The Knotworks
The Knotworks is a floating court and civic complex—an interconnected maze of lashed barges, dry-rotted pontoons, and platforms moored in the canals of The Wound in Salve. As the headquarters of The Barge Assembly, it serves as both tribunal and town square, where disputes are heard, judgments rendered, and repairs begin. Community-built and constantly shifting, The Planks is a symbol of canalfolk resilience: a courthouse that floats, reforms, and rebuilds as needed. Smoke from cooking pots mingles with the shouts of bargemen and the creak of ropes, grounding civic life in the familiar rhythm of water, work, and collective care.
Alterations
Over time, The Knotworks has grown organically. What began as a few tied barges has expanded into a recognizable civic space, complete with makeshift kitchens, storage rafts, and roped-in seating areas. Whenever a platform collapses or a hull rots through, another is quickly lashed into place. Its map changes seasonally depending on need, floodwater, or social tides. No two months look quite the same—adaptation is part of its ethos.
Architecture
Architecturally improvised yet deeply functional, The Knotworks is formed from scavenged materials—decking boards, dock fragments, retired barge hulls, and rope-lashed scaffolds. Planks creak underfoot and sag into the water in places, but the structure holds.
History
The Knotworks formed during a period of civic neglect, when canalfolk realized no one else would enforce fair trade or resolve disputes. What began as informal raft-meetings turned into a permanent fixture after a landmark arbitration prevented a multi-family barge war.
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