Jackals

The Jackals are one of the three groups of raiders that originated from Vault 15, the other ones being the Khans and the Vipers.

Characteristics
The Jackals are your typical group of crazies. They have no morals except one: survival. They use group tactics to overpower their enemies. They are craven cowards, though, and will not attack unless they know they can win. They band together in their hideaway and fight over the spoils. . Normally small family groups, they sometimes join forces against bigger targets. They even bring the women and children along for the hunt. Their advantage is in numbers, not strength. They use unarmed and melee weaponry, and occasionally (if they're lucky) guns. Most have knives and other cutlery or bladed weapons.

They file their teeth to sharp points, and are proud of their long hair (cutting it is a shameful thing). They became savage and cannibalistic after a winter storm trapped them and forced them to eat each other, and now that's how they survive. They drop easily, or even run if wounded, but they're just waiting to claim the dead from either side. They do not consume the corpses of ghouls or super mutants, however, because the taste does not appeal to them. They also generally despise all kinds of mutants.

Origins
The original Jackals came out of Vault 15 in the 2100s due to overcrowding in the vault. They fought extensively against the other two raider groups from Vault 15, until they were defeated by the Khans in 2135. After that, most of them fled east of California.

Boulder
In the 2250s, they were moving east again, because of pressure from the unified tribes. The Jackals know that other tribes despise and fear them.

6 months before the Prisoner arrives to Boulder, Galenski runs into a pack of Jackals, kills all but one, and heads home. The lone Jackal runs to his tribe and tells them about the truck, the man, and where he went. The Jackals stop fighting among their own tribes and move out in search of this new food source. Two months after that, Galenski makes a run to Denver. On the way back he faces some Jackals but fails to kill any of them.

Within a month, Jackals organize in strength in this region. Though they originally tried attacking the dome, they quickly realize the truck is an easier target. A month before the Prisoner's arrival Larsen shoots one of his soldiers and offers the body to the Jackals. The NCR soldiers and the tribes became allies, both wanting to get into the dome.

Five days before, Presper and his men arrive, shoot some Jackals. When Coleridge leaves, he points out that for about 24 hours after they leave, the Jackals will be distracted by the NCR train leaving. The Jackal leader, Banshee, is in a Mexican standoff with Larsen, as both want to get in and neither wants the other to live after that.

Mojave Wasteland
By 2281 the NCR has become more powerful and forced many of the raider gangs to fresher areas along the eastern frontier. The relative lawlessness of the Mojave must have seemed like the perfect stomping grounds for gangs like the Jackals when compared to the growing power of law enforced by the NCR. They are found along the road to the Mojave Outpost hanging along the Nevada Highway Patrol station where the player can kill them. They can also be found in small bands at numerous locations, each band has its own leader whose health is significantly higher than the others. They have a tendency to pop out of nowhere, even directly behind you. This may just be a gameplay mechanic used to hit home the fact that they are just cowards. They are also found inside the Nevada Highway Patrol station and use it as their headquarters. They can be eliminated by the player as they head to the Mojave Outpost or Nipton as they are generally found in that area.

Appearances
The Jackals appear only in Fallout: New Vegas. They were mentioned by Ian and Killian Darkwater in Fallout 1. The Jackals would have appeared in Van Buren, the canceled Fallout 3 by Black Isle Studios, as well as in Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel 2.

Players in Fallout: New Vegas will probably be introduced to them on the way to Mojave Outpost. They are typically found in the Nevada Highway Patrol Station on the road between Primm and there. They are poorly equipped, not even wearing Raider Armor and often use 10mm and 9mm pistols. This is likely due to the NCR brutalizing the Jackals.