Morlocks
This page is about the Phase 2 incarnation of the NPCs. For other uses, see Morlocks (disambiguation).
| The Morlocks | |
|---|---|
 Portrayed by N/A | |
| Known Aliases: | Callisto, Artie Maddicks |
| Affiliations: | Independent |
| Socked By: | Various |
| Introduction: | January 2015 |
The Morlocks were a group of homeless mutants, numbering around fifty, who formed a tightly-knit community, living in the sewers beneath New York.
Roster
| Callisto |  PB: To be determined
|
| Character name |
|
| Character name | PB: To be determined. |
- Mole - deceased; a small mutant with mole like features, killed by Sabretooth in Case File: A Better Mole Trap
- Piper - deceased; another victim of Sabretooth, not much is known beyond he was a busker and a Morlock as identified by Callisto.
- Chickenwing - deceased; another victim of Sabretooth, not much is known beyond she was a Morlock as identified by Callisto.
Details
The Morlocks are a society of mutants who inhabit New York City's underground. They live primarily in a warren of underground tunnels and abandoned spaces they call the 'Morlock Tunnels'. The tunnels extend from ChinaTown in the south, to almost 50th street in the north. There are rumours that at least two forgotten tunnels under the East River are connected to them. The Morlock tunnels have formed over time out of a number of forgotten constructions, many of them either old infrastructure, illegal roadways or formerly hidden military projects. Because of that, mapping the Tunnels is virtually impossible and even the most traveled Morlock doesn't know their full extent. The Morlock Tunnels are only used to describe 'dead' underground structures; ones that original use is long gone. However, they intersect regularly with Manhattan's 'live underground', including the existing subway system, sewer and utility tunnels as well as maintenance access. The Morlocks have spent significant time concealing access to their tunnels from outsiders, using fake walls and access-ways, false cave-ins, flooded tunnels and even vermin pools to dissuade would be explorers from getting too far.
The main Morlock encampment is a former groundwater shaft that was built connected to New York Water Tunnel #1 in 1910. In 1940, a series of basements were walled off and extended as a secret military research facility. However, after three years, building stopped as the threat of invasion disappeared, and the rooms were sealed off. The main building was demolished in the 1950s and covered by low-rise commercial and light industrial before being pulled down and turned into Imagination Playground Park. The honeycomb of underground rooms have pirated electricity and fresh water, although it suffers constant dampness from the shaft and has no heat. The rooms are communal, although some Morlocks have occupied the same space for decades and have earned the right to treat the space as their own. There is a small locked room where the emergency supplies and funds are kept against disaster and has been used in times of fire, flooding or other situations which have forced the Morlocks to temporarily abandon their home.
The north end of the shaft is an area referred to as the Hill. It is a two and a half underground building that was built to house pumping controls but was never finished. Over the years, it has become a temple of sorts where elder trusted Morlocks withdraw, calling themselves Those Who Dwell In Darkness. They formally renounce the upworld and house extensive knowledge of the underworld tunnels and manipulating the hydro systems for their own use. It is not looked at as a religious order or cult as of yet, but the members are deeply respected and they do much of the teaching for young Morlocks.
Most Morlocks have a spot in the community as well as their own personal boltholes and resting spots. However, there is a faction of mostly younger Morlocks who have rejected the central space, instead committing themselves to delve into the edges of the underground systems, discovering new spaces and resources. They have been successful to an extent, but their willingness to use the tunnels to access and directly steal from businesses is a major divide, as the Dwellers believe it will draw attention to their existence and potentially give the upworld an excuse to look for them.
Morlocks survive through a combination of begging, illegal labour and petty crime to survive. Depending on the strength of their leader at the time, they are either well organized and share their resources as a community or become fractured with the weaker being subjugated by the strong. Fortunately, the few times a more tyrannical mutant has seized power, events have conspired to ruin them. Some Morlocks advocate a more militant approach to power, blaming the Upworlders for their existence and calling for a use of force to earn respect. They call themselves Tunnelers, although they have few followers. Most Morlocks dislike and resent Upworlders, but they aren't murderous or willing to support open violence.
Plots
Meta
Socked by: Various
