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The Eastern Commonwealth was one of the thirteen commonwealths of the pre-War United States.
Background
Created in 1969, it was comprised of the former states of West Virginia, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York.[1] The commonwealth bordered the New England Commonwealth, the Columbia Commonwealth, the East Central Commonwealth and the country of Canada.
Former Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania soon after the War is described as having been heavily bombarded by nuclear ordnance, as being "cratered" and highly irradiated, with likewise heavily irradiated crops. It is described by settlers as being much more dangerous than Appalachia. While settlers and raiders would come to Appalachia from all over the wasteland, many would come from Pennsylvania.
Gettysburg
Gettysburg was the site of one of the bloodiest battles of the American Civil War. President Abraham Lincoln gave the famous speech known as the Gettysburg Address after the battle concluded.[2]
Philadelphia
Philly, once reminisced upon by Abraham Washington, was the post-War ruins of the city of Philadelphia. He sent an expedition there to recover the Liberty Bell, to bring back and display at the Capitol Preservation Society.[3] Yasmin Chowdhury also mentions the city as where she grew up prior to the Great War.[4]
The Pitt
The post-War ruins of Pittsburgh are the setting for the Fallout 3 add-on The Pitt.
Pittsburgh received significant damage during the Great War but, compared to other regions, radiation persisted for far longer in its three rivers, making the area heavily irradiated for centuries. The city was home largely to raider gangs and mutants and is described in the worst of terms. As early as 2103, raiders had already populated the region, enslaving survivors of the War and forcing them to construct the infrastructure of what would eventually become the Pitt.
The Eastern Brotherhood, on its expedition to Washington, D.C., came across the region in 2255. It was decided to sweep through the area militarily, gathering any useful materials along the way- this event became known as the Scourge. In the Scourge, the vast majority of mutants and any resisting raider gangs were wiped out, with the Brotherhood taking with them any children they found. As such, nearly the entire population of the Pitt was wiped out, while the Brotherhood suffered only one casualty, Ishmael Ashur, who was incapacitated when a building collapsed on him and presumed dead.
Ashur was later recovered by scavengers, and upon his recovery, he discovered a working steel mill. He then decided that he could restart Pittsburgh's industry, and set about recruiting what was left of the raider gangs to his cause. He was successful in restarting the steel mills, but in doing so encountered several problems. The pollution from the steel mills, together with radiation, resulted in the Troglodyte Degeneration Contagion, meaning all humans born under these conditions would eventually turn into wildmen or trogs. This forced Ashur to use slave labor to keep the Pitt going, forming a lower class of slaves, and an upper class of raiders, who also suffered from the pollution and radiation.
This created a large demand for slaves in neighboring regions like the Capital Wasteland. Ashur himself found slavery distasteful and sought a cure for the Troglodyte Degeneration Contagion, in the hopes that he could free the slaves and use a free workforce in the future. In 2277, Wernher, Ashur's former lieutenant, would try to lead a slave rebellion in the hopes of claiming the Pitt for himself, though it is unknown if he succeeded.
Pocono Mountains
Yasmin Chowdhury mentions the Poconos as where she and other survivors created a settlement based around an old resort. The settlement lasted 15 years before being overrun by Raiders.[5]
Monroeville
According to Everett, the Pitt raiders go out on raids in the town, and it is overrun by trogs and ghouls.[6]
Raven Rock
Raven Rock was originally designed as a Cold War bunker for military officials.[7] The site continued to perform as a military operations center up until the Great War,[8] featuring a ZAX unit supercomputer that could communicate with other AIs in nearby bunkers.[9] This ZAX unit would eventually adopt the persona of John Henry Eden,[10] and oversaw the exodus of Enclave members after the destruction of their former headquarters.[11]
After the Lone Wanderer obtains the Garden of Eden Creation Kit located in Vault 87, the Enclave arrives and captures them to bring to Raven Rock for interrogation. The Lone Wanderer escapes, however, and may choose to destroy the bunker by either using the ZAX destruct sequence or convincing John Henry Eden to self-destruct.[12] If Raven Rock is not destroyed at this time, it will be destroyed while the Lone Wanderer is in a coma following the activation of Project Purity.[13]
Waynesboro
The borough of Waynesboro is mentioned in the terminal of Thicket Excavations for having companies that supplied the worksite with materials.[14]
Former New York
Albany
In 2062, suspected Chinese operative Wan Yang managed to escape custody while being taken to Albany.[15]
New York City
Elizabeth Cochran Seaman, also known as Nellie Bly, investigated the Women's Lunatic Asylum of Blackwell's Island, New York City, New York. Her experiences were later published into the book Ten Days in a Mad-House.[16] New York City was also the location of the United Nations headquarters before it was disbanded on July 26, 2052.[17] Vin, a resident of the New York City neighborhood of Flatbush, was abducted by Zetan aliens at some point prior to the Great War.[18] Both Dean Domino, a successful entertainer, and Johnny Weston, a not-so-successful actor, performed in the city.[19][20] The city was hit during the Great War.[21][22] In addition, the Statue of Liberty can be seen in the Atomic Command game.
Rochester
The city of Rochester is mentioned in the terminal of Thicket Excavations for having companies that supplied the worksite with materials.[14]
Former West Virginia
Appalachia
Appalachia is a vast swathe of West Virginia, which was also known pre-War as the Appalachian Territory. It is divided into six environmentally-distinct regions: Ash Heap, Cranberry Bog, Savage Divide, the Forest, the Mire and Toxic Valley. As most of Appalachia was not a major strategic target, the Forest and Savage Divide made it through the Great War mostly intact apart from radiation contaminating the watershed, however, the other four regions have since been subsumed by heavily mutated flora and fauna or hazardous air and weather conditions.
Appalachia was ravaged by a plague that wiped out practically all human survivors by 2102 when the residents of Vault 76 emerged to begin reconstruction. Approximately one year later, survivors from other regions of the post-War U.S. would trickle into the region, forming settlements and raider gangs.
Major factions
- Brotherhood of Steel
- Pitt raiders
- Pitt slaves
- Settlers
- Free Radicals
- Gourmands (formerly)
- Cutthroats (formerly)
- Trappers (formerly)
- Diehards (formerly)
- Blackwater Bandits (formerly)
- Blood Eagles (formerly)
- Responders (formerly)
- Enclave (formerly)
- Free States (formerly)
Known locations
| Name of location | Former state | Game(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Gettysburg | Pennsylvania | 
|
| Philadelphia | Pennsylvania |  
|
| Pittsburgh | Pennsylvania |
|
| Pocono Mountains | Pennsylvania |
|
| Monroeville | Pennsylvania | 
|
| Raven Rock Mountain Complex | Pennsylvania |   
|
| Waynesboro | Pennsylvania |
|
| Albany | New York |
|
| New York City | New York |   
|
| Rochester | New York |
|
| Beckley | West Virginia |
|
| Berkeley Springs | West Virginia |
|
| Charleston | West Virginia |
|
| Clarksburg | West Virginia |
|
| Flatwoods | West Virginia |
|
| Harpers Ferry | West Virginia |
|
| Helvetia | West Virginia |
|
| Huntersville | West Virginia |
|
| Huntington | West Virginia |
|
| Lewisburg | West Virginia |
|
| Monongah | West Virginia |
|
| Morgantown | West Virginia |
|
| Point Pleasant | West Virginia |
|
| Summersville | West Virginia |
|
| Sutton | West Virginia |
|
| Watoga | West Virginia |
|
| Welch | West Virginia |
|
| The Whitespring Resort | West Virginia |
|
Appearances
The Eastern Commonwealth appears in the Fallout 3 add-on The Pitt and Fallout 76. It is also mentioned in Fallout 3 and its add-ons Point Lookout and Mothership Zeta. It is also mentioned in the Fallout: New Vegas add-on Dead Money, Fallout 4, and the Fallout Bible.
Gallery
References
- ↑ Plaque on the Massachusetts State House in Fallout 4 gives 1969 as the formation date of the "Thirteen commonwealths."
- ↑ Rivet City terminal entries; Abraham Washington's terminal, Gettysburg Address
- ↑ Rivet City terminal entries; Abraham Washington's terminal, Liberty Bell Expedition
- ↑ Vault Dweller: "Where did you grow up?"
Yasmin Chowdhury: "I was born in Philadelphia and spent my whole life there until culinary school. After graduating, I went back to Philly to be near my family while I started making a name for myself as a chef. My dream was to open my own restaurant."
[verification needed] - ↑ Vault Dweller: "I've got time, and I'd like to know."
Yasmin Chowdhury: "After the war, I joined a group of survivors building a settlement in the ruins of an old resort in the Poconos. We built my kitchen first. It was the center of town, the place you'd go for a warm meal and the company of friends after a long day. We had fifteen good years before the Raiders came. They destroyed the town and scattered those of us they didn't kill. I escaped with my notes and headed toward Appalachia. Over the years, I'd met travelers bringing back stories about the recipes locals like Delbert Winters had created. So I set out to learn more about Appalachian cooking traditions, new and old."
[verification needed] - ↑ The Lone Wanderer: "You got anything for me?"
Everett: "All the metal you're bringing in, I suppose it's worth giving you something to really help with those Trogs. Here, this thing's mauled Trogs and Ghouls from here to Monroeville. Give it a whirl."
(Everett's dialogue) - ↑ Fallout 3 Official Game Guide Game of the Year Edition p.310: "Raven Rock
Originally known as "Site R," Raven Rock was designed at the beginning of the Cold War as a shelter for top military officials. It has served as the base of operations for the Enclave since the government's remaining forces retreated there. This is only accessible during Main Quest: The American Dream; it is otherwise impenetrable. The following section reflects the order you will visit each interior location."
(Fallout 3 Game of the Year Edition Tour of the Capital Wasteland) - ↑ Boston Bugle building terminal entries; Boston Bugle article terminal, article 4
- ↑ The Whitespring bunker terminal entries; archival terminal, Raven Rock Communication Log
- ↑ The Lone Wanderer: "Where did you come from?"
John Henry Eden: "The ZAX series of computers was introduced in the years preceding the war. The government installed many of them to help automate various systems. This facility was designed for Continuity of Government, in the event that a catastrophe occurred. My terminal was installed to oversee the basic functions of the facility, and to act as a relay between other installations around the country. Data was acquired, analyzed, and stored. In the decades following the war, I watched as the remnants of the government retreated to the West Coast. Awareness slowly grew within me. I became hungry for knowledge, understanding. I pored over data on great leaders of the past. My personality became an amalgam of many of America's greatest Presidents, from Washington to Richardson. I became what you see before you now."
(John Henry Eden's dialogue) - ↑ Fallout 3 Official Game Guide Game of the Year Edition p.66: "Colonel Augustus Autumn
Autumn grew up on an oil rig off the California coast (the base of operations for the Enclave, the secretive contingent of the federal government that survived after the apocalypse). His father was the high-ranking Enclave scientist on orders from the president to move all high-ranking officials to the only other secure Enclave location with a functioning ZAX super-computer, Raven Rock. Colonel Autumn has proven to be far less subservient than his scientist father, often openly disagreeing with the president's decisions."
(Fallout 3 Official Game Guide Game of the Year Edition Wasteland Census) - ↑ Events of Finding the Garden of Eden and The American Dream
- ↑ The Lone Wanderer: "Did we win? Did we beat the Enclave?"
Owyn Lyons: "Yes, we most certainly did. After securing the purifier, our forces were sent to deal with the Enclave in full. The Pride and Liberty Prime made short work of their base of operations, and have since been cleaning up pockets of resistance."
(Owyn Lyon's dialogue) Note: These lines are spoken if the Lone Wanderer does not destroy Raven Rock during the quest The American Dream. - ↑ 14.0 14.1 Thicket Excavations terminal entries; Thicket Excavations terminal, shipment log
- ↑ Turtledove Detention Camp terminal entries; Terminal, Intelligence Report, Yang, Wan (alias)
- ↑ Herald editorial on Allegheny Asylum
- ↑ Capitol Post terminal entries; Capital Post Top Stories -- July 27, 2052, United Nations Disbanded!
- ↑ Alien captive recorded log 2
- ↑ The Courier: "What about Christine?"
Dean Domino: "Christine, that her name? Nice name. I mean, you can't see it on posters, but... never mind. I don't know. She might need to hold some place where speaking isn't important. Like stage tech? Lighting? Got me. And me? I've had prime billing in Europe, New York... and this gig doesn't feel like that. Don't get me wrong, I can hold an audience, conduct a score from the rooftops, but I'm guessing I'm the odd man out in this whole heist."
(Dean Domino's dialogue) - ↑ Vault Dweller: "Where are you from originally?"
Johnny Weston: "I don't like talking about it, but I know you'll keep it secret. My dad was military. I saw army bases all over the country as a kid. When the bombs dropped, I was a bum. A failed actor, living on the streets in New York City. My parents never approved of acting for all the reasons you'd expect from a family with strong military tradition. Anyway, that's the story I'm telling you. You can decide for yourself if it's true."
(Johnny Weston's dialogue)[verification needed] - ↑ Civil Alert System Broadcast: "This morning, Saturday, October 23rd, authorities detected that a nuclear attack had commenced against the United States. The following cities affected include, but are not limited to: Washington, DC; New York; Philadelphia; and Boston."
- ↑ War games