Dunwich Borers

Dunwich Borers is a marble quarry found within the Commonwealth in 2287. It has been taken over by a detachment of the Forged and is likewise inhabited by feral ghouls.

Background
An old marble quarry, it stood abandoned since the Great War. As with many other companies before the war, Dunwich Borers LLC cared little about the people in their employ, with money being the primary concern. Railings and support beams were only set up where necessary and renovated only when they decayed to the point when they couldn't do their job properly. Workers were kept pacified by a combination of paychecks, Happy Hour events right next to the largest pit in the mine, and annual picnics.

This neglectful attitude of the company claimed lives, leading to workers falling to their deaths while under the influence or children perishing inside the excavation pit after wandering too close to the edge. The response was usually to address the symptom, not the underlying cause of the problem. For example, when a child was killed in the pit during the 2076 picnic, the company didn't bother installing railings, but simply bought an extra sentry bot to ward people away from the edge. But to the management, all of this was an acceptable sacrifice, as they had an ulterior motive at play: The quarry was the site of an ancient temple to dark, forgotten gods where human sacrifice was routinely performed. The excavations aimed to uncover the site and grant the corrupt executives benefits of unknown nature. What is known is that after reaching the point where the temple became accessible, the company started to take a turn for the sinister, culminating in the murder of the three station managers by Tim Shoots and the management, out of concern that they might expose what lies below.

It is possibly related to the ritual that was performed in the Dunwich Building during Fallout 3, where the supernatural entity called "Ug-Qualtoth" was being honored. A partially revealed face, seemingly of a large silvery statue, is visible at the bottom of the radioactive well where the unique weapon Kremvh's Tooth is found, so it can be inferred that the main objective of the mining operation was excavating this subterranean colossus.

The Forged
Roughly two hundred years later, this quarry became occupied by the Forged. Seeking a supply of iron for the Saugus Ironworks, they had their raider affiliates begin collecting any and all scrap metal they could until they got too close to the ancient pit at the bottom. They became frightened at what they witnessed. Some even insane, like Hugo who set up his own camp in the storage/loading area. Seeking answers to the work stoppage, their leader Slag, sent Bedlam to straighten out the workers. Believing that what the work crew was experiencing was them just being frightened by some ferals, she immediately got them back to work. They were able to get another two shipments out on time, but when the crew they sent to clear out the ferals failed to return the work stopped. Needing to make his quota, Bedlam herself would enter the deepest part of the mine. To end the feral threat and get her workers back on track. Whatever she experienced in the mine caused her to lose her sanity.

Layout
The entrance is located at the bottom of the quarry. The area is guarded by about a dozen raiders, including one in power armor. There is a tripwire trap not far from the entrance. Upon entering, on the left, there is a lift which leads to a door requiring a key from the corpse on the other side of this door where the Sole Survivor will emerge after going all the way through the facility.

Continuing ahead from the entrance is a turret and several more raiders. A circuit breaker switch controls the power and some of the spotlights. The unlocked Station 1 terminal is next to it on the right and can be used to turn off turrets, but be wary as there is a grenade trap near the terminal. Ahead of this, there is a small camp with a machinegun turret, a mattress and a cooking station.

The way ahead now leads to the left. A side ladder leads to a Novice locked cell (tripwire trap at the bottom of the stairs), and back down the main path is terminal 2. Just beyond the terminal is a weapons workbench with an ammo crate, a sleeping bag and a Novice locked cooler. Continuing on to terminal 3, a huge pit opens up at the bottom of which Bedlam will be found.

A (Novice) locked terminal belonging to Bedlam is attached to the reservoir in the middle of the pit. There are also an armor workbench with an issue of Astoundingly Awesome Tales placed on it, a steamer trunk and two sleeping bags. Ahead from the pit is a door that Bedlam has apparently chained shut. Removing the chains allows access to a corridor with feral ghoul corpses. Farther along, near a wrecked machine with a skeleton, is a door on the left. Opening it triggers the first flashback.

There are more circuit breakers in the ghoul infested area and activating them turns on the lights and triggers a large group of ghouls to start running towards the player character. A large quantity of bones can be found in and underneath the cages in the center area.

Once past the initial ghoul attack, there is a significant fork in the path. Straight ahead is the way to work station 4 and beyond it a water-filled pit with another flashback. The lefthand part of the fork heading upwards leads to work stations 5 and 6 and eventually back to the exit.

Notable loot

 * Kremvh's Tooth - In an irradiated pool of water. After the first flashback head to the right to find section four. The irradiated pool is guarded by the four project managers, now feral ghouls. In a tunnel near the bottom of the pool is this unique weapon.
 * The Dunwich - Management holodisk - Found on Tim Shoots' corpse.
 * Sneak bobblehead - Found on a small table near the section 4 terminal.
 * The Dunwich - Tim Shoots holodisk - Found in section 4's terminal.
 * Astoundingly Awesome Tales - Can be found on an armor workbench near Bedlam's terminal in the giant pit room.
 * Bottlecap mine - Located in the building at the top of the quarry, sitting on the cabinet left of the turret control terminal.
 * Dunwich Borers key - Inside the quarry, on a dead raider next to the door that it opens.
 * Three mini nukes. After passing terminal 3, descend the winding staircase. After reaching the bottom, walk straight forward and look up the marble wall. There is a mini nuke to the left of Bedlam's terminal up on the rock face. For reference, there is an armor workbench off to the right of the stairs. There are also two mini nukes in the underwater pool with Kremvh's Tooth on the wood altar containing the weapon.
 * At least 25 oil can be obtained by collecting the many canisters and lanterns throughout the site.

Related quests

 * Kidnapping: Concerned settlers will ask the Sole Survivor to help them rescue a fellow settler that was kidnapped for ransom by nearby hostiles, hoping to have them freed without harm.
 * Raider Troubles: A group of settlers is struggling to defend themselves against a nearby group of raiders and asks the Sole Survivor for help.
 * Butcher's Bill 2: A survivor may have made it out of the Augusta safehouse disaster. His name is Blackbird and he was spotted recently. Doctor Carrington tasks the player character to gather more details regarding his fate.
 * Reclamation: The Sole Survivor learns from Dr. Secord that a synth was kidnapped by raiders. They can help with the planned retrieval mission by placing a tracking beacon on the synth and reporting back to the Synth Retention Bureau.
 * Randolph Safehouse: The Railroad agent Mister Tims will leave dead drops in the form of six holotapes for the Sole Survivor, containing information about possible hazards to the Railroad's escort and escape of synths out of the Commonwealth. They can assist in these efforts by clearing out the location of hostiles.
 * Quartermastery: Scribe Haylen has identified the location of a piece of technology she wishes to retrieve and catalog. She asks the Sole Survivor for help in bringing back the technology in one piece.
 * Cleansing the Commonwealth: Knight Rhys gives the Sole Survivor an assignment to clear the location of what he calls "abominations" to further the aims of the Brotherhood of Steel.
 * To the Mattresses: The synth-hating L&L Gang is a major threat to the Railroad. Desdemona has a lead on them and asks the Sole Survivor to help neutralize their members.
 * Stop the Raiding: The Sole Survivor becomes aware of a group of settlers being terrorized by nearby raiders and can offer to help.
 * Lost Soul: Doctor Carrington has a lead on a synth that's in danger and sends the player character to save them.

Companion comments

 * When at this location companions make comments, which are activated at two locations: the vertical chamber where Bedlam is at and at the entrance of the submerged tunnel with Kremvh's Tooth.

Appearances
Dunwich Borers appears only in Fallout 4.

Behind the scenes
Similar to the Dunwich Building in Fallout 3, random flashbacks to times before the Great War happen spontaneously, hinting to its paranormal background and its relations to the author H. P. Lovecraft, and his book series, the Cthulhu Mythos, and particularly, the short story, The Dunwich Horror. At the bottom of the well, in the end, one can see part of a statue that resembles a face. Using console commands it's possible to clip outside of the map to reveal the whole statue. The buried statue might be a reference to another one of Lovecraft's stories, The Shunned House, in which the protagonist digs underneath an abandoned, haunted house, only to uncover the elbow of a colossal being buried underneath.

Bugs

 * Flashback scenes may not trigger properly and you may not receive any "named ghouls."
 * The first few raiders encountered in the underground area will never respawn after being killed, and their bodies will never disappear.
 * Radiant quests that send the player character to Dunwich Borers will respawn new enemies, and their corpses will finally disappear after being looted.