Month: September 2025

For her latest region design based on a physical world location, Jade Koltai offers a personal take on the scenic beauty of Lake Bled, Slovenia.

Located close to the Julian Alps, Lake Bled has a long history, with links to Christianity, cults, healing, and – in more modern times – recreation and sport (it has been the location for the world rowing championships no fewer than four times).

Perhaps most famously, the lake with its forested surroundings is best known for Blejski otok (Bled Island), the home of a church dedicated to the Assumption of Mary. Dating from the 17th century, the church was a pilgrimage location, and includes Gothic frescos dating to the 15th century.

With her Lake Bled, Jade offers many of the highlights of its physical world namesake – the surrounding mountains, the forests and sense of peace – and, most obviously, the island and church – but take things in places in a slightly different direction to offer a location that carries with it an element of mystery mixed with the natural beauty.

The Landing Point is located on the expansive deck of a lakeside cabin now converted into a cosy café-come-rest-stop. With plenty of indoor and outdoor seating, the café offers its own alternatives to the culinary speciality of the Lake Bled region, kremna rezina (or kremšnita), in the form of a range of pastries and other delights.

The waterside length of the cafe’s deck offers a command view of the setting’s island and the shadowy form of the church thereon, but no actual way to reach the island directly.

For that, visitors should strike out southwards from the café, following the edge of the lake around to where a small wooden jetty offs boats to rez. These can be used to cross to the island and church, or to putter around on the water and perhaps visit the rafts floating out between the island and the lake’s southern shore.

Placing the boat rezzer a short distance away from the café encourages exploration, and it s possible to completely circumnavigate the lake by either setting off to the south towards the jetty, or heading north and following the steps and trail in that direction.

Which route you take is a matter of choice; neither direction out from the café holds any particular advantage (unless heading out on one of the boats is your particular aim!). As the route do circle the lake, effectively forming a single path around it, you will pass pass by or through all the points of interest along the lake’s shores, including a raised platform with its burning brazier offering an artificially elevated view over the lake; the little cabin tucked into a corner of the the setting and a peaceful hideaway; the paved overlook above the lake that is slightly suggestive of the remains of an ancient road, and more besides.

Given the limited space within a region, Jade’s Lake Bled offers a different take on the island church to its physical world namesake. While the latter offers a number of buildings as well as the church and its separate bell tower, the majority with whitewashed walls and tidy red-titled roofs, Jade’s small island presents a single chapel standing at the head of steps rising from the single small dock.

With its darkened walls, and seemingly abandoned interior coupled with the overgrown nature of the little island, the church offers that sense of mystery I noted, bringing a possible narrative twist to the setting: why was the chapel set here? Why is it now deserted? Is it a place of romance or something else? The crows gathered on the island perhaps add to the mystery present on the island, their dark plumage certainly a contrast to the more gaily-coloured birds to be found around the shores of the lake.

When visiting, I do recommend using the local environment settings. Whilst these place the Sun to west, suggesting that the day is ending, the fact that mist is in places hugging the waters of the lake and drifting through the grasslands at its edge conversely give a feeling of an early morning, and that time of day between first light and the Sun actually taking a peek over the horizon. It further adds to the romance of the setting, as well as that sense of mystery one might feel when visiting, the church and its island rising as silhouettes from the waters of the lake, guarded on either side by the tall peaks of the haze-softened mountains.

In all, and as ever with Jade’s work, a beautiful and evocative setting; definitely not one to be missed.

SLurl Details

• Lake Bled (Overland Hills, rated Moderate)

Designed by Philippe Brora (brutal), the Lost Swamp is a Homestead Region recently added to the Destination Guide, where its description attracted my attention as a place to visit and explore.

Surrounded by off-region mountains caught in a distant mist when seen using the region’s default environment settings, it presents a rugged setting rising from east to west; one in which water has played a role in its formation.

Lost Swamp is a quiet and atmospheric destination where misty waters and whispering trees create a backdrop for reflection and photography. Visitors can explore its calm paths and find inspiration in its timeless setting.

– from Lost Swamp’s Destination Guide description

The Landing Point sits on the eastern extent of the region, atop a small dock with a motor launch alongside. The latter gives the impression that those teleporting in have in fact just arrived aboard the old but functional boat. Close by is the mouth of a narrow river, exiting the land after flowing outwards from the uplands to the west.

A large tree house sits across the river. It is not the only structure on the island, but it is the largest and best-kept, the others looking a little more careworn in nature. Open to the public, the house sits close to the tower of an old brick-built lighthouse which has seen better days – although exactly what has befallen it is open to visitors to consider for themselves.

Both sit on the edge of the swamplands which presumably give the setting its name. These lie to the north side of the region, between the river and the open waters surrounding it, although neither appears to feed into it.

Mist-wreathed, home to mangroves, swamp pines and dead and rotting vegetation, the swamp is the populated by crows, bats, snakes and vultures. An aging shack and barn clearly suffering from the swamp’s damp air sit within it, but again, who might live here is up to the imagination to decide.

South of the river the land is partially flooded; channels of water cutting it into small islands sufficiently high above the waters so as to be dry rather than swampy, but perhaps damp enough to cause the corn here to rot as it grows (or perhaps it has simply been abandoned).

Bridges and wooden walkways offer the means to cross the various channels, making for multiple routs of exploration, including the boat shack on the southern coast. The latter has again seen better days, but is again open to the public.

To the west, the uplands are rugged, the home of high waterfalls and largely naked in terms of flora. The northern hills are home to stairs rising to a plateau where more ruined and makeshift buildings stand. These offer table-top games and the area appears to be a possible events space – with the latter promised as “coming soon”.

Southwards, and hidden by surrounding hills and cliffs, lies something of a secret heart to the setting – but I’ll let you find that in a visit of your own and determine what its story might be.

With multiple places to sit scattered throughout the region, coupled with enough to encourage the imagination to start conjuring possible backstories for the setting, the Lost Swamp offer a lot to see and plenty of opportunities for photography.

SLurl Details

• Lost Swamp (Glimpse of Eternity, rated Adult)