Necropolis

"City of the Dead"

Necropolis, also known as the City of the Dead, is a ghoul city upon the remains of Bakersfield, located in southern California.

Background
Constructed under the sprawling metropolis of Bakersfield, Vault 12 was billed as "built with every amenity in mind for the prospective Vault Dweller," and that it had "been fitted with the newest in Vault Water Purification Systems. Able to take even the waste located in the sewers of Bakersfield, this system is able to deliver over 15,000 gallons of pure, refreshing drinking water every day." Those who signed on for this particular Vault took their preparedness very seriously, earning the "Pressed Vault Suit" award for their efforts. The Vault's true purpose, however, was to study the effects of radiation on the residents. To ensure this, Vault-Tec designed the Vault door not to close.

On October 23, 2077, the populace of Bakersfield learned that the other Vaults had been sealed. In desperation, they took to their local shelter, forcing their way in to protect themselves and their families. The door worked as designed: the radiation flooded in; those who survived suffered from ghoulifcation. In the summer of 2083, the survivors would leave the shelter. Those that chose to stay founded the city of Necropolis.

By the spring of 2084, Set took control of Necropolis, wresting control from the original overseer. He, not wanting to be killed, was driven north and lost to history. For the next seventy-three years, Set would lead the city unmolested from outside parties. Instead, internal political strife caused some to leave, while a much more peaceful group was forced to take shelter underground. Despite Set's disgust for the group, he reluctantly sent them whatever water they needed, fearful that he wouldn't have enough people to defend the city if it ever needed to be.

In February of 2162, the Vault Dweller recovered the water chip in Necropolis, but Ian was killed by a super mutant and reduced to a cinder during the fight. In March of the same year, the mutant army attacked Necropolis out of vengeance for some mutants that the Vault Dweller killed; this forced most of the ghouls to flee, and those who stayed were not spared.

The scattered survivors of Necropolis led the Great Migration across the wastes, leading to the founding of towns such as Gecko, Dayglow, and Broken Hills.

Layout
This Greek word meaning "city of the dead" refers to this strangely silent ghost town. Travelers report that no one seems to live there, and people who arrive to settle it either end up with radiation sickness or simply disappear. The truth of the matter involves a small population of ghouls beneath the city's streets.

Necropolis can be found six squares east and twelve squares south of Vault 13. Necropolis suffered extreme destruction. Debris litters the streets and makes navigation practically impossible. The sewers serve to connect the various sections of town. Necropolis is divided into three districts and three sewer sections.

Motel


This district is a virtual shooting gallery, filled with ghouls. They are easy experience pickings for the distance shooter. The ghouls will become hostile easily if the Vault Dweller tries to converse and/or rifle through their storage. There are manholes which lead to the city's sewers.

Hall of the Dead


In a building that appears to be the remains of some sort of church, the player character can find a number of imprisoned glowing ones, Set, Garret and various ghoul guards.

Watershed


The last district (accessed through the sewers) and the home to:
 * Children of the Cathedral medics
 * The broken water pump
 * A ghoul prisoner
 * The super mutants with rhyming names
 * The entrance to Vault 12

Sewers


Three sections of tunnels connecting Necropolis districts.

Inhabitants
The ghoul population was divided into three groups:
 * The surface dwellers were what could be called the public face of Necropolis, as they were by far the most numerous of the three groups, and controlled most of the city's surface. They were typically the first thing outsiders encountered in Necropolis and were likely the cause of the aforementioned rumors surrounding the City of the Dead. Their operations were based out of the Hall of the Dead, where their leader Set did his business. Paranoid and intolerant of outsiders and non-ghouls, the surface dwellers were often violent, attacking strangers on sight and harboring a particularly deep hatred of super mutants. This was most likely due to the super mutant garrison newly established around Necropolis' important watershed. Though Talius mentions heated resistance to the super mutant presence in the city by Set's surface dwellers, by the time the Vault Dweller arrives there appears to be a sort of stalemate between the two groups, though Set does not hesitate in employing the outsider to eliminate the super mutants garrison.
 * The glowing ones were heavily irradiated ghouls who lived in the old Vault 12, shunned by even their own kind, who disliked the other ghouls as much as they did the normal humans.
 * The so-called underground ghouls, who were forced to live in the city's sewers, were ironically by far the most peaceful of Necropolis' residents and were much more tolerant of outsiders than either of the other groups.

Appearances
Necropolis appears only in Fallout and is mentioned by multiple characters in Fallout 2 and by Raul in Fallout: New Vegas (referring to it as Bakersfield). Wagner from the canceled Fallout 3 project Van Buren was originally from the city.

Behind the scenes

 * In Fallout, according to the Vault-Tec Vault locations holodisk, Vault 12 was located in Bakersfield. However, while Necropolis lies to the northeast of Los Angeles, the actual city of Bakersfield is not far to the southwest of the Lost Hills bunker. The location of Necropolis roughly matches the town of Barstow.
 * In ancient Greek, a necropolis (νεκρόπολις) literally means, a "city of the dead," in this case referring to the ghouls that inhabit the ruins of the city.