The World We Knew

(Que: The World We Knew, Frank Sinatra)
Desolate shells of neighborhoods and towns stand collecting rust and glowing moss as the overgrowth of the post-atomic age creeps in from the irradiated wilderness that covers this region of the Keystone Commonwealth. Roads made of cracked and broken asphalt run like splintered veins across the blasted wasteland, outlining this massive region are the rusting, skeletal remains of the once great interstate highways. Their raised multi-level design acting as a physical border for the wasteland proper, Verti-birds fly in and around a colossal city of decaying skyscrapers veiled in irradiated fog. Beyond the city is a sprawling expanse of dense woodland and open grasslands where the ruins of pre-war farmsteads stand silent watch over their overgrown fields. At the top of an overlooking hill stands a radar station, a large building made of white painted brick, and topped with one massive steel radar dish, flanked by two smaller dishes. Around this building is built a small community carved into the bombed out outer buildings of the compound. Bodies move and bustle across the open field of the settlement, being watched over by soldiers of the Brotherhood of Steel, their combat armor glistening in the sunlight.

Plot points/Scenes

Hoover Station

A sign outside of the chain-link fence of the settlement reads, Hoover Station. One of the more prominent and well defended settlements within the Reading Area, Hoover Station has fashioned itself into a minor trade hub for the region. The settlement is roughly 3-4 acres in size and has four buildings on its grounds, these buildings act as the workplaces and homes for many of the settlers here. The buildings are bombed out, but appear to be in different levels of repair, with many different wooden and steel reinforcements dotting the exterior and interior of the buildings. The settlement offers a few avenues of trade and commerce and sports a sizable crop farm that appears to be fed by an underground irrigation system. The radar station itself is positioned at the far end of the complex and stands overlooking the valley before Reading, the station is completely sealed off from the outside world, the brotherhood is actively attempting to enter into the facility, but thus far has not been able to gain access.
You enter into the settlement from the southern point, allowing you to get a full scope of the settlement.

Introductions

Our story begins at the guarded southern gate of the settlement, we come now to a handful of Brotherhood Initiates who are watching over the checkpoint during their shift, supervised by a knight. Traders and caravanners form a small line to get into the settlement itself, some of them appear to be growing impatient while others quietly and patiently wait for the initiates to let them through following a small inspection.
(To Julius) You are the primary guard at the gate and are in charge of inspecting the caravan papers of each traveler as they approach the checkpoint. The first set of travelers that come before you appear to be members of the Keystone Caravan Company, their brahmin is overladen with heavy boxes and water jugs. A small handful of guards surround the beast, their pipe pistols at their sides, the main caravanner approaches you, she is a young woman who appears slightly cleaner than the guards she is being accompanied by. She hands you a small stack of papers and says "There, that should be the full manifest and the bill of sale for this shipment, now could you please point me to the nearest shower?"
Her paperwork appears to check out and all the items listed on the manifest appear to be present on the Brahmin. It is your choice whether this woman and her men are allowed to enter into the settlement or not, but there is a line, and they seem legitimate.
After the woman and her caravan move on into the settlement two men move up to the front of the checkpoint. The first man is tan skinned and is wearing a brown leather jacket with a strange bright red shirt covered in a flower pattern underneath it. He is wearing aviator sunglasses which obscure his eyes and at his side is a .45 caliber 1911 pistol.
(To Johnny) You come to the front gate of the settlement of Hoover Station, you have journeyed from the settlement of Pottstown chasing after a ghoul who you know was last seen hanging around this settlement. You have his bounty poster and your hunting tag which you received from the governor of Pottstown Thomas Finch. You have the ability to produce this paperwork and proof of purpose upon request.
(To Julius) This man approaches you and looks like he is straight out of a pre-war comic book about a private eye investigator. It is your choice on what you wish to do here.
Once the paperwork is handed out everything seems to check out, the man is who he says he is, and you do know of a ghoul who has been hold up in the Food Store playing poker with some of the locals for the past few weeks. It is your choice how you wish to proceed.
After the man passes by the next man comes up to the front of the gate, his blonde beard and blue eyes are clean and well groomed, with only a handful of splotches of dirt or signs of travel found on his person. He is dressed in weathered but still largely pristine combat armor with a vault jump suit underneath it.
(To Chris) You approach the entrance gate of Hoover Station, two Brotherhood initiates guard the checkpoint and are supported by a brotherhood knight clad in power armor and wielding a heavy assault rifle. One of the initiates hold a hand up to you to halt your path, as the man who was just processed makes his way into the settlement.
It is up to Julius at this point on what to do. Chris has traveling papers from Hundred City, a settlement south beyond the border of the Iron Hills Wasteland and the French Creek State Forest. Chris' business is his own he may divulge whatever he wishes in order to gain entry into Hoover Station.

The Saloon

After Chris is allowed through the checkpoint and into the settlement, the shift change occurs and your replacements come to relieve you, Julius. A fellow initiate named Remus tells you "Go and get yourself some chow and report back to Sergeant Ryes, he has an assignment for you". Julius, should you go to the Food Store and grab some food, or go directly to Sergeant Ryes within the brotherhood barracks, that is your choice. If you choose to go to the Food Store with the other travelers then you will be in this next scene, if not then we will pick up with you in a moment.
Chris and Johnny make their way to the Food Store, one of the four intact buildings within the grounds of Hoover Station. This building acts as the main kitchen, saloon, and social gathering place for the settlers of Hoover Station. But it also serves as the primary living quarters for many of them as well. The building itself appears to be the old barracks building of the US military personnel who were once stationed here before the Great War, but now it acts more like a long-term hotel and saloon. You enter into a large common area set before a large doorway which opens to a mess hall and later a kitchen. The smell of grilled meats and vegetables fills the air and a juke box in the far corner of the common room ambiently plays Ol' Edd's Country Radio station, filling the space with the sounds of old pre-war country music mixed in with the rumblings and bustling of the settlers who are in the room. As you both drink in the ambience of the room you can either talk to each other or find your own place within this mosh of people.
On the right side of the room there is a small bar which serves a limited selection of alcohol ranging from beer to rye whiskey. An older woman mans the bar table and is servicing a few patrons, one in particular catches your eye, a man with a black spiked mohawk, dressed in road leathers and a leather chest piece, a bolt action rifle resting at his side on the bar. He is enjoying a drink and largely keeping to himself, those his eyes continue to follow the movements of some of the brotherhood members who are within the crowd.
On the left side of the room are a set of tables which all appear to be running their own respective card games. Some tables are playing caravan, while others are playing blackjack or poker. Johnny, you can see that at one of the poker tables is sitting a ghoul who appears to match the description of the man you are looking for, he is sitting on the far side of the table facing the entrance to the building.
(To John Manix) John you've been playing poker and drinking whiskey almost all morning, you have been taking these settlers for everything they got and then something unexpected happens. Two individuals whom you have never seen before entering into the building, one of them appears to be wearing combat armor atop of vault-tec jump suit, while the other one looks like a private investigator straight out of a private eye comic, with slicked back hair and dark aviator glasses, a deer leather jacket covering a bright red Hawaiian shirt and wide cut jeans. You've heard about someone who wanders the wastelands as a bounty hunter and private investigator, a man who goes by the name of Johnny Private Eye, but you never thought those stories were true. You and he lock eyes, and you can tell that this isn't a social call.
At this point it is up to John and Johnny on what happens next and how this interaction unfurls. But if things begin to get heated, it will attract the attention of the other patrons of the saloon as well as the other players who are sitting nearby in the room.

Sergeant Ryes

Pivoting from the Saloon our story will pan over the brotherhood barracks on the opposite side of Hoover Station. If Julius decided to not grab food before going to speak with Sergeant Ryes, then this scene will unfold as follows.
Julius, you enter into the barracks as you have countless times before, you make your way past your fellow initiates and the scribes of your detachment. You make your way further into the barracks and past the knight's bunk rooms and to the office of Sergeant Ryes. The door is shut, and you can hear the sounds of a conversation within, after a few moments you can hear the sounds of saluting and finally movement from beyond the sealed door. The door opens with a whoosh, and you see Adam Kilmer and a knight exit the room, Adam gives you a parting glance as he exits but the knight continues on without hesitation. Sergeant Ryes' office is dim, the blinds on the window behind his desk are drawn, only allowing for small rays of sunlight to illuminate the musty room. Standing in his power armor, Sergeant Ryes blocks much of the light that would normally be entering into the chamber. The illuminated eyes on his armor meet your eyes as he calls you into his office. The door seals shut behind you as you enter, you salute your sergeant as you salute back you cannot stop your eyes from falling upon his breast plate where his golden laurels are embossed. A wave of fear, respect and admiration washes over you as the sight reminds you of what those laurels represent. After a brief moment your sergeant speaks to you. "I am pleased that you chose to answer my summons with such haste. Your knight would be proud of your tenacity. As Remus most likely told you, I have a mission for you to complete for the betterment of the brotherhood and the settlement. As you may be aware, our water toxicity levels have fallen below usable levels as of late, this cannot be allowed to continue. Your mission is to uncover the source of this contamination and eradicate it. If you require assistance, you may recruit help from the settlers or any traveler who will accept the job. I expect that you will accomplish this task with utmost haste and tenacity. Goodluck initiate Goldensmith." Following this Julius may ask the sergeant any questions he may have, if it does not come up then Sergeant will end the conversation by saying "Check in with Mr. Kilmer, he was not very cooperative last I saw him, but perhaps after some time to rethink he will come around to allowing us to help. If not, then you may also consider speaking with Mr. Porshe at the Food Store, he may have some information which Mr. Kilmer has been unwilling to divulge." "Dismissed"
(See Side Quest: Soiled Water) (Pivot back from here to the Saloon, at the culmination of whatever unfolds between Manix and Johnny, Julius will enter into the establishment directly following this altercation)

Move Out Orders

Backdrops

Locations

• Used Junk. A shabby stall found within one of the bombed-out buildings of the complex, this stand is run by a woman named Martha Bright. Mrs. Bright as the settlers call her sells an assortment of salvage and scrap that her and her family find throughout the complex and surrounding ruined towns.
• Clear Water. A water purification station operates on the far end of the complex facing into the mountain itself. The housing building for the station acts as the house and store of the Kilmer family. Adam Kilmer and his family operate the pump station alongside with a handful of brotherhood initiates and provide clean drinking water for the settlers. From his home he sells clean and dirty water to passing travelers and caravans, there is also a tithe of clean water that the brotherhood exacts every quarter to help supply the surrounding forts within the area.
• Guns Surplus. A small machine shop is found partially bombed out within the complex, it has been repaired with sheet metal and scavenged wood to close it off. The garage of the building acts as an armory for the station as well as a bullet and rudimentary gun manufacturer. Inside the building is the remnants of the old armory used by the US troops that were once stationed here. Old man Cox and his family live within this building and help their aging father and grandfather with the machine shop and the armory. Cox's prized possession is a full suite of T-45 power armor that is locked within a magnetic lock armor crate, completely inaccessible by all but the old man himself. Cox and his family run a small gun shop from their home, selling bullets, melee weapons, pipe guns and scavenged firearms from the surrounding area. The brotherhood also takes a small tithe of firearms and ammunition from the station as well as water and food.
• Food Store. Wilferd Porshe is the main crop producer within the settlement, most of the settlers help till the land with him, but his knowledge of the crops and soils of the area makes him the primary voice on what to do with the crops. One of the largest buildings in the complex is the housing building for the researchers and later the US troops that were stationed here. This building came included with a working kitchen and food storage area, Mr. Porshe and his family live in this building in close proximity to the kitchen, allowing him and his family to stake a claim to it and use it as a food shop for the settlement. Porshe and his family work the kitchen and maintain the pre-war food stores within it as well as the crops and meat that are harvested from the crop fields and livestock pens of the settlement. Hoover Station has an array of crops which are used by both the settlers and the livestock for food, they include, corn, carrots, razorgrain, melons and tomatoes.