Codex



The Codex is the core religious text of the Brotherhood of Steel.

History
Created by the Brotherhood's founder, Roger Maxson, the Codex dates to the first decades of the Brotherhood existence. Members of the Brotherhood who take the required Oath of Fraternity swear to adhere to its commandments and conduct themselves with honor.

Contents
The Codex contains text that formulate the Brotherhood's core tenets, doctrines, responsibilities of its members, and other essential elements of the Brotherhood's ideology and organization. Members of the order are expected to abide by its contents, with topics not covered by the Codex considered unimportant.

It also serves as a record of the Brotherhood's history, in conjunction with its essential component, the Scrolls, and contains axioms attributed to the Founder, Roger Maxson. It's the duty of the Brotherhood's scribes to maintain and update it. Theoretically, a scribe could alter any part of the Codex, even the axioms, but they'd be likely caught and punished.

Scrolls
An integral part of the Codex, Scrolls record the lives of the members of the order. They were created in the early years of the Brotherhood and were in common use by 2103, for example, by the Brotherhood First Expeditionary Force.

Each Scroll contains the Brother's current rank, personal details, and a summary of their service. These include the circumstances of their entry into the Brotherhood, a description of their personality and standing, notable deeds (such as battles, tech recoveries, and promotions), and will usually end with a description of their death or reassignment. The responsibility for maintaining the Scroll will then pass to the new command. The duty is typically assigned to the Head Librarian of a Brotherhood bunker or a designated scribe if one is not appointed.

Brotherhood chapters and detachments are expected to remain in contact with Lost Hills to synchronize the contents of Scrolls (with Roger Maxson describing it as the deeds enduring forever in them). Tradition also dictates that the Scrolls record each member's death. Recovering the holotags to confirm demise is considered acceptable, if resources do not permit a proper recovery and burial.

Finally, the Elder in command of a chapter may order certain names to be struck from the Codex in the case of desertion or insubordination. Paladin Leila Rahmani faced that risk after losing contact with Lost Hills, which caused some concern in New California that she's gone rogue. The procedure was carried out in respect to Henry Casdin and the Brotherhood Outcasts after their departure from under Owyn Lyons' command in 2276. The result is equivalent to damnatio memoriae, with members in good standing forbidden from even speaking the outcasts' names.