This latest community spotlight takes a new twist in covering the first Player RUN Town (PRT) of Aldwater! We are touring all kinds of towns and talking with guilds and other groups throughout this spotlight series, brought to you by Berek, your community wood elf druid.

In Shroud of the Avatar, we have three primary types of towns: Player Owned Towns (POT) (where a player owns the town and players can be evicted), Player Run Towns (we establish the town and some basic infrastructure, but the players ultimately fill up the space), and standard NPC towns like Brittany, Owl’s Head, Soltown, etc. that also are often part of a quest line. Up until this spotlight, we’ve been exclusively touring POTs.

Nestled along a busy stretch of the Perennial Coast in Novia, Aldwater is quite easy to find. The town is located right next to many famous towns and centers of commerce where new players take the first step on their journey through New Britannia. As I neared the entrance of the town (after paying a quick visit to the fine clothing shops in the bustling neighboring town of Ardoris), I immediately noticed the beautiful cliffs with extravagant mansions overlooking the bay:

I saw a great many curiosities in Aldwater that drove me to write down my tour. As I entered the town and began exploring the many cobblestone streets, I paused in front of someone’s house upon noticing a curious set of decorations on the front lawn…

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We are touring towns and talking with guilds and other groups throughout this spotlight series, brought to you by Berek, your community wood elf druid. This latest Player Owned Town spotlight explores the underground metropolis of Bladewyke!

Close to Etceter and several other player owned towns along the northern shore of the Quel peninsula, I saw a great many in that cavern of wonders that drove me to write this spotlight. Here is what I witnessed:

Bladewyke is very easy to find with many distractions to appease your adventurous spirit along the way. As I neared the cavern entrance along the coast by Tanby Landing, the howl of the wind from the deepwater sound to the north threatened to rip my very body from my boots!

Fortunately, as I approached the town, I was able to take shelter in the mighty stones that formed the entrance. With each step I became more intrigued about what lie beyond.

Both Ruin, the town Governor, and guild loremaster Tamsen greeted me upon entering. They escorted me to the first area of interest – the town’s common crafting area. The walk from the entrance was nothing short of spectacular, given the amazing rock formations and hypnotising effect of the glowing fungi that populated the main cavern.

As we walked, I asked Bladewyke’s Loremaster, Tamsen… “With all the mysterious areas in Bladewyke, is there a story here?”

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This week’s community spotlight features the Player Owned Town, Dragomir! Each week we tour towns and talk with guilds and other groups, all of which are open to be spotlighted on coming tours brought to you by Berek, your community wood elf druid.

This spotlight tells a special tale, where CatherineRose, govenor of Dragomir, shares her story about the town from the beginning. Have a read:

The funeral marched on toward the evening setting sun as Spirit and I watched as my dear husband is carried across the sea.

The dream of a peaceful paradise named for thee, my husband Duke Gregorie Dragomir, seems to fade as the setting sun disappears into the sea and darkness overtakes the land.

Ye chose this land and this town to be the home of our dreams but a horrible fire dragon devastated all we created. In the final days of the battle to save Dragomir from the wrath of dragons, my precious husband and I were defending our town against the last dragon’s assault. The dragon with the advantage and my strength fading, my death loomed before me and I knew the end would soon be. With great courage and love pushing him, my precious Gregorie lunged between me and the dragon and dealt the final victorious blow. I watched with terrified eyes as the dragon and my husband plunged into the great abyss to their death below the cliffs of Dragomir.

Alone, I survived.

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