Strange Bedfellows

Strange Bedfellows is a main quest $$

Background
Speaking with the Overseer will inform the player character of the two major factions in Appalachia that have come into the area, the Settlers and the Raiders. The overseer will request that the player character assist in inoculating the two factions from the Scorched Plague to prevent them from being Scorched themselves. She also suggests speaking with Rose at the Top of the World to figure out how to get into the Raiders' good graces.

Detailed walkthrough

 * Prerequisite: The first quest for Rose, Signal Strength, must be completed to continue this quest as the Vault Dwellers have to be in Rose's good graces before she'll help them meet with Meg and befriend the Raiders.

Upon speaking with Rose about the Raiders, she suggests locating the trophy that belonged to former raider and Cutthroats leader David Thorpe. By showing that to the Raider leader Meg, it would ensure the player would be in good with the Raiders by symbolically passing the torch from the old warlord to the new. Rose also requests finding an A.I. program that David had used to create her to unlock her old memory banks.

The first stop is at Pleasant Valley cabins, in the old Black Diamond Lodge. David's quarters are on the upper floor and the trophy (made by his lover, Rosalynn Jeffries, to commemorate his rise to power) is on the dresser. The player can then search the room:


 * The modified bed can be investigated with Strength 4+, to find a stash of bottle caps.
 * The painting can be investigated with Perception 4+ to find an unsent letter.
 * The dresser can be investigated with Perception 8+ to find a photograph taped to the underside and a stimpak.

Reading the postcard indicates Rosalynn's memorial is near Ripper Alley. Rose will contact the player by radio and explain the importance the trophy held: It was seen by all raiders under Thorpe as a symbol of his power and thus would make a powerful gift to Meg.

Upon finding the shrine on a small ridge overlooking the West Tek research center due east of the Alley, one should watch out for a leveled deathclaw that will be guarding it.

After retrieving Rose's AI program from the chem case on the altar, Rose will contact the player again, directing them to Solomon's pond and secret listening station 4D-20 to find the equipment necessary to repair the program. At Solomon's pond, the player has to deal with the enemies outside, possibly high-level floaters, and access the terminal in the basement, only to see it is password encrypted.

Luckily, Agent Kensington, a glowing one feral ghoul, will be outside. After killing it, the password holotape is on the seat of the nearby portable restroom. Using the password, access the terminal and request to repair the holotape. Once done, report back to Rose at the Top of the World.

Blocked memories
The player has to return the holotape to Rose, who will explain that its contents are primarily a lot of information on David and Rosalynn, in addition to the code that allows for accessing those blocked memories. She will scan the holotape and recover most of the information. With Charisma 4+, followed by 8+ or a Perception 4+ check, the player can pry - and learn that while he had a mistress, he loved his wife and kids deeply and losing them in the war took a toll on him. Rosalynn helped him cope, and losing her was like the Great War all over again for him. He moved on by creating the robotic Rose (and blowing up Summersville Dam and dooming Charleston).

She will reveal that she needs one more holotape from Arktos Pharma, David's old workplace, before she can make contact with Meg: David never used the word negotiate in his career as a raider warlord, and she needs it for the broadcast she plans to make to Meg.

The player needs to head over to Arktos Pharma to find the holotape. Aside from some low-level robots that guard the building (Protectrons, Eyebots and Mr. Handies), the holotape - board meeting - can be found in the trash can in the conference room in the corner. The other two holotapes, note to self, and Thorpe: 10/03/2077 9:34am, are found at the CEO's office and in the command center respectively, but don't contain the requisite word.

After listening to holotape between David and his co-workers, take it back to Rose at the Top of the World.

Making contact
Once she receives the holotape, the final stage is to broadcast the message to Meg. The player simply has to take Rose's holotape into any relay tower, such as relay tower LW-B1-22, and load it up into the terminal there to broadcast "Thorpe's" message and make contact with Meg and the Raiders.

After hearing David's voice calling out to Meg, Rose calls again, telling the Dwellers to return to the Top of the World and clear out the second floor mezzanine before Meg gets there. Once the Scorched have been eliminated, Meg and two Raiders serving as her bodyguards arrive.

Meg will remain adamant and laugh off any attempts at negotiation and treat promises of inoculation much the same way she did before the raiders fled Appalachia: None. The player can use Intelligence 8+ or Charisma 8+ to try and convince her, either smart-talking or sweet-talking her. She will boast of her straightforward plan to deal with the Scorched (killing them all) and invite the player to witness her plan with action.

If the player doesn't have Charisma 12+ or Intelligence 12+ to hammer home the fact that she's just repeating old mistakes that Thorpe made with not allying with the Responders, Free States, and Brotherhood of Steel against the scorchbeasts (which completes the quest on the spot), the only way to convince the Raiders to inoculate themselves is to follow through with her plan. This requires the player to check out the assault under her lieutenant, Aldridge, in the Toxic Valley, west of the Philippi Battlefield Cemetery. No matter what happens after conversation with Meg finishes, reputation with the Raiders will be promoted from "Hostile" to "Cautious", allowing safe access to The Crater, Crater watchstation, and Ohio River Adventures without the Raiders opening fire on the residents immediately, along with any other locations the Raiders can be found at, even in random encounters.

Upon arriving at the scene, there are several Scorched prowling the area and a scorchbeast corpse lying on top of the trailer where Aldridge has sheltered. After taking them out, enter the trailer and find Aldridge there, wounded, but alive. After telling him of what could happen to him and there is no cure to becoming a Scorched, the player characters can either kill Aldridge themselves if they choose the right options, or spare him. Sparing his life has him ask that the player characters tell Meg he fell to the Scorched so he can see whatever fate has in store for him and he can go out on his own terms.

Return to The Crater and report to Meg about what happened to Aldridge and his team, and she'll agree to allow the Raiders to be given the inoculation to protect them from the Scorched Plague, completing the quest.