Edition p.457: "Equality
    By law, the NCR prohibits persecution and discrimination on the basis of gender, ethnicity, sexuality, or religious belief (so long as said religion does not advocate violence). Legal protection of Ghouls and other mutants was added in 2205, though enforcement of these rights has been spotty. For the most part, the NCR's practices live up to its ideals, but there has been some retrenchment since the death of President Tandi. Aaron Kimball's popularity was amplified by a reactionary undercurrent, especially among males, calling out a need for a "strong man" to lead the NCR forward. In the years since Kimball took office, male military officers have been promoted disproportionately to females, and discourse arguing the differences between males and females has reappeared."
    (Fallout: New Vegas Official Game Guide; Behind the Bright Lights & Big City)
  18. Fallout Bible 5:
    "5. In F1 the Lieutenant said that the FEV raises intelligence. There are, however, very many dumb mutants. What can you say about it? And what do you think of my theory, which i've been using in my Fallout PnP campaign?
    Sorry, Pawel, for two things: I wasn't able to personally respond to your email because I kept getting bounced, and two, I wasn't able to comment on your FEV theory (as a reminder, I can't read fan-created material, so just send questions, comments, or facts if you can).
    As for the FEV enhancing intelligence, the original Pre-War FEV at West Tek did, and more consistently than the Fallout-era virus.
    The current Fallout-era FEV does enhance intelligence - in some people. Just not many. The Lieutenant was one of the lucky ones who didn't become a knuckle-dragging, butt-scratching moron after being dipped (and it may not have raised his intelligence, he may have been that smart before his dipping, but no records of his past exist to verify this).
    The FEV that was released out in the wasteland was mutated by radiation, so its effects changed. As for the FEV at Mariposa, the Lieutenant says the super mutants are smarter than humans ("We are highly intelligent and immune to disease"), which is only half-right, and he also says that the virus can also interfere with a person's memory, causing them to forget things. Obviously, the Lieutenant keeps forgetting that most of his super mutant forces can barely form complete sentences.
    Basically, the FEV in the vats only has a small chance of raising a being's intelligence (or even keeping it intact). The Master was one of the lucky ones. More often than not, it causes brain damage. It's also possible that the crude dipping procedure in Mariposa also caused imperfect mutations as well, reducing the chance of heightened intelligence.
    But to answer your question: the FEV at West Tek before the war caused increased intelligence in its subjects, but the FEV at Mariposa after the war rarely enhanced the intelligence of humans who were dipped. The reason for this is unknown.
    Chris Taylor says:
    Chris Taylor: Actually, a dip in FEV has a chance of modifying Intelligence, but it doesn't always increase it. Some people do gain increased intelligence, a larger majority lose intelligence and most people remain the same. It also depends if people have enough radiation damage to be turned into ghouls or super mutants."
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