Why is this New Vegas so different from regular New Vegas?
Simple, the added bipedal mutants. This might have needed to be written first but it's a bit late for it now, so let's get to the explanation.
In this AU there are three different types and four different breeds of Animal-Human FEV hybrids with their own different explanations and reasons of being, but all were experiments created by the US Military during the prewar era.
The first types are the felids, of which two types exist, Caracal mutants, and Cheetah mutants. These breeds were created as a high-speed assault troop meant to hit fast, hard, ruthlessly and precisely. The caracals creation having a focus on martial arts and Close Quarters Combat in particular, with the cheetahs creation having a focus on overall speediness and overwhelming assault tactics.
The second type are the vulpids, which are as you'd expect, foxes. The only real differences between them are pelts, which range from the typical red fox look, to a desert fox look fitting the Mojave, to an artic fox look which suits colder regions like Oregon, where they often make some of the most proud NCR citizens. These breeds were created with a focus on scouting and sniping due to excellent vision and inherent stealthiness.
The third and final type are the canids, which are wolves unsurprisingly. The most common breed are Gray Wolves who tend to mainly live in the NCR territories, though less common ones do exist elsewhere in the wastes, including a group in the east trying to unfuck everything. Wolves were created as heavier troops than the others, often fighting in night-time operations alongside other power armored troops, and actually had T-51 suits made specifically for them too, though they are almost exactly the same minus a spot in the back of the torso for a tail to rest, and specially made helmets.
The very creation of them was meant to advance and support the super soldier program that the FEV was meant to be used for initially, and was supported by European commonwealth research into vulpine human hybrids that proved to be total failures due to an attempt to remove any/all memories and totally change the mentality of the initial test subject. Something the US Military took note of, especially when it came to making their own loyal, and disloyal but genetically opportunistic soldiers into hybrids.
Citizens were often used as genetic stock, the primary ones being loyal ones who often volunteered to be used via letters that told of the grand opportunity, though excluded every detail about what would be going on besides the fact that America supposedly needed it. However there were those who were used who weren't so loyal, mainly if their genetics could actually be put to good use in the programs, including dissidents who were dragged from their homes for being supposed, or real communists.
However, the mutants created were abandoned as part of mainline production in late 2076 due to inherent genetic incompatibilities with the newer FEV strains that were produced, and were now created out of military prisoners that wouldn't work for FEV research with the newer strains.
Oh and before you ask, yes they can reproduce, and there is a reason. The strain of FEV they were exposed to during the hybridization wasn't far enough along to begin targeting gametes and as such, allowed them to have the ability to reproduce. Also, hybrids between them and humans have been attempted, and they're too genetically distant to produce children, though STD's can still be transmitted either way. Also they do have higher radiation resistance but only by 5%. So really not that much in the long run, though their metabolisms do make Rad-X last for another hour as compensation.
When the soldiers who would later create the Brotherhood of Steel killed the scientists when the horrors of the experiments and torment were found, none of the mutants were killed due to the soldiers thinking of them as fellow soldiers, and bid them farewell.
While none of the mutants joined the brotherhood, and likewise they are forbidden from joining the brotherhood, they haven't had inherently hostile interactions due to that final interaction on October 27th 2077. While fighting between the two groups has happened, the reasons were seperate from mutant bigotry and tended to be due to politics.
After a week of preparations, the mutants also left, parting their seperate ways and scattering across the wastes as they founded their own towns and communities, though some of them also formed tribes and raider gangs.
Towns of these kinds tend to be rather impressive areas due to the hardiness of the hybrids who live here, especially in more rural spots that can't rely so much on other places to survive.
In terms of faith, much like the rest of The Mojave, faith isn't often found in towns, as churches and synagogues are located in about the same amount as human towns as mutant towns. Though some churches of note include a cheetah run church of Lutherans who have been of notable assistance to The Followers of The Apocalypse.
In particular to the Mojave area is a cluster known as The Blue Star due to it being a smattering of Jewish towns, the total number consisting of around 700 mutants spread across 7 spots, with each town having a population consisting of Humans, Caracals, Cheetahs and Foxes. The center of the star is a farming town known as Ha Bakar that sells brahmin meat for export and has a solid reputation for milk and meat quality alongside lack of cruelty to brahmin.
As for notable individuals from this place, while the area mostly produces Tanakh scholars of note, it isn't all so peaceful. In particular, Joseph Chaim is an ex-desert ranger with an infamously bloody campaign against The Legion and Slavery in the Mojave, and he comes from the town of Gan Shalom, a farming town that is part of the blue star.
Though that isn't the end of the history and facts that I could provide, this is really a primer to set things into scope and elaborate just what the fuck is going on with the area. Thanks for reading, tell me just what you think.