The ancestors of the present-day Shi were the crewmen of a Chinese submarine, the Shi-Huang-Ti, that was beached in San Francisco shortly after the Great War. Despite the extreme levels of radiation persisting in the burning ruins of the city, they managed to establish a foothold in the city (in the former Chinatown, no less). Gradually, the submarine was stripped of its subsystems, as they found a new purpose serving the Shi, as the group of survivors came to call themselves. Eventually, they created a newly built Steel Palace, from metal salvaged from the submarine.

By 2242, the Shi became a major research and development house, one that stayed out of wasteland politics. Their remote location, as well as the presence of various gangs and cultists in the San Francisco area helped them maintain their isolation and independence.

Thanks to their isolation and shunning of outsiders, the Shi have managed to retain a certain amount of their ancestors customs, such as clothing, language and demeanor. The Shi are a feudal society, with a strict hierarchical organization. The leader is nominally the Shi Emperor. However, due to the fact that it is a computer, the actual leader is his head adviser, Ken Lee. Under his command stands the Shi guard, a highly effective fighting force whose sole purpose is protecting the Shi and San Francisco, and the research and development branches of the organization. The Shi also has a network of spies that operate within the city to oversee everything that happens within the city. Those that do not enjoy an official position remain outside the power structure and are expected to provide for the community; in return they enjoy the protection of the Shi guard as well as other benefits coming from being a tight knit community.

The Shi are one of the most advanced factions in the wastes, surpassing even the Brotherhood of Steel. They have considerable industrial capability, being able to manufacture high tech weapons, both to equip their military force, and for trade. Perhaps their most awe-inspiring feat is the ability to restore pre-War T-51 power armor to working condition and offer them for sale through affiliated merchants.

The Shi are also very active researchers. They are nearing a breakthrough in the rediscovery of nuclear power and are considering methods of space travel. They have also learned to synthesize a new fuel using plant extracts and sea life. Since integrating pre-existing pipelines to their fuel reservoirs, they can direct full to a number of diverse areas, including the PMV Valdez. New weapons research and insights into new polymeric combat armor, with enhanced heat and penetration resistance, look like promising additions to the Shi armament, particularly when viewed in context with their construction capabilities. It is forecast that, with vertibird schematics, a prototype could be manufactured in a year. In an additional year, mass vertibird production would be viable.

Other, less militaristic, advances include radiation-resistant plant life in the Shi botany department, which is led by Dr. Sheng. Initial experimentation yielded results with unpleasant side effects, so it was posited that research be redirected to more critical areas. After Dr. Long Wang's experimentation of injecting himself with a FEV-derived serum to manufacture super soldiers failed, his genetic research department was merged with Dr. Sheng's botany department. Due to this merging, research on radiation-resistant plant life was resumed. The research culminated in a radiation consuming vine that scoured the San Francisco area of radiation after the Enclave's destruction.

San Francisco was hit hard by nukes, but it didn't kill the city. Instead it just mutated it into something a bit weirder. You'll have to make your way past an oddly revived Chinatown, post-apocalyptic punks, and wander the wharf with bizarre groups of cultists. Hmm, maybe San Francisco hasn't changed that much after all...

San Francisco is a city in California. After the Great War, its population consists mostly of the Shi, who are descendants of the crew of a Chinese submarine that crashed there. It is considered part of the NCR, but because of their vast wealth and contributions to the Republic, (without which the NCR would have died long ago) they remain an autonomously operating city-state complete with their own military who they call "Militia". The Shi are well known throughout the Republic for their synthetic fuel alternative which is used throughout the Wasteland. They are also well known for maintaining ownership over the banks throughout the NCR.

~Background~

Even pre-War, San Francisco was considered a "weird" city. It was also evidently hit hard during the Great War, as much of the city is a ruin. The city was re-founded after the war by Chinese submariners that drifted into the San Francisco harbor after their submarine, the Shi-Huang-Ti, suffered system failure from the atomic war. The Shi climbed out and began rebuilding the city with what few survivors they had, scrapping their beached submarine to create their Steel Palace.

The PMV Valdez can also be found here, an aged oil tanker left sitting at the docks. Tanker vagrants have since come to call it home, but the tanker has a darker past. Some say the creatures within it, were placed there by the Enclave to prevent the tanker from being used to get to their oil rig headquarters. This is supported by the fact that essential components needed to make use of the ship have been relocated to Navarro and Vault 13. However, it is apparent that these steps were not enough, as the Chosen One later collected the parts and used the tanker to get to Control Station Enclave.

Over the next 150 years, San Francisco rose into a hub of technology. The Shi eventually went into an uneasy trading relationship with the tanker vagrants after the destruction of the Hubologists, and the two groups went on to make San Francisco a major trading center.

Basically dirty water, but a more potent rad content. It adds 10 more rads than dirty water, bringing the total up to 16 rads. Water is highly addictive, with a 100% addiction chance.

Rank 1: Every round in combat spent holding a ranged attack against an enemy multiplies damage. (Must have line of sight.) (1st round=x1.5, 2nd round=x2, 3rd=x3, etc.)