Take the fairyland across the border of Lud-in-the-Mist or A Fall of Stardust. In between it and the "real world" there is a wall or barrier-- let's say an "Anti-Alien Protection Rampart" in official terminology. Instead of England on the real world side there's East Berlin and the GDR or some sutble Eastern Bloc stand-in. Drüben indeed.
While "Workers of the World, Unite Against the Faerie!" would be interesting enough, recasting the fairy presence with some Zone phenomena-like details out of Roadside Picnic and a bit of the seductiveness of the Festival from Singularity Sky: "Entertain us and we will give you want you want." Faerie should be weird and horrifying but also weird and wondrous--in a horrific way, naturally. Miracles, wonders, and abominations.
Of course, the authorities don't want anybody having interaction with the faerie, much less smuggling in their reality-warping, magical tech--and maybe they have a point. But if PCs did the smart thing they wouldn't be adventurers, would they?
2 comments:
I've kind of been hankering for some Zone style gaming. In my case, I'm thinking of something like scavengers going into the wrecks of failed mobile cities, probably a bit inspired by the visuals in "Mortal Engines."
I REALLY like the sound of this East Berlin - West Faerieland concept though. Faeries are often portrayed as capricious and dangerous to humans (and as royalty) so they're like two pieces from different puzzles that somehow fit together to make an interesting new image.
(Reading this also makes me wonder what Humza is up to over at Legacy of the Bieth...)
In a setting like this, PCs could be drawn away from "approved" normal lives by a number of different events...
The illegal trade that would occur is the first thing that comes to mind. Sure fae treasures and items are obvious, but there are also the things human exploitation always cause.
Fae pets / slaves for example; which it is depends on the perceived intelligence of the object. This could easily be an underworld black trade. Which would require people to acquire assets, hide them, trade them...
Beyond that is the possibility for fae food. Rich people looking for exotic, expensive meals. This would happen even without the possibility of magical effects resulting from the ingesting of fae flesh or beasts from across the border.
Both ideas could also be inverted; where its the fae preying on humans as well. They could see the humans as being invaders to what should be their world. The border wall being a human construct for good reason.
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