Ash Heap

The Ash Heap is one of the six regions of Appalachia in 2102.

Background
The Ash Heap is the most desolate region of Appalachia, destroyed for the enormous riches available to those determined enough to take them. Historically, the region was the site of great mining initiatives and even greater struggles between miners and those who bought their labor. Mount Blair was a focal point of these mining efforts for decades. Before the Great War, it was turned into a large-scale coal mining site, where gigantic digging machines like The Rockhound removed entire portions of the mountaintop at once.

Naturally, this did not happen without repercussions. The strip-mining caused enormous ecological damage, turning the entire region into a slagged expanse of mined rock and dumping grounds. By 2077, the situation got to the point that toxic ash was routinely dumped into the atmosphere and carried by the wind to adjacent towns, covering them in harmful ash and forcing the Appalachians to wear gas masks in order to go about their daily lives.

The culprits behind this ecological disaster were the Garrahans and Hornwrights, two major families in charge of Appalachia's mining industry. They owned lavish estates in the mountains overlooking their precious mines. The Hornwrights bear most of the burden: The Rockhound polluted the air until it was almost unbreathable and when the Clear Skies Alliance offered co-ownership of air scrubbers that could clear the skies, Hornwright promptly repurposed them as ash forges to extract minerals from the polluted air and increase their bottom line. To maximize their efficiency, the company literally set the mines on fire to fill the air with toxic, resource-rich smoke that could then be harvested.

By 2102, smoke and cinders continue to bellow up from the mines in the Ash Heap, sent into the air by unceasing, raging fires in the tunnels below. As the winds blow and the wind changes, it is common for thick layers of filthy smoke to blanket the area, providing cover for friend and foe alike.

Layout
The Ash Heap is in the southwestern portion of the Appalachia map and contains the following locations:

Appearances
The Ash Heap appears only in Fallout 76.

Behind the scenes
The Ash Heap is based on McDowell County, West Virginia. McDowell County had once been the most prominent coal-producing county in the state until a decline in the mid-90s.