The Family

The Family is a gang of self-proclaimed vampires (or, rather, insane cannibals) that live in Meresti Station, east of the settlement of Arefu. The name comes from their metaphorical relation to each other by blood (thirst for it) as revealed by Vance in a conversation. They have been frequently raiding Arefu, and the mere mention of their name invokes fear in even the most intrepid of Arefu residents. They have also abducted Ian West, the brother of Lucy West, and left the West parents dead. Evan King pleads with the Lone Wanderer to deal with them, and gives hints to the Family's home.

One of these vague clues involves a trip to Northwest Seneca Station. Murphy lives in the station with his bodyguard making Ultrajet. However, Murphy's back room has a manhole next to vats of toxic waste. The tunnel leads through Mirelurks and eventually, a booby-trapped subway. The entrance to the Family's home is to the left, past Robert the Family sentry. Going straight through leads to the exit by Meresti Trainyard.

It is easier to enter the Family's home through Meresti Trainyard as the Mirelurks are bypassed.

Vance is the Family's leader; he can strike a deal in which the Family will protect Arefu in exchange for donated blood packs. It is revealed that Ian was not kidnapped, but voluntarily joined the Family. If you decide to convince Ian to leave The Family, the Family will accept his decision and allow you and Ian to leave unharmed.

Attacking (or killing) anyone in Arefu will cause every single person in the Family headquarters to turn hostile towards you (Excluding Robert, who will turn hostile if you attack or kill any members of the Family).

Family members

 * Vance: the leader and guide. He is trying to make his cannibal charges to leave that urge and feed only from blood, adopting the ways of the vampires of the legend; he is very patient and understanding. After completing the quest Blood Ties, speak to him and ask him if he can teach you the ways of the vampire. This will give you the Hematophage perk; This perk allows you to regain +20 HP by consuming Blood Packs.


 * Holly: Vance's wife. She has reservations about Vance's beliefs, but supports him completely. With the Scoundrel perk, the player can persuade her to provide the entrance code to Ian's room.


 * Alan: a new recruit who sees Vance as a savior, he is sent to protect Arefu.


 * Brianna: She offers prostitution services to the male members of the family, in exchange for moderate caps. With the Lady Killer perk, the player is able to persuade her to divulge the entrance code to Ian's room.


 * Karl: the Storekeeper. He does not believe in Vance's teachings, but pretends to in order to maintain a store. He can be seduced with the Black Widow perk into giving the password of the security computer terminal. You can also threaten him into giving you the password with Strength.


 * Justin: Ian's confidante within the Family. Justin guides Ian in the various teachings of Vance, and serves as a surrogate elder brother. The player can convince him to divulge the entrance code to Ian's room either by passing a Speech check or with the Impartial Mediation perk.


 * Robert: the sentry and first member of the Family the player will meet. (It is unconfirmed whether Robert is actually a full member of the family or only a hired sentry/watchman. He is not obliged to take part in Family's congregations and he didn't have to learn a "Law" to tell. Attacking Robert will cause all the family to attack you when you enter.)

If you kill all the Family, Ian will be hostile when to talk to him, until you offer him the letter. After that, Ian will ask to be left alone. The next time the player returns to Arefu, he will be told that Ian had returned, and the player will be offered a (minor) award.

Laws
Vance's laws for the families can be read on two terminals. Reading them provides background information that unlocks further conversation options with Vance.


 * The First Law "Feast not on the flesh; consume only the blood. This is our strength."
 * We do not eat the flesh of those we kill for food. We will only drink of their blood and leave the body intact. The consumption of flesh is filthy and unclean. This action is what causes the humans to treat us like animals. We are not animals, we are The Family.


 * The Second Law "Bear not the child; welcome only the exile. This is our fate."
 * Because we carry the stain of our past in our bodies, we can never let it pass to our offspring who would in turn carry out those foul actions beginning the cycle anew. The Family must seek the Wasteland for others of its kind in order to maintain itself. That is our fate.


 * The Third Law "Feed not for pleasure; partake only to nourish. This is our dignity."
 * We only kill the humans when we are hungry or when we must defend ourselves, we never hunt for sport or pleasure. We do not prey on children for they are not yet tainted by society's view of us. The Family will not tolerate murder.


 * The Fourth Law "Seek not the sun's light; embrace only the shadows. This is our refuge."
 * Because we are creatures of the night, we must not set foot in daylight. We move silently across the ground only under the watchful eye of the moon above. At the rising of the sun, we must seek the embrace of the shadows and never again gaze at its brilliance. The Family seeks the dark as its refuge.


 * The Fifth Law "Kill not our kindred; slay only the enemy. This is our justice."
 * Above all, no member of The Family will ever take the life of another member without the consent of the current leader. Anyone disobeying this action, the most heinous of all our crimes, will be exiled from this place forever. We must not let our own inner demons cause us to fight amongst ourselves. We number only in the few, and we cannot risk extinction.

Trivia

 * "The Family" is undoubtedly a reference to the movie "The Omega Man" (1971) starring Charlton Heston, in which apocalyse survivor Dr. Robert Neville (Heston) is pitted against a community of blood drinking, light hating albinos calling themselves "The Family". The Omega Man is loosely based on the book "I am Legend" (1954) by Richard Matheson, which has also been made into two other films: the Vincent Price 1964 "The Last Man On Earth" and the Will Smith 2007 "I Am Legend".
 * "The Family" could also be a reference to 2 episodes of Doctor Who entitled "Human Nature" and "The Family of Blood".
 * The background on Vampires found on the Family's computer terminal, especially the references to 'feeding grounds' and the various laws regarding conduct are clear references to the roleplaying game "Vampire: The Masquerade". In the game's setting, Vampires are guided by strict laws called 'Traditions', of which the Family's laws are similar. Additionally, Vance at one point refers to other members of the family as 'Kindred', which is the name that Vampires call each other in the Masquerade setting. Vance and the Family, ironically, bear more of a resemblance to a Sabbat pack from V:TM than the Camarilla vampires whose Traditions they come close to following. Furthermore, 'Family' and 'Clan' are broadly similar in meaning, adding to the similarity between them and the vampires of the World of Darkness; as the game setting divides vampires into 13 'types' with the same powers and weaknesses called 'Clans'.
 * The password to open Ian's room is "Vespertilio," which is a genus of the bat family.

Appearances
The Family only appears in Fallout 3.

Related quests

 * Blood Ties
 * I Want to Drink Your Blood