Welcome in, mercenaries and scoundrels of all configurations of being, to the Mistveil Lore Blog! This section of my site will hopefully shed some light (hopefully without oversharing!) on the setting and world of the initial book series turned multimedia project that Mistveil initially started as. Some of these posts may even be written as in-universe piece of writing, really whatever tickles my fancy as a means of dispensing information about my book series without giving too much away. As for this inaugural post, it will serve as a brief overview of the setting itself, and mainly serve as a primer for what's to come down the line.
Starting off, we should probably talk about what Mistveil even is in context of the work and outside of it. In reality, Mistveil - or "the 2170s" as a shorthand for the setting - is a cyberpunk multimedia project I've been developing since I was in high school. Although the idea has expanded in it's time to include music, short stories, and other concepts I've had over the years, it's always been a novel first and foremost, which I will not touch upon over the course of writing these transmissions. With that housekeeping out of the way, it's time to get into the short but necessary overview.
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Mistveil is a megacity in the vague Pacific Northwest region. It is densely packed, to the point where the city had to expand vertically. As this happened, the city would generally build on top of the previous zones - unintentionally establishing different major layers, or sectors, to the city. These sectors are, from lowest to highest:
Lower Mistveil - the most run-down and derelict part of the city, barely given any attention by local officials. The architecture is much older than the upper levels, worn and decaying from age, the elements, even erosion as rain from the upper levels trickles down and wears away at many of the buildings.
The Industrial Sector - An abandoned and dilapidated zone of the city now doubling as housing for those less fortunate, a monument to Mistveil's old dealings in exports. Ever since the megacorporations have made Mistveil a major hub for their ventures, the Industrial sector has fallen into disuse and inevitable decay. Rusted machinery and hollowed out cargo vehicles lay abandoned in old supply docks, only being graced by the presence of thieves scavenging for spare parts, or major organized criminal activity.
Chesterblock Quarter - Mistveil's entertainment district. Casinos, nightclubs, bars, and other places to take it easy cover every single inch of this sector, making it nearly impossible to escape. Any conceivable form of entertainment that the public could ever want in the 2170s will have its place here, from the tame to the taboo. Some do in this part of the city, however most cannot cope with the incessant glitz and glamor and reside in other, more residential sectors.
The Brights - The financial heart of Mistveil, serving as both a financial district and commercial district simultaneously. With every single space of real estate packed with advertisements, more so than any other part of the city, it's not a wonder how The Brights came to be named. Major players in the global economy like Hayakawa Technologies, Zephyr Cybernetics, Lacroix Robotics, and Dawnforge Enterprises (to name just a few) have branches or even headquarters here.
Upper Mistveil - Mainly a residential zone. A vertiable concrete and metal jungle, it's more densely packed with housing monoliths than you can possibly imagine.
Wingham - Where the wealthy and elite live.
In addition, on the outskirts of the city is Kaizodo's Effigy, a massive mountain which had been completely crystallized due to a weapons test by Kaizodo Defense Solutions that went awry long before the 2170s.
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and that's everything you need to know about the geography of the city of Mistveil! I find that writing these is a good creative exercise in making my concepts more concrete, so I will definitely be writing more of these, though hopefully they'll be longer than this one. See you next time!
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