Scourge

The Scourge is the term often used by Pitt inhabitants for the battle and mop-up operations conducted by the Brotherhood of Steel while traveling east to Washington, D.C. in 2255.

Background
On their way to the Capital Wasteland, the Brotherhood's expeditionary force came across the ruins of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. A truly chaotic city, it was full of rape gangs, raiders, slaver, and many other kinds of horrors all freely wandered, terrorizing the few innocent survivors.

Sweep of The Pitt
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 motivations for the Scourge remain unclear, but many in the Brotherhood note that it was a marked change in the way the Brotherhood operated. Additionally, it is known that something was recovered from The Pitt during the Scourge, although to it would seem that only Elder Lyons knows what it was. 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)

Aftermath
What is known is that the Brotherhood left the city with about twenty unmutated children, forcibly separating them from their families if they were considered at risk. They were then placed into initiate training, by 2277 only one remains stationed at the Citadel: Greg Bear, codename Kodiak, with Lyons' Pride.

During the Scourge, Lyons' forces suffered only one casualty: Paladin Ishmael Ashur, was buried in rubble during the fighting and presumed dead. However, Ashur survived and established firm control of the Pitt, transforming it into an industrial powerhouse, supported by Brotherhood of Steel technological know-how. At the same time, he abandoned the Brotherhood and its teachings, recognizing the inherent failure of the unsustainable, scavenger nature of the Brotherhood's ways. Seeking to bring law and order to the unwashed masses he founded the Pitt raiders and their underclass of Pitt slaves. This was made easy as more than half of the populace was slaughtered, clearing the Pitt of its worst inhabitants. 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.