Saturday, April 23, 2011

A-Z Fallout lore

T is for Tandi
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Tandi was the second president of the NCR, responsible for its rapid growth and prosperity, and one of the most influential political figures in the post-War wasteland. Born in 2145 in the small village of Shady Sands, daughter of the settlement's leader Aradesh, already at a young age Tandi displayed the exceptional strength of character and resolve which would serve her well in her later life as first the towns and later the entire federation's leader. Tandi's life changed forever when at the age of sixteen she met the legendary hero known as the Vault Dweller, who later rescued her from the hands of the Khan raiders after they had kidnapped the girl during a raid. Inspired by his example, Tandi went on to help her father expand Shady Sands. After the disappearance of her father in 2196, Tandi followed in his footsteps as President. Determined to bring peace and stability to the wasteland, she looked beyond the borders of Shady Sands, now the New California Republic, and opened talks and trade routes with the outside world, beginning with Junktown and The Hub. As the NCR came to dominate the Brahmin trade and the first towns began to join the federation and the first states emerged, the NCR became an economic power without equal. In the following decades more towns would follow, peace and stability came over the lawless wastes and Tandi's popularity soared, assuring her reelection to office for all her subsequent terms as President, 52 years in total, until her death at the age of 103 a year ago. Universally loved for bringing peace, prosperity and democracy to the wasteland and common man, parts of her political legacy are not without their critics. Some question the democratic health of the republic, after a 52 year uninterrupted reign by one person, growing corruption, power-brokering lobbyists, cattle barons and trade companies. The lofty ideals of her early presidency were gradually replaced by a grittier pragmatism, resulting in deals such as the New Reno alliance and giving more leeway to right wing elements in Congress. Many expect the coming years to be critical for the NCR's survival as a democratic federation. Many places and building are named in honor of Tandi, and her portrait is pictured on the new NCR $100 bills.