Category: Second Life

I’m actually not a great fan of the Halloween season. I’m not sure why; it’s just something that has never really held any significant appeal. However, within Second Life, there is one part of the spooky season (to use the overworked expression beloved of local news anchors on the TV) that I absolutely do enjoy each year – and that’s the annual Calas Galadhon Halloween region that Tymus Tenk and Truck Meredith put together as a creative tour de force for everyone to enjoy, both by exploring it and in attending the entertainments they and their team lay on throughout the month.

For 2020, Ty and Truck bring us Return to Darkwood, which takes as its foundation a theme we first saw in 2014 (see: Along the paths of the Darkwood, where the nightshade lay). However, I would suggest “return” is a bit of a misnomer, as it implies a revisit to a place seen before, and that is certainly not the case here: this is a wholly new take on the Darkwood theme. As such, I see it more of a continuation, offering us a further glimpse of a part of that realm that has – until now – remained hidden.

Occupying a  single region, Return to Darkwood brings us everything that makes Truck’s an Ty’s designs special. Exploration can be carried out on foot and there is the traditional tour  – this one via elven boat along the waterways of the wood and then through the air to reach (eventually) the events pavilion. Along the way there are numerous nods to the season, both dark and light, as well as touches of Tolkien, horror, dark fantasy and even The Scottish Play (in the form of three weird sisters who may well be asking one another, when shall we three meet again, in thunder, lighting or in rain?)

The landing point tells you all you need to know about exploring the region. Chief among these is that ALM should be used – but you can disable shadows  so as not to take a huge performance hit, as under the ambient lighting, these are simply not required for general appreciation of the setting (but can obviously used for photography). Do make sure local sounds are enabled, as once again there is a immersive sound scape to enjoy throughout the setting, whilst for those who like a little music, a carefully selected audio stream has been put together. Torches of the flammable and battery varies are also available (together with a backpack gift for Calas group members), but whether you need one of these or not is a matter of choice.

From the landing point it is a short walk to both the start of the boat tour and the path that winds through the Darkwood realm. Which you take is up to you – but I do recommend taking both, if not necessarily back-to-back;  part of the joy with the Calas themed regions is they offer plenty of opportunities for return visits than can add to the experience.

Certainly, the boat tour will give you a feel for the region as it winds through the rivers and creeks of the land before finally taking to the air to offer a touch of Tolkien (“the eagles are coming!”) and eventually delivering you to the floating islands where the events pavilion resides. The ride takes about 30-40 minutes, so if you’re heading for one of the region’s music events, why not arrive early and use the tour to explore and ride up to the music?

For those on foot, the way is marked (mostly!) by a path that winds through the shadows of the the trees and over and under rock and across mires and mists, lit periodically by flaming torches with the route occasionally hinted at by sign-posts. How helpful these might prove to be is a matter of following them; while they might point the way, their notation tends to be variable – “?” for example, or “Don’t Get Lost” – all of which add to the fun.

Nor is the path necessarily direct; forks are to be found, some of which lead to major features of the Darkwood – such as the mouldering village on  the mire. Others, however might appear to offer a quick route through a spot – but as Tolkien once noted, short cuts can make for long delays, and at least one of these routes may have arachnophobes like me shivering and turning back or hurrying on as rapidly as possible!

Not that it is all darkness and scares. Like Mirkwood of The Hobbit, there is a tale to tell with the Darkwood, one that reveals it was once a brighter, more welcoming place. Within one clearing, for example, can be found memories of an elven presence: an ageing pavilion with a sculpture of elven lovers close to hand, while just beyond, light still pours forth from a symbol of hope which – for me at least – carries a wonderful mythological symbolism from Tolkien: the Earth cupped in Yavnna’s hands,  held aloft in light as the Ainur circle it and Eru Ilúvatar looks on.

Ultimately,of course, the aim is to reach the portal that will carry you up to the floating islands. To find that, all I’ll say is (and going totally off-topic to  quote Star Trek!) climb the stairs, Jim! (Hey, Star Trek isn’t so off-topic, remember Catspaw?!).  The portal will deliver those who find it a short walk to the pavilion proper, whilst for those arriving by the boat tour,the walk is a little longer – but it will carry you past the arrival portal, allowing you to easily hop back to the landing point and start explorations on foot if you wish.

Visitors to the Darkwood are encouraged to dress for a visit – although this is not an absolute requirement. The choices are many, from outright horror to fantasy to dark elves and drow to – as I witnessed during my return to take photos – characters from Tolkien and other fantasy works (seeing Balin the Dwarf exploring with Jon Snow close by was interesting!).

The schedule of events for Darkwood is above, and I’ve included a direct SLurl to the pavilion for those who wish to hop to an event and then explore afterwards.

SLurl Details

Enchanted Rock is rated Moderate.

• Return to Darkwood landing point
• Darkwood Pavilion land point

Ruegen is a Homeland region designed by Andre Nalin (ReizWolf) we were pointed towards recently by Shawn Shakespeare. It takes its name – and is inspired by – Rügen, lying just off the coast of Germany’s Pomeranian coast in the Baltic Sea.

At some 926 square kilometres, Rügen is Germany’s largest island. – and as such, potentially a difficult subject to represent within the confines of the 65,536 sq metres that form the land area a single region. So rather than trying to model it in whole, Andre has used some of the features it is noted for as his inspiration, and created a sandy haven; an island clearly in more northern latitudes, and with features of its own to attract the eye.

Rügen is particularly noted for its coastline, characterised as it is by numerous sandy beaches, lagoons, peninsulas, headlands, and inlets and bays that project into the island. Part of this coastline comprises the Jasmund National Park, famous for its vast stands of beech trees and chalk cliffs like King’s Chair. Awarded the status of a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2011, it is one of the locations paid homage to within this build: a line of cliffs mark the region’s south side, topped by tall Scots pines.

I  can’t speak too much to the physical world Rügen as I only have Wikipedia and tourist sites to go by, so offering any real comparisons here would be a little pointless. However, this doesn’t matter, as the region’s design more than speaks for itself.

The landing point lies on the east side of the island, just above a sweeping beach looking out over a cold blue sea – itself looking as one might imagine the Baltic to be. Two hills rise from behind this curving coastline, running to the west and another beach, a broad, shallow valley sitting between them. This valley is home to an ultra-modern house (a Cain Maven design that is eye-catching in its looks and has something of a Nordic twist to it).

Again, whether this is representative of the style of housing on the actual island is immaterial; it has a certain look to it that makes it a fitting subject for the region. It shares its space with a single greenhouse and a free-standing swimming pool that offers a break from the surrounding salt waters washing the coast. This house, looking down on the broad beach, is an automatic draw to the eye and feet, but I would note that while it appears to be open to the public, it sits within its own parcel, so could be private.

Two other houses can be found on the island, both on the beaches. There’s a wooden house standing over the coastal waters as the beach curves around the north side of the island, whilst to the south, where the sands split into a small, shallow bay, there sits a thatched cottage watching over working fisher huts and a small pier with a fishing boat moored alongside.

Outside of these three houses, the only other buildings on the island are a little café, also built out over the eastern waters, a ruined beach house to the north and a little gazebo up on one of the hilltops. The rest of the island has been left wild and and open to exploration; the hilltops are crowned by trees (and a home to a camp site and deer), whilst the beaches offer multiple places to sit, some watched over by horses that graze on the tough grass that has pushed its way up through the sands.

All of this makes Ruegen both easy on the eye and an easy, relaxing explore.

SLurl Details

• Ruegen (Valium Sea, rated Adult)