Hubologist (Fallout 4)

The Hubologists are a religious sect headquartered in the former city of San Francisco, and can also be found at Nuka-World. They originated as a cult founded before the Great War by a man known as Dick Hubbell (or "The Hub" by Hubologists) and follow his teachings that's collectively called Hubology.

Background
Hubology originated as a cult founded before the Great War by science-fiction author Dick Hubbell (dubbed "The Hub" by Hubologists). It holds that existence is based on the Great Wheel, with the Hub at the center, Hubologists as the spokes and non-believers as the rim. Eventually, all Hubologists will be called to the heavens to live with the "Star Father" on the planet Quetzel; they plan to get there through the use of the thusly named ESS Quetzel.

Hubology belief holds that by purifying the 'neurodynes' in one's body, a person can ascend to greater levels of spiritual power and eventually transcend the material world. In order to get help purifying these neurodynes, Hubologists will use scientific spirituality methods in exchange for a fee. Their standard approach is to ask a new recruit to donate all his or her worldly possessions to the Church as a sign of good faith and apparently stash the possessions somewhere in the desert. Donating lots of money to the Church of Hubology can also help one raise their AHS levels.

In 2241, the Hubologists only had some influence in San Francisco where their headquarters was situated. In addition to their main base, they also had an outpost in New California Republic. As of 2287 however, a small group of Hubology missionaries were lead by a direct descendant of Dick Hubbell, Dara to Nuka-World, with the goal of controlling a UFO (in actuality, an decommissioned amusement ride) to escape Earth and live on Quetzel.

Beliefs
Hubology as a religion promotes the idea that humans are plagued by the spirits of the dead, causing neurodynes to form. Neurodynes can also be formed through contact with so-called "suppressors": people that suppress ones talents and abilities. Their neurodyne-infested brainwaves can trigger neurodyne activity in others. Through a "cleansing" process offered at Hubology centers called "alignment," members can remove these negative influences and gain greater powers. This is done using zeta radiation to destroy some of the neurodynes. Multiple alignments are therefore required, each one destroying more neurodynes. The degree to which a member has devoted his or her time, efforts and caps to Hubology accords him or her a numerical rank; the Hubologist leader, AHS-9, holds the highest rank of any living Hubologist, with his second in command being AHS-7. Guards are typically AHS-4s. In the group of Hubologists near Nuka-World, Dara Hubbell herself is also an AHS-9, with the Sole Survivor potentially becoming an AHS-8 (if they are willing to spend the caps required). Phil Roller is an AHS-7.

Hubologists believe that their founder, Dick Hubbell or "The Hub," made contact with the Star Father long ago. The Star Father lives on the distant planet "Quetzal" in the constellation of Zyphus. Through him, the Hubologists have received the knowledge on "alignments." The Star Father is the source of life on earth and the Hubologists believe that they are all his descendants, but that they have lost their way, led astray by the neurodynes. The Hub's grand plan however will save them: The Hub convinced the great Star Father to let the true faithful live with him on "Quetzal," where they are forever saved from neurodynes. The Star Father will free the full potential of their minds and they will be able to do unimaginable things. Then they will return to Earth to rule over mankind to end the influence of neurodynes once and for all and guide the rest of mankind to its full potential.

Hubology uses a metaphor of a "wheel in the sky" to explain their existence, with Dick Hubbell representing the center hub of the wheel, the Hubologists the extending spokes, and non-members the outer rim, "crushed" by the truth of their teachings. The existence of extraterrestrial life plays a role in Hubology, and as a part of this, the Hubologists in San Francisco are trying to repair a pre-War space shuttle to leave the planet, and the Hubologists in Nuka-World are trying to repair a "UFO" (actually a decommissioned amusement park ride) with the same goal.

Organization
The Hubologists are headquartered in San Francisco in the ruins of the Golden Gate Bridge in 2241 and Hubologist camp in 2287. The cult has a strict hierarchy based off the degree to which a member has devoted their time and efforts to Hubology; the longer or more active a role, the higher the numerical rank granted. While he never physically manifests himself, Dick Hubbell is the leader of the Hubologists and his writings are law. They are led by the "Great and Terrible" AHS-9 who is the most enlightened of Hubologists, and below him is AHS-7. All other members of the church of Hubology have a AHS level of at least 1.

In addition to providing a simple explanation of existence that a common man can understand, the Hubologists use celebrity endorsements to draw people into their cult. Being Hubologists themselves, the New Reno porn stars Juan Cruz and Vikki Goldman speak highly of the cult and use their renown to convince others to join the Church of Hubology. They urge people to make the "right" choice to do all you can do to cleanse their neurodynes of the filth of the world. Joining the Church of Hubology is a very simple process. Prospective followers are given an informational holodisc and then go talk to AHS-7 about joining.

Relations with the outside
Hubology does not hold much influence outside of San Francisco. A Hubology missionary known as the Enlightened One can be found in a Hubologist outpost in New California Republic, and there could be other missionaries out in the wasteland. Though they are not well known outside of San Francisco, they are notorious within this city. Anyone who questions their beliefs are liable to be threatened or attacked. Most people in San Francisco know that they're crazy and shouldn't be trusted, "unless you're mentally feeble or like being screwed over." They're interested only in your money and your soul, and there's a good chance they'll destroy the one to get at the other.

Being based on pseudo-sciences, the technological research-intensive Shi despise the Hubologists and are very open about wanting to decimate them and their deceitful methods. The vast majority of San Francisco's population is the Shi so there is little support for the Hubologists here. Shi townspeople often remark that the Hubologists give them the creeps and the Shi Emperor's head advisor Ken Lee accuses them of abducting and brainwashing the Shi, leading to more tensions between them. The Hubologists hold the same disdain for the Shi, saying that the Shi are oppressives and by contesting the Hubologist's power, they wreak havoc among our brethren with their neurodyne-influencing ways.

Technology
According to Hubologists, "'real' science is all a pack of lies," and people should not listen to what "scientists" say; only the Hub and AHS-9 have the answer. Despite these sentiments, the Hubologists have Dr. Crockett at their disposal who used his natural affinity for technology to install a nuclear reactor on board the ESS Quetzel as well as develop techniques to harden power armor. They have a computer network known as HubLink, which is used to document AHS-9's goals for the cult, the cult's outrageous finances, and scientific calculations to get them closer to their Star Father.

Fallout 2
In addition to their main base, they also have an outpost in the NCR. The Chosen One can visit either and receive alignment for a possible Luck and/or Intelligence bonus (joining the Hubologists afterward is not a requirement). It is possible to receive a penalty instead, so saving beforehand is advised. Despite the Hubologists' fervent beliefs, the player character can find evidence that the cult was first started as a hoax to get money. In San Francisco, the Chosen One has the option of aiding the Hubologists in their mad schemes or eliminating them as part of a Shi mission.

Nuka-World
The Hubologists can be encountered again in Nuka-World, where they have set up their Hubologist's camp. They desire to repair a broken "UFO" (which is actually a discarded attraction from Nuka-World) and they need the aid of the Sole Survivor for this. Through alignments (for which increasing amounts of caps must be paid), the Sole Survivor can get aligned and increase in AHS-ranking, with a maximum rank of AHS-8 being achievable. Each "alignment" destroys so-called "neurodynes" through the use of zeta radiation. The alignments expose the subject to an increasing amount of rads (eventually requiring radiation cleansing or equipment with Radiation Resistance to avoid death), but also bestow an Intelligence stat bonus for a few in-game days. The bonuses are cumulative, meaning that receiving all eight alignments back-to-back grants a temporary Intelligence boost of +36. With each alignment, the Hubologists will reveal more information on Hubology and their plan.


 * Alignment table

Fallout 2

 * AHS-9 (leader)
 * AHS-7
 * Enlightened One
 * Vikki Goldman
 * Juan Cruz

Nuka-World

 * Dara Hubbell (leader)
 * Tula Spinney
 * Phil Roller
 * Rolanda Hooper
 * Maurice Turner
 * Cleansed
 * Sole Survivor (optional)

Appearances
Hubologists appear in Fallout 2 and the Fallout 4 add-on Nuka-World.