Something strange is happening at the farm northeast of Modoc. Investigate and report back to Jo

'''Something strange is happening at the farm northeast of Modoc. Investigate and report back to Jo' is a side quest in Fallout 2''.

The task is relatively simple: investigate a seemingly-abandoned Ghost Farm northeast of Modoc. Report back to the mayor of Modoc with the findings. Things at the farm, however, are not necessarily as they seem.

A Drought-Driven Plea
When the Chosen One began the saga of events in Fallout 2, the nearby town of Modoc had already been suffering through several seasons of drought. Agriculture was on the verge of collapse and, if it failed, so, too, would the town. Modoc's mayor, a tough-talking but committed man named Jo, had a solution: a nearby abandoned farm. The farm, however, was its own problem altogether.

If pressed, Jo will explain that a Modoc resident named Karl had moved to the farm shortly after its discovery. Shortly thereafter, however, Karl reported ghosts in the fields. The residents of Modoc thought it was a joke -- until Karl vanished. A party was assembled by Jo to investigate the farm. What they found was absolute horror: impaled bodies lofted on stakes, blood and gore scattered everywhere, and no sign of Karl. The search party beat a hasty retreat and vowed never to return to the accursed farm, but the drought that had already been threatening Modoc continued.

Jo's request is simple: the Chosen One would investigate the farm, find out what was going on -- hopefully locating Karl in the process -- and return to Modoc with the findings. In return, Jo would divulge information on where a functioning Garden of Eden Creation Kit could be found.

Pay No Attention to the Corpse Atop the Stake
Upon arrival, the player finds the farm essentially the way Jo described it: numerous bodies impaled on tall stakes, and pools of blood and bone everywhere. However, players with a decent Perception stat will note that the bodies aren't bodies at all; they're dummies covered in Brahmin blood and offal. Someone is trying to pull a fast one.

If the player arrives at the farm at night, not only will they find the staked bodies, but glowing, shambling people are moving about in the fields. Although they look like Glowing Ones, they're nothing of the sort. It's all more of the ruse.

The only structure on the farm is a tiny tool shed, and it is nearly empty. A few cheap tools and footlockers are on one end of the shed, opposite the door. However, the footlockers are merely bait; the real reason for the shed is the hole leading to the caverns below. A hole covered, conveniently, by the rugs in the room. One step on the rug, and the player takes an express trip to the basement.

What's Underneath
Although embarrassing, falling through the shack floor into the cave system below is not painful. Upon arrival, the player is taken before Vegeir, the leader of the group, for explanations and yet another request.

As it turns out, underneath the Ghost Farm is the real story. Here, in the caves below the farm, a band of survivalists survived the Great War, and their descendants, now called the Slags, have lived below ground ever since. However, with their population outgrowing their ability to produce food, they were forced to set up farming above ground. Unable to handle the brightness of the sun after generations underground, the Slags would retreat below ground during the day. When Karl arrived, he had no way of knowing he was essentially stealing from the Slags.

Unwilling to engage in combat, the Slags set up the ghost farm massacre charade to scare off both Karl and anyone who would follow. The plan worked, but now the Slags have too much food and too little medical equipment. Wishing to trade with Modoc, but unable to make the journey themselves, the Slags offer a counter proposal: return to Modoc with the information gained and offer an alliance.

Deciding the Fate of Two Settlements
At this point, the future of both Modoc and the Slags rests in the player's hands and, depending upon the player's actions, can mean mutual success, failure, or outright slaughter.

The high-karma track involves explaining the deception and the reasons for it to Jo, proffering the alliance, and making sure it goes through. This usually involves tracking down Karl. The player will also need to find Karl quickly, as news of his survival will need to be taken back to Jo to avoid him attacking the Slags. Successfully brokering the alliance leads to the flourishing of both settlements.

Neutrality involves the player washing his or her hands of the entire affair and walking away. Things do not go well for Modoc as the drought intensifies, and the Slags stagnate.

To be evil means to encourage Jo to assault the Slags. Jo brings the player along as another hired gun, and the mission is simple: wipe them out. With the Slags destroyed, the farm also withers and dies out, leaving Modoc a doomed town with no means of feeding itself.