Arefu

Arefu is a small settlement consisting of only four houses, located northwest of Vault 106. It is positioned on top of a crumbling overpass bridge, and is one of the few settlements existing in the Capital Wasteland, but unlike most others, it does not have merchants or other traders.

Background
Arefu once had many more inhabitants than it does in the year 2277. This is due to the inhabitants dying off because of creature, raider, and slaver attacks. The remaining survivors destroyed the north part of the bridge so that they could only be attacked from one direction, making the settlement easier to defend. Arefu is the target of attacks from The Family, and is one of the starting locations for Blood Ties.

Layout
Arefu is seated atop a section of what remains of an I-495 Capital Beltway bridge, and is only accessible from the south. It is made up of four houses, and is one of the stop off points on the trader circuit. Sandbags are deployed near the town entrance to help fend off attackers.

Inhabitants

 * ¹ Only if you agreed to trade blood packs for protection during Blood Ties.

Notable loot

 * Bobblehead - Repair on the down-stairs table inside Evan King's house.
 * Nuka-Cola Quantum just southeast of Arefu there is a dock on the water. Facing the dock the Nuka-Cola Quantum is to the left on top of some poles in the water.
 * Pugilism Illustrated on a table in the Abandoned Residence, which is by the brahmin pen nearest the entrance to Arefu. This house is only accessible after negotiating protection of Arefu by The Family and informing both sides of the agreement.
 * Missiles in a boat to the west of the entrance, along the riverbank. Multiple protectrons will spawn near it. There is another boat to the east in the river itself, which has a first-aid box containing 4 stimpaks. Mirelurks may attack you by boarding the boat if you are not quick enough.

Related quests

 * Blood Ties

Appearances
Arefu only appears in Fallout 3.

Behind the scenes

 * Just above the entrance (where the highway leaves the ground), you can see a damaged traffic sign that should read "CAREFUL," but on which the 'C' and 'L' have faded away to display "AREFU". A similar town-naming technique is used in Novac in New Vegas
 * Arefu is a small village in Romania, most well known for its proximity to the former castle of Vlad Tepes, AKA "Dracula" and "Vlad the Impaler".