Vivos, the underground city of South Dakota

[slade2501]

So I was researching major cities in South Dakota for some ruins ideas, and I discovered that there is a real underground bunker city the size of Manhattan in south Dakota, called Vivos xPoint. Its completely true. And I thought that I would right up a little city description about it.

here is the first draft, not completed. love ideas, feel free to steal. Wanna see it in a rifter.
Underground city of Vivos, South Dakota
During the Golden Age, an underground city of inter-connected bunkers the size of Manhattan was constructed from a
series of decommissioned military cold war bunkers. Reinforced against a nuclear attack, these buildings were used
for living space, storage and small business. After the coming of the rifts, people flocked to and made use of the
underground bunkers, expanding them into a true city complete with government and utilities. For more than a
hundred years, the city of Vivos has remained underground; avoiding contact with the surface world, escaping teh
notice of raiders and the Coalition States.

109 PA: What changed the status quo was the city's observations of the refugees flooding west from teh destruction
of the city state of Tolkeen. Through clandestinely placed radio receivers and video cameras, the city's
inhabitants have observed the sheer human suffering, the honor and bravery of the Cyber-knights, the desperation of
war. Breaking their silence, the people of Vivos opened radio communication, and offered a large group of refugees
(both human and D-bee) sanctuary in an area near their underground city. Sending several work crews top-side, the
Vivosians started building multiple long-house style shelters (of mega damage concrete) to provide shelter. Using
contacts with the cyber-knights, they quickly organized the refugees, organized work and labor groups and within a
few weeks erected enough buildings and basic utilities to provide shelter warmth and potable water to teh entire
group. Within months several small cottage industries had been developed, crops grown and so on. The city of
Vivos had built itself a trade partner and an access point to the outside world. A small percentage of refugees
have moves into the underground city, as well as Vivosians moving permanently above ground. A city militia was
founded and trained by the Cyber-knights, who themselves have started a small knight training school as well.
D-bees and Vivos: D-bees are welcome in Vivos uptown, as long as they follow local law and behave themselves. They
are fully recognized as people, with all rights granted. Several local shops are owned or run by D-bees.
Industry: Uptown has several small local shops and services, including a small hospital (offering limited bionic
replacement), an enhancement clinic (offering MOM and Juicer augmentation, frowned upon by the Vivosians but not
illegal), a small weapons shop (offering E-clip recharging, infantry weaponry, body armor, etc), a small Operator
repair shop, and several food shops (supplied by local crops and animal farms and the Under-city hydroponics
farms).

Tech-level: The under-city has a modest 21st century living quality, while top-side has a 1950's tech level with
exceptions. The Vivosians plan carefully and so far have prevented slums from forming by slow, steady expansion
and good social programs that teach immigrants useful skills/offer gainful employment. The high percentage of
cyber-knights in the city has helped promote a great sense of comradery and citizenship.
The Black-Market: so far, the black market has sent minor, local talent to the area, but has received positive
reports so far for demand of goods, weapons, etc. Drugs are illegal in Uptown downside, with the cyber-knights and
local militia pursuing dealers with ruthless efficiency.

Crime and punishment: with cyber-knights in almost every corner of teh city, its honestly easier to make a straight
credit in Vivos. there is no jail, as severe enough crimes are punished by confiscation of equipment and expulsion
from the city. Those who choose to fight often don't survive the justice of eh militia/cyber-knights.
Magic and Psionics: Magic and psionic powers are legal, both topside and in the undercity. Crime committed with
powers is punished accordingly. Dark magic (blood, necromancy, etc) is only illegal if used to harm people (while
darker magic is frowned upon morally). The militia loves to recruit psychics and mages for their battlefield
usefulness. There are several small shops in Uptown that offer magical training, Techno-wizard devices and
material, healing and so forth. An estimated 20% of uptown has some magical or psychic ability.

Natural Resources: the undercity has built over the last century impressive stocks of gold, silver and lead, a
legacy of South Dakota's pre-rifts mining industry. The city also has a great wealth of MDC building material due
to surviving golden age technologies. They can build and trade large quantities of MDC material (some suitable for
mega damage armor) to trade or sell on the market. In recent months, traders have discovered both a market for
their goods but also a place to buy a valuable good for re-sale. The black market in particular has put in several
orders for large quantities MDC armor stock (bound secretly for their Area-51 production facility). Vivos has used
a good portion of the profits to upgrade the quality of the City militia gear (even going so far as to buy some Power
armor and a few robots).

Titan Robotics: is in the process of opening up a production facility in Uptown. A large caravan of Behemoth
explorer robots and trucks full of parts showed up, looking to purchase some land and set up shop. The governing
council agreed and even offered to help build the factory.
Note: all of the people working for Titan robotics are all perfectly normal human and D-bees. They have only the
tech to build the basic Titan robot series (001, 002 and 003) as well as the flying titan power armor and the 006
heavy power armor (see rifts Merc-Ops). When the factory is finished, the crew will be able to turn out 1d6 robots
and 1d8 power armors a month.
2nd note: Archie 3 is looking to expand into the area, and sees this new city as his opportunity. He has robot
scouts scouring the Dakotas for mineral deposits and old cities to recover materials. He also has several squads
of Cyborg and Juicer bots roaming the area eliminating threats (like Simvan, Xiticix and Broadkil, to name a few).
Archie plans on using his human like robots to mine and gather material to supply his public factory. It prevents
too much outside notice and increases his spy network.
3rd note: Archie 3 was excited to discover the underground city of Vivos and was excited at the opportunity it
represented. A chance to spread his Titan robotics spy network, the acquisition of new material sources, a new
geographic region (to Archie anyway) to explore and research, a decided underdog and a second chance to help
Tolkeen against the Coalition States, if only by helping the refugees find a new home. How could Archie not
resist?

[Khanibal]

Sounds good, too good. No schism between city leaders/inhabitants over opening the city to outsiders, especially inhuman outsiders? The steadfast Cyber-Knights, who've been desperately relocating refugees from the war zone, suddenly have access to a large, wealthy, welcoming community, with a tech level better than the dirt farmers have seen before. Sounds like a plot by a supernatural intelligence.

On the other hand with so much of the RIFTS setting being depressing, I can certainly understand the attraction of an untainted ray of hope.

[taalismn]

Sounds good, too good. No schism between city leaders/inhabitants over opening the city to outsiders, especially inhuman outsiders? The steadfast Cyber-Knights, who've been desperately relocating refugees from the war zone, suddenly have access to a large, wealthy, welcoming community, with a tech level better than the dirt farmers have seen before. Sounds like a plot by a supernatural intelligence.

On the other hand with so much of the RIFTS setting being depressing, I can certainly understand the attraction of an untainted ray of hope.

Balance of Misery; one hopes that for every hellhole, there's a kindly place.

When designing my own kingdoms, it's a constant temptation to make places perfect...or conversely, TOO real.

[slade2501]

Sounds good, too good. No schism between city leaders/inhabitants over opening the city to outsiders, especially inhuman outsiders? The steadfast Cyber-Knights, who've been desperately relocating refugees from the war zone, suddenly have access to a large, wealthy, welcoming community, with a tech level better than the dirt farmers have seen before. Sounds like a plot by a supernatural intelligence.

On the other hand with so much of the RIFTS setting being depressing, I can certainly understand the attraction of an untainted ray of hope.

Balance of Misery; one hopes that for every hellhole, there's a kindly place.

When designing my own kingdoms, it's a constant temptation to make places perfect...or conversely, TOO real.

I agree. After 100+ years of the world being a hellish blender of x-files/twilight zone/outer limits, maybe, just MAYBE there would be a spot or two where humans stopped being ***** to each other. we already have enough human Nazis, insane machine intelligences, inhuman monsters, blood hungry demons, etc. and we need something in North Dakota to help launch adventures. there is literally nothing there

[taalismn]

[
I agree. After 100+ years of the world being a hellish blender of x-files/twilight zone/outer limits, maybe, just MAYBE there would be a spot or two where humans stopped being ***** to each other. we already have enough human Nazis, insane machine intelligences, inhuman monsters, blood hungry demons, etc. and we need something in North Dakota to help launch adventures. there is literally nothing there

Even if we have to use magic and psionics to make everybody fall in line.

[guardiandashi]

I would likely make a few changes:

The residents are cautiously friendly to everyone for instance.
Access to the upper and "middle city" are more or less as described with a bunch of security checkpoints between themy.
Access to the lower city is highly restricted. What lower city you might Ask? That is the true high tech pre rifts city accessed through the middle city. Basically the middle city is what visitors think is the big secret but it's actually a deception to make it easier to hide the true secret.

[Khanibal]

After passing several security checkpoints, the authorized person gains access to tunnel 17, where heavy rails stretch into darkness. At the bottom of tunnel 17 is a cavern leading into a lost world (or rifting into rather). Here are the burgeoning fields, the teeming herds, and the abundant orchards that supply the city. At least as long as the Dominator doesn't happen to stop by and discover someone's been raiding his farm.

[taalismn]

After passing several security checkpoints, the authorized person gains access to tunnel 17, where heavy rails stretch into darkness. At the bottom of tunnel 17 is a cavern leading into a lost world (or rifting into rather). Here are the burgeoning fields, the teeming herds, and the abundant orchards that supply the city. At least as long as the Dominator doesn't happen to stop by and discover someone's been raiding his farm.

"Fee-Foe-Foe-FOM!!!!"

[slade2501]

love these ideas, lets run with this like a pair of scissors.

[taalismn]

love these ideas, lets run with this like a pair of scissors.

Until somebody falls, cuts their own throat, or puts out their eyes?
YEAH!!!!

[kaid]

As an interesting side note the new sovietski book has a section on generating major underground bunker installations. Given the sovietski emerged from a major russian military underground complex large enough to hold their entire force/equipment and keep them alive and fed for 80 years before the winter finally broke goes to show what golden age underground bunkers can be like.

[slade2501]

love these ideas, lets run with this like a pair of scissors.

Until somebody falls, cuts their own throat, or puts out their eyes?
YEAH!!!!

This is Rifts. Someone, somewhere is bleeding.......

[Khanibal]

love these ideas, lets run with this like a pair of scissors.

Until somebody falls, cuts their own throat, or puts out their eyes?
YEAH!!!!

This is Rifts. Someone, somewhere is bleeding.......

It's all just fun and games until someone gets hurt,

then it's hilarious.

[taalismn]

As an interesting side note the new sovietski book has a section on generating major underground bunker installations. Given the sovietski emerged from a major russian military underground complex large enough to hold their entire force/equipment and keep them alive and fed for 80 years before the winter finally broke goes to show what golden age underground bunkers can be like.

I like to think that a lot of bunker building was initiated by latent clairvoyant psychics in the Golden Age getting bad vibes decades in advance of the Coming of the Rifts and hitting on turtling up as a way of relieving the bad feelings.

[slade2501]

As an interesting side note the new sovietski book has a section on generating major underground bunker installations. Given the sovietski emerged from a major russian military underground complex large enough to hold their entire force/equipment and keep them alive and fed for 80 years before the winter finally broke goes to show what golden age underground bunkers can be like.

I like to think that a lot of bunker building was initiated by latent clairvoyant psychics in the Golden Age getting bad vibes decades in advance of the Coming of the Rifts and hitting on turtling up as a way of relieving the bad feelings.

So the "tin hat" crowd was actually REALLY psychic and not just paranoid about the fluoride in the water....

I also left the description of the undertown vague on purpose: it could be many things. A secret psychic gestalt, human androids made by Archie 3, another batch of secret aliens invaders (hello Juicer Uprising), a (benevolent?) alien intelligence masquerading as an entire city, super powerful ghosts that can manifest physically, humans made immortal but sterile by the rifts, a retirement home for golden age cyborgs who have gone slowly mad over a hundred years, a group of solid energy life forms from across the multiverse, a secret CS plot to infiltrate and eliminate the cyber-knights, willing servents of Vampires, slavers who trade to the Splugorth, Blood Farmers/Necromancers, the list is endless........

[taalismn]

[


So the "tin hat" crowd was actually REALLY psychic and not just paranoid about the fluoride in the water.......

Irony, ain't it a bastard?

[Khanibal]

Imagine a family building a bomb shelter in the 1950s. In the 1960s & 1970s they expand it in case of civil unrest. Later it keeps growing bigger in case of totalitarian government, zombies, herds of hipsters driven mad by the coffee shortage of 2047.
Now imagine the PCs finding it untouched after the family that owned it were eaten by Loup Garou at the onset of the cataclysm.

[taalismn]

Imagine a family building a bomb shelter in the 1950s. In the 1960s & 1970s they expand it in case of civil unrest. Later it keeps growing bigger in case of totalitarian government, zombies, herds of hipsters driven mad by the coffee shortage of 2047.
Now imagine the PCs finding it untouched after the family that owned it were eaten by Loup Garou at the onset of the cataclysm.

..because they forgot they hid the key to the bunker door under the doormat(it's still there).

[SolCannibal]

Imagine a family building a bomb shelter in the 1950s. In the 1960s & 1970s they expand it in case of civil unrest. Later it keeps growing bigger in case of totalitarian government, zombies, herds of hipsters driven mad by the coffee shortage of 2047.
Now imagine the PCs finding it untouched after the family that owned it were eaten by Loup Garou at the onset of the cataclysm.

..because they forgot they hid the key to the bunker door under the doormat(it's still there).

Made of some pretty well-picked material to survive mostly intact after all the centuries - much like the doormat.

[Khanibal]

Doormat made from woven Twinkies (tm, r, c, etc.)

[taalismn]

Doormat made from woven Twinkies (tm, r, c, etc.)

For a doormat, shouldn't it be DingDongs?

[SolCannibal]

Doormat made from woven Twinkies (tm, r, c, etc.)

For a doormat, shouldn't it be DingDongs?

A most legit question.

[Thinyser]

I'm from South Dakota (lived my whole life here actually) and this place may be as large as Manhattan but there are only 575 bunkers and each is 1800-2400 sq ft so 1.38 million sq feet and its not connected underground they are above ground independent quonset hut style storage bunkers. Stout construction

https://vimeo.com/183040082 here is a short video about the place. Turn down the volume and beware of the doom and gloom sales pitch.