Visiting the humble towns and villages in the Land of the Tree of Beginning (Part 3 of 3)
Finally! Got the third part of the town and village tour ready! Here it is for everyone to enjoy!
Jenny Salisbury: Your Highness, my apologies for interrupting your breakfast, but I believe we have to provide another update about the Kingdom. Are we ready to resume the tour?
Queen Ilene: Yes, indeed we are! And I think I know where we can stop once we finish, the remaining places will only require travel during the morning.
Welcome again! We will now finish the tour of the towns and villages by visiting the southeastern settlements of the Kingdom: Ingena, Baden, Nida and Rockford. Our journey begins by heading towards Ingena, just south of the village of Primrose. Like much of Rota, Ingena is nestled in a narrow valley between the water bodies and the towering and lush mountains, which, more often than not, are shrouded in a mystical blanket of fog.
Ingena is another sizable town, standing out in the landscape owing to its steep streets and making the best of a rugged topography.
At the very heart of Ingena lay two notable features: the flower plaza and Ingena Fort.
The fort is what's known as a King's House, which used to be the fortified seat of government and storehouse for the riches of the town. Nowadays it has become a quaint tourist attraction with a commanding view of the town and its landscape.
Ingena's residents do enjoy dedicated health services, and as such, the bulk of their preoccupations have to do with educational services. They in particular want to have enhanced museum facilities for the town's attractions and past legacy. Other residents, meanwhile, complain about the lack of a more direct route to the village of Baden, to go from here to there we have to travel downhill, all the way to Aldemar, and then uphill again to reach Baden.
This also means that one of the most wonderful features separating Baden from Ingena remains inaccessible, Ingena Falls. This waterfall forms from the combination of snowy peak meltwater and the humidity brought by the clouds and fog that blanket the upstream forests.
Mew: Nyyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!
(Translation: Wheeeeeeeeeeeee!!!)
Jenny Salisbury: Would you look at that! Mew seems to be in the mood for a dip in the waterfall's pond!
Queen Ilene: I still don't get how he likes the water, especially one that flows so cold!
While we left Mew to have fun at the waterfall, we made the tedious and convoluted trip from Ingena to Baden. Fortunately for us, Baden is a really nice place, making the extra travel effort worthwhile. Towards the end of this stretch of the trip, we go along another winding mountain road and reach Baden. This village sits atop a cliff, providing it with a very flat but otherwise constrained terrain.
Baden was historically more important than Ingena, given its more defensible position and its access to the best forests in the vicinity. Many areas around it remain denuded or have languishing trees due to its timber-felling past. Much like Ingenans, residents of Baden also want improved educational services, a few more also want actions taken to restore degraded terrains at which forests once stood.
Just above the village sits the Palace of Baden, which serves as my official vacation residence. It is noticeably smaller than Cameran Palace, as it is not intended to host grand events at a centric location. I normally retreat here during the periods in which the Kingdom prepares Cameran Palace for the Festival of the Guardian, as well as for when the festival is de-mobilized (the clean-up after the event).
Jenny Salisbury: Mew seems to like this Palace quite a lot!
Queen Ilene: That's because this one has better hide-outs, compared to the bustling Cameran Palace.
Mew: Nyah-nyah-nyah!! Miu-mew, mew!
(Translation: Ha-ha-ha!! Bet you can't find me!)
Queen Ilene: After our stop at Baden we move further south, reaching the town of Nida and Rockford village.
Jenny Salisbury: My, this fog is getting really dense!
Queen Ilene: We might expect rain soon at this rate.
The town of Nida looks really nice, and it also harbors an especially dense tree cover both within its blocks and its surroundings! Unlike Ingena and Baden, Nida has more flat and gently sloping terrain nearby, which would allow it to grow some more should population trends require it. The mayor of this town approached us asking about the possibility of creating a forest preserve for these densely forested areas. This has been motivated by the contrasting experience relative to Baden, which has not succeeded as much in protecting its natural habitats.
We now head to the Temple of Flowers, the crowning jewel of this gorgeous place!
Mew: Nyaaa!! Nya-mew-mew!
(Translation: Hiiii!! Look at me instead!)
Jenny Salisbury: Mew! Stop getting in the way of the tour!
Mew: Nyyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!
(Translation: Wheeeeeeeeeeeee!!!)
Queen Ilene: C'mon Mew, we're almost done with the tour! And did you just force the cherry blossoms to bloom? Anyway, we now head towards Rockford, the last stop of today's tour. Much like Brandt, Rockford marks the easternmost boundary of the Kingdom at the time of The Grand Commotion. Before the retaliation and peace treaty ending that war, Rockford used to be the closest reach of the Red Army towards our lands.
And it's very clear why was it chosen as the ideal location for that very purpose! The village itself sits at a saddle between this tall snowy mountain and the most defensible hill, which protrudes into the flatter terrains of eastern Rota. The one big disadvantage of this location is that the rocky soils make for poor agriculture, and nearly all the usable land for crops has been planted intensively for centuries.
Like many of today's residents and merchants, we opt for the gravel road across the farmland to reach the village more quickly. This place has a very tightly-knit community and a peaceful atmosphere, rather different to the era in which it was first established.
Crowning Rockford Hill is Rockford Castle, one of the most impressive buildings of the entire Kingdom. I'm not sure we could call it a crown jewel, maybe instead it's the knight in shining armor of Rockford!
Mew: Nyah-nyaaah!! Nyyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!
(Translation: For sure!! Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!)
Queen Ilene: Despite the castle's impressive silhouette reigning supreme over the land, this facility receives very few visitors. It may look okay on the outside, but the interior needs major renovations and some retrofits to make it into a tourist attraction open to the public. Mew? He doesn't seem to mind that the castle isn't quite ready for visitors.
Queen Ilene: After stopping at Rockford Castle, we descend back to the village. Much like Nida, Rockford takes pride in its forests, they even have a tiny tract of the trees next to the plaza!
Jenny Salisbury: Come back here, little mister!! Can't you see we're busy here trying to get feedback from the villagers and their needs!?
Mew: Nyyaaaaahhhhh!!!!
(Translation: You can't get me!!!!)
Queen Ilene: Just let him be, we don't need him right now. Back to our tour, residents very much agree that Rockford Castle must be rehabilitated and turned into a prominent tourist attraction, they also think that an inn or small hotel could help boost the economy by allowing visitors to stay longer. After all, who doesn't love a landscape as scenic as this?!
Jenny Salisbury: Your Majesty, if I may suggest a lunch location, I'd like us to visit the farmer's market. Apparently they have fresh ingredients gathered directly from the woodlands!
Queen Ilene: That sounds wonderful! We shall continue our journey through the Kingdom of Rota after this delicious meal. Stay tuned for the upcoming excitement as we prepare for the Festival of the Guardian!
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