The Master



"The Unity will bring about the master race. Master! Master! One able to survive, or even thrive, in the wasteland. As long as there are differences, we will tear ourselves apart fighting each other. We need one race. Race! Race! One goal. Goal! Goal! One people . . . to move forward to our destiny. Destiny."

The Master (born Richard Moreau and was also known as Richard Grey) is the horribly mutated brain behind the Mutant Army that roamed California in 2161, and during a large portion of the 22nd century. He was worshiped by the Children of the Cathedral; however, he was eventually defeated by the Vault Dweller.

At times, the Master was referred to as the "Dark God," especially by those opposed to the Children of the Cathedral. By his Children, he was referred to as the "New god," "the Holy Flame," and "Father Hope." A hideous FEV-mutated creature that had somehow hybridized with other human mutants and computers, turning him into a rather strange monster who speaks in multiple voices. Apart from his appearance, one of his most notable features was his unique way of speaking. His voice was computer-generated and sentences are composed, apparently in real-time, from samples of several people's speech.

The Unity
The Master is the creator and leader of the super mutants. He is also the mastermind behind a movement called "The Unity," the aim of which is to turn every human possible into a super mutant by means of the F.E.V. He claims that those who cannot be mutated by the virus as well as those that choose not to will be allowed to live, provided they submit themselves to sterilization. Those that resist the Unity outright will be executed for trying to stand in the way of the Master's "progress." In theory, the Unity is for humanity's own good, as Super-mutants are better adapted to live in a post-nuclear wasteland. Also, according to the Master, turning all living beings into one single race would finally eliminate the differences and the human fallacies that ultimately brought about nuclear war.

However, the Master's plan is odd as all Super-mutants are sterile. The Vault Dweller can help Vree, a scientist of the Brotherhood of Steel, come to this conclusion, and later use this information to convince the Master that his endeavor has no chance of success. Or if the player decides they want to join the Unity, the ending will show the Vault Dweller being turned into a super mutant, then show the Vault 13 residents being killed by the super mutants. This ending is non-canon however, as this would stop the events of Fallout 2 from happening.

His Legacy
Several mutants led the armies after the fall of the Master such as Melchior, who inherited the Master's psychic powers. Remnants of the Master's army, such as those led by Tabitha, were also found to relocate to inhospitable regions such as Black Mountain. However, despite their lacking numbers and remote locale, they were still found to pose a threat to the populace of the Mojave Wasteland due to frequent and brutal attacks carried out against travellers.

In his attempt to become master of all humanity, the Master tried to create guardians through gene splicing, but was stopped by the Vault Dweller before he could complete his plans. However, some of his creations have outlived him and continue to roam the wasteland. These abominations include centaurs and floaters, which are often found together as though they feel some sort of kinship for another.

The Cathedral
In 2152, as the influence of the Master's army began to spread throughout the wastes, the Master came into contact with a group of human Doomsday cultists, led by a man named Morpheus. Realizing the benefits of retaining unaltered humans in his service to act as spies throughout the region, the Master recruited Morpheus's cult into his service, thereby expanding his power.

In 2155, the Master discovered the location of an unnumbered experimental Vault-Tec vault prototype, located just south of the center of the ruins of Los Angeles, California, now called the Boneyard. Seeing great opportunity there, the Master relocated to the vault with his human cult followers and a portion of his ever-growing super mutant army, and oversaw the building of a large cathedral on the surface above the vault the following year. The cult became known as the Children of the Cathedral, and continued to be led by Morpheus, who reported directly to the Master. The cathedral was guarded by the nightkin, which were super mutant elite troops equipped with Stealth Boy technology.

While the Children appeared to be a fervent religious order - and, in fact, some of the low ranking members may not even have been privy to the more sinister reason behind the cult's existence - in reality, the Children and Morpheus were simply a front that the Master uses to advance his plan for the future of mankind: "The Unity."

In 2162, a human from Vault 13 known as the Vault Dweller destroyed the mutant army by causing an explosion in the F.E.V. vats at Mariposa, which collapsed the entire base, and then later defeating the Master.