Initiates are first promoted to senior initiates, and later to Apprentices in their chosen Order: Knights or Scribes.
It wasn't until Maxson formulated the doctrine of preserving human progress that they were accepted as equal members of the order, with the provisional rank of Scribe formalized as a distinct, separate class. Īs the initial founders of the Brotherhood were predominantly military personnel, the Brotherhood used Army ranks for several years, and even once the new ranks were implemented, civilian auxiliaries were treated with a certain degree of patronizing contempt. By June 20, 2082, all members under his command switched over to using Brotherhood ranks and practices, both in New California and Appalachia. Inspiration came from the fall of the Western Roman Empire, when knights and scribes kept the fire of civilization going after the empire imploded. Second, it would give the survivors an idea to believe in, something they could dedicate themselves to and fining meaning in their lives after nuclear fires burned away their families, friends, everything. unleash nuclear devastation on the world again (as was the case with Col. Maxson's goals in inventing a new tradition and mythology for the Brotherhood were two-fold: First, they would ensure that members of the Brotherhood would be stripped of their ties to the pre-War military and government, ensuring that any surviving general or politician would not be able to invoke their oaths and use them to eg. The early years saw the implementation of a provisional rank system, including a completely new ideology to replace the old loyalties of Brotherhood's members. Elder McNamara's violation of the Chain that Binds have also gone unnoticed, due to chapter ignorance of large parts of the doctrine. In practice, the law is selective and for example, High Elder John Maxson could issue direct orders to the Vault Dweller, an Initiate, without consequences. Due to the requirement for Elders to set an examples, Elders may also be stripped of their position if allowing them to retain it would compromise the morale or integrity of a given chapter. Even Elders may be dismissed for violating the Brotherhood's charter or laws, such as destroying technological devices without due cause, violating the Chain that Binds, or murdering a fellow member. The actual organization of the classes themselves and the ranks varies, typically by geographic region.Īll members are subject to the same body of laws, at least in theory. The Chain that Binds doctrine is traditionally intended to ensure obedience and conformity among the members of the Brotherhood, maximizing the efficiency of the Brotherhood as a war machine.Members of the Brotherhood are divided into distinct classes, each with a function of their own. The Brotherhood of Steel relies on a strict hierarchy, where orders flow through the ranks and are carried out without hesitation.