Where It All Begins...

Mul'ein (still known as Morva among the more stubborn Yangae loyalists) is the political and economic capital of Yanda Province. As a city it is modest by any standard, with a registered population of a little under 300,000. However, even that number is twice what it was only a decade ago, the result of rapid growth brought on by recent industrial development. For the most part it is still a quiet and picturesque little city whose architecture is an interesting mix of Hergoth and Yangae styles. The Bal'tem River flows from West to East right through the middle of the city center, both banks adorned with scenic, garden-lined brick walkways that have earned it the nickname "The Wishing Walk" ("Nr'ävåboeth" in Her-Galad, "sa'Pru ta'Varska" in Yangae). The surrounding downtown district has an air of quiet elegance despite its modest size, its cafes and shopping plazas offering perhaps the only semblance of luxury to be found within a radius of many kilometers. Travel a few hundred meters in any direction, however, and the scenery quickly changes; the legacy of the Yangae occupation remains in the form of residential and commercial districts sharply demarcated by class and/or ethnic group.

The districts of Mul'ein:

• The hilly area north of the city center is Düa (Daua) District. The offices of the municipal authorities are located here, as is Yanda University and the Mul'ein College of the Arts. It is populated mainly by Hergoth and Hertressk of middle or upper-middle class with a small percentage being of the upper crust. Most dwellings are individual houses or condominiums. The whole area carries an atmosphere of peaceful affluence and is generally quite safe.
  
• The area south of the city center is Gastra District, which was destroyed during the invasion and rebuilt in Yangae style. Its streets form an almost perfect grid. Local architecture is a hodge-podge of crumbling prefabricated structures and newer constructions of a variety of styles. Most of the dwellings are apartment blocks or relatively cheap housing projects peopled by the working and lower middle classes. The population is perhaps the most ethnically balanced in Mul'ein. A sort of uneasy peace exists between the Hergoth, Hertressk, and Yangae that live in this area, mostly in demarcated neighborhoods, but tempers have been known to boil over on occasion.
  
• The southeastern district between the city center and the town of Bal'tem is Grissin, an old Yangae neighborhood. This is loyalist country. Blocks are strictly separated by caste, and the classes do not intermix. Gang violence has been known to occur in this area, mainly between castes if not individual blocks, but outsiders are also advised to be cautious. It is also recommended that traditional Yangae customs and mores be observed to the letter in Grissin, for the locals have little tolerance for "uncivilized" behavior.
  
• Further southeast, sandwiched between Grissin and the towns of Bal'tem and Auani, is Sa'Barj ("The Hill"). Like neighboring Grissin, this is also Yangae loyalist country, but the three massive, gaudy palaces there are testament to the fact that it is the abode of the Nobles. The locals tend to be sealed up in their private worlds and don't pay much attention to what goes on outside. They also encourage a degree of sightseeing in their area in hopes of winning sympathy. However, being the wrong person in the wrong place at the wrong time on Sa'Barj can bring swift capital punishment.
  
• Gül'a (Gauha) District is located to the northeast, bordering Düa Ward. It is mainly a residential area, consisting of mostly old homes and apartments. The population is mostly Hergoth and Hertressk of from low to middle class who work in the neighboring districts or in the scattered local commercial zones. There is also a famous tunnel complex in the area built ages ago to house Farbetts. Gül'a can be a bit rough looking but is generally good natured.
• Danteir District is the northernmost reach of the city, and its topography is a bit more rugged. Long a broken mix of scattered farms and empty wilderness, it is now Mul'ein's main industrial district. Almost all of the factory complexes there were built during the last two decades. Food processing is the main industry, but materials technology is also significant. There are scattered residential areas consisting of an uneasy mix of bleak corporate dorm blocks and isolated housing subdivisions for low- to mid-level career professionals. Hergoth, Yangae, and migrant workers from various parts of the galaxy live and work together as best they can here. The atmosphere tends to be optimistic but tense, and a degree of caution is advised.
• Ekr'in District lies to the west and northwest of the city center. It is generally of the same class level as Gastra. However, as it was spared from destruction by its hillier topography, it is an old and crumbling urban center with a maze of twisting, narrow streets. Its population is also far more mixed and cosmopolitan, and it is known for being more than a little eccentric. Struggling artists and street performers are most likely to be found here, particularly in Danstul' Park. Ekr'in has perhaps the most notorious night-life districts in Mul'ein, not to mention some very off-color entertainment. The various races and cultures that live in this area tend to be much more tolerant of each other (and of weirdness in general) than in Gastra, but the inevitable accumulation of drifters and the down-and-out means that the crime rate is higher than the city average.
• Thal'wein District is a narrow tract sandwiched between the southwest edge of the city center, the Bal'tem River, Gastra, and Erweina. During most of the Yangae Occupation this was a notoriously squalid Hergoth ghetto. Since the Reconstruction various government agencies have gone to great lengths to improve the area, including the establishment of the Mul'ein Vocational Training Center, Thal'wein General Hospital, well-financed schools, and higher-quality state-subsidized housing. Indeed, the area is far more beautiful and optimistic than it used to be, but the poorest Hergoth families are still mostly found there, and most Yangae with any pride wouldn't be caught dead within its borders.
• Erweina (R'wêna) District is a roundish mountain, much of which is considered sacred ground by the local Hergoth. Since antiquity, it has been the location of the local branch Temple of Kai-Tempuera (Kî-Tempur'a) and various associated facilities. The Yangae naturally treated the area with utmost contempt during the Occupation, using it as a target range, a garbage dump, and a prison (often at the same time). It has since been restored and now has a ranking High Priestess for the first time in two centuries. Not surprisingly, the local population is overwhelmingly Hergoth, a large percentage of which have some direct connection with the Temple. Visitors are not only welcome but encouraged, though obvious Yangae loyalists are liable to be viewed with suspicion (if any would even dare go onto the "Witch's Mountain").
• Mastr'ean is the westernmost reach of the city. It is by far the largest district in terms of land area. Until recently it was a strictly rural area, consisting of wide tracts of farmland interspersed with small village hubs. Recently, however, the band of territory along the border with Ekr'in and the river has become a commercial boomtown. The road that has run through that area since antiquity was widened into a main boulevard about a decade ago, and since then the land in its vicinity has seen an explosion of commercial and residential development, with heated competition between Ergothei, local Hergoth, and Foldorian developers. While economically good for the city, the "strip" is still greeted with ambivalence at best by the mainly Hergoth and Farbett farmworkers who have lived in and worked the area for ages. They are old families, rather grizzled, with very conservative mores but who have long since grown accustomed to working under Yangae authority and have yet to readjust to true Hergoth culture.

Mul'ein is bordered by the coastal towns of Bal'tem to the east, Auani to the south-southeast, and Troya to the north-northeast, the farm towns of Yanda and Bir'ueth to the southwest and west, respectively, and the mountainous town of Tel'atha to the north-northwest. The nearest significant seaport is in Bal'tem with additional small seacraft harbors in Auani and Troya. The nearest aerospace port is Yanda, located in the city in the northeastern corner of Mastr'ean District bordering Danteir District, but it is a relatively small facility. The nearest major aerospace port is in the city of Tal'in, about 120km away but quickly accessible by vacrail tube or shuttle flight.