Elder Lyons

Elder Owyn Lyons is the 75-year old leader of the Capital Wasteland Brotherhood of Steel in 2277.

Background
Owyn Lyons was born in 2202, and was originally a Brotherhood of Steel Paladin stationed at the Lost Hills bunker in South California. In 2254 the Brotherhood's ruling council decided to send a contingent of soldiers all the way to the East Coast, with three important objectives. First, to scour the ruins of Washington D.C., once the nation's capital, and recover any and all advanced technology. Second, to investigate the reports of Super Mutant activity in the area. Third, to reestablish contact with the Midwestern Brotherhood of Steel and return them under Lost Hills command. And so a small but hardened contingent of Brotherhood of Steel soldiers, led by Paladin Lyons (and accompanied by his friend and technological advisor Scribe Rothchild, as well as his seven year-old daughter Sarah) set out from Lost Hills and began the long trek east to what was once Washington D.C.

Go east
Contact with the Midwestern Brotherhood turned out to be unsuccessful. The group passed The Pitt on the way to the Capital Wasteland and "cleansed" the area of its mutated population, an action later to be known as the Scourge.

When the group reached the East Coast, they found the Pentagon largely destroyed but still holding a technological marvel in the form of Liberty Prime. This discovery was significant enough to earn Paladin Lyons a battlefield promotion to Elder, and a new directive from his superiors – to establish a new, permanent Brotherhood base in the Capital Wasteland, and continue the search for any other advanced technology hidden in the capital’s ruins. Lyons accepted his new post gladly, and founded the Citadel, built into and beneath the ruins of the Pentagon. Lyons and his soldiers also found the super mutants in the urban ruins of Downtown D.C. and helped stop the mutant tide from overtaking the entire region, by at least keeping them at bay.

Fighting the Super Mutants, simply keeping them at bay, may have been enough for the area's innocents, but for the Brotherhood, too many questions remained: how were these local Super Mutants created? Why were they capturing the people of the Capital Wasteland? Where were they taking them? Finding these answers would, ultimately, become Owyn Lyons' obsession.

A new mission
The years passed, but not in a way anyone had foreseen. Indeed, the Brotherhood of Steel’s importance to the people of the Capital Wasteland was not something that Lyons ever expected. Nor was it something his superiors back in California cared at all about. Their newest Elder had a clearly defined mission – to acquire advanced technologies in and around the ruins of Washington D.C. Finding the source of the Super Mutant threat and destroying it was important too, of course. Lyons’ prime objective was, first and foremost, the acquisition of technology. The Super Mutants were his second priority. Thus was the subject of every communication from the Brotherhood of Steel leadership in California.

But Elder Owyn Lyons had another priority, one he considered more important than his original directive or any orders received since – the protection of the innocent people of the Capital Wasteland. And so, Lyons sent word to his superiors that he would continue his search for technology when he was damned good and ready, and would not sacrifice the people who had come to rely on the bravery and strength of the Brotherhood of Steel.

The Californian corridors of Lost Hills erupted in rumor and speculation. Some claimed Owyn Lyons had “gone native,” putting the needs of the people of D.C. above those of the Brotherhood itself- others saw him as a Brotherhood Elder finally exhibiting the selfless behavior that should serve as a model for the entire order. Caught in the middle, the ruling Elders made the only decision they could – they would still recognize Elder Lyons as a leader of the Brotherhood of Steel, and the Citadel as their D.C. headquarters. But all support from the West Coast was thereby cut off- if Lyons wanted to pursue his own agenda on the East Coast, he would have to do it alone.

The schism
Most of Elder Lyons’ soldiers supported his dedication to the people of the Capital Wasteland, and were proud of their leader’s commitment to honor and heroism. But there were those who voiced their opposition – loudly, and aggressively. They believed that by abandoning the Brotherhood of Steel’s primary mission of acquiring new technologies, Elder Lyons had abandoned the very values that defined the order itself.

One night, the dissenters departed from the Citadel, absconding with weapons, Power Armor, and other pieces of technology and equipment. This was, without question, Owyn Lyons’ darkest hour. He had become a man of compassion and understanding, and couldn’t help but sympathize with those who had left: he had abandoned the Brotherhood’s primary mission. He recognized that, and took full responsibility. Some of the Knights and Paladins who left had been his battle brothers for years. Together, they had shared victory and loss, pain and elation. But to those soldiers loyal to Elder Lyons, this dereliction of duty and theft of technology was an act of cowardice and treason. The dissenters would call themselves the "Outcasts", traitors to the Brotherhood of Steel – it was a name they would ultimately wear like a badge of honor, proud of the distance it put between themselves and Lyons’ "soldier sycophants".

Relationships
His daughter, Sarah Lyons, is a member of the Brotherhood with the unique rank of Sentinel. Reginald Rothchild is an old friend of Elder Lyons. After Elder Lyons is informed that The Lone Wanderer is James' son he says he will treat The Lone Wanderer like his own son.

Occupation and activities
As the leader of the Capital Wasteland Brotherhood of Steel, Lyons spends most of his day in the Citadel's Citadel Lab, A-Ring or B-Ring. He regularly converses with the Scribes Rothchild, Bowditch and Peabody on their various projects. In addition, he checks up on the progress on the Brotherhood's major project, rebuilding Liberty Prime, and supervises the armory as well as the smithy. When he is not working in the Citadel Lab, he is usually eating in the A-Ring's Great Hall, studying in his room in B-Ring or sleeping.

Interactions with the player character
Once you have gained access to the Citadel, Elder Lyons will grant you permission to train in the use of Power Armor and permission to trade with the Citadel's quartermaster, Knight Captain Durga.

Lyons is involved in some quests of Fallout 3's main questline. Talking to him finishes The Waters of Life and he will start Picking up the Trail. Upon return from Raven Rock, the Elder provides the player with the quest Take it Back! He also starts the questline of the Fallout 3 add-on Broken Steel with the quest Death From Above.

The Brotherhood of Steel has been trying to locate the source of the super mutants for years. After escaping from Raven Rock, you can inform Elder Lyons that Vault 87 is the breeding grounds for the super mutants. Lyons will congratulate you for finding this vital information, and you will receive a boost in karma.

Choosing to destroy the Citadel in Who Dares Wins results in Owyn Lyons' death. Other than that, Lyons is an essential character and cannot be killed.

Quotes

 * "I cannot -- I will not -- allow the Enclave to control the one thing that could bring even the slightest spark of hope to these people."
 * "Here I sit, in the safety of the Citadel, while the people of the Wasteland thirst, and suffer, and die. Here I sit, a failed, feeble old man."

Appearances
Owyn Lyons appears in Fallout 3.

Behind the scenes
"(...) I likened Elder Lyons's situation to that of the Vault Dweller in Fallout. Both of them were raised in an insular, xenophobic, technologically advanced society, were cast out of that society on a mission to find some important tech, and found themselves alone and in control of their destiny for the first time. And like the Vault Dweller ( at least, the Vault Dweller on my saved games ), he displayed that all-too human trait of compassion and went about helping people.

''I think a lot of what kept the Brotherhood how the Brotherhood was, dogmatic, secretive, and so on, was their group-imposed isolation. Once you send a contingent out into the wastes, away from that continual feedback of norms and values, people are bound to start making up their own minds about things.''"