Eastern Regional Penitentiary

Eastern Regional Penitentiary is a location in the Toxic Valley region of Appalachia in 2103.

Background
An infamous prison even before the Resource Wars kicked jingoism and nationalism across the United States into high gear, Eastern Regional Penitentiary was founded in 1866 and housed convicts from all over Appalachia and its surrounding areas. Budget and staff cuts prevented substantial renovations to the buildings, with some corrections officers raising the possibility of the prisoners one day simply pulling the bars off from the walls.

The solution to the problem was to eliminate the need for walls at all. All prisoners wore explosive collars no matter the severity of their crime, from unpaid parking tickets to the most hardened, serial criminals permanently sealed in solitary confinement, like Mad Dog Malone. Warden Thomas Brennan was an enthusiastic advocate of these new measures and pushed for full automation of the prison under the new Appalachian zeitgeist. He was successful and, for his loyal service, he was designated the sole human overseer of the facility until his retirement and benefits. Everyone else on the staff was discharged, leaving the inmates in the hands of uncaring robots and a perfectly logical mainframe that knew not nuance.

In the end, the penitentiary became little more than an automated concentration camp. Cell Block D was used nominally for members of criminal organizations but its inmates counted union organizers and Communists, with block C used for solitary confinement. Only blocks A and B had a degree of livability, meant as General Population and Minimum Security blocks respectively. Some inmates in Minimum Security were provided with "amenities," including windows.

After the Great War, the forgotten inmates were reduced to feral ghouls by the passage of time and radiation. Currently, the prison is shared between super mutants on the outside and ghouls on the inside.

Layout
The prison is located on the edge of the Toxic Valley and is clearly identifiable due to its tall sandstone walls and towers ringing the perimeter. Super mutants are plentiful, primarily inside the prison yard.

The yard contains storage sheds in the northeastern part, which contain several workstations for power armor, weapons, armor, and tinkering. Just next to them is the exercise yard, with a church and office pods on the opposite, western side of the yard.

The interior of the penitentiary wraps around the southern edge of the penitentiary and contains four cell blocks spanning two floors each, with two per wing. They are joined together by the prison administration building in the center, which contains the entrance, visiting, intake and processing room with automated barber chairs, with the warden mainframe and derelict robot storage on the upper floor.

Notable loot

 * Thomas Brennan's announcement - Holotape, located on the coffee table in the warden's office.
 * Penitentiary key - Seven keys throughout the facility, used to open jail doors and security gates.
 * One is in former warden Brennan's office, in the hand of the skeleton at the desk.
 * One key is in each of the security rooms in the four cell blocks - cell block A's security room key is on a wooden shelf, cell block B's is on top of a desk, the key for cell block C (solitary) is in the hand of a skeleton laying on the ground, and finally cell block D's key is on top of the white security console.
 * One key is found on top of a desk in cell block A, near the door that leads from the cell block to the prison yard.
 * The last key is located in the locked intake room on a green table next to some filing cabinets.
 * Penitentiary security password - Given by the Warden during Falsely Accused. Gives access to security terminals.
 * Four potential Vault-Tec bobbleheads:
 * On the penitentiary roof above the main entrance, inside the southern centered watchtower, on the corner of a mainframe computer bank.
 * Near the hole in the perimeter wall by the north tower, on the ground near the rock outcrop.
 * Inside the penitentiary, on the second floor in cell block B, in a cell with two barrels and a locked safe, placed on top of the safe.
 * On the southeast corner of the prison roof, behind two vents, next to a cap stash.
 * Seven potential magazines:
 * In the center section of the penitentiary, in the intake room near cell block D, on the L-shaped counter.
 * In the Cell Block B security office, on the desk.
 * Inside the penitentiary, on the north side of the laundry room, opposite the stacks of washing machines, slipped down between the dryer and the concrete pillar.
 * On the second floor of the penitentiary’s main building, near the warden's mainframe, in Warden Brennan’s bedroom, on the bedside table.
 * In the prison yard, in the remains of the chapel, on the lectern shelf.
 * In the prison yard, in the visitation trailer with the grill in front of it, on a low shelf with a broken lamp.
 * In the outhouse with the door, behind the chapel, in the prison yard.
 * Power armor chassis with T-series armor pieces - Occasionally spawns in the Penitentiary courtyard within a shack with three power armor stations.
 * Civil Unrest - Given as a reward for completing Falsely Accused.
 * Plan: Water filter - Inside the intake room near cell block D, on a corner table on the right.
 * Two potential recipes:
 * To the left of a cooking station in cell block A, on a small folding table.
 * Inside the dining hall, on the middle table, to the right of a wooden crate.
 * Potential armor mod - On a middle metal shelf inside the northwestern shack, in the prison yard, below a few TV monitors.
 * Two potential weapon mods:
 * Inside the courtyard, in a metal shack, on a metal shelf to the left of two armor workbenches.
 * Inside the courtyard, in a metal shack, on a cabinet directly in front of a weapons workbench.
 * Two Addictol - Respawning, behind a door, opened with a zero skill computer terminal.
 * A large amount of lead scrap (around 50 with the Scrapper perk) can be found in the form of various dumbbells in the center of the prison yard.

Appearances
The Eastern Regional Penitentiary appears only in Fallout 76.

Behind the scenes
Eastern Regional Penitentiary is based on the West Virginia Penitentiary, also known as the Moundsville State Penitentiary, in the city of Moundsville, West Virginia. The two penitentiaries share a founding date of 1866 and have similar architectural styles. However, lead artist Nathan Purkeypile did not manage to visit the prison while scouting out West Virginia for the game.