Desdemona

Desdemona, also known as Dez, is the leader of the Railroad in the Commonwealth in 2287.

Background
Desdemona is the current leader of the mysterious and secretive organization known as the Railroad. Her cautious nature and professional demeanor are indicative of the nature of the Railroad itself, as infiltration or discovery could and has proven disastrous. Even so, she cares a great deal for those under her command, often to the ire of her second-in-command, Dr. Carrington. As the leader of the Railroad, Dez is in charge of day-to-day operations and maintaining contact with the widespread network of safehouses.

Not much is known about her history. Dez first signed up with and joined the Railroad sometime before September 2276, serving under Pinky Thompson. Desdemona was voted into the Alpha position following the resignation of Thompson around December 2277. During her tenure, she, along with the assistance of Dr. Carrington and Deacon made major changes concerning the organization's operational security, leading to a drastic increase in the number of synths successfully rescued. During her time as the Railroad Alpha, she devised a system of railsigns and improvements to the dead drops used for communication, and added Tinker Tom, Glory, and Tommy Whispers as members to Railroad HQ. P.A.M. was also discovered during Desdemona's time as the leader.

Other interactions

 * The Sole Survivor must seek her aid after dealing with the courser, and getting his chip; as she and her people are the only ones who can decode it.
 * If the Sole Survivor does not speak to Desdemona prior to entering the Institute and accepting a mission, she shuns them and the Railroad questline ends.
 * If one is a Railroad agent but is banished from the Institute then this also ends the Railroad questline as the Sole Survivor remaining undercover was vital to the plan. Desdemona encourages the player character to stop the Institute with the Commonwealth Minutemen as she sees it as the best remaining option for protecting the synths.

Appearances
Desdemona appears only in Fallout 4.

Behind the scenes

 * Desdemona is a character in William Shakespeare's play Othello.
 * The name "Desdemona" is derived from the ancient Greek δυσδαιμον ("dysdaimon") which literally means "bad-fate." It is generally translated to mean "ill-fated" or "unlucky."

Bugs

 * After completing the main questline with the support of the Commonwealth Minutemen, if on good terms with the Railroad and the Sole Survivor returns to their hideout, Desdemona will speak of Glory as if she had died even though Glory can be seen walking about. If trying to interact with Glory she will stay silent and not say any dialogue.
 * In her speech to Railroad HQ informing them of the Sole Survivor's successful infiltration of the Institute, she may incorrectly refer to them as "Wanderer" even if they chose a different code name when joining the Railroad.