Orwell Orchards

Orwell Orchards is a location in the Forest region of Appalachia.

Background
Located in the hills overlooking Charleston, Orwell Orchards was a once prosperous farm that was experiencing hard times for years, rarely, if ever, turning a profit. In October 2077, the orchards had been afflicted by moths, affecting the harvest and putting the farm deep in the red. The oil traps they tried to use were ineffective but without enough money for insecticide, the harvest was severely endangered, with a predicted harvest of less than a hundred bushels. Ian Orwell and Cheryl Bennett-Orwell tried to obtain a much-needed loan but were turned down by the banks.

Although a seeming miracle happened shortly before the Great War, with the Orwells drawing a winning ticket in the Lucky Hits! lottery, to the tune of $300 000, it would have been a bandaid on a much deeper problem. Moths were only part of the trouble. Unbeknownst to Cheryl, Ian had used the farm as collateral for building an expansive nuclear bomb shelter beneath their residence. He spared no expense on the amenities front, creating a sprawling bomb shelter with an indoor spa, mini-golf course, gym, and interiors meant to replicate as much of the exterior life as possible. This came at the expense of radiation shielding and the quality of infrastructure. The shelter functioned well in the first few months, giving Ian and Cheryl time to try for a baby (something they were putting off for years due to the focus on the orchards).

However, by March 2078, Ian's misguided priorities began to yield fruit: Radiation was seeping into the shelter, with the fusion generator breaking down beyond repair and heating on the verge of breaking down. The loss of the pool pump and the projector was a mild inconvenience by comparison. The Orwells decided to hold out for a few more months, with enough supplies to last them up through November and a supply of books to keep them occupied. This proved to be a poor choice, as Ian soaked up rads, gradually succumbing to ghoulification. By Autumn, he had trouble keeping track of time, on top of problems with balding and losing weight rapidly. He grew obsessed with Cheryl's safety, adamantly refusing to seek outside help, which would be equivalent to admitting his shelter plan has failed.

Ultimately, Ian's mental state degenerated to the point where he concluded that Cheryl did not appreciate his sacrifice - and that he would stop her from leaving by any means necessary. In the end, he became one of the many feral ghouls infesting Appalachia, trapped in the shelter that was supposed to save him and his family.

By 2103, he finally broke out, and Orwell Orchards became a nest for a horde of feral ghouls. The nest was rather troublesome and would attack caravans and other travelers that approached the highways near the orchards. Locals, such as the Putnams at Lewis & Sons Farming Supply, would petition the freshly arrived Brotherhood First Expeditionary Force to help alleviate the issue. The Brotherhood would send an prospective initiate to eradicate ghouls, either with or without the help of Colin or Marty Putnam.

Layout
Orwell Orchards is a farm that was once plagued by malfunctioning Mister Farmhands that attacked on sight, however, by the time of Steel Dawn the Mister Farmhands have become passive. The location contains a two-story farmhouse, inaccessible garage, and two barns.

The smaller barn has radioactive barrels piled outside against one of its walls. An armor workbench is at one end of the building and the Lucky Hits! lottery recording sits in an oil barrel, amongst some other trash. The larger barn contains a tinker's workbench and a workbench. It also has a duffle bag and an ammo box on its upper level.

The bottom floor of the farmhouse contains several chairs, a coffee table stacked on top of a couch, and a locked safe (Picklock 0). The upper floor contains a broken bed frame, a footlocker, and a locked wall safe (Picklock 0). Cheryl's journal sits on top of a dresser here.

In the basement of the farmhouse is the door to the bomb shelter that is only accessible during Field Testing.

Notable loot

 * Cheryl's journal - Note, on the top floor of the main house on a dresser.
 * Lucky Hits! lottery recording - Holotape, in a blue compost barrel in the warehouse surrounded by radioactive barrels.

Appearances
Orwell Orchards appears only in Fallout 76.