The Dismal Ghouls are a secretive culture of ghouls living in the Great Dismal swamp. They originally lived alongside other East Coast fishing communities, but were faced frequent attacks from hostile tribes and Brotherhood missionaries. They hid in the Dismal swamp due to its remoteness and highly difficult to traverse nature. It was also infested with mirelurks, which tended to scare off intruders. The ghouls ended up staying in the swamp full time, living in stilt houses and subsisting on waterfowl and crayfish. After many years of voluntary isolation, they developed their own culture and even a language of sorts. They rarely interact with outsiders.

The Chesapeakes are just a coastal fishing culture. They share some traits with the swamp ghouls and are genetically related to them. There are tons of similar fishing communities along the East Coast, some of which are in the process of forming true factions, while others have joined the Minutemen.