The Colls have a storied history, one that goes as far back to when Starlight Cove was first settled. It is a tale of greed, mistakes, and atonement.

A family of fishermen and women, the Colls flocked to Starlight Cove for the abundant fish living in the nearby waters. As they had no real competition to rival them, the Colls had become reasonably wealthy from their daily catch. However, with great wealth always comes consequence and, while the Colls made off with plenty a coin, they were in turn destroying the very ecosystem they profited so freely from.

Recognizing the devastation they caused, a new generation of Coll formed from the ashes—the very ones Emma descends from. Trading their poles for education, the Colls became the stewards of Starlight Cove. United in their cause, the Colls established an aquarium on the island, with the goal to bring life back to the surrounding waters.

It is a goal that Emma still believes in now that the torch has been passed to her upon the recent passing of her father. Yet with declining visitorship, failing infrastructure and pressure from mainland competitors, Emma has begun to wonder if she is fighting a losing battle. It'd devastate Emma to give up on the place she loves, but in her heart she knows it is only a matter of time before her hand is forced to close the doors for good.

The daughter of former fire lookouts, Fia grew up watching the beauty of the island disappear before her own eyes. Swaths of Starlight Cove were burned to ground, decimating the island's wilderness. All that remained was the black soot and burnt charcoal scattered across the ground, a distressing reminder of what was once there.

But without destruction, Fia would soon found out, there could be no beauty. The debris left behind by fire was the perfect tool for a budding artist, which Fia had dabbed in here and there like many children before. Grabbing as much charcoal and anything else she could find, Fia began to dot the forest path to their lookout tower with her artwork.

Rocks were etched with black streak marks. Trees had been painted with vibrant hues. Wherever Fia went, she certainly left a mark for anyone who passed by to take in and contemplate.

Now, however, things are much more different. The beauty Fia had dedicated herself to create has become difficult to come by. The berries and flowers she uses for pigment are disappearing, and there is a stench of rot in the air. Fia has always made do with little in the past, but it seems the very world itself intends for her to hang up her smock.

Unfortunately for the world, Fia isn't the quitter it thinks she is.

There are stories passed down in the Santorini family about their ancestor Gran-Lupo, and the magical prowess that he apparently had. Enough to grow crops in a day and a tree in a week; to divert streams, create ponds, and pile up hills. And, they say, that's how the Santorini family home came to be. Smallish, humble, made of dark gray stone, it sits atop a lakeside hill just outside of town, where Miriam lives along with her grandmother, parents, and two siblings.

Miriam doesn't quite believe in the stories of Gran-Lupo Santorini. Not really. But she still thinks that there's something like magic here.

So though the Santorini family has clearly seen better days, despite their money drying up and what prestige they had falling largely by the wayside, Miriam quite likes it here. She was always a quiet sort growing up; and even now, though she's perfectly happy socializing, she's still rather introverted, and the thought of moving to the big city that excites others her age makes her break out in hives. She's more than happy to stay here with her books and papers, devouring whole libraries and using the money that she makes by selling stories to ship yet more out to Starlight Cove. When not otherwise occupied with her books, peers, or household, she's often out in nature, rambling across the island and enjoying the island's 'magic.'

As long as she doesn't break her glasses. She's helpless without them.

Starlight Cove’s Adventurers Guild is… not in a good state. Anders is more than aware of that fact, but the red-haired young man cares little for things like sense and logic.

Or at least, not on the surface.

Anderson Louris was born on the mainland and grew up longing to be like the legendary heroes of old, the ones cemented as half fairytales and half historical figures, the type of people who looked at the world they lived in and thought “no, this isn’t good enough”. The modern day world’s adventurers guild is not what it once was, even in the expansive depths of the mainland continent, relegated to down-on-their-luck gofers with delusions of grandeur. But exploring the lost caves in the more rural parts of the world at least has a sense of adventure.

It has been years since he started his training in the essentials of an adventurer. He’s even dabbled in mining and foraging! He’s still looking for that breakthrough and he hopes Starlight Cove could be just that. If he’s wrong, well, there’s always the next job.

The Alderdice Market is the glue keeping Starlight Cove together, or at least, that’s what its progenitor, Davis Alderdice, tells himself at night. But how much longer can it really stay open when the allure of the much more efficient, convenient, and aggressive corporate supermarket has taken hold of so many people in the cove?

It’s a question that hangs over Alderdice Market.

With his failing health, Davis has left much of the legwork to his granddaughter, Luna, who isn’t particularly the best example of a people person. Where the old man is warm, the bright pink-haired girl is cold, angry, and on a path that makes him concerned. He’s tried to set the right example, but he isn’t long for this world and the both of them know it. Despite this… friction between the two of them, they keep a steady flow of customers and keep their bottom line from going into the red. But competing with a megacorporation is a dead man’s gambit. It’s only a matter of time before Starlight Cove falls into their hands unless the situation of the area changes soon.

Will it? Luna isn’t holding her breath.

Callum's family have been living in Starlight Cove for a long time. Ever since his great-grandfather moved to the island, he set up what would later be the Starlight Museum and Observatory. Which has been in the Reed family's possession and care ever since.

Callum, while from Starlight Cove, was one of the youths who moved to the mainland and lived in one of the cities. Despite living there for five years, Callum did miss living in Starlight Cove. The hectic and noisy nature of the city messed with him, and while getting somewhat used to it. He was more suited to the quiet life that Starlight Cover offered.

Which when he heard that his father had died and the Starlight Museum and Observatory was now his. Callum did not waste time heading home to grieve his father and took up running the family building.

Now, after a year of living in Starlight Cove and keeping the museum and observatory afloat, mainly by selling discoveries he makes with the observatory. It is not looking for the museum and observatory, and Callum fears the day he will have to close the place. He is trying to find a way to save the museum and make it great again.

Jane had always wanted a peaceful life. Her dream was always to have a cottage where she could grow roses and tend her own garden. She hated living in the city on the mainland with all it's noise, rush, and crowds. So as soon as she could, she saved up for that life. She studied accounting in college, worked part time jobs, got through many years of grueling monotony. But finally, she'd saved and invested enough.

She found the cottage of her dreams for sale in Starlight Cove, and purchased it. She arranged things so she could do her work from home, but otherwise, her time is now her own. She just needs to set about planning those roses, getting some fruit trees for shade and their produce, starting a little vegetable garden, and getting to know her new home. Though she's a newcomer, she already feels at home here. And she would do anything to not lose what she's worked so hard to gain.

In its heyday, the Starlight Mill Farm was a large producer of food for the island's residents. Part sprawling farm and part robust ranch, its fresh local fruits, vegetables, and animal products found their way into restaurants and businesses around the island. Abundant harvests also yielded enough that the family that owned it could even export some produce for extra cash, though they preferred to keep things local so the islanders didn't have to rely much on mainland imports.

Unfortunately, the above hasn't been the case in a long time. Nowadays even the property's namesake - the "Miller's Mill" - has broken down and remains in disrepair. It started with in the twins' grandparents' time; the land began to lose something, something vital, and the once flourishing fields started to decline. Over years the crop yields grew smaller and smaller until some just stopped growing altogether. The animals were affected too, the quality of milk and eggs suffering as they became lethargic.

Was it a coincidence that the vitality of the farm lessened when the population of Starlight Cove really began seeing changes as more and more people left permanently for the mainland? No one can say for sure, but the superstitious say that the land itself has lost its luster, its magic, all over the island. If that was really the case, then of course the people that depended the most on that land experienced the 'curse' firsthand.

The Miller twins don't believe in curses though. As the current generation residents and managers of Starlight Mill Farm, they stubbornly work their literally un-yielding land with the hope they can restore it to some of its former glory.

The Miller family has been in Starlight Cove for as long as anyone can remember. They allegedly arrived from the mainland generations ago with only a few seeds and a few cattle, and after settling managed to turn the small farmstead start into a successful - even profitable - farm and ranch. Their namesake, a stone windmill, sat on a hill nearing the property's edge. Anyone visiting the farm would be able to see the large spinning sails from any corner. It's a shame the twins can't get anyone out to fix it in the current generation, as it now stands as a monument to just how far the farm has fallen.

When Erin's parents all but gave up on the farm and planned their move to the mainland a couple years ago, she refused to go with them. And if Erin was staying, then needless to say Aaron was too; the twins had always stuck together and had no plans to separate any time soon. Heated discussions turned into arguments, but in the end, the family split up. With a couple of jobs lined up through friends and connections, their parents headed into the city across the water... and the twins were allowed to stubbornly stay behind.

The farm wasn't worth much in its current state, and since they wouldn't make much money selling it remains in the family's possession, technically still in their father's name. Though repeated failures hit them harder and harder each year, the twins remain optimistic that they can turn things around. They'll joke about it, smile and blame things on each others' black thumbs, but its clear in the smudges on their faces and dirt under their nails how hard they're working to restore some 'magic' to the area through the food they plan to grow.

So far the only crop that's managed to survive is hardy winter wheat, and the only livestock that remain are a few chickens and one aging cow.

Before settling on the small island of Starlight Cove, those who bore the name Leclair, they were sailors. They were navigators. They were kings of the seas. Rumor has it, the sigil of a shooting star was the symbol they were coming. It’s been rumored that everyone who took to the sea knew of their name.

But this was so long ago and the norieity of that name has faded into memory of those who still bear it.

For three generations, the name Leclair has been associated with the lighthouse tower. From Brendon’s grandfather to his mother and now passed onto him, he oversees the lighthouse. He fixes what needs fixing. Replacing the light, patching up things that need patching up, and making repairs.

He inherited it merely three years ago when his mother fell ill and when his father left the island a few months after that.

The lighthouse might seem small in comparison to what role it serves to the island, but if there’s one thing that Brendan has always valued, it was how everything in the world has a role in the great circle of life. Everything from the animals the hunters kill to provide the island with food to the florists that give them the benefit of a flowers beauty to even the safe guidance a lighthouse provides for sailors and traders who come to Starlight for business.

Everything has a purpose. And though Brendan understands his purpose in maintaining the upkeep of the lighthouse, he still questions about his personal purpose. What is it he’s meant to do? Is being the keeper of the lighthouse simply it? With nobody but himself to fall back on, is he meant to just be alone by the pier without anyone? Or is there someone, somewhere, waiting for him?