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 (not always) guns. Most have knives and other cutlery or bladed weapons.

They file their teeth to sharp points, and are proud of their long hair. 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. They were once very powerful and influential until the NCR took care of them, along with the Vipers.

Brutalized by the Republic, the Jackals were pushed east, towards the Mojave Wasteland. The relative lawlessness of the Mojave must have seemed like the perfect roaming grounds for the Jackals. Gangs from this raider tribe are commonly found along the highway south of Primm and west of Nipton. Their local center of operations is a Nevada Highway Patrol station, although they can also be found in small camps elsewhere in the wastes.

Each band consists of about three normal fighters and a leader, the latter usually wearing Metal Armor. The leader's health is significantly higher than the others. They often hide behind billboards and other obstructions, ambushing any passing travelers as they pass by.

Appearances
The Jackals appear only in Fallout: New Vegas. They were mentioned by Ian and Killian Darkwater in Fallout. They were originally meant to appear in the game, but were cut from the final version. 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.