Arefu

Arefu is a small settlement, located not far west of the center of the Capital Wasteland map, and north by northwest of Vault 106. It is seated atop a section of what remains of an I-495 Capital Beltway bridge, and is only accessible from the south. It is most important for its role in the quest Blood Ties.

First Impressions
Upon first arrival at Arefu, the player is greeted by a grenade thrown by its "Sheriff," Evan King. After apologizing, Evan confesses to mistaking the player for a member of The Family, a group which frequently harasses Arefu.

In his first conversation with the player, Evan will ask the player to check on each the residents of Arefu, explaining that he can't leave his post lest The Family return. The player will discover three of the residents (Ken Ewers, Brailee Ewers, and Karen Schenzy) in good health (if a bit fed up with Evan's passive method of handling The Family). In the house furthest from the entrance to Arefu, the player discovers the corpses of two of its inhabitants, Mr. and Mrs. West. The third resident, the Wests' son Ian, is missing.

Once the player has investigated all houses, Evan will tell the player that he saw Ian talking to members of The Family near the river. This will initiate the Blood Ties quest, if the quest has not already been initiated by speaking with Lucy West in Megaton.

People
Brailee Ewers, Ken Ewers, Evan King, and Karen Schenzy live in Arefu when the player first reaches the town. Ian West can be convinced to move back to Arefu during the resolution of the Blood Ties quest. Lucy West will move from Megaton to Arefu upon completion of this quest.


 * If the player kills the residents of Arefu or The Family after brokering a deal, Lucy West will say to the player, "I heard about your little killing spree in Arefu, get the hell away from me!"
 * Once you have arranged a deal with The Family, the people of Arefu can be found walking around without a care in the world. They are happy to talk with you.

Notable Loot

 * Bobblehead - Repair - on a table inside Evan King's house, the door to which can be picked without Karma loss.


 * Nuka Cola Quantum - on a buoy just east of Arefu.


 * Pugilism Illustrated - on a table in Alan's house, 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.  This item is marked "owned" (red text / crosshair); taking it will incur a Karma loss.

Loot
Upstairs in Evan King's house:


 * Ammunition Box
 * Bottle caps
 * Dart

Points of Interest
A small wooden pier east of Arefu is home to a family of at least 5 Mirelurks, who will eventually respawn if eliminated. They may occasionally wander west towards Arefu, potentially triggering a battle with Arefu's protectors (Evan King and, later, potentially Alan), and/or any Caravan Merchant camped at the base of the Arefu ramp. A Nuka Cola Quantum can be found just next to the pier on a buoy (PC version, stacked on top of two cans in a pier beam sticking out of the water).

Kaelyn's Bed & Breakfast, a burned out building that serves as the outpost for 6 Raiders, is due south of Arefu. After leaving Arefu, Caravan Merchants will travel south directly past this area, which will initiate a battle between them and the Raiders if the player is in the same map cell at the time.

North of Arefu lies Northwest Seneca Station, one of the potential entrances to The Family's lair. An Enclave Camp will appear next to Northwest Seneca Station, on the highway overpass opposite the one Arefu is located on, after finishing the The Waters of Life quest.

Caravans
The caravan merchants stop near the Brahmin pen as part of their route, bringing the only trading, and best repair skills, available in Arefu.

Though most Merchants will run off if a Mirelurk comes out of the water, some will run toward the Mirelurks. Unless the player intervenes - which means killing as many as five Mirelurks, most of which will be underwater - such Merchants usually die in the ensuing battle.

Random monsters may spawn at the base of the ramp leading up to Arefu, engaging any Traders camped there. In order to prevent their injury or death, move the monsters' spawn point by triggering it when a merchant is not present. Then, lead the monsters a good distance away from Arefu before engaging them. The spawn point will follow you, moving to the place where you eventually kill the monsters. You can even lead the monsters to the Mirelurk nest at the Pier east of Arefu, so that the Mirelurks and monsters will fight each other upon respawn.

The Caravan Merchants' route leads south through the Raider outpost (Kaelyn's Bed & Breakfast), where they will be engaged if the player is on the same map cell as the Caravan passes.

Trivia

 * 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 (known as "Dracula" and "Vlad the Impaler"). This is a clear reference to the blood-drinking Family whose thirst for blood is similar to the fabled vampire "Dracula".

Bugs
 This can result in the death of Evan King, both ruining the quest and turning Arefu's entire population hostile. Members of The Family, as well as Lucy West, will speak of the player's "killing spree" at Arefu; apparently, any creature spawn responsible for deaths in Arefu will cause the player to take the blame. 
 * It is alleged that the enemy spawns referenced in the Notes section can occur in Arefu itself, though other reports claim that the enemies simply ascend the ramp into Arefu to assault its citizens. This has two confirmed effects:


 * Occasionally a Deathclaw will appear in the middle of Arefu, attacking everyone. If you shoot at the Deathclaw, the entire population of Arefu will turn hostile, and the family will claim you murdered Evan King, even though King is still very much alive.


 * After completing the Blood Ties quest, it seems to be possible to kill the residents of Arefu with no loss in Karma. It is not yet known what set of circumstances allows for this, or in which versions (consoles or PC) of the game this is possible.


 * In cases where Arefu becomes hostile, Evan King may start a killing spree. He will kill everything in his path from merchants and citizens to you. He will even kill Arefu's supply of Brahmin occasionally. This might be due in part to the player wielding a weapon.


 * Sometimes Evan King will be near one of the ledges in Arefu. If he should happen to fall - either due to the player nudging him, or for any other reason - the entire population of Arefu will become hostile to the player. (PS3 Version)


 * Behind the West Residence, adjacent to a bathtub is an indent in the road where you can walk on air.


 * After completing the Blood Ties quest in the PS3 or Xbox 360 versions, some players may get locked in the Schenzy residence with no way to escape. The only solution is to reload a previously saved game. If this should happen in the PC version, use the console command on the door to free the player.


 * After completing the Blood Ties quest, when you travel to Arefu (either via Fast travel or walking), a Yao Guai or Giant Radscorpion will have spawned in the town and killed everyone except Ian West (since he stays in his house). There is no real downside since you already completed the quest, except for the loss of a potential future city.


 * Arefu can respond violently to Fawkes, even with a very good rating. After one resident has shot at him, Fawkes will go on a rampage, killing every member of Arefu, whether or not they are currently hostile. It is best to make him wait at the far edge of town, but even fast traveling can cause him to be seen by Evan King, and mark you as an enemy. (Confirmed PC, 5 save games, Fawkes as a Follower, in 3 of the 5 games, the citizens went postal and so did Fawkes)


 * It is possible that if you try to fast travel to Arefu after the Blood Ties quest, there may be a Mirelurk Hunter or two. This alone can kill everyone in Arefu, and trying to attack the Mirelurk, will turn Arefu hostile, but you can kill any survivors for no karma loss.