As of 5/24/99
There wouldn't be much to distinguish Heichorn's Spring from any other settlement on the Sea of Gold except for three things: firstly, there is a small spring-fed lake surrounded by lazy willow trees; secondly, there are no farms in the local area; and thirdly, there is a major crossroads at Heichorn's Spring.
A short walk from the intersection, a small spring bubbles to the surface. The water has a 
slight mineral-taste, but is still suitable for drinking. Water from the spring collects in a small, yet deep, willow-lined lake before trickling away south and disappearing back into the ground. Tasty fish can be caught on the lake, but not in a large enough number as to support a fishing industry. The soil around Heichorn's Spring is thin and poor, more a shallow layer of dirt overlying hard limestone than anything else. For this reason, the growing and cultivating of crops, or even the herding of sheep, has been fairly unsuccessful, especially when compared to the handsome bounty that could be reaped with ease elsewhere in the Sea of Gold.
Originally, the crossroads was located several miles to the west of the natural spring. At that time, a fellow by the name of Jeb Heichorn, a retired soldier who had been ceded a tract of land for his many years of service by the king, came to the spring with his family and tried to start a farm. After a few years of back-breaking labor and failed crops--despite the plentiful supply of water--Jeb realized his dream was never going to come true. He might have kept on trying if it weren't for his young wife, who had become bent and wrinkled from slaving in the fields day after day.
Noticing the merchants and traders camping at the crossroads to the west in a fairly poor setting, barren of any comforts, including an ample water supply, Jeb had the idea of setting up an inn for those traveling the trade route to over-night at.
The next season, after much frantic work, Jeb opened his own inn, calling it Heichorn's Rest. This inn proved to be a wonderful success with the people traveling up and down the trade route. It was so popular that the last section of the road coming from Vollmer was eventually reworked, heading east, directly to the small lake beside Heichorn's Rest. Over the years other inns and taverns have sprung up near the crossroads, as well as small businesses servicing the travelers, merchants, traders, and farmers that congregate there. Some years ago, Heichorn's Rest burnt down, and Jeb died a few winters later. To honor the founder of the small settlement, the few permanent residents in the area decided to name their home Heichorn's Spring.
Today, Heichorn's Spring has a handful of taverns and inns of varying quality, a couple of stock corrals, a black smith, horse trader, and wagon repairer. Travelers often stay a night in one of the taverns overlooking the picturesque lake. Farmers and traders are drawn to Heichorn's Spring and its large trading square where produce and other finer goods are sold to the caravans that pass through.
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