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- Jan 1, 2020
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Starfall
DESCRIPTION & LAYOUT
On an nearly uncharted world in the Outer Rim lies a mountain range in the northern hemisphere. This mountain range holds a caldera formed by a meteor impact millennia ago. The meteor had crashed through literal mountain tops, creating jagged new ones, in a rocky circle that blocked all land travel. Only the evidence of such an event is a noticeable crooked "V" shape that appears unnatural in the circular mountain wall where the space-borne disaster crashed through and the deep mountain lake. Where an impact crater once burned, snow melt and seasonal rains filled a large crystal lake with blue crystalline waters. The lake itself is surrounded by a dark but fine sand, intermixed with loose stones, that form a circular beach around the asteroid-made-crater.
Beyond the lake's shore, the ground is an open plain of green that leads to deciduous and alpine trees intermixing forest. The forest itself contains only birds that can make the flight up and past the caldera's towering mountain heights and similarly also denies a noticeable amount of insects or reptiles. Starfall's montane forest grows thicker the further one ventures from the meteor lake. The trees stretch all the way to the base of the mountain walls of the caldera and up the stone face until the granite and snow become too treacherous for plant life. Streams have naturally formed due to the progression of water to the lowest point, flowing into the crater lake itself. Here and there, ponds can be found among the trees leading to and from the lake, but rarely appear as one approaches the mountain wall. This very wall of rock and stone make the location nigh unassailable by ground and difficult to strike from the air. Some have even posited that it interferes with technical navigation systems, though this remains unproven.
Surprisingly for the altitude, the soil beyond the shoreline is fertile for crops or plants that can survive the climate. This is made possible by the impact creating a fine, nutrient-rich soil mixture that is protected from ground-based wildlife and other hazards. While not large enough to sustain commercial agriculture, smaller gardens or crop-shares would be possible.
When all is said, Starfall remains untouched by civilization, the grounds and waters remain pristine and idyllic.
HISTORY
The caldera known as Starfall remained undiscovered and unsettled for millions of years. The planet upon which it formed lay in the Outer Rim territories, only sparsely inhabited and not claimed by any governmental jurisdiction. It is not entirely certain if any other sentient being in the galaxy knew of the crater lake location before the arrival of Ilana Morata and Corran Velt. The pair were shot down by an unknown spacecraft sometime around 130 ABY. Doctor Morata was able to steer her damaged Quad Five courier between the jagged peaks and splashdown near the beach of the impact lake. Surviving the crash intact, the duo evacuated the ship and set up a rudimentary survival camp on the other side of the lake in a tree clearing near a pond. Here, they intended to wait out their attacker and mend their wounds.
An unknown amount of time passed as Ilana and Corran recovered from their injuries. Once fully rested, the two investigated their downed craft and discovered it undisturbed since the initial attack. Without further incident, Doctor Morata's droid was set to repairing the ship and activating an SOS signal for rescue. Over several days, the two stranded people repaired the engines, outer hull, and made the ship flyable. With some careful surveying work and the administrative talents of Corran Velt, they were able to officially mark off Starfall and its environs as claimed territory under the Settler Rights and Colony Charter laws of the New Republic and Free Worlds Alliance. The world, though, sits far outside both those governments tangible jurisdiction so the primary defense of the planet is its secrecy and the skills of Doctor Ilana Morata and Ranger Corran Velt.
INTENT
To personal lore canonize a location discovered by Killa Ree and I for future roleplay opportunities.
