 |
For the location as it would have appeared in Van Buren, see New Canaan (Van Buren). |
|---|
New Canaan was a post-War settlement in the wasteland, established among the ruins of Ogden, Utah and inhabited predominantly by Mormons, typically called New Canaanites.[1]
Background[]
Thriving in the wasteland[]
Following the nuclear apocalypse, despite the destruction of their original home, the robust spirit of the city’s Mormon population fueled the rebirth of their community, up to the founding of New Canaan and beyond as it became a powerful force in the north well into the 23rd century, to the point they allegedly controlled vast lengths of the trade routes running through the lands north of the Mojave Wasteland.[2]
Rumors of New Canaan's existence and strength reached as far as New California and with it, the New California Republic a few decades before 2281; contact between the two entities was eventually achieved. While initially mistrustful of the New Canaanites due to their religious fervor (after its own experiences with religious cults), the Republic's doubts were dissolved as they discovered that the people of New Canaan were honest traders as well as dedicated fighters, having managed to keep the neighboring raider populations in check[3] while developing a trade network. The New Canaanites' notoriously effective marksmanship was owed to their culture where learning how to wield a .45 Auto pistol was considered a rite of passage for an up-and-coming Canaanite, also helping to build up a strong defensive force that allowed New Canaan to survive amidst the regressive violence plaguing the former state of Utah as it became one of the few islands of stability in a sea of blood shed by regional warlords, savage raider tribes, and ravenous cannibals.[4][5][6] The expansion of NCR during the mid to late 2200s and the growth of Canaanite trade routes eventually resulted in competition between Canaanite caravans and the largest of the NCR-aligned trading companies, like the Crimson Caravan. Protectionism in trade helped New Canaan to maintain an edge, though by 2281, they were willing to allow envoys of the Crimson Caravan to open a trading post in the city, with appropriate taxation of course.[7]
Sacking of New Canaan[]
However, the Mormon settlement's prosperity was not meant to last. Though powerful and prosperous, its days were numbered. The countdown to their final days started with the return of Joshua Graham, once a Canaanite himself before he went down a dark path as the Malpais Legate, a trusted lieutenant to Caesar that led his Legion to conquer and destroy the tribes of Arizona. After a devastating loss to the NCR during the First Battle of Hoover Dam, Caesar punished Graham for his failure by having him covered in pitch, set on fire and thrown into the Grand Canyon, yet Graham survived. Believing it was God's will, Graham dragged his charred body the long way back to New Canaan, a journey that took three whole months. Though he had effectively betrayed them with his former loyalty to Caesar, Graham was surprised to discover the New Canaanites welcoming him as the prodigal son, as if he had never left.[8] Despite this, word of Graham's survival eventually reached back to Caesar; enraged, the conqueror dispatched many of his frumentarii to find and kill him for good. By returning to New Canaan, Graham inadvertently doomed the city, as through his agents sent to hunt for him, Caesar would surely find out about New Canaan's position as a vital link in the NCR's supply lines and seek its destruction.[9]
True to form, Caesar demanded that New Canaan be razed to the ground and established contact with the White Legs tribe inhabiting the Great Salt Lake through one of his most capable frumentarii, Ulysses. Though the raider tribe was always a problem for New Canaan,[10] their disorganized nature and lack of infrastructure meant they were manageable.[11]
Through his teachings, Ulysses turned the White Legs into a formidable weapon. A tribe of raiders, they were violent and incapable of being self-sufficient, so rather than teach them how to live, he taught them how to destroy. The walls of New Canaan were high, but once Ulysses uncovered New Canaan supply caches and helped the White Legs break into pre-War armories, they finally had the means to scale them.[12] Ulysses dictated that they must kill everyone they find: Women, children, the elderly. If New Canaan valued its generations, then that was what they had to destroy. He spoke of strength and Caesar's respect for those who used the weapons they recovered, though the words were lies. As distasteful as he found it, he followed his orders and ordered the death of a people with ancestry going back thousands of years.[13]
The White Legs' attack took New Canaan by surprise. Striking at night, at a time when Graham and many other able-bodied New Canaanites were away, the White Legs invaded the city and butchered everyone they could find. Children were slaughtered in their beds, people found in the streets were cut down without mercy. The elderly Bishop Mordecai was burned alive in his home.[14] By dawn, the once-prosperous population of New Canaanites had been whittled down to a mere thirty left in the region, scattered to the winds.[15][16][17]
Eventually, the survivors regrouped along the Colorado River, but the White Legs pursued them still. The New Canaanites eventually came to ground in Zion Canyon, bringing the threat of the White Legs with them, which also extended to the native Sorrows tribe in Zion. Joshua and a Canaanite missionary, Daniel, though of the same tribe, found a conflict of direction pitting them against the other in finding a solution to the White Legs onslaught. Graham wanted to fight and destroy them aided by the might of the Dead Horses warrior tribe as retribution for New Canaan, while Daniel wanted to evacuate the canyon, intending to lose the White Legs' pursuit at the Grand Staircase and protect the Sorrows from any further conflict.[18] All the while, the world outside did not yet realize the loss of New Canaan and its role in the wheel of commerce.[19]
Despite the White Legs' efforts in tearing down its walls, the history of New Canaan did not end with the fall of the city. Though their home was razed, the New Canaanites survived spirit intact. As long as they live, the legacy of New Canaan will live on, able to rebuild elsewhere.[20] However, the effects of New Canaan's loss as a major trading location could not be avoided for any outfit used to trading with them - like the Happy Trails Caravan Company.[21][22] Despite the loss of their home, even into October of 2281, Mormons from New Canaan continued to arrive at the New Vegas Crimson Caravan branch to trade.[23]
Appearances[]
New Canaan is mentioned in the Fallout: New Vegas add-on Honest Hearts and would have appeared in Van Buren, the canceled Fallout 3 by Black Isle Studios.
References[]
- ↑ The Courier: "What can you tell me about New Canaan?"
Jed Masterson: "Don't know much about the place, but I can tell you about the people. The New Canaanites were some kind of religious group from before the War. They control the old city of Ogden, a ways north of Zion, and they got themselves a nice defensible mission in the canyon itself - or they did. They trade a fair bit with the tribes in Zion - well, the ones that don't try and kill them, anyways."
(Jed Masterson's dialogue) - ↑ The Courier: "Does the Crimson Caravan have any competition?"
Alice McLafferty: "Well, the Gun Runners continue to dominate the weapons market, and the Mormon traders from New Canaan control the majority of the northern routes."
(Alice McLafferty's dialogue) - ↑ The Courier: "Do you know anything about their religion?"
Jed Masterson: "I ain't a prayin' man myself. They paid for their goods and dealt square with us, that's all I ever cared about. But don't think that just because they're religious that they're pacifists. They take care of their own, and they're damn fine marksmen too."
(Jed Masterson's dialogue) - ↑ The Courier: "I haven't been through Utah recently - what's the situation like?"
Jed Masterson: "Well, it ain't good, I'll tell you that. It's not like the Mojave or the NCR - hell, even Arizona under Caesar is safer. You got raiders all over the damn place, tribes of degenerates that'll eat you as soon as look at you, regional warlords... the works. Not too many decent places to stop and trade. New Canaan's one of the only ones left I know about."
(Jed Masterson's dialogue) - ↑ The Courier: "Nice guns."
Joshua Graham: "In the Great Basin and Colorado Plateau, all tribes are known for a specific weapon. White Legs are known for their big submachine guns, "storm drums." They broke into an armory near Spanish Fork and have been using them for years. Of course, the Dead Horses have their wooden war clubs and even the Sorrows have their Yao Guai gauntlets. This type of .45 Automatic pistol was designed by one of my tribe almost four hundred years ago. Learning its use is a New Canaanite rite of passage."
(Joshua Graham's dialogue) - ↑ Honest Hearts intro: "A few decades back, folks in the NCR started to hear about a community in northern Utah called New Canaan. Didn't know much about them, except that they were religious folks. Sent out missionaries to talk to the tribes. We've seen our share of cults, but the New Canaanites, they were honest traders. Good fighters, too. Raiders wouldn't tangle with 'em. But then the Legion appeared in Arizona. I reckon you know all about them. Turns out Caesar's first war chief, the Malpais Legate, was a New Canaanite. Joshua Graham. Legend goes that Graham was the meanest, toughest son of a bitch in the whole damned Legion. The New Canaanites wouldn't talk about him. They were ashamed. Guess I can't blame 'em. Well at Hoover Dam, the Malpais Legate finally met his match. Hanlon and Oliver kicked his New Canaanite butt right back over the river. Caesar had to make an example for the others, to show them that even at the highest level, failure wouldn't be tolerated. He had Graham covered in pitch, lit on fire, and thrown into the Grand Canyon. People say he didn't even scream on the way down. Not long after, some of the slaves and tribals started to talk. Said Graham wasn't dead. Shouldn't have been any surprise. All this talk bothered Caesar, so he forbade anyone from speaking his name. Wanted to erase Joshua Graham from history. He got his wish. Joshua Graham disappeared. And in his place came legends of the Burned Man walking the wastes. Probably just a tribal ghost story. But New Canaan's been silent for a long time. Maybe it's a coincidence. Maybe the Malpais Legate is dead."
- ↑ Crimson Caravan Company terminal entries; Terminal, New Canaan Branch Proposal
- ↑ The Courier: "How did you survive?"
Joshua Graham: "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. The next morning, I woke up and crawled out of the northern edge of the Grand Canyon, that cursed place. It took me three months to reach New Canaan. It was as though the prodigal son had returned. They welcomed me like I had never left, never done anything to shame them. The fire that had kept me alive was love. Their love. God's love. I will never be able to repay the debt I owe to them, but I must try."
(Joshua Graham's dialogue) - ↑ The Courier: "On the High Road, you mentioned NCR and Legion fought here... before and after the Divide?"
Ulysses: The two-headed Bear made its claim, dug its claws into the trail you made. For once, it seemed like it might succeed - cut a route to the Mojave. Couldn't let NCR stay in the Divide. Trade route, road the military could use... can't have two roads into the Mojave. Not after the work we'd done to cut off New Canaan, other routes, killing caravans... all we'd done to make the West bleed."
(Ulysses' dialogue) - ↑ The Courier: "Degenerate tribes?"
Jed Masterson: "That's right. The folks that lived in Zion before the war, they didn't just get a little savage, they're downright feral. Most of them don't even speak English anymore - you got to get yourself a New Canaanite translator to talk to them. The ones you really got to watch out for are the White Legs, from the Great Salt Lake. They'll attack just about anyone that ain't one of theirs."
(Jed Masterson's dialogue) - ↑ The Courier: "You said you "used to" help the Sorrows with problems. What do you do now?"
Daniel: "I'm trying to make amends for allowing our problem to become their problem. The New Canaanites, I mean. The White Legs have always fought with us, and with Joshua returning, Caesar has motivated the White Legs to stamp out the New Canaanites entirely. That means the tribes we work with, too. It's already hap- I just want to prevent something terrible from happening to the Sorrows."
(Daniel's dialogue) - ↑ Ulysses log Y-17.21
- ↑ Ulysses log Y-17.22
- ↑ The Courier: "What happened at New Canaan?"
Daniel: "We lost it. Our community, everything. But the past is gone. We have to look forward."
(Daniel's dialogue) - ↑ The Courier: "I'd like to talk to you about Mordecai."
Daniel: "I'd like you to drop it. It's a private matter."
The Courier: "You're the man in charge. If something's troubling you, it could affect all of us."
Daniel: "[SUCCEEDED] I never thought I'd be in charge of anything. Don't know why. Bishop Mordecai was old. He had been sick for years. He couldn't walk anymore. It wasn't a problem for the rest of us. He made it out to be more trouble than it really was. Just his way, I guess. When the White Legs came... he was upstairs. We couldn't get him out in time. The house caught fire at the base and worked its way up. Fast. He didn't die of smoke. I wish he had. Sometimes I wake up and for a minute or two, I think all of it was a dream. But it's not. It wasn't. I wish all of this were some fevered vision of what could have been. Instead of what is, what we let happen."
(Daniel's dialogue) - ↑ The Courier: "If you don't acknowledge your past now, it'll come back to you later."
Daniel: "[SUCCEEDED] True enough. We can't escape it no matter how hard we try. Best we can do is own up, trust in the Lord to forgive. Joshua was gone, so were a lot of the other New Canaanites. White Legs must have been watching for a long while, counting who remained. We didn't think the White Legs were a real threat. Maybe it was overconfidence. Maybe sloth. Either way, we didn't see them coming. They attacked at night. They killed without regard to age or infirmity. Armed or unarmed. They beat children to- Beat them to death in their beds while they were sleeping. And now we're all that's left. Maybe thirty of us. Pride goeth before destruction."
(Daniel's dialogue) - ↑ The Courier: "Well, I'm guessing you're pretty mad about something."
Joshua Graham: "The White Legs didn't just force my people out of New Canaan. They butchered everyone who wasn't fast enough to get away. The elderly, the ill, children. Those who stopped to help the wounded. It made no difference to them. They can't be reasoned with, the White Legs. Daniel believes that if we leave if the Sorrows leave, the White Legs will stop. He doesn't understand what this kind of tribe is like."
(Joshua Graham's dialogue) - ↑ The Courier: "I came here with the Happy Trails Caravan Company to make contact with the New Canaanites."
Joshua Graham: "Happy Trails. I remember. They were good friends. I have bad news for your employers. New Canaan was destroyed, its citizens scattered. All because of the White Legs. And Caesar, of course. The White Legs want to join the Legion. Caesar's rite of passage is the destruction of the New Canaanites, almost assuredly because of me. The good news is that we can help you find your way back. Daniel, one of the other New Canaanites, has made many maps of the region. The bad news is that we can't help you right now. Not with everything that's going on."
(Joshua Graham's dialogue) - ↑ The Courier: "So what's next for you?"
Ringo: "I'm getting ready to run a caravan up towards Utah. There's a town called New Canaan which is supposed to be pretty prosperous. The Crimson Caravan doesn't have any branches out that way, so it'll be up to me get to things started."
(Ringo's dialogue) - ↑ The Courier: "Are the New Canaanites really a tribe?"
Joshua Graham: "We wear more clothing than them and understand more about technology, but we're still a tribe, a linked family of families. The Boneyard, Phoenix, New Vegas, they're just places, metal and stone. New Canaan dies, but the tribe lives on. When the walls come tumbling down, when you lose everything you have, you always have family. And your family always has tribe."
(Joshua Graham's dialogue) - ↑ The Courier: "Why can't you get to Salt Lake City?"
Jed Masterson: "Without New Canaan's mission in Zion, the only ways to Salt Lake City are down the old I-80 or up through Ogden. The highway's too risky - NCR's rangers are so busy here in the Mojave they don't have the manpower to keep the raiders off. Ogden's just too far - we'd lose more in travel expenses than we'd ever earn."
(Jed Masterson's dialogue) - ↑ The Courier: "I understand this caravan is headed to Zion. What can you tell me about the area?"
Jed Masterson: "Well, I ain't never been inside, myself. Did some trading with the New Canaanites from their mission there, but that was all on the outskirts. All the old ways in and out were destroyed after the War, but we got ourselves the location of a pass the New Canaanites use - that's our way in. That's why I wanted someone with a Pip-Boy on the caravan - the map'll be helpful for checking the topography, keeping us on the trail."
(Jed Masterson's dialogue) - ↑ Caravaneer: "Mormon caravan from New Canaan came through the other day."
(Caravaneer's dialogue)