Author's note: This story is based off of an idea I had for a Fallout Pen and Paper campaign I was writing. I decided that the currently known West was something I couldn't really work with and I absolutely hated the storyline of the Capital Wasteland, so I decided on making my own campaign from scratch. There shouldn't be any real spoilers, but this is my take of what's happening with the NCR and the Legion (and even other factions) eight years after the events of New Vegas. If you don't like the setting, well, don't bother reading it. Dog Town will eventually take place in Denver, but I felt that I wanted to set the scene of how Dog Town had become cleared of its namesake, feral dogs. The NCR and Legion will not get top booking in the story either. The chances of a character based in any of the fallout games occurring in this story are close to nil, other than mentions to the politics of the two major factions.

My FO lore might not be as strong and my knowledge of the area is weak, so I apologize if you notice something inaccurate. I like responses, so go ahead and let me know if there's something that is incorrect. Or just give me a review.

Thanks,
Russell Reichert.


Prologue: September 24, 2289

War, war never changes. Two hundred and four years after the Great War, the New Californian Republic, a nation dedicated to democracy and stability, once again fought Caesar's Legion, a slave army from east of the Colorado. The main battle was once again over the Hoover Dam, a strategic resource point for the NCR. The battle was tough, but in the end the NCR Rangers, with the help of a Mohave Express courier, defeated Lanius Legate. Beaten for the second time, Caesar's Legion was pushed out of Fortification Hill for good. The battle over the Hoover Dam would not occur for a third time between the NCR and Caesar's Legion, but between the NCR and Mr. House's securitron army. While the relations between the independent New Vegas and the NCR were souring, the Mohave Express courier was aiding Mr. House, the enigmatic leader of New Vegas, until an opening allowed for a change of power. The Courier, having removed Mr. House from control, decided to aide the NCR in pushing back the forces of Caesar but betrayed them only three days after the end of the second battle of Hoover Dam. The NCR, having recently started a celebration for defeating Caesar's troops for what may have seemed to be the final time, was not ready for the betrayal done by the courier. General Oliver gave the order to fight back, but it was no use: many soldiers died, but more surrendered. The NCR had no choice but to negotiate terms of peace with the independent city of New Vegas: ceasing military operations in and around New Vegas, relinquishing control over all established camps and the excellent of NCR citizens from the city and the surrounding areas.

Ambassador Crocker returned to Shady Sands with many of the surviving NCR Rangers and informed the government of the situation at hand. With the death of General Oliver came a big blow to the military forces of the NCR, and no national heroes existed outside of President Kimball, who survived the Legion's assassination attempts when he visited Hoover Dam, the NCR citizenry cried out against the policies towards independent cities such as New Vegas, New Reno and others which struggled to maintain autonomy. These years, especially after the resignation of Kimball in 2284 after a political scandal, led to the New California Republic's attention to be focused on internal matters rather than expanding the borders of civilization. This allowed independent New Vegas to survive for several years under the rule of the courier, whose reign cannot be commented upon further. Eventually due to in-fighting, the cities' police structure collapsed with the death of the courier from an unknown assailant. Without law and order, New Vegas became the antithesis of what Mr. House wished it to be: a lawless frontier town, ran by ruthless tribals struggling for power. Since the courier's death in 2286, New Vegas was not to be heard of by most citizens in the New California Republic.

Since their defeat at Hoover Dam, Caesar's dream started to suffer. With the death of Lanius, Caesar had no one to rely upon carrying on his tradition after his death. This frustrated Caesar, who started to act erratically. His followers started to whisper doubts whether Mars had him cursed, or even if Mars had anything to do with Caesar. Although they still followed Caesar's will, the Legion could no longer serve him with the heart and morale that they did before. Their courage died as Caesar became weaker, and in the summer of 2283, Caesar finally died. With no apparent heir to the tradition of Caesar, three factions arose from Caesar's Legion: the Praetorians, united around Maximus Flavicus; the followers of Augustus, who proclaimed himself the stepson of Mars; and the Daughters of Hectate, a female organization led by Sheila Connell, dedicated to equality of women in the realm of Caesar. Although these factions often butted heads, they believed that total war would destroy the world Caesar created, so a balance was maintained by the Council of Three, which contained each group's leader. In some cases, skirmishes would occur, but the empire of Caesar and his dream lived on, although time could only tell for how long.

Both the NCR and Caesar's Legion did not have the manpower nor the internal politics to continue expanding. Caesar's Legion did not go further into any campaigns east into Texas where many tribes still existed. They were content with once again rebuilding for the day when the NCR would fight them. And the NCR knew it was only a matter of time until Caesar's Legion would attack them once again. Many higher up politicians decided on covert missions east to find areas that would be suitable for building new bases as well as new economies. Through discussion and research, the higher ups decided to push past Utah, which housed a minor nation in New Canaan, to the east: across the great mountains towards the Mississippi River. The first stop was Denver, now known as Dog Town. Dog Town had been hit hard by rioting and destruction even before the Great War broke out, leaving the city a desolate land of iron and concrete. The only signs of life were the rumors of the feral dog population being large. Many individuals who passed through that town swore that they could see Caesar's Legion's troops taking dogs from the city to be used later. So Dog Town had two reasons to be investigated: it used to be a significant trade route connecting the west to the region known as the Midwest, and the strategic resources of dogs that lie in the city. The NCR had to be able to get some troops there under the guise of mercenaries to see how they could benefit from using the town. The heads of the collective companies and the politicians knew that if the mercenaries succeeded at scouting Dog Town and even destroying a large portion of the dog population, a city or trade route could be built. Who knows what people could lie to the east? Maybe an ally could arise from the plains to defeat the terrible Legion. Maybe there would be peace, stability, and civilization to be brought to the remains of America. Maybe…