The Story of Lilium Fields

The town of Roanoke was once nothing more than a one-family town located in eastern Colorado. It was founded in 1816 by a small group of settlers on their way out West; having decided that the rolling hills and majestic mountain views were too beautiful to pass by, they abandoned their original desires for finding gold for the prospect of a gorgeous and undisturbed new home. What was once as a small collection of handmade log houses and endless land for their horses would eventually be known as Roanoke.

But there is much more to Roanoke's story, for the history of this town is as strange as it is fantastic. After a good many years of settling the land, a strange misfortune occurred. Records of the events leading up to the tragedy, if they ever existed, never surfaced; the only thing known about the settlement is that over a hundred years ago, every person living on those beautiful green fields ended up dead - all except for one. One out of a group of nearly 25 settlers survived a mysterious killer. It wasn't hard to guess why he immediately took one look at what happened and left that place forever. He never mentioned that fateful day again, save for one ominous warning: "Those fields hold a power over ya the likes of which I ain't ever seen, nor wish to see again."

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Roanoke was rediscovered in 1922, when the Colorado wildlife administration reported herds of wild horses amassing in an unsettled portion of land close to the mountains. Rustlers rode there expecting to make a profit from the plethora of horses they'd round up; but they never expected to see horses of all shapes and colors and varieties, grazing peacefully among never-before-seen flowers of vibrant orange hues - horses that could speak English, just as easily as any human.

From that day forward, no one dared to touch them. Whether they considered it unethical or whether they feared the fantastical creatures, no one would say, but it seemed a unanimous vote to let the horses be trumped their desire to claim the land for themselves. The humans were not so easily swayed, however, and so instead of taking the creatures away from their homes, they built a town right alongside them. Roanoke was built on the remains of what settlers had started long ago and equines had taken over.

But what gave the horses such abilities, allowing them speech and appearances unlike any other horse seen in history? Theories range far and wide, but the poisonous flowers they seemed to eat without care were often called into question. Named Lilium Dauricum, the flower was notorious for its fatal poison, a prospect that baffled the scientific community when they learned how nonchalantly the equines consumed it. The spectacle was enough to slowly draw in the most curious and daring humans; eager to see (and some to even try and capture) for themselves the unbelievable horses that made their home there, the town slowly grew. Many came for the sights, and others for the horse country the town was situated in, but all were intrigued by the mystery of those fabled horses.

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The present day sees the town of Roanoke grown to a decent size as many people have decided to try their luck in its lush countryside. Somehow, it seems the tender grasses and sweet mountain air nurture all equines who live here to such an extent that they are far more beautiful and healthy, and thus more valuable than horses from nearly anywhere else in the world. Roanoke has become a hot spot for equestrians and enthusiasts alike; and perhaps now some of those who come here are brave enough to try and tamper with those wild creatures that have gone untouched by human hands for so long.

So what'll it be? Test your freedom among the mountains, feeling the wind as it caresses your mane and whispers of freedom? Or would you more like to experience the pleasantness of the town of Roanoke with all its secrets? Maybe you'll be the first to achieve the impossible and capture one of those wild beasts yourself.

The choice is yours.

Lilium Fields awaits.