Shady Sands
On your way to Vault 15, you'll come across the small village of Shady Sands. Two people, Seth and Katrina, will greet you at the entrance. They'll ask you to put away your weapons. Talk to Katrina, learn the history of Vault 15 , and ask her about bartering. This will help you increase your bartering skill if it's low and gain experience.
Next, go into the house on the left and pick up a Wanderer's Tome and a rope. Next, go into the house across the street, where you'll meet a long-haired man in a leather jacket—that's Ian. Talk to him once, then end the conversation and start again. Try to persuade him to join you. He'll do it for 100 caps, but if you have a strong conversation skill and high charisma, Ian will do it for free. In this same house, search the bookshelf behind Ian. You'll find 100 hunting rifle rounds and 20 air rifle rounds.
Descend to the lowest house in this area, where you'll meet Aradesh, the leader of Shady Sands. Talk to the cook and tell her you like her food. This will increase your karma by 1. In the lowest room of Aradesh's house, you'll find a lot of useful items on a bookshelf. Talk to Aradesh, who will offer to destroy the Rad of Scorpions and save the village. Agree to do so, and then head to Seth, the gun-wielding guard who greeted you at the entrance. I don't recommend this quest without Ian.
Next, agree to follow Seth, but he won't come with you. You'll find yourself in the Rad of Scorpions' cave. Simply kill them all and loot a bunch of ammunition from their cave. The stuff lying on the ground will come in handy. Then return to Aradesh, who will thank you. Don't forget to grab the Rad Scorpion's tail for Razlo, the local healer, whose house is directly across from Aradesh's, in the lower left corner of the area. Talk to Razlo, who needs a piece of the Rad Scorpion to create an antidote.
Next, use the antidote on the sick man lying in the back of Razlo's house. This will increase your reputation and give you experience points. Now go to the green field in the upper left corner of the area and you'll enter the brahmin fields. There you'll meet a farmer. In conversation with him, you can point out how to properly irrigate the land, thereby contributing to the development of agriculture in Shady Sands, receiving 500 experience points.
Next, in this same area, go into the largest house and pick up a rope, which will be useful for traveling through Vault 15. You'll find a second rope in the small house in the lower right corner of the area; it'll be on the floor along with a hammer. Now you can safely proceed to Vault 15. Sources
See also:
Fallout 2: Locations and Random Encounters
Fallout 2 Walkthrough: Music in the Game
Fallout 2 Walkthrough: Redding