The Pitt (Fallout 3)

The Pitt is a raider-dominated city built in the ruins of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Established in the aftermath of the Great War by local gangs, it was nearly destroyed by the Brotherhood of Steel in 2255, only to be revitalized by former Brotherhood Initiate Ishmael Ashur. By 2277, the city's slave trade and steel industry made it a major power on the East Coast.

Establishment and Decline
The Pitt was once the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Following the Great War, the city fell into chaos, with various raider gangs establishing their own spheres of control in the city. Seeking to escape the violence and oppression, a number of locals banded together to flee the city, gathering up more survivors on their way as they traveled towards DC before taking a train to Appalachia. These settlers would go on to form the settlement of Foundation in 2103.

Around this time, one or more of the local gangs began building a settlement they called "the Pitt" using conscripted and enslaved workers, at the point where the Ohio River diverges. The devastation of the bombs provided ample room and raw materials for construction, and the river provided a seemingly-useful source of water. Unbeknownst to the settlement's inhabitants, however, the river had been heavily polluted with radioactive material, mutagenic agents, and dangerous carcinogens. Over the following years, children would be born with deformities such as cancerous growths or vestigial limbs, and as decades passed nearly the entire population became afflicted with genetic diseases and mutations. 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)

Mutation was the least of the inhabitants' concerns, however. Among the genetic diseases that spread in the inhabitants was a neurological condition that caused its victims to descend into a violent, primal state. Those who suffered from this condition came to be known as "wildmen," roaming in packs outside the Pitt and preying on anyone who crossed their path. Those unfortunate enough to suffer from this condition and the city's rampant mutations would devolve into hunchbacked, animal-like creatures known as "trogs."

As the population degenerated, so too did the order established by the city's raiders. Within 50 years of its establishment, warring tribes of cannibals and rapists had become the dominant power in the city, with what little order existed taking the form of the strong commanding the weak. While this eventually allowed the Pitt to settle into a state of brutal self-sufficiency, it left the city with a terrifying and infamous reputation, and travelers from across the East Coast came to avoid the place as a matter of common sense.

The Scourge
In 2255, an expeditionary force of the Brotherhood of Steel, led by then-Paladin Owyn Lyons, arrived at the outskirts of the Pitt on their journey to the Capital Wasteland. After reconnoitering the ruins, Lyons, for reasons unknown to his soldiers, ordered an attack on the city. More of a massacre than a military action, Brotherhood soldiers entered the city from Mount Wash, and in a single night slaughtered half of the city's population, sparing only those who surrendered immediately. This operation would come to be known as the Scourge.

Shortly afterwards, the Brotherhood left the city, taking 21 healthy children, including one Greg Bear, and placing them into Initiate training. Rumors claim that the Brotherhood also recovered an important asset of some kind from the ruins, but few if any know what it was. Having suffered only a single casualty, one Initiate Ishmael Ashur, the Brotherhood marked the operation as a success, albeit a harrowing one. However, while the Scourge succeeded in calming the city and clearing it of its most violent inhabitants, it also left a power vacuum that would be seized by an unlikely individual.

Lord Ashur's Rise
While he had been reported as killed in action by his squadmates after they witnessed a building collapse on top of him, Initiate Ashur actually survived the Scourge. However, while his power armor had protected him from death in the accident, he still sustained severe injuries that left him comatose for several days. When he was finally awoken, it was by a woman who had survived the purge, attempting to pry his armor off of what she believed was his corpse.

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 had 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 rebuild the Pitt from scratch. The task wasn't as hard as it appeared to be at first sight, as while the Brotherhood looted the city a lot, they also cleared out a lot of trogs and wildmen, leaving behind plenty of salvageable goods.

The city grew rapidly under Ashur's lead and care. He ruled with a necessary iron fist, buying and capturing people for slave labor, pressing raider gangs into his army, all in order to keep his city growing. 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. Ashur considered his brutal approach a temporary measure until a cure for the mutations was found. He and his chief scientist, Sandra Kundanika (who 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 economical 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.

Slaves can earn their freedom and ascend to the ranks of Ashur's raider army by winning fights in The Hole. Quite a few of Ashur's finest are former slaves, including Reddup, Mex, Gruber, Hammer and Squill.

Layout
When the Lone Wanderer visits the Pitt in 2277, it is a city that has undeniably seen better days. Smoke from the steel mill chokes the air, and the city streets are clogged by abandoned vehicles and rubble. The occupied areas of the Pitt have been fenced off from the surrounding ruins to prevent escape, and the glare of spotlights keep the trogs that have overrun the rest of the city away.

Train yard
The main trainyard for The Pitt has long since fallen into disrepair, and the main rail bridge into the city has fallen into the highly toxic river. In addition, the tunnel leading to the bridge is collapsed, preventing further journey on rails. A small scouting party of Pitt raiders guards this yard, ready to report back to the main gate if any enemies are spotted or if slaves try to escape. This is moderately well guarded and is the last stop between the wasteland and The Pitt.

Bridge
Despite ruling The Pitt with an iron fist, there are still pockets of resistance throughout the city, not least of which is an old slave trading post near the Wabash Bridge, which is now under the control of Wild Men. The bridge is a dangerous trap-filled pathway with vicious dogs and a sniper, but it's better to face these than dive into the river below, as radioactive death is instantaneous. On the north side of the bridge, slaves periodically attempt to flee and are blown apart by the many scattered mine traps. Down the street is the main gate to Downtown, guarded by the ever-offensive Mex and his lackeys.

Downtown
Home to the majority of the slaves working in the nearby Mill, Pitt Downtown is a gruesome, grimy, and desperate place, where Pitt raiders rule and slaves are treated worse than dogs. From the main courtyard, with a hole and a furnace, there's an alley leading northeast toward a "market square," where the majority of the slaves' plot rebellion. Above the ground, and accessed only after victories in the Arena, are the upper scaffold pathways and bridges. These are home to Pitt raiders, who can keep a constant vigil on their property down below.

Steelyard
Once the main Steel-producing center of The Pitt, recent and increased activity by Wild Men and trogs have rendered this a largely-uninhabitable area. Slaves unlucky enough to be ordered to work in this gloomy location are usually killed or eaten (or both) by the inhuman trogs and Wildmen that prowl this grimy area, or fall to their deaths from one of the many decaying catwalks and balconies.

Uptown
Uptown is primarily a Pitt raider paradise, with defenses and lighting constantly checked to ensure no trog incursions occur. Part of the crumbling tenement blocks holds a number of wandering raiders, all loyal to Ashur. Much like downtown, the Lone Wanderer is able to access the ground and upper levels via a series of scaffolds and catwalks. North of the open-plan tenements is an abandoned apartment. To the east are the main courtyard and the entrance to the power plant and Haven interior.

Haven
Dominating this expansive courtyard plaza is a giant effigy, flanked by two bouts of intermittent ﬁre. A twisted monument to the sickness, this has the added benefit of keeping trogs away, as they are light-sensitive. However, Ashur knows from past massacres that the lights must be kept on to avoid a trog influx. The effigy stands at the foot of Ashur's base. It is a skyscraper known as Haven, due to the safety and experimentation into curing the sickness that takes place inside.

Appearances
The Pitt appears only in the Fallout 3 add-on The Pitt, and is mentioned in Fallout 3 and its add-on Point Lookout. The pre-War city of Pittsburgh is mentioned in Fallout 76 and its update Wastelanders.

Behind the scenes

 * The bridge that the Lone Wanderer uses to enter The Pitt exists in real life as the South Tenth Street Bridge.
 * Several buildings on the skyline, including the BNY Mellon Center, PPG Place, and the U.S. Steel Tower are real buildings in downtown Pittsburgh.
 * Haven resembles the Cathedral of Learning, a central building on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh.


 * The Pitt could be a reference to the George A. Romero film Land of the Dead. Both are set in Pittsburgh, which is split into a poor part and a rich part where the leader lives in a tower. Outside Pittsburgh, in both the film and The Pitt, are animalistic creatures (zombies in the film, trogs in the add-on) and if you follow Wernher's path, the creatures invade the rich area, like in the film.
 * The Pitt has some similarities to the 1981 Canadian horror film The Pit. Aside from having the same name, although spelled differently, the monsters in The Pit are underground creatures called Troglodytes.

Bugs
Upon first return from The Pitt, the player character's Pip-Boy may still have an "orange outline" on it, this will be fixed if the player restarts the game.