Ice Town (Polareia Borealis)

Overview

What Is Ice Town?:

• Seasonal special village: "Polareia Borealis" (default name)
• Active period: normally December 15 - January 4 (21 days)
• Winter wonderland theme: crystal icicles, frosty fog, snow
• Limited services: Blocks the weapon shop, armor shop, bank, forest, Prefect's Lounge, House hall, and many other features
• Main attraction: Ice Castle exploration maze
• PvP on ski slopes (replaces standard PvP)
• Access: Ice Caravan (ticketed) or dangerous travel (if allowed)

Three Linked Features:

• Ice Town: The village itself (special location, custom text, blocked features)
• Ice Caravan: Seasonal travel system (ticket-based round-trip wagon)
• Ice Castle: Exploration location (maze with random rewards/penalties)

Seasonal Schedule

Caravan Activation:

• Ticket Period: 4 days before opening (normally Dec 11-15)
• Open Period: normally Dec 15 - Jan 4 (21 days)
• After Closing: Caravan navigation disappears, Ice Town disabled
• Auto-Return: Players sleeping in Ice Town moved to capital on closing

How Tickets Work:

• Random ticket distribution during ticket period (4 days before opening)
• Tickets marked "Admit One" appear in inventory
• One ticket per player per day
• Valid for entire open period (round-trip use)
• Free tickets (no cost)
• Caravan navigation appears only with valid ticket

Ice Caravan Travel

Outbound Journey (To Ice Town):

• Appear in any village (not Ice Town) with ticket
• See: "Clutching the ticket marked Admit One, you see others with similar day tickets"
• Queue for wagon touring "Polareia Borealis"
• Navigation: "R?Ride the Caravan to Polareia Borealis"
• Board wagon: "Small man smiles at your ticket, waves you aboard"
• Keep ticket for return journey (not consumed)
• Multi-stop journey: "Wagon stops at several villages, collecting passengers"
• Arrival: "Glittering sign. Welcome to Polareia Borealis"

Return Journey (From Ice Town):

• Must have a ticket (or have held one earlier this season)
• Navigation: "R?Ride the Caravan back to [your origin village]"
• Board wagon: "Demure ticket lady smiles, waves you aboard"
• Ticket valid for multiple trips same day
• Returns you to village where you first boarded
• Multi-stop journey: "Caravan stops in several towns, dropping passengers off"

Safety Features:

• If season ends while you're in Ice Town: Auto-moved to capital village
• Ticket collector warns: "Returned to [capital] if you fall asleep when tourist season ends"
• Prevents players getting stuck in disabled location
• If ticket canceled mid-season: Can still return (the ticket collector remembers you)

Ice Town Village

Village Description:

• Title: "%s, the Ice Town" (Polareia Borealis, the Ice Town)
• Text: "%sYou are standing in a wonderland of white"
• "Crystal icicles wink at you from the eaves of buildings and huts nearby"
• "Villagers are chatting, their words emerging in frosty fog"
• Clock on church (instead of standard clock)
• Calendar on nativity display (instead of standard calendar)

Custom Navigation Sections:

• Village Gates: Standard gate area
• Sparring Street: PvP area (ski slopes access)
• Avenue of Ice: Market/shops area
• Blizzard Lane: Inn/tavern area
• Snowflakes: Info area

Blocked Features (Cannot access in Ice Town):

• No Prefect's Lounge or donation features here
• The weapon shop (closed)
• The armor shop (closed)
• No House hall here
• Standard PvP (replaced with ski slopes)
• The forest (NO forest fights)
• The Gardens (closed)
• The Gypsy (NO fortune teller)
• The bank (closed)
• Also closed: several other optional features

Available Features:

• Inn/tavern (standard drinks)
• Ice Castle exploration (main attraction)
• Ski Slopes PvP
• Chat/commentary
• Caravan return travel
• Newday (can sleep/advance day)

Ski Slopes PvP

PvP Replacement:

• Standard PvP location replaced with ski slopes
• Navigation: "See the Slopes"
• Location description: "Trek through city gates, large group queueing for ski lifts"
• "Clutches of small huts to one side where foolish students shelter for the night"
• Attack message: "You trek through the city gates, to where a large group of students are queueing for the ski lifts."

PvP News Messages:

• Victory: "%s defeated %s in fair combat on the ski slopes of %s"
• Loss: "%s has been slain while attacking %s on the ski slopes of %s"
• Custom messages for Ice Town location

Ice Castle Exploration

Location:

• Appears in Blizzard Lane (tavernnav) in Ice Town
• Navigation: "The Ice Castle"

Entrance Description:

• "Set back from the slurried street, a glittering white cave winks below leafless winter trees"
• "Sculpted ice swans line a cobbled path, leading to the entrance"
• "Pots of candles light them from below, flames dancing in the gentle air"
• Choice: Enter or Leave

Once Per Day Limit:

• The castle remembers whether you have explored today
• If you already explored today: "There's no way you're going near that place again today"
• "Maybe you'll want to visit tomorrow"
• Resets at newday (you may try again)
• Applies to negative outcomes (cases 6, 7, 9, 10)

Ice Castle Maze

Exploration Structure:

• Multi-level navigation maze with colored rooms
• Foyer: Blue, Yellow, Green, Red doorways
• Second level: Amber, Violet (from Yellow)
• Third level: Pink, Orange (from Violet)
• Terminal rooms: Ice Blue, Pale Green, White (trigger outcomes)
• Total 7+ terminal rooms leading to random outcomes

Maze Navigation Example:

• Enter → Foyer → Yellow → Violet → Pink → [Outcome]
• Enter → Foyer → Blue → [Outcome]
• Enter → Foyer → Red → White → [Outcome]
• Each end room gives a random result

Atmospheric Text:

• "Multiple doorways lit in many colors, fairy lights adorning every space"
• "Glow bounces from surface to surface, blues yellows greens shining like faceted jewel"
• "Glittering lights twinkle on ceiling, silver sparkles touch every angled surface"
• Rich descriptive text for each room color

Ice Castle Outcomes

10 Random Outcomes (equal 10% chance each):

1. Find a Gem (10% chance, roll 1)

• "You look carefully, seeing only ice crystals and lights"
• "As you turn to leave, something glistens in the corner of your eye"
• "You find a gem!"
• +1 gem
• No lockout (can explore again tomorrow)

2-3. Find 100 Gold (20% chance, roll 2-3)

• "You look around, at first seeing only ice crystals and lights"
• "But as you gaze about, you are amazed to find 100 gold!"
• +100 gold
• No lockout

4. Amused by Costumed Staff (10% chance, roll 4)

• "Hollow laugh echoes from somewhere close by"
• Discover random staff member (or Aberforth/Ollivander) in costume suit
• Costume from the Marquee costume suits (snowman, etc.) if the Marquee is running
• "You laugh in good humor. You are amused!"
• hitpoints × 1.05 (+5% HP)
• No lockout

5. Mint Diorama (+1 Charm) (10% chance, roll 5)

• "Detailed diorama spread before you"
• "Small polar bears, seals, fish and eskimos adorn lovingly crafted landscape"
• "Bowl of mints at front"
• "Help yourself to one for yourself, second one for [partner]"
• "You feel charming!"
• +1 charm
• No lockout

6. Dancing Queen Scare (-1 Charm) (10% chance, roll 6)

• "Before you can blink, confronted by bizarrely-dressed dancing queen"
• "Runs towards you, yelling "KISS ME!!!"
• "You high-tail it out of there away from disturbing creature"
• "You lose some charm!"
• charm--
• Locked out (can't explore again today)

7. Staff Jump Scare (-10% HP) (10% chance, roll 7)

• "Just as you begin to relax, [staff] jumps out from behind ice wall"
• "Laughs at you, you nearly wet your pants in fright"
• "You run out of there in a hurry"
• "You lose some of your hitpoints!"
• hitpoints × 0.9 (-10% HP, min 1 HP)
• Locked out for the day

8. Candy Canes (+1-2 Turns) (10% chance, roll 8)

• "You have found a small dish of candy canes!"
• "You help yourself to one and munch greedily"
• "You feel vigorous!"
• +1 turn (everyone gets it)
• If VE count ≤ 5: another +1 turn (+2 turns total for newbies)
• No lockout

9. Polar Bear Roar Fall (-30% HP, -1 Turn) (10% chance, roll 9)

• "You hear a roar, terrified of polar bears, make mad rush to get out"
• "Lose your footing on slippery ice floor"
• "Fall heavily and knock yourself out"
• "You lose some of your hitpoints!"
• hitpoints × 0.7 (-30% HP, min 1 HP)
• If turns ≥ 1: turns--, output "You lose a forest fight!"
• Locked out for the day

10. Icy Hand Terror (-10% HP) (10% chance, roll 10)

• "Icy hand appears from nowhere, clutches at your throat"
• "Tries to drag you towards a hole in the ice"
• "Sobbing in terror, you flee blindly out onto the street"
• "You lose some of your hitpoints!"
• hitpoints × 0.9 (-10% HP, min 1 HP)
• Locked out for the day

Outcome Probability Analysis

Expected Value Breakdown:

• Positive Outcomes (50%):
  • 10%: +1 gem (valuable)
  • 20%: +100 gold (moderate reward)
  • 10%: +5% HP (helpful)
  • 10%: +1 charm (permanent stat)
• Very Positive Outcomes (10%):
  • 10%: +1-2 turns (very valuable, newbies get +2)
• Negative Outcomes (40%):
  • 10%: -1 charm + locked out for the day
  • 10%: -10% HP + locked out for the day
  • 10%: -30% HP, -1 turn + locked out for the day
  • 10%: -10% HP + locked out for the day

Mathematical EV:

• 60% positive outcomes (gem, gold, HP, charm, turns)
• 40% negative outcomes (charm loss, HP loss, turn loss)
• Expected value slightly positive overall
• Risk: 40% chance of HP loss (can be significant: -10% to -30%)
• Best outcome: +2 turns for newbies (10% chance)
• Worst outcome: -30% HP + -1 turn (10% chance)

Strategy Guide

Should You Visit Ice Town?:

• Yes, if:
  • You have a caravan ticket (free travel)
  • You want to explore seasonal content
  • You're curious about the Ice Castle maze
  • You need gems (10% chance per day)
  • You want seasonal PvP variety (ski slopes theme)
• No, if:
  • You need weapons/armor shop access
  • You need bank access
  • You need forest fights (BLOCKED in Ice Town)
  • You need lodge/donation features
  • You're risk-averse (40% negative outcomes in Ice Castle)

Ice Castle Strategy:

• Heal First: Have high HP before exploring (40% chance of HP loss)
• Once Per Day: Explore daily for chances at gems/turns/gold
• Accept Risk: 40% negative outcomes mean you'll get scared/hurt sometimes
• Newbie Advantage: VE count ≤ 5 get +2 turns instead of +1 (case 8)
• Daily Lockout: Bad outcomes lock you out for the day

Travel Timing:

• Visit early in game day (plenty of time to return before newday)
• Don't fall asleep in Ice Town (auto-returned to capital on season close)
• Keep ticket throughout visit (needed for return)
• Can make multiple round-trips same day with same ticket

What to Do in Ice Town:

• 1. Explore Ice Castle (once per day)
• 2. PvP on ski slopes (if you have PvP fights left)
• 3. Visit inn/tavern for drinks
• 4. Chat in special winter-themed location
• 5. Return to normal village for full services

Limitations

• Seasonal Only: normally 21 days per year (Dec 15 - Jan 4)
• Ticket Dependency: Need caravan ticket or dangerous travel access
• Blocked Services: NO weapons, armor, bank, forest, lodge, house
• Ice Castle Daily Limit: Once per day exploration
• Daily Lockout: Negative outcomes prevent re-exploration same day
• High Risk: 40% chance of negative Ice Castle outcome
• Auto-Return: Sleeping in Ice Town on closing day moves you to capital
• No Forest Fights: Cannot train/grind in Ice Town

Integration with Other Systems

Marquee Costumes:

• Ice Castle outcome #4 (amused by costume) uses Marquee suits if the Marquee is running
• Random costume selection from the Marquee suits
• Falls back to "snowman" if there is no Marquee

Staff Roster:

• Ice Castle outcomes #4 and #7 (costume/jump scare) use random staff member
• Falls back to Aberforth or Ollivander if no staff set

Partner System:

• Ice Castle outcome #5 (mint diorama) mentions sharing with partner
• Uses your partner's name

Travel:

• Ice Town appears in the dangerous travel list (when standard travel to it is allowed)
• Always dangerous travel (can't be safe travel)
• Staff can instant-travel regardless of the rules