Meridian

The Path of Wolv's Star is filled with planets of stunning sights and amazing cultures. From the sunny beaches of Edern to the untouched natural wonders of Elloria, the galaxy is full of places to visit and people to meet. But everyone needs a respite, and that sanctuary is the city of Meridian.

Step into the city of bright lights and technology of the future, where your every need is catered to by artificial intelligence and only the top elites of the galaxy. With opulent casinos, gorgeous apartment blocks, mega malls and luxuries known nowhere else on the Path of Wolv's Star, you'll even forget the city is situated in the freezing hell planet of Tytripta.

Ignore the freezing cold and forget the blizzards ever existed, for the city is encased in an insulation barrier that protects everyone and everything in it. To leave is to sign your death certificate, so why leave at all?

Notable Characters

 * Katali Altozan Hemlock
 * John Polonski
 * Azrain Lost
 * Allie "Crystalis" Krezan
 * Hanso Mackellen
 * Lily Polonski
 * Joseph "Clinker" Marc
 * ATLAS AI

Tytripta
Meridian City is located on the planet of Tytripta. Tytripta is the furthest planet away from Wolv's Star, making it one of the coldest in the galaxy. However, it has a sizeable population and a settlement that is by far the most technologically advanced, so it is deemed as a livable planet despite most of it being a frozen wasteland.

Geography
Tytripta's terrain is incredibly mountainous and extreme. The planet appears spiky due to the incredibly tall mountains that can reach as far into the planet's mesosphere. Most mountains on Tytripta rest at a height of 15km to 45km, though the tallest ones can reach up to 87km in height. The only safe places to live are in deep valleys that do not suffer most of the effects of the constant snowstorms, or within Meridian City's insulated barriers.

Localized Phenomena
Tytripta has been trapped in a snowstorm that has lasted over 700 years. The current storm, known as the Delta Storm, has wind speeds of up to 517km/h in open terrain. The wind speeds around Meridian City are reduced to 96km/h due to the city's location, protected two titan mountains.

The planet experiences snowstorms that often last between 20 to 50 years for a short storm, 50 to 500 years for a medium storm, and upwards of 500 years for a long storm. Most long storms die out before the 750 to 800 year mark, leading to several decades of warmth. The longest warm period lasted for 78 years, while the shortest one lasted 8 months. It is during these warm periods that people attempt to settle or move across the planet, as the weather is lethal during the storms.

Many contractors and ambitious people attempt to leave Meridian during the warm months to build new cities elsewhere. However, most of them die when hit by the start of an unexpected snow storm, or return to Meridian before they are successful. There are ruins of half-built cities all across Tytripta, covered in layers upon layers of snow.

Meridian City
Meridian City is the only survivable region in Tytripta at the moment during the Delta Storm. It is located in a region that is fairly protected by two titan mountains, reducing the planet's usual 400+km/h wind speeds to 96km/h. While it still gets affected by the blizzards, it is protected by an insulation barrier that envelopes the city. The barrier causes any snow on the top to melt, and it keeps the city warm. It is hydropowered, so all the water from the melted snow keeps the barrier running.

The city is iconic for its boasted luxury and opulence. It is structured with a strong resemblance to cyberpunk cities. Given that the city is almost always in a blizzard and has been for over 700 years, it is often dark like nighttime, especially in the poorer districts of the city that cannot afford artificial sunlight.

Meridian is ruled by two contesting companies who control major shares of the city and have been locked in a business-political war for years. The main company is Genesis, controlled by CEO and tech-god John Polonski. Genesis has a major hand in almost every single sector of Meridian, but it cannot gain complete control of the city due to its competitor, Eratech. Eratech is run by CEO Mandi Era, and the only reason the company can stand up to Genesis is because Eratech founded the Eranet after the Internet was deemed obsolete. Eratech has a 98% hold on the Eranet, which means they also have control over how communications and networks are set up within the city and how they flow. This forces Genesis to play by their rules.

Meridian is the birthplace of John Polonski, Azrain Lost, and Allie "Crystalis" Krezan.

The city is set up into eight main districts, organized by Meridian's first leader Tobias Jowitt. Several new districts have been added over the years.

THE HUB
The Hub is the largest district, and by far the most opulent and luxurious. It is home to the Meridian Space Port that accepts international travel all year round despite the bad weather leaving and entering Tytripta. This is thanks to the connector portal technology that allows ships to enter and leave Tytripta without needing to pass through the chaotic atmosphere. Instead, spaceships and starships can pass through a portal that links the calm spaceflight paths directly into an available docking station within the port. This transition is seamless and smooth. The Hub contains over 60 casinos, 500 hotels, 12 megamalls, and has a resident population of 5 million. Many A-list celebrities and CEOs live here right in the laps of luxury and convenience.

GENESIS HEADQUARTERS
While not initially a district, Genesis Headquarters has grown so much that it has become a district of its own. The district is home to over 19,000 Genesis workers and their families, and contains the HQ building which doubles as CEO John Polonski's apartment. It also has 55 office buildings that have over 120 subdivisions of Genesis, 2 Genesis megamalls, 4 parks, 19 flagship stores, 388 factories, and over 1,300 other shops including restaurants, service facilities, and other necessities. Genesis HQ is also home to the Meridian Citizen Database, where Polonski has access to the files on every resident and tourist who has ever entered the city's premises.

ERATECH HEADQUARTERS
Just like Genesis, tech giant company Eratech has its own headquarters that were turned into a district of its own. It includes the headquarters office, 22 flagship stores, 1 megamall, holographic exhibits, 275 production factories, 50 offices for 98 subdivisions, and a very expensive apartment district for workers rich enough to live in proximity of their work. Over 16,800 Eratech workers and their families live in the Eratech HQ district. Eratech HQ is also home to the Eranet Centralized Data Center, where millions of erabytes worth of data pass through each day.

CYBERPASS DISTRICT
Cyberpass District is the entertainment district of Meridian. It is full of casinos, theatres, bars, swimming pools, gardens, sports arenas, ice rinks, toy stores, museums, tours, and exhibits. The most iconic place in Cyberpass District is the Casino Royale, a massive compound filled with over 100 casinos. It is also known that a casino gang known as Halcyon Gambit hangs out in this area.

EXPERIA INDUSTRIAL DISTRICT
The Experia Industrial District is always under construction. It veers away from the shiny, neon aesthetic of the rest of the city and is - like its name implies - industrial in its looks and purpose. It is home to the Meridian Port, where all imports and exports go from, and includes a lot of factory outlets and smaller businesses that can't afford to secure a place in the Hub or Cyberpass District. Most of Meridian's lower income community live here as the houses are cheaper than Lumence or Waterway. Yet, nothing is short of convenience as the industrial district is equally as cramped and crowded as every other part of the city. Living in the industrial district isn't too bad at all, if you excuse the constant smog.

NOVIS
Novis is the entertainment district and red light district of Meridian. It houses most casinos, bars, night clubs, strip clubs, and hotels ranging from obscenely lavish, to just plain obscene. Novis began as a single street by the same name, with every vacancy filled up by a strip club of some sort. As business boomed in the area, other clubs settled within the area to earn some of the business there, and eventually it had expanded so much that Meridian turned it into a dedicated district.

LUMENCE
Lumence is the main residential district of Meridian City. It is home to 8 million residents, most of which are either upper or middle class. Most apartment blocks receive hot water and have very little risk of the power being shut off, but Lumence does contain some lower-class apartment blocks that do not receive the same amount of attention from the city.

WATERWAY
Waterway is a rather unique part of the city. While it is a mishmash of everything else with its own residential subdistrict, entertainment, malls, factories, and offices, it is entirely based in water. It is the lowest section of the city that is accessible to people who aren't city engineers, and a lot of extra water not used by the insulation barriers run down here and flood the city. The people living down here have gotten used to it and find it a unique way to live. It is also a huge tourist spot. Many underground networks, clubs, and illegal or semi-legal businesses operate down here.