Day: August 6, 2024

Tolla Crisp’s Frogmore expanded recently with the arrival of Goblins Knob, a Homestead region by Tolia and her frequent region design partner, Dandy Warhlol (terry Fotherington). I always enjoy trips to Tolia’s regions as the settings they present are so often inspired by physical world locations whilst taking their ideas in directions totally set aside from any real world location rather than merely reflecting it. In this, Goblin’s Knob immediately captured my interest just from the description Tolla has bestowed upon it:

Goblins Knob is inspired by 1666 Pudding Lane, London, before the great fire, with the added magic of Diagon Alley. Early dawn of quiet hush, fog descends with a gentle brush. Veiling the world in a silent shroud, nature’s whisper not too loud. The Spiderwick comes at the break of dawn, Bogarts and Goblins, and dark Pixie Yarns.

Goblin Knob’s Destination Guide description

Now, I’ll be honest, the Diagon Alley reference went right over my head – although Wilhelmina, my companion for the visit, immediately caught it. In my defence I will say that my ignorance is borne of the fact that I am probably one of the few people in the world never to have had the desire to read the Harry Potter books (despite loving fantasy in general) or watch the films. That said, the reference to  DiTerlizzi’s and Black’s series of books (and subsequent TV series and film) was all too clear; and that and the idea of mixing 17th century London with elements of steampunk very much whetted my appetite for the unusual and the eye-catching.

This is a place which should be visited using the looks environment settings (World Environment → Used Shared → Environment). It is also a region where PBR materials are much in evidence, including on the terrain (one of Alex Bader’s PBR materials sets looks to have been used – I’ve been using within my home island as well). I have no idea if texture and Blinn-Phong fallbacks are provided where the PBR has been used, but if you drop in on a non-PBR viewer and find expanses of grey or white or similar, this will likely be the reason why.  You’ll also want local sounds on whilst visiting as well.

Visits begin on the east side of the region, on a small wooden pier sitting just above the surface of the water. The fog is heavy and the night dark, but two great fingers of rock loom out of the water whilst the shadowy form of a tall building rises tower-like a short distance from the pier. The latter is illuminated by the tall form of a floodlamp tower topped by the gapping mouths of klaxon horns. This marks the first coming together of the strange mix of influences. With thick heavy cables clearly visible, the floodlamps would appear to be electrically powered, setting them a little at odds with the idea of 1600s London; another little twist comes in the form of two strange flying vehicles “moored” (inasmuch as they are serenely hovering above it) at the pier – although they do have the steampunkian element.

Further mystery is added by the long shafts of spears protruding from the water as if thrown in an attempt to ward off a sea creature of some kind. To one side of the pier, the high wall backing it gives way to a west-point channel cutting into the region, on the other, step rise up from the water’s edge to provide access to the cobbled street above ad it runs along the edge of the deep walled canal, a peculiar mix of lit buildings somewhat crammed together whilst separated by archways and cobbles alleyways.

Three primary bridges span the canal, with a slightly rickety looking boardwalk forming a fourth crossing, this above the short tunnel leading out to the waters by the landing point pier, providing access to a heap of buildings cut off from the rest of those to be found on the canal’s north side by another deep-walled channel. Steps on the far side of this boardwalk rise up to the flat rooftop where a cannon ominously points its snout up the line of the canal, rather than out to sea, as if awaiting something nasty to come down through the waters.  from further inside the town.

It is on the north side of the canal and along the cobbled street there that many of the more wizardly (or perhaps magical might be a better term) elements for the region might be found, both within shops (or a shop) and at the roadside vendors. Further to the west and across another bridge, this one spanning a channel feeding water into the main canal from a rocky waterfall, lay more hints (others being in the form of posters in doors and walls of buildings already passed, for those keen of eye) that the circus is in town. Indeed, a trip down a short alley arched with roses will bring you to where a path winds through the local woods to the rather forlorn circus itself.

Meanwhile, in the waters of the main canal just below where the circus wagons sit on the town’s street, a possible reason for the inward looking cannon might be found as it menaces a ship trying to make passage through the narrow waters. At its western end, the canal opens out into the sea once, high stone walls continuing to keep the streets high above the murky waters.  But where, on the south side, the wall marks the limit’s of the town’s extent save for piping of unknown use, to the north the town continues along what might have once have been a substantial wharf, but which is now the foundations for a ramshackle building looking almost like the grandfather of all motels and lit an eerie green.

Nor is the canal merely a source of navigation for watercraft; overhead, a procession of balloons and dirigibles appear to be following to whole-knows where. Among these, but not a part of their number, given it is firmly anchored to the ground, is a balloon from which a zipline ride might be taken at a very sedate pace.

Most – but not all – of the building here are façades, and I admit, outside of the higgley-piggledy cramming of the buildings, I’m unclear as to the reference to the London of 1666 and the Great Fire. However, none of this detracts from a setting that is very heavy in atmosphere and rich in detail, particularly when it comes to the steampunk elements. Even the otherwise incongruous elements such as flood lamps and 20th century English telephone boxes just work, and I particularly liked the tavern’s wall of framed pictures and the little jokes nested within the images.

Very different from other Frogmore venues, but engaging and photogenic, Goblins Knob is a fascinating curio of a region.

SLurl Details

• Goblin’s Knob (Dulcis, rated General)