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twracehorse · 2 months

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IMHTA? (Is My Horse The Asshole?)

I (2_?F) have been exploring the forest of Hollow Woods, gently collecting fireflies for the druids so they can use the light from them. Don't ask me what they do with them, I don't know!

The more fireflies I collect, the further my training with the druids proceeds. I have gotten to the point where I can self-make hay that'll be nutritious enough for horse consumption. However, my current steed (17M) refuses to eat the hay I crafted. After all the time I spent gathering fireflies (which he has helped me with, it's also good exercise for him), and the training in the garden, and the collecting of the necessary supplies to craft the hay, he still will not indulge in my hard work!

He's being inconsiderate of my time and craft abilities, only willing to eat hay sold at stalls around Jorvik. It's disheartening. The hay is not inedible, so is he being the asshole?

#Star Stable #Star Stable Online #SSO #ssoblr

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starshinedragon · 4 months

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SSO: WINTERDALE Fan written main storyline

The Map of Winterdale:

The Life Warden Trees of Winterdale:

Story design:

-> This is the updated version of an old post, taking into account the new main story quests and describing the quests in much more detail. -> It takes place after aging Concorde up and escaping Devil's Gap, after all of the main story quests up to 2023 December. -> Part of SSO Rewritten (my writing project of the whole story of SSO until defeating Garnok). You can find the story related posts with the tag "sso rewritten" -> Phases 1-2-3 is the main story so far, here I wrote phases 4-5-6 which are the main story quests connected to Winterdale.

-> The area of Winterdale was established in the Star Stable Winter Riders game and I added elements from SSO (kallters, rangers, druids) to fill in the empty places. The focus characters of the Winterdale main storyline are going to be Katja (as the main opponent), Linda (as she is her rival), Mr Sands (redemption arc) and the kallters. The setup for them is already in the game with the extremely effective hook when the MC spots them in Dino Valley leaving. The thematic guide for the Winterdale story is the rumor of the Ice Witch, already suspected to be Katja. The final confrontation of this phase is tied to Garnok and Pandoria.

So saddle up and get ready for the adventure!

PHASE 4 – Entering and exploring Winterdale

PART 1: Icestorm

Unlocking Winterdale:

-> MC is called to Valedale. At the runestones before the portal spiral leading to the Secret Stone circle, we meet with Avalon, Evergray and the druids who arrived from Winterdale. The leader of the Winterdale druids is Cairn Stevenson (middle aged, but younger than Evergray, white beard, blue and brown robes) and his horse is a white Percheron wearing new brown and light blue druid tack, called Ossian. They came to ask for help, since the storm in Winterdale has gotten worse. Last night a huge blizzard hit the valley and they think it is magical and suspect the hand of the Ice Witch might be in it. They are unable to dispel it and ask for the help of the Soul Riders.

-> We ride with them through Dino valley and they give us some exposition about Winterdale. They say Pine Hill ruled over most of the valley historically. They tell us about the cold micro climate, when the kallters migrated from Dino Valley to Winterdale, and that the current persisting winter storm started many years ago. The storm is sometimes weaker, sometimes stronger, but always present. It cut them off from the other parts of Jorvik as the Frostfire pass leading to Ashland and the Seaview pass leading to Marchenghast froze over and the blizzard halted the works on Northlink tunnel. The Lord of Pine Hill mansion, who has the strongest voice in how Winterdale runs itself does not seem to care anymore. Avalon asks them how did they leave and intend to go back to Winterdale then if there is no way open.

-> MC, the Soul Riders, Avalon, Evergray and Cairn arrive at the Icengate where Nanook and Sedna (kallters) wait for us on horseback. They perform a ritual and open the magical lock on the passage. The team is escorted through the tunnel of ice and rock, made of a similar design as Stonecutter’s vault. Halfway through it Magnus Steinar’s ghost appears as he guards this tunnel. Sedna tells him everyone here is a friend and they are to have safe passage through the Icengate whenever they please. The team exits the tunnel high in the mountains and looks over the snow covered Winterdale valley ravaged by the blizzard.

Fighting the Storm:

-> The team descends on the steep Meander trail (from the Winter Rider game) and arrives in Meander Stables, where the druids set up camp. You are greeted by Eric Lowe, the owner or Meander stables. There you are introduced to the other druid characters of Winterdale by Cairn. They tell you of the situation: the magical storm started some days ago and won’t stop. Katja’s frost powers wreaks havoc, flash freezes sweep across the valley every other minute and the winds, snow and raining icicles destroy houses, stables and threaten to freeze everyone to death. The team is asked to help the valley. MC agrees to help, while the druids try to figure out a solution to stop the storm.

-> MC is sent on four different missions in four consecutive days with the Soul Riders to introduce you to the layout of Winterdale. For each mission, you go to a location in Winterdale to help the people fight the storm by dispelling frost, gathering firewood, saving the animals, etc. To get anywhere, you have to ride through the storm. Each time a flash freeze is coming you have to take cover. Icicles rain on the way indicated by the circles appearing in front of your horse that you have to dodge. You and your Soul Rider partner get there, help out and return to Meander. First, you go with Lisa to Cape Point village, next with Anne to Icewind Station, then with Linda to Pine Hill village and finally with Alex to Anvil Woods Druid Village and back to Meander.

Dispelling the Storm:

-> In the meantime, Evergray and the druids tried everything and figured out that they can’t dispel the storm alone and need help from Fripp. MC is sent to ride back to Valedale through the Meander trail, Icengate passage and Dino valley (there is not an available trailer in Meander yet- not until you open Northlink). You ride to the spiral portal in Valedale and fail to open the way.

-> Katja appears on horseback, cornering MC, tells you that they have blocked your access to the Secret Stone Circle. MC vows to stop her terror of Winterdale, but she just laughs and tells you not if I stop you first – forever! She sends fer frigid powers after you. You race back to Meander the way you came, dodging icicles and also Ice Spectres, that are like shadow seekers, but made of mist and frost and are controlled by Katja. You get back to Meander and tell the druids that Katja blocked you from opening the portal. Evergray is unusually cheerful about this and when they ask him why is this a good thing, he tell you that he figured it out. Katja blocked you from going to the Secret Stone Circle, because the solution lies there. By uniting the power of MC, the Soul Riders, druids and kallters and Fripp, you will be able to stop the storm. Avalon, the forever optimist points out the only problem is getting there.

-> You can actually get to the Secret Stone Circle on foot, however, there is one problem besides the storm, and that is the cursed Nightmare Forest. You have avoided it so far, taking the paths next to the Meander river, but now you have to go through it. As only the Soul Horses are strong enough to go through the storm and the dark forest, Alex, Anne, Lisa and Linda are riding double with Cairn, Avalon, Sedna and Uyarak (the other magic user of the kallters beside Sedna) and MC takes Evergray. You ride through the storm, hiding from the flash freezes and ride into the dark forest. The Nightmare Woods in covered in snow and ice, shadow seekers patrol and dark blue and purple wisp-like spirits drift amidst the gloomy trees. The team takes the path through the abandoned Crescent Lake Ranger Station up to the Aurora pass and then the western road leading up to Starshine Mountain. You ride up the steep mountain path (design based on the Starshine Legacy games) and get to the broken bridge.

-> Katja appears behind you sending an army of Ice Spectres. You run through the narrow path and jump the broken bridge. She stops before the jump and her horse rears, not being able to come closer to the Secret Stone Circle. Fripp awaits you in the circle and tells you don’t worry, no servant of darkness can come into the circle again, because he woke up the guardian tree of the Circle: Astral Crown. You see the formerly leafless big tree towering over the circle now covered in azure and lilac leaves, that shine like stars. The riders dismount and form a magic circle, everyone positioning themselves in front of each runestone. They perform a ritual and dispel Katja’s Icestorm from Winterdale.

PART 2: Exploring the valley

The Roads to Winterdale: Marchenghast and Northlink

-> Now that the storm is gone, MC can properly explore the valley. The Secret Stone Circle’s portal to Valedale is open again. A cutscene takes you back to Meander so you don’t have to ride through Dino valley again. Eric, the owner of Meander stables thanks you for saving the stables and the village and promises to put in a good word for you for each place in Winterdale. The Meander Championship is unlocked, it runs through the Coldstone forest and Frostbitten fields.

-> After the full introduction to the Meander area, it is time to open Winterdale properly for people and the horse trailers. Eric sends you to Cape Point to meet a ranger friend of his (Aiobhinn, the leader of the Winterdale rangers) who will lead you through the Seaside pass up to the Marchenghast Castle. Eric apparently knows everyone in Winterdale.

-> At the Marchenghast Castle they open the gate for you. There are very few people and servants there and MC meets the lord of the castle. He was told that you stopped the storm and asks how. As you can’t say magic, can choose from different stupid options to try to explain scientifically how you stopped a whole blizzard. Whatever you choose, Lord Marchenghast laughs and says he know about magic in Jorvik, don’t worry he just thought you would be better at lying. He opens the gates and grants you safe passage through the castle and estate and sends you on your way. The rocks have been removed from the road in Goldenhills and cars can now access it, opening the trailer options in Winterdale.

-> MC rides to the Baroness and tells her that the storm is over and the work on the Northlink tunnel can continue. You are sent to tell this to the workers. While the main story calls you back to Meander, the tunnel dailies are now unlocked, requiring you to help in the work for seven days to build the tunnel.

Rangers and Pine Hill:

-> Eric tells you Aiobhinn liked you and is willing to properly show you Winterdale, now that the storm is gone. You are led though Coldstone forest with the blue crystals and trail riding pathways and arrive in Explorer’s Rest Ranger Station. You are going with Aiobhinn as she checks on all of her rangers throughout the valley. You help the rangers clear the paths covered by the snowstorm, unlock races. They show you the path leading to Frostfire pass, but it is not accessible, until it melts.

-> Next, you ride north, and he shows you Pine Hill village and tells the gossip about the lord of the mansion, Mr Sands. You meet the people of the village and stables, unlocking many side quests. The ranger shows you the Rimefang woods, but you only ride on the path next to Meander river, because the forest is infested with wolves. Frosted mammoth pine trees, fallen trunks, misty woods. If you go too close to a wolf, it will start to chase you and you need to gallop to lose it. If it catches you, you are teleported out of the woods with the message: “Your horse got you out, but be careful, next time you might not be this lucky!” She tells you there is a hidden kallter village in the middle, but you can’t reach it, unless they invite you.

-> You ride to Icewind station. You meet Henry Stevenson(the old guy from the Winter Riders game), second in command to Aiobhinn and brother of Cairn who is the leader of the rangers at Icewind station. He reports to Aiobhinn and tells you the rumors about the Nightmare Woods and that there are two abandoned stations there. They plan to man them again one day, but not until the woods are haunted. You unlock side quests and races in the Icewind Woods.

Druids and Cape Point:

-> Aiobhinn remains in Icewind and Henry offers to guide you through Anvil Woods to meet the druids and his brother. You ride to Anvil Woods and are introduced to their Life Warden Tree, Wise Leaf. They built their village around it. The tree is a gigantic oak who talks in verses, metaphors and talks like an old wizard and is generally whimsical and wholesome. In the side quests, you help the druids fight against Dark Core, as the corporation wants to cut down the forest. The Anvil Bay Championship is unlocked (joint project of the druids and rangers, organized by Henry and Cairn, running through Anvil and Icewind).

-> The druids tell you of their brothers and sisters in the other druid village of Winterdale: Jorwatch. You go there and meet them, unlock quests. They tell you that they guard the path leading to Jorcrater, since noone is allowed to enter as it is too dangerous. Finally, MC is asked to meet Fripp and Cairn in the Secret Stone Circle and you are rewarded with 100 Star Coins (just like at the end of each phase).

PHASE 5- The Kallters and Mr Sands

PART 1: The Redemption of Mr Sands

Secrets of Pine Hill Mansion:

-> Meeting at the Secret Stone Circle. The dark side have been awfully quiet lately and the Soul Riders suspect they are up to something. With Pine Hill Mansion so close, Linda proposes a plan for she and MC to sneak into Pine Hill Mansion (like she did in Starshine Legacy 2) and gather information. MC meets Linda in Pine Hill Village and they wait for nightfall.

-> The hole in the wall Lisa made back in SSL 2 is still there, hidden by a bush, but Linda knows where to find it. It is dark now and you have to find your way through the maze. You do, but there are some guards and dogs outside the house, you have to sneak past them. This time, unlike in the game, you get in through the greenhouse after finding an open glass panel. Linda tells you of the adventure they had here back in high school with Lisa, when she got stuck up in a scaffolding. Luckily, the house itself is empty so you are free to wander.

-> In the main hall, Linda shows you the pictures of the Soul Riders she saw last time here. However, there are four new pictures on the walls, paintings of the Dark Riders (Sabine, Katja and Jessica) similar in style, wearing similar ceremonial dresses. The fourth picture is still covered with a tarp, high on the wall, so you can’t see. MC and Linda get into the library and start looking for clues. Linda finds Sands’ journal. They find out about Rosalind, who was burned at the stake hundreds of years ago for being a suspected witch. She was in fact, a druid and Sands hates the druids because they didn’t save her. He himself turned to dark magics trying to bring her back, but only managed to reach Garnok, who offered him immortality and Rosalind back if he helps the forces of darkness achieve victory.

-> Mr Sands appears and captures them, trapping them in two magic circles. Linda and MC focus their powers (playing a slider-click mini game), but cannot bring his spell. Linda asks him about Rosalind and tells him she understands why he did it, but this is not the way. She manages to upset Mr Sands enough to break his concentration and MC breaks the magic circles. Linda makes a moonlight flash and they run away, escape through the main entrance. Meteor and MC’s horse wait for them there and they escape Pine Hill Mansion.

Saving Justin (again):

-> Katja makes a plan to lure the Soul Riders into a trap. Just like she kidnapped James in Starshine Legacy 4, she now plans to kidnap Justin. Justin has discovered his druid powers since meeting the Singing Yew in South Hoof and has been training. Justin was to meet MC for training in Silverglade, but he doesn’t arrive. After waiting a bit, you get up to investigate. MC finds signs of struggle and uses moon vision to see what happened. You see Katja surprising Justin and even though he tries to fight back, Katja charms and mind controls him, like she did to James. You call the Soul Riders to tell them Justin was kidnapped, but they say Katja already called and gave them an ultimatum: she wants MC to come to Dark Core Platform and bring their Soul Horse.

-> It is an obvious trap, but you have to go. No sneaking this time: you are to meet the goons at the DC ferry in Moorland. MC and their horse are brought to the platform and led in front of the portal, where Katja, Jess, Sabine and Mr Sands wait for you. Katja is keeping Justin in a magic circle at the edge of the platform where he last fell and Mr Sands is not happy about this situation at all.

-> Katja says get on with it, sacrifice MC’s horse to bring Garnok into this world. MC uses her powers to make a shield around them. Katja says fine, then I will push Justin off the platform and time you can’t save him. MC asks Sands if he is going to let this happen? What would Rosalind think of him now? She would surely not want a kid to die so she can live again? Mr Sands hesitates, doesn’t know if he is willing to sacrifice Justin for a promise of Rosalind. MC says Garnok is a force of destruction, not life and he is lying to Sands and cannot bring back Rosa, but Justin lives and he is his family. Katja is waiting for permission from Sands and she is getting more impatient by the minute. She yells at Sands to give the order and he can’t.

-> Katja pushes Justin off the platform and MC can’t do anything from the shield. The Dark Riders laugh, but Justin levitates back up. He says he has been practicing and just like his mother, Catherine, he is also very talented. He didn’t like almost dying the last time and prepared for this case. Katja is furious, and raises her hand at him, saying, cute, but cheap tricks won’t save you from the true power of darkness. She shoots dark energy at him, but a shield appears around Justin, cast by Mr Sands and it reflects the power back to hit Katja. The explosion also dazes Sabine and Jess.

-> Sands shouts at MC to flee and take Justin while they are dazed. Justin jumps on your horse and you also want to take Sands. Before he can react, a blast of dark energy hits him from behind, cast as a joint spell of Jess and Sabine. Jessica says I have always wanted to do that. You have to flee and leave Sands there.

-> You escape the platform and leave with the little boat to Goldenhills. You ride to Jasper’s farm with Justin and meet the Soul Riders there. Jasper is scolding you for getting Justin into trouble, doesn’t like this druid business that took his Catherine from him. You tell the others what happened. Linda speaks up, says I am fine with being the one to say it, but we need to save Mr Sands now. Justin agrees.

Saving Mr Sands:

-> Meeting at the Valedale spiral, going to the Secret Stone Circle, Justin is also there. Reporting what happened to the druids. All druids from Harvestlands and Winterdale met to debate whether to save Mr Sands. The conclusion is that we need allies and intel so we are going to rescue him from Dark Core. The others say we cannot be even sure that he is alive, so Linda and MC conjure up a moon vision to look for him. It shows that he lives, but barely, kept captive in some unknown Dark Core facility. You have to find out where.

-> Spying on DC with Derek. As a government agent, he knows where and how to get the information to find Sands. MC, Justin and Derek go to every possible Dark Core location and follow a trail. Finally we end up at the station above Valedale and manage to find a photo validating that Sands have arrived to the location of his imprisonment. It is not written where as DC is very secretive about him.

-> We meet up at the Valedale spiral and show the picture to the others saying that is all we have found, ready to give up. Lisa looks at the picture and recognizes the place: it is the DC Barricade, where she freed Starshine from is SSL 1. It is located just north from Anvil Woods, but the road is closed so we need a boat again.

-> Going to Cape Point to find someone willing to ferry us there. The Soul Riders and MC all plan to go and we manage to convince Justin to stay in Cape West as it is too dangerous for him to come. With the guidance of Lisa, we sneak into the DC Barricade at night. Linda conjures a vision and now that we are closer, is able to find Sands. He is held in the main building where Starshine was also held. MC, Lisa and Linda are going on foot, trying to find Sands, while Alex and Anne take the horses to a point where we can get on to escape.

-> We go through the Barricade and see many weird Dark Core projects, shipments of drakonium, artifacts, pandorian creatures in cages and imprisoned in a runic circle there is a massive, formless shadow monster. We can only see its glowing six eyes and huge clawed hand. We manage to sneak into the main building and find Sands in the same cage where Starshine was imprisoned. He spots them, but someone is coming. MC, Lisa and Linda hide and see Katja is there to taunt Sands.

-> She laughs. Oh look, how the mighty fall. Held captive in the very cage where you imprisoned the first soul horse. Another failed quest of yours. You could not get anything done even back then. Maybe I am going to be the new general of Garnok now. Sands tells her no, she isn’t going to be as she is nothing compared to Elise. You are weak, Ice Witch. You compensate well with your smarts, but you always were and will always be weak. And you know Garnok only values raw power. You are nothing to him.

-> He knows this will make her lose her cool. Linda realizes this is an opening and attacks Katja. They duel and Katja is too angry to concentrate. MC and Lisa get the cage open and get Sands. Katja wants to shoot him with dark power again, but Sands throws it back at her, weakening her a great deal. Katja uses an illusion spell, but Linda had enough of her magic. She counterspells, makes Katja lost in her own illusion labyrinth. The team runs and gets on the horses. Alex has stolen the remote opening the gates as Lisa instructed and we escape. We get to the shore and the ferry takes us back to Cape Point. Justin meets him and Sands says sorry for everything.

-> Mr Sands reconciles with Justin and the Baroness and moves back to Pine Hill Mansion. The Pine Hill Championship is unlocked. He becomes our ally, gives the Soul Riders important information about Dark Core and the Dark Riders. He promises to help us against Garnok.

-> MC has a vision: Darko has been stuck in the realm between worlds ever since Elisabeth’s sacrifice. Now Garnok needs a new general, so he rescues Darko. MC tells this to the others and Sands warns them that Darko is unpredictable, dangerous, very power-hungry and not to be underestimated.

PART 2: Cleansing Starshade Woods

Gathering intel:

-> The Nightmare Woods are still inaccessible, infested with darkness and shadow seekers. Team meets up in Meander, Linda’s idea is to check on Mr Sands and ask him for help in cleansing the Starshade Woods. MC and the Soul Riders ride up to Pine Hill Mansion and knock. A very grumpy Mr Sands opens the door and tries to send you away. You convince him to let you in, but he continues to be extremely grumpy. He leads you to the library.

-> You ask him what he knows about the Nightmare Woods. He tells you it is was the dark side’s plan to stop you from accessing the Secret Stone Circle, Darko, Jess, Katja and Sabine all kept throwing their worst dark magics to corrupt the forest. Over the years, the Starshade woods got so dark, the druids had to leave, the rangers had to leave and now noone dares to go into the haunted forest. Sands doesn’t remember all the monsters and magic that was thrown in there, so the Soul Riders keep investigating and find lists of them.

-> Sands also tells you, that the forest has a dark secret, but even he doesn’t know what it is. You have to find out if you want to cleanse the forest. Going around Winterdale, asking to people about the Nightmare Woods. Long investigation, eventually you go to Lord Marchenghast, but he only gives you cryptic answers. You investigate the Baroness’ and Fort Maria’s library too to find out more about Lord Marchenghast.

-> You find out what happened in the Starshade Woods hundreds of years ago: that was where the witches (druids) were burned. You and Linda go to Marchenghast Castle to confront the lord about it, but you cannot find him. You go into the castle and get lost in it, realizing it is cursed. You keep wandering and see the pieces of history as it was basically a tragic misunderstanding and the then young and gullible Lord Marchenghast was pressured into ordering the burning of witches. He and the castle was then cursed by one of the dying druids to suffer misfortune until he admits the truth. You and Linda finally find him in the „throne room” of the castle. Linda realizes using her powers, that the visions were not the complete truth, the castle shows you the lies of Marchenghast. You get him to admit he is not blameless in the tragedy and it is his fault as well. When the truth comes out the curse of misfortune is lifted. Marchenghast gives you a diary of the events.

-> The main story continues as you prepare for the Battle for Starshade Woods, but the Matchenghast Castle side quests are now opened. Lord Marchenghast wants to open the castle as a museum for the public and host an equestrian championship. MC is tasked to try to convince people that the curse is gone. You get merchants and horse people to come and organize the first Marchenghast championship. As the name roughly means „dark fairy tale” new magic horse breeds will be available to buy here after you do the introductory fairy tale quest line for them.

Preparation:

-> MC and the Soul Riders make a plan for the Battle for Starshade Woods. Now you know the druid ghosts, that originally haunted the place and the dark creatures the forces of evil put there. You have to find ways to neutralize each. Linda briefs you on the plan: come back every day to decrease the darkness of the woods to a manageable level until we can finally go in to cleanse the forest. You get a progression bar and have to complete daily quests for some weeks like with the Rune Runner grind.

-> You get multiple, various dailies every day. One quest is always soul riding, where you are sent into the edge of the forest to close a portal, vanquish a dark creature, etc. The other two are coop quests with one of the Soul Riders. With Lisa, you sneak in, avoiding the hostile creatures and heal and cleanse plants and animals from the darkness. With Alex, it is basically a sniper mission, you ride to a high point and shoot Shadow Seekers with lightning. With Anne, you use your light powers to dispel the dark wisps, collect their light and use it to cleanse a patch of forest from the darkness. With Linda, you ride to certain points in the forest and dispel Katja’s illusions by playing various mini games.

-> Every time you reach a milestone in the progression bar, you get a quest about the druid ghosts that died or were burned in the forest. The druids were five in total: Nimue, Moria, Lucius, Einar and Rosalind. You have to help the ghosts find peace. First, you find them in the forest, then you solve their murder (for example one was frozen to death by Katja), you make their last wish happen (e.g. take their bones out of the forest and to the place where they want to rest eternally) or bring their descendants to meet them (convincing people to come meet a ghost in the haunted forest is tricky). Lucius was Marchenghast’s friend and now wants revenge on him. MC convinces him to just talk and maybe tell him to go to hell, but Lucius ends up forgiving him and from now on lives in the castle.

-> Rosalind is the last one, who wants to meet Sands when you tell her he is alive to make sure he is okay. You bring Mr Sands to the Nightmare Woods and Rosalind says goodbye and tells you all that now she can rest in peace. The progress bar is completed and the Battle for Starshade Woods can begin.

Battle for Starshade Woods:

-> Druids, Soul Riders and MC gathering in Meander again. As the darkness decreased in the woods, Sabine and Jessica appeared attempting to restore it. You cannot let them undo your work, so it is now or never. The plan is to sweep through the forest, dispelling the final remnants of darkness and cleanse the Starshade Woods for good. The battle takes three days.

-> On the first day, you go into the part east of Crescent Lake station and disperse the remaining Shadow Seekers and dark wisps with the soul riders. The druids march behind you, cleansing the trees and animals. You get to Crescent Lake station, but Jessica is waiting for you there, defending it. Boss fight: she stands in the middle with a magic shield around her, powered by Shadow Seekers she summoned. You have to charge your lightning powers with the „catch a runner” soul riding mechanic and shoot the shadow seekers. After that you can hit her shield and defeat her. If the timer runs out she releases a dark explosion that knocks you out and you have to start again. When you defeat her, she retreats into the dark woods. You have taken the eastern part of the woods back.

-> The next day, you meet up in Cape Point village and do the same dance. You cleanse the part of the forest west of Storm Hill with the druids coming behind you. Sabine is waiting for you at the top of Storm Hill, promising she won’t go easy on you like Jess and makes a circle of fire around her and MC. Her bossfight works similarly to the Mr Anvir fight in Pandoria, except she is the monster chasing you. You have to dodge waves of fire, falling firebolts, gather sparks of power the Soul Riders summon to charge your attack and then run into her. She flees and you have Storm Hill Station.

-> The third day, you help Lisa and Anne first in pushing the front in Crescent Lake, then you fight with Linda and Alex in Storm Hill. In the middle you find Darko who is ready to unleash a massive dark creature he borrowed from Garnok. The thing is standing behind him in a cloud of darkness and you can only see its glowing evil eyes. Darko says if the forest can’t be theirs then it will be noone’s and the creature will have it. Mr Sands appears and taunts Darko. He says maybe you got what you wanted but it is not as easy being Garnok’s general as he thinks. Mr Sands counterspells Darko and the creature attacks its master. Darko teleports them both away in a panic and we win. Linda asks Sands if Darko is dead, but Sands says probably not, he has proven quite difficult to get rid of. -> The Nightmare Woods are cleansed and it returns to its original state: the Starshade Woods. It looks similar to the Hollow Woods, but with blue wisps flying around and also has a mother runestone and quests. Now we can get to the Secret Stone Circle on foot and the Winterdale rangers send people to the Crescent lake and Storm Hill Stations. The Starshade Championship is unlocked.

PART 3: The Kallters

The Blizzard:

-> Katja appears once again and unleashes a blizzard, but only on the Rimefang Woods. MC and the druids want to help, but noone can reach the kallter village unless they are invited. MC goes into the blizzard into Rimefang Woods anyways, trying to dodge the wolves. They start chasing MC and you run, but end up cornered in a gorge. A kallter girl Erika and her wolf Idun appear and save you. She leads MC to their village.

-> You meet the kallters: the council of leaders are Takuraq, Sedna, the high priestess and Uyarak, the spiritual leader (kind of a druid) whom you already met in a previous quest. Erika is the daughter of Takuraq. You have already met Nanook, who is a horse breeder. Malina and Anniq are the twins of Sedna, girl with golden hair, boy with silver and they do a little moon and sun circle magic. Kauyar is the main wolf trainer and Nasami is his wife.

-> MC is led into the communal hall and the council of elders accept your help against the wolves and Katja, but you have to gather reputation before progressing with the main story. Erika introduces you to the kallter village. It is in the middle of the Rimefang woods, next to a small lake. You have fishing dailies here. All of the kallters have their own tame wolves that keep the wild ones away from the village.

Gaining their trust:

-> In order to be able to properly help them and move around in the forest, you need a wolf. MC is sent to speak with Kauyar, who helps you bond with a wolf. They will run next to you in the Rimefang Woods and keep the wild wolves away so now MC can go wherever in the Rimefang Woods. You name it like you name a new horse you buy.

-> MC gathers firewood in the forest, helps repair the village walls, lights fires that the storm estinguished. In the forest, you have to hide from the flash freezes and dodge icicles, like in the first storm when you entered Winterdale. You have chores in Nanook’s stables for the fjords. You are introduced to Silver Runebark, the kallters’ Life Warden tree, that keeps Katja’s storm from destroying the village. When running around in the Rimefang Woods, you can sometimes see a wolf bigger and meaner than the others watching you. The kallters tell you it is called Amarok, but are strangely secretive and refuse to tell you more.

Fall of the Ice Witch:

-> Once you gathered enough reputation, the main storyline continues. The wolf pack of Amarok attacks and MC helps Nanook protect the kallters’ fjord horses. Katja is there, helping the wolves wreak havoc and using her ice powers. She says she has finally come to have revenge. MC helps stop her from freezing the village, but Nanook is cornered by the wolves. He turns into a bear and fights Amarok. The wolves are driven back and Katja flees.

-> Sedna and Nanook tell MC, that Katja is half kallter and hates them, wants to destroy the village. Nanook and his brother were cursed by Katja into a form of a bear and a wolf. MC agrees to help break the curse. The brothers have to trust each other again to break it (Amarok thinks Nanook betrayed him). Sedna and the twins help MC.

-> You have to find clues on how to break the curse. With Erika, you sneak into the den of the wolf pack using your magic. You find the writings of Amarok that he wrote before going crazy and permanently becoming a wolf. It tells you the full story of how Katja became like this. For looking different, having strong powers and being only half kallter the villagers treated her like an outsider and blamed her for every bad thing happening. She eventually got recruited by Garnok and destroyed the kallters’ previous village in Dino valley, making them leave for Winterdale to find a Life Warden Tree, that can protect them from the monster they created.

-> You confront Sedna and Nanook with this and they admit it is the truth. Nanook also chose the village over Amarok at one point and he is bitter. Amarok in turn used his wolf form to hurt Nanook’s horses and the cycle goes on. Erika says this is stupid we cannot be like this or the village is done for. Katja appears in front of the gates. She says now you see MC, I have a good reason for doing this. Help me get justice. MC says no and Katja unleashes the strom, blasting open the gates and the wolves pour in. Nanook changes into a polar bear and fights Amarok again, wins. Katja wants him to give in to hatred and strike Amarok down. This way he would complete the curse and stay as a bear forever because of his hatred. MC shouts to him not to and Nanook realizes. He changes back into a human and holds out a hand, saying i forgive you brother and hope you can forgive me as well. Amarok has managed to change back to human as well and takes his hand. The curse is broken. Katja shrieks impossible, but she cannot do anything. MC and Sedna unite their power and dispel the storm and Katja flees. Amarok returns to the village and the wolves of the Rimefang woods are no longer hostile.

-> Unlocking the Kallter Championship. You are rewarded with 100 Star Coins as it is the end of a big main story phase. The Wintersoul grind: the second "free" horse, like the Rune Runner. Now that you have completed the kallter questlines, you can start the soul riding-like grind and reputation collection with Uyarak. The Wintersoul is a special silvery-gray kallter fjord horse with ice blue kallter markings and it wanders in the Rimefang Woods. It was created when the a remnants of katja’s evil storm was trapped in a horse that ran away from Nanook’s stable. It has part of Katja’s power, freezing parts of the forest around it, needs to be tamed and who better to take care of it than MC.

PHASE 6 – Apocalypse

PART 1: Ashland and Sabine

Frostfire:

-> The dark side is properly angry now, that you have defeated every one of them again. They gather more dark power and openly attack Winterdale, sending Sabine to wreak havoc with her fire powers. Sabine always wanted to prove herself as best- now she wants to prove herself to Garnok, drunk with power.

-> The siege lasts a week, Sabine attacks different magical parts of the valley each day, until she depletes the powers she got. Every day MC gets called to a location and has to stop her. She brags about showing you all, that she is better, stronger, than Katja, who failed, just like Sands. Once the week is over she leaves and noone like the calm before the storm. The Soul Riders decide you have to figure out where she went, but before you could get on with it the earth shakes and there is a plume of smoke rising from Ashland.

Ashland:

-> This is bad. You have to get there to stop whatever Sabine is doing before she makes the volcano erupt and destroys half of Jorvik. First, you five are taking Avalon, Evergray and a Winterdale druid and ride to Explorer’s Rest and a ranger escorts you to Frostfire pass, but it is still frozen over. The druid says there is another way into Ashland. You ride to Dino Valley, but of course the path is still frozen.

-> The druid directs us to go talk to the Life Warden Tree of Dino Valley in the summit. Glacier Heart is peacefully slumbering still and we debate how to wake her. Before the team decides on anything, the ground shakes again and she wakes. At first she gets angry at you, but you manage to explain to her, that this is not your doing and you want to go to Ashland to stop it, but the path is frozen. Glacier Heart sighs: Do I really have to talk to her? Can’t you people just melt the ice of the road? The druid tells her respectfully that we are in a hurry, trying to stop the volcano from erupting and covering half of Jorvik in ash. That does it, because Glacier absolutely does not want warmth in her valley.

-> You can hear the telepathic communication between the trees. Glacier Heart calls out to her sister, Fire Glory in Ashland. She is very chatty and very ADHD and very excited about everything. It takes some tries for Glacier to explain to her that people want to go to Ashland, but the road is frozen. Fire Glory is very excited that she will get visitors and says hold on one second. She uses her fire powers to melt the ice on the road and the path to Ashland is finally open.

-> The team rides to Ashland and arrives in Ashfall village. There is a small community living there, some families and druids. The people grow extraordinary fruits and plants in the volcanic soil and the druids are stationed there to watch the volcano. Ever since the first quake, ash is falling from the sky like snow and the ground shakes here even more often. You ask about Sabine, but they didn’t see anything as they had to hide. You leave your druids in the village and go to ask Fire Glory about her.

Firefall:

-> Meeting Fire Glory, who is on one of the surrounding peaks, overlooking a valley. She likes the warmth in here, can’t image living in a cold place like like Dino and won’t shut up about how much she finds the fires beautiful. Linda politely shuts her up saying surely she would not want the valley to burn tho. She says no and we ask her is she saw Sabine. She did see her.

-> First, Sabine went to the caldera, and tried to control the fires to empower herself, but could not. Glory then saw her running around in the valley looking for something. We ask if she knows what, and the tree tells us about the Firestones. Hundreds of years ago, then the mysterious meteor shower rained pandoric stones, many landed in Ashland. Along the years they collected the fire energy of Ashland, and their pink glow turning to orange, they have become Firestones. Sabine is probably looking for these.

-> The Soul Riders and MC run around Ashland to collect the stones before Sabine does. Two progression bars show your and Sabine’s stones collected. When you found all you can, you return to Ashfall village as the druids found some more firestone locations. You go out, get them and now you have more stones, than Sabine.

-> When you return to the village however, you find the Soul Riders locked in anti-magic nullification circles. They tell you Sabine came and she was stronger than the four of them and she kidnapped Avalon. Alex tells MC that you are the only one still strong enough to defeat her, that’s why she attacked them separately. Sabine called you all to the volcano to surrender or she throws Avalon into the volcano.

-> You five ride up to the caldera. Sabine is at the edge, holding Avalon with magic over the lava. She’d drawn five more anti-magic circles and orders you to stand in it and surrender. Your lives for Avalon’s. The Soul Riders and MC all do, their powers are useless now.

-> MC has a plan to play on Sabine’s weakness. You kneel before her and admit defeat, saying she was right, she achieved what Sands could not, succeeded where Katja failed and Dark Rider Malumi is really the strongest opponent. The Soul Riders look at you like you’ve lost your mind and their reaction sells it to Sabine, who lowers her guard. Then you push Sabine and blast her with lightning and reach out for Avalon, barely catching him. Sabine falls into the lava and as her concentration is broken so are her magic circles and the Soul Riders help you pull Avalon up. Alex says nobody tell Fire Glory, but I fripping hate this place.

-> You collect Sabine’s firestones and go back to the village. As you have no use for them, you take them all to Fire Glory. She is very happy and melts the ice blocking Frostfire pass, opening the final blocked path to Winterdale. You ride back there.

PART 2: The Fall of Pandoria

Spying:

-> With Sabine gone, Katja weakened and Darko hurt by his darkness creature the Keepers of Aideen decide it is the perfect time to strike. Council meeting in the Secret Stone Circle, making a plan for how to defeat Garnok. Fripp tells us that he found the weakest point of Garnok’s prison: the Pools of Pandemonium in Devil’s Gap. He tells us that as of right now, he is imprisoned between the dimensions, that’s how he is able to access both Earth and Pandoria and that is how he was able to get Darko out of there. We debate different plans, but no decision yet.

-> The Soul Riders gather in Fripp’s rooms below and say that Linda and MC should scout DC using visions. You sit down to meditate and a series of cutscenes take place. First you see Darko standing in front of the portal, talking to a shadowy figure in it. They talk about Garnok’s return approaching, but the plans have been set back, since Sabine fell. The dark figure says my return also nears, you just have to buy some time. Darko asks what strategy you suggest and the dark figure says: They are so trusting in each other, it is disgusting. Time for some doubt. Conquer and divide, sow discord, make them make a mistake.

-> Darko’s evil plan, what we don’t see, is to make the Soul Riders send Garnok to Pandoria, where he will gather even more energy, will be stronger than ever and will be able to finally anchor himself to Earth. Darko knows MC is spying in a vision and he stages a scene. MC and Linda see him and Jess talk about how they must stop the Soul Riders from banishing Garnok to Pandoria.

-> We tell what we have seen to Fripp, not knowing this is a trap. Fripp thinks it makes sense. We have to sacrifice one world to save the other. We tell this to the druids and they agree to the plan, believing Garnok will be powerless and unable to reach Earth anymore if we manage to banish him to Pandoria. However this decision really divides the good guys, as a lot of druids believe Pandoria is not evil, there are creatures living there and the Keepers swore to protect all life. Evergray doesn’t like it either: How would you feel if someone decided Earth has to go, just so your world can live?

-> Ydris appears: How indeed. I believe one would feel quite resentful towards said people and would swore never no help them with anything ever again. Some druids ask him how did he get in here, but he just point at the runestones. I am pandorian you imbeciles. Typical humans. You surround yourselves with the magic of my world, take what you want and let the rest rot. Don’t count on my help when Garnok comes to destroy you all. Zee rears and they vanish.

-> The druids still go ahead with the plan. MC and the Soul Riders are piecing together the ritual that they will use to imprison Garnok in Pandoria. You go to the libraries of Silverglade, Fort Maria and Pine Hill with Linda to study magic circles. You gather magical herbs with Lisa, practice portals with Anne and go to Pandoria with Alex to gather crystals.

-> Now you only need to go to Devil’s Gap and convince Sive to let you do this. Linda stresses the whole way how will you convince Sive to give up the ancestral home of the vala (even if they drew power from Garnok’s prison), but when you get there she’s nowhere to be found. The Chaos Vortex is worse, than ever, a storm is raging above the gorge and lightning strikes. MC goes well that was easy, but Linda says easy never meant anything good for the Soul Riders. You go back to Fripp to report that you are good to go. Your final quest is going with Anne to close all of the portals to Pandoria.

Devil’s Gap:

-> Arriving at Devil’s Gap: the team still debates wheater they should do this, but settle for yes, they won’t have another chance like this. Using the many narrow, winding stone pathways of the valley you draw the lines of the magic circle. At certain points you carve pandorian runes into the rock walls as makeshift runestones. You make the whole valley into a big magic circle to open the gate of the prison for a moment, then banish him to Pandoria. The success of your mission relies on the fact that he is technically still sleeping.

-> Once the magic circle is done, however, Garnok stirs. MC has to ride with each Soul Rider to four different points of the valley and help them activate a rune, before riding to the middle. While riding through the pathways Garnok’s tentacles appear (like in SSL 4 and when you escaped Pandoria after finding Anne). You activate the four runes and manage to ride to the middle to complete the ritual. Garnok roars, a portal opens and the dark presence leaves the Pools of Pandemonium and is sent to Pandoria.

-> The good guys think they have won, but trouble hits immediately. Darko appears on one of the rocks above you, laughing at how you fell right into his trap. He meddles with the spell. Linda and MC have a vision of Garnok turning Pandoria dark blue and purple, breaking the islands and laughing, deep as an earthquake rumbles through the doomed world.

-> You have to act immediately. MC and Anne open a portal to Pandoria and the Soul Riders go there to stop him from destroying all of Pandoria. Once he’s done, he will also come for Earth, your only luck is that he is too busy breaking Pandoria. Linda directs you to make a binding rune, similar to what you did in Devil’s Gap. Riding around, dodging his powers. You manage to contain Garnok in Pandoria, but the realm now answers to Garnok and tries to kill you. Escape from Pandoria, the portal is collapsing. Some sun circle druids sacrifice themselves, staying behind to stabilize the portal, while we escape.

PART 3: The Hope of Pandoria

War effort:

-> Pandoria is off-limits now. All the portals are closed and the locations are guarded by druids to alert us if anything tries to come through. Garnok is empowered by Pandoria and even through he cannot come to Earth, his evil magic can reach it. Garnok-effect appearing everywhere in Jorvik, the sieges led by Katja, Jess, or Darko. MC has to fight it with soul riding quests.

-> Chaos in Ashland, a fiery entity terrorizes the valley. The Soul Riders are sent there to investigate. Sabine returns as a flying fire-ghost entity(the ghost model is like in the picture in SSL 3's Pandoria) and she is really pissed at you. She joins the sieges.

-> This cannot go on, we need a plan. MC suggests to use Jessica. We need information, have to find out how to defeat this kind of void power and how to seal Garnok back to sleep. Jess has a rivalry with Katja and still wants to outdo her to show Garnok she is the stronger one. We organize an ambush: Anne is the bait. When she attacks her, all of us appear and say we just want to talk. We manage to strike a deal with her- in exchange for information, she will have a victory over us that Katja did not. Some druids and Anne are against this plan, but they have to make a sacrifice to have a chance.

-> Jess tells the info we need right away. Anne is suspicious, says she must be lying, why not wait until we fulfilled our promise? Jess says because she can count on the good guys being disgustingly honorable and if she told something useful, they will surely make good on their promise. Jess reveals that Pandoria can be saved if we bring Garnok back to Earth to his prison. The prison ship also used the dimension between world to keep him imprisoned. If we manage to do this, his generals will lose a good deal of power also. Linda still uses moon power to see the truth and announces that she’s not lying.

-> Agreeing on the plan: the Soul Riders are to attack the DC Barricade, pretending that we are trying to free the creatures and get the artifacts. Now we cause all kinds of havoc in DC territory. Katja and Jess arrive to protect it. MC and the Soul Riders have set a trap for Katja and we imprison her in a circle. As Darko arrives Jessica attacks us and we pretend to fall back to put on a show for him. Jess got a good point from Darko for defending the barricade, while Katja failed again.

-> We tell the information we got from Jess to Fripp and he agrees to the plan. We need to try and save Pandoria even if it means endangering Earth, as we cannot let another world be destroyed by Garnok. We just need to convince the druids of it when we get the chance.

Shadowfrost

-> Evergray calls us to meet in Valedale. Why hasn’t Sabine come back to her human form? Evergray suggests the Dark Riders can be defeated by the combination of their own power and their opposite Soul Rider’s. For Sabine it was fire and lightning. Jess must be defeated by darkness (in Pi’s swamp) and Anne, Katja by ice (in Dino vale) and Linda. We plan to make these happen. We split up: MC helps Anne and Lisa defeat Jess first, while Alex and Linda prepare to defeat Katja. If we manage they too will turn into elemental ghosts (shadow and frost), like Sabine. They will still be able to fight us, but without human consciousness, just as primordial powers. Until they get their bodies back, this will leave Darko alone in fighting us.

-> Anne and Lisa lure Jessica into Pi’s Cauldron Swamp, playing on her pride. Anne can go all in, make it seem like she gave in to hatred, then when Jess is sure she will win, Anne reveals Jess has walked into a trap pursuing Anne. She stepped in the darkness seal made by Pi, which draws power from Jess’s magic. Lisa, Anne, and MC focus their powers on Jess, she disappears, a dark ghost flies away from the swamp. This was the easy part.

-> MC, Alex and Linda go to Dino Valley, but Katja knows already what happened to Jess, she is angrier than ever. Finding her at the Ice Witch portal, she attacks us. 1st race through Dino: to lure her to the frozen lake, where we can fight her. 1st phase: Soul-riding-like bossfight in the frozen lake, Katja has a frost shield. Dodging icicles, Linda helps see where K’s magic will hit, so MC can dodge it, Alex shoots her shield with lightning. MC has to keep them ice-free, free them if they are iceblocked. Without Linda, MC can’t see where the ice will hit and without Alex it is only her shooting the shield. After removing half of her shield here, Katja starts breaking the ice on the lake.

-> 2nd race: to the higher valley, through the pine forest. The 2nd phase of the fight takes place amidst the ice columns, same fight, lightning strike her, remove her shield. She is defeated, but with the last of her power, summons illusions of many characters, hides herself as one of them. Linda and MC is find the one and point at it for Alex to blast it with lightning. When Alex turns, the illusion wears the body of James. Katja begs Alex as James not to hurt him, but Alex collects the storm from above the valley and lightning strikes her. A frosty ghost flies away. Cutscene: Darko roars and curses before the portal of DC platform as the three elemental ghosts hover before him silently.

Saving Pandoria

-> Soulriding stuff all over Jorvik, fighting the three Dark Rider entities. The Keepers try to agree on the plan. The options: A, Fully sever G’s connection to Earth and get rid of hom for now (he still may find a way back later) and let Pandoria die, or B, Save Pandoria by bringing Garnok’s full consciousness back to his Earth prison, just like Jess said. The alliance finally decides to try to heal Pandoria, sever Garnok’s link to it and defeat the monster on Jorvik for good.

-> MC and the Soul Riders are going to the Garnok-ruled Pandoria: instead of pink, it is dark blue now. We are trying to stay hidden and set up a base camp. Anne really hates being here, we have to talk her into not breaking We have to avoid Shadow Seekers and corrupted creatures. We manage to heal a small bit of Pandoria.

-> Darko notices this and comes to confront us. He siphons power from corrupted Pandoria and gives the Dark Riders their human bodies back. They are so empowered, they are just toying with us. We take part in the three bossfights for each of them, losing in each. Our Soul Rider partner magics us to safety every time, but ultimately, it seems like we have lost. Our Aideen magics start to weaken as Garnok gets stronger. His giant silhouette appears on the horizon in the distance in an epic shot.

-> MC still wants to try and fight Darko, but he blocks all your pathetic attempts at magic. The Soul Riders are on the ground, giving up. Even Lisa says all hope is lost. Then, Ydris appears with the Hope of Pandoria to save the day. For him it transforms from a fridge into a pink and golden blazing Sun and flies up to the sky its searing rays of light burning away garnok’s darkness. The low roar or a kraken reverberates from the distance.

-> Ydris combines his power with the Soul Riders’ and MC's, but Anne is still on the ground. He shouts at Anne: Stand up Sun of Pandoria and help us send him back to his prison! Concorde walks to her and holding onto Concorde, Anne is pulled to her feet. She guides the spell, and we banish Garnok from Pandoria completely, back on his prison ship on Earth, fully anchoring him to Jorvik. Darko and the Dark Riders are also sent back to Earth.

-> Linda walks up to Ydris to thank him, but he says he is still angry at them for doing this to Pandoria. He only helped the world, but still won’t ever help us again. Pandoria is accessible again, but parts are still corrupted and in ruins. Garnok is banished from Devil’s Gap and the Chaos Vortex disappears.

-> Victory, end of main storyline in Winterdale. You get a reward of the final 100 Star Coins upon returning to the Secret Stone Circle and the druids talk about possibly soon heading north to meet their brothers and sisters in Spring Valley.

TO BE CONTINUED!

THE OTHER PARTS:

SSO Rewritten 2nd Part: Springvalley https://www.tumblr.com/starshinedragon/716459529087401984/sso-rewritten-springvalley?source=share

SSO Rewritten 3rd Part: Summerplains https://www.tumblr.com/starshinedragon/726343248992419840/sso-rewritten-full-story-series-summerplains?source=share

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kate-embershield · 1 year

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Sso: Hey are you here for the riding program??

MC: yeah

Sso: GREAT, we’re never bringing that up again btw

So, just going to casually drag this blog kicking and screaming from the depths of Pandoria for a hot second to introduce an idea I’ve had for a wee while...

✨Jorvik Riding Academy ✨

Nestled in the heart of Jorvik, a quick ride from the city and connected to the current playable map by the tunnel in dundull, towering above the landscape as it clings fiercely from the cliffside Is Jorvik academy. A sprawling fort turned school, the imposing structure offers teachings and housing for thousands of students from around Jorvik and the world. With stunning facilities and miles of land dedicated to horsemanship, the academy offers countless programs from veterinary courses, Dressage education, western riding and more.

Unlocking central Jorvik, and by extension the Academy, would require players to have a high reputation with the Baroness & Jorvik rangers, as the Baroness initially starts the quest, requesting you aid the rangers in their expedition.

Clearing the tunnel would be a few daily missions after initially clearing the first roadblock. Clearing boulders and collapsed earth would be the rangers duty’s, every daily revealing small passages, caves and beaches, while the player clears brush and small debris.

Eventually the last of the blockages would be removed and Jorvik’s central plains would be free for exploration. Coming out of the tunnel would have the player meeting up with the Eastern division of the Jorvik Rangers, who would in turn point you towards the Academy.

Before reaching the Academy, Players would most likely want to explore an updated and expanded Jorvik city. Players would be able to explore the more rural area on horseback, the area mostly being NPC houses and a cafe or two. But once they ride into the more populated area, much like the current city, players would be required to dismount in order to go further. It would be mostly the same, catching trams to go to different areas, but unlike the current one, players would be able to get to these areas on foot as well, a few more cafes, restaurants and shops hiding in explorable alleyways and streets.

In order to reach the Academy however, players would take the main road out of the city, following it across the plains, passing a few farms, herds and a few mounted NPC’s, some sporting the Academy uniform. Eventually players would come across a grand gate nestled in a small forest, slightly ajar and sporting horses galloping across the wrought iron. Following the cobbled path, glimpses into the thinning wood would show jumps and obstacles set up, more NPC’s following the track. Continue following the road up a winding incline and you’ll be greeted with a grand stone arch proudly sporting the academy’s name and banners, green flags adorned with a silver pegasi. A little further would reveal the first building, a covered area much like the silverglade one, with a few daily races ranging from dressage, to jumping, and western trials. Climb further, passing more areas, some solely dedicated to certain disciplines, and you’ll find yourself at the front gates of the Academy, a towering fort resembling more of a small castle than any school. Once you pass through the imposing doors, a grand courtyard covered in greenery, stables nestled in the ivory walls.

The interior would hold classes as Daily’s, contents being the history of Jorvik and its people, learning about the different horse breeds and the origins of different riding disciplines. Daily classes would be held in the classrooms closest to the entrance, majority of the rooms being empty, great places for more close knit club meetings and roleplays.

The stables would be similar, a block sectioned off with the doors open to the world, allowing players from all over the server to stable their horses temporarily, being able to stable your horse next to your friends without relying on the home stable. These stables would also have a connected indoor arena.

This would also lead to another few levels in the personal stables, a few more stalls, bigger tack room with the ability to display favoured sets, an updated feed room with the current stalled horses names appearing on feed buckets, and a big upgrade, a personal riding arena. The ability to customise the home stable would be good here, being able to choose a style based on discovered areas, being able to display seasonal decorations year round.

Another addition included with the Academy would be players appartments, a dorm wing introducing the ability to have a private place for the player to display trinkets and ribbons attained trough play, and finally put the furniture to good use.

Since the Academy teaches all disciplines, I’ve put together a handful of sketches of different sets, some basic ones purchasable after completing a tour of the academy, and more unlock-able after building reputation with the Academy's riding team. Forgive me for not including a western set, it’s still in the works. If anyone has any ideas on more sets, you are absolutely encouraged to voice them. I’m also still working on tack, though much like western, that isn’t my strong suit.

I’ve also included a few more colours variations if people aren’t fans of the green.

I’m currently working on a sketch of the academy grounds.

If you’ve made it this far, please share your thoughts and ideas, I would love to know what people think. I know realistically that Ashland and the rest of southeast Jorvik would be opened first if anything, and with devils gap opening soon, that is hopefully what’s in the works, but a girl can dream.

#sso #star stable #star stable online #sso ideas #jorvik #Jorvik riding academy

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thecedarchronicle · 5 months

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I played through the new beginning of the game and I have to say it's much better than I was afraid it was going to be. I like the angle of MC first discovering another side of Jorvik through the Moon Circle, it feels like a good introduction. Especially since it happens right after you create the first connection with the canonical soul steed!

Except - what's the deal with seeing the Soul Riders right out the gate? I understand wanting to introduce your new players to the main characters as soon as possible, and maybe I am put off since I'm already familiar with them, but it just seems way off. Why is Lisa taking complete beginner classes at Moorland when she's already learning under Herman at Jorvik Stables? Why are all five of them so keen on befriending this random kid? I'm glad they didn't introduce more NPCs to immediately abandon but it doesn't feel like the right fit. Also, am I missing something? Why is Maya the instructor? Isn't she a stable girl trying to save up to start taking riding classes?

I'll be clear I don't want this to sound like I'm bashing on SSE. I really really like the new start of the game. I think it's a much gentler introduction and in general a way better tutorial. I actually feel like I know why the MC is here and what's going on, and as a result immediately feel way more grounded in the story. I just think their choice of characters did them a disservice.

I'm no professional writer, but I think it would have been really cool if Maya was the student learning with us. She could even be the person sharing the cabin with MC. Give MC and Maya a chance to bond as the "newbies" and become friends during the first day, and you immediately have a good reason as to why the MC would be invited into the Soul Riders' group.

Maybe the next day, after having a strange dream, Alex comes and visits Maya, and when you approach them to start the day, you overhear snippets of the conversation they didn't really intend for you to hear --- something about Dark Riders following Anne to France, and hopefully she's safe, or that Lisa just got back from tour, but she's not responding to any of Alex or Lisa's texts, asking Maya maybe Lisa's done with all the magic and danger?

Or maybe MC mentions something they see in their dream that Maya recognizes. MC overhears Maya mentioning it to Alex and realizes these two girls know way more than they let on, and later MC follows them to eavesdrop and gets the drop on the two of them + Linda saying some really incriminating stuff about the druids and Aideen, and once they realize MC is there, they finally give an explanation. It would give MC some more agency in the story, too. Instead of being told to "go here with me and you'll be given answers" MC decides to explore the underbelly of this place themselves.

Although. A really cool thing. Would be if you advanced along the main story to get to the druids and they admit to you that Fripp or whoever sensed a huge energy shift and realized someone of huge power had arrived on the island, and you find out that the entire first couple of days on Jorvik all five of them were just doing this huge undercover operation on you to figure out what your deal was. Because if I was a new player and wasn't familiar with SSO's brand of storytelling I would have been so suspicious of them the entire time.

#sorry for the long post i had a few thoughts #all in all i really like it though!#i was worried over the pictures i saw of the dream sequence but i am relieved it was a dream and not like. the apocalypse happening #it was a really sick sequence too #SSE really really outdid themselves #and erissa's idles look SO cool!#also seeing justin + anne without her scars was so cute #ssoblr #star stable

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writingonjorvik · 3 months

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What do you think about the main story ending after playing the game for so long?

The story isn't ending. That's not like a denial response, the story isn't ending. That would be an incredibly poor financial decision on SSE's part.

Look, maybe it is. Maybe SSE is aiming to wrap up SSO and shut down the servers on the end of the story arc. We don't know the pace of "Beginning of the End" coming out, it may give SSO three more years to finish telling the one story they wanted to tell. But on account of SSE finally redesigning early gameplay, it makes very little sense to overhaul all of SSO's gameplay and then shut it down shortly after. That kind of change should set SSO up for many more years to come. But I don't see ending the story and making SSO a social hub kind of MMO really being good for retention. I'm sure there are some, but if the story ends completely, then a chunk of folks are going to get caught up and stop coming back. And when those folks start to dwindle, so will other groups of folks because there are less and less people online.

What is happening is the end of the Garnok arc, which I've already said, needs to happen. This story has been being told since 2005, almost two decades at this point. It needs to end so the story can stop getting written into a corner, particularly when it comes to introducing new NPCs. And after Garnok gets defeated, SSE is open to telling all kinds of stories and introduce new characters, just some of which being:

What's up with the witches and their coven politics? How do they feel about the Vala? Are there more Vala? Is their magic affected in any way by not having access to Garnok or Pandoria?

If the Soul Riders and druids lose their powers after the Garnok fight because the connection with Pandoria is severed as Ydris said had to happen in the quests, how are they going to handle new threats? How does not having their powers affect the Soul Riders as people?

What does happen to Pandoria after Garnok is gone? Defeating Garnok doesn't remove all of DC or the damage they did, so what happens after?

What happens between the druids and DC afterwards? Like in actual politics, there are massive explosions going on in the modern era, someone is going to report that. There are going to be legal battles for both sides, how do those play out?

Most recent story snack has introduced morally gray trees, what are they going to do when the connection between Jorvik and Pandoria is severed? Do they still have access through the Brambletween or do they need to seek out new worlds? Can they survive without a source of magic to sustain them?

We're only seen 1/4 of the island of Jorvik, that's 3 more massive zones to be added (I will circle back to this one).

Half a dozen other portals we don't know where they go to like the Doors and the Icendell portal, not to mention other worlds like the Cloud Kingdom and wherever the Caprans are from. And anything else the Between or Brambletween is connected to, all possibilities to explore.

The politics thing again, DC getting overthrown leaves a massive power vacuum, assets, and probably some of the generals behind. SSE can handwave killing goons all they want, but I doubt they'll have the PC kill any of the generals, so what happens to them after? Do they die when Garnok dies? Who tries to step in to fill the void? Sure there's no Garnok, but there are all of the resources DC had and bound to be another world full of magic that can be manipulated. If it's just power they're after, I'm sure whatever rainy day magic DC had could still give someone quite a bit of that for a while to come.

Ok, but what does happen to Jorvik when the connection with magic gets severed? There is so much magic infrastructure built into the island now, what happens when it fails? What parts of it are native to Jorvik at this point? Do those things start dying? Does Jorvik establish its own source of magic? Does it bring back Aideen? Does it fully cut Jorvik off from Aideen? That could hypothetically kill the magic horses, and I don't think SSE would let that canon happen, so where is that new magic?

What happens to the MC after? Like do they lose their magic? Like, congrats, you got dragged into this quest after coming here for summer camp, like 3 months later you've got no magic and trauma. One of those I don't see SSE tackling, but where I can see the Soul Riders retiring or being more cyclable characters in the story, the MC has to be in the story. So what happens to them after? How do they reestablish themselves as important when their chosen one task is complete?

Secret other option, there's so much lore, I'm sure y'all can find another thing from the new lore that I don't remember.

I think the most set up story arc after the Garnok arc would be to start the Witch Wars arc. We know witches don't get their magic from Pandoria, so following the defeat of Garnok and the loss of Pandoria's magic, it makes the most sense for the druids to try and take some pointers from Mrs. Holdsworth. Which opens up the politics in the fallout of the druids vs DC battle and the sudden shift in magic between covens. And with the Vala making a very big play in the end of the Garnok arc, I'm sure there are some other witches with some feelings. Established NPCs there to introduce us to new NPCs, follows through on questions left over from the previous arc, lots of potential for new gameplay. That also sets up perfectly for a new 1/4 of the map, the northwest corner, as we know the shadow witches are in Northern Jorvik, and the fallout with DC very reasonably could take us to Pine Hill Mansion to make sure there aren't anymore loose ends/contingency plans Sands has set up.

I think also that folks should start working through the idea that the quarters of the map will be locked behind a paywall, like an expansion. There are plenty of buy to play MMOs who have this model, and I think realistically, it's one SSO will follow. Also following other MMOs, $20-$30 USD for several years of expansion is well within a reasonable ask in my opinion. It's not a microtransaction, it's a permanent add on, and I think holds way more value than what that amount of SC can get you in game currently.

But yeah. It would be a very poor financial decision to keep SSO going and not continue the story, and I think SSO is making too much money to not continue keeping the game going, so that would need a new story. There's going to be a new main arc, some archthreat comparable to Garnok, and a new way of looking at magic, which would time perfectly with SSE's promises of letting us use magic more actively. Start a new magic system, don't worry about adapting over the original one into mechanics.

#woj theories #star stable #star stable online #sso #starstableonline #starstable #sso blr #ssoblr

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frippschamber · 1 month

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🔮 ⤷ UFO Crash Site

Today I had the pleasure of visiting the UFO Crash Site, an interesting hidden location in-game. With so little information surrounding it and its purpose, it has got me thinking about the origins of this UFO and it's meaning to the overall Jorvigian lore and storyline.

Location:

The UFO Crash Site is a named location that is located at the coordinates X:137, Y:119 in Northlink, just behind the Baroness' Racetrack and Silverglade Manor.

Its interesting placement is in the currently greyed-out area of the Northern Mountain Range, and as far as I'm aware, the only accessible area in this region that is allowed.

Following a dirt track behind the Championship at the Racetrack, the UFO Crash Site can be accessed through a secret pathway hidden behind dense foliage further up the track.

'They Come In Peace':

'They Come In Peace' is an achievement that can be unlocked by dismounting in-front of the UFO and typing '/gestures' in-chat (a hidden player action that cannot be accessed through the emote menu!).

On a side note, I did try completing this achievement, but for some reason have not been given it. Whether that's a bug or that gaining the achievement has now been removed from the game entirely I'm not too sure.

Theories:

But do they really come in peace? Several ideas floating around about the history of this UFO suggest otherwise.

The most common theory about this UFO suggests that this was the ship that contained Garnok when he arrived in Jorvik.

Little is known about the details of Garnok's arrival, but it is said that he crash-landed somewhere off of the coast of the island in a starship (an idea first introduced in Starshine Legacy: Episode Three), which would also explain why there have been some appearances of him off of the coast during both the trail-ride in the Halloween event, and in Starshine Legacy: Episode Four.

This does question the validity of this theory, as the UFO Crash Site is not only miles away from any coast-line, but is also in the middle of a mountain range.

Other theories suggest that since we now understand that Fripp also does not come from Pandoria, but similarly also from somewhere unknown, this could be the ship that transported him here instead. In my personal opinion, I think that this could make a lot more sense theoretically, but given, again, the lack of canon information surrounding Fripp's origins, it is all very up in the air.

However, we can explore the reasons supporting why Fripp may have a connection to this mysterious ship. Location-wise, the UFO is located in the Northern Mountain Range, and therefore very close to where Valedale, the entrance to the Secret Stone Circle, and the majority of the known Druids live. Also, as simple as it sounds, I think that the blue glowing symbols all over the ship itself seem to correlate more with Fripp and his appearance than with what we know of Garnok.

References and Image Credit:

Star Stable Wiki, Garnok

Star Stable Wiki, UFO Crash Site

Star Stable Forums, WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE CRASHED UFO/SPACESHIP?

Starshine Legacy: Episode Three mural images from the awesome Tumblr user @viktoropalmoon!

Various in-game images were taken by me.

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I really hope we get more information on this weird little area, and perhaps about its importance to the history of the island. Perhaps if we ever get more access to the rest of the Northern Mountain Range, we'll get a chance to discover more about it!

If you have anything that you think should be added to this, let me know! It's such an interesting bit of lore that I feel would be really cool to talk about! :))

Here's a little celebratory picture of my character by the UFO at the end of my little trip:

Have a wonderful rest of your day :)

🔮 ⤷ Maya (they/he)

#[🌠: theories/lore]#honestly i reckon its a spaceship that bought over hannibal and alexander cause they are FREAKY #sso #ssoblr #star stable online #starshine legacy #star stable #star stable entertainment #star stable theory #sso theory #sso theories #ufo #ufo crash site #northlink #garnok #fripp

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nellie-frogblanket · 6 months

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my hopes for the hollow woods update

first and foremost BIRDIE MUST SURVIVE!! i am a proud member of birdie nation and i hope they are still in hollow woods. if they have a new look or not i dont mind im comforted by birdies present and birdie deserves to be here

the cows look more naturally placed and less constipated. idk if its just me but the cows look so.. forcefully placed?? maybe its just me im not sure

WILDLIFE EVERYWHEREEE i know this has been shown in the teasers but id like hollow woods (and jorvik in general) to have some more wildlife as honestly it seems a bit dead. i live five minutes away from woods and its teeming with life so i hope hollow woods mirrors this.

building off my previous point id like it not to have such a grey tinge. ive seen some other ppl comment on this but from what ive seen the updated woods look super green. like brocoli.

idk if it has a specific name but id like the little building on the river with the watermill to still be there, its so cute.

keep the flowers please. the current ones are quite garish in colour but theyre still quite pretty, a new colour would suit them. i think the island needs more flowers in general

tbh id like the secret stone circle to be more secluded, imo it seems quite out in the open. i think if it was hidden more it would add to the whole vibe of the druids (what sentence has my keyboard just written)

the summer house to be even more scary, it creeps me out and i wish it did more

MORE TREES i know there cant be too many otherwise it would be impossible to manoeuvre but when i was riding round for my previous post i noticed there wasnt actually that many trees. i mean its hollow woods

sophies race to have the same course just look different. i quite like her race because its a little challenging but not too much, esp as i dont do it often

this isnt a hope just a comment. im so excited for fina ways (her name is so ridiculous i love it) orienteering its gonna be sm fun with the update. im gonna get my bf to do it and watched him get vexed

the shore of the silversong river to be luscious. i dont have any specific ideas but i really like it and i cant wait to spend some time there i find it quite peaceful

thats all folks, if you made it this far then thankyou!! im so excited for the update, my bf said he wants to explore it with me which is so sweet. please say your ideas or wishes for the update, id love to hear them <3

#i want avalon to go on his roomba cycle around the woods once a week #birdie nation #birdie fanclub #birdie #birdie sso #so funny how birdie comes before the regular hashtags #sso #ssoblr #star stable update #star stable online #starstable

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dorianwolfforest · 4 months

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The thing is, the old loading screen art would show off beautiful jorvik landscapes, animals that aren’t in the game yet but we can assume exist on the island in some capacity through the art, bonding between horses and people and between friends, people having fun exploring the events, just everything that makes Jorvik beautiful and magical.

And the new loading screens are a place for SSE to stick mannequins in their most recent clothing collection, and their new horses and pets. The Winter Village loading screen has NOTHING to do with the village, it’s just SSE going “hey look, shiny new dress!”

Basically here are some thoughts on the new loading screens

#sso #ssoblr #blows up star stable entertainment with mind #yes yes Dorian’s using DE references. how original

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twracehorse · 1 year

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Hello hello! I'm trying to piece together all the lore for our favorite headless menace, and I thought I'd turn to someone who's been here since Galloper's early days.

I wasn't around when players searched for the ghosts of his victims - but he used to kill people just for standing in his path, and now he seemingly doesn't anymore? Do you know what caused him to change his mind like that (if I even got all of that correctly)?

Regards, wildwoods-sworn

(Forgive me, this'll be a long one. I tried to find all the info I could scrounge up, plus my memories of the mysterious menace that we love so much!)

Back in 2016 while the rest of the festivities played on there were rumors of a headless rider roaming the forests of Jorvik.

Written from Star Stable's news post-dated October 19th, 2016

“What's That in the Dark?

The legend of Galloper Thompson is well known all over Jorvik and has been terrifying kids and adults alike every Halloween for many, many years. Different versions of who - or what - Galloper Thompson is, are flying around all over the place at this time of year, and nobody really knows the truth.

Poems and stories about Thompson are everywhere, and these scary tales terrify the islanders and their horses. But hey, they're just silly ghost stories, right?

...

Right?”

Then in the news the next week

“Have you had the fortune (or misfortune) to meet Galloper Thompson yet?”

I'm not 100% sure about this, but he might've only been added to the second week of Halloween. I don't remember hearing or seeing anything about him in game before then. Because once it was found that if you ran into him, you'd get a t-shirt, a cursed amulet, and XP... the hunt was on! He would call out his arrival at the top of the hour and stay about 10 minutes till he'd bellow his departure. He would show up in Goldenleaf Forest, Mirror Marshes, Greendale, The Forgotten Fields, Hollow Woods, and Valley of the Frozen Mist.

Leading to many spooks when you'd look around and then suddenly see him from behind a tree. I've ran into him multiple times (on purpose and from not being graceful enough at steering my horse lol)

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2017 would have Galloper missing as he was "on vacation". Although if you were in Goldenleaf Forest at 9pm server time, you'd hear his call. A small remnant of him.

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October 24th, 2018 is when the keep was first introduced! Listing off the things we could do: Toss soul shards into the cauldron to get new Halloween tack/clothing sets, experience the twisted memories of Galloper via The Headless Horseman's Harrowing race, more Halloween shops, Galloper's look-a-like horse was for sale, and the scarecrow race was back after being banished from the main overworld. Plus, you could talk to three different daily ghosts that were in the keep, telling you a bit about themselves or how they died. Hinting where you could find their soul shard.

Now that was the fun part of this particular Halloween! A whole twenty-one souls to tell their stories!

This is where it gets long lol (I got the info from Jorvikipedia under "Ghosts of Galloper's Keep")

Ancient Ghost (their soul shard found among the thorny rocks)

"I was there in the first days. I yet recall my home in the mainland, all that we left behind to seek our promised land for the great Jon Jarl. At sea we fought. We starved. I never thought I would see dry land again. The sight of sand and thorn rocks around our landing site brought us relief. Seek my Soul Shard by the thorn rocks near the place where the great Jarl first set foot on Jorvik."

Drowned Ghost (close to the broken bridge near Jarlaheim - above a tree trunk lying beside one of the bridge's pillars)

"I sailed for weeks with Jon Jarl, only to meet my watery end so close to the shores of what would become my peoples' home... My body washed ashore close to the place that would become the walled city with the great stable. Seek my Soul Shard by the broken bridge."

Curious Ghost (on top of the arches around Butter Hill)

"As we explored our new home, we found out that we were not the first to set foot on this island. Great monuments with mystical descriptions and ruins left by settlers long gone.

These ruins were a source of fascination for me. Great columns and arcs in a style we had never seen, long since overgrown with vegetation. What happened to those previous settlers? Would it happen to us too?

If you seek out those ruins, you shall find my Soul Shard."

Mournful Ghost (in Forgotten Fields at the runestone close to Golden Hills)

"We assumed this island to be uninhabited. We believed we had finally found a paradise worthy of abandoning our homes for.

We were wrong. This is punishment for our arrogance.

On this island, rune stones were found, created by people with a special connection to the magic this island held. The Great Jarl ordered all of them destroyed to prove his claim to the island. My Soul Shard remains at that rune stone, at the Forgotten Fields, gazing out over the golden valley."

Angry Ghost (by the left side of the bridge at Nilmer's Highland there's a little dent with thorn bushes)

"Not allowed to rest, he shall never be given a moment's peace for what he did! Why should I suffer with him? You, who can leave this place, seek my Soul Shard and give me rest.

Seek the great divide to the southern counties, close to the bridge we built from the highlands."

Superstitious Ghost (in front of the gate leading to Devil's Gap)

"Devil's Gap? Why did the Jarl build so close to that accursed place?

I was on the crew that helped erect the northern walls of Jarlaheim. From day one, bad luck struck us like a blacksmith's hammer. Over, and over, and over again. Rocks would fall, ropes would snap, horses would go mad."

Stablemaster Ghost (in the corner of the arena that's attached to the building

"The Great Jarl made peace with the druids, and in return, he was rewarded with many strong horses for his great stable! I was in charge of making sure every horse was taken care of, a noble task! The horses of this island were strong and brave, but curiously there was one man they would avoid at all cost...

You can still find my Soul Shard at the entrance of the Jarl's stable."

Druid Ghost (next to a runestone at the portal to the Secret Stone Circle)

"The man you know as Galloper would never see Aideen's light shine upon him. Many horses, he tried to ride, but all would shun him completely.

Yet, one day he returned riding a black mare, a wild horse from the east. This horse could not be handled but by this one man, back when he still had a head. Worried what would it mean for a horse to not possess Aideen's Light, we tried to take her away to the Secret Stone Circle.

I can't remember anything else. Did he come after us? If so, could my Soul Shard be found by the entrance to the Circle?"

Miner Ghost (above a barrel behind the entrance of the right tunnel in the Demascus Mine)

"His real name... was never Galloper Thompson. "Old Galloper" was a name given to him many years later by peasants who feared his sightings as a bad omen and used his name to scare children. I never took those ghost stories seriously while I was alive. I should have.

Sighting Galloper Thompson was a sign of terrible things to come. My ill-fated encounter happened just before a cave in at the Damascus Mine. I never made it out. Even now I can still hear his cursed laughter. In that mine you will find my Soul Shard."

Traitor Ghost (in a tower of Jarlaheim's walls)

"The jarl had clearly grown weak to forsake our old ways for this "Aideen"! We chose our own Jarl to usurp this traitor and led a grim assault on Jarlaheim for control of this island. We failed, and you can still find my Soul Shard on the battlements.

In the end, the victory for Great Jarl was bought at a steep price, with only one of his men still standing when the battle was over. Why did that man survive when so many others did not? Cursed be his name forever!"

Whispering Ghost (near the Ancient Tree on South Hoof)

"I always knew that I had a special gift to understand horses. "Wild Whispering," they call it. There was only ever one horse that I could not understand. The dark mare was ever silent to me, no matter how I tried. Willing to explore my gift further, I sought out one of the great trees I had heard the druids speak about.

The tree on the peninsula promised me that it would help me develop my gift as long as I gave my flesh as a servant. As a young fool, I accepted. My body was twisted, my skin turned to bark and even my Soul Shard was left with the tree. But for a brief moment, I understood everything."

Farmer Ghost (near a building of the Abandoned Farm on Nilmer's Highland)

"Ghosts? Bah! I never believed in ghosts! My husband would tell me that Old Galloper would come to curse our chickens, but that's just talk! Certainly, our old farm at Nilmer's Highland blossoms to this day, go find my Soul Shard there and you will see!"

Confused Ghost (behind the Moorland forge)

"You look just like my apprentice! You must be here to help me with the smithy! What are you waiting for? The fires won't burn forever, hurry to get my Soul Shard from behind the old smithy before Old Galloper catches wind of what we are doing!"

Stonecutter Ghost (at the entrance of the Stonecutter's Vault in the Valley of Frozen Mist)

"Magnus Steinar? The finest stone cutter the land has seen! I watched as the Great Jarl ordered him to split the rune stone near his stable in two. This was meant to be some important ritual according to the Jarl, but it drove every horse in the stables mad!

Afraid of the Jarl's wrath, I fled to the stonecutter's vault in the north. I never quite made it back there. My Soul Shard must be frozen in ice by now..."

Greedy Ghost (on a small path on the coast of Forgotten Fields, very close to the ancient tree)

"That monster envy had sunk its teeth into the Great Jarl as he realized a mere subject of his had, by accident, achieved what he so long had dreamed of. Immortality!

I was at court that day when the Jarl ordered his subject to bring him the secret of immortality. I wanted this gift for myself and decided to find my way into the Devil's Gap from the Forgotten Fields. I fell victim to my own greed, as the stormy weather caused rockslides along the narrow pathways. This was not the immortality I wanted! I beg you, find my Soul Shard!"

Scared Ghost (near a fence in Doyle's Abbey)

"W-why do I find myself here? This is not where I should have ended up! I was a good, loyal person in life and laid to rest in Doyle's Abbey! Yet my Soul Shard shackles me to this place! Please find my grave and help me pass on peacefully!"

Soldier Ghost (by the ruins on the end of the Old King's Road in Goldenhills Valley (back when that was a short path up next to Pi's swamp)

"In his wrath, the Great Jarl ordered the execution of this man who had been nothing but loyal to him.

The axe came down, but the man stood up, headless! As the Jarl's men fled in panic, the dark mare carried her headless rider into the night.

That wasn't the last I would see of him. Patrolling the King's Road, the headless rider would show up and attack anyone he saw as loyal to the Jarl. Find my Soul Shard there!"

Trampled Ghost (on Paddock Island, down the path to the runestone by the sea)

"Growing up on Paddock Island, my mum always told me that if the bad ones come, find a runestone and Aideen's light would protect me. That night, I almost made it to the runestone, but Old Galloper, he was faster. I wonder if my Soul Shard is still there?"

Secretive Ghost (in front of Ashland's roadblock in Dino Valley)

"This place resembles a keep? Hehe, everything is not as it seems young one. If this is a keep, where did it come from? Why does it fly? Why does the cauldron in its center boil to the beat of a living heart?

I once tried to make my way to the one place I thought I would find absolute truth. The heart of the island itself, the Ashlands. I would have made it too, if it hadn't been for that infernal roadblock! I couldn't muster the energy to turn back, but the road wouldn't open.

You, seeker of truth, might reclaim my Soul Shard there."

Loyal Ghost (at the right side of the Jarl's Tomb entrance)

"The Great Jarl was laid to rest, not in the great city he had founded, but in the lonely hills he had first sighted when making landfall on Jorvik. The Great Jarl had sworn to atone for his mistakes and serve Aideen once more. For a man of his honor, such a promise would surely stretch from beyond the grave. As would the headless horseman's thirst for revenge.

He caught me as I was making sure the Great Jarl's resting place was undisturbed. Could you find my Soul Shard there?"

Haunted Ghost (entrance to the building of Old Church Ruin close to Scarecrow Hill)

"To this day he has never been able to get any rest... He still roams the lands searching for a way to rid himself of the curse and became nothing but a legend in the Jorvegian folklore. Even to this day, the smallest child knows not to travel the dark roads alone this time of year, lest Galloper Thompson will try to claim your soul for himself. He claimed mine on the slope of Scarecrow Hill. I thought the old ruins would keep me safe, hide me from him. My Soul Shard should still be there, even now."

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2019 was a repeat of the previous year

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Halloween 2020 was taken over by Ydris as he locked Galloper in a tower in the keep. As more and more ghosts filled the keep, they desperately begged us to help them as they were forced to dance against their will. Ydris too, decided that it was too much and that we should release Galloper from the tower to bring balance back to this unique space swirling in time. But when Ydris undid his magic, there was still a barrier keeping Galloper in, trapped and curled into a ball floating in the air. To undo the spells keeping him in that state we had to go through the regrets that he carried with him, collecting an item that represents that time.

“The Lost Loyalty”

Piece of a Banner “A soldier once lifted this with pride. Then carried it with less pride. Then shouldered it as a burden.”

(Executioner’s Memory)

“We told ourselves that we were soldiers of the Jarl. That we were just following orders! In truth, we always feared the grim man on the black mare. The way he was avoided by human and horse in equal measure. When his head rolled, we all cheered. We truly thought it was over. Perhaps if we all had tried to understand back then, things would have turned out different.”

“The Witch’s Curse”

Defiled Soul Shard “Feeling its touch is like losing a part of yourself.”

(Old Witch’s Memory)

“The man you call Galloper served his lord loyally. What do you think that means? Galloper, he crushed anyone standing in the way of his Jarl and committed many dark deeds. He himself knew them to be wrong, but his loyalty to Jon Jarl pushed him onwards. Loyalty is a measly excuse when you don’t dare to stand up against those that do wrong. Sooner or later there will be no one to speak for you, and just like that, Galloper Thompson got to reap loyalty’s final reward...”

“The Horseman’s Respite”

Galloper Thompson’s Amulet “According to the ghost stories, this amulet is cursed. Maybe you should get rid of it?”

(Equestrian’s Memory)

There’s no ghost to tell this tale. Galloper confronts “you”; he levitates off his horse to lunge forward, hand outstretched towards you. When you come to, the amulet is on the ground nearby.

“The Forgotten Friendship”

Burnt Charcoal Drawing “A sketch in charcoal, burnt by the ages. It depicts a lord and his retainer. They both look happy”

(The Jarl’s Memory)

“You...awaken me after all this time? Me, who was once known as Jon Jarl, ruler of all Jorvik! You come here at the behest of Galloper Thompson? How dare you speak of that man in my presence?! I do not wish to remember that man! Take your memento and be gone!”

Once we’ve collected each item and brought them back to the Tower of Regrets, the passageway opens. Galloper is still huddled into a ball. That’s when his mare gallops forth, rejoined to her rider. He is able to break free of his shackles and return to continue his duties.

Back at his post, he beckons us closer. He has a reward he wishes to offer us as thanks. Which is a fiery spider pet!

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Non-story related, but when SSO celebrated the game’s 10th birthday in 2021, Galloper was invited :)

He was in the celebration art (seen bellow), and he was also at the party in Moorland! A couple of riders complimented him on his “cosplay” lol

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(October 27th, 2021) Linda’s quest about Galloper. She had a vision of the Keep and the man it holds within. Wanting to understand him and what his backstory is, we go through the portal to his realm.

But he is not there. Perhaps on a wild hunt on Jorvik? We set up camp near the tower of regrets.

Linda then gets into the strange story of Galloper Thompson’s life and his even stranger “death”.

“The history books say that a man, Gunnar Thrymson, was a valued and loyal soldier to Jon Jarl, nearly 900 years ago. An odd man with a fitting name. Gunnar was described as possessing a dark and brooding nature, but valiant and loyal in all things to Jon Jarl.

Eventually Thrymson became pronounced, “Thompson” as new settlers and tongues landed upon Jorvik in the following centuries. No horse allowed Gunnar to approach it and the other soldiers and servants avoided Gunnar. They secretly made a mock of him. Perhaps out of jealousy or out of fear, they nicknamed him, Galloper. A cruel joke.

One day a wild and fearsome mare appeared, a great, black, Shire. Rumored to be from the lands in the east, beyond the Jor mountains, this horse permitted no other but Galloper near and to ride. At last he had found a companion. She was an immense Shire, dark as a moonless night, whose fierce aspect and wild nature unnerved the Jarl’s men.

The mere presence of the horse distressed and alarmed the other animals, setting them into a panicked and frightful state. Galloper and the Shire became inseparable, their unique bond a source of wonder and gossip.

Galloper Thompson earned a position beside Jon Jarl as his personal bodyguard and advisor. He performed great tasks for Jon Jarl, even defending him against a dangerous uprising of rebellious lords.

Resentment and rumor ran rampant through the army. Superstition and fear fed tales of wizardry and dark magic. Hatred overcame dread, and hidden mockery became open derision.

The Jarl ordered Galloper be held responsible for his alleged crimes. Galloper was captured and bound. Shackled and shamed, he was brought before his king. Jon Jarl stood as lord and judge, passing sentence upon his faithful servant.

When Galloper was brought before the executioner’s block, hundreds of the Jarl’s men arrived to celebrate the spectacle.

Their previous superstition was proven to righteous when Galloper rose from the executioner’s block and revealed his immortality.

Folklore and history is muddled here but the prevailing theory was that the source of Galloper’s strength, his bond with the Jarl, and his immortality stemmed from a powerful witch from the Devil’s Gap.

One full year after his execution, the headless Galloper Thompson was spotted riding a flaming mare across the night sky for the first time. There have been sightings every autumn since.

As we sit in the shadow of the tower, I can feel that there’s more to this story begging to be told. It feels like a word forgotten, but restlessly waiting on the tip of my tongue to be spoken out loud.”

Linda feels herself being pulled to Paddock Island. When we arrive, Galloper is already there, gazing at the lonesome island with the broken bridge. We pick up memory shards that were scattered on the ground for Linda to decipher.

“I see... a building. A stable by its appearance. It’s this place! This was a stable... Galloper‘s stable! It has been rumored that Galloper‘s mount could not be stabled with other horses. Is that why it’s so far removed?

It begins... there is a mob, frightened and superstitious. They surround the stable. They are full of fear and anger. Soldiers move through the milling throng. They are there to take Galloper!

A young man stands in the stable with a great mare. It must be Galloper! His eyes are so green and bright! They are filled with grief. His arms are wrapped around the mare’s neck.

He is whispering his goodbyes as the soldiers enter the stable. It is just Galloper and his horse facing Jarl’s men. Galloper surrenders.

The horse snorts and screams her displeasure and fear as the soldiers take him away. She kicks the walls and stamps the floor. The soldiers recoil from her anger.

There is confusion! The mob churns and surges. A fire has broken out! Was a lantern thrown into the stable? Was a torch dropped? I cannot see clearly. The smoke and flames blind my view. The stables are ablaze! The horse is trapped!

The soldiers struggle to smother the flames. The mob has fallen back, stunned at the spectacle. The mare’s screams of terror rise with the flames, matched by Galloper’s howls of horror.

The flames are extinguished. A stunned silence has settled. Smoke and cinders still float in the air. Galloper has collapsed, overwhelmed by grief and shock.

Jon Jarl has arrived, surveying the damage. He stares long at the ruin, anger behind his eyes. His fury rises as he turns to confront Galloper, now slumped on the ground.

Galloper knows the true source of Jon Jarl’s anger. The jealousy and craving, driving suspicions of betrayal and treachery. But... the mare died that night, how did she return? Was it the dark magic and witchcraft that was rumored? Did the mysterious witch of legend also endow the Shire with power?”

We are then pulled into Jarlaheim. Suspiciously everyone is hiding, believing that Galloper was just here. Collecting more memory shards as Linda ponders if Galloper knows that we’re following him.

“Galloper is being taken to a place of execution. He is surrounded by the king’s men and townsfolk. They jeer and mock him, hurling insults and garbage at him.

Now, standing before the executioner’s block, he seems unmoved to the words being spoken by Jon Jarl. Has he given up hope? No, there’s a quiet intensity about him. The shock of his king’s cruelty and the horrific death of his truest companion has marked him deeply.

Numbly, he kneels before the block. His lips are moving silently. What is he saying? The masked executioner raises his axe. Oh, I cannot look! The axe drops. His sad, green eyes have a slightly startled look, almost as if they see me.

Wait... the once cheering crowd falls silent. Their faces stunned, filled with horror and alarm. Something is amiss. The body. Galloper’s body is moving! It pushed itself up from the block, a green glow slowly engulfing his headless frame.

The crowd is in a panic! They struggle to run away... some of the soldiers stab at him, to no avail. Something else is happening! The crowd is being hurled aside.

It is the Shire! Its coat is even darker, so much that it seems to devour the very light. Its mane is so fiery and bright! A blinding apparition of shadow and flame! It strikes terror into the guards and townsfolk.

The few who were able to face the headless revenant are now broken and fleeing. Even Jon Jarl is nowhere to be seen!

Calmly and purposely Galloper climbs astride the Shire’s sturdy back. Away they escape, galloping into the sky.”

Returning to the Keep to collect our thoughts and theories about Galloper and his mare, Linda feels another pull. Stronger than before, filling her mind with Devil’s Gap and the Forgotten Fields. Unlike the memories we just experienced, this event is happening now!

Rushing over to Forgotten Fields we see his horse, but no Galloper! Where could he be?

Following the great mare to see where she’s heading. Linda comments on the mare, “She knows where she’s going. There’s intense purpose in each step, but her eyes... It’s almost as if she’s in a trance.”

“I feel that we are about to find out why all this is happening. The insistence is still there but hints of anticipation, as if a task is nearly complete and rest is near.”

Galloper’s mare runs past the ancient tree onto a narrow path along the edge of the cliff. We cannot follow, our pursuit ends here.

A voice speaks from Devil’s Gap (presumably) “Gunnar Thrymson! Your task is not yet complete! You cannot escape your gift that simply, or did another seek to thwart our pact? No matter. What we have done cannot so easily be undone.

Your memories are restored as is your destiny! Remember now, the name of your steed and be rejoined in its power...

MORRIGAN!”

Heading back to Galloper’s Keep, Linda comments that Morrigan has returned to Galloper, but something is off. There’s a change in them. She’s never thought about the name or origin of Galloper’s horse before. The name feels old. Old and powerful. The voice that spoke from the mountain must have returned the memory of this name to Galloper. Where once the feeling of Galloper was like a man blinded by rage, he now seems composed, focused... perhaps even more dangerous than before.

Someone or something must have tried to undo Galloper’s memories. But why? To break his bond with Morrigan? Who would gain from that and how? Linda ponders. Planning to return to the textbooks and research deeper into Jorvik’s past.

Not knowing who gave Galloper his “gift” nor their motives. Whoever or whatever it is, they must be quite powerful if they or a descendant survives today.

“I sense they are rebonded... but it feels different somehow; more powerful, focused? Yes... I sense not only a renewal, but an additional purpose. Perhaps whoever tried to seal his memories away unwittingly awoke new ones?

I can sense that this is the beginning of something very big. The strong bond between them was but cinders compared to the raging inferno I feel burning within Morrigan’s heart.”

And with that, we are left to wonder what will happen next!

~*~*~ ~*~*~ ~*~*~ ~*~*~ ~*~*~ ~*~*~ ~*~*~ ~*~*~ ~*~*~ ~*~*~ ~*~*~ ~*~*~

The “story snack” of a page of Galloper’s diary found by Ms. Holdsworth in Fort Maria (September 21st, 2022)

“There I was, abandoned by all my men, left to do the work that I’m sure will rain misfortune down upon all of us, curse the Jarl!” “It was mighty hard labor to go at the stones; good thing I had my splitting maul from Magnus, infused as it is with his special power.“ “And when one finally cracked under a ferocious blow, a woman, for I think it was a woman, did appear unto me.” “Whether she was called hence from the crack of the stone or had been watching my work I cannot say, she floated towards me with her hand outstretched, the antlers of a stag adorned her head, curls tumbled out from the hood of her cloak.” “She was terrifying, but I was too curious to feel afraid, and then she spoke, and her words were...”

-And that’s where it ends. The rest of the page appears to be blackened by flame.

~*~*~ ~*~*~ ~*~*~ ~*~*~ ~*~*~ ~*~*~ ~*~*~ ~*~*~ ~*~*~ ~*~*~ ~*~*~ ~*~*~

(October 26th, 2022)

We meet up with Linda at the makeshift campsite in the Keep. A new year and new discoveries await!

“We know somebody stole Galloper‘s memories. But why would they do that? What is there to gain?

It got me thinking.... What if somebody actually did something to Galloper? Something bad. Something they didn’t want him to remember!

Suddenly, it all made sense. And all the anguish, anger, and regret I was sensing around Galloper before... It wasn’t simple blind rage; it was the feeling of revenge!

Something must have happened in the past, 900 years ago, before he became Galloper Thompson. Back when he was just “Gunnar”.

At first, I started searching the archives for any descendants or relatives of Gunnar Thrymson. When that failed, I turned my efforts to the Jarl and his closest allies. Then... A familiar name popped up.

Magnus Steinar! It’s been said that Gunnar Thrymson broke magical runestones with the help of a stonemason, a stonemason by the name of Magnus!

We know that the ghost of Magnus still wanders Jorvik to this day, and the last time he was seen was in the Stonecutter’s Vault in the Valley of the Hidden Dinosaur. Let’s go see if he’s still there!”

When we enter the main section of Stonecutter’s Vault, Magnus is nowhere to be seen. A puddle of ghost goo is left on the cobblestone. Searching for clues as to where he went, we find an old horse statue, a worn, green tinted roofing tile, and scraps of an ancient bridle adorned with bronze serpentine ornaments. Thinking he went to Jorvik Stables and suspecting it’s a place of importance to him, we head on over!

Magnus is in a panicked state when we arrive. Screaming “He found me!! Help! Somebody help me! The horseman...”

“Please don’t take me away”

Linda sees something from the corner of her eye. A strange floating mist is hanging in the air. Going closer to this mist, it runs. We chase it down until it drops an amulet. It’s ancient, made from a piece of string tied around a gemstone. Herbs are braided into the string. It smells of sulfur and is covered in a slimy substance.

As we ride back to Linda and Magnus, the air shifts, we see a vision of an old blacksmith’s workshop. Magnus begins to speak, “This place... it meant something to me. I lived here once. Long ago. The headless horseman... no, Gunnar. He was there also. I... did something. Something terrible.

I can’t... remember. It’s all so hazy. The forging... forging of a tool.. so long ago. How did I do it?”

Going through the motions of the past. The forging of the splitting maul, he remembers. “There it is, my crowning achievement: forging this tool, perfectly crafted to shatter the most sacred of stones and splitting through the most hallowed of trees. It was made to... to shatter magic!”

“Forgive me, I did not know what I was doing! How could I know what he was planning...”

“The legendary splitting maul... A powerful tool imbued with the magic of a thousand unharness horses. It never missed its target. Rúnhammar. That’s what I called it.”

Magnus calls for us to go to a runestone that used to stand behind Jorvik Stables.

“Yes... this is where it happened... Do you hear it? The horses...” (sounds of horses neighing echo in the memory)

“What is he asking you to do?”, Linda asks us. We take the splitting maul up to the runestone. One... the ground starts shaking. Two... a feeling of uneasiness rushes to us in waves. Three.... the runestone crumbles under the battering of Rúnhammar.

“I remember now. I remember everything. So much pain, so much guilt. I spent the rest of my life... and undeath, trying to repent for what I did.

I can still feel it, the runestone crumbling underneath the heavy weight of Rúnhammar‘s blow. I wielded it once, but never again.

I suppose I should thank you for helping me remember, although I admit I didn’t really want to. Alas, holding these memories is an apt punishment for my actions. I do not deserve to forget.”

Magnus answers our questions:

Why would Galloper... Gunnar Thrymson... be chasing after you now?

“Rúnhammar, created for the sole purpose of destroying magic-imbued objects, was given to Gunnar Thrymson. He used it to shatter many runestones across Jorvik. With every runestone, he seemed to lose a little part of himself, until one day, there was nothing left of him! That’s when the horse arrived. Morrigan, he called it. I believe Gunnar, or shall I call him Galloper, ended up the way he is today because of me. Without my splitting maul, he would not have been able to destroy all those runestones, many lifetimes ago...”

Why did you forge Rúnhammar, the splitting maul?

“I forged the great splitting maul Rúnhammar at the behest of Jon Jarl. He wanted a tool to destroy the mystical runestones which could be found all over Jorvik. For some reason, those runestones seemed to bother him... I happily accepted the mission. I wasn’t concerned with what the tool was used for, I was too preoccupied with the thought of working with such wonderous magical materials. I had never seen anything like it before... How could I resist? Alas, I could not see past the great honor of being given such a mighty task. Now, Rúnhammar is my greatest regret...”

Where is Rúnhammar now?

“Nobody knows where Rúnhammar is today. It was last seen with Gunnar, however, Galloper Thompson does not appear to wield it now. Perhaps it has been lost to the ages... It is for the best. I hope nobody finds it.”

Linda takes the amulet we found that was stalking Magnus earlier. It’s vaguely familiar... It didn’t come from Galloper Thompson. That’s for sure. But she has to do a little research before she can figure out who it came from.

~*~*~ ~*~*~ ~*~*~ ~*~*~ ~*~*~ ~*~*~ ~*~*~ ~*~*~ ~*~*~ ~*~*~ ~*~*~ ~*~*~

(November 2nd, 2022)

We enter the portal to Galloper’s Keep, Kasper the ghost greets us. “Did you see that trailing blaze of green fire that just swooshed by? Phooey! I wouldn’t wanna be whomever he’s hunting! I’ve never seen Galloper in such an agitated state before... He was practically on fire! You know, more so than usual.

If you’re fast enough out through the portal you might catch a glimpse of him in action!”

As we exit the portal back to Jorvik, Galloper comes running past, blazing a trail into the forest of Hollow Woods.

As we follow Morrigan’s trail, we run past Linda hiding in the bushes. That amulet from earlier was druidic in origin and happened to be very old, like a thousand years old! Coincidentally like the ethereal being with Linda hiding in the bushes, hiding from Galloper.

Broderick is frantic to get to a safe place he knows. He gives us directions while on horseback to where this hideout is... the Spy Master’s Hideout! He apparently has a “semi-hostile co-living arrangement” going on here. Anyway, Linda fills us in about Broderick.

“Broderick is a druid from ancient times who lived in the same time period as Gunnar and the great Jon Jarl himself, yet conveniently remembers nothing about them ever setting foot on Jorvik. He’s not quite like other druids I have met before though...”

Linda begs us to come closer, speaking lowly, “Something doesn’t feel right about him. I sense he’s hiding something, something of great significance. I think he might be the missing piece of this puzzle!

Why was he following Magnus? Why is Galloper hunting him? Why does he claim not to know of Gunnar or the Jarl? There are just so many questions he won’t answer, questions we need to find answers to!

I’ll keep him busy. You go look around the hideout for something... unusual. You’ll know it when you see it!”

Poking around the hideout, peering our head over a box, in the corner we see a green memory fragment. As we grab it, we are given the vision of a young man, Gunnar, on a horse. The horse rears and throws Gunnar off, sending him flying and landing harshly on the ground.

We find another memory fragment behind a crate. Showing Gunnar and Morrigan’s bonding moment. We go back to Broderick with our findings. “That’s... that’s not what you think it is! I mean, gee, how did they get there?”. He’ll tell us what we want to know, but we gotta help him in turn.

Why is Galloper Thompson hunting you?

“Oh, he’s been looking for me for a long time... he just didn’t realize I was the one he was looking for until recently. My mistake; I got careless. He wants revenge of course.

You see... Galloper... he’s cursed... he cannot die, but he cannot quite live either. He is in a state of constant torment... heheheh. A fate most befitting his ill deeds. Someone had to punish that destroyer of runestones!

It was me; I cursed him! Split his soul into three, in the name of Aideen! One part of his soul he kept within himself, the other two parts... well who cares where they ended up!

However... Galloper becoming a ferryman of souls... most unexpected.”

How do you know Magnus Steinar?

“Magnus? That worm. I saw it with my own two eyes. Magnus forged the weapon which Gunnar used to desecrate our most precious runestones.

Yes. Magnus is also to blame...”

Why do you have Galloper’s memory fragments?

“The fragments you found in my hideout? They’re only some of the many memory fragments I’ve stolen from poor old Galloper. Why did I steal them? Isn’t it obvious?

I knew he was looking for revenge, he was coming even closer to figuring out the truth... I had to make him forget, I had to cover my tracks. Then YOU came along! Now, you shall help me.”

What do you know of Morrigan?

“Galloper‘s abhorrent horse? A most unpleasant mare she is... Nobody knows where she came from, but she found Galloper and united with him shortly after I had cast my curse.

It was if they shared an unholy bond already then, lacking all light of Aideen. It is distasteful that a creature of such grace would choose to ally herself with somebody such as him.”

While answering our second chosen question, a chill blows in from the doorway, fog starts to roll in, Galloper is just outside!

We have the decision to help hide Broderick by shutting the door in hopes that Galloper will pass us by, we could do nothing and see what lays ahead, or we can make noise to ensure that Galloper finds us:

Broderick deserves a second chance, let’s hide him!

{You hurriedly shut the door to try and save Broderick from the wrath of Galloper Thompson... but it is futile. Morrigan bursts through and Galloper evaporates the ancient ethereal being from this plane of existence.}

I can’t make this decision! I’ll just see what happens...

{If you do nothing, Galloper runs in and collects Broderick’s soul.}

Galloper deserves his vengeance, give Broderick up.

{We purposely knock over a nearby lantern, glass shattering across the ground, the sound alerting Galloper of our position. “What have you done?! You’ve doomed me!”, exclaims Broderick.

Galloper rushes in to enact his vengeance. Broderick dissipates into thin air, gone from this existence.}

Linda is in shock over witnessing the outcome. Yet she feels sympathy for Galloper. “Poor Galloper Thompson... A state of constant torment!? Having his memories taken from him... Lacking a whole soul? I couldn’t imagine a worse fate; I know he has done unspeakable things but still... I can’t help but feel sorry for him.

I wish we’d know more, where are the other pieces of his soul? How did he become the ferryman of souls and the master of the Keep?

And Broderick, what is to become of him? What will Galloper do to him? There’s more to be told in Galloper’s story... But for now, there’s nothing more we can do, for Galloper OR Broderick. The veil between our realms is closing.”

Heading back into Galloper’s Keep, we talk to Kasper. “Galloper seemed to be in a particularly good mood upon his return. Well, ‘good’ might be an overstatement. He seemed... resigned. Calm. Must have been a successful hunt for that lost soul. Tsk, poor fella!”

Our remaining time in the Keep simmers down after that enthralling experience. We will have to wait for the bridge between our worlds to strengthen so we can cross over to visit the land of wandering souls once again and continue our exploration of Galloper’s tale.

~*~*~ ~*~*~ ~*~*~ ~*~*~ ~*~*~ ~*~*~ ~*~*~ ~*~*~ ~*~*~ ~*~*~ ~*~*~ ~*~*~

Outside of the game there’s these two; a short audio book and some comics.

The comics Star Stable has released on their instagram. Drawn by @ellipuukangas. They delve into the past of Gunnar. Who he was, what came to be, how his mare came to find him.

Comic from 2021

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

This whole comic has been uploaded to Star Stable’s blog website

Here for full page viewing!

Comic from 2022

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

And also, the spooky story of Linda encountering Galloper one evening. An audio book written by Helena Dahlgren. Narrated by Jennifer Jill Araya. Released October 29th, 2021

You can listen to it here!

That’s all there is about Galloper so far at this current time! (November 7th 2022). I hope there be many more in the future!

#Star Stable #Star Stable Online #SSO #ssoblr #Galloper Thompson #Gunnar Thrymson #Morrigan

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starshinedragon · 1 year

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SSO MASTERMAP (unofficial)

-> Two new big locations: Jorcrater and Drakon Valley -> New smaller areas: - Old Garnok Project Site (Springvalley)- during SSL4 DC thought they found G’s prison here. - New Garnok Project Site (Summerplains)- now they found the real site of the prison. We travel to the island via boat to spy on them and find out about their plans. - Awakened Stone Circle (Summerplains)- during the events of the Summerplains storyline it lies dormant. Once the Final Battle storylines start and we open the Jorcrater, the Stone Circle awakens. The Path of the Winds leading north will lead us to the location (new small island later) of the Final Battle against Garnok.

DRAKON VALLEY

Entrance: through Wisp valley east of the Von Blyssen manor. You go through the Forgotten Tunnel and arrive in Drakon Valley: the original digsite of Dark Core (formerly Deep Core).

Land: A deep, dry valley in the Central Mountain Range. Only a handful of dying trees remain, the land is covered in oil spills, piles of unused ore and rock and broken runestones. Littered with dinosaur bones: complete skeletons, bigger and smaller bones, many broken and many used by DC as fence poles for example. Gives the valley and evil and apocalyptic look.

Story: As the final battle agianst Garnok starts, we have to learn more about Jorvik’s and G’s past to figure out a way to defeat him. We explore the valley, learn about the history of Deep Core and Dark Core, Drakonium, how they found and started to awaken Garnok.

LOCATIONS:

-> Old Deep Core Mine: has been abandoned for hundreds of years now, ever since the big accident, that trapped many miners in the deep. Even back then, many of the Deep Core leaders were serving Garnok, digging in hopes of finding something that would help set him free. They did: the accident happened when DC first found Draconium and didn’t know how explosive it was.

-> The Collapsed Tunnel: Leads to the non-horse part of Jorvik. Originally was used for transporting ores from Drakon Valley to Central Jorvik. The tunnel was collapsed deliberately after Deep Core closed because of the accident.

-> New Dark Core Mine: opened after the company restarted and got renamed. The road goes through the mountains to Central Jorvik, a big gate prevents you from going through.

-> Draconium Mine: the Old Deep Core Mine almost totally collapsed because of the Draconium explosion and the company was forced to shut down and forbidden to dig there again. More recently they found a richer Draconium spot next to the New Mine. They have gotten better at handling the volatile ore, but it is still the most dangerous working environment in Jorvik, with the most casualties happening.

-> Drakon Valley Expedition: DC lied about finding historical artifacts in the valley so they could dig unchecked. Now Nic Stoneground and his team arrive with MC and start collecting and uncovering the forgotten artifacts.

JORCRATER

Entrance: 1. South- through Winterdale from Jorwatch Druid Village. Go through the passage through the mountains and arrive in Moonstorm Village. 2. North- through Springvalley from Thistlebranch Druid Village. Go through Wispvalley and follow the river through a cave to arrive in Sunstar Village.

Land: the whole crater is covered with the Aideenwoods, lush and green, even more full of life, than the Wildwoods. Countless wildlife, butterflies, squirrels, rabbits, deer, Jorvik Wild Horses wander in the forest. The Jordrassil tree- the heart of the island stands in the middle, surrounded by a lake, which is the origin of the Suncrown and Silversong rivers. Four hills surround the world tree, each has a small Rune Seal Stone Circle on top.

Story: After Aideen defeated Garnok, she was exhausted, didn’t have enough energy to exist anymore. She dispersed and her energy went into the island and its creatures. From her life energy a huge tree grew in the middle of the island: the Jordrassil, the magical focus for the servants of good.

LOCATIONS:

-> Jordrassil: huge tree in the middle of the lake. Four bridges from the four Rune Seal Hills lead to the trunk. Master portal of the Tree Portal fast travel system.

-> Sunstar village: half of the druid characters camp out here. Overseeing and guarding the northern half of the Aideenwoods.

-> Moonstorm village: the other half of the druid characters. Overseeing and guarding the southern half of the Aideenwoods.

#sso #star stable online #star stable #sso map #sso rewritten #sso full story series #sso magic #sso fanart #ssoblr #sso aideen #sso garnok #fantasy map

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intheferns · 10 months

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Despite the fact that I am really looking forward to the MC update, at times I will miss her old appearance. Because...

We started this journey together.