【OUTSIDE THE CITY】

[starrystorytellers]

OUTSIDE THE CITY


OVERVIEW
Starting August 2023, Fallen Stars have unlocked access to locations outside of Starsand. Until that time, they had been told that the outside world was inaccessible due to being incredibly dangerous: Humans had been creating Rumors about it being a dangerous wasteland, which had caused the land's magic to corrupt and indeed become toxic. In order to prevent the spread of that dangerous magic, the peoples' Curiosity had been sealed and they were locked into the layered city for protection.

At the present, the civilians of Starsand still don't think about the outside world. The Fallen Stars, however, have been granted access to a magic train that can take them outside. This black steam engine operates on Faith; Give the Conductor a few pieces of Starling and she can take characters down the tracks at high speeds. And as things stand, these trips come with a slight risk of danger: The world outside is still corrupted by toxic magic and the Fallen Stars need to help clean it up!



THE MIRACLE TRAIN

The black steam engine called "The Miracle Train" can be found on a forest at the first level. When civilians try to wander towards the train, the spirits use magic to confuse them and guide them out of the forest. Because of that, the "Spinny Forest" is avoided by the locals. But Fallen Stars will have no trouble getting through the forest; The spirits will even guide them to the train station. In its current state, the station looks like a solitary platform with a tiny booth.

Once at the station, Fallen Stars are able to power the train with pieces of Starling. The Conductor will take them and immediately eat them, then start the train within an hour. At present, there is one train line with 4 stops. The train can leave once per day and picks up passengers once per day. Each stop has its own station, where Fallen Stars can summon the train once per day by depositing Starling in an old coin acceptor.

The interior of the train itself is extravagant. Fallen Stars have access to private rooms with showers and there are now spirits who service food. The Fallen Stars will also notice that the train moves much faster in this timeline than it did in the last. The longest trip on the train is 12 hours, as opposed to multiple days. Riding the train can be handwaved as freely as players want.

STAR LAKE

About 3 hours down the track is Star Lake; Once a popular camping destination, the crystal clear waters were frequented for swimming and fishing. And for the most part, Star Lake is still a beautiful place to visit. The problem lies in the Rumor of the Lake, which has plagued its waters and made them dangerous. The Rumor spread here dictates that there in a lake monster, who tries to pull unsuspecting visitors into the waters and drown them.

Aside from the whole mortal danger thing, the lake is still a pleasant place for Fallen Stars to visit! The weather is always beautiful and the other forest spirits are pretty friendly. While setting up tents for camping is the expectation, there are a half dozen unused cabins that Fallen Stars can take over. Just be sure to clean them out first. The spirits here love to play with fireworks sparklers, watch barbeques, sing along with campfire songs, and generally like getting involved in classic camping activities. Sometimes, when the happy atmosphere is especially potent, you may even hear envious singing from something deep within the lake.

STARHILL VALLEY

Located about 6 hours down the track is a remote village... which has been deserted. Starhill Valley was named for the rolling hills that surround it, where a rare type of glowing flower grow. But once Rumors began to spread that the flowers were poisoning the soil, everyone fled thee valley in favor of the city. It wasn't like traditional farming was necessary anymore now that spirits had taken over!

But in the haste to leave, the people of the village left behind the spirits who had lived invisibly with them for generations. Many of them were attached to the crop fields, houses, and landmarks that they had protected; They couldn't leave the valley when everyone fled. Instead, they've tried to freeze the village in time while they await the return of their human families. The buildings are barely damaged by time and the empty fields aren't as overgrown as they could be. But the love has been sapped from the land, making it nearly impossible to grow anything in the soil.

Fortunately, there is an easy enough fix. With enough love and care, crops will be able to grow again with the help of magic. The crop fields respond to forms of love: Talk to the seedlings, sing to the flowers, have picnics nearby, make art reflecting the land... The more love shown to the farming area, the more crops will grow!

Of course, that's going to take time... and actually planting some seeds. The spirits here welcome people into the abandoned houses, which have been completely cleared out by their former occupants. They will give Fallen Stars access to farming books and help supplement technical steps with magic. Even if you've never left your room because you're busy saving people with music, you can probably become a farmer here! And the village is completely peaceful, free of any dangers that might lurk in other parts of the world. The only danger comes from the Starhill Valley Lilies; Their glow is visible at night, lighting up the hills like a beautiful sky of stars. But the flowers, if touched, currently cause one to develop the dreaded condition of animal ears and a tail for 12 hours. Complete with sensitive hearing! It's the worst. Who would want to live here???

THE SNOW CASTLE

8 hours down the track is the fabled Snow Castle. Fallen Stars may even have heard of this castle by way of fairytale books in the city. Apparently it's real! And it's covered in snow. Even in the middle of August.

In fact, the enchanted castle is borderline abandoned. The stories say that it was a castle where every piece of furniture had a spirit within it and that's not far from the truth: Most of the worn and loved antique furniture pieces here don't just have spirits in them, but have morphed into half-furniture monsters that can roam the castle. Its empty interior is cold right now, but warms up when the spirits and castle guests are getting along.

Abandoned because of a Rumor that turned the furniture into 'monsters,' however, the castle spirits haven't seen people in five years. They're very eager to keep their human company and will do anything in their power to prevent people from wanting to leave. They treat visitors like princes and princesses, spoiling them without restraint. When you try to leave the castle grounds, the spirits become mildly aggressive; They might switch the locks or pretend to lose the keys, but they always come clean when pushed.

And unfortunately, leaving is sort of... mandatory. For health related reasons. At present, staying in the castle for more than two weeks will cause characters to gradually turn into ice. They risk becoming ice sculptures... Which makes the many sculptures in the courtyard seem a bit sus. it's probably fine. Fortunately, Fallen Stars can thaw themselves by making physical contact with others. All it takes it touching a Fallen Star's ice sculpture to return them to normal. People with spirit pacts are also strangely immune to this?

As a vacation location, the castle does provide anything and everything for the small price of human company. The spirits are especially proud to show off the snowy courtyard, which has apparently been a longterm landscaping project of theirs. They hope that it can become a tourist destination that encourages visitors.

There's no way that this castle is a possible future Beauty & The Beast themed event location because that would be silly.

THE FOREST OF SPIRITS

At the end of the train track is a deep forest. It takes twelve hours to reach here by train. This forest is also presently the boundary line for the train: It swallows up the track and forces the train to stop.

Once, this forest was a restricted area set aside for the express purpose of giving shy spirits a place to live. Any human presence here was supposed to be limited to educational trips and respectful trips to bring offerings to the spirits. But a Rumor began to spread: The forest wasn't restricted for the safety of the spirits, but for the safety of humans. People became convinced that the spirits within were mindless monsters that would attack on sight and that they were sealed away in the park due to being dangerous.

This Rumor has hit the spirits and wildlife hard. The spirits here are twisted into monstrous forms, often bound to the animals that they once formed peaceful pacts with. Parts of the park are dangerous to wander through as a result, because the spirits have a Rumor given urge to attack human visitors. Fortunately, it seems that this Rumor can be destroyed. The affected spirits have black, shimmering stones growing out of their body. Break the crystal and the spirit returns to normal. Alternatively, the crystals will melt when the affected spirits hear melodies; Sung or played on instruments. The crystals do not return after being broken either, due to the Curiosity Kami preventing this Rumor from actively circulating anymore. It's quite possible that all of the spirits can be healed!

code bases by tricklet