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In severe cases, mutated humans devolved into hunched, savage beasts nicknamed "Trogs." Over the first 50 years, The Pitt quickly degenerated into a dangerous den of murderers and rapists even cannibalism was not uncommon. People became more hostile, violent, and short-tempered they became known as "Wildmen." Their emotions became out of control, and their actions often teetered on primal. The infected water and poisoned sky began to cause neurological damage to those exposed to it. The most disturbing change that the environment caused was not nearly as noticeable as the physical deformities. Although many children were born "clean," the older they got, the more likely that a problem would develop. The mutations never went far beyond the occasional hunchback or cleft palate, but it wasn't long before the vast majority of the residents of The Pitt developed some sort of physical deformity in their lifetimes. Starting from the first few years, children were often born with strange growths or extra vestigial limbs. The changes were subtle, not nearly to the degree of the Super Mutants or the various Wasteland creatures, but over the next 140 years, it became undeniable that something was affecting the people of The Pitt. As a result, the people in the new settlement began to change ever so slightly. However, radioactive material and unidentified mutagens mixed into the groundwater, causing it to become slightly mutagenic and highly carcinogenic.
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The rivers seem to provide a clear resource, and enough of the city was cleared by the bombs that a new settlement could be established.
![exploring the scourge wastes exploring the scourge wastes](https://static.scientificamerican.com/sciam/cache/file/A0A175C6-7E57-47AC-A60BD919351F921D_source.jpg)
Most were recruited into the Brotherhood. Lyons' contingent left the city with about twenty children in tow. Additionally, it is known that something was recovered from The Pitt during the Scourge, although to date it would seem that only Elder Lyons knows what it was. The motivations for the Scourge remain unclear, but many in the Brotherhood note that it was a marked change in the way the Brotherhood operates. The intent of the Scourge remains unclear, however several unmutated children were taken from The Pitt by the Brotherhood and placed into initiate training. In a single night, the Brotherhood swept through the city from their staging area at Mount Wash, eliminating any resident who put up a fight. On their way to the Capital Wasteland, the Brotherhood's expeditionary force came across the ruins of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Scourge is the term often used by Pitt inhabitants for the battle and mop-up operations conducted by the Brotherhood of Steel while traveling east to Washington, D.C.