Starman

Appearance

The Starman was a human of average height and weight. He had two different coloured eyes (heterochromia). His hair was worn slicked back with the sides shaven with a big bushy mustache and a tuft of hair on his chin.

History

The Starman's name was lost due to time and his own efforts. He started out as a performer using his own name but didn't get too far. He took a name that related to his performances after many failures. His new performances would shape constelations and make them dance to put on shows. He quickly became famous after this change in style and performed for many years.

As he got older, his body became tired of the travelling life. He therefore planned one final tour around the Archipelago. He performed outside the walls of Yosethra, on the peak of Mount Noni, for the Council on Nora, at the Elven commune on Sheltleth, and finaly on the western peninsula on Basaka.

Each performance gathered massive crowds and they left amazed by his skills. The Starman dazzled the crowds with unique performances on jade platforms he had pre-built at each location. The final performance was on Basaka and it gathered the biggest crowd of them all. People traveled from every island and even from other continents to see the final performance of the most famous performer in known history.

The Starman amazed the crowd, it was his greatest yet. They were entertained for hours. Then disaster struck when the peninsula that the jade platform was built on began to sink into the sea. The last time the Starman was seen he was running toward the crowd before disappearing below the newly formed cliff. Water rushed in to fill the now vacant space. The council had their guards search for days but his body was never found.

In his memory the council, along with the Halflings of Basaka, renamed the peninsula to the Bay of Starman.

Not much is known of the Starman’s past before he became famous. Throughout his career, he talked about growing up in Reah, his initial struggles and eventual success, his normal childhood, his good friend who worked as his assistant, and his loving/supportive parents. The only person who truly knew the man behind the name, after the death of his parents, would be his assistant. Many even gossip about the possibility of the pair being more then friends and co-workers. After the Starman’s death, however, the assistant disappeared.

The Starman left a legacy that many try to honour. People, to this day, try to travel to his platforms and leave gifts in his memory. People still tell stories of the beauty of his performances and spread conspiracies that he faked his death but none hold water.

In the end, he was a man who was loved my many, but truly know by a select few. He will go down as one of the greatest of all time and one of Reah’s greatest mysteries.

Conquering the Mount

The stars shoot down one by one until the sky is completely black and there is a shining ball of light hovering above the platform. The ball bursts and the stars now surround you, encasing you in a sphere of twinkling light. The Stars then re-collect and form into a massive Yeti that growls and roars at you. It beats on its chest and bears its teeth as it takes a step towards you. It stops its approach and from behind you rushes six small figures carrying swords and crossbows. As the crossbows fire, the others rush forward towards the yeti's legs. It swipes and nearly missed the attacking figures. They begin climbing the legs looking like rats under a humans boot. When they reach the creatures torso it reaches down and grabs one of the attackers in its massive paw. Bringing the squirming figure to its jaw it bit down and it burst back into stars that return to the walls of the sphere. Two figures reach the shoulders before the creature reached back grabbing another and tossing it on the floor into another burst of twinkling light. As the crossbows fired again the last of the climbers reached the head of the gigantic monster. The figure reeled back with its blade before driving it into the Yeti's skull. In one last roar it burst into stars that hung in the air, sending the figure plummeting to the ground. As it lifted itself back to its feet the stars reformed into a crown that slowly lowered onto its head. The figures holding the crossbows approached him, dropped their weapons and bowed. The scene ends when the stars slowly drift back into the walls of the sphere.

The Chaos of the Elements

The stars gather together in a hovering ball until the sky becomes completely black. In a sudden burst they become a twinkling sphere that completely surrounds you. After a moment the stars form into a wooden gland around you. The leaves are blowing and there is even a light coming through the canopy. That light slowly dims as a cloud passes above sending down a glowing bolt of brilliant white lightning. The bolt ignites a small fire at the centre of the platform that slowly crawls across the ground, licking at the trunks nearby before engulfing them entirely. The peacefulness of the gland now consumed by the inferno that surrounds you. As the gland burns, the stars begin to collect above in a billowing cloud of smoke, swirling in the sky. The gland has been burned to nothing. The churning of the cloud calms, then, one by one, the stars begin to fall, slowly at first but then turning into a down pour. As the rain continues to fall, the cloud dissipates until all of the stars are now hovering above the ground. A moment passes as the peacefulness returns to the image. After another moment the stars begin to shift and then form into small sprouts. As more stars gather the sprouts grow larger into saplings, and then into small trees, and finally returning to the gland that you first started in. From all four sides of the platform approach four slender figures. One is holding a sapling in its cupped hands. One is holding a jug of clear, clean water. One has its hands held out, palms to the sky, in its palms are two small balls of flame. The final figure walks forwards, hands to its side with its hair blowing behind it. As they reach the sides of the platform they bow to each other as the stars begin to dim.

The Era of Peace

The stars collect in the centre of the platform in five waves. The ball then bursts into the sphere that surrounds you. The stars form into five figures representing the five races of the council, Human, Gnome, Dwarf, Halfling, and Elf. The figures stand on the five corners of the pentagonal platform yelling and screaming at the others. They turn and march off in each respective direction, turning back after 10 feet. More stars gather around the figures forming in a similar appearance. The five armies to large to count bang their swords, shields, hammers, and other weapons. Brandishing their weapons in front of them, the armies charges back towards the platform. As if hitting some unseen wall the armies exploded into a spray of light at the edges of the platform, sending stars spraying in every direction. When the stars finally settle there are the five same figures who were arguing standing among the sea of stars, now floating like a fog above the ground. The figures return to the five corners of the platform and begin conversing. After a moment the figures met in the middle and shook hands. As they did the fog of clouds behind them begin to reform, but instead of warriors, families of the five races emerge as the fog disappears. The figures return to their corners. The Elves bow, the Dwarves place a fist over their hearts, the Gnomes place one arm over another in an x on their chest, the Halflings place their arms horizontally to the ground just above their collarbone. After respects were paid all of the figures, including the families, burst back into stars. Then, as if a great wind was blowing, the stars swirl into a tornado above the platform. As they mix and work together, the stars begin shooting in every direction forming into a model of the council castle before slowly dimming.

Retaking Yosethra

The sound of hammer and anvil begins to emit from the air. With every tink of the hammer the stars of the sky drop in large swaths. Once they gather into the floating ball above the platform they burst into the sphere surrounding you. The tinking of the hammers continue as the stars shift to form Dwarven figures hammering various weapons on anvils. The figures are lined in two rows on either sides of a long hallway with large pillars lining either side. The figures hammer in exact unison as large forges burn brightly behind them. After a few moments of rhythmic hammering, the blacksmiths grab their pieces by the hilt, inspecting them, then pointed the hilt out towards the hall. Three blacksmiths on either side of the hall, holding out a total of 6 Dwarven weapons. Six warriors walk in formation down the hall, stopping once they line up with the blacksmiths. Grasping the newly forged weapons, they bang them against the shields, once again in perfect unison. The warriors break into a run, seemingly in place, but the image around them move which gives the appearance that they are moving. A massive door appears in the distance that gets bigger and bigger as the warriors approach. The doors slowly and the warriors charge through the gates. After a moment, a giant burst of flame erupted from the gates and continued to shoot for another 20 or 30 feet. Another moment passes before a Dwarf exits back out through the gates, his blade bloodied, a large dragon tooth clutched in his other hand. The figure collapses on the ground dead. A sun made of stars sets and a similar moon takes its place. This cycle repeats three times before more Dwarven figures arrived at the gates. One figure kneels and checks on the dead dwarf. He takes the tooth, stood, and lifted it to the sky for the rest to see. The crowd cheered and clapped. Turning away from the crowd he dropped his shoulders as he looked back at the body. The gates and the crowd disappear in a gust that swirl for a moment before reforming into a throne. A large crown also forms on his head and on either. On either side of the chair there are six columns with banners of six different crests for the families of the warriors who freed the city. The King takes his seat as the stars begin to dim.

A Joyous Celebration

The stars drop down into the glowing orb above the platform, It bursts and forms the glowing sphere around you. The stars form into rolling hills, but you are not stationary. New hills form as the old ones disappear like you are flying across the Basaka landscape. You are flying for a few moments as trees, hills, lakes, and plains zoom by around you. A large hill, almost a mountain, appears before you. As you reach the top of the hill you see the city of Greenflower below. The small buildings and burrows puffing out white clouds of smoke. As you head down the path into the city you pass by small buildings and burrows puffing out white clouds of smoke. As you head down the path into the city you pass by small figures working away in the fields checking on the crops. Entering the city you pass by merchants in there stalls and stores where the clerks are conversing with their customers, sharing a laugh. As you enter the residential area you can see neighbors talking in the streets drinking coffee in the morning air. You then approach one of the largest buildings, the doors open and you pass through into the local pub. The happiness and joy do not seem to be in effect in here. Among the tables there are only three or four patrons sitting by themselves nursing their drinks. After a moment more figures enter the pub, some carrying instruments, the others grab the patrons by the shoulders welcoming them to their festivities. The pub and the small tables disappear and are replaced by a large tent, a stage, and two very long tables. As they do figures appear at the tables, laughing and conversing. Arriving at the stage the musicians begin to play which causes dancers to appear on the floor. They swing, and twirl, and jig in joy. As the sun made of stars begins to set the two figures carrying violins jump on the tables, dueling as they prance down the tables. As they pass by the dishes they disappear and are replaced by goblets and jugs of wine. Reaching the ends of the tables the pair give a bow and dissipate. The sun of stars sets and the moon rises. The band slows the tempo and the dancers follow suit. They get close and sway back and forth with there partner under the moonlight. The night progresses and three projectiles fly into the air. They explode *BANG BANG BANG, sending stars of various colours flying through the air. There is no real crowd around you, but if there was you are sure that they would be gasping. The Starman had never managed to produce colour in his performances. Now, during his last, he is producing the entire colour spectrum. Fireworks of various reds, blues, greens painting the sky with their hues. The figures have stopped talking, the dancers stopped swaying, and the band stopped their playing. All are now gazing at the show in the sky as the stars begin to dim.

The Starman's Story

But not completely, the stars return to the walls erasing the previous scene. All that's left is a small boy in an over sized hat and a stick in its right hand. He was waving it around but he only produced small sparks and a wiz. Two other figures approached and watched the boy perform. They begin to laugh and jeer before pushing him down and breaking the stick. They walk off as the boy picks himself up. His shoulders hunch as he looks down at his broken wand. As you watch he begins to grow. He grows taller, his shoulders widen and the over sized hat now fits his slightly older head. The stick on the ground disappeared and reforms in his hand. Once again he begins to wave it in the air, this time he produces small animals prancing around. The images flicker and distort but he has definitely improved. The same two figures approach, they watch for a few moments before laughing. They again push him but he doesn't fall this time. When they see he has held himself up, one of the figures punches him in the gut which sends him to the ground, the other kicks him while he is down. The two figures then run off leaving the figure collapsed on the ground. Once again he picks himself up, this time throwing the wand on the floor in frustration. He takes a few steps before collapsing to his knees, burying his head in his hands, sobbing. A new figure approached, glancing at the sobbing figure and the wand on the floor. Walking over he picks up the wand and approached the performer. Crouching down and placing a hand on his back, he helped him stand back up. The new figure hands the wand back to its owner. They share a conversation before the new figure put an arm around the performer as they walk off. Together they re-appear, the performer is now wearing billowing robes with the other figure following close behind. The performer once again pulls out his wand and begins to wave it above his head. Like you have seen before, stars begin to drop from the sky and begin to dance. This is simpler and less refined but still impressive. The two figures from before approach once more, but this time they could not laugh at his attempts. More people gathered until their was a small crowd watching the performance. As the performance went on, the crowd grew in size until it is larger then you can count. Once the performance is over his head. The stars that make up the performer move down from the sky to the platform. There is nothing there now but you can assume that this was where the Starman stood during the performance. The Starman now gestures to another figure made of stars on the platform. The crowd walks away leaving the performer and the assistant alone. The performers shoulder hunch once again but not from defeat this time, but from old age. The assistant walks over and puts a hand on his shoulder. The performer places a hand on the assistants cheek before they hug each other.

*The stars do not dim this time, they simply cut off abruptly

The Hidden Visions

1. The stars slowly fade and an apparition of a hooded man walks towards a door at the centre of the platform. The figure knocks and another aparition, this one being elven in appearance with a scar over her right eye. After a short conversation the hooded figure is ushered through the door. Before closing the door the Elf scans her surroundings making sure no one else is around before closing the door.
2. The hooded figure and the scared Elf work at an alchemical work station. The Elf turns a small know that sends a stream of liquid into a small glass bottle. The Elf hands it to the figure who inspects it before slipping it into a pocket in its robes.
3. A figure, unfamiliar to you approaches a man untangling a spool of rope. After getting his attention they have a short conversation. The rope man rubs his beard and paces for a moment in thought. Finally he returns to the first figure and they shake hands.
4. The unfamiliar figure and the hooded figure approach each other and embrace in a hug. As they disengage the unfamiliar figure takes out a small bundle that the hooded figure takes and places into his own robes. The hooded places a hand on the others arm before walking off. The other figure hunches his shoulders and rubs his face before walking off in the other direction.
5. The pictures flicker but then solidify. The hooded and unfamiliar figure approaches the scared Elf who is looking over maps. When they reach the table the Elf points out a location on a map. They both nod before shaking hands. The Elf rolls up the map and hands it over. The pair then walk away.