Andale's Dark Secret

Bethesda SoftworksAndale is a small town in the Capital Wasteland, with the residents hiding dark secrets behind a welcoming facade. The current inhabitants of Andale are all distant relatives of four families that were able to survive the Great War. When the player in Fallout 3 enters Andale, they are warmly greeted by warned by the town's residents, offering the place as a respite from the terrors of the Wasteland. One of the residents named Old Man Harris warns the player to keep away, but other, younger residents laugh it off as the ramblings of a crazy person. However, after entering the basement of the Smith household, the player comes across a stash of 'strange meat', which is revealed to be human flesh. After exiting the basement, the player is confronted by Andale's residents, attempting to kill (and presumably eat) them if they refuse to keep the town's secret. It is eventually uncovered that Andale has a history of heavy inbreeding, and a total rejection of outside society. For generations, the tradition of murdering and consuming outsiders has been passed down, making Andale one of the most sickening products of the post-apocalyptic world. Have you got any other creepy bits of Fallout lore to share with us? Do you recall being scared by any unscripted moments in the games? Lets us know below!

The Great War

Interplay EntertainmentThe nuclear wastelands that are seen in the Fallout series are all the result of the Great War, which occurred in 2077. What makes the Great War so terrifying, is how realistic the build-up and resulting aftermath are, especially when compared the tensions of our own world's Cold War. The Great War was primarily triggered by worldwide energy crisis, after fossil fuels began to run out in 2050. In the Fallout world, miniaturised electronics never took off, leading to huge, energy-inefficient technologies that required more power than our own. Despite the best attempts from the United Nations, many countries left the organisation, leading to it being fully disbanded. Following two decades of what was known as the Resource Wars, it escalated into the devastating Great War. Lasting just one day, it saw superpowers the United States, China and The Soviet Union all unleashing their nuclear missiles at once, resulting in the setting for the Fallout games.

The Tale Of Richard Moreau

Interplay EntertainmentOriginally a doctor of Vault 8, Richard Moreau would one day become one of the most hideous, powerful forces in the world of Fallout. After being exiled from his vault for murder, he came across a military base, where he accidentally fell into a vat of Forced Evolutionary Virus. Assumed dead by his companions, Moreau floated in the vats for weeks, transforming into a repulsive blob-like being. In his new form, Moreau was able to absorb people and other creatures that approached the base, and even merged with the facility's computers. After merging with countless biological beings, Moreau began to form the idea of a unified Wasteland, by forcing humans to become transformed into super mutants by the FEV virus. Eventually, Moreau became known by a different name: The Master. For years he led the super mutants on a campaign of terror, eventually defeated by the player-controlled Vault Dweller in the events of Fallout.

The Dunwich Building

Bethesda SoftworksWell known among players as possibly the scariest location in Fallout 3, the Dunwich Building is a terrifying place. Littered with audio logs recorded by the old world inhabitants, they reveal what it was like for the ordinary people at work, when the bombs began to fall. The audio tapes contain the sounds of the bomb actually exploding near the building, as well as the panic of the workers of Dunwich panicking. Finally, they depict the sounds of people being painfully transformed into the deadly feral ghouls that now patrol the area. As well as the haunting audio logs, the Dunwich Building hides some creepy secrets in its lower levels. One of the ghouls, named Jaime, appears to be summoning feral ghouls from a misty crack in a wall. Additionally, there are several references to Cthulu-esque mythology, in the form of frequent mentions of an 'Alhazred', and a bizarre altar of 'Ug-Qualtoth' located in the deepest under chambers of the building. The full mysteries behind the altar have never been uncovered, and whether it was involved in the especially aggressive transformations in the building is unknown.

Fawkes' Transformation

Bethesda SoftworksFawkes is one of the most trustworthy companions the player can have in Fallout 3, despite his monstrous appearance. As a super mutant that has retained his original cognitive abilities, Fawkes is an outcast in both societies. The player is able to rescue Fawkes from his containment in Vault 87, where his transformation originally took place. A series of audio holotapes that were cut from the finished game graphically depict the build-up to Fawke's mutation process: Sykes and Cossler dragged some unconscious guy from the dorms into the labs. I tried to ask what was going on, but they just glared at me.... After they left I snuck into the containment room, and... and I almost threw up. I don't even know how to describe it. It looked sort of human, but it was deformed... I could see some of its organs on the surface of its body like they were trying to push through.What the hell am I supposed to do now? Merrick and his team are obviously experimenting on people. Someone's got to put a stop to it. But how? There's nowhere to go and no one to tell. Shit, what am I gonna... Oh my god. They're coming... I... Tell my wife in Dorm E that I love her... I...While this is all terrifying stuff, the worst is the final holotape, which helps to add a more tragic element to the super mutants as a whole. Recorded as he begins to succumb to the super mutant virus, it reveals the once intelligent Fawkes as he struggles to maintain his higher brain functions: Stupid machine... how you work this thing... this thing is stupid! Smash it!

The Glow

Interplay EntertainmentThe West Tek Research Facility appears in the original Fallout, where it is colloquially referred to as the Glow. It earned its name thanks to the high levels of radiation in the surrounding area, following its destruction by a direct hit from a nuclear warhead. The Glow became legendary among the local residents, thanks to its various old world artefacts and technology. It was also the source of much of the airborne FEV virus in the air, leading to horrific mutations of local wildlife. By the time of the events in Fallout, the Glow has been assigned a dark use by the not-entirely-heroic Brotherhood of Steel. As the player finds out, joining the Brotherhood is a difficult process, and many people are unsuccessful in applying. The Brotherhood deals with these unwanted applicants by sending them on a 'special' quest to the Glow, resulting in the slow death of every single one, thanks to the huge amounts of radiation.

Origins Of The Marked Men

Bethesda SoftworksIn the Mojave Wasteland lies a desolate place known only as the Divide. Once the location of both a city and a missile base, the area was destroyed by the Great War, and the missiles never left their silos. Shortly before the events of Fallout: New Vegas, the Divide was the setting for a battle between two warring factions; Caesar's Legion and the New California Republic. However, the many missile underground are suddenly activated, causing them to detonate and create huge, devastating earthquakes. Both Legion and NCR troops were trapped together, by violent dust storms and deep ravines. The troops were flayed alive, while simultaneously exposed to large amounts of radiation. This transformed them into the Marked Men, terrifying skinless ghouls with a hatred for everything and everyone.