Maybe not the right place to ask, but there's no "question" or "query" forum about where it should go, so here goes..... [If this is in the wrong place, feel free to move it to the appropriate spot, mod team...perhaps "research" is better? It is about the setting though....] I am trying to write a story where my main villain kidnaps people and traffics them in the sex trade. It's necessary for confinement to happen. I have my main character inheriting a rural property that used to be a part of a smuggling operation (rum running in the 1920s) or the Underground Railroad during the US slave escapes or the drug smuggling during the 90s done by the Mexican cartels between Mexico and USA. There's no family connection, it's basically left to a Limited Liability Corporation (LLC) and my villain is ONE of the owners of the property. With enough elbow grease, you can build anything. See: https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/inside-underground-home-teen-started-29802839 Criminal organizations that had access to criminal labour or the finances to hire labourers to build underground tunnels and rooms could easily have built such a thing. Assuming the bare bones are there, what would need to be done to make such an environment workable for transporting kidnap victims and holding them prisoner? There would need to be buckets for the waste (urine/feces), there needs to be circulating, fresh air. Things like food and water can be brought to the prisoner. In terms of the temperature, the prisoners can be naked if it's hot (this also serves as a disincentive to escape as people are ashamed to be seen naked) or provided with clothing/blankets if it's cold. Since clothing also provides some protection from the elements (wind, sun, cold) being naked also serves as a restraint. It's unlikely anyone living anywhere near the location would know about the tunnels/rooms. If they do, it would be in the realm of "granddad Brad worked for the Chicago mob helping to smuggle rum from Canada. They used these tunnels..." or "Great, great grandpa's friend worked as a conductor helping slaves escape the US confederation back in.....1849, 1853." Like it would be in the realm of family legend. I need to flesh out the setting in my head so that it "makes sense" and it's not just something like, "One day while exploring he noticed a draft from a section of the wall. It kept nagging at him and he finally sat down in front of the wall with a candle and traced the draft, then inch-by-inch slowly found the secret entrance to.....the perfect place to stash his victims until he found buyers for them." It would need to be cleaned of cobwebs and dust, maybe animal droppings, maybe the local wildlife needs to be cleared out. The villain does all of this himself, nobody knows. There needs to be a water source from a stream for drinking water or a well so there's no evidence a la a water meter how much water is being used. Food can be grown and harvested or hunted and brought to the victims. I'm not worried about light, the villain can use a flashlight or candles. Maybe a limelight system? [Damn, now I have a research question - what's a lime light system??? How does it work???] I am envisioning something with several exits/entrances, all of which need to be secured, and a method of disposing of prisoner waste - burning is one option but in a wooded area, there is the danger of wildfires... I'm leaning towards dumping it into the local stream or river. This thing only works if there is 1,000% confidentially about the location so I see the trafficker bringing the victim to the buyer and the buyer never knows where the victims are from. The victims would only know they were held in an underground room - that could be anywhere, right? Hunting season could see people in the area but not that many and those that are in the area will want to bag their deer, not explore caves and have adventures. The only area I have seen tunnels, caves and various dungeons really developed in is in Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying games and they're usually built by dwarves or dark elves. I've really liked reading Keith Ammann's work about "The Monsters Know What They're Doing!" but it is a fantasy guide. https://thequilltolive.com/2022/12/16/how-to-defend-your-lair-a-villains-guide-to-defense/
