The Buried City

The Buried City, or the City of Atom,"The Last Son raises his hands with a peaceful gesture and addresses you in a calm, slightly strained voice. “Welcome to the City of Atom, my persistent friends. I am certain you have many questions. Before you ask them, hear my offer. It is not too late for you to know Atom’s Glow.”" -Winter of Atom, p.230 was an ancient virulent chamber beneath Massachusetts, inhabited by a sect of the Church of the Children of Atom in 2286.
==Background==
Hidden beneath the Whately Research Facility, which is in turn hidden beneath a pre-War Catholic church in the Glowing Sea, the Buried City's origins are shrouded in mystery."“He left in search of ruins of an old-world military base— Whately Research Facility. What resides within is no gift of Atom’s.” Isolde reveals that she knows the Last Son’s location but does not elaborate on how she received the information. The facility is hidden underground beneath a buried church 12-hours trek west of the crater. The Last Son claimed that he would awaken Atom and open gateways to other universes once he found the facility. He promised those who followed him they would find paradise there—and their enemies would know hell." -Winter of Atom, p. 214 It can be accessed through the elevator hidden in the personal office of the pre-war military general and cult leader John Whately.Inside Whately Research Facility lie the remains of an insidious prewar military chemical weapons test program run by a mad cult leader—General John Whately, the Last Son’s ancestor. A secret elevator in Whately’s office leads deep beneath the earth to the excavated ruins of a city that pre-dates known history, filled with strange technology that defies human understanding." -Winter of Atom, p. 215"A prompt appears when a PC uses the computer: “Will you wake the Dreamer? Y/N?” If they do not type Y, a sobbing Vault Boy animation flickers on the screen, then disappears. When they type Y, a series of disturbing videos play[...] Afterward, the floor in the middle of the office rises, revealing a secret mining elevator" -Winter of Atom, p. 226
His descendent, the Last Son of Atom, believes the city is far older than human civilization, and was originally destroyed by Atom for failing to exalt Him. He also believes the city rejected his ancestor for heretical worship of a false god and general unworthiness."Identity. He was once called Adam Whately, a descendant of General John Whately. John Whately was a heretic who followed a false god. He and his followers were unworthy of finding Atom’s Glow and were punished for their blasphemy." -Winter of Atom, p.230 Mother Isolde testifies that what waits within is "no gift of Atom's."
The Last Son spent several weeks experimenting on his followers using the hallucination-inducing crystalline device he found in the Buried City before integrating the device into his power armor, which now grants him influence over all creatures for miles around."The Last Son spent several weeks experimenting on his followers using the crystalline device he found in the buried city. The device’s energy field inflicts the followers with vivid hallucinations, shattering their psyches and leaving them in a violent state. The Last Son barely clings to his sanity while he finishes integrating the device into his custom power armor so he can control it. When he returns to the surface, he plans to expand its energy field to impact the minds of everyone in the region." -Winter of Atom, p. 215' Those under the thrall of the crystals may develop a blue glow in their eyes."Enthralled PCs. Any PCs under the Last Son’s thrall are present, standing guard around him. Describe their expressions as vacant, their eyes glowing with the same light as the crystalline object adorning the Last Son’s chest plate. Tell players of affected PCs their bodies are under the Last Son’s control while their minds experience alternate realities. Players can roleplay their enthralled PCs’ physical actions but cannot act against the Last Son’s telepathic commands." -Winter of Atom, p. 230
==Characteristics==
A maddening cavern pulsating with alien plants"Drooling Children of Atom huddled up against the walls, foul liquid dripping from the ceiling, and pulsating patches of alien plants that grow out of the stone" -Winter of Atom, p. 229 where a large obelisk rests. Three large star-shaped obsidian buildings stand nearby, partially toppled. An unthinkable chasm extends beyond them."Three star-shaped buildings of smooth obsidian lie partially toppled. Beyond them extends a massive abyss descending into endless darkness. From the chasm’s depths, pale purple tentacles the width of tree trunks emerge. There are dozens of the grotesque, gently writhing tendrils. They spread throughout the area, clinging for purchase on the walls and ceiling. A tall, obsidian obelisk rises like a finger in the chamber’s center —pointing to the world above. Mysterious hieroglyphs are inscribed into each of the statue’s four sides, glowing with a cold blue light. Several shadowy figures stand around the obelisk, too dark to make out from here." -Winter of Atom, p. 230
Undisturbed until recently, the obelisk has large tentacles which protect it, and small tendrils which probe throughout the chamber. It is covered in glowing blue runes, and constantly tended by a ring of hooded figures. The Last Son considers the obelisk to be his brother."The Abomination and Obelisk. He considers the tentacled abomination his literal brother— the First Son of Atom. It whispered to him in his dreams and showed him how to read the hieroglyphs on the obelisk. That is how he learned to remove Atom’s Glow from the obelisk and control its power." -Winter of Atom, p.231 
His congregants huddle against the walls, non-responsive, hallucinating.
==Notes==
The Obsidian Obelisk"Do not reveal their whereabouts until the rest of the party reaches R6. The Obsidian Obelisk." -Winter of Atom, p.229 resembles the original altar to Ug-Qualtoth found in the virulent underchambers of the Dunwich Building in Fallout 3.
==Appearances==
The Buried City appears only in Winter of Atom.
==See also==
* The ritual site, another hallucination-inducingAuditory hallucinations experienced by player character during gameplay at the ritual site, identical to those heard in the virulent underchambers of the Dunwich Building. hidden cave-temple of unknown origin.
* Dunwich Borers, another excavation beneath the Commonwealth where hallucinations are commonly experienced.
* Ubar, another secret ancient city.
* Lorenzo Cabot, who purported to his son the existence of "another alien city" buried in the Mojave Wasteland.Jack: "Maybe I'll finally travel to the Southwest. My father was always convinced that there was another alien city buried somewhere in the Mojave Desert."(Jack Cabot's dialogue)
==References==
Fallout: The Roleplaying Game
Category:Winter of Atom locations