Wernher

 is an escaped slave from The Pitt who requests assistance from the Lone Wanderer in helping with a slave rebellion. It is possible by interpretation that he is the main antagonist in The Pitt, if you hear Ishmael's story. He explains that the Pitt's Raider leader Ishmael Ashur developed a cure for the horrible mutations afflicting those living in the city, and wants the Lone Wanderer to help him and the slave rebel leader Midea retrieve the valuable commodity.

Wernher's true intentions are largely up to the player's interpretation. It is subsequently revealed that that Wernher was Ashur's lieutenant before he was enslaved for betraying his leader. According to Sandra, Wernher once attempted to steal Marie, which may have been the reason for his enslavement.

If you object to Werhner's plan to kidnap Marie in order to obtain the Cure and free the slaves, he will tell you that sometimes changing the world involves getting your hands dirty.

If you side with Ashur and successfully manage to get Wernher to leave he will curse everyone and everything, including Ashur, the Pitt, the raiders, and the slaves. This could be taken to suggest that his motives may not have been all that noble.

Characteristics
Wernher levels with the player, and his health and skills are on the exact same scale as the game's NPC Companions, making him noticeably tougher than most other human NPCs short of Commander Jabsco or General Jingwei. Amusingly, this makes him noticeably tougher to kill than his rival, Lord Ashur, who despite having significantly stronger-than-normal armor has only about as much health as a standard Brotherhood of Steel Paladin.

Because Wernher levels with the player, his performance in the add-on's opening firefights against Pitt Raiders varies significantly based on the player's level. On low levels he can be overwhelmed and beaten by them, while on high levels he should be able to wipe them out singlehandedly without the player's assistance.

Trivia

 * The name Wernher is of Germanic origin (and is pronounced "Vernher"). This may be a reference to the large number of German immigrants (and their descendants) who live in Pittsburgh.


 * He may also be a reference to Naked Snake from the Metal Gear series of video games. They both wear an eye patch, smoke, are very good at sneaking, and they have similar voices.
 * Wernher may also be referenced to S. D. "Snake" Plissken from John Carpenter's Escape from New York, and Escape from L.A. Both also wear an eye patch, smoke, carry similar small firearms (Scoped .44), and seem to share similar physical characteristics to each other (Hairstyle, whiskers, and raspy tone).  The setting of The Pitt may also support this reference due to the layout.

Bugs

 * There is a bug where Wernher, after killing all the raiders in the first battle upon entering the Pitt map, will continually shoot at the Pitt leader whom he first talks to whether or not she's dead already. He will eventually stop.
 * There is a bug in which Wernher's left eye is fluorescent yellow. This is sparked from approaching him from different angles. It's just a minor glitch that doesn't seem to resolve itself.
 * There is a bug where after killing all of the raiders Wernher will start walking across the bridge and get himself killed if the mines aren't disabled.
 * Wernher may inexplicably become hostile to the player. If so, he cannot be killed. The console can be used to fix this glitch on the PC. Xbox 360 users can wait outside his hideout for three full days to reset Wernher's AI, after which he will proceed normally.
 * There is a bug where after killing Wernher and going back to the Trainyard, you will see his dead body right next to the cart. (Confirmed on Xbox 360)
 * This editor had not spoken to Wherner, but was confronted by him in Oasis

Appearances
Wernher appears in The Pitt add-on for Fallout 3.