Ash Heap

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

Background
The Mount Blair region was the location of a large-scale coal mining operation before the Great War. Two different families, the Garrahans and Hornwrights, established businesses here, subsequently overlooking the mining operations from their lavish homes. As part of this industry, large machines such as the Rockhound were used to remove large parts of the mountain at once. This mining operation caused the air quality of surrounding cities such as Lewisburg to deteriorate, prompting leadership to release public service announcements instructing citizens to wear gas masks during inclement weather. Clear Skies Alliance and Hornwright Industrial were developing air purifers to cleanse the air around Mount Blair.

After the Great War, survivors began to refer to this region the "Ash Heap" due to its harsh environment. A thick layer of filthy smoke and cinders that blankets the area constantly bellow up from the mines, containing several toxins, which results in individuals inhabiting or traveling through necessitating protective breathing equipment. Survivors believe this is caused by fires in the tunnels below, raging unceasingly for some unknown reason. Despite this, the mines underneath the region still hold riches.

Layout
The Ash Heap is located in the southwest corner of the map, bordered by the Forest to the north and the Savage Divide to the east. The Rockhound sits at the center, north of the monorail's first stop and the railroad system. Three main state routes cross through the Ash Heap, including Route 81 running parallel with the Ohio River to the west, and Routes 83 and 84 traversing the center.

The Blue Ridge Caravan Company established an outpost at Big Bend Tunnel East, using the tunnel to cross the Savage Divide. The Blood Eagles, a hostile gang of raiders, settled into and repurposed many old campsites across the region such as one at Rollins labor camp. Both of these events happened in 2103.

Weather occurring in the region is primarily overcast, caused by the polluted smog covering the area. The weather has a 40% chance to be overcast, 40% to be misty, 11% to be an ash storm, 7% to be rainy, and 2% to be a radstorm. Ash storms are a type of weather unique to the Ash Heap, primarily occurring near Mount Blair. Vegetation is less common in the environment of the Ash Heap, but includes unique flora such as the ash rose as well as blight caps, firecracker berries, silt bean plants, and starlight berries. All lakes and ponds in the region have toxic water, with only two having dirty water instead; Lake Reynolds and the small lake in the Sludge Works.

Locations
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 contains many real life West Virginian mining locations, such as the Kanawha-Coal River coalfields of Kanawha, Raleigh, Fayette, Logan and Boone County (Mount Blair), Pocahontas coalfields (Welch), Greenbrier County (Lewisburg), and Cabell and Wayne County (Camden Park).