This week’s Player Owned Town spotlight has community manager Berek exploring Knightmare Falls. Located just south of Serpent’s Spine Foothills, it is a welcome rest for those who wish to hunt kobolds and other regional creatures.
Berek: Making my way to the town, I heard a sharp whistle, followed by “Mal, we got company!” A tall man in blue greeted me before I had taken more than a few steps. “Welcome to the Falls! Name’s Vindorein.”
Vindorein, it turned out, was the steward of the main square. The town itself was broken into three parts. “You got the main square here, Knightmare Estates up the hill over there run by Daemoh,” He pointed to the West.
“And the third part?” The steward quickly glanced to the East, then back. “That’s Sorrow Hill. We don’t talk about it much.”
We walked past the bank and into a large park, the centerpiece being an ancient stone ring. “Yeah, Mal… that is, Governor Graynight, likes to combine the old and the new together. Remembering the past, and all that.”
While making our way to the Governor’s office, we were met by another person. “Greetings Berek, I am Daemoh. Would you like a tour of the town?”
Yes, please do! What can you tell me about Knightmare Falls?
“As you know, we are Avatars and not from this world. Myself, Vindorein and Sebastian found the ruins of an old town some time ago. The locals tended to be wary of it, and the creatures of this land stayed far away. It seemed like a decent sanctuary for others like us. We started here in the main square, slowly reclaiming what nature had taken back. Many ruins were found along our ways. However, the one place that we couldn’t get to was Sorrow Hill.
Now, keep in mind that is the name the natives gave the mountains to the East. We didn’t know why at the time, because no one would talk about it, but we definitely found out later.
As we began building what we found was an old town, more people started showing up. Some of them were natives, and we learned quite a bit about the history of this place. The hills to the West were once for the aristocrats of the society. But Sorrow Hill to the East…”
At this point, a gruff voice spoke up from behind. “Sorrow Hill once held an obsidian tower.” The Governor bowed his head. “Greetings Berek! Thank you for visiting our little corner of Novia.” I bade him to continue his story.
“We spent several years fighting Sorrow Hill. At first we hired locals to do the cleanup for us, but they only made it about halfway before refusing to go farther. So we took up axes and started clearing it ourselves. What we found up there was the ruins of an ancient city. The natives are quite unnerved about it, so we try not to tread there much. Let’s not talk about that anymore, as I want to show you the rest of the town!”
“The Broken Chord is a recent addition. It is our music shop. Specializing in instruments and music from our world, we’re hoping to eventually bring bards from all corners of Novia to compete in a series of planned seasonal competitions.”
Stepping past the Music shop, I saw a beautiful garden. “What is this?” I asked.
“This is Gabriel’s Garden. It was placed in honor of a sweet, troublesome imp of a boy named Gabriel, who has autism. You’ll find poetry throughout the garden about him. It was made to be a quiet place of contemplation, and a safe place. An area to help close off the extra sensory input of the world.”
With the agitation of the stewards nearing too close to Sorrow Hill, we reversed course to the other side of the lake.
“Knightmare Estates is for the finer things in life, or so it has been said. It is a place for those who want to live around in the fancier sections of town. Less crowded, more room to breathe, and a beautiful view. And of course, we have all the amenities of the main square available up here as well.”
Who are the residents of Knightmare Falls?
“We are a varied bunch. We try not to exclude any Avatars. At the heart of this town are crafters, entrepreneurs, adventurers and farmers. There are few that don’t fit in here, all are welcome.”
What makes the town so unique?
“A lot of the towns we have visited are either exclusive or set aside for a certain type of folk. Towns claimed by guilds, towns claimed by miners, by this club or that. We say ‘find a plot of grass and build yourself a house.’ And really, we are happy to work with all our residents. You want your house moved a little to the left? No problem. That bare spot in the middle of nowhere? Sure. We have space, and with the exception of Sorrow Hill, there really are no restrictions. Well, don’t write your name in fish. The governor hates that!”
What is the future of Knightmare Falls?
“Well, there is the mystery of Sorrow Hill. We would very much like to expand the music store, start some music based competitions (if we can ever figure out how to amplify the sound of the instruments), and have a few events across the fields and squares. We even have a new tavern opening, the Lost Souls Tavern. The owner is very much looking forward to starting his own brewery, which should be quite attractive for travelers I suspect.”
There is so much more to explore in Knightmare Falls. If you are interested to become part of this community, to settle down and place a home on a lot somewhere, feel free to contact Sebastian Graynight, Daemoh Obscura, or Vindorein Dynear with any questions!
Do you have a town, guild, or other group we can spotlight? Message Berek in the forums!
Looks like a nice place to check out.
I go there all the time when i need to lighten my pack from hunting in Serpent Spine. Most I have met have been quite friendly. Very relaxing spot there by the crafting pavilion. So if you havent gone by be sure to stop. You wont be disappointed. It’s a very nice town