Legate Lanius

"We shall see how brave you are when nailed to the walls of Hoover Dam, your body facing west so you may watch your world die."

- Lanius

Lanius, also known as the Monster of the East, is Caesar's second Legate, living in Legate's Camp in 2281. He is the final boss of Fallout: New Vegas in three endings and one of the main antagonists of the game.

Background
Joshua Graham remarks that he did not know of Lanius during his time as Legate indicating he was not recruited until some time after the First Battle of Hoover Dam. However, Ulysses states Lanius has led the Legion to victory over 19 tribes and that he led the conquest of Colorado. Asking Caesar about the Legate reveals that Lanius was a member of a tribe hostile to Caesar's Legion, the Hidebarks, and Lanius was the bloodthirsty champion of that tribe, sometimes ambushing entire groups of Legionaries by himself. Caesar's Legion then tracked down Lanius' tribe, although when Lanius' tribe knew that they wouldn't be able to win against Caesar, they chose to surrender. This act drove Lanius into a bloodthirsty frenzy; killing the Chieftain and 15 others of his own tribe single-handedly before he was knocked unconscious. When Lanius woke up most of his face was torn off and Caesar was standing beside him. He offered Lanius a place in the Legion and a mask forged in the image of the great god Mars especially for him. Lanius accepted Caesar's proposal.

Interestingly enough, there seems to be several spoken versions of Lanius origins, and he himself appears to be surrounded by myths. Lucius mentions that Lanius was already a Legionary by the age of 12, which doesn't fit well with Caesar's story about him (unless he was younger than 12 when he was with the Hidebarks). Also, Lanius is said to be a brutal savage, and hate the Legion, only leading it because of his respect for Caesar. In-game, however, he is much more intelligent and noble than a savage should be, and seemingly has no grudge against the Legion itself. These opposing accounts of Lanius show how even those closest to him know very little of his actual nature and background. Ulysses states he is never without his mask and that his own slaves are struck blind so as not to look upon his face - that he is not even certain it has always been the same person, that Lanius is more myth than man.

Personality
The Legate is not well-liked within the Legion, and it seems that both Caesar and Vulpes Inculta harbor doubts at his ability to lead the Legion. Caesar openly admits that he does not think Lanius is worthy of being called a "great man" and believes he has no "love" for his Legion. Vulpes is more reserved, but criticizes his blunt methods and shows quiet celebration if Caesar is saved, thus preventing Lanius from becoming the new Caesar for the time being.

When spoken to, Lanius is revealed both to be a more honorable man than people claim him to be, and to care more for his soldiers than Caesar lets on. He states that treachery should not be relied on as a tactic, and hopes that the Omertas would die after their plan to hold a coup on the New Vegas Strip failed and they were discovered, as their aid in the Second Battle would have sullied the Legion. He also dislikes the amount of Legion men that Caesar sacrificed in his attempts to take the Dam, and that he would neither continue the attack on the Dam, nor lead the Legion west if it would only mean death to his army. Lanius also suspects that the Legion took too much of the Dam easily and that the Republic wouldn't be so lax in its security if the Courier bluffs and states that there is a trap set for the Legion. He also shows a dislike for Vulpes's Frumentarii and he criticizes its ploys as "dishonest". He also makes hints that he believes Vulpes is a talker, not a warrior. This shows great conflict swirling around Lanius as Caesar's successor and adds to the beliefs of Marcus and Mr. House that the Legion will tear itself apart in the years after Caesar's death.

Legate Lanius is very dedicated to the worship of Mars, the Roman god of war. His life is war and he lives only for battle. There are clues that Lanius may have become some sort of boogeyman for NCR (with Caesar reinforcing). The NCR military also have previously encountered and even photographed him, as Lanius appears on one of their anti-Legion posters.

Quests

 * Veni, Vidi, Vici: Legate Lanius will be the one who gives the final order to the player, and also the one who congratulates the player after the battle.
 * No Gods, No Masters, All or Nothing, Eureka!: At the battle of Hoover Dam, Lanius can be convinced into surrendering with numerous Barter and Speech checks, respectively 55, 65, 75, 85 and 100. One Speech route will convince him that the vast territory of the NCR is its weakness and that the Legion will not be able to claim and hold it without highly weakening their presence in the East. Another Speech route will convince him that factions within Legion want him removed from power and he should take care of said matter first. The Barter route will convince him that the West is not self-sufficient and too dependent on the NCR and its supply caravans, so it would be extremely difficult to maintain. If a Speech or Barter check is failed during the conversation, it is also possible to take a different speech angle to bluff and convince him to flee, suggesting that this fight was too easy because a trap lies in wait for him, and that you are only telling him this because it would be dishonorable to defeat a foe in such a way.

Effects of the player's actions

 * If the player sides with the Legion and allows Caesar to die of his brain tumor, Lanius will become the new Caesar. He is far more brutal than Caesar, and handles several things differently than Caesar would if victorious. For example, he would have Arcade Gannon crucified rather than keeping him on-hand as a doctor, slaughter the people of the Strip upon arrival at the gates of Vegas, have Chief Hanlon crucified with the other NCR Rangers rather than granting him a swift death out of respect, exterminate the Followers of the Apocalypse rather than giving them safe passage out of the Mojave Wasteland, and pursue the Enclave remnants rather than recognizing it as a lost cause.

Inventory
* Lanius will not drop his armor. The Blade of the East that he carries is a different version from the one he drops.

Appearances
Lanius appears only in Fallout: New Vegas.

Behind the scenes

 * "Lanius" is Latin for "butcher".
 * Lanius was designed by John Gonzalez and Chris Avellone. Chris Avellone wrote all of Lanius' dialogue.
 * In the G.E.C.K., Lanius has the unique class "Legionary Bad Ass".