The Fox Den
"This is more than just a hole in the ground—it's the heart and brain of everything I do. The Fox Den represents the very soul of my vow to do what the legal system can't and what the police struggle to achieve. It's a testament to resilience, resourcefulness, and the fight for justice in a world that often overlooks its most vulnerable. Every tool, every system, every brick here serves a purpose—to outwit, outmaneuver, and outlast those who prey on the innocent. This isn't just a base; it's my sanctuary, my war room, and my reminder that even in the darkest shadows, a flicker of hope can change everything." — Coraline Penrose, The Vermillion Vulpes.
"She has to have a little hidey-hole somewhere! Where she keeps all her weapons and toys and heals up! So why haven’t any of you morons found it yet? You think she just disappears into thin air after wrecking our operations? No, she’s got a base—a den or whatever the hell she calls it—and I want it found! Because if we take away her little foxhole, we take away her fangs." — Johnny “The Bloody Gentleman” Malone, leader of Toronto’s Irish Mafia, during a heated rant to his lieutenants.
"This is way cooler than my secret base... I mean, you've got everything here! super computers, traps, secret passages—it’s like a spy movie and a superhero hideout had a baby! I’ve got, what? A rundown apartment with a beanbag chair and a mini-fridge. You’ve got an entire underground fortress!" — The Cunning Corax, during his first team-up with the Vulpes, visibly impressed by the Fox Den.
"My father built this place to help smuggle rum to the USA during the terrible oppressions of the Prohibition era. I, however, foresaw the terrible future that might be wrought after man split the atom. Thus, I expanded this place out of both paranoia and a hope that, even if the world burned in atomic fire, something might yet be preserved—society, culture, and humanity itself. It is my sincere hope and prayer that it never need be used." — Inscription on a bronze memorial plate, attributed to Joseph McDowell, former owner of the Penrose Estate, located at the entrance of the underground bunker.
"She has to have a little hidey-hole somewhere! Where she keeps all her weapons and toys and heals up! So why haven’t any of you morons found it yet? You think she just disappears into thin air after wrecking our operations? No, she’s got a base—a den or whatever the hell she calls it—and I want it found! Because if we take away her little foxhole, we take away her fangs." — Johnny “The Bloody Gentleman” Malone, leader of Toronto’s Irish Mafia, during a heated rant to his lieutenants.
"This is way cooler than my secret base... I mean, you've got everything here! super computers, traps, secret passages—it’s like a spy movie and a superhero hideout had a baby! I’ve got, what? A rundown apartment with a beanbag chair and a mini-fridge. You’ve got an entire underground fortress!" — The Cunning Corax, during his first team-up with the Vulpes, visibly impressed by the Fox Den.
"My father built this place to help smuggle rum to the USA during the terrible oppressions of the Prohibition era. I, however, foresaw the terrible future that might be wrought after man split the atom. Thus, I expanded this place out of both paranoia and a hope that, even if the world burned in atomic fire, something might yet be preserved—society, culture, and humanity itself. It is my sincere hope and prayer that it never need be used." — Inscription on a bronze memorial plate, attributed to Joseph McDowell, former owner of the Penrose Estate, located at the entrance of the underground bunker.
Purpose / Function
The Fox Den serves as the nerve center for Coraline Penrose’s vigilant crusade against crime and injustice, embodying her alter ego, the Vulpes. Its primary purpose is to provide a secure, secret, and highly functional base of operations from which she can combat the criminal underworld and supervillains of Toronto—and, when necessary, threats on a global scale.
The Fox Den reflects Coraline’s meticulous planning, resourcefulness, and determination to ensure her war on crime remains both effective and undetected. Its purpose is not just practicality but also symbolic—representing her commitment to justice and her family's legacy.
The Fox Den reflects Coraline’s meticulous planning, resourcefulness, and determination to ensure her war on crime remains both effective and undetected. Its purpose is not just practicality but also symbolic—representing her commitment to justice and her family's legacy.
Alterations
The transformation of the Fox Den from a Cold War-era bunker into a modern base of operations required extensive upgrades and adaptations. These alterations seamlessly blend the original bunker’s robust design with advanced technology and customizations tailored to Coraline’s role as the Vulpes.
Some Infrastructure Updates include
Modernized Utilities: Replaced outdated power systems with solar panels and geothermal energy sources, supplemented by original diesel generators for redundancy.
Installed advanced air filtration and water purification systems, ensuring a continuous supply of clean resources.
Expanded Communication Systems: Integrated high-speed secure communications to maintain contact with allies and monitor city-wide events.
Added a dedicated server room for secure data storage and cyber defense operations.
Security Enhancements
Advanced Surveillance: Replaced old analog cameras with digital HD systems, including thermal imaging and night vision capabilities.
Installed a centralized monitoring hub in the control room, allowing Coraline to oversee every corner of the Den in real time.
Biometric and AI Access Control: Upgraded entry points with biometric locks, requiring retina scans, fingerprints, or voice recognition for authorized access.
Enhanced the Den’s AI security system to autonomously detect and counter intrusions, both physical and digital.
Trap Systems: Incorporated non-lethal deterrents like electrified flooring, sonic disruptors, and knockout gas in critical corridors. Installed retractable barriers and false walls to isolate or redirect intruders.
Functional Adaptations
Integrated Workshop: Converted existing storage areas into a fully equipped workshop for gadget maintenance and vehicle repairs. Tools include 3D printers, CNC machines, and specialized forges for customizing equipment.
Command Center: Upgraded the central control room with holographic displays, crime monitoring software, and links to Coraline’s field technology.
Added real-time analytics for urban surveillance, tactical planning, and mission management.
Enhanced Living Spaces: Retrofitted the original living quarters to include modern amenities for comfort and long-term use, such as a compact kitchen, updated bathrooms, and personal touches reflective of Coraline's style.
Training Facilities: Expanded a portion of the bunker into a state-of-the-art training area, including a holographic combat simulator, obstacle courses, and reinforced sparring zones.
Accessibility Improvements
Elevator Systems: Installed quiet, high-capacity elevators to facilitate movement between levels. Reinforced staircases and corridors for quick access to critical areas during emergencies.
Vehicle Integration: Redesigned portions of the tunnels for vehicle storage and deployment, including a hidden exit for Coraline's transport.
Some Infrastructure Updates include
Modernized Utilities: Replaced outdated power systems with solar panels and geothermal energy sources, supplemented by original diesel generators for redundancy.
Installed advanced air filtration and water purification systems, ensuring a continuous supply of clean resources.
Expanded Communication Systems: Integrated high-speed secure communications to maintain contact with allies and monitor city-wide events.
Added a dedicated server room for secure data storage and cyber defense operations.
Security Enhancements
Advanced Surveillance: Replaced old analog cameras with digital HD systems, including thermal imaging and night vision capabilities.
Installed a centralized monitoring hub in the control room, allowing Coraline to oversee every corner of the Den in real time.
Biometric and AI Access Control: Upgraded entry points with biometric locks, requiring retina scans, fingerprints, or voice recognition for authorized access.
Enhanced the Den’s AI security system to autonomously detect and counter intrusions, both physical and digital.
Trap Systems: Incorporated non-lethal deterrents like electrified flooring, sonic disruptors, and knockout gas in critical corridors. Installed retractable barriers and false walls to isolate or redirect intruders.
Functional Adaptations
Integrated Workshop: Converted existing storage areas into a fully equipped workshop for gadget maintenance and vehicle repairs. Tools include 3D printers, CNC machines, and specialized forges for customizing equipment.
Command Center: Upgraded the central control room with holographic displays, crime monitoring software, and links to Coraline’s field technology.
Added real-time analytics for urban surveillance, tactical planning, and mission management.
Enhanced Living Spaces: Retrofitted the original living quarters to include modern amenities for comfort and long-term use, such as a compact kitchen, updated bathrooms, and personal touches reflective of Coraline's style.
Training Facilities: Expanded a portion of the bunker into a state-of-the-art training area, including a holographic combat simulator, obstacle courses, and reinforced sparring zones.
Accessibility Improvements
Elevator Systems: Installed quiet, high-capacity elevators to facilitate movement between levels. Reinforced staircases and corridors for quick access to critical areas during emergencies.
Vehicle Integration: Redesigned portions of the tunnels for vehicle storage and deployment, including a hidden exit for Coraline's transport.
Architecture
The Fox Den combines the practicality of Cold War-era bunker design with modern upgrades, blending utilitarian structure with advanced technology. Its architecture reflects its dual purpose as a secure fortress and a functional base of operations for a masked vigilante.
Layout and Structure
Subterranean Design: The Fox Den is entirely underground, hidden beneath the sprawling Penrose family estate. Its multi-level layout takes full advantage of the catacombs and bunker networks originally built during the Prohibition era and later expanded.
Upper Levels: Access points, decontamination chambers, and staging areas for entering and exiting the base.
Middle Levels: Core operational areas, including the control room, armory, and workshop.
Lower Levels: Living quarters, storage facilities, and emergency backup systems.
Zoned Areas: Each section is separated by reinforced doors and blast-proof walls, designed to compartmentalize damage in case of an attack.
Materials and Reinforcement
Foundational Materials: Thick layers of reinforced concrete and steel are interspersed with lead linings, making the base impervious to radiation and resistant to modern weaponry.
Modern Additions: Vibration-dampening materials, anti-thermal coatings, and advanced polymers were integrated to enhance structural integrity and reduce the base's visibility to surveillance technologies.
Functional Spaces
Control Center: The heart of the Den, equipped with cutting-edge computers, holographic displays, and a direct link to Coraline’s on-the-field technology.
Workshop and Lab: A state-of-the-art facility for maintaining and upgrading Coraline's gadgets and vehicles, overseen by John “Wolf” Bane.
Training Room: A high-tech space for physical training, equipped with holographic combat simulators and modular terrain setups.
Armory: Stocked with weapons, tools, and gadgets tailored to Coraline’s needs, including fox-themed equipment and stealth gear.
Living Quarters: Comfortable yet minimalist accommodations for Coraline, John, and any trusted allies. Decorated with nods to Coraline’s dual heritage as a Penrose and the Vulpes.
Emergency Bunker: A sealed-off section designed for long-term survival, complete with supplies, air filtration, and secure communication links.
Aesthetic Touches
While primarily functional, the Fox Den incorporates subtle nods to its fox theme:
Fox Motif Design: Carved insignias and artwork subtly integrated into doors and walls, honoring the legacy of the Vulpes. Naturalistic Elements: Soft lighting, warm tones, and occasional greenery give the Den a less sterile atmosphere, making it feel like a hidden sanctuary rather than just a bunker.
Historical Features: Coraline retained some of the original bunker’s Prohibition-era craftsmanship, like vaulted ceilings and vintage tiles, blending history with modern innovation.
Entrances and Exits
Hidden Entrances: Disguised as ordinary parts of the estate, including a false wine cellar, a sliding bookcase in the library, and a hatch in the garden shed
Vehicle Access: A concealed garage and elevator system allow Coraline’s transport to seamlessly exit and re-enter the estate without detection.
Escape Tunnels: Multiple concealed tunnels lead to secure exits scattered across the estate grounds and beyond, ensuring untraceable egress routes.
Layout and Structure
Subterranean Design: The Fox Den is entirely underground, hidden beneath the sprawling Penrose family estate. Its multi-level layout takes full advantage of the catacombs and bunker networks originally built during the Prohibition era and later expanded.
Upper Levels: Access points, decontamination chambers, and staging areas for entering and exiting the base.
Middle Levels: Core operational areas, including the control room, armory, and workshop.
Lower Levels: Living quarters, storage facilities, and emergency backup systems.
Zoned Areas: Each section is separated by reinforced doors and blast-proof walls, designed to compartmentalize damage in case of an attack.
Materials and Reinforcement
Foundational Materials: Thick layers of reinforced concrete and steel are interspersed with lead linings, making the base impervious to radiation and resistant to modern weaponry.
Modern Additions: Vibration-dampening materials, anti-thermal coatings, and advanced polymers were integrated to enhance structural integrity and reduce the base's visibility to surveillance technologies.
Functional Spaces
Control Center: The heart of the Den, equipped with cutting-edge computers, holographic displays, and a direct link to Coraline’s on-the-field technology.
Workshop and Lab: A state-of-the-art facility for maintaining and upgrading Coraline's gadgets and vehicles, overseen by John “Wolf” Bane.
Training Room: A high-tech space for physical training, equipped with holographic combat simulators and modular terrain setups.
Armory: Stocked with weapons, tools, and gadgets tailored to Coraline’s needs, including fox-themed equipment and stealth gear.
Living Quarters: Comfortable yet minimalist accommodations for Coraline, John, and any trusted allies. Decorated with nods to Coraline’s dual heritage as a Penrose and the Vulpes.
Emergency Bunker: A sealed-off section designed for long-term survival, complete with supplies, air filtration, and secure communication links.
Aesthetic Touches
While primarily functional, the Fox Den incorporates subtle nods to its fox theme:
Fox Motif Design: Carved insignias and artwork subtly integrated into doors and walls, honoring the legacy of the Vulpes. Naturalistic Elements: Soft lighting, warm tones, and occasional greenery give the Den a less sterile atmosphere, making it feel like a hidden sanctuary rather than just a bunker.
Historical Features: Coraline retained some of the original bunker’s Prohibition-era craftsmanship, like vaulted ceilings and vintage tiles, blending history with modern innovation.
Entrances and Exits
Hidden Entrances: Disguised as ordinary parts of the estate, including a false wine cellar, a sliding bookcase in the library, and a hatch in the garden shed
Vehicle Access: A concealed garage and elevator system allow Coraline’s transport to seamlessly exit and re-enter the estate without detection.
Escape Tunnels: Multiple concealed tunnels lead to secure exits scattered across the estate grounds and beyond, ensuring untraceable egress routes.
Defenses
The Fox Den prior to the Upgrades installed by Coraline and John was built to withstand the fallout and diaster of atomic warfare. Protected by Layers of Lead, Steel and concrete it would be a tough nut to crack by any degree of force. More over its internal power systems, water and food supply and other features were meant to endure for ages making any prolonged type of seige a loosing battle for the attacker. Its entries where like vault doors meant to keep the interior safe from radiation and any roving post apocalyptic horrors alike.
John and Coraline have only added to this incorporating modern security systems, traps and defenses to ensure that should anyone breach the Fox Den they won't do so undetected and undetered.
Some notebale Defensive Features
Physical Barriers
Reinforced Vault Doors: Original vault doors upgraded with biometric locks, encrypted keypads, and fail-safe manual override mechanisms. Each door is designed to withstand explosive force and tampering.
Blast-Proof Walls: Layers of lead, steel, and concrete remain intact, further reinforced with vibration-dampening polymers to reduce structural stress from modern weaponry.
Surveillance and Detection
Motion Sensors: Advanced sensors calibrated to detect even the slightest movements, including heat and sound signatures.
Facial Recognition Cameras: Tied to a secure AI system, ensuring access is granted only to approved individuals. Unauthorized entrants trigger silent alarms.
Seismic Detectors: Embedded in the surrounding soil to detect tunneling or heavy machinery movements in the vicinity. Traps
False Passages: Decoy corridors and dead ends designed to confuse intruders and lead them away from critical areas.
Non-Lethal Deterrents: Sonic emitters, gas traps, and net cannons to incapacitate rather than kill intruders, preserving evidence of their identities.
Defense Turrets: Automated, retractable turrets equipped with rubber bullets or tasers for non-lethal takedowns. They can be upgraded to more lethal force if the situation demands.
Power Systems
Backup Generators: Several redundancies ensure uninterrupted power. Solar panels and geothermal energy systems were added to supplement the old diesel generators.
EMP Shields: Protects all electronics and systems from electromagnetic pulses, ensuring continuity of operations even in advanced attacks.
Digital Security Firewall Systems: State-of-the-art cybersecurity prevents hacking attempts. John Bane personally crafted layers of encryption and counter-hacking protocols.
Decoy Networks: A false system of “dummy” security feeds and fake data designed to mislead cyber intrusions.
Escape Routes
Secret Exits: Hidden passages leading to multiple concealed points on the surface, ensuring Coraline has several escape options.
Collapse Protocols: In the event of a complete breach, sections of the bunker can be collapsed remotely to cut off intruders or destroy sensitive data.
Special Features
Adaptive Defenses: Incorporating AI algorithms that study previous break-in attempts and automatically adjust the security measures accordingly.
Environmental Hardening: The base is protected against chemical, biological, and radiological threats with air filtration systems and decontamination chambers.
Camouflage Technology: The aboveground portions of the estate incorporate stealth technology to hide heat signatures and electromagnetic signals, ensuring the base remains undetectable.
John and Coraline have only added to this incorporating modern security systems, traps and defenses to ensure that should anyone breach the Fox Den they won't do so undetected and undetered.
Some notebale Defensive Features
Physical Barriers
Reinforced Vault Doors: Original vault doors upgraded with biometric locks, encrypted keypads, and fail-safe manual override mechanisms. Each door is designed to withstand explosive force and tampering.
Blast-Proof Walls: Layers of lead, steel, and concrete remain intact, further reinforced with vibration-dampening polymers to reduce structural stress from modern weaponry.
Surveillance and Detection
Motion Sensors: Advanced sensors calibrated to detect even the slightest movements, including heat and sound signatures.
Facial Recognition Cameras: Tied to a secure AI system, ensuring access is granted only to approved individuals. Unauthorized entrants trigger silent alarms.
Seismic Detectors: Embedded in the surrounding soil to detect tunneling or heavy machinery movements in the vicinity. Traps
False Passages: Decoy corridors and dead ends designed to confuse intruders and lead them away from critical areas.
Non-Lethal Deterrents: Sonic emitters, gas traps, and net cannons to incapacitate rather than kill intruders, preserving evidence of their identities.
Defense Turrets: Automated, retractable turrets equipped with rubber bullets or tasers for non-lethal takedowns. They can be upgraded to more lethal force if the situation demands.
Power Systems
Backup Generators: Several redundancies ensure uninterrupted power. Solar panels and geothermal energy systems were added to supplement the old diesel generators.
EMP Shields: Protects all electronics and systems from electromagnetic pulses, ensuring continuity of operations even in advanced attacks.
Digital Security Firewall Systems: State-of-the-art cybersecurity prevents hacking attempts. John Bane personally crafted layers of encryption and counter-hacking protocols.
Decoy Networks: A false system of “dummy” security feeds and fake data designed to mislead cyber intrusions.
Escape Routes
Secret Exits: Hidden passages leading to multiple concealed points on the surface, ensuring Coraline has several escape options.
Collapse Protocols: In the event of a complete breach, sections of the bunker can be collapsed remotely to cut off intruders or destroy sensitive data.
Special Features
Adaptive Defenses: Incorporating AI algorithms that study previous break-in attempts and automatically adjust the security measures accordingly.
Environmental Hardening: The base is protected against chemical, biological, and radiological threats with air filtration systems and decontamination chambers.
Camouflage Technology: The aboveground portions of the estate incorporate stealth technology to hide heat signatures and electromagnetic signals, ensuring the base remains undetectable.
History
The Fox Den, technically the Fox Den II is the second hidden base to bare the name, the first belonged to Vulpes Grandfather the gentleman thief known as the Silver Fox and was hidden below the old Penrose family lake house. It was cutting edge for the technology of the 1960s but when Coraline Penrose took up the Mantle of the Vulpes she needed something more modern and closer to Toronto, Lucky for her fate dropped the perfect base of operations into her lap.
With her fathers retirement and he and her mother moving to Florida she was given their sprawling family estate just outside of Toronto. The location was ideal, near the city she planned to fight crime, large enough to hide its share of secrets and more importantly it had a very special secret of its own that would prove invaluable to constructing the Den in secret.
Sometime before Coralines parrents had purchased the property its former owners had built a network of catacombs and bunkers under the property. Perhaps they had been paranoid, the underground network had been started sometime around prohibition era and had been improved on and expanded on through into the sixties and seventies before her father came to own the property and best of all only she knew about them after acidently stumbling onto them as teenager.
The secret of the underground tunnels and rooms went with their original designer to his grave but they seemed to have started as part of a criminal enterprise during prohibition era Canada into a vast bunker fueled by the fear of nuclear war. No expense had been spared on creating a spacious and rather large bunker complex complete with generators, storage, comfortable living space, workshops and everything and more to survive the end of the world and rebuild. It couldn't have been a more perfect location for the her Fox Den.
With the help of her friend and ally John "Wolf" Bane they would transform the network of bunkers and tunnels into a modern base of operations fit for Toronto's vulpine Vigilante.
With her fathers retirement and he and her mother moving to Florida she was given their sprawling family estate just outside of Toronto. The location was ideal, near the city she planned to fight crime, large enough to hide its share of secrets and more importantly it had a very special secret of its own that would prove invaluable to constructing the Den in secret.
Sometime before Coralines parrents had purchased the property its former owners had built a network of catacombs and bunkers under the property. Perhaps they had been paranoid, the underground network had been started sometime around prohibition era and had been improved on and expanded on through into the sixties and seventies before her father came to own the property and best of all only she knew about them after acidently stumbling onto them as teenager.
The secret of the underground tunnels and rooms went with their original designer to his grave but they seemed to have started as part of a criminal enterprise during prohibition era Canada into a vast bunker fueled by the fear of nuclear war. No expense had been spared on creating a spacious and rather large bunker complex complete with generators, storage, comfortable living space, workshops and everything and more to survive the end of the world and rebuild. It couldn't have been a more perfect location for the her Fox Den.
With the help of her friend and ally John "Wolf" Bane they would transform the network of bunkers and tunnels into a modern base of operations fit for Toronto's vulpine Vigilante.
Founding Date
June 16th 1997
Alternative Names
The Den, The Fox Hole
Type
Hideout
Parent Location
Owner
Vehicles Present
Comments
Author's Notes
All Placeholder AI Art by DALL-E.