Elder Lyons

Overview

Elder Lyons is the leader of the Brotherhood of Steel in the Capital Wasteland. He made the decision to focus on protecting the human inhabitants of the Wasteland rather than focus on the original goal of finding and preserving technology. Because of this decision, Lyons receives no support of any kind from the ruling council in California. Several members of the Brotherhood of Steel disagreed with Lyons' tactics and broke off, forming the Brotherhood Outcasts where they pursue the faction's original goal.
 
Elder Lyons is voiced by Michael Gough.

The Brotherhood of Steel

Owyn Lyons was originally part of the Brotherhood of Steel contingent that made their way from their home of the Lost Hills Bunker in South

California. The East Coast was considered to be an important asset to the Brotherhood of Steel and so it was decided that a presence would be established there in order to further its goals.

In 2254 he led a relatively small group of Brotherhood of Steel soldiers towards Washington D.C., also with him was his good friend and technological adviser Scribe Rothchild as well as his three year old daughter, Sarah Lyons.

Upon reaching the Capital Wastes the Brotherhood wasted no time in discovering technological artefacts within the ruins of the Pentagon, chief among them was a robotic monolith in the form of Liberty Prime. This find was considered to be so significant that his superiors decided to promote Lyons to the rank of Elder. Under his new role he was to given orders to remain on the East Coast indefinitely in the hopes of unearthing further artefacts such as Liberty Prime. The Citadel was established within the remaining husk of what was formerly The Pentagon to reach this end.

By the year 2277 (23 years since the Brotherhoods initial settlement) Sarah Lyons has become among one of the best fighters in the BoS and with it now commands her own squad, the elite unit known as 'The Lyon's Pride'. Although he is aware of his daughters abilities as an excellent soldier,  Elder Lyons still tries to avoid sending her into conflict where possible.

During the events of Fallout 3, The Brotherhood of Steel are attempting their final push to rid the Wastelands of the Super Mutant scourge once and for all. After the sudden appearance of The Enclave and their attack on the water purifier, The Brotherhood is successful in activating Liberty Prime which leads the charge in reclaiming it along with the Vault 101 Dweller.

The Outcasts

It was not long before the Brotherhood began a prolonged campaign against the Super Mutants in a bid to drive them out of down-town D.C. where they had continued to gather in large numbers. Although the Super Mutants continued to inhabit large sections of the area it is generally understood that where it not for the continued efforts of Lyons and his soldiers it would only be a matter of time before the region would become overrun. The Super Mutant conflict became so prolonged that questions began to be asked about their strength, and more specifically their vast numbers. Lyons considered it a personal goal to ascertain the methods that the Super Mutants were using to bolster their numbers as well putting a stop to their attacks on the innocent people of the Capital Wastelands.

Elder Lyons had been given two key objectives, which were:

• The Acquisition of technology.
• Location the source of The Super Mutants

Anything that didn't directly relate to these directives was considered both frivolous and unnecessary by his superiors. Where Lyons differed from the majority of his peers was that he foremost cared for the well-being of the people in the Wastelands. With this he ignored what was expected of him and began to concentrate his efforts on the protection of others. He eventually got his way but not without a cost; he was allowed to pursue his own agenda but would do so without the backing of The Brotherhood back West who wanted nothing to do with Lyon's personal crusade. This radical shift caused divisions within Lyons ranks itself. There were those who disapproved of the abandonment of what had always been the Brotherhood's key goal, and so they created exiles of themselves and absconded with weapons and armor in the dead of night, never to return.

These exiles would brand themselves as 'Outcasts' from the East Coast Brotherhood of Steel and operate as a separate entity. Lyon's bore the guilt of their exile but at the same time realised that the dogmatic society that the Brotherhood had created stood in direct opposition to what he hoped to achieve.

Quotes

•      "I cannot -- I will not -- allow the Enclave to control the one thing that could bring even the slightest spark of hope to these people."
•      "Here I sit, in the safety of the Citadel, while the people of the Wasteland thirst, and suffer, and die. Here I sit, a failed, feeble old man."
•      "Sarah may have forgotten she's a woman, but I haven't, and neither have the rest of the Brothers, judging by the looks they give her." (In Elder Lyons's personal terminal, article Sarah's Birthday)

Quests

• Picking up The Trail

• The Waters of Life

• Take It Back

• Death From Above (Broken Steel)

   
It is worth noting that if the player chooses to destroy the Citadel at the end of the Broken Steel quest "Death From Above" Elder Lyons will be killed.