Joshua Graham

""I have been baptized twice, once in water, once in flame.""

Joshua Graham (formerly known as the Malpais Legate, and in folk legends as the Burned Man), is a Mormon missionary and the co-founder and first legate of Caesar's Legion.

After Graham led Caesar's troops to a humiliating defeat in the First Battle of Hoover Dam, Caesar had him coated in pitch, lit on fire, and tossed into the Grand Canyon.

Mormon missionary
Joshua Graham was born in Ogden, Utah and spent his formative years learning the trade of a missionary. Once old enough, in 2246, he left to spread the word of God across the wastes. He travelled across the I-15 and route 89 south to Arizona. It was there, in the Grand Canyon, that he would have his fateful encounter with two Followers of the Apocalypse, Bill Calhoun and Edward Sallow, who had been dispatched to study the tribal dialects that had begun to emerge in the post-apocalyptic world. Graham, who was already versed in many of these languages, decided to help them on their task and joined the nine-person expedition.

In 2247, the group visited the Blackfoot tribe. Whether they were tricked or whether Graham made an error with translation is not clear. What is clear is that that the Followers soon realized that they would not be allowed to leave. At the time, the Blackfoots were at war with seven other tribes, a war they were clearly losing. Unwilling to be destroyed along with them, and against the wishes of his companions, Sallow chose to use his knowledge to train the Blackfoot tribe in the art of warfare after witnessing their lack of knowledge first hand. He showed them how to clean and maintain guns, operate with small unit tactics, create their own explosives and to strike at their weakest enemies first; divide et impera - divide and conquer. He quickly impressed them enough to the point where he was made their leader. While Calhoun was sent back to the Followers to inform them of Sallow's actions, Sallow (now known as Caesar), together with Graham, formed "Caesar's Legion" out of the tribes that had either been conquered or had chosen to capitulate to avoid extermination. Graham initially continued as a translator for Caesar, but translation soon became giving orders and giving orders became leading in battle, training troops and terrorizing the Legion's enemies.

Malpais Legate
Graham eventually became Caesar's first Legate. Though he was neither a particularly brilliant strategist nor tactically flexible, his menace and brutality was infamous; the atrocities he committed made him feared by friend and foe alike. He was dangerous, unpredictable and above all else, legendary for being impossible to kill, even by NCR Rangers - his death at the hands of 1st Recon sharpshooters was reported no less than five times. Such was Caesar's trust in him that he was tasked with leading the Legion at the First Battle of Hoover Dam, so that the Legion could use it as a power source and and a staging point from which to eventually take New Vegas itself. The Legion were initially successful, and the NCR initiated a tactical retreat to Boulder City, laying explosives and sniping Legion officers as they went. Graham, unable to adapt his tactics and intoxicated with his own victory, did not smell the C4 until it was too late, and the Legion were dealt a crushing blow as the city exploded around them. Caesar, infuriated with his loss, held Graham personally responsible and ordered his execution. The Legate was coated in pitch, set on fire and thrown into the Grand Canyon by the Praetorian Guard as an example to the rest of the Legion that Caesar wouldn't accept failure from even the highest ranked members.

The Burned Man
Even years after what is generally assumed to be his death, the Legion still do not speak of him by his true name under penalty of death, on the orders of Caesar. Any rumors of his survival are played down by the higher ranks of the Legion, but lower ranking Legionaries and slaves speak of the Burned Man as if he is a vengeful spirit, waiting to return. Rumors persist that even Caesar still has scouts patrol the territory east of the Colorado River for any sign of him, betraying a fear that the Burned Man may still walk.

His second baptism at the hands of the Legion and subsequent survival rekindled his faith. After an agonizing three-month journey, he returned to New Canaan, where he was welcomed as if he had never done anything to shame them. His return would inevitably mean doom for the Mormon city, as Caesar desperately wished to see him dead. The White Legs, on orders from Caesar, wiped out the city, killing everyone. The remaining thirty or so refugees made their way towards Zion Canyon, where they settled together with the native tribes. Still pursued by the tribe, Graham put his mind to defending the valley, becoming the War Chief of the Dead Horses and attempting to rally them against the White Legs as Caesar had rallied the Blackfoots against their enemies years ago, in the hopes of breaking the spine of the enemy tribe and taking vengeance for New Canaan; as well as finding redemption for his past crimes.

Despite his former allegiance to the Legion, the Burned Man does not hold any ill will towards the Courier if he is allied with the NCR. To him, the NCR is still redeemable in his eyes, stating that the greed of man is what led to the Great War and that only through faith in God and prayer and genuine acts of kindness can humanity hope to prevent history from repeating itself.

His hatred towards Legion stems not just from the fact he was made an example of by Caesar, but also Caesar's belief that his will alone will unite the Mojave under the Legion's banner and his refusal to let anything stop him. Caesar's arrogance and lack of faith are what anger Graham the most. But ultimately his greatest enmity is for himself; for letting himself get swept up in Caesar's rise to power, for falling in line as his Legate and for perpetrating the innumerable atrocities that helped establish his rule.

Van Buren
Joshua Graham (then referred as the Hanged Man) was to be a CNPC in Van Buren, Black Isle's canceled Fallout 3. He was to be the first, and statistically best, CNPC that the player encountered, but was also very evil and would in some ways make the game extremely difficult for players with poor negotiating skills. He was intended to be a "jinxed" NPC, like the pariah dog.
 * The Prisoner was to encounter somebody hanged by the neck from a pole at Fort Abandon, obviously still alive and enraged. If cut down, the Hanged Man would tag along with the Prisoner. He was wrapped from head to toe in bandages as he had been burned pretty much all over. Save for the fact that he had a connection to Caesar's Legion and was particularly ticked off at them, he would not provide many details about himself.
 * Rescuing the Hanged Man would cause all the tribals in the region to be angry with the Prisoner as the tribals would blame him for future crimes committed by the Hanged Man. In addition, the Hanged Man may anger any tribals he encounters and try to butcher any Twin Mothers tribals he could find. Having him in the party would make dealing with tribals and some towns extremely difficult.
 * The Hanged Man would not enter New Canaan. Upon arrival, he would initiate dialogue with the Prisoner and tell him/her that he had something to take care of, offering to meet at Burham Springs later on . Bishop Mordecai would be able to reveal some details about him.
 * Upon entering Burham Springs, the Hanged Man might quote 2 Chronicles 28. The Hanged Man would laughingly refuse to drop his weapons if commanded to by Phil, possibly even inciting Phil to open fire on the party. It would be very difficult for the Prisoner to defuse the situation.

Quests

 * Chaos in Zion: Killing Joshua Graham (or another storyline-essential character) will start this quest.
 * Gone Fishin', Roadside Attraction, Tourist Trap: After speaking to him, he will instruct you to collect items to supply to the Sorrows.
 * Arrival at Zion: The player must go speak with Graham to complete the quest.
 * The Grand Staircase: After having obtained the the map of the Grand Staircase, you may give it to either Joshua or Daniel.
 * Flight from Zion, Crush the White Legs: During the final quests in Honest Hearts, Graham will become a temporary companion to the Courier.

Endings

 * After a long and troubled life, Joshua Graham finally finds rest in Zion. In the end, his unswerving militancy accomplishes what the NCR's finest sharpshooters and Caesar's wrath could not. The New Canaanites take comfort in the belief that their brother's soul will again dwell in Zion at the end of days.
 * If the threat of the White Legs is ended peacefully, Joshua Graham helps the Sorrows and Dead Horses tend to their fallen comrades and secure Zion. The Courier's words stay Joshua's wrath in his darkest hour, and in sparing Salt-Upon-Wounds, he is changed. While he continues to advocate militant opposition to the enemies of New Canaan, he sometimes shows quarter to those who cross his family. Eventually this new spirit diminishes the myth of the Burned Man in distant lands - a small price for the peace it brings to Joshua Graham.
 * If the White Legs are crushed, Joshua Graham leads the Sorrows and Dead Horses in tearing apart and burning the corpses of their enemies. He sets about training his army in the "Way of the Canaanite," and soon the New Canaanites and tribes of Zion are feared well into the Mojave. Legends of the Burned Man grow even more depraved, and terrifying.
 * If the Courier stops Joshua Graham from executing Salt-Upon-Wounds, but the war chief still falls in battle at Three Mary's, Joshua leads the Sorrows and Dead Horses in tending to their comrades and burning the corpses of their foes. He continues to advocate militant opposition to the enemies of New Canaan and shows little quarter to those he fights. And yet he is changed. He no longer revels in the brutality and cruelty for which he had been known in his former life. His inner demons, if not extinguished, are at the least... appeased.

Notable quotes

 * "I have been baptized twice, once in water, once in flame. I will carry the fire of the holy spirit inside until I stand before my Lord for judgment."nvdlc02dia_nvdlc02dialogue_0000fb30_3.ogg
 * "I don't enjoy killing, but when done righteously, it's just a chore, like any other."nvdlc02dia_nvdlc02dialogue_0000fa0c_2.ogg
 * "I survived because the fire inside burned brighter than the fire around me. I fell down into that dark chasm, but the flame burned on and on."nvdlc02dia_nvdlc02dialogue_0000fb4b_1.ogg
 * "I want to have my revenge. Against him. Against Caesar. I want to call it my own, to make my anger God's anger. To justify the things I've done."nvdlc02dia_nvdlc02dialogue_0001073a_2.ogg
 * "Any society that derives its power and authority from the will of man alone lives apart from God and will crumble in the end."nvdlc02dia_nvdlc02dialogue_0000fb52_2.ogg
 * "Lastly, waging war against good people is bad for the soul. This may not seem important to you now, but it's the most important thing I've said."nvdlc02dia_nvdlc02dialogue_0000f4da_4.ogg
 * "It is one thing to forgive a slap across my cheek, but an insult to the Lord requires... no, it demands correction."

Appearances
Joshua Graham was initially to appear in Van Buren, Black Isle's cancelled Fallout 3.

He is mentioned frequently in Fallout: New Vegas and mentioned in a loading screen in Dead Money, and appears in the add-on Honest Hearts.

Behind the scenes

 * Both in Van Buren and in Honest Hearts, Graham was written by J.E. Sawyer.
 * A malpaís is a landform characterized by eroded rocks of volcanic origin in an arid environment. This describes many areas, but is strongly connected to the southwestern United States because of the Spanish settlers that gave the landform its name.
 * Graham's relapse is based upon the parable of the Lost Son.
 * Graham's self-described "baptism by flame" seems to be a dual reference to both his "death" at the hands of Caesar, and his symbolic rebirth by way of the Mormon laying of hands, which is also known as "baptism by fire".
 * The inspiration for Graham came from a lot of sources, such as Paul the Apostle, Rodrigo Mendoza from The Mission, and Lawrence of Arabia. Also, the tribal markings on his armor were a reference to Rodrigo Mendoza as well.

Developer Quotes
"It's not as simple as being "set on fire". After suffering a terrible failure, he was humiliated by his superior and the people he commanded. He was cast out and left for dead. His entire reason for living was gone. When your entire way of life is completely destroyed, it has a profound impact on how you view yourself and your place in the world. Because all momentum is lost, the experience causes you to evaluate and re-evaluate how you have reached this point -- and how to move forward.

There are thousands, if not millions, of examples of soldiers in history who engaged in ruthless -- often cruel -- behavior in times of war only to either return to an "ordinary" civilized life later. Some of them have no problem with what they did, others repress their memories as much as they can, and still others suffer strong crises of conscience that force profound changes in them. As Graham describes, his path to becoming the Malpais Legate was made up of many small compromises that turned increasingly sinister and brutal. At first he thought he was making the best of a bad situation and doing what needed to be done, but in the end he and Caesar had built a society on a foundation of fear and brutality. Caesar had a more grand vision for where the Legion was going, but Joshua Graham was caught up in the day to day maintenance of a tribal army engaged in bleak and often monstrous behavior. It was not until he was removed from that environment that he was able to reflect on his past. He could have chosen to blame Caesar, but in the end he blamed himself. The only people he knew in the world who could possibly accept him were the New Canaanites, so that's where he headed."

- J. E. Sawyer

"Because re-hiring a voice actor (especially a high profile actor like John Doman) isn't always simple, and touching Caesar's dialogue in the core game -- well, it's already really complicated, and introducing elements that could affect the critical path is pretty dangerous, especially if it's accomplished through the DLC files (because we couldn't patch it)."

- J. E. Sawyer, (when questioned on the possibility of including Graham-related dialogue with Ceaser)