The Vipers are a band of raider-tribals with a profound shamanistic nature originating from Vault 15 in New California with two other raider groups (Khans and Jackals). They were later driven into the Mojave Wasteland in the late 23rd century.

Before their near-extermination and loss of culture, the Vipers followed a unique religion created by Jonathan Faust, inspired greatly by the pit vipers they worshiped. Raiding primarily at night, Vipers preferred stealth to brute force, using a variety of melee weapons made from bone and laced with paralytic pit viper venom to incapacitate their victims, robbing them and taking the captives back to sacrifice them to the Gods of the Pit. They were known to use bone armor, crafted from bone strips wrapped tightly in leather and worn around the body.^[6]

All Vipers answered to the Great Snakekeeper and their priests, obeying orders unto death. The Great Snakekeeper was distinguished by a viper skull helmet adorned with feathers and a snakeskin cape. The leaders of the Vipers presided over ceremonies and affairs of the tribe, clad in the same kind of armor as the rest of them. Immediately below them were the Crimson Tongues, the elite warriors. All Viper members also wore tattoos and exotic piercings.^[7]

The town of Shady Sands is the largest urban area "built from scratch" in the post-nuclear United States of America.

Founded by a great ancestor of Aradesh belonging to one of the groups emerging from Vault 15, it was jump-started using the G.E.C.K., which allowed the dwellers to establish a self-sufficient community and erect structures. In the 2240s, the small settlement grew and expanded to the point of forming one of the most influential powers to emerge in the mid-23rd century, the New California Republic (or NCR).

By 2161, it was a small, thriving, completely self-sufficient community. They managed to modify some of the wasteland soil to support crops (primarily corn and cabbage), drill a well to provide water, and even establish livestock herds. They kept mostly to themselves and proved large enough to deter most of the problems the wasteland presented, primarily the Khans raiders and the radscorpion attacks that plagued them. Both of these threats slowly escalated. As radscorpions were becoming more and more numerous and aggressive, while the raiders seemed hell bent on bringing excitement at any cost. Their agriculture, while managing to sustain them in the arid region, was lacking as well.

By 2241, Shady Sands had become one of the most significant settlements in New California, becoming the capital of the New California Republic with Aradesh as the nation's first president and Tandi as its second.

High-tech computer parts consisting of thin plastic wafers etched with metal wiring. Circuitry is mainly used for high-tech weapon modifications, as well as building turrets and other high-end electronics for settlements.