Game Premise

Montgolfier's Folly is a mixture of canon and original characters, from any universe and any time.

History

The Folly is a floating mountain, a network of a castle, and the town that surround it, suspended above the world from several balloons, some helium, some hot air. It was created by Professor Jean-Pierre Montgolfier, a descendant of the Montgolfier brothers. A tortured genius, his ideas were laughed at by the scientific world. Shunned, he retreated to his home. When scornful scientists found their way even there, he decided that he would take his home away, to a place no one could find them. With a little ingenuity, and a large amount of musclework, he did it.

At first, the townsfolk were amused and delighted - they could travel the world without leaving their home! But delight quickly turned to irritation, and eventually hatred, when Professor Montgolfier refused to land, refused to stop. One by one, they managed to escape - by rope ladder, by balloon, by any means neccessary. The town became deserted, and only the Professor remained behind.


The Portals

Searching for new technology, new townsfolk, the Professor ripped holes in space, in time. These portals were unstable, and no matter how many times the Professor perfected his machines, no matter how many portals he opened, he could never predict how they'd work. Scared that he would become trapped on the other side, the Professor stopped travelling through any of the portals he created. And by the time they had strengthened, by the time people started to come through...the Professor was gone.


The Folly

His inventions lasted far longer than he could have possibly imagined. Areas of the castle are shielded, either to strengthen magic performed within, or to repell it. Those areas of magic-dampening are where the most advanced technology lies, disused and abandoned. Stores and cupboards replenish themselves with basic food and drink, medicine - anything required to maintain a healthy population.

There's levels of hydroponics to grow food, a water filtration system that turns clouds into fresh running water. In fact the only thing that really needs looked after is the balloons themselves; holes to be patched, tethers to be strengthened.

The town itself seems to be of indeterminate Ye Olde Towne origin. There's a square, with a small fountain, surrounded by empty storefronts, the windows latticed patterns of diamonds in leaded glass, the buildings timberframed and whitewashed. It's here that most of the portals open, though it's not unheard of for people to appear in the castle (or, on at least one occasion, clinging to a balloon tether.)

The focus in the Square is the broad front of the town tavern, the Wolf's Head Inn. Run by one of the first inhabitants of the town, Carr Wallace, there are rough wooden tables and stools inside and out, and it serves as the centre of town gossip and information. It's a good place to start, for newcomers - Carr serves as helpdesk of sorts, an information point to help strangers settle in.