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For the location as it would have appeared in the canceled Fallout 3 project Van Buren, see Grand Canyon (Van Buren). |
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The Grand Canyon, also known as the Magnum Chasma,[1] is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in the former American state of Arizona. It is mentioned multiple times in the Fallout series.
Background[]
Pre-War[]
Prior to the Great War, Frederick Sinclair chose a site close to the Grand Canyon to construct the Sierra Madre, an entirely self-sufficient casino and resort largely isolated from civilization.[2]
The Legion[]
In 2247, two members of the Followers of the Apocalypse, Bill Calhoun and Edward Sallow, were sent out east to the Grand Canyon to learn some of the dialects of the local tribes. To help them in this task, they were joined by Joshua Graham, a translator from the Mormon settlement of New Canaan. The three young men ventured down into the canyon and encountered members of the Blackfoot tribe. Despite amiable interactions at first, the tribe eventually turned on them (Graham later believed a mistranslation by him caused it), imprisoning the three.[3] At that time, the Blackfoots were at war with seven other tribes in the canyon. Seeing that they were certain to lose and their captives put to death with them, Edward, with Graham's translating, taught the Blackfoots how to create weapons and utilize viable warfare tactics, soon taking leadership of the tribe. He led the Blackfoots in an attack on the Ridgers' village, where he ordered the defeated enemy to surrender. When they refused, every man, woman, and child was killed under his order. The Kaibabs were then surrounded by the Blackfoots, and were also asked to surrender. When they too refused, a Kaibab envoy was forced to go to the Ridgers' village, observing the fate of those who resist; the Kaibabs soon capitulated and joined up with the Blackfoots. The Fredonians followed suit, also joining with the Blackfoots' growing numbers. Soon, Sallow had led the tribe to conquer the entire region of the Grand Canyon. It was after this that Edward Sallow vanished, and in his place, the newly crowned "Caesar," along with Graham as his first lieutenant, the Malpais Legate, heralding the rise of his Legion.[4]
Approximately 30 years later in 2277, following the Legion's loss to the New California Republic during the First Battle of Hoover Dam, Caesar returned to the Grand Canyon where he ordered his praetorian guards to cover the Legate in pitch, set him on fire, and throw him off the steep cliffs of the canyon to be left for dead as punishment for leading the Legion to defeat at the hands of the NCR Rangers led by Chief Hanlon. Caesar planned to make an example of Graham, showing that even the highest-ranking legionnaires were not safe from the consequences of failure.[5] Despite the clear lethality of Graham's sentence, rumors began to emerge among some of the slaves and soldiers of the Legion, that he had somehow survived his fall into the canyon in defiance of the will of Caesar himself. Such was the birth of the fabled "Burned Man."[6][7][8]
Appearances[]
The Grand Canyon is mentioned in Fallout 2,[9] Fallout: New Vegas and its add-ons Dead Money and Honest Hearts, and Fallout 76.[10] The location was also intended to appear in Van Buren, the canceled Fallout 3 by Black Isle Studios.
Behind the scenes[]
The Grand Canyon is based on the real-world location of the same name in the state of Arizona.
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ Inscription on the back of Legion denarii
- ↑ The Dead Money intro begins with a slide of the Grand Canyon and transitions to a slide of the Sierra Madre.
- ↑ The Courier: "Was one of those men Caesar?"
Joshua Graham: "No, not then. Back then he was just Edward. Smart man. Young, but we all were. We thought we could hike into the Grand Canyon and talk to Blackfoots. We did, and the Blackfoots were friendly enough at first, but eventually... I've thought back to that day so many times. I must have mistranslated. Something must have been mixed up, because the Blackfoots decided we weren't going to leave. The rest is history, assuming Edward hasn't changed it."
(Joshua Graham's dialogue) - ↑ The Courier: "What changed you from a Follower to dictator?"
Caesar: "When I was 20, the Followers sent me East to Grand Canyon. It was my first expedition, just me and a physician named Calhoun. As an anthropologist and linguist, my assignment was to learn the dialects of the Grand Canyon tribes. What a fucking waste of time!"
(Caesar's dialogue) - ↑ The Courier: "What happened to Graham after Hoover Dam?"
Hanlon: "Losing the dam was the worst defeat the Legion ever suffered. Graham had been with Caesar since the beginning, but he had to set an example. The praetorians covered Graham in pitch, lit him on fire, and down into the Grand Canyon he went."
(Hanlon's dialogue) - ↑ The Courier: "Tell me about the Burned Man."
Siri: "A vengeful spirit, some of the more superstitious women claim. He was a great leader of the Legion before he failed Caesar. The story says he was set on fire and thrown into the Grand Canyon, but his angry spirit rose from the ashes of his corpse, looking for revenge. Nonsense, probably, but there's no doubt that many in the Legion believe he's still alive somehow."
(Siri's dialogue) - ↑ The Courier: "What do you know about the Burned Man?"
Antony: "He's a story to frighten the younger Legionaries. He's dead - no man, no matter how tough, could survive a fall into the Grand Canyon."
(Antony's dialogue) - ↑ Fallout: New Vegas loading screens: "After the Legion lost the Battle of Hoover Dam, Caesar had his legate, Joshua Graham, covered in pitch, set on fire, and thrown into the Grand Canyon. Superstitious legionaries and tribals believe he lives on as the Burned Man."
- ↑ The Chosen One: "{130}{}{What do you mean?}"
Harold: "{138}{hld6}{Need a little time on the whetstone yourself, huh? I mean they are not too bright. Here’s an example. The other day I get a report. On it, it says the main coolant valve should be shut down. That woulda caused a meltdown that would make the Grand Canyon look like a pig wallow.}"
(Harold's dialogue) - ↑ The Grand Canyon is mentioned in the song "Two Left Hands," which plays on Appalachia Radio
