Legate Lanius

Legate Lanius, also known as the Monster of the East, is Caesar's second Legate, living in the Legate's Camp in 2281. He is the final boss of Fallout: New Vegas in three of four endings and one of the main antagonists of the game.

Background
Joshua Graham remarks that he did not know of Lanius during his time as Legate, indicating he was not recruited until some time after the First Battle of Hoover Dam in 2277. Asking Caesar about him reveals that Lanius was a member of a tribe hostile to Caesar's Legion, the Hidebarks, and Lanius was the bloodthirsty champion of that tribe, sometimes ambushing entire groups of legionaries by himself. Caesar's Legion then tracked down the Hidebarks, although when they knew that they would not be able to win against Caesar, they chose to surrender. Lanius saw this act as a betrayal to the tribe and it drove him into a bloodthirsty frenzy; killing the Chieftain and fifteen others of his own tribe single-handedly before he was knocked unconscious. When Lanius woke up, most of his face was torn off and Caesar was standing beside him. He offered Lanius a place in the Legion and a mask forged in the image of the great god Mars specifically for him. Lanius accepted Caesar's proposal, but in return he wanted permission to kill the survivors of his old tribe; Caesar demanded that he only kill the adult males. Since this time, Lanius has led Caesar's Legion to victory over nineteen tribes and has led the conquest of Colorado.

Interestingly enough, there seems to be several spoken versions of Lanius's origins, and he himself appears to be surrounded by myths. Lucius mentions that Lanius was already a legionary by the age of twelve, which seemingly contradicts Joshua Graham's comment and Caesar's story about him. Also, Lanius is said to be a brutal savage that hates the Legion, only leading it because of his respect for Caesar. However, he demonstrates both cunning and a certain kind of honor; seemingly has no grudge against the Legion itself, only those disobeying orders and not willing to sacrifice themselves for the Legion. Ulysses states he is never seen without his mask and that his own slaves are struck blind so as not to look upon his face, that he is not even certain it has always been the same person without his mask. These opposing accounts show that Lanius's image and past is more a mythic construct within the Caesar's Legion than a flesh and blood man, with the truth of his past only known by Caesar.

Personality
Lanius is not well-liked within the Legion, and it seems that both Caesar and Vulpes Inculta harbor doubts at his ability to lead the Legion. Caesar openly admits that he does not think Lanius is worthy of being called a "great man" and believes he has no "love" for his Legion. Vulpes is more reserved, but criticizes his blunt methods and shows quiet celebration if Caesar is saved, thus preventing Lanius from becoming the new leader of the Legion for the time being. Siri, a Legion slave, describes him as not "a man to be crossed - especially if you are a woman."

When spoken to, Lanius is revealed to respect honor above everything. He states that treachery should not be relied on as a tactic, and hopes that the Omertas would die after their plan to hold a coup on the New Vegas Strip failed and they were discovered, as their aid in the Second Battle would have sullied the Legion. Lanius also suspects that the Legion took too much of the dam easily and that the Republic would not be so lax in its security if the Courier bluffs and states that there is a trap set for the Legion. He also shows a dislike for Vulpes Inculta's methods and he criticizes his ploys as "dishonest." He also makes hints that he believes Vulpes is a talker, not a warrior. This shows great conflict swirling around Lanius as Caesar's successor and adds to the beliefs of Joshua Graham, Marcus and Mr. House that the Legion will tear itself apart in the years after Caesar's death.

Quests

 * Veni, Vidi, Vici: Legate Lanius will be the one who gives the final order to the Courier, and also the one who congratulates them after the battle.
 * No Gods, No Masters, All or Nothing, Eureka!: At the battle of Hoover Dam, Lanius can be convinced into surrendering with numerous Barter and Speech checks, respectively 55, 65, 75, 85 and 100. One Speech route will convince him that the vast territory of the NCR is its weakness and that the Legion will not be able to claim and hold it without highly weakening their presence in the East. Another Speech route will convince him that factions within Legion want him removed from power and he should take care of said matter first. The Barter route will convince him that the West is not self-sufficient and too dependent on the NCR and its supply caravans, so it would be extremely difficult to maintain. If a Speech or Barter check is failed during the conversation, it is also possible to take a different Speech angle to bluff and convince him to flee, suggesting that this fight was too easy because a trap lies in wait for him, and that the player character is only telling him this because it would be dishonorable to defeat a foe in such a way.
 * If the Speech or Barter checks cannot be passed, or the wrong dialogue is selected at the near-end or the beginning, he will prepare to engage combat, and the Courier will have a unique good Karma dialogue option that will convince him to fight the player character alone, "honorably," regardless of whether or not they have followers with them (requires 80 Speech).

Effects of player's actions

 * If the Courier sides with the Legion and allows Caesar to die because of his brain tumor, Lanius will become the new leader of the Legion. He is far more ruthless than Caesar, and handles several things differently than Caesar would have if victorious. For example, he would have Arcade Gannon crucified rather than keeping him on-hand as a doctor, slaughter the people of the Strip upon arrival at the gates of Vegas, have Chief Hanlon crucified with the other NCR Rangers rather than grant him a swift death out of respect, exterminate the Followers of the Apocalypse rather than give them safe passage out of the Mojave Wasteland, and pursue the Enclave remnants rather than recognize it as a lost cause.

Inventory

 * Lanius will not drop his armor, however, one can briefly obtain the helmet for the rest of the quest. The Blade of the East that he carries is a different version from the one he drops.

Appearances
Lanius appears in Fallout: New Vegas and is mentioned by Joshua Graham in Honest Hearts and Ulysses in Lonesome Road.

Behind the scenes

 * "Lanius" is Latin for "butcher."
 * Lanius was designed by John Gonzalez and Chris Avellone. Chris Avellone wrote all of Lanius' dialogue.
 * In the G.E.C.K., Lanius has the unique class "Legionary Bad Ass."