Arefu

Arefu is a small settlement, located not far west of the center of the Capital Wasteland map, and north by northwest of Vault 106. It is seated atop a section of what remains of an I-495 Capital Beltway bridge, and is only accessible from the south. It is most important for its role in the quest Blood Ties.

First Impressions
Upon first arrival at Arefu, the player is greeted by a grenade thrown by its "Sheriff," Evan King. After apologizing, Evan confesses to mistaking the player for a member of The Family, a group which frequently harasses Arefu.

In his first conversation with the player, Evan will ask the player to check on each the residents of Arefu, explaining that he can't leave his post lest The Family return. The player will discover three of the residents (Ken Ewers, Brailee Ewers, and Karen Schenzy) in good health (if a bit fed up with Evan's passive method of handling The Family). In house furthest from the entrance to Arefu, the player discovers the corpses of two of its inhabitants, Mr. and Mrs. West. The third resident, the Wests' son Ian, is missing.

Once the player has investigated all houses, Evan will tell the player that he saw Ian talking to members of The Family near the river. This will initiate the Blood Ties quest, if the quest has not already been initiated by speaking with Lucy West in Megaton.

People
Brailee Ewers, Ken Ewers, Evan King, and Karen Schenzy live in Arefu when the player first reaches the town. Ian West can be convinced to move back to Arefu during the resolution of the Blood Ties quest. Lucy West recently moved from Arefu to Megaton.


 * If the player kills the residents of Arefu or The Family after brokering a deal, Lucy West will say to the player, "I heard about your little killing spree in Arefu, get the hell away from me!"
 * Once you have arranged a deal with The Family, the people of Arefu can be found walking around without a care in the world. They are happy to talk with you.

Notable Loot

 * Bobblehead - Repair - on a table inside Evan King's house, the door to which can be picked without Karma loss.


 * Nuka Cola Quantum - on a buoy just to the east of Arefu.


 * Pugilism Illustrated - on a table in Alan's house, 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.  This item is marked "owned" (red text / crosshair); taking it will incur a Karma loss.

Points of Interest
East of Arefu is a small wooden pier that is apparently home to a family of at least 5 Mirelurks. The Mirelurks respawn over time if killed, and may occasionally wander west towards Arefu, potentially triggering a battle between them, Arefu's protectors (Evan King and, later, potentially Alan), and any Caravan Merchant camped out at the base of the Arefu ramp. A Nuka Cola Quantum can be found just next to the pier on a buoy.

South of the ramp leading up to Arefu is Kaelyn's Bed & Breakfast, a burned out building that serves as the outpost for 6 Raiders. After leaving Arefu, Caravan Merchants will travel south directly past this area, which will initiate a battle between them and the Raiders if the player is in the same map cell at the time.

North of Arefu lies Northwest Seneca Station, one of the potential entrances to The Family's lair. An Enclave Camp will appear next to Northwest Seneca Station, on the highway overpass opposite the one Arefu is located on, after finishing the The Waters of Life quest.

Caravans
The caravan merchants stop near the Brahmin pen as part of their route, bringing the only trading, and best repair skills, available in Arefu.

Though most Merchants will run off if a Mirelurk comes out of the water, some will run toward the Mirelurks. Unless the player intervenes - which means killing as many as five Mirelurks, most of which will be underwater - such Merchants usually die in the ensuing battle.

Random monsters may spawn at the base of the ramp leading up to Arefu, right in front of where the merchants set up shop. This can lead to their injure or death. You can move the monster spawn point by by triggering it when a merchant is not present, then leading the monster away from Arefu. The spawn point will move to the place where you eventually kill the monster and leave its corpse. You can even lead the monster to the Mirelurk nest at the pier east of Arefu, so that the Mirelurks and monster will fight each other whenever they respawn.

Additionally, after leaving Arefu, the Caravan Merchants' route takes them south straight through the Raider outpost Kaelyn's Bed & Breakfast. Although the Caravan Guard is usually capable of killing all 6 Raiders camped out at that location, they and their merchant protectee will often sustain noticeable damage in the process. This only occurs if the player is in the same map cell when the caravan passes by the Bed & Breakfast, otherwise the merchant will pass by harmlessly as the Raiders are not active without the player present.

Trivia

 * 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."
 * This could be a reference to the 2001 remake of the Planet of the Apes, in which a sign once reading "CAUTION LIVE ANIMALS" is similarly obscured and is read "CALIMA" (CAUTION LIVE ANIMALS).
 * Arefu is a small village in Romania, most well known for its proximity to the former castle of Vlad Tepes (known as "Dracula" and "Vlad the Impaler"). This is a clear reference to the blood-drinking Family whose thirst for blood is similar to the fabled vampire "Dracula".

Bugs
 This can result in the death of Evan King, both ruining the quest and turning Arefu's entire population hostile. Members of The Family, as well as Lucy West, will speak of the player's "killing spree" at Arefu; apparently, any creature spawn responsible for deaths in Arefu will cause the player to take the blame. 
 * It is alleged that the enemy spawns referenced in the Notes section can occur in Arefu itself, though other reports claim that the enemies simply ascend the ramp into Arefu to assault its citizens. This has two confirmed effects:


 * After completing the Blood Ties quest, it seems to be possible to kill the residents of Arefu with no loss in Karma. It is not yet known what set of circumstances allows for this, or in which versions (consoles or PC) of the game this is possible.


 * In cases where Arefu becomes hostile, Evan King may start a killing spree. He will kill everything in his path from merchants and citizens to you. He will even kill Arefu's supply of Brahmin occasionally. This might be due in part to the player wielding a weapon.


 * Sometimes Evan King will be near one of the ledges in Arefu. If he should happen to fall - either due to the player nudging him, or for any other reason - the entire population of Arefu will become hostile to the player. (PS3 Version)


 * Behind the West Residence, adjacent to a bathtub is an indent in the road where you can walk on air.


 * After completing the Blood Ties quest in the PS3 or XBOX360 versions, some players may get locked in the Schenzy residence with no way to escape. The only solution is to reload a previously saved game. If this should happen in the PC version, use the console command  on the door to free the player.


 * After completing the Blood Ties quest, when you travel to Arefu(either via Fast travel or walking), a Yao Guai or Giant Radscorpion will have spawned in the town and killed everyone except Ian West(since he stays in his house). There is no real downside since you already completed the quest, except for the loss of a potential future city.


 * Arefu can respond violently to Fawkes, even with a very good rating. After one resident has shot at him, Fawkes will go on a rampage, killing every member of Arefu, whether or not they are currently hostile. It is best to make him wait at the far edge of town, but even fast traveling can cause him to be seen by Evan King, and mark you as an enemy. (Confirmed PC, 5 save games, Fawkes as a Follower, in 3 of the 5 games, the citizens went postal and so did Fawkes)