Arefu

Arefu is a small settlement consisting of only 4 houses, located not far west of the center of the Capital Wasteland map, and north by northwest of Vault 106. Positioned on top of a crumbling bridge, it is one of the few settlements existing in the Capital Wasteland.

Background
According to the Prima Official Game Guide, Arefu once had many more inhabitants than it does in the year 2277. This is due to the inhabitants dying off because of creature, Raider, and Slaver attacks. The remaining survivors destroyed the north part of the bridge so that they could only be attacked from one direction, making the settlement easier to defend. Arefu is the target of attacks from The Family, and is one of the starting locations for Blood Ties.

Layout
Arefu is seated atop a section of what remains of an I-495 Capital Beltway bridge, and is only accessible from the south. It is made up of four houses. Every few hours, a caravan shows up at the base of the bridge.

Buildings

 * Evan King's House
 * Ewer Residence
 * Schenzy Residence
 * West Residence
 * Abandoned Residence

Inhabitants

 * Brailee Ewers
 * Ken Ewers
 * Evan King
 * Karen Schenzy
 * Ian West
 * Davis West (Deceased)
 * Matilda West (Deceased)
 * Alan - Only if you agreed to trade Blood Packs for protection during Blood Ties.

Notable loot

 * Bobblehead - Repair - on the down-stairs table inside Evan King's house.
 * Nuka-Cola Quantum - on a buoy just east of Arefu.
 * Pugilism Illustrated - on a table in the Abandoned Residence, which is by the Brahmin pen nearest the entrance to Arefu. This house is only accessible after negotiating protection of Arefu by The Family and informing both sides of the agreement.

Related quests

 * Blood Ties

Appearances
Arefu only appears in Fallout 3.

Behind the scenes

 * Just above the entrance (where the highway leaves the ground), you can see a damaged traffic sign that should read "CAREFUL," but on which the 'C' and 'L' have faded away to display "AREFU."
 * Arefu is a small village in Romania, most well known for its proximity to the former castle of Vlad Tepes, AKA "Dracula" and "Vlad the Impaler".

Bugs

 * If any of the residents of Arefu are killed by any means (such as falling off the bridge, Enclave soldiers spawning, etc.) the entire town will become hostile to you, even though you had nothing to do with their deaths.
 * Sometimes, a Mirelurk will fly up onto the bridge after The Waters of Life.
 * After completing the mission 'Blood Ties' going into the first Arefu residence house on the left will cause the door to lock rendering it inaccessible, causing you to be stuck inside, and claiming it "Requires a key".

Arefu