Charon (Fallout 3)

Charon is a possible companion and the ghoul bouncer of The Ninth Circle in 2277.

Background
Although little is said about Charon's past, Ahzrukhal will tell you that he was raised by a group of people who brainwashed him into obeying whomever has his contract. Ahzrukhal insists that he isn't a slave, and implies that Charon did something in the past to deserve his "employment" with Ahzrukhal. While the terms of the contract are never shown, if you ask Charon to retrieve the G.E.C.K., he says that it's only good for combat services, and that he's "nobody's errand boy."

Daily schedule
At The Ninth Circle, he is the bouncer. He stands in the corner until needed. If fired by the player, he'll return there and sit in a nearby chair.

Quests

 * Hired Help: You can receive Charon's contract for free by killing Greta for Ahzrukhal.
 * Take it Back!: With Broken Steel installed, Charon can be ordered to activate the purifier, despite his previous refusal to retrieve the G.E.C.K. in Vault 87.

Effects of player actions

 * You can purchase his contract for 2,000 caps from Ahzrukhal, or, with a barter skill of 50 or more, for 1,000 caps. After acquiring his contract, he will become a companion. His very first act as your new employee will be to have a "chat" with his former employer. You won't get your caps back after their "conversation".
 * Charon follows a personal moral path. Stealing in Underworld results in him attacking the player. If you kill a good NPC in Charon's presence, Charon will become upset and, if subsequently fired, become hostile.
 * There is a glitch that if you already have a follower when you get Charon's contract, you will keep both, but if you tell him to wait for too long, he will disappear.

Notable quotes

 * "Physical violence on your part invalidates our contract."
 * "You are my employer, and I will do as you command."
 * "And now, for good or ill, I serve you."
 * "You purchased my contract from Ahzrukhal? So, I am no longer in his service. That is good to know. Please, wait here. I must take care of something."
 * "I don't like the look of this place."
 * ''"No. Talk to Azrukhal."

Appearances
Charon appears only in Fallout 3.

Behind the scenes

 * In Greek mythology, Charon was the ferryman of Hades who carried souls of the newly deceased across the rivers Styx and Acheron, which divided the world of the living from the world of the dead.
 * Charon tells you that he "finds happiness in a warm gun." - an allusion to the Beatles song "Happiness is a Warm Gun."

Bugs
Charon will only use his combat shotgun
 * When buying Charon's contract from Ahzrukhal, a bug can occur during their interaction that leaves one, or both of them, unable to respond to the player (i.e. Charon will not follow you and/or Ahzrukhal will not talk to you). This bug may happen if Ahzrukhal is asleep. When Charon goes to wake him, Ahzrukal will say his first line of dialog and Charon will stay in place. Ahzrukhal will then go to the area he is in originally when you walk in during the day. It can be solved on the PC by using the in-game console command "resurrect" to reset the problematic NPCs. On the Xbox 360 this bug can sometimes be solved by exiting and re-entering the game.
 * If you hire Charon as a follower, he will not follow you through the concourse but will appear again outside the museum entrance.
 * Sometimes Charon will not follow you outside of underworld but will still appear outside of the Museum of History. (no patch for this glitch)
 * Charon may not be able to leave the Ninth Circle, even into Underworld.
 * If you equip Charon with only the Chinese Stealth Armor and leave the dialogue, he will equip it and be able to go stealth. If in stealth you talk to him and give him power armor (possible any armor) while he is stealthed and leave the trade equipment screen, he will put the power armor on and still be able to stealth allowing you to grab the now unequipped Chinese Stealth Armor and wear the Chinese stealth armor yourself.
 * sometimes, after he is hired, when you ask him to follow you he will say a random line and it will show that you need neutral karma to hire him.