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For the non-canonical appearance of Rhombus in Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel, see Rhombus (Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel). |
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“I have fought the mutants all my life, but you may be too young to recall their savagery... They threaten all life because they wish to become the dominant species on earth, crushing the world in their grasp.”
Rhombus is the head paladin and head knight[2] of the Lost Hills chapter of the Brotherhood of Steel in Fallout.
Background
A powerful presence wherever he appears, Rhombus is stern, stoic, and rather gruff. He has little tolerance for frivolity and is a very demanding teacher for those willing to learn. These qualities make him one of the finest warriors of the Brotherhood and an excellent Head Paladin.[Non-game 1]
He ascended to this position after General Maxson II was killed in a skirmish with the Vipers. After John Maxson ascended to the position of high elder, Rhombus became head paladin. Although he was considered firm, he was nonetheless an effective soldier.[3] He personally led the vicious campaign of retaliation against the Vipers, breaking their strength and pushing them out of most of California, leading to full trade relations with the Hub after the month-long campaign concluded. Apart from his duties as a teacher, he also enforces the High Elder's wishes, by force, if necessary.[4]
After the death of John Maxson, Rhombus is a key figure in determining the course of the Brotherhood, establishing it as a major research and development house in New California, keeping it outside the political struggles of the region.[5]
If Rhombus were to die in 2161, his death is described as bringing about a "Steel Plague" that could last one thousand years.[6] However, this reality ultimately did not come to be.[7]
Interactions with the player character
Interactions overview
| Interactions | ||
|---|---|---|
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This character has a talking head. | |
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This character is involved in quests. | |
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This character is allied with the following faction(s). |
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Quests
- Fix the broken T-51b power armor: Rhombus' locker is one of the two options for obtaining the systolic motivator.
- Scout the northern wastes: The Vault Dweller can ask Rhombus what to expect in the northern territories.
Tell me about
| Rhombus' Tell-Me-Abouts | |
|---|---|
| Query | Response |
| Army | "I am not authorized to discuss that. Talk to the High Elder." |
| Boneyard | "The Boneyard is far south. You will find only violence there." |
| Children of the Cathedral, Chip | "I have no knowledge of such a thing." |
| Disks, Master | "Ask Vree. She would know." |
| Elder, Maxson | "Ah, General Maxson was the finest Head Paladin ever. When he took over as High Elder, I became Head Paladin." |
| The Hub | "The Hub and the Boneyard are south, mountains are east, and desolate wasteland north. Whoever goes there never returns." |
| Exodus, Initiates, Merchants, War | "Talk to Vree in the main library." |
| Knights | "They are the makers of the weapons." |
| Missing Caravans | "I do not know of that." |
| Paladins | "You do not understand what it is to be a Paladin. Too bad." |
| Rhombus | "That is me." |
| Scribes | "They copy the weapon documents down and come up with new ideas. What they research, the Knights make." |
| Strange Army | "There are rumors of a strange army gathering. I will not say more." |
| Talus | "Talus is my second-in-command." |
| Vree | "She is the Head Scribe. You can find her in the library." |
Inventory
| Apparel | Weapon | Other items |
|---|---|---|
| Power armor | Minigun | 5mm AP x100 Stimpak x6 |
Notable quotes
- "I am Rhombus, head of the Paladins. I train those willing to learn."
- "Stuff? I could teach you how to fight...if you had any ability. But the High Elder decreed no training of new recruits until the threat of invasion passes."
- "The Scribes copy the plans for the weapons, and the Knights make them. The Paladins protect the Brotherhood from harm."
- "Many covet our technology. We have at least four attacks a week, from raiders to just people who want to steal what we have."
- "Insolent pup. Apologize now and you'll not be hurt."
Appearances
Rhombus appears in Fallout as a talking head. The character also makes a non-canonical appearance in Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel, in addition to being mentioned in the Fallout Bible.
Behind the scenes
- Rhombus is the name for a parallelogram having all sides of equal length. Variations of the shape are called diamonds, lozenges, or rhombs.
- In the script listing, Rhombus is identified not as head paladin, but the "Armsmaster for the Brotherhood of Steel".[8]
- An early version of Rhombus' talking head character model appeared in a Fallout preview video for PC Action. Rhombus' clay head seems to have taken an extra amount of work to reach the final version, as it started without his distinctive facial hair, though the base geometry was largely retained. Additionally, the early Rhombus had what appears to be a tattoo on the right side of the neck, with the area completely obscured by shadows in the release version.
Gallery
"Possibly. When the invading army is vanquished, come back to be trained."
"Ha ha ha! Let's see."
"Insolent pup. Apologize now and you'll not be hurt."
An elderly Rhombus in the Fallout ending slides
An early 3D model for Rhombus (before the facial hair was modified)
A beta version of Rhombus (see BtS)
Another, higher resolution version of the beta Rhombus from Erik Jamison's demo reel
Another talking head version from the same
References
- ↑ Sampled from the talking head.
- ↑ Jennifer: "{217}{}{Have you talked to Rhombus? He's the Head Knight. He's just right over there in that room.}"
(JENNIFER.MSG) - ↑ John Maxson: "{242}{Gen_56}{Rhombo's been here a long time. A bit stiff, but a helluva soldier.}"
(MAXSON.MSG) - ↑ Vree: "{200}{Vree306}{He enforces the High Elder's wishes. With force, if necessary.}"
(VREE.MSG) - ↑ Fallout endings: "The Brotherhood of Steel helps the other human outposts drive the mutant armies away with minimal loss of life, on both sides of the conflict. The advanced technology of the Brotherhood is slowly reintroduced into New California, with little disruption or chaos. The Brotherhood wisely remains out of the power structure, and becomes a major research and development house."
- ↑ Fallout endings: "The Brotherhood of Steel, under new leadership after the death of Rhombus, becomes an overzealous, techno-religious dictatorship. In 20 years, the Steel Plague devastates the newly formed New California Republic, and starts a Dark Age that could last a thousand years"
- ↑ Fallout 2 and Fallout: New Vegas establish the Brotherhood's good ending in Fallout as canonical.
- ↑ SCRIPTS.LST (Fallout): "Rhombus.int ; Rhombus, the Armsmaster for the Brotherhood of Steel # local_vars=18"
Non-game
- ↑ Fallout Official Survival Guide p. 101: "Rhombus: Head Paladin of the Brotherhood
Rhombus is the head of the military arm of the Brotherhood, and a teacher of young knights. Gruff, stern, and stoic, he will tolerate no nonsense. He can be a good source of information about people within the Brotherhood"
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| Brotherhood of Steel | Lost Hills bunker · Den outpost · San Francisco outpost · Shady Sands outpost · Montana bunker | |
| Mojave chapter | Brotherhood of Steel safehouse · Bunker 13 (formerly) · Hidden Valley bunker · HELIOS One (formerly) | |
| Appalachian chapter | Big Bend Tunnel East (formerly) · Camp Venture (formerly) · Firebase LT (formerly) · Firebase Major (formerly) · Fort Defiance (formerly) · Forward Station Alpha (formerly) · Forward Station Delta (formerly) · Grafton Dam (formerly) · Survey camp Alpha (formerly) · The Thorn (formerly) · Thunder Mountain Power Plant (formerly) · Watoga (formerly) | |
| Lyons' Brotherhood of Steel | Adams Air Force Base · Arlington Library · The Citadel · Falls Church · GNR building plaza · Jefferson Memorial · MDPL mass relay station (formerly) · Washington Monument · White House Plaza | |
| Brotherhood Outcasts | Brotherhood Outcast shack · Fort Independence · Outcast outpost | |
| Maxson's Eastern division | Adams Air Force Base · Boston Airport · Cambridge Police Station · The Citadel · The Prydwen · Waypoint Echo (potentially) | |
| Uniforms | Brotherhood of Steel holotags · BOS uniform · Recon armor · Scribe robe · Fatigues | |
| Power armor | T-45 power armor · T-51 power armor · T-60 power armor | |
| Robots | Automated turrets · Liberty Prime · Mister Gutsies (Sawbones) · Robobrains | |
| Vehicles | Airships (Prydwen) · Vertibirds · Zepplins | |
| Texts | Captain Maxson's diary · Chain That Binds · Codex · Maxson log | |
| Wars and Battles | Appalachian super mutant conflict (Battle of Huntersville) · Battle of Fort Bannister · Brotherhood-Enclave War on the West Coast · Brotherhood-Enclave War on the East Coast (Destruction of Raven Rock, Battle of Project Purity, Battle of Rockland, Battle of Adams Air Force Base) · Capital Wasteland super mutant conflict (Battle of GNR Plaza, Battle of the Mall, Battle of White House Plaza) Mojave Wasteland super mutant conflict · NCR-Brotherhood War (Operation: Sunburst, Battle of Griffith Observatory) · War of the Commonwealth (Battle for Boston Airport) · Unity crisis · Brotherhood-Gammorin War · Brotherhood-Calculator War · Brotherhood-Attis War | |
| Events | Schism · The Scourge | |
| Related articles | Hierarchy · Maxson (state) · Steel Plague · The Glow · United States Armed Forces | |