Vulpes Inculta

Vulpes Inculta is the leader of the frumentarii in Caesar's Legion and one of the trusted men of Caesar, traveling in the Mojave Wasteland with a group of legionaries who ravaged Nipton in 2281.

Background
A remarkable individual from an unremarkable tribe south of Utah, Vulpes was brought into the Caesar's Legion as a child. Having survived training, he was made a legionary and fought well enough to be promoted to the rank of Decanus. He became a Frumentarius following a brilliant tactical maneuver when in a battle against a tribe, he broke ranks and led his squad through a hole in the enemy defenses and capturing the tribe's chieftain. While his centurion wanted him crucified for disobeying orders, Caesar saw potential in the young Decanus and found a more interesting use of him. Since then, Vulpes' tactics have been a point of contention among the Legion, and while Caesar knowns of the use of spying and deceit in war, not everyone agrees with the methods employed by Vulpes. Especially the most likely candidate for next Caesar of the Legion: Lanius.

According to Ulysses, Vulpes Inculta was responsible for the pacification of the Twisted Hairs at Dry Wells once the Legion's campaign ended in Arizona. Those of the Twisted Hairs who resisted were crucified alongside Interstate 40. By 2281, Vulpes is the leader of the Frumentarii and the mastermind behind many of the Legion's intrigues, notably all the outreaches into NCR controlled territory including, Operation: Racket, Fall of Nelson, slaughter at Nipton as well as the destruction of Camp Searchlight, which was destroyed after Legionaries released the contents of several radioactive waste containers kept in the city's fire station. This severely weakened the NCR's position in the area and allowed the Legion to cross the Colorado River and establish an outpost at Cottonwood Cove. Along with orchestrating most (if not all) sabotages west of the Colorado, Vulpes is very capable on his own and a master of disguise, having visited the Strip several times before giving the Courier the Mark of Caesar.

Personality
Vulpes is a devout believer of the dogma of Caesar perpetuating all his acts for the Legion, and firmly holds loyalty up as one the Legion's core tenets along with martial excellence and justice. Following Caesar's ideals, Vulpes took to massacring Nipton to send a message that none are safe from Caesar's reach and prove the moral debauchery of those living under the NCR. Vulpes is particularly disgusted by disloyalty and makes a point of punishing those caught in Nipton in a similar way that disloyalty is punished in the Legion. A special punishment was given to the mayor, Joseph Steyn, being burning him alive on a tire fire for trying to deceive those he put under his care. Vulpes also finds disgust in in-action and selfishness, making note of how, even though outnumbered by those caught in Nipton, none tried to revolt during the lottery.

Quests

 * Cold, Cold Heart: Tell the profligates of the sermon.
 * I Put a Spell on You: Help an infiltrator at Camp McCarran to sabotage the monorail and draw off suspicion.
 * Keep Your Eyes on the Prize: Ghost tells the Courier to check out Nipton and see what's going on. When the player character arrives in Nipton, they will see Vulpes waiting outside the town hall.
 * Render Unto Caesar: Vulpes will approach after the Courier has left The Tops and tell them Caesar wants an audience with them. He will also give the Mark of Caesar.
 * The Finger of Suspicion: Prevent some Omerta thugs from harming a valuable informant inside Vault 21.

Effects of player's actions

 * If Vulpes is killed by the Courier, or otherwise dies after meeting them, a man named Alerio will give Caesar's Mark instead of Vulpes. Alerio will mention the death of "the fearless Vulpes Inculta" as an example of a crime the Courier is being forgiven for.
 * If Vulpes is killed by the Courier, Caesar will mention you killing him as part of his greeting; he will sound impressed.
 * If the Courier passes Nipton and first encounters Vulpes in New Vegas, Vulpes will start the Nipton conversation with a mention of that encounter on The Strip, wondering if the Courier recognizes him, after which his normal Nipton dialogue commences; however if Vulpes has died by the time the Courier approaches the Nipton Town Hall, Gabban will be coordinating the lottery in his place.

Other interactions

 * Vulpes Inculta is likely to be the first member of Caesar's Legion encountered by the Courier in the Mojave Wasteland. He's originally found at Nipton after obliterating the town with his fellow frumentarii. When speaking to the Courier, he'll explain the reason for destroying the settlement, as well as give the assignment to spread the word of Legion atrocities. If the Courier tells Vulpes that they appreciate the Legion's form of justice, they will gain fame with the Legion. Choosing the second option, "I guess they got what was coming to them" also gains Legion fame.

Inventory

 * Only in Nipton

** Only on the Strip

Appearances
Vulpes Inculta appears only in Fallout: New Vegas and is mentioned by Ulysses in its add-on Lonesome Road.

Behind the scenes
In Latin, vulpes translates as "fox," while inculta can translate as "uncultivated" or "rough."

Bugs

 * There's a glitch which can prevent you from being able to speak with Vulpes, even when he triggers the conversation. The camera will zoom in on him as it would usually do when initiating conversation, but will then quickly retract, bringing the player back into control. Reloading to a recent save doesn't seem to fix the issue. A possible fix is to reload to a save before confronting Benny, then walking out of the casino before talking to Yes Man, this has been observed to work in several cases. This may be caused by obtaining a large amount of legion infamy.
 * If you meet Vulpes Inculta at The Strip before meeting him at Nipton and then meet him at the Fort and THEN travel to Nipton you will spot him there but if you try to talk to him the camera will zoom in and zoom out. This appears to be caused by failing 'Booted' before visiting Nipton.
 * There is a bug involving Vulpes' death. If the player kills him near the entrance to Caesar's Tent in the Fort, his body will vanish before it can be looted. It is unknown why this happens, but Vulpes' body simply vanishes from the game shortly after death.