Shadow’s Claw

Shadow’s Claw presents what one might consider a more familiar or traditional fantasy backdrop: medieval-style streets and buildings with a castle sited atop a great rock, while just off-shore lie the wrecks of sailing ships or longboats which speak of the hard nature of this realm….

While I love all of the regions comprising this Year’s Fantasy Faire, I have to admit that it is Shadow’s Claw, together with Siren’s Secret and The Tides that most attracted my attention. The builds in all three hold enormous personal appeal and just beg for stories to be told about them.

The Tides

The first of the water-inspired sims at Fantasy Faire, The Tides is a curious and attractive build that has strong resonance with the legend of Atlantis – or at least, it does for me. The Build stands above the waters supported by ancient walls and great Atlas-like carvings that themselves stir memories of ancient Greece.

Once again, there is a tale in the telling here, and the attention to detail is wonderful; I love the ornate carved figures, the crumbling foundations, the subtle symmetry. Awesome.

Siren’s Secret

All men of the sea should beware of the siren’s song – and perhaps the forlorn mast and sea-soaked sail raised above the waters in the centre of the sim stand as a reminder of this. Siren’s Secret is the second of Fantasy Faire’s water-inspired sims and which deserves special attention both above and below the waves, because the attention to detail here is wonderful.

Yes the walkways are knee-deep in water – but case your eyes below and witness how they are carried by the ornate carvings of seahorses, allowing you to walk through waters warm and explore the wonders on offer in the stores of the sim.

And being water-inspired, this sim also naturally lends itself to a little photographic trickery…

Devil’s Locket

Returns us to dry land – albeit one shaped, it would seem by lava and fire. Here is a tropical world, old and seasoned, with many wonders to behold that speak of strange tales and weird history; just what is the legend behind the gigantic wheeled elephant?

Shifting Sands

Finally on our tour comes Shifting Sands, and a trip into the sandstorm-swept world of deserts, mirages and Bedouin tents and caravans.

Join the Fight

Of course, the fabulous builds on the Fantasy Faire sims are just a part of the event: the frame, if you will, in which we hang our picture in the ongoing fight against cancer. And that’s the aim of this coming week of fantasy celebration in SL: to raise money in support of Relay for Life SL. As such, there were be events going-on throughout the week as a part of Fantasy Faire, and opportunities for everyone to get involved and contribute to the telling of the story.

I hope to bring you more from Fantasy Faire during the week as events unfold.

Further Information and Related Links

• In-world contacts: Elizabeth Tinsley or Zander Greene
• Official opening: Noon, SLT April 21st
• Fantasy Faire website
• Fantasy Faire radio
• Plurk
• Flickr
• American Cancer Society Sim In Second Life
• Relay for Life website USA
• Relay for Life website UK
• Fantasy Faire 2012 posts in this blog

A note on the images in this piece

All of the sims for Fantasy Faire have their own Windlight settings that add to their overall look and feel. In order not to spoil your enjoyment of the sims, and because I wanted to show them in as much detail as possible, the majority of the images in this article were taken using my own client-side Windlight settings. To experience the sims as their creators intended, I encourage you to visit them for yourself, once Fantasy Faire officially opens.