In the Wasteland, people have to do what they must to get by. More often than not that includes less-than-pleasant activities and lifestyle choices, with one of the more common being the life of a Bandit or Raider. There is a distinctive difference between the two factions, of course. Raiders are, for the most part, anarchistic lunatics looking to cause trouble; frequently exposed to substances that cause mental instability and severe genetic abnormalities. Bandits, meanwhile, are a ragtag conglomeration of different factions and peoples who generally do what they do for survival and profit. That isn't to say they lack genetic anomalies and mutations, of course...And that's where Steve comes in.

Raised by Bandits, Steve is, for lack of a better term, a lizard man. Reptilian traits leave him as something of an exotic abnormality, strange looking even in the Wasteland, with a number of distinctive traits that immediately catch the eye. Other than his pebbled, scaled skin and his forked tongue, Steve is unnaturally flexible and agile. He also has breathing problems that require a special filtering mask, which also helps with a minor sensitivity to sunlight. He is mildly venomous, and can actually spit venom when in danger, but doesn't like to do so.

Steve lived the life of a Bandit for a significant portion of his life, but in his late teens he realized that it wasn't really suitable for him. Steve is, despite appearances, an inquisitive and intellectual soul. While he's good with a gun and confident enough in tight situations, he finds himself more comfortable using tools to tinker, repair and improve items than robbing caravans. So, with little to his name save for his mask, his favorite 10mm pistol and the clothes on his back, Steve cut out from his Bandit clan and wandered into the wasteland, seeking a new life for himself far away from his roots.

What he found was Betty's Bizarre Bazaar, and more importantly the delightful woman who would change his life for the better and make the Boston ruins feel more like home than anywhere else he had ever lived: Mireya. Steve now lives with his girlfriend, operating a repair shop under the security of Betty's watchful protection, offering services to visitors and residents alike.

Once in a while he still gets up to trouble, though...Particularly when he sets out on an adventure with Mireya, or any of his local friends in the Bazaar. And if he ends up running off with his old drinking buddy, the Ghoul named Stagger Lee? Well, trouble follows the two of them like smoke trailing a fire.

Either way, if you're ever in the Bazaar and need something fixed, just listen for his distinctive greeting call. You can't miss it; he's a lanky guy in the mask, yelling "HEYOOO!" to get someone's attention.

Art by  Horrified, with Steve being part of my post-apocalyptic mash-up setting.