Springvale

The ruins of the town of Springvale are located west of Washington, D.C. in the Capital Wasteland. This town is bounded on the north by the Potomac. Vault 101, buried in the hills west of Springvale, and Megaton, to the south of the ruins, are the closest settlements.

History
In the 21st century, Springvale is a quiet rural town in northern Virginia. The Post Office Department collected and delivered mail to houses in this town. Cars were limited to 25 mph on two-lane roads in this town, and could be refueled at the Red Rocket gas station. Working off a regular schedule, a City Liner bus would pick up and drop off passengers at a bus stop located across the street from the gas station. Power was supplied by power poles and underground lines.

In the 2060's, Vault-Tec begins construction on a Vault, later named Vault 101, in the hills west of this town. In the days leading to the Great War of 2077, families in Springvale petition for spots in the Vault. At least one family, the Gomezes, are accepted, and one family is not. The families who failed in their petitions would later beg unsuccessfully for entrance into the Vault after the nuclear holocaust occurs.

The few remaining survivors, from Springvale and nearby towns, resettle around the crater of an active atomic bomb. These settlers name their settlement Megaton after the bomb. They construct their buildings and walls from recycled materials recovered from the site and from an airport south of Megaton. Directional signs for Megaton are erected in Springvale.

In 2241, Vault 101 sends a expedition into the Capital Wasteland. The scout leader notes that Springvale is deserted save for giant ants. In the same report, she notes that the roads are heavily destroyed. This expedition successfully establishes contact with the citizens of Megaton.

Over the next thirty-six years, people are either traveling through this town on their way to the Vault, or on their way to Megaton. These travelers are escaping from their past lives. Other travelers, with more nefarious motives, establish themselves in a nearby school where they can prey on caravans and Wastelanders. In 2277, the Lone Wanderer, after escaping from Vault 101, travels through this town to Megaton looking for information on his/her father.

After the battle between forces of the Enclave and the Brotherhood of Steel at the Jefferson Memorial, the Apostles of the Holy Light establish Holy Light Monastery in Springvale. This monastery is located in the cellar of one of the houses. This house is south-west of the Red Rocket gas station.

Layout
Springvale is populated by the burned-out husks of houses intermingled with the relics of a more prosperous and happier era. There is an intact house, nicknamed the Small Ranch, which is the residence of a former Megatoner. The ruins of the town continued past a school to the ruins of a building on the banks of the Potomac. Springvale's tallest remaining structure is a water tower.

On the road east from Vault 101, there are four two-story houses, a children's playground, and a gas station. South of this road, there is the water tower. At a T-junction, the east road intersects the north road. On this road, there is the Small Ranch, a bus stop, and a two-story house. The road ends south of a house, identified as House #6, at a T-junction with a north-east road. This road ends abruptly in front of the school. North of the road, across from the school, there are additional houses. Further up a ridge to the west, there are two more houses.

A scenic overlook, east of the Vault, offers a panoramic view of the town and Megaton.

House #1
This is a south-facing house north of the east road. A blue mail dropbox is west of the house. In front of the house, there is a standing mailbox. Inside the house, next to a chimney, there is a cabinet.

House #2
Diagonally from House #1, there is a north-facing house. Lying on its side next to the porch, there is a mailbox. Inside this house, there is a footlocker lying close to a chimney.

House #3
Diagonally from House #2, there is a south-facing house. In front of this house, there is a derelict blue car. Its mailbox is standing. Inside the house, there is a safe with a very easy lock.

House #4
Across from House #3, there is a north-facing house. West of the house, a destroyed car sits. Its mailbox is standing. Two suitcases are on the porch. Inside the house, there is a cellar door which requires a key. This is the future home of Holy Light Monastery

Gas Station
East of the playground, across the road, there is a west-facing Red Rocket gas station. The station has a Vending Machine and a garbage can. Behind the station, there are two trash bins.

Small Ranch
This intact single-story house is north-west of the bus stop, and is the residence of Silver.

House #5
North of the bus stop, there is a west-facing house. In front of the house, there is a Fire Hydrant. Inside the house, there is a cabinet with a very easy lock. To the side of the house, there is a second blue mailbox drop.

House #6 (Gomez Residence)
North-east of House #5, there is a south-facing house. Its mailbox is standing.

Inhabitants
Initially, the town is deserted save for the hovering Enclave Eyebot, the occasional giant ant, and the caravan traders from Canterbury Commons. The newest inhabitant is Silver who lives in the Small Ranch. However, like most of the Capital Wasteland, hostile factions begin appearing in the town over time. Members of these factions are not picky in what they fight, and have been known to attack, besides the Lone Wanderer, the caravans that travel through the town.

One of these factions is the Enclave. When the Enclave forces forceably present themselves in the Capital Wasteland after acquiring the GECK, a squad of Enclave soldiers is delivered by a Vertibird to a landing zone north-west of Springvale. These soldiers establish a small base camp. They are ordered by their superiors to kill what is considered inferior, such as Ghouls and Wastelanders, and will attack the Lone Wanderer.

Another hostile faction in Springvale is the gang of Raiders. They have established a base camp in the school, and are using it to attack the caravans and travellers heading to Megaton.

Eventually, when conditions are conducive for peaceful transitions in the Wasteland, ex-members of the local cult Children of Atom, who call themselves the Apostles of the Holy Light, migrate to Springvale where they establish a monastery. The monastery is home to humans and Ghouls. Ghouls are ex-humans of the cult who volunteered for this metamorphosis by irradiating themselves. Guards are positioned near the entrance.

Notable Loot

 * Bobby Pins - These are located in a cabinet in House #1 and House #5.
 * Letter from Vault-Tec - There are two types of these letters, and both are seen in Springvale. While the first is a rejection letter, the second is an acceptance letter. This letter is located in a mailbox at House #6.
 * Pugilism Illustrated - This book is in a mailbox in front of House #3.

Related Quests

 * 300 Pieces of Silver
 * Following in His Footsteps
 * Holy Water

Appearances
Springvale appears only in Fallout 3.

Behind the scenes

 * Springvale may have been named for Silver Spring, Maryland. The town's name may have also been taken from Springvale Road in the Virginia suburb of Great Falls, which is roughly northwest of Arlington. The Springvale Road area is one of the several small subdivisions that make up the Great Falls area, which is primarily a "bedroom community" into Washington, D.C.

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