Bisou Dexler recently announced an addition to his extraordinary region design, The Outer Garden, a place we’ve visited a number of times over the years (see Return to the Outer Garden in Second Life (2017) and Timeless peace in The Outer Garden (2015). The new addition to this Full region (which includes the private region land capacity bonus) is called The Farthest Light.
The new build is reached via the teleport mirror located at the main landing point at The Outer Garden. For those who have not rich in the fantastical and whimsical, and if you’ve not previously visited it, I recommend taking a look around before progressing onwards, as it will set the tone for an onward visit. However, while talking teleporters, I would that at the time of my visit to see the latest additions, a couple of the mirrors in the network didn’t appear to have been set to public use.
The Farthest Light comprises two parts; the first and larger offers a night setting (although the surrounding shell can be de-rendered for alternative looks to the setting should you wish), and is visually stunning in its presentation.
The arrival point sits within a lighthouse sitting atop a slender pillar that rises from what appears to be cresting waves a far distance below. It stands alone from the rest of the setting, which is dominated by a floating castle hanging in the night sky like an ice palace.
The “land” before this castle is, to say the least, chaotic. Resembling a draught board, it undulated as breaks, mixed with water-like clouds that pulse and swirl like waves caught amidst the rocks of a coastline. A bridge spans one of the undulation in the landscape, but is canted wildly, while telegraph poles march along one of the waves of the tiled land, whilst beneath it, what appears to be the façade of a collapsed building lies, forming a new face to the setting. Fish circle and swirl in the air above and below this strange landscape while the most whimsical of flowers rise up from the cloud waters.
All of this only scratches the surface of what its a most unusual world. As well the columns supporting the lighthouse and the castle are other, shorter pillars rising to decagon tops. Many of these are empty; some are home to further objects of interest: stage curtains here, a broken trampoline there – you can even take a turn as Schroeder and try your hand at playing a miniature piano – or play the full-size own outside of the lighthouse).
These pillars and columns stand within a setting of its own, presided over by a Moon rising over the cresting waters from which the pillars rise, whilst more moons hang in the black sky.
But how does one reach these various points? There are no obvious paths or stairways, visible or transparent, to be found. The answer is given in a sign just outside the lighthouse where visitors arrive: take to the wing and fly. Whether this means physically wearing any wings you have (which would be fully in keeping with the setting), or just taking to the air is up to you. Whilst flying, be sure as well to check the floating rock with the large lit window fronting it. I also understand there is a tour system that will fly you around the setting, although I confess I failed to find it.
The castle, when reached is mostly empty; but find your way to the great hall and you will find more worth seeing and photographing, together with another of the teleport mirrors. This will carry you down to the second part of The Furthest Light, a watery scene complete with a sinking vessel.
A third build element, one I hadn’t visited previously, can be reached through at least some of the teleport mirrors is the Travelling Carnival, less complex setting where a gondola is making its way through a sea of plants and moons towards a walled gate with the promise of blue skies beyond.
Admittedly, how you get back to the other platforms from here is a little difficult to work out – at the time of my visit there was no teleporter – however, walk far enough, and you will find your way down to the ground level of the gardens. Although again, this was one of the locations where the teleport mirror that was available had apparently yet to be set to public use at the time of my visit.
SLurl Details
- The Outer Garden (main landing point, rated: Moderate)
Inara Pey: Living in a Modemworld 