Blue Ridge Caravan Company

The Blue Ridge Caravan Company is a faction in the Fallout 76 update Wastelanders.

Background
Formerly a trucking operation moving freight across the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Blue Ridge Caravan Company was taken over by Joanna Mayfield from her grandfather around 2073, switching from trucks to brahmin after the bombs fell. Continuing to operate as an efficient and powerful transport company, the Blue Ridge Caravan Company specializes in the transfer of goods all across the region. As of 2103, their operations have begun to expand into Appalachia. They trade to any and all groups that want it, including the Settlers and Raiders. Most Raiders recognize them as essential to their survival, and Blue Ridge caravaneers are some of the only outsiders allowed in the Crater.

Though their headquarters are based outside Appalachia, Joanna is planning a visit to the Appalachia detachment in the near future, though a date has yet to be determined. Little is known about their operations outside of Appalachia, though they claim to have made the Parkway one of the safest routes in the wasteland, and have been employed by clients from as distant as Kentucky. Specifically, the caravan company deals in arms, ammunition, furs, furniture, canned goods, and water. Meanwhile the Big Bend Tunnel is considered one of their most dangerous routes, though safer than risking the overland route through the Savage Divide.

Caravans operate in pairs of two people; one guard, one merchant. These pairs are assigned based on whoever is available, though it will usually be the same partners every time. The merchants are considered clients, bringing their own goods, while the guards are considered employees. However, the brahmin are considered the most important part of the caravan shipment, with the entire shipment depending on their safety.

Often utilizing the Big Bend Tunnel for quick travel between the Ash Heap and Cranberry Bog, they have recently become targets of the Blood Eagles, who want to stop the flow of travel across their territory.

However, in the year 2104, Joanna noticed that people being brought into Appalachia by her caravans were disappearing, especially a recent caravan that had to shelter in the Harpers Ferry tunnel during a bad radstorm in The Mire. Wanting to solve this internally without getting outside help involved, such as the Brotherhood First Expeditionary Force, she tried to do so, but when later confronted by Paladin Leila Rahmani and a resident of Vault 76 who had recently become a Brotherhood Initiate under her, Joanna agrees to provide what details she knew to them, along with providing an escort for them in Aries to help solve the mystery, though refused to disclose anything further until the situation was resolved and the Blue Ridge was cleared of any wrongdoings regarding the mystery.

Locations

 * Big Bend Tunnel
 * Big Bend Tunnel East
 * Big Bend Tunnel West
 * Blue Ridge Parkway
 * Harpers Ferry tunnel

Members
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Managers

 * Ken Ternor
 * Joanna Mayfield
 * Vinny Costa

Merchants

 * Carver Timmerman
 * C. McDevitt
 * Eugenie
 * J. Clerk
 * J. Dullard
 * L. Chapel
 * M. Tucher
 * Minerva
 * R. Boye
 * Rudy Fernandez
 * Blue Ridge caravan merchant

Guards

 * Aries
 * Gaetano
 * Johnny Bills
 * Kieran Kennedy
 * Libby Wen
 * Tommy Ten-Toes
 * Blue Ridge caravan guard
 * Blue Ridge guard

Other employees

 * Herschel Klein
 * Blue Ridge ranch hand

Animals
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 * Minos
 * Blue Ridge brahmin
 * Brahmin

Interactions with the player character
Members of the group serve as traders and caravaneers, and will never be hostile to the player character.

Appearances
The Blue Ridge Caravan Company appears only in Fallout 76, introduced in the Wastelanders update and expanded upon in Steel Reign.

Behind the scenes

 * Much of the content for the Blue Ridge Caravan Company was created by quest designer Carl McKevitt. Its design process started with the creation of Riding Shotgun, which originally featured simple "caravan guards." These guards were fleshed out into a mini-faction and their dialogue was expanded to avoid repetition during the event, which eventually led to the creation of Blue Ridge and its characters.
 * The Blue Ridge Caravan Company's name was decided based on several factors: Appalachia's location within the Blue Ridge Mountains, the mention of the mountain range in "Take Me Home, Country Roads," Carl's affinity for the color blue, and as a parallel to the similarly-named Crimson Caravan Company.