The subject of this article might also be known as “Jerusalem's Lot” Hellsalem's Lot (ヘルサレムズ・ロット, Herusaremuzu rotto), often abbreviated as HL, is a city shrouded in fog that borders with the Beyond and where Blood Blockade Battlefront’s story takes place.
History[]
Origin[]
Three years ago, on January 1st,[1] an entity known as Cosmos led a scarred youth to a small bar in New York City. He intended to lead the youth to a bottle of Coca Cola, which, when opened, would cause something "very important" to happen. When the youth reached the bar and found the bottle, a young woman summoned by an entity called Chaos approached him as he was opening the bottle, asking him what was wrong. The youth hesitated and only opened the bottle halfway, apologizing to the woman as they both began to disassemble. A beam of light rose from the bar and surrounding city blocks begin to disassemble and rise into the air. Shocked citizens watch on and begin to panic as they all try to escape the light. The pillar of light and its debris reaches high into the sky, and from its apex emerged huge volumes of mist, numerous Beyondians, and a large monster with tentacles.[2] As time passed, this event would be known as The Great Collapse.
During the Collapse, Casters from both the human world and the Alterworld gathered to halt the collapse by raising a barrier, and thus preventing the disaster from spreading.[3] During the course of that single night, NYC was destroyed and rebuilt as Hellsalem’s Lot.
Location and Geography[]
Layout[]
Hellsalem's Lot is an island that has a circular layout and is surrounded by the sea and an endless waterfall in which lives a giant kraken, and a single bridge guarded by two Beyondians connects the city to the outside. The fog that hangs over the city and the kraken make entry from the outside difficult. The areas farther from the center, which still have remains of New York City, were named by humans as “this side”. The zones closer to central Hellsalem's Lot are enveloped in a dense fog and become more distorted and weirder. At the center of the city is The Eternal Nothingness.[4]
The city’s zones shuffle from time to time, a phenomenon often referred to as the “Zoning Lottery.”[5] Paranormal phenomena are an everyday occurrence, and criminal and illegal organizations thrive in the city.
Landmarks[]
- Ghetto Heights: A remnant of New York City enclosed with walls and a roof that isolates it from the city's fog. Only humans are allowed to live in the district, and the entrances are closely watched by the police to ensure that no Beyondians enter it. It is the only district in Hellsalem's Lot that still houses the major American fast food chians.
- The Eternal Nothingness: At the center of the city lies the Eternal Nothingness, The parts of the city nearest to the chasm are enveloped in a thick fog and have a varying gravity, looking more like the city did during the night of the Great Collapse.
People and Culture[]
Population[]
The city is host to both humans and Beyondians, with humans making up one-third of the population[6] and living mostly in the outer parts of the city.
Infrastructure[]
Law enforcement[]
The city is host to the Hellsalem's Lot Police Department.
No specific laws of Hellsalem's Lot are known, but the city does possess a prison facility called Pandorum Asylum.
Transportation[]
One of the largest transporation hubs is Yggdrashiad Central Station, a floating train station located directly above the Eternal Nothingness.
Medical care[]
Three years after the Great Collapse, Bradbury General Hospital reappeared in the city, providing another major center of medical care.
Businesses[]
- Dianne's Diner
- E-Den: An underground fighting ring run by a Beyondian called Ozmaldo. The ring specializes in hand-to-hand fights, and patrons can bet on the competitors.
- Morzo Guazza: One of the fanciest top restaurants in Hellsalem's Lot, which specializes in Earthly-Beyondian fusion cuisine. Their food is said to be so good that it can drive people insane. Morzo Guazza seems to be located deep within the city given the thick fog that surrounds the building, but it is not clear in what side of the gate sits.
Gallery[]
Notes[]
- It's unclear if all of New York City became part of Hellsalem's Lot. In the map shown in the series, it looks like only a part of the city was affected. But many times in the series, it has been said that New York City no longer exists.
- Dark Horse's edition mistakenly translates the city's name to "Jerusalem's Lot”, likely due to the similarity in the names (エルサレム and ヘルサレム).
- The city’s name could also be a reference to the Stephen King novel Salem’s Lot, in which an author returns to his hometown - also called Jerusalem’s Lot - only to discover it has become infested with vampires. Both Salem’s Lot and Blood Blockade Battlefront also put emphasis on drive-in movie theaters; Salem’s Lot shows the vampires using the local drive-in theater as a resting place during the day, while Blood Blockade Battlefront shows a drive-in theater being consumed by Aligura’s monster truck.