Making smooth transitions between settings/atmosphere in an adventure

(Background Exposition) The story takes place in a fictional country, Raineland, to the east of Nova Scotia, year 2020. The country itself is somewhat secluded due to it's self-dependency and natural barriers, though most of the urbanized areas stay current with technology, international affairs, etc. Within the country itself, most of the population is concentrated on the west side and dissipates as it approaches the east side. This is because of a thick fog and other strange phenomenon that resides over the coast and deters people from venturing too far into it or settling there—to the point that the area isn't recorded on common maps. Protagonist Bob and friends are pulled into the mystery of this epicenter of supernatural occurrences, magic, and other weirdness when one day deuteragonist Alice is able to cast ice magic with her duck-handle umbrella. (Similar to the concept of The Unmasqued World, except on a small scale and reversed, in that a band of travellers discover and throw themselves into this hidden world.)

As far as plot goes, there is a vague, general flow of the entire story and certain, detailed events sprinkled throughout the storyline. Many of these scenes occur at different provinces and places with unique moods and atmosphere, like the following:

• Trebeska—the westernmost province of Raineland, composed primarily of port cities—is the first place the group arrives to by ferry on Sally's Shore. Instead of a typical bright and sunny Beach Episode, the beach is cloudy and gloomy, the waters much too cold to go in for a swim (good thing for indoor pools). There's a much more murky, marine feel with sail boats, brisk salty winds and clam chowder.

• Orchardland—the northernmost and central province in Raineland— is a foresty region known for its unusual bounty of apples which fall into Lake Eden. From there the apples travel downstream on the Apple River that divides Raineland in half and are collected with nets in the water. The staggering production of apples is one of the many tip-offs that there's something more than good soil and sunlight that's behind the abundant vegetation. The silence and tranquil beauty adds to the mysterious and ethereal vibe.

• Wrinklewood is a remote village located deep within Harvester, the province east of the Apple River which, as its name implies, is mainly used for harvesting crops close to the banks of the river. Beyond that strip of land lies undiscovered mysteries, and this bizarre village is one of them. Left to its own devices, the superstitious village stuck in the 19th century has cultivated a number of strange traditions. Strangest of all is their god who's apparently able to strike down a sinner with lightning on the spot—even in broad daylight. Even more interesting is how these "sinners" are the odd ones out of the whole town who go against the doctrines of the head nun that governs the community.

—And the list goes on. In general, the places leave an unsettling air, as if there's something more than what the characters can percieve (pointing towards an overarching theme of half-hidden truths, emphasized with the presence of fog. Essentially the iceberg metaphor worked into a story).

As I've said, these plot "puzzle pieces" are all originally unconnected and the gaps get filled in over time—that's just the best approach I've come to for this story. I think the disadvantage though is that by working in these little bubbles at a time they may all develop moods radically different from one another that when strung together into a single series of events comes off as jarring and incohesive.

What I ultimately don't want is for the settings to clash abruptly or "artificially" like worlds in a platformer game (i.e. Green Hill Zone to Slippy-Slidey Ice World to Lethal Lava Land *though I doubt any volcanoes will be present in story). Instead, I visualize the story at its best as one that is an all-encompassing adventure through curious towns and exhilarating landscapes, all bearing unique qualities that make them stand out while maintaining an eeriness which builds towards the climax of the characters' travels. (The format will be a graphic novel/webcomic so not only will I have to take learning steps in establishing compelling atmosphere through writing but also get a few pointers in art direction too).

Am I worrying too much and the problem will fix itself as time goes on or is there something I could do to make the different settings flow naturally into one another?

edited 25th Feb '17 3:49:39 AM by SkullySnot

If they're visually different enough, I don't think it would matter. And if anything, I think it'd be more useful to be able to abruptly jump between settings and not lose readers.