Ishmael Ashur

Ishmael Ashur, known as Lord Ashur to The Pitt's inhabitants, is the overlord of The Pitt and leader of the Pitt raiders in 2277.

Background
Born on the West Coast, Ashur used to be a Initiate in the Brotherhood of Steel. He was part of Owyn Lyons' expedition to the East Coast, sent by the Brotherhood's ruling council in 2254 to recover technology from cities and bases on the eastern seaboard. During their journey to the Capital Wasteland, the Brotherhood's expeditionary force came across the ruins of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In a single night, the Brotherhood swept through the city from their staging area at Mount Wash, eliminating any resident who put up a fight. The intent of the Scourge remains unclear, but several unmutated children were taken from The Pitt by the Brotherhood and placed into initiate training. Lyons' contingent left the city after capturing all unmutated human children they found, about twenty. Lyons' forces suffered only one casualty: Initiate Ishmael Ashur, who was caught in an explosion in the Mill and was buried under rubble. He was presumed dead by his peers.

Ashur was rendered unconscious by the explosion but survived. He was woken from his involuntary slumber by a scavenger, trying to pull him out of the rubble and strip him of his armor. He did not let her take it, and spared her life. After questioning the scavenger, he learned that she and her family were staging raids into other parts of the Pitt to gather supplies. Recalling recon data and his Brotherhood knowledge, he realized that this was the only operational steel mill the Brotherhood has seen. Ashur decided that it was a chance for a new beginning. To this end, he harnessed the scavengers, who were more than happy to appease the man they perceived as god, to build a city from scratch. Although he kept his origins a secret.

The city grew rapidly under Ashur's lead and management. In order to keep his city growing, he ruled with a necessary iron fist, (keeping the ragtag group of bosses in line ) buying and capturing people for slave labor and pressing raider gangs into his military. The harsh methods were necessary, as the virulent, toxic environment of the ruined city of Pittsburgh and the related Troglodyte Degeneration Contagion precluded normal procreation. Fallout 3 Official Game Guide Game of the Year Edition p.43-44: "Pitt Raiders Pitt Slaves Trogs Wildmen Following the Great War, survivors established a settlement on the remains of a city at the confluence of rivers. The rivers seem to provide a clear resource, and enough of the city was cleared by the bombs that a new settlement could be established. However, radioactive material and unidentified mutagens mixed into the groundwater, causing it to become slightly mutagenic and highly carcinogenic. As a result, the people in the new settlement began to change ever so slightly. ''The changes were subtle, not nearly to the degree of the Super Mutants or the various Wasteland creatures, but over the next 140 years, it became undeniable that something was affecting the people of The Pitt. Starting from the first few years, children were often born with strange growths or extra vestigial limbs. The mutations never went far beyond the occasional hunchback or cleft palate, but it wasn't long before the vast majority of the residents of The Pitt developed some sort of physical deformity in their lifetimes. Although many children were born "clean," the older they got, the more likely that a problem would develop. The most disturbing change that the environment caused was not nearly as noticeable as the physical deformities. The infected water and poisoned sky began to cause neurological damage to those exposed to it. People became more hostile, violent, and short-tempered; they became known as "Wildmen." Their emotions became out of control, and their actions often teetered on primal. In severe cases, mutated humans devolved into hunched, savage beasts nicknamed "Trogs." Over the first 50 years, The Pitt quickly degenerated into a dangerous den of murderers and rapists; even cannibalism was not uncommon. The only loyalty was in strength, and the only organization was between those who were strong enough to control others and those who were controlled. Rumors of the horrors of The Pitt spread throughout the Wasteland, and all travelers knew to avoid it at all costs. However, The Pitt became one of the most self-sufficient communities in the Wastes. Granted, their self-sufficiency relied on the citizens occasionally eating one another, but they functioned without trade or export. In 2042 [sic], Star Paladin Lyons of the Brotherhood of Steel led the Scourge, a large-scale military action that wiped out nearly the entire population of The Pitt. In a single night, the Brotherhood swept through the city, eliminating any resident who put up a fight. Although the intent of the Scourge remains unclear, several unmutated children were taken from The Pitt by the Brotherhood and placed into initiate training. The motivations for the Scourge are unclear to this day, but many in the Brotherhood note that it was a marked change in the way the Brotherhood operates. Additionally, it is known that something was recovered from The Pitt during the Scourge, although to date it would seem that only Elder Lyons knows what it was. It is said that a Brotherhood of Steel Paladin from the Scourge stayed on in The Pitt, seeking to bring law and order to the unwashed masses and creating an underclass of Pitt Slaves in the process, guarded by Pitt Raiders under his personal command. However, in the decades following the events of the Scourge, nobody has heard anything from The Pitt. Travelers who have gone to investigate have not returned, and no survivors have emerged."'' (Fallout 3 Official Game Guide faction profiles) Ashur considered his brutal approach a temporary measure, until a cure for the mutations was found. He and his chief scientist, Sandra Kundanika (who also happened to be Ashur's wife), focused on developing it. The solution came in the form of a child, their child. Marie was born without mutations of any kind and soon exhibited immunity to them. Her parents were elated and focused on developing a way to share Marie's natural resistance to mutation with others, so that the Pitt can grow normally.

But until such a way is found, Ashur continues to lord over the Pitt, building his vast raider army and the economic might of the Pitt, until he can fulfill his goals of freeing his people from the ravages of sickness and uniting the wastelands under his banner.

Daily schedule
Ashur spends the majority of his time in his office at the top of Haven, but is occasionally seen giving speeches to the slaves of The Pitt every once in a while. He also runs The Pitt's radio station.

Quests

 * Unsafe Working Conditions: Ashur appears, giving a speech to the slaves and announcing the opening of The Hole, giving the player a shot at their freedom.
 * Free Labor: Ashur invites the player to speak with him once they survive The Hole and prevail. At this point, the player has to choose between siding with Wernher or Ashur. The former requires the player to kill Ashur after supporting the slave revolt, the latter will involve suppressing it and dealing with Wernher.

Appearances
Ashur appears only in the Fallout 3 add-on The Pitt.

Behind the scenes

 * Ishmael is a figure in the Hebrew Bible, and Ashur was an East Semitic god and the head of the Assyrian pantheon. The history of the ancient city of Assur also holds several similarities and possible symbolisms to Ashur's life and the Pitt's settlement.
 * Ashur's armor is painted in the city colors of Pittsburgh—black and yellow.

Bugs

 * Sometimes after the initial meeting dialogue with Ashur he will repeat the words "Don't let me keep you" a few times to before leaving. This appears to be a bug, supposedly caused by speaking to others in Haven before speaking to Ashur or by skipping through too much of Ashur's dialogue.
 * After accessing the computer in the room with Marie, Ashur's corpse is very likely to disappear if you have killed him, so be sure to loot his body before using it.
 * Ashur's speech prior to entering the arena is bugged. In the PC version of the game, he will skip every other text block, causing the speech to be much shorter (the skipped portions of the speech can be heard in the background playing at the same time as the heard portions). The full speech plays in the Xbox and PlayStation version of the game.
 * Sometimes when entering Haven and interrupting Ashur's talk with Kenshaw you cannot interact with him and he will stand there with his legs shaking.
 * Ashur may sometimes be killed by going to hear his speech, and then shooting the guards before your weapons will be put away. The Pitt Raider that stands up on the railing may start shooting him and kill him.
 * When Ashur is delivering his speech, there may be 4 possible echoes instead of 1. He will say the last word 5 times (Once over the intercom, 4 echoes, all at the same volume) and may freeze up there.
 * If the player noclips up to Ashur's podium while he is delivering his speech, he will crouch as if he is fleeing, but it will state that "This character is busy."