Today in the CBO
Settlements Today
by Nat Wright-Kowalski
8 June 2297 - Salem
On certain Tuesdays for the 2297 season, we will feature one of the settlements, teams, and owners of the Commonwealth Baseball Organization. This is meant to tell you more about life in the Commonwealth, as well as give you more information about the teams and their owners. These will be done at Nat Wright-Kowalski's availability
In our twenty-third installment of "Settlements Today," I went to the creepiest topside settlement in the Commonwealth, Salem. I call it creepy, but the settlement itself is a nice little coastal area. The creepy part is Salem's tourist attraction, the Museum of Witchcraft.
Salem has a long, storied tradition that has led to much pre-War history, including books, serials, and dramas. According to a terminal entry, "Salem was once a quaint coastal town and seaport, made into a tourist destination by the infamous witch trials of 1692." To go further, according to some books saved in the Boston Public Library, "One of the most widely known aspects of Salem is its history of witchcraft allegations which started with Abigail Williams, Betty Parris, and their friends playing with a Venus glass (mirror) and egg. The infamous Salem witch trials began in 1692, and 19 people were executed by hanging as a result of the false accusations; Giles Corey was pressed to death for refusing to plead innocent or guilty, thus avoiding the noose and instead dying an innocent man. Salem is also significant in legal history as the site of the Dorothy Talbye Trial, where a mentally ill woman was hanged for murdering her daughter because Massachusetts made no distinction at the time between insanity and criminal behavior."
Salem's Museum of Witchcraft - This brings in most of the income for Salem's settlement.
When Nate first approached Salem, he met the sole survivor of Salem, Benny Rook. In the terminal history of post-War Salem, "After the Great War, the town's residents worked together to make it a secure settlement. Over the next two centuries, the community became known as one of the safest towns in the Commonwealth. As a consequence, the townspeople went lax in their defenses. Barney Rook begged the town council to let him train the militia, to teach the citizens how to shoot and fend for themselves. However, they thought he was just paranoid and refused him. When the mirelurks started rising out of the ocean, no one was ready.
"Mr. Rook tried to save as many as he could from his roost atop his home, but for every person he saved, three were lost. After the devastation, he vowed to protect the town and has been doing so for the last couple of years alone. Because he was alone, and couldn't be everywhere at once, he set up the series of turrets around town at strategic locations, so he could stay at home most days.
Salem 2288 - Nate came up on a seemingly-abandoned settlement overrun by nesting mirelurks
"He recently took the turrets offline to conserve ammunition since the mirelurks were quiet lately. By late 2287, the area has become avoided by wastelanders due to Gunner activity in the area, the Church of the Children of Atom worshiping at the radioactive crater down the road and the large number of mating mirelurks in the waters all around the bay."
After Nate helped clear the area, it still took a while before new settlers started arriving. The area is far away from Boston, so it takes a long time before traders come through. Caravans are more frequent these days, but there are still not a lot of chances to transport materials to make the area fully modernized. Still, settlers have been working well with the materials they do have.
Salem 2297 - There be houses near them there seas - This build at: https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/20313
Owner - Barney Rook
Barney does not want to be in charge of everything, but that has been the expectation since the first settlers started giving him a break from his security duties.
Barney Rook
Even though the settlers before Nate arrived perished, the new settlers have been efficient at keeping the mirelurks at bay. The mirelurks still attempt to come to the area for an unknown reason, so the constant flow of mirelurk meat has made the town's restaurant menu choices a running joke around the Commonwealth.
Despite not needing to be the town's sniper anymore, you can still see Rook walking aorund with "Reba," his favorite hunting rifle. He enjoys his time checking on the progress of the settlement, runs the baseball team's business, and spends about half of his day in the local post office sharing gossip. He loves that there are people to hang out with these days.
Vim! Again
Small Bertha moved closer to Far Harbor by changing her sponsorship from Sunshine Tidings to Salem. She also expressed the need to distance herself from Nuka-Cola once John-Caleb Bradberton started sponsoring the Concord Radstags.
Vim! ad
According to a terminal, "Vim! Pop Incorporated was founded in 1931, initially being sold as a health tonic. It wasn't as popular as Nuka-Cola, however in Maine, it was more widely consumed than its rival. Vim was even referred to as a state tradition and about to become the official state drink of Maine; however, during the process of making this official, legal situations forced the company to back off its marketing.
"Vim! was going to be bought out by the Nuka-Cola Corporation before the war. Doyle Reed, the owner who held the company in his family for years, was fighting against the takeover. However, with certain financial problems being caused by the company's legal issues, the CEO was being urged to sell the company. The only legal entanglement that the public was aware of consisted of a male employee of the Vim! Factory allegedly punching a female bar patron, though many witnesses denied this. Still, the local news attached to this story and forced the company to hold back on television advertisements and product release."
It looks like Small Bertha is still fighting that battle against Bradberton's company. Cola wars seem to be something like real wars.