We thought it'd be helpful if we discussed some of the locations you can visit during your stay in Starfall, that way you can plan ahead on site-seeing! So have this 'lil guide with descriptions of each place and what they have to offer! (This post includes places from the City! Check our other post for Suburban Spots!)
City Sites !
Starview Cinema
If you're looking to watch movies in HD, Starview Cinema should be at the top of your places to visit. A few years back, it was redone to give it the aesthetic of a vintage Cinema; a giant movie board – updated daily –, a large, lit-up sign, ticket booths under the awning, it's got it all! Inside, despite the illusion of a flat roof outside, there's a domed ceiling with a starry sky painted on, giving the building a magical night feel. There are self-salting and buttering stations, concessions, and even a bar for you to get a little sum :) There are two wings on either side, each holding 10 regular theatres and 1 VIP theatre. People praise Starview on how quickly new releases make it to the screens, but recently, "movies" and "ads" containing strange, often graphic, material have been appearing where they aren't meant to. Not to fret, the staff are working on a fix for this! So If you see anything strange, do make sure to report it.
Celeste Aquarium
The Celeste Aquarium is quite a sight to see, and not just for the life within, but for just how grand it is; gorgeous detailing surrounds the entire building, along with marble pillars and steps, which are always kept pristine. There are 3 sections in total, split into two wings on either side of the main building, which sports a giant glass dome; it's ethereal at night! Each section houses a different type of aquatic lifeform: smaller fish, like seahorses or clownfish, are at the right wing, while the left wing holds larger fish and creatures, like whales and sharks. There is a large, cylinder tank at the center section, under the dome, that holds a mix of both wings, though majorly holds rare, magical creatures. Sometimes, there are mermaid shows held at the center tank; however, Celeste Aquarium does not use real mermaids for these shows; despite some people pointing out how real the fins look, we can say that its thanks to our special effects team that we're able to make the mermaids look convincing!
Novelty Nook
A popular, well-known bookshop within the city; a staple if you're an avid reader! The building is 18 ft and 6 inch's tall, two floors around 9 ft and 3 inches in height respectively, meant to be accommodating to readers of all heights. Its exterior is modern, with a solid black coat of paint on the bricks in front and large windows, making it stand out from the shops on either side; and it has a cute black awning with a sign just above it. Although it seems small outside, it has a surprising amount of space once you step in. It exhibits a homey vibe inside, warm lighting and a relaxing feel, contrasting the cool, modern design of the outside. It has books from every genre, and nearly every author: Kids' books, romance, murder mystery, how-to's, you name it and the shop has it! In the back of the store, there's a spiral staircase leading to the second floor – though it barely counts as one, seeing as the center of the floor is hollowed out, the flooring that does exist has railings around the center. There are sliding ladders on some bookshelves, for the books higher up. It's a great place to go if you're looking for a good book to get lost in, or to meet new friends with similar interests!
If you want to see even more fun stuff, check out our links !
A mountain town with a population of about 1,700, just slightly eastward over one of the peaks overlooking the city of Synnøve. Snøhette has no roads leading in and out save for one that attaches to the ferry terminal along the Istungeelv River, but there are no other roads or highways that lead to it. Instead, residents and tourists must choose between either taking the river ferry, cable cars, or hike mountain trails to reach it, though there are some reindeer sled and guided horse riding services for the latter. The town mostly attracts visitors through seasonal festivals and snow sports such as skiing and snowboarding, with a local organic foods market stocked with regional foods grown either in the town or at Iskalddal farm nearby. The town also has a second cable car connecting Snøhette to Holde Arvid over the river and adjacent mountains, but its primarily reserved for the use of local residents and workmen rather than tourists. Being located inside the bounds of the local national park, the town sees a lot of wild animal visitors including various species of deer, wild goats, bear, wolves, and large cats.
I realized I forgot a few locations in my last post about new locations, so I decided to write out the rest here! Under Read more for Length
Crystal Woods:
The crystal woods is a beautiful place, so much so that beautiful seems like a lacking term. The area is full of crystalized trees and nature, yet it’s all entirely organic and the animals who live in the woods have adapted to the environment, eating crystalized foot or grass like it is nothing. Some animals even have crystals growing off of them - it’s an entirely strange and beautiful phenomenon that modern science is still trying to explain.
The woods might be out of the way from a lot of places (the closest city being around two hours away), but it’s not a tourist trap or even a place people visit often. There are people who come to research, people who come to buy land, but they’re all eventually turned away by the residence. The people here are almost all dwarves or descendants of dwarves, and take pride in the land they stand on. There is also a mine, like in the old stories about dwarves serving a princess, and a lot of the residence work there on a normal basis.
It’s a hub of history and tradition, and thanks to modern technology some people have gotten together to properly document all about their land and it’s history - they don’t mind it they simply didn’t want outsiders to do it, not trusting them to really understand or take everything they talk about seriously.
They do however allow new people to move in if they intend to work in the mine or on the fields to pick and sell crystalized crops (this is their major trade item with other cities / countries, and how the town has reminded in good shape for so long). Though it’s rumored that there is an...extensive interview process.
Emil and Otto are from here, and are one of the bigger families within the small town. Not just from the fact that have a lot of younger siblings, but the fact they have a lot of extended family as well. Most of which, are still pure blooded dwarves, while the twins themselves and most of their siblings are only a quarter dwarf, only having pointed ears to show for it.
Thieves Den:
The thieves den is located in a canyon, where ‘houses’ are carved into the side of the canyon wall. If it wasn’t filled with the worst people imaginable, It could be a popular tourist or vacation spot. Sadly, that is not the case. The people who live here are the worst of the worst, stealing from anyone or anything - sometimes even eachother, which starts brawls that could last all night. While they all sort of agree to follow one ‘king’ or ‘queen’ of thieves, there is no honor here, at the end of the day it’s every thief for themselves.
Still, the way they have crafted the homes in the canyon walls is both beautiful and functional. Magic and minor electricity keeps the place let up and functioning with the basics, rooms are filled with gold and other treasures gather Instead of doors there’s normally walls of beads and jewels, or expensive looking fabrics and tapestry that close off areas.
No one from the land of hot sands goes near the Thieves Den, lest they rob you blind and not even leave you with the clothes on your back. Some people from the slums seek refuge here if they have been kicked out for their ‘bad behavior’ and have no where else to go. Sometimes criminals are thrown in here by the guards of the surrounding cities as punishment for their crimes - either those criminals end up joining the den, or they aren’t heard from again.
There are two people who have connections to the den that are correctly At three wishes. One of them is unaware of the other, but the other is all too familiar with the former and occasionally tries to offer advice that only a thief could...
Sand Dune Slums:
A place that is exactly how it is described - a slum area within the Land of Hot Sands. It’s technically in the shadow of the major city (Modern Agrabah, cause idk what else they would call it honestly), so another name for the location is Agrabah’s shadow. People here are sometimes former criminals that can’t get a paying job in the city thanks to their previous record, or just people who had tried to make it big in the city and gave up at some point, or simply those who can’t afford to live in the extravagant city. Their homes are built out of layers of tarp, wood, and stone blocks - and they have to build within a certain area or else the guards from the city get mad at them, saying they’re ‘ruining the scenery’ since the city is a popular tourist spot. This is why the slums are contained to the back side / shadows of the outer city walls.
There’s a bit of a barter system in place of money, as no one really has a decent amount, ad any they’re going to spend would be spent in the city getting better quality things if that could afford it. However there’s still thugs and lowlifes here who try to steal from others without bartering at all - they only get stopped half of the time - the guards tend to turn a blind eye towards crimes that happen in the slums, focusing more on if any of the population of the slums makes trouble within the city, or throwing people out too the slums.
But, overall, the people here are pretty kind and try to welcome everyone with open arms. There’s lots of community events to keep people’s spirits up and they try to share what they get with anyone they can afford to.
Ozan is originally from here, but after stealing one too many things, he was thrown out of both the city and the slums. Left where no where else to go (other than the thieves den, but they wanted to avoid that place at all costs aswell), they wandered until they found a mirror to transport them somewhere else for them to live - which is how he came to steal items from Three Wishes Institute, and later be accepted into the headmaster’s family.
Underland:
(a big thanks to my friend Freya @twstriddle who let me use this idea that they had come up with and make a few tweaks to).
Underland is the organized crime capital of Twisted Wonderland. It is not a place you ever want to be caught in if you don’t know the unspoken rules of the place. Crime happens 24/7 here, you can barely take a look around without catching at least 3 crimes going on around you.
Having mostly been a dumping ground for the Country of Roses in the distant past, the city itself isn’t too modernized but instead has a more steam based system. This is someone’s Steampunk paradise on the surface; clock towers, exposed machinery with running gears all day and night, Crazy new inventions being made - and thrown out - every single day. Steampunk fashion is also popular and the most sold (legal) items in the city.
Among the crime families, there is one that practically rules over them all, the Pillars. They practically have a monopoly over most of what comes in and out of the city. They maintain a decent, working relationship with the other families, but they are also the most targeted because of their status. (and funfact the leaders of the Pillars are two husbands. I would say I don’t make the rules, but I very much do in this scenario).
Some say that there has been an uproar in Underland ever since someone stole items from the Pillars and disappeared without a trace.
Chronos Gate:
A stretch of land between the Country of Roses and Underland, which is a famous tourist destination. The land has been touched with time magic, now pretty much forbidden over all of Twisted Wonderland, and while efforts were made in the past to try and correct this area’s disrupted time, no success came of it and soon people founded it as a tourist destination instead.
Different areas of the land have different time zones and seasons, as time does not match up over all of the land. One step you’ll be in summer at noon, the next it might be a dark and cold winter night. The biggest attraction is at what is considered the ‘center’ of the land, time is completely stopped. A special walkway had to be made so that people wouldn’t get trapped here as they traveled through.
Each time one enters a different time, it’s considered walking through a ‘gate’ of time, hence the name of the location.
There are also research facilities set up in multiple areas of the land, studying the time magic and how to dispel it. There are people who live here aswell, but they tend to stick to the outer edges of the land - the ‘beginning’ and ‘end’ gates, the ones closest to Underland and the Country of Roses. These are the two gates that are the most accurate as far as time goes, even if they are a few hours ahead or behind the mentioned areas.
Someone in Three Wishes is very familiar how the Gates work.
Rosa Castletown:
A mysterious castle-town that only few have heard of, and even fewer been to. Apparently it used to be an entire country, but has been dwindled down to just the castle and the surrounding city - all enclosed within large stone walls.
Silas Rosamund is from here and often praises the castle town for persevering through the times, but also has slight criticism for the town as they have not all decided to keep up with the latest technology or trends. A lot of senior citizens move to the castle town because of this, wanting a nice and simple place to retire and relax. They have the basics at least, so at the very least they aren’t entirely in the stone age.
The castle town is said to be rolled by a beautiful and powerful queen, who only shows herself on special nights of the year. International holidays being a few but also a few holidays specific to the town, such as the rose viewing festival - as the castle town, if known by anyone, is known for their roses - they even have vines of roses encasing the walls of the town.
Silas actually lived in the castle as a servant, and tended to the Queen personally, so he’s one of the only ones who has ever seen her face up close.
A coastal port city in Norge which has existed for thousands of years, history tells that it was once the stronghold city of Frith, the Phoenix Goddess and Mother of Corvids. Though those days are long past, the city itself is a bustling hub of trade and tourism, with people coming from all over the world to visit the Cathedral of Frith where some of her direct descendants are said to still live today and upkeep the grounds where the remains of many of Frith’s original followers are still buried. The city boasts a population of about 75,000, and its major exports include lumber, ore, and animal products transported by cargo train down from the mountains, belonging to the Barlow Lumber Company and Furutrær Mineral Industry respectively. Besides its long industrial coastline, the city has several connections to nearby local settlements, including Iskalddal, Holde Arvid, and Snøhette. While Iskalddal and Holde Arvid can be reached via highway, Snøhette is only accessible by ferry or cable car. The ferries out of Synnøve take passengers up the Istungeelv River, while the cable cars take people directly over the mountains. Alternatively, people can also travel to Snøhette hiking on foot or by horse or reindeer sled through the mountains, but its not recommended without a local guide. Within the city limits on a small island just off the coast is the Sjøsiden Helligdom park with walking trails and an artificial bay surrounded by sea walls, large boulders, and cliffs. The park serves as a wildlife refuge and the artificial bay is a corral for holding large sea animals needing rehabilitation due to illness or injury. Some times of year, orca pods also take shelter in the park bay away from ship traffic, as do northern seals during birthing season, often crowding the shoreline in large numbers. Visitors can walk along concrete-and-glass tunnels for underwater viewing of any of the sea animals currently residing at the park, which is one of the more popular tourist attractions, but the park serves as a conservation center first and entertainment second. Park visitation is sometimes limited or outright closed depending on the season and amount of human traffic at any given time so as not to overly stress the native animal populations.
This week’s exploration post focuses on building secret rooms with a two-part exercise. As a bonus, start drawing a map!
#writing #amwritingfantasy #writers
