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Necropolis
Fo1 Necropolis Bad Ending
Site
Map MarkerNecropolis
Segments
SectionsHotel
Sewers
Hall of the Dead
Watershed
Vault 12
People
FactionsGhouls (2077 - 2162):
Zombies
Underground ghouls

Unity (2157 - 2162)
LeadersSet
Ghoul leader
DoctorsChildren of the Cathedral
Other
QuestsDestroy the Super Mutants at the Watershed.
Fix the Necropolis water pump.
Free Ghoul prisoner
 
Gametitle-FO1Gametitle-FNVGametitle-FBGametitle-JES
Gametitle-FO1Gametitle-FNVGametitle-FBGametitle-JES

The climate ain't good, rain or shine.

Killian Darkwater, Fallout

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

This Greek word "Necropolis" (meaning "city of the dead") refers to this strangely silent ghost town. Most of the buildings are intact, but 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.

Location[]

Necropolis can be found six squares east and twelve squares south of Vault 13.

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.[1] 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.[2]

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 whom survived suffered from ghoulifcation.[3] In the summer of 2083, the survivors would leave the shelter. Those that chose to stay[4] 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.[5] 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.[6]

In February of 2162, the Vault Dweller recovered the water chip in Necropolis,[7] but Ian was killed by a super mutant and reduced to a cinder during the fight.[8][9] 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.[10][11][12] After the mutant armies advanced, they left a truly dead city behind them. Necropolis, however, didn't became completely empty and still few ghouls lived there.[13]

The scattered survivors of Necropolis led the Great Migration across the wastes, leading to the founding of towns such as Gecko, Dayglow[14] and Broken Hills.

Layout[]

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.

Hotel[]

Fo1 Necropolis Motel of the Dead
Main article: Necropolis hotel

This district is the first part of Necropolis encountered by the player and is a virtual shooting gallery, filled with many hostile ghouls. They are easy experience pickings for the distance shooter. The ghouls will become hostile easily if the player tries to converse and/or rifle through their storage. There are a few manholes scattered around the area, which lead to the city's sewers, connecting this district to the others.

Loot within the hotel

Sewers[]

Fo1 Necropolis sewers
Main article: Necropolis sewers

Underground tunnels connecting Necropolis districts.

Hall of the Dead[]

Fo1 Necropolis Halls of the Dead
Main article: Hall of the Dead

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

Watershed[]

Fo1 Necropolis Watershed
Main article: Watershed

The last district, and the home to:

Inhabitants[]

Mbox stub
Section needed (Missing characters?)
This section is needed but has not been written yet. You can help The Vault by writing it.
FO01 NPC Set G

Set, leader of Necropolis

Necropolis is inhabited by a mass of ghouls, whose population is 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 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. They are kept in exile in the sewers and supplied with water by the surface dwelling ghouls. The are simply kept alive because there isn't enough surface dwellers alone to defend the city, if it is ever needed.
  • 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.

Related quests[]

Notes[]

  • The Vault Dweller could have saved Necropolis from their slaughter by killing the Master before the Lieutenant, and doing so before 25 March 2162 (after 110 days have passed). To get the good ending, the player should never return to the city after the date passed.

Appearances[]

Necropolis appears in Fallout and is mentioned in Fallout Bible. Necropolis is also mentioned in Fallout: New Vegas by Raul Tejada, who refers to the city by its old name of Bakersfield.[15]

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 north-east of Los Angeles, the actual city of Bakersfield is not far to the south-west of the Lost Hills bunker. The location of Necropolis roughly matches the town of Barstow. It is probable that while Necropolis was initially placed where Bakersfield is, the locations were moved by the developers at a later date to spread them out better along the map and game files were not updated to reflect this fact.


References

  1. Vault locations v34.129
  2. Fallout Bible 0 Vault system: "Vault 12 In order the study the effects of radiation on the selected population, the Vault Door was designed not to close. This is the Necropolis Vault... and the ghouls were the result."
  3. Fallout Bible 0 Timeline repair: Second strike: "2077 October 23 Necropolis Vault [Vault 12] never closes. Once it becomes known that the other vaults have sealed, people within Bakersfield attempt to force their way into Vault 12 to protect themselves and their families."
  4. Fallout Bible 0 Answer me these questions three: "1. Why was it that so many ghouls left necropolis between Fallout 1 and 2 to settle in Broken Hills and Gecko? Is necropolis empty now? Also, why was it that Harold joined the ghouls? I remember him talking as if he weren't a ghoul; When you type in "ghouls" in the question box in the first Fallout he refers to the ghouls as "them"."
    Answer:
    • Ghouls still have the human need to expand and move on - and in the 80+ years between Fallout 1 and 2, the ghouls spread out from Necropolis in all directions... and some had even left before the events in Fallout 1.
    • Necropolis is not empty now; ghouls are still said to reside there, though Set is no longer their leader. It is not clear whether he is alive or dead.
    • Harold joined the ghouls in Fallout 2 because Harold is a kindly sort who likes to help people - when he sees a group of people trying to make their way in the wasteland, he tries to step in and give them a leg up, especially when it can benefit life for everyone.
      Wherever a key event in Fallout has occurred, Harold always seems to be right there in the middle of things, helping to push the world along and make it a better place. His wit is a little dry and raspy, but he's got a good heart.
    • Harold is not a ghoul, but he is a mutant. What happened to him inside the military base during his assault with Francine, Mark, and Richard Grey is unknown, but it is likely he was exposed to the FEV virus and changed. His last known memory after the attack was passing out then waking back up in the wasteland... changed."
  5. The Vault Dweller: "{1000}{}{Set}"
    Ghoul leader: "{1100}{}{He tries to control Necropolis, and has forced us underground.}"
    (LEADER.MSG)
  6. Ghoul leader: "{101}{}{Thank you for not shooting first. Can I help you with anything?}"
    The Vault Dweller: "{102}{}{Yes, I'm looking for water.}"
    Ghoul leader: "{111}{}{The surface of Necropolis and the water is controlled by Set and his Ghouls. We are a much more peaceful group - which disgusts Set.}"
    The Vault Dweller: "{171}{}{How do you survive down here without water?}"
    Ghoul leader: "{119}{}{He does not speak of it, however Set is afraid of not having enough people to defend Necropolis if it ever needed it. So, he gives us what water we need.}"
    (LEADER.MSG)
  7. The Chosen One: "{119}{}{Lenny, have you ever heard of something called a Garden of Eden Creation Kit?}"
    Lenny: "{150}{}{A G’garden of Eden C’creation K’kit? I heard that Vault City had one of those. That’s the only one I’ve ever heard of, though.}"
    The Chosen One: "{153}{}{Well, my ancestor, the Vault Dweller, said that Vault 13 owes us one. I need to find it.}"
    Lenny: "{190}{}{W’well. I didn’t actually m’meet the V’vault Dweller. But I saw them. Once. }"
    The Chosen One: "{191}{}{You saw the Vault Dweller? Where?}"
    Lenny: "{270}{}{I’it w’was a long time ago. In a place called N’necropolis. A lot of us g’ghouls lived there. One, day I saw someone running through the city.}"
    The Chosen One: "{271}{}{Running?}"
    Lenny: "{280}{}{Yes, running. You see, we ghouls c’can’t run too much anymore. So, I knew it was an outsider when I saw them. They ran by so close I could have touched them. I wish that I had joined the Vault Dweller.…}"
    The Chosen One: "{281}{}{You wanted to join my grandsire?}"
    Lenny: "{290}{}{Yes. I h’had the chance of a lifetime and I blew it.}"
    The Chosen One: "{291}{}{What do you mean?}"
    Lenny: "{300}{}{L'later, I h’heard that the Vault Dweller had fixed our water system. The V’vault Dweller saved us -- all of us. Do you understand? It didn’t matter that we were ghouls. For once it didn’t matter. We w’were people again. W’worth saving.}"
    The Chosen One: "{301}{}{My ancestor was the founder of our tribe. That memory is revered amongst my people.}"
    Lenny: "{310}{}{Later, I heard that the Vault Dweller destroyed the source of the m’mutant army. The Vault D’dweller saved all of us. Human and ghoul alike… I could have been a part of that, but I lacked the c’courage. I’ve never forgiven m’myself.}"
    (GCLENNY.MSG)
  8. Vault Dweller's memoirs
  9. Fallout Bible 0: "2162 February 13 Vault Dweller recovers the water chip in Necropolis. Ian is killed by a super mutant and reduced to a cinder, ending his tendency to shoot the Vault Dweller in the back with SMG bursts."
  10. The Vault Dweller: "{104}{}{What happened here?}"
    The ghoul refugee: "{115}{}{The super mutants attacked. We were slaughtered. They had guns and bombs, even some steam trucks. They killed my friends. The mutants just butchered us.}"
    The Vault Dweller: "{117}{}{How did you survive?}"
    The ghoul refugee: "{133}{}{I hid until most of the mutants left.}"
    The Vault Dweller: "{118}{}{Do you know why?}"
    The ghoul refugee: "{122}{}{I heard they was pissed that some human killed their men here.}"
    (GHREFUGE.MSG)
  11. Fallout Bible 0#Answer me these questions three: "1. Why was it that so many ghouls left necropolis between Fallout 1 and 2 to settle in Broken Hills and Gecko? Is necropolis empty now? Also, why was it that Harold joined the ghouls? I remember him talking as if he weren't a ghoul; When you type in "ghouls" in the question box in the first Fallout he refers to the ghouls as "them"."
    "Answer:"
    • "Ghouls still have the human need to expand and move on - and in the 80+ years between Fallout 1 and 2, the ghouls spread out from Necropolis in all directions... and some had even left before the events in Fallout 1."
    • "Necropolis is not empty now; ghouls are still said to reside there, though Set is no longer their leader. It is not clear whether he is alive or dead."
    • "Harold joined the ghouls in Fallout 2 because Harold is a kindly sort who likes to help people - when he sees a group of people trying to make their way in the wasteland, he tries to step in and give them a leg up, especially when it can benefit life for everyone."
      "Wherever a key event in Fallout has occurred, Harold always seems to be right there in the middle of things, helping to push the world along and make it a better place. His wit is a little dry and raspy, but he's got a good heart."
    • "Harold is not a ghoul, but he is a mutant. What happened to him inside the military base during his assault with Francine, Mark, and Richard Grey is unknown, but it is likely he was exposed to the FEV virus and changed. His last known memory after the attack was passing out then waking back up in the wasteland... changed."
  12. Fallout Bible 4: I am wrong. Most ghouls were forced to leave Necropolis, leading to the Great Migration across the wastes.
  13. Fallout Bible 1,6
  14. Fallout Bible 5 Questions: "14. One thing - what's happened to Junktown? Was it just too little to be it's own state? Or maybe it has managed to survive as an independent enclave inside NCR, a hive of scum and villainy, so to speak. And what kind of folks would live in Glow? After all, that place must still, well, glow, at least somewhat. Ghouls?"
    "Junktown became part of NCR as part of the state of Shady, and it was one of the first provisional states, considering it was one of the first (and most trustworthy) of the Shady Sands trading partners during its early formation. Its alliance with Shady Sands did cause some alarm from the caravans in the Hub, but it didn't hurt the Hub communities any... and the Hub eventually became part of NCR as well."
    "As for the Glow (or the state of Dayglow), most of the state is actually north and west of the glow, but they are still able to see the Glow from their borders. A number of ghouls are rumored to live there now, as part of the Great Migration from Necropolis - once the ghouls learned of West Tek, they were eager to see if they could scavenge technology from the abandoned center. Some ghouls formed partnerships with scavenging companies from New Adytum and the Hub and have built quite a profitable corporation from their salvage efforts. At least one super mutant, a refugee from the Cathedral, was also rumored to be working with the ghouls and humans in Dayglow."
  15. The Courier: "Wasn't Mexico City basically annihilated in the Great War?"
    Raul Tejada: "I don't think it was as hard hit as DC or Bakersfield, but it was bad enough. By the time we got there, the city was a radioactive ruin. Still, the city was full of looters, already forming into the beginnings of raider tribes. Crime was bad before the War, but now it was a nightmare. We were living like scavengers, scraping by on what little food we could find, always looking for medicine for my burns. And then, of course, the radiation started to kick in, turning me into this handsome devil you see before you."
    (Raul Tejada's dialogue)
Necropolis
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