Starfall Shard

Unique among the shards, Starfall (properly named Ysh'ahn in elven) was never created with a population in mind; Wynn Khajib, the Reaper who was instrumental in Genesis's creation, personally made sure the recently fallen city's ruins were included as a memorial to what was lost in the War of Dark Flames. Since then, it's been left largely abandoned other than the intrusions of various scavengers, squatters, and curious adventurers. It roughly corresponds with coastal France in the Old World.

Climate and Geography

A port city that once stood on a broad coastal plain, Starfall once enjoyed warm summers and cool winters with the temperature kept in check by the ocean's mitigating influence; the lack of extreme temperatures has been kind to the city's ruins, leaving them far more intact than they might have been elsewhere. The weather was largely pleasant and clear during the majority of the year. Though little of the surrounding landscape was included in the shard's limited bounds, the overgrown wild state that the remains of the city have fallen into suggest that it was mixed wildflower grassland and stands of oak forest. Even in its current state it's still a profoundly beautiful and peaceful location, but is considered haunted and bordering on cursed.

Population and Governance

The ruins of Starfall have no permanent population to speak of, though it sees visitors ranging from those wishing to pay their respects to the long-ago tragedy to those who are hoping to plunder some sort of profit from a place long-since picked bare by those with the same idea. A rare few make the place their temporary home, preying on the unwary or looking for a place to lay low for one reason or another, but a combination of the city's intensely haunted reputation and the occasional purge by elven forces trying to keep the place hallowed ground mean that nobody really lives there long. The idea of resettling Starfall has been raised a handful of times by different members of the elven kingdoms, but it's generally been decided that the limitations of the shard mean that the place should be left to the dead.

Capital

STARFALL/YSH'AHN
The entirety of the shard is the capital, though one devoid of inhabitants. Before the city fell, Starfall was one of the major elven kingdoms and frequently acted as the seat of the High King; its official territory was middle-north Europe and the British Isles, east to the Baltic Sea. It was long-considered to be the greatest of the mage-cities, predating Ys and Lyonesse by millenia, and was once the greatest center of culture and learning of the ancient world, attracting scholars and others from every corner of the globe. Once built of shining, pristine stone ranging from white to rosy yellow and pale pink tones, it's now only a shadow of its former glory despite taking on a new sort of wild beauty.

Other Notable Locations

THE OCEAN GATE
The archway that once led to the harbor of Starfall. It was once decorated with a vibrant mosaic of the night sky studded with falling stars, but the gems that formed the stars have long since been pried out and many of the tiles of the mosaic are cracked or so covered with grime that they're barely blue anymore.
GREAT TEMPLE OF TANITH
The god of storms and skies was considered the patron of the city, and a lavish temple in his honor was second only to the palace itself in its grandeur. It's one of the few places in the city whose adornments have been left largely untouched, since even those willing to risk vengeful ghosts tend to balk at the thought of a vengeful god.
THE SUN'S GATE
The main gate of the city, doubling as the entrance to the shard. It was once decorated with brass and gold ornamentation resembling the sun and its rays, which can still be seen on the far side of the archway tantalizingly out of reach of would-be plunderers.
THE REAPER'S WALK
A long promenade that leads from the city gates to the entrance of the royal palace, and the most likely place for apparitions to appear. Opinions vary on whether the figures that can sometimes be seen walking alongside visitors are restless ghosts, or part of some magic enacted by Wynn to allow a glimpse into a happier past.

Quick Facts

Approximate Size: 54 sq. miles
Number of Entrances: 1
Capital City: (none)

Dominant Race: (none)
Approximate Population: varies

Type

Territory