Carol (Fallout 3)

Carol is a female ghoul residing in the Underworld in 2277. Together with her partner Greta, she runs the Carol's Place hotel.

Background
Born in 2051, Carol was alive for the events of the Great War of 2077. Living in Washington DC, Carol and her father sought safety in a fallout shelter within the city proper, likely close to the Capitol Mall, after the Chinese first strike destroyed the West Coast. Carol had barely entered the shelter, and was turning back to find her father who had stopped to help another family, when the thermal pulse from a nuclear near hit flash-vaporized him. Carol ran back to hopefully find him, but instead only found his shadow permanently burned into a wall. Other survivors took her back into the shelter.

Carol did not stay in the shelter long, however. After the nuclear barrages ended, Carol ventured out into the city to seek a place to survive. Much of the city had either been reduced to rubble or was still aflame following the nuclear bombardment, but Carol was able to find safety in the relatively-undamaged Museum of American History's "Afterlife" exhibit. Carol has been there ever since.

Over time, more survivors gravitated to the Museum, almost all carrying stories of the lawlessness and chaos of the wasteland. This further convinced Carol to remain in the Museum. However, as time passed, Carol and many of the other survivors began noticing odd physiological changes, with dry, flaking skin being dominant. Although the rate at which the disorder progressed varied from person to person, the end result was identical: the entire population of the Museum had become ghouls.

Relationships
Carol met another ghoul named Greta in the mid-2210s. For over sixty years, the two jointly ran Carol's Place, with Carol handling sleeping arrangements and Greta serving food. It is implied that Carol and Greta are either a couple, or that Carol sees Greta as a daughter. If you walk into Carol's place after dark, Carol and Greta will be in bed together.

At an unspecified time prior to the emergence of the Lone Wanderer from Vault 101, Carol had befriended and "adopted" a ghoul named Gob. This caused a small rift between Greta, which Carol would later ascribe to jealousy. Regardless of the cause, Gob would later move out, and the relationship between Carol and Greta would stabilize, though Carol would often worry about Gob's well-being.

Daily schedule
Carol performs basic hotel keeping duties such as sweeping and renting out beds.

Effects of player actions
Carol will rent a bed to the Lone Wanderer. Although she is hesitant to talk about her experiences during and since the War, she will tell her story if encouraged.

Most often, Carol's existence is brought to light by Gob, the ghoul bartender of Moriarty's Saloon in Megaton. Gob saying, "If you ever get to Underworld, tell Carol I said hi." comes with an entreaty to bring news of him to her. While this is not a quest and carries no reward, it nevertheless points most to Underworld, at least eventually.

When talking to Carol, you can ask her about Gob. If you blew up Megaton and tell her that you killed Gob everyone in Underworld becomes hostile towards you; even if you have Charon's contract Charon still becomes hostile to you. If you didn't blow up Megaton, but killed Gob, only Carol will become hostile to you, with no karma loss to defend yourself. Also, no one else in Underworld becomes hostile to you.

Whether you tell Carol that Gob is a slave or not, she will still advise he not visit Underworld.

If both Gob and Greta are killed, Carol will become despondent and mope around in her shop.

When Carol talks about the Great War, she says that she was only a little girl. In fact, she was 26 years old when the bombs dropped.

Appearances
appears only in Fallout 3.