The Starless Story

[The City [EclipseZwolf]]

The Starless Story
A general backstory to all characters participating in Starless Dusk. All knowledge within this piece is considered general knowledge that all characters in the game possess.

The Starless City, a massive city covered in a perpetual twilight that extends farther than you could imagine. It is here that you currently call home, though that may be a generous term. After all, you are held here, forbidden to leave. You along with a billion other prisoners, some whom are happy to remain while others plot and scheme to find some miracle to escape. The overwhelming majority of them, regardless of their feelings on the matter, will never again set foot outside the Starless City. You sorely hope you are not among that sordid populace. You still recall the vividness of your true home and can see yourself someday returning. You have not lost hope.

You know you did nothing deserving of such a fate, to be held here until your dying breath, but such arguments fall upon deaf ears. You recall wandering into this city without realizing the impact of doing so. You don't truly recall how you got here, but you do know that somehow you seemed to pass through some kind of tear in the fabric of your world. The path home sealed behind you and those who can reopen it refuse. Though, they did explain to you where you are and gave a reason, poor it may be, as to why you cannot leave.

You had wandered into The Starless City, a unique world which serves as a boundary between all other worlds and dimensions. To pass through from any world to another requires passing through the Starless City's domain. The City is ruled by a being known only as the Starless King, who possesses god-like powers and is rarely seen by the regular inhabitants of the City. Supposedly, the King's directive is to prevent any mingling of multiple worlds and dimensions due to some truth only he is aware of. In order to maintain his order, he has commanded that all who enter the Starless City must remain forever.

Thoroughly unsatisfied with the explanation you were led to your new home, one of the many buildings within the Starless City where you learned your fate is not so uncommon. An uncountable number of people are trapped within the Starless City, living their lives within the twilight. You became acquainted with a number of these people during your stay in the City and it is through them you learned how the City functions and the people are cared for.

The Starless King does not directly interfere with matters regarding the civilians of the Starless City, rather he leaves that work to a group known as the Starless Lords. The Starless Lords are each responsible for a section of the City and it is their duty to make sure those who live in their sections are taken care of. Taken care of including things such as food, drink, and tools, as well as making sure no one leaves the City. The Lords monitor the tears between worlds and capture anyone who passes through while preventing others from sneaking out. It is with voices bitter with envy though, that you learn how the Lord take care of their subjects.

The Lords are granted special permissions from the king and may open and close paths to other worlds as they wish. Not only can they open the path, they are also allowed to leave the Starless City for periods of time, required only to return and take care of their section of the city. Using these powers the lords come and go as they please, bringing back things from the myriad worlds for the Starless Citizens. These things brought back from other worlds are what fuel you. The taste of home is still on your lips and fleeting reminders serve only to amplify that desire, while other new things fuel a desire to have so much more than just home.

You resolve yourself to find out how these Starless Lords came to be, and if you cannot escape, you shall become one. As you investigated and searched you did come to learn about the procedure through which to become a Starless Lord. Supposedly, there is a competition held by the Starless King and the Lords to determine who is worthy of becoming one of the Lords. The problem is it is one of the most well kept secrets among the lords and you had to take risks to learn, so you took those risks.

Each of you took different risks to learn about the Lords. Some of you tailed them as they passed through your homes, while others attempted to break into where the lords stayed to find secrets written and hidden away. You all had one thing in common though. You were caught. A particular Starless Lord walked in on your break in, caught you snooping, or snared you as you fled. She didn't bother to introduce herself, merely to demand why you were doing as you were, though based on her smile you think she already knew. When you admitted it though, her reaction was much different than you expected. Her grin grew wider and she praised you for having the drive and greed to step forward.

Then, she extended the offer. Would you like to partake in The Black Clash, the Trial by which all those who wish to become Starless Lords are tested? She eyed you as you got over the surprise of suddenly being asked such as question, as if sizing you up. Without much further hesitation you agreed to take part in the Trial regardless of what it may include. Her smile grows wider and she orders you to follow her. You pass through a section of the city before finding an abandoned city block. She unlocks a sealed gate and leads you inside. She tells you to wait while she gathers more for the clash and leaves you there wondering what exactly you have gotten yourself into...