INTRODUCTION

The story of ‘Mistbound: Eternity’ takes place in a shared universe, same as all of my other stories.

Since times long forgotten, an event now known as the ‘Great split’ took place. A mist took over the world and served as some sort of boundary between countries, people were separated due to the mist and contact between different areas of the world became impossible. After many millennia passed, every seperated areas in the world developed in a completely different way from each other. So much that they would be considered like different worlds.

Soon after the great split occurred, it was followed by the ‘Emergence’. The mist that acted as a barrier started to seep into the now alienated worlds, and engulfed them. And from the mist they emerged, the Monstrosities.

Each world was affected on a different scale, some were overrun by the monstrosities while in some worlds the monstrosities did not appear at all.

‘Mistbound: Eternity’ takes place in one of these worlds. This particular world contains the continent of Forsa.

This is a story I have wished to write since I was a kid, but couldn’t due to lack of time. But, since I lost my job due to the pandemic, I’ve had some free time.

The story has evolved overtime, as I grew up and my beliefs and opinions about our world changed. But I’ve written it such, so that it is enjoyable for everyone.

Also, since this takes place in a shared universe, references to my other works can be found if you look for them.

Last but not least, thank you for reading and I hope you like the story.

TERMS’ DESCRIPTIONS

The narrative of ‘Mistbound’ is “media res”, meaning: In middle of things. When the plot occurs, most of the events that have shaped the world have already transpired. I wanted to capture the feeling of insignificance of humans and their actions when compared to the existing world.

Due to the narrative style, the massive lore and world building is done in a unique way, rather than omniscient narration. That would without doubt, result in huge info dumps.

As such, I decided to make the story multi-layered. The world building and lore is explained through the experiences of the characters and through “Terms’ Descriptions”.

These Descriptions are taken from in-story books, texts and other literary works, ranging from educational to entertainment. So as a result, the readers can easily use their imagination to speculate.

These descriptions do not represent my viewpoint and thoughts about the world, but rather the authors’ of those works.

Terms’ Descriptions are available for words written in the story in Bold, so keep an eye out for them. I recommend that you keep this open in another tab for ease of access.

The idea came from my habit of trying to predict the events of past, present and the future of stories, before they are shown to the audience.

The world of ‘Mistbound’ is shrouded in mysteries, secrets and subtle foreshadowing, these will be revealed eventually as the story progresses, but speculation is highly advised.

Why?

Because it’s fun.

CHAPTER 1.

Morvest: “Morvest, a small fairly unknown town at the north-west corner of Mountaliya. It is situated near the base of the mountain, Everness. Due to being out of the way and away from the roads traders take, visitors are a rare sight.” – Johel Kenzo, Fascinating Culture of Mountaliya.

Walled cities: “...and such well-funded cities are constructed on mountains with walls erected around them. They serve as Mountaliya’s hubs, due to their safety. However, other...” – Ferraina Rizav, The Geography of Mountaliya.

Monstrosities: “These beings are observed to exist in the areas within the mist. They roam the valleys mindlessly, where the mist is most dense, waiting to slaughter anything that crosses their path.” – Orthland Invar, The origin of Terror.

The Crooked Hare: “In all my travels, I’ve never seen the phrase, ‘don’t judge by appearance’ being justified so much. The inn of Morvest is as shabby as its people. Its ale, however, is an unpolished gem.” – Rovig Entares, A Journey for Obscure Ale.

Huntsmen: “The sovereignty’s defense against the monstrosities. They travel all over Mountaliya, usually in groups, to complete pacts issued by the populace. Even though they are one of the three military units serving the sovereignty, it is a stretch to call them military units. The huntsmen have far more freedom and are not as nearly organized. They are funded by the religious Order of Exurbia.” – Fevor Ingo, Military Situation of the Province Vol. III.

Pact: “If I had to explain pacts in a layman’s terms, it’s simply a request for monstrosity extermination, issued by either an individual or a group such as villages or towns. I’ll leave it to other’s imagination which of the above take precedence.” Fevor Ingo, Military Situation of the Province Vol. III.

Spokesman: “...in addition to that, there has been a system of town leaders, named after the fact that they speak for all the people of that specific town or village. Usually some distant bearers of noble blood are appointed for the task, however, there are also many exceptions. Furthermore...” – Johel Kenzo, Fascinating Culture of Mountaliya.

The Wendigo: “The profaned coveters of greed, the wendigo. Shunned and detested, yet crucial to the people and the province. Not that different from your usual Vagrant, except in one aspect. Their use of vile essence, extracted from fallen monstrosities has led to the rumors, that perhaps they too, are monsters. They dedicate their lives to exterminate monstrosities, for gold or perhaps something else...” – Fevor Ingo, Military Situation of the Province Vol. V.

Vagrants: “...speaking of huntsmen, they cannot attend to every pact in the vast province of Mountaliya. As such, the pacts can be accepted by exterminators who are not associated with the sovereignty or any religious order, these individuals have come to be termed as simply, ‘Vagrants’. But, I digress...” – Fevor Ingo, Military Situation of the Province Vol. V.

Baron: “As one would assume, barons of Mountaliya are at the middle of royal hierarchy. Not necessarily aiming for sovereignty, yet their influence cannot be denied...” – Ryland Erik, Insight into Sovereign Provinces Vol. IV.

Sovereignty: “Each province of the continent is independent, it would not be far-fetched to call each their own empire. All have their own authority or governing power, referred to as sovereignty.” – Ryland Erik, Insight into Sovereign Provinces Vol. III.

Blackfall: “...an interesting example of unconventional investment can be seen in Blackfall, the only walled city of the far north. Despite oppositions and the fear of being a total failure, the project was a success with the populace.” – Ferraina Rizav, The Geography of Mountaliya.

The Continent of Forsa: “Perhaps before the Great Split was caused by the Emergence, there were other continents. But since times long past, our world has only contained the sole continent of Forsa, surrounded by the mist. Mayhap, there are still other worlds out there, beyond the mist...” – Gerund Avincii, Brief History of the Continent Vol. I.

Sovereign Provinces: “...on the topic of Forsa’s provinces, each has their own sovereignty. There are four provinces, Raevynd to the east, Mountaliya to the north, Delenwell to the south and Loh’arkh to the west. Of course, there are other independent minor kingdoms and isles...” – Ryland Erik, Insight into Sovereign Provinces Vol. II.

Mountaliya: It is the vast province to the north, a realm teeming with tall and foggy mountains. Once called the jewel of the north, however, since a few centuries ago, it has lost its power. Quality of life is low and poverty is common place among the public, and the cold is unforgiving. The mist is rampart in the valleys, so the folks of the past made strongholds on mountains where the mist doesn’t reach. Many of these strongholds have since evolved into what we now know as walled cities.” – Johel Kenzo, Fascinating Culture of Mountaliya.

Lesser Monstrosities: “The most common type of monstrosity, observation has led to the discovery that they originate from the mist. They are formless and try to imitate any form according to situation. If encountered, civilians should definitely avoid them. Rookie huntsmen take one on usually with a three man team, however, several veterans can slay one by their lonesome. Encounters with them outside of the misty valleys are scarce but not unheard of. More on that later...” – Orthland Invar, The origin of Terror.

Regions of Mountaliya: “...mountaliya no doubt is a vast province. For ease, it has been divided into four regions according to their positions. Nortaliya, Soutaliya, Eastaliya and Westaliya. Unfortunately, with segregation comes prejudice. While the people of Mountaliya are extremely hospitable and kind to people from their own region, the same cannot be said of outsiders...” – Johel Kenzo, Fascinating Culture of Mountaliya.

Everness: “Something that goes unnoticed by many, is the tallest mountain in all of the continent. The reason for its obscurity lies in its geographical location, and the fact that there is no shortage of tall peaks in Mountaliya...” – Johel Kenzo, Fascinating Culture of Mountaliya.

Enchanted Forests: “One of the few examples of the Everlasting Magik of the Alves. The Alves may have disappeared ages ago, but their creations remain a mystery. In theory, it is similar to the mist surrounding the continent, both act as some sort of barrier. Studies on these forests continue...” – Ilea Czurki, A Midsummer’s Disappearance.

Sentient Beings: Credible information unavailable.

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CHAPTER 2.

Vile Essence: “...coming back to the topic of wendigo, a special apparatus is used to extract a monstrosity’s life force, the wendigo have named it as ‘Vile Essence’. If consumed, it serves as some sort of enhancement. Attempts to recreate the essence and the apparatus have failed miserably.” – Military Situation of the Province Vol. V.

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CHAPTER 3.

Greater Monstrosities: “As I was elaborating earlier, encounters with lesser monstrosities outside of the misty valleys are scarce but not unheard of. This is due to the intervention of what the huntsmen call the ‘Greater Monstrosity’. One of their characteristics is that, any living thing that dies by their hands, has a chance of morphing into a lesser monstrosity. Large expeditions are arranged by the huntsmen for hunting them, only a fool with a death wish would approach them alone.” – Orthland Invar, The origin of Terror.

Affliction: “The affliction of the soul, or most commonly known as simply ‘Affliction’ is the blood borne disease that is contracted if the blood of an individual comes in contact with a monstrosity, usually by receiving a wound although it is not limited to that. In a few days to a week, there is a chance that the person infected might morph into a monstrosity. Observations with lesser monstrosities in captivity have led to the conclusion that making simple skin contact does not result in contraction of affliction.” – Orthland Invar, The origin of Terror.

Misty Valleys: “The lowermost areas of Mountaliya, altitude wise. The monstrosities come into being here, and as a result these areas are teeming with them. Civilians should stay clear of this area unless absolutely necessary, and take the elevated paths instead.” – Ferraina Rizav, The Geography of Mountaliya.

Magik: “Magik isn’t as common in Mountaliya as it once was. This change can be attributed to the new laws of the 5th age, regarding the practice of magik. And as a result, most of these practices have been rendered obsolete. Mages are rare, and those who are proficient at it, even more so.” – Avess Zueva, A Bewitching Tale.

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CHAPTER 7.

Bewitched Items: “An example of mage craft is bewitched items, objects that have magik lingering through them. Usually the object is some sort of jewelry for aesthetic purposes, or in some cases a weapon or armor.” – Avess Zueva, A Bewitching Tale.

The History of the World: “Time in Forsa is kept in check by the use of ‘Ages’, with each age consists of a few millennia. The dawn of a new age is commonly accompanied by a major event in the world. There have been five ages until now. Time before the first age has not been measured and only a few scant records remain.” – Gerund Avincii, Brief History of the Continent Vol. I (Updated Edition).

Bewitching ones: “The Covenant of all-women mages. The most proficient at magik amongst humans. Now, they are not held in high regards due to them continuing their outlawed practices. It is rumored that many of the women are several hundred years old, yet they maintain their youthful appearance.” – Avess Zueva, A Bewitching Tale.

The Non-human Races: “...addressing the question of races, humans aren’t the sole race in Forsa. There are many of them, the most common being the Alves, the Ornics and the ever so infamous Nocturnal. The ‘Nocturnal’ is an umbrella term for the countless non-human races except the Alves and Ornics. Some researchers believe that Alves and Ornics may also be a part of the nocturnal but many argue otherwise.” – Johel Kenzo, The people of Forsa.

Nomadic Tribes: “Whether a misconception or the truth, the nomads of Mountaliya are considered to be outlanders. People who came to Forsa from lands beyond, before the great split occurred. These tribes are subject to extreme prejudice and segregation.” – Johel Kenzo, The people of Forsa.

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CHAPTER 8.

Stronghold: “Most of old Mountalian cities never got the opportunity to be turned into walled cities. These cities were built during the early ages and continue to serve their purpose to this day.” – Ferraina Rizav, The Geography of Mountaliya.

Entradel: “Entradel, one of the trading hubs of Nortaliya, some call it the most secure stronghold in all of Mountaliya due to its naturally safe geographical location. While its importance cannot be denied, it still remains a mystery as to why it was never turned into a walled city.” – Johel Kenzo, Fascinating Culture of Mountaliya.

Winterfare Festival: “...in some parts of Nortaliya, the Winterfare festival takes place at the dawn of the spring and lasts for three days. It is thought to bring prosperity and good karma. A young maiden is elected as the ‘Aprilla Queen’, as per the tradition.” – Johel Kenzo, Fascinating Culture of Mountaliya.

Months: “The months of mountaliya are driven from some cultures now lost to the pages of history, and are most likely bastardised terms.” – Gerund Avincii, Brief History of the Continent Vol. II.

Civilian Requests: “The people of mountaliya are known for their tightly knit bonds, and they prefer to solve problems internally, instead of asking for outside help. Such requests are posted on the town’s newsboard and are simply called civilian requests.” – Johel Kenzo, Fascinating Culture of Mountaliya.

Delenwell: “The largest province full of tropical rain forests and exotic flora and fauna. The people there are content with what they have, although the province doesn’t hold as much power as Raevynd.” – Ryland Erik, Insight into Sovereign Provinces Vol. IV.

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CHAPTER 9.

Reversi: “Reversi is a strategy board game for two players, played on an 8×8 uncheckered board. There are sixty-four identical game pieces called disks, which are light on one side and dark on the other. The object of the game is to have the majority of disks turned to display your color when the last playable empty square is filled.” (Taken from Wikipedia).

Galway: “A relatively unknown city at the edge of Eastaliya, it is close to the Raevynd border, and as such not many prefer to live in it. But for people who have been living there for years, they can only call it their home...” – Ferraina Rizav, The Geography of Mountaliya.

Raevynd: “The province to the east, it is prospering under its capable leaders. It is the only province that gets 4 seasons per year, as such the harvest is more than enough, the citizens are well off. It is mostly filled with vast plains and hills. A long strife has been going on between Raevynd and Mountaliya.” – Ryland Erik, Insight into Sovereign Provinces Vol. II.

The Battle of Galway: “One of the battles that took place during the Sodden Isle Skirmishes of the year 295. The battle ended in a stalemate and both sides suffered considerable losses.” – Chronicles of the Sodden War, Hilmar Meihan.