The Ancient Order of Centaurs is primarily a community. Part of what we do includes roleplay but as a community we do much more. Parties, classes, field trips, brunches, bard circle, jousting, quests, Fantasy Faire, and more. You do not need to be a centaur to join our community – we welcome all creatures (even hoomans) to our fantasy-themed regions. If you would like to take part in the roleplay aspects there are some species limitations with a demi-human focus.
– From the Ancient Order of Centaurs web pages
Covering four region (with to further attached regions which are somewhat interlinked although separate), the Ancient Order of Centaurs is a four-region estate and a richly immersive environment I’ve visited a number of times but have not previously written about.
The estate is held by Julala Fairelander who is, along with Lil Cinnamon, largely responsible for the landscaping through the four Full private regions. These are centred on Centauria, which utilises the Land Capacity bonus available from Linden Lab for Full regions and forms the public hand social heart of the estate.
Adjoining this are the three regions of the Sea of Beckoning which is – among other things – home of the Centauria Community Gallery; Mount Pelion, which includes a large fantasy commercial district and Thessaly, which is largely residential in content.
All of the regions are open to the public, with three of them representing the great houses of the Ancient Order. However, given that there are private residences (all of which are marked as such) care should be taken when exploring either on foot or via the Teagle horses which are available at various points, so as to avoid accidental trespass.
As the description above notes people are free to visit in a variety of forms – even “hooman” 🙂 – and one of the many charms of the estate is the Petite Village. Again, this comprises private residences, but visitors can walk through it and it makes an engaging visit.
Julala has a long association with Fantasy Faire, and there are aspects of the estate which are mindful of this – wandering the commercial areas of the Sea of Beckoning I came across some of Kayle Matzerath’s (Kayle Fairelander) Lumenaria buildings, which immediately brought back memories of Fantasy Faire 2013 (and, if I’m honest, Meauxle Bureaux as well, which I recently revisited and still have a further blog post waiting in the wings).
A further aspect of Fantasy Faire can be found in one of the two adjoining regions – Lavendell Quest, sitting to the north. This is the seat of the 2025 Fantasy Faire quest. Brought at auction by an unnamed benefactor in order to preserve the quest, it now exists alongside the AOC estate under Julala’s Herb and Fable brand, and is open to anyone wishing to participate (registration with Herb and Fable required), as one of two quests currently available. The second adjoining region is also called Herb and Fable, and is designed as a training ground and welcome area for new users to Herb and Fable and SL.
From the main Centauria Landing Point there are four named routes of exploration, together with information boards – including one which allows visitors to experience being a Centaur or riding an Animesh Centaur. Just touch the signs and follow the instructions.
Which of the routes from the Landing Point you opt to follow is entirely up to you. I particularly enjoyed the climbs up, around and through the towering bulk of Glenstorm.
This is a network of paths, climbs, tunnels, caverns and ancient chambers, including a neat use of the Fanatik Crypt Chamber add-on – something I’ve often debated playing with but have yet done so. Here it contains several rooms of mixed use, from weapons store to an impressive wine cellar.
However, wherever you wander along the paths and trails of the estate, you’ll come across points of interest, opportunities for photography and little spots to sit and pass the time.
As the estate’s various descriptions note, role-play is a part of the AOC community, but not central to it; however, should you come across any on-going play during a causal visit, do try to avoid accidentally breaking the flow. Role play information can be found on the AOC web pages, including backstories and pointers on developing a character. The estate also hosts various events – information on these is provided at the main Landing Point.
Rentals within the estate are provided through Julala’s Jinx brand (which also manages the AOC web pages as a part of the Jinx website). Rentals are split between “community” (pre-themed) and “Outlander” (“blank” parcels), together with commercial opportunities as well Details on differences, availability, covenant, etc., are available through the website.
The mix of residential parcel styles – themed and “blank” – is a nice touch, offering a good degree of flexibility. However, I will admit to being a little surprised during my wanderings in spotting what appeared to be a giant inflatable octopus in the water off of one parcel and a submarine moored at another!
If you visit and get bitten by the Centaur bug (if I might use the expression!) then the Jinx store within Centauria can help get you started.
I enjoyed spending a solid morning wandering AOC and re-acquainting myself with the regions and taking photos. My apologies to Julala for taking so wrong to write about AOC!
Slurl Details
- Centauria – Home of the Ancient Order of Centaurs (rated: Moderate)
