Little Lamplight is a pre-War underground cavern tourist attraction turned into a settlement in the Capital Wasteland in 2277, run and populated entirely by children under the age of 16.[1]
Background[]
Discovered in the late 19th century, Lamplight Caverns was converted into a tourist attraction during the 1920s. Due to the location's strong government ties, Vault-Tec achieved ownership of several portions of the caves, for the purpose of Vault 87's construction.[Non-game 1]
On October 23, 2077, 82 students from Early Dawn Elementary went on a field trip to Lamplight Caverns with a couple of teachers (including the fourth grade teacher, Carrie Delaney and a few parent chaperones).[2][Non-game 1] There the group spent many hours touring the deep caverns. Just as they were packing up to leave, the caverns began to shake. The kids began to scream as the lights went out, and one man from the group went out to see what was going on. Upon his return, he informed those within that the entire Washington, D.C. area was covered in mushroom clouds.[3]
The adults slowly died off or left, some leaving the cavern, others being injured by accidents inside.[4] Eventually, Carrie Delaney, being the last of the adult survivors, decided to go scavenging and never returned—leaving the kids to fend for themselves.[2] One of the older kids, Jason Grant, assumed the position of mayor after no one else would step forward[5] and was subsequently voted into power.[6] Within the next month of exploring the caves, the children came upon Vault 87, where they pounded on the door for hours, pleading for assistance.[7]
Finally, one of the adults inside Vault 87 told the children to go away (saying that they were "already dead").[7] This was likely Peter Stevens, a vault technician stationed near the door to Little Lamplight, who thought that the children were hallucinations of his dead son.[8] As a result, the kids turned against all "mungos," kicking out residents once they turned 16.[Non-game 1] Most, if not of all, of these adults then head to the settlement of Big Town, after being told that a "good life" awaits them there.[9]
In 2274, five minutes after Princess declared herself mayor, Robert MacCready grew annoyed with her and kicked her out of office, becoming the new mayor himself, lasting as mayor for at least three more years.[10]
In 2277, out of the remaining kids, Joseph teaches the kids classes.[11][Non-game 2] According to him, a few scavengers brought back holotapes for basic schooling, such as reading, basic math and encyclopedias from vaults.[12]
The state of the settlement by 2287 isn't mentioned and although the former mayor, MacCready is still alive and living in the Commonwealth during Fallout 4, he doesn't mention much of anything about what became of his former mayorship.
Layout[]
Lamplight caverns[]
A small cave descends to the town's entrance area, which is protected by a fence with a large front gate. Beyond the fence, a small area with the Little Lamplight office building, the town's medical office and school, opens into two small corridors. The first corridor leads to the restaurant Spelunkers, situated in a cave with pools of water, and the Great Chamber beyond. The second tunnel leads to a medium-sized cave which contains the Lamplight restrooms, and the souvenir shop, the town's store. Another access to the Great Chamber can be found here, as well as a small path to the town's back gate, leading to Murder Pass.
The Great Chamber[]
The Great Chamber area is a huge cavern, with wooden walkways connecting various suspended rooms. It serves as the main living area for the Little Lamplighters, containing a number of beds. The floor of the cave is partially filled with rubble and slightly-irradiated water. Besides the two exits leading to Lamplight caverns, there are two cavities in the chamber's wall; one contains a workbench, and the other leads to Vault 87's Reactor Chamber.
Buildings / sections[]
Inhabitants[]
Notable loot[]
- Schematics - bottlecap mines, sold by Knick Knack in the souvenir shop.
- Wazer Wifle, carried by Biwwy.
- Bottlecap mine in the Great Chamber, in a niche in the northwest side of the cave (see map).
- Five holotapes: two My diary, by Jason Grant in the souvenir shop, January 26, 2077 -- Little Lamplight! over the pool table in the Great Chamber and two Journal of Carrie Delaney in office building.
- Blast Off pajamas - Worn by Bumble.
- Kid's cave rat outfit and Murray the mole hat - Both worn by Zip.
Related quests[]
Notes[]
- If the Lone Wanderer has the Child at Heart perk, they may play an impromptu game of tag with some of the unnamed Little Lamplighters. When engaged in dialogue the lamplighters will say, "try to catch me, new kid" and run away. When caught and selected/talked to, they'll say things like, "that didn't count" or, "man, now I'm it." The Child at Heart perk will also grant the Lone Wanderer an easier time gaining entrance to the caverns.
- The children do not mind if the Lone Wanderer kills Sticky during his going-away party, and some may even remark, "Do it again!"
- Sticky comments that only people "under 18" can occupy Little Lamplight, though it is clearly stated in several other places that the age is 16.[13][Non-game 1]
- If the player character has bad Karma, a few of the Little Lamplighters will say the Wanderer "is so bad because [their] mom didn't love [them]."
- Some kids mention sending raiding parties into the vault, but several doors in the vault are locked, and a lot of loot still remains.
- The cave fungus found in the caverns (or received from trading it for strange meat) has the highest quantity of consumable items found in one static location than all other consumables combined.
- On the topside of Little Lamplight, level dependent creatures may spawn near the entrance, including super mutants, deathclaws and hostile military robots.
- It is possible to encounter Mister Crowley in Little Lamplight.
- The question of how Little Lamplight's population of children is replenished is left unaddressed.
- Followers accompanying the Lone Wanderer in the Great Chamber can easily fall off the walkways to their death.
- When the children cross the pools of water on the floor of the Great Chamber, they sink to the floor and swim.
Appearances[]
Little Lamplight appears only in Fallout 3 and is mentioned in Fallout 4.
Behind the scenes[]
- In an interview with 1UP.com, Emil Pagliarulo stated that Little Lamplight's location was loosely based on Luray Caverns in Virginia.[Non-game 3]
- Nathan Purkeypile, who designed much of Little Lamplight's layout, lighting and cluttering, stated on Twitter in October 2019 that the inspiration for the settlement's circular light sources came from glass floats, which were once used by fishermen to keep nets and other items afloat.[Non-game 4][Non-game 5][Non-game 6]
Bugs[]
Princess and the other child guarding Murder Pass may spawn on the other side of the gate. This most commonly happens when using the "Wait" option in front of the door. [verified]- There is a possible glitch where the door to Murder Pass will not open under any circumstance. [verified]
- Upon first entering the caverns to Little Lamplight, the gate is pulled up and the children are fleeing. Going into Little Lamplight reveals super mutants are attacking, after dispatching the super mutants, Mayor MacCready will talk to the player, with the only option available being the Speech check asking to be admitted. MacCready no longer mentions Paradise Falls or gives such a quest option. [verified]
Gallery[]
.jpg "Fo3 nathan-purkeypile (Little Lamplight).jpg (274 KB)")
Concept art[]
References[]
- ↑ Continuity error: Sticky states that this age is 18. Everybody else says it is 16.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Journal of Carrie Delaney, Entry 2
- ↑ Journal of Carrie Delaney, Entry 1
- ↑ Joseph: "Long ago, children and grown-ups tried to live in peace. They protected us when we were young, and we helped them when they grew old, and the world was good. But it could never last. Three classes of us were on a field trip to the Lamplight Caverns when they destroyed the world. And some of them were trapped here with us.Some of the adults left for help. They never came back to us. Some of the adults were too clumsy for the caverns. They became bones in the rocks. Some of the adults stayed with us. They did terrible things. But we learned how to help ourselves, how to survive in the caves, and how to kill monsters. And then there were no adults left. Now, we're safe to play and enjoy the caverns, away from the world the mungos destroyed. And there's only one rule we have to follow: we have to leave before we become grown-ups. That way, we don't risk destroying our world like they did. It means we leave our friends behind, but we can meet again in the outside. And it means our home and friends stay safe in Little Lamplight. This is how Little Lamplight has survived since the war, and how we will survive until the world is rebuilt."
Joseph's dialogue - ↑ My diary, by Jason Grant -- entry 1
- ↑ January 26, 2077 -- Little Lamplight!
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 My diary, by Jason Grant -- entry 2
- ↑ Vault 87 terminal entries; Peter Stevens personal journals, Journal Entry 06A05
- ↑ Lone Wanderer: "Where the grownups live?"
Sticky: "Big Town. You've never heard of it? It's where all the grownups go. Well, at least when they grow up and out of Little Lamplight. I can show you the way! There's no reason to waste your time with a bunch of snot-nosed kids. Let's go now!"
Sticky's dialogue - ↑ Lone Wanderer: "How did you get to be in charge of this place?"
Robert MacCready: "It's not that complex. Any kid can say they want to be mayor here. It's just that most don't want to bother with the responsibility of leading. Most of the time, they last until the kids get tired of them, then they get kicked out on their ass by the new mayor. One only lasted 5 minutes. Of course, I've kept this place going strong for three years. To most of these kids, that makes me Mayor For Fucking Life. Fine by me, I say."
Robert MacCready's dialogue - ↑ Lone Wanderer: "Could you tell me about this class?"
Joseph: "I hold open classes every morning for anyone who's got an interest in learning about a subject. Obviously, voluntary attendance is usually low, so I keep myself busy here and there. You're welcome to sit in, of course. Would you like to hear our history? It's something of a favorite with the students."
Joseph's dialogue - ↑ Lone Wanderer: "What sort of education do the kids get in here?"
Joseph: "Well, back at the start, all the children had were the notes form the grown-ups that hadn't left yet, and a few books on caves from the store. But after finding the vault, a few scavengers brought back holotapes for basic schooling. Reading, basic math, encyclopedias, that sort of thing. We don't get many books anymore from the scav team, but I make sure to keep my own notes on the computer for whoever takes over after I leave."
Joseph's dialogue - ↑ Lone Wanderer: "Why do people call me mungo? What does that even mean?"
Joseph: "I'm pretty sure it comes from "humongous." Because, to everyone here, you're pretty big, you know? Mungos been pretty bad to Lamplighters, for as long as our history goes back. They just don't trust anyone over sixteen. Really, you're pretty lucky they let you in at all. I just hope I get to visit like you do after I get kicked out."
Joseph's dialogue
Non-game
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Fallout 3 Official Game Guide p. 339: "4.08 LITTLE LAMPLIGHT":
"Lamplight caverns were discovered in the late 19th century and converted into a tourist attraction in the 1920s. With its strong government ties, Vault-Tec annexed portions of the caves. On the day the bombs fell, several school classes were attending a field trip. A practical lesson in geology quickly turned into a study in survival. Over the next couple of days, their adult chaperones either abandoned the children or ventured out to learn what had happened, never to return.
The child survivors established a set of rules that would guarantee their existence; without any adult 'interference,' they lived life as they saw fit. Two hundred years later, Little Lamplight still exists as a village of children. There are two laws they follow:
1. They will obey the mayor, who is elected by public voting. They can elect a new one at any time.
2. They must leave the town before their 16th birthday, or they will be forced out or killed.
The place is easy to see from a distance, thanks to the large water tower, windmills, and rickety lookout towers. Quickly check the gift shop for food, Detergent, and three Ammo Boxes."
(Tour of the Capital Wasteland) - ↑ Fallout 3 Official Game Guide Game of the Year Edition p.79: "Joseph
At 15, Joseph is the oldest resident of Little Lamplight. Perhaps as a result of his age (or the fact that he'll have to leave soon), he has taken it upon himself to hold classes to educate other Lamplighters, covering whatever he feels they need to know (or whatever they show interest in). When not occupied teaching, he spends his time working on his computer or reading old textbooks that were long ago scavenged from Vault 87."
(Fallout 3 Official Game Guide Game of the Year Edition Wasteland Census) - ↑ Emil Pagliarulo, "Fallout 3 Afterthoughts" on 1UP.com: "In the game, Little Lamplight was established in the remains of some tourist caves called Lamplight Caverns. This location was loosely based on Luray Caverns in Virginia. As for having a town of little kids? It just seemed like a good addition to the fiction, showing yet another way people in the Wasteland have survived over the years."
- ↑ Nate Purkeypile on Twitter: "Various settlements I have made on the Fallout series over time. / Also, to clarify, I did the layout, lighting and cluttering. So not just the world art side of things. I enjoy thinking about how a city is laid out and functions. Designers handled the actual NPCs, quests and dialogue."
- ↑ ArtStation - Portfolio, Nathan Purkeypile
- ↑ Nate Purkeypile on Twitter: "Did you know: The light sources in Little Lamplight are inspired by glass floats which used to keep fishing nets and other things afloat."
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||