World of CYBERBUN: The City

Pasturage City is one of two key locations throughout the series, being the base of the evil Governor Dyce and his allies and forces, and conversely being the target of Velvet Cottontail and The Inhibits group.

From what has been shown, Pasturage City is a large sprawling city that covers about 500 square miles, and houses over a million inhabitants. At its widest, its stretches about 30 miles, between the towns of Alfa to the west and Orchard to the east.

Whilst many are shown to live in the core of the city where Dyce has his headquarters (which is actually located nearer the southern edge of the city boundary), viewers have been shown inhabitants in less dystopian areas of the metropolis. It appears that more affluent inhabitants populate the northern areas, that neighbour the vast Baia and Cerri forests that stretch north. These residents have been shown to be self-absorbed and wilfully oblivious to the military action in the south.

Residents from the north of Pasturage City discuss the rumours of “rampant and murderous terrorist activity” that has been reported in the south, repeating what they have heard through Dyce’s propaganda transmissions. Ironically, they live in an environment that The Inhibits are trying to promote, and dismantle the dystopian slums of the city’s core.

The modern metropolis area - known officially as Caldera, but somewhat disparagingly sometimes referred to as “the Basin” - is about 100 square miles in size and is believed to home about 30% of the population alone. Its nickname comes from the fact that the area has been developed within what looks like the result of an impact event - either a meteor collision from above or from a subterranean explosion and collapse - resulting in a massive bowl-like surround. The depth of its lowest point to the ‘rim’ of the area is about ¾ of a mile (~1200 meters). The origins and age of the impact structure are a source of widespread discussion amongst scholars.

The residents in Caldera live in a mixture of high-rise buildings and deep underground burrows. It is filled with brightly neon-lit shops and eateries, clubs and casinos, and of course houses the majority of Dyce’s army; and perhaps because of the military presence, many of the residents here are less confident in the Governor and the security forces. It has become a key location for a rise in underground criminal activity, with opportunists preying on the disenfranchised youth and recruiting them into the gangs.

Two older kits discuss growing up in the city, the threat of being drafted into the Leporidae Army, and the danger of the underworld gangs. With The Inhibits designated as terrorists, finding sanctuary with them in Greensward Forest is not as easy as some may think.

The Governor’s tight grip on the city is best represented by Dyce’s headquarters, a 65-storey tower in the heart of Caldera that houses much of the military intelligence agencies, much of the telecommunication network infrastructure, and in the basement a sanctum, believed to be many hundreds of years old. Dyce specifically chose the ruins of the religious retreat to build his base upon, and the building was one of the quickest to ever be erected. The original purpose of the sanctum have been deliberately hidden by Dyce, and very few of even his most-trusted advisors have ever been granted permission to see it.

Around it came tall blocks of apartments to house the establishment’s staff and their families, followed by shops, schools, casinos and clubs. The police force are also based in Caldera, but separate from the military complex.

It’s not all concrete, steel and coldness though - over 50% of Pasturage City is covered by woodland, blurring the boundary lines in places between the forest that surrounds it and where the greenery encroaches into the city. Many of these trees provide shelter, as well as being utilized to support infrastructure - for example, acting as transmission towers or radio-wave masts. Some are used by the military as lookout posts, whilst some have even been used as the structural support of tall buildings, with steel girders and concrete being placed around some of the more robust trees.