Shaftown

At first glance, Shaftown appears to be little more than a ghost town—a barren stretch of Mercury’s surface scarred by rusted, abandoned mineshafts. The sun scorches the rocky plains, casting long, harsh shadows over the remnants of old mining equipment, crumbling structures, and deep pits that seem to lead nowhere. From the surface, there’s little indication that this forsaken landscape holds any life, and most travelers pass it by, unaware of the thriving settlement hidden beneath the desolate crust.

Beneath the searing heat and surface-level decay lies a secret network of tunnels and subterranean chambers where life pulses steadily. Shaftown's true existence is hidden deep within Mercury’s rocky interior, where the mining operations of a forgotten era gave way to a vibrant community. In these tunnels, the town’s buildings stretch along the jagged edges of abandoned shafts, carefully maintained and repurposed into a bustling network of homes, businesses, and places of gathering. The architecture is a mix of repurposed mining equipment, industrial fixtures, and salvaged metal, creating a unique and often claustrophobic aesthetic.