The Warren

Originally, the Warren was nothing more than the Lapin family home. Dug initially by Sable Aradia when she decided to settle down and have a family, its beginnings were much more humble: just a few holes in the ground, really.   However, even then it was built with future expansion in mind. Perhaps driven somewhat by Fiver's Insight , Sable chose the location because of the giant tree and the unique way in which its roots formed a living support structure. She envisioned a future community of Lapinite Literomancers coming together under one roof to share knowledge and stories, although surely, not even she could have anticipated the need for rapid expansion that was thrust upon them by the Word Wars.   Perhaps for this reason, there are few of the fineries that other Major Houses usually display. While there is a luxurious reception area to entertain important guests in the style to which they are accustomed, the Royal Family's burrows are simple, and maintained at about a lower middle class standard.   Now, the Warren serves as a stronghold, armoury and bunker in times of war, and a castle and center of government in times of peace, as The Chief Rabbit seeks to rule (hopefully with some degree of fairness and wisdom) the empire that has been thrust upon her.

The center of activity in the Warren is a large, common burrow supported by the roots of the great tree and columns of hard-packed earth reinforced by rebar and cement. Once called "the Honeycomb," named for the large common burrow in the Watership Down Warren, it has recently been renamed "the Bunnycomb." This is due to a desire not to create confusion for House Apis, as they join Lapin for the July 2022 Tourney. It was inspired by a joke from The King Dino RPGDinosaurBob that appealed to Sable's sense of humour.   The Bunnycomb is surrounded by "wings" of interconnected burrows. The area directly surrounding the Bunnycomb is given over to the business of the Warren; offices, armouries, food storage, hydroponics, water storage, security rooms, and other essential activities that make the Warren run. Each "wing" outside of the central area is dedicated to living quarters and services for various literomantic Houses.   The one exception in the "wing" dedicated to House Mollusca. They are located down a long passage beneath the Warren that ends at an underground lake. Lapin has begun the process of separating a reservoir so that they can salinate the lake to better suit Mollusca's needs.   Bomb shelters, "Work Rooms," and other secured areas are either located under the Bunnycomb or beneath the appropriate wings.

The original construction of the Warren, once it was "completed," was limited to the the forward burrows, the Honeycomb, the libraries, a cave that was used for storage and emergency supplies that subsequently led to the underground lake, a magical temple area or "Work Room," the main entrances and a couple of secret escape tunnels, and a large network of chambers which were intended for guest bedrooms, offices, and future expansion.   Some significant rebuilding was required after the destruction of the First Word War, and House Lapin took the opportunity to bolster their defenses and expand to accommodate their new needs as the center of a world power. What began as a few holes in the side of a hill became an underground complex with bomb shelters, communications and command centers, governmental offices, and "Work Rooms" for literomantic practice, protected by extra warding.   During the Second Word War a massive and rapid restructuring took place, as House Lapin attempted to provide quarters that accommodated all the living Tome Knights of the Realm. Sections were specifically built according to the needs of each House, to the limits of the situation.   In the wake of the Second Word War, House Lapin has been engineering these rapid alterations to be more permanent and somewhat modular, able to be closed and accessed as needed. They have also spent an incredible amount of money and effort on their defenses, including a variety of literomantic wards the Warren did not previously possess.   The burrows of the Chief Rabbit have also been subjected to additional security measures, especially following the two assassination attempts on the Mother of Bunnies that took place after the Second Word War and during the April Tourney 2022.

The Warren was dug out of a hillside. Initially, this digging was meant to accommodate a simple warren for a Wererabbit family. Over time, tunnels and burrow complexes have been added and expanded. Some of these have been dug into stone as well as earth, through blasting and other forms of mining and excavation. Despite this, the Warren is a modern structure, with no lack of modern conveniences.

After the experiences of the Tome Wars, the Chief Rabbit has spared no expense to protect the Warren with the best defenses that money and literomancy can buy. The structure is at least as well-protected as the Pentagon, even if one does not consider the extensive literomantic warding and shielding, enhanced by the use of witchcraft, that is built right into to the Warren and regularly maintained.   The Warren's exterior is surrounded by an old-fashioned, manned stone wall that separates the area around the hill from the rest of the city. However, hidden in this thick wall are high-tech defenses, from the surveillance cameras concealed in the stonework, to the anti-aircraft artillery that can be assembled and manned in a matter of minutes.   The electrical system is internally maintained and hardened against EMPs. The water source is independent and protected by the stronghold itself. The tunnels and burrows are internally heated by central air and strategically-placed fireplaces, although separate wings of the Warren can be sealed off by airlocks, limiting any tampering to the atmospheric conditions. These same sections can also be sealed off by blast doors in case of explosion or fire. The walls of the Bunnycomb and burrows intended for House Leaders are sealed in a foot of lead, just in case of nuclear catastrophe. Every square foot of the place is visible through a security camera somewhere.   There are three known escape tunnels, each able to serve as a bunker in times of need, with separate sections that can be sealed off. A fourth tunnel leads to and from a large underground lake, which is the primary water source. This lake can only be accessed through the Warren, as far as anyone knows.   The Warren now also contains a full armoury and enough canned and dried provisions to feed a thousand people for up to a year. Where they are storing this is anyone's guess. Some suspect interdimensional spaces may be involved.   The full extent of the Warren's magical defenses remains unknown, but one well-documented defense is that its tunnels and burrows have been warded against access through portals or teleportation of any kind, unless one is specifically given a magical key to bypass the wards -- and those keys can be deactivated any time.   According to the Chief Rabbit, the Warren is also warded in such a way that anyone without a pulse is unable to access any of the entrances without assistance. This is intended to protect the Warren against undead, but has the side effect of limiting access for non-organic beings as well.   Since it is known that ICC DeadPeople arrived on the periphery of the Warren's grounds at the start of The Third Word War, and then promptly left, most suspect the grounds themselves also have some sort of wards against the undead.

In the grand scale of things, the Warren is still a relatively new structure, having only been around for about 30 years. In that time, a few major historical events have taken place here:  

The Fall of the Warren - House Lapin fell to the Undead Horde on November 25, 2020, after a five-day siege, and the survivors were forced to flee to The Zafforza Trench and shelter with House Mollusca.

The Battle of the Warren - To date, the largest, and most magically-charged, battle of the Tome Wars. In late November-early December 2021, the Grand Alliance of living Tome Knights successfully defended the Warren against the Undead Horde under House Lapin's leadership, and Sable Aradia claimed The Iron Tome.

The April Tourney 2022 - As the House then holding the Iron Tome, by tradition, House Lapin played host to the April 2022 Tourney of Tales at the Warren.

The July Tourney 2022 was also hosted at the Warren.

The Battle of the Book took place primarily at the Warren as a direct result of the July 2022 Tourney.

The Iron Tome was stolen from the Warren on GoToween (October 31st) by Lord Galakrond, launching the Third Word War.

About half of the Tome Knights who served as the vanguard in The 50K Offensive were based at the Warren during the action.

The Battle of Kin Beach also spilled over to the Warren's grounds, which were the primary target of the Undead Horde's assault on House Lapin in Word War 3.

The Battle vs the Nite Qing took place in the Lapin Library, while it was connected only to the Warren in the physical Realm.

After an extended period of closure to tourism following two assassination attempts on the Mother of Bunnies, the Warren has recently been reopened to limited guided tours.