Star Copse

Star Copse is nestled deep within the grounds of Starwood Ranch, surrounded by rolling hills and meadows. While accessible by the main ranch trail, it is partially hidden behind a thick wall of pastel willow trees that sway as if alive with awareness. At its heart lies a mall, circular pool of shimmering starlight, a natural phenomenon of unknown origin. This pool reflects not the sky above, but something far stranger: distant galaxies and stellar constellations not visible from Caelum Prime.

This is a closed, self-sustaining micro-ecosystem powered by the arcane energy of the starlit pool. It supports vibrant wildflowers, rare grasses, pastel willows, and strange mosses that glow faintly at night. Birdsong echoes through the leaves, and small woodland creatures, mostly docile, some unusually sentient, have adapted to the subtle magickal resonance here. Nothing predatory seems to linger.

Each season transforms Star Copse differently:

• Spring: The willows bloom with ribbons of color like drifting auroras. Wildlife is active and starlight glimmers in morning dew.
• Summer: Temperatures remain cool. The air hums with energy. The pool emits gentle pulses of violet light.
• Autumn: The foliage doesn't brown, instead, it fades into silvers and pale blues. Creatures became more elusive.
• Winter: Snow does fall, but the pool never freezes. A faint flow keeps the area around the water frost-free, and no tracks linger overnight.

The Starlit Pool: Central to Star Copse, this pool doesn't reflect the local sky, but a foreign one. It may be a dormant portal or something stranger, a mirror to another dimension.

Whispers and Light: Visitors have reported faint voices when alone near the pool, and glowing orbs drifting just above the grass.

Temporal Drift: Occasionally, time behaves oddly in the copse, people claim to have stayed for hours only to find mere minutes have passed, or vice versa.

A microclimate governed more by the pool's influence more by the pool's influence than planetary weather:

• Always cool and breezy, even during heatwaves
• Temperatures rarely drop below freezing
• Light mists linger during dawn and dusk
• Rain is soft and brief, absorbed quickly into the moss-cover ground

Pastel Willow Trees: Unique to the copse. Their branches sway without wind. Their sap glows faintly under moonlight.

Starlight Moss: Gross only near the pool. Used in rare tinctures, though now protected.

Celestial Swans (rumored): White birds with eyes like nebulae, said to nest here when no one is looking.

Wildlife: Small foxes, rabbits, and rare songbirds make their home here, often nesting near the edge of the pool.

While Star Copse does not offer conventional natural resource, its mystical ambiance and otherworldly beauty make it a valuable asset to the to the horse ranch. The copse served as a peaceful retreat for ranch hands and visitors alike. Until about 50 years ago it offered a sanctuary where they could reconnect with nature and marvel at the wonders of the universe.

There are not conventional materials harvest here, no woodcutting, no foraging. The true resource is the copse itself:

• A site of rare arcane energy
• Historically valued for mediation and spiritual renewal
• Said to inspire visions, epiphanies, ore even prophecy. Strict protection, no harvesting or study is allowed today.

Legends claim the Copse was once a sacred stellar grove used by early stargazers, priestesses, or even remnants of older civilizations lost to time. It may have been a celestial observatory or a fey-touched waypoint. Over time, it became a place of pilgrimage and contemplation, attracting seekers and wanderers from far and wide. Today, Star Copse continues to inspire awe and wonder, seerving as a timeless reminder of the beauty and ystery of the natural world.

Approximately 50 years ago, Ezra Hope's twin was murdered by their mother and buried beneath the soil near the pool. From that day forward, the copse was sealed. Until Erza no one was even allowed to go close to it unless it was to get a wayward animal. Locals say the air itself warns off intruders.

Before its closure, spiritualists, naturalists, and curious travelers would journey to the ranch hoping to see the starlit pool or meditate beneath the willows. Since the burial, all non-essential access has been barred.

Still, many pass through Starwood Ranch hoping for a glimpse, a shimmer though the trees, a fleeting breeze of starlight wind, that confirms the stories are true.[/p