Starborn Gallery, November 2023: Gabriel Chamerberlin – The Traveller
How we might describe Second Life to someone unfamiliar with the platform is can often be something of a conundrum. Leaving aside the hoary old “is it or isn’t it a game” element of such discussions†, Second Life can be hard to quantify because it is so utterly diverse in terms of content, opportunity and attitude (on the part of those of us using it). The third of these points will always be a primary influence on how we each opt to define the platform, simply because it is so personal; however, the first two – content and opportunity – do offer a richness of scope in helping to describe Second Life.
This richness is at the heart of Gabriel Chamerberlin’s exhibition the Traveller, which opened on November 5th, 2023, at the Starborn Gallery operated and curate by Lizbeth Morningstar. This cosy selection of pieces spread cross the two levels of the gallery’s guest exhibition space is a visual narrative of one man’s journey through Second Life, exposing many of the elements which can make it so engaging a place in which to spend time.
Featuring the titular individual, as played by Gabriel himself, the dozen pieces within the collection illustrate – generally in a very subtle manner – the rich diversity of Second Life, complete with touches here and there of metaphor, whilst also presenting a short visual story of the experiences and encounters of the part of The Traveller as he goes about – well, his travels!
Starborn Gallery, November 2023: Gabriel Chamerberlin – The Traveller
The metaphor is visible from the start – The Traveller and the Tunnel – the tunnel with its dark interior representing the “great unknown” of Second Life one might face when launching the viewer for the first time. Alongside of it, The Traveller and The Train uses the comedic metaphor of hanging on for dear life to a speeding train to represent the whirlwind of sensations and experiences which can be felt and had on entering Second Life and being overcome with the desire to See It All. Now!
Continuing on around the pieces in order and to the upper level of the gallery, we are offered views familiar to travellers in the physical world which offer subtle hints and the niggles we can have with SL as a platform, such as at times having to sit and wait for things to happen / update, or having to deal minor irritants (The Traveller and Airport Security and The Layover), through to the more obvious facets of SL’s uniqueness – encounters with haunted houses and aliens, the opportunity to be involved in the performing arts, the marvels of creativity.
Starborn Gallery, November 2023: Gabriel Chamerberlin – The Traveller
Following the images around the walls and back towards the stairs connecting the two floors, we come to The Edge, which although the gallery’s layout means it is initially encountered mid-way through a walk through the exhibition, I take to be the conclusion of the story. I say this because it features our Traveller standing on the edge of the precipice, the path he’s been following literally breaking up at the edge.
This is again an perfect metaphor, reflecting the idea that the Traveller’s journey is far from over, and that while possibly unknown (as symbolised by the cliff edge), more awaits, together with the idea that through these images, Gabriel has only hinted that all that Second Life might be and there is more to be discovered and appreciated when we take a leap of faith into the platform.
When visiting, do also take the time to visit the other half of the gallery, in which Lizbeth presents her own Second Life photographic art. this section has been expanded since my last visit to incorporate an selection of night / early morning images Lizbeth has produced under the title Before Dawn and which offers a further engaging set of reflections on time in Second Life.
Starborn Gallery, November 2023: Lizbeth Morningstar – Before Dawn
† Just in case you’re curious – no, I don’t believe Second Life is “a game”, but I do agree it can be used as a platform on which games can be created. however, this should not be taken to mean that people cannot opt to treat it the entire platform as a game through their desire to utilise it in a particular manner – such as adopting a persona other than their own for whatever reason (such as role-play) and then only interact within the platform and with others through the lens of that persona, rather than as themselves.
I have been watching the redevelopment of Subcutan Art Gallery, home of the work of Sophie de Saint Phalle (Perpetua1010) since around early August 2023, following the gallery’s move from its form home to region-straddling parcels on the tip of Satori. As such, and with things now appearing largely complete, I thought it high time to write about a setting which is far more than just a gallery space, offering as it does opportunities for exploration, photography, relaxing and having a little fun.
My first encounter with Sophie’s work was in 2021 when she was exhibiting at Mareea Farrasco’s IMAGOLand Gallery. Featuring a collection of her physical world watercolours reproduced for display in Second Life, The Art of Water and Colours immediately led me to visit her original Subcutan gallery and immerse myself in her work (see: The art of Sophie de Saint Phalle in Second Life). As an artist, Sophie considers herself an experimentalist, and her work reflects this covering as it does multiple genres and styles, from watercolours through abstract and digital art to caricatures and skilled studies of the human form, and encompassing etching and 3D sculptures. Her work is both engaging and exquisite, never failing to capture the eye – and often the heart.
Subcutan Art Gallery: Japanese Garden (upper area) and Atramentum Gallery
With the new Subcutan Art Gallery, Sophie has combined her artist’s eye with that of companion Dex (Dexter Kharg) to create an environment which both celebrates her art – including being able to re-visit installations such as Infinite, a marvellous celebration of indigenous Australian art (which I reviewed in February 2022), Cyborgs, a visual essay on a possible future for humanity (of which I wrote about here) and witness more of her studies of the human form – and to also immerse yourself in an setting which offers something of an east-meets-west fusion to offer a engaging opportunity for exploration and photography, as noted above. In this, a visit is not so much a visit to an art space so much as it is a delightful immersion into Sophie’s and Dex’s creative vision.
The campus – if I might refer to it that way – encompasses parts of two mainland coastal regions whilst just edging into a third. The first of these, Terric is home to Subcutan’s main landing point and welcome area. This presents a distinctly modern looks and feel and offers extensive public facilities: the welcome centre itself, occupying a purpose built structure by Dex and containing an office space and a large seating area of sofas supported by a self-service refreshments area whilst also presenting a mixed genre display of Sophie’s art, all of which is offered for sale. Outside of this is the landing point itself and the primary (Experience-driven, so be sure to accept any request it offers) teleport board.
Subcutan Art Gallery: welcome area lounge
Whilst the teleport board and its siblings around the location offer a quick way to hop around, with the exception of the board outside the main gallery, and which offers the only means to access all the gallery spaces, I’d recommend eschewing the teleports and let your feet do the walking when initially exploring, as there are elements of the location which might otherwise be missed – such as the Man Cave, a short walk between palm trees from the landing point. Occupying another custom build by Dex, this offers a games room and lounging area, complete with playable arcade games and table-top games, the latter including chess, backgammon and Mah-jong (the latter two being particular favourites of mine in the physical world, together with Carrom, despite the beating my nails have taken when getting a trifle over-enthusiastic when taking a shot!).
Above the welcome area and reached by three sets of stairs, is an outdoor events area with glass-floored dance area extending over the welcome area, swimming pool and open-air bar, the seating to which offers a view of the large aquarium below. This area also sits before what appears to be the private home of Sophie and Dex – so trespass is perhaps best avoided unless invited. Looking out to the north, this events area looks out of the Subcutan harbour area, the main wharf of which can be accessing from the landing point and leads by way of a wooden walkway at its western end (and passing by the stairway leading up to the main gallery) to the Japanese and Guest Harbours.
Subcutan Aret Gallery: Japanese Harbour by night
The Japanese waterfront area is an eclectic mix of false-front “businesses”, some of which have an adult lean to them (but only in appearance, not in content), whilst there is also a certain amount of humour on display (such as the “Safe Area” sign encouraging people to go swimming – as a shark circles the waters below, or the appropriately called “Small Shop”). Rich in neon lighting and lanterns, this is a little corner best seen at night; the waterfront can be a place for photography and offers the chance to try your hand at Japanese calligraphy.
Set above and back from the Japanese Harbour are the main gallery space and the Japanese Garden, again as noted above). The former comprises the Atramentum Gallery – a very neat play on words, given it is home to a richly engaging display of Sophie’s studies of the human form which are presenting in greyscale and on black mounts (complete with a black tiled footpath leading into the gallery). This entranceway is also home to a more extensive teleport board which allows visitors to partake of Sophie’s sky galleries, where as mentioned, her Infinite and Cyborgs installations can once again be appreciated, together with Red Impressions (an exhibition I witnessed on my very first visit to Subcutan, again as referenced above) and Yellow Expressions.
Subcutan Art Gallery: Japanese Garden (lower area)
The Japanese Garden, meanwhile, offers an extensive opportunity to wandering and sitting, taking photos and / or simply relaxing. Split over two levels linked by a stone stairway curling down from one corner of the upper level, the gardens have been built using Alex Bader’s superb Zen Garden Building set (another personal favourite!) whilst folding into it a number of elements not found in the kit – such as Buddha in his pavilion (and to whom respects can be presented in a traditional style). With its waterfall, ponds and placement of trees and cliffs, the lower level of the garden presents a quiet, contemplative retreat calmed by the gentle chimes of a heavy temple bell.
What is particularly engaging about the Subcutan campus / environment is the manner in which everything flows; there are no sharp juxtapositions which might present a sense of sharp edge as one explores; there is a compositional crafting which is both subtle and intrinsic to the setting.
Subcutan Art Gallery: Atramentum Gallery, November 2023
Take the welcome area and landing point for example. The manner in which Dex has crafted the buildings here such that they combine architectural elements (e.g. the use of angles and glass skylights / roof areas) so that they combine seamlessly with the third-party elements seen within the glass dance floor (a nice kitbash from one of Loz Hoyle’s Meshworx designs) and the house (by Ballack (Rodrigo Aubin) to present a modern / futurist feeling which the likes of Frank Lloyd Wright would probably appreciate. Similarly, the joining of a traditionally-joined Japanese garden with the sharp glass-and-concrete bulk of the gallery building is managed in such a way as to avoid any sense of sharp-edged divide; instead the former – through the use of ground cover from the Zen Garden set – appears to gently lap against the hard tile of the latter, like waves gently lapping the shore, allowing the two to flow together.
Then there is the use of elevation and elements from Colpo Wrexler’s designs. The latter help to both bring together the waterfront areas allowing for a natural transition from the landing area through the moorings at the harbour to the sense of jostling city life of the Japanese waterfront without the move from one through the others feeling in any way jarring, while the former ensures the more peaceful elements of the setting such as the gardens can be set apart from the hustle and lights and general “busy-ness” of the waterfront without any sense of the divide between them being artificially enforced.
Subcutan Art Gallery: Man Cave
All of which makes for a richly engaging visit, with the gallery standing as a superb means to immerse yourself in Sophie’s talent as an artist (I just hope we also get to see some / more or her caricature work as well, as it is brilliantly engaging!).
Third Eye Gallery, November 2023: JudiLynn India – Fractured
Currently open at the Third Eye Gallery, operated and curated by Jaz (Jessamine2108), is an exhibition of new works by JudiLynn India, entitled Fractured.
An abstract painter in the physical world, having studied graphics design at the Tyler School of Art, Temple University, Philadelphia, JudiLynn has been a part of Second Life since 2010 as both an artist and an engaged member of the broader Second Life community of users.
I’ve been drawing since I could hold a crayon. After the turn of the century, I decided to focus my creativity on acrylic and digital painting and have totally enjoyed the journey. My work embodies my spirit and personality. My goal is to allow you to experience the image with your own mind’s eye. My work is entirely intuitive. I get lost in the layering of texture and colour. Occasionally, I will include figurative work if my spirit is so presented with the composition.
– Judilynn, discussing her work
Third Eye Gallery, November 2023: JudiLynn India – Fractured
Working in a variety of mediums – digital, acrylic, wet paint, and so on, JudiLynn is perhaps most widely known as an abstract artist, although her overall portfolio is much broader than this – as can be witnessed by a visit to her on-line gallery and shop. With Fractured, she presents 18 pieces with are predominantly abstract in nature, but which also fold within them hints, perhaps, of surrealism, pop/psychedelia, and touches of futurism/suprematism (in the use in some of geometrical forms and lines). Thus there is a richness of style and content to be found within Fractured, both in terms of individual pieces and as a collection of works as a whole.
Exactly how the pieces are perceived is entirely up to the individual viewing them; JudiLynn has refrained from offering an artist’s by-line to the collection, preferring people to experience the exhibition with an unbiased eye. As such, I am somewhat loathe to say too much in terms of my own perspective beyond very broad brushstrokes (no pun intended) such as those above.
Third Eye Gallery, November 2023: JudiLynn India – Fractured
What I will say however, is that the pieces within the collection might also been seen in terms of compositional / thematic groups. This is somewhat obvious through the manner in which they have been arranged (like by like), but it also helps to more readily discern those hints of style and approach found within specific pieces – such as with the quartet of Fractured 17 through Fracture 20, which present abstractions strongly suggestive of nature whilst folding within themselves hints of the pop/psychedelia genres thanks to their use of colour and mural-like flow.
However, and as noted, this is an collection very much about personal perceptions on viewing the art, so I’ll leave the rest to you to pay a visit to Fractured.
The Middle of Nowhere, November 2023 – click any image for full size
Life in the physical world is just a little too hectic; with the house now approaching its 30th birthday (not that I’ve lived in it that long!) the decision was made earlier this year to start overhauling and updating parts of it. You know, the usual stuff: new kitchen and other rooms, interior alterations to make better use of space, bathroom updates, blah, blah, blah. Some – like the installation of a full solar / battery system – have gone well (aside from a few software teething troubles); others have not progressed quite so well, leading to much gnashing of teeth and trying very hard not to teach the cats too many Naughty Words (they are both approaching 15 months of age, so far too young for some of the more colourful metaphors which bless the English language!).
All of which means that there are times (quite a lot of them of late) where the urge to just get any from everything has been overwhelming. Fortunately for me – and anyone feeling the need to escape the day’s demands and just breathe in nature – Ari (Aridis Inaka) has provided an escape to – quite literally – The Middle of Nowhere.
The Middle of Nowhere, November 2023
Occupying a Homestead region, this is a setting where the simple pleasures of country walks, feeling tall grass brushing against fingertips as you wander and watching birds wheel overhead and horses roaming free, can be enjoyed. A place which, despite the surrounding sea, gives a sense of gently rolling prairielands only lightly touched by the hand of Man; a setting where (for those who wish) a gentle audio stream flows to further encourage muscles to unknot and thought processes to let go (and I’ll be honest, given it features the likes of Bear McCreary, Danny Elfman, Alexandre Desplat and legends such as Ennio Morricone and Michel Legrand, it really is worth a listen!).
The region’s About Land notes introduce the region as place of horses and sunsets and where light role-play is welcome. It is a description that fits, although there is much in terms of opportunities for photography, relaxation and contemplation that perhaps passes unmentioned. It’s also a place well suited to the quote from Frances Jane van Alstyne’s (aka Franny Crosby), On Hearing a Description of a Prairie Ari offers as a description for the region within her Profile:
Oh! could I see as thou hast seen,
The garden of the west,
When Spring in all her loveliness
Fair nature’s face has dressed.
The rolling prairie, vast and wild!
It hath a charm for me—
Its tall grass waving to the breeze,
Like billows on the sea.
The Middle of Nowhere, November 2023
It’s a fitting description because the American prairie can often been imagined as a vast ocean as the wind ripples the grasslands (and crops!) growing across them like waves caught in the breath of a sea breeze. More to the point here, perhaps, is that the metaphorical mixing of prairie and sea also helps region and surrounding waters flow together as a unified environment, rather than one simply being bounded on all sides by the other.
To offer a blow-by-blow tour of the region is perhaps an exercise in futility; its very nature – almost completely low-lying and carpeted in tall grasses – means that it offers most of its secrets to visitors from the moment they arrive. Points of interest are easily located, and the setting’s easy beauty sets the feet a-wandering with ease. The only real break in the gentle undulations of the land are to be found to the north, where a curtain of high cliffs rise from a westward and squat table of rock to border the region as they march to the east, the waters tumbling from them giving rise to a shallow channel which in part separates them from the rest of the landscape.
The Middle of Nowhere, November 2023
The grasslands are largely given over to the horses roaming them, although here and there the horizon is broken by a tree or by the blocky form of a wooden shack or cabin – or ruin thereof. The trees offer a mix of shade for visitors and horses and places to sit or swing. The shacks and cabins speak to the passage of human occupation, as little as it might have been, what appears to be the detritus of that life remaining within and without some of them – thus offering possible props and ideas for gentle role-play. To one side of the setting and atop a small knoll, sits an aging chapel, a small graveyard in the lee of the knoll. The chapel offers a sanctuary of remembrance to those wishing to avail themselves of it, whiles the open camp site a short walk away presents a place for fireside conviviality.
Simply formed, but clearly put together with an eye for detail (and a little whimsy, giving the wandering / dancing tree!), this is a region which can be easily enjoyed and photographed. If you are looking for a place to which you might escape the demands of life (physical or virtual) and simply gather your breath whilst recharging mental batteries, then you can do little better then dropping into The Middle of Nowhere.
Kondor Arts Centre, November 2023: Monique Beebe – On the Move
I confess that I find myself caught in a dichotomy of viewpoints when it comes to AI art; on the one hand, there is a huge potential for using AI tools to enhance the creative process and allow the artist to produce some truly stunning and innovative art. Countering this are the twin concerns of the potential for AI tools to be terribly degenerative towards genuine artistic skills under the guise of “democratising art for all”, and the fact that very often – as with Midjourney, the current darling of art AI proponents – those behind such tools are content to raise a large middle finger towards concerns of copyright & artists’ rights as they pull “source” material from wherever they deem fit.
As a result, I’ve tended to exercise caution in reviewing exhibitions of AI art in Second Life. Not that I deem it unworthy or have doubt towards the artists concerned; rather, it is the fact that it is not always easy to identify the broader provenance for such art in terms of a potential for it to incorporate elements which might be regarded as violating the copyright of others. Fortunately, there are artists and exhibitions with SL utilising AI where the provenance for the pieces lays so clearly with the artist’s imagination and skill, they can be seen and enjoyed entirely in their own right and without the broader questions surrounding the use of AI intruding.
Kondor Arts Centre, November 2023: Monique Beebe – On the Move
Such is the case – once again – with the work of Monique Beebe, who recently opened On the Move at the recently relocated Kondor Art Centre, operated and curated by Hermes Kondor.
On the Move is not just an exhibition; it’s a leap into a new era of artistic expression. Whether you’re a connoisseur of art and technology, a futurist, or simply an admirer of the creative process, this exhibition promises to leave you spellbound and questioning the limits of human and AI collaboration. … An exhibition that pushes the boundaries of creativity through the fusion of MidJourney AI, cutting-edge Gen2 MP4 technology.
This might sound a grandiose statement as the official introduction to On the Move, but I guarantee you it is not. I’ll also guarantee that the still images provided here do not come close to the beauty and creativity found within each of the collection’s images, every one of which is imbued with a richness of motion and life founded on Monique’s own creative eye and ability to capture thought, emotion and humanity.
Kondor Arts Centre, November 2023: Monique Beebe – On the Move
As I’ve frequently noted in covering her work, Monique – or Moni to her friends – is one of the most gifted individuals to enter the Second Life art world; an artist whose expressiveness is utterly captivating and who is herself wholly captivated with the creative process. She had been active in Second Life for nigh-on a decade prior to her first public exhibition in February 2017 – an exhibition which came about thanks to the gentle and considered encouragement from Dido Haas, taking place at her Nitroglobus Roof Gallery. Avatar-centric, it was an exhibition which immediately captivated me (see: Hidden Faces in Second Life), and led me to becoming a keen follower of Moni’s work over the intervening years.
Indeed, following Moni’s evolving expressiveness, her ability to challenge herself by constantly evolving her technique and style, the manner in which she has driven headlong into a variety of creative processes – photography, art, digital recording – all the while refining her abilities and extending her craft, has for me been an utter delight. Her desire to learn, to grow her art and cultivate new skills towards that end has led to a series of exhibitions startling in their beauty and emotional content, and which just under a year ago saw her present her first exhibition utilising AI tools, also at the Kondor Art Centre (see: Monsters, Demons and Chess in Second Life).
Kondor Arts Centre, November 2023: Monique Beebe – On the Move
As per its own introduction, On the Move once again utilises AI (MidJourney), with Moni combining its algorithmic power with still images, video and animations to produce 14 looping images-in-motion; a veritable tour de force in a mastery of digital techniques and incredible expressions of beauty and artistry which transports us instantly into the worlds of Moni’s imagination and creative expressiveness.
From the simple turn of a (Tilda Swinton-esque) head and slow blink of eyes (Eyes are mirror of the soul) to the utterly enthralling Where the magic begins, these are pieces which honestly sit well above the ability of mere words to encompass. Each is a visual essay in its own right – but more to the point, it is in their motion that their emotional depth resides, each one pulling us towards its narrative and passional core; as such, they really should be seen first-hand. Further, they collectively stand as a triumphal validation of the multiple hours of learning, trial, error and perfection of technique that have enabled Moni to offer art which is both truly representative of the positive potential of AI and digital capabilities as the tools (rather than the subsummation) of genuine artistic expression and creativity.
Castle Dracula, October 2023 – the Count visits my chambers – click any image for full size
Fate recently called upon me to travel to the Transylvanian town of Bistrița, and from there into the Inner Eastern Carpathian Mountains. It was no ordinary trip, for I was following the footsteps of cleric and solicitor Jonathan Harker, who had travelled there to complete business with a client from the region, only to seemingly disappear and causing much distress to his fiancée, Mina Murray.
Or at least, that is how the start of a visit to Castle Dracula: A Gothic Horror Experience might read when written as a journal entry by someone participating in its interactive adventure. The work of long-time resident and content creator, Wanders Nowhere (also famous for Prehistorica), this is an adventure reputedly “14 years in the making”.
How literal that might be, I’ll leave to others to cogitate upon; what I will say is, for anyone who is a fan of Gothic Horror and / or enjoys Bram Stoker’s classic novel, this is an Experience-led adventure which is engaging without being overly taxing, whilst offering a twist on the opening elements from the novel to offer a first-person narrative which takes Harker’s visit to Castle Dracula as the jumping off point for a related tale of an encounter with the Count.
Castle Dracula: approaching the castle entrance through the inner courtyard
The adventure begins within a welcome area, reached either via the SLurl above, or by taking the teleport portal from the main Prehistorica lading point. This area contains all the information visitors require in order to enjoy the experience – or participate is a second, also set within the Castle and entitled Carmilla: The Love of the Dead, which can be entered into on payment of L$200 and which offers special rewards for those completing it. I opted to save this for a later option, focusing solely on Castle Dracula.
Castle Dracula: a brief enCOUNTer…
I’m not going to trot through all of the info at the welcome area – it offers clear enough notes; suffice it to say you should accept the local shared environment and to have local sounds active. Whether or not you have Shadows enabled is a matter of choice; I actually found things a little too dark with them on.
Once all the notes have been read, the adventure can commence by stepping through the teleport portal to Castle Dracula; just be sure to Agree to the notes which will pop-up in a dialogue box when you attempt to do so, and also accept the local Experience – the latter will enable automatic teleports and also equip you with the necessary progress HUD.
Passing through the portal delivers you to the first of three locations – a train carriage as you sally forth from Bistrița to the village of Vesnic in the mountains, following the invitation of Harker’s mysterious client, Count Dracula. The carriage ride provides a narrative introduction to the adventure (s noted at the top of this article) and also introduces participants to the quest element of the story: locating 16 pages from Harker’s journal, which together might reveal his location – or fate.
To get participants started, the first page of the journal is located alongside the carriage doors, providing a visual reference of what should be sought when looking for additional pages. When touched, the journal will deliver its page on-screen, allowing it to be read, after which clicking on it will place it on the game HUD, which is also the repository for other papers and notes, etc., found when exploring. Any item in the HUD can be expanded again by clicking on it.
Stepping “out of” the carriage doors on arrival at Vesnic will deliver participants to the garlic-strewn interior of the local hostelry, amusingly called The Stake and Hammer. It is here that the second page of Harker’s journal might be obtained, sitting on a table between arrivals and the exit.
More garlic is to be found outside the tavern, notably in the form of wreaths guarding the doors to local homes and places of business, with great sacks of cloves placed – strategically? – around the square as well. Outside of the church and the tavern, there is not a lot to see here, but there is a horse-drawn carriage awaiting those wishing to reach the castle. Approaching it will bring a greeting from the driver, and sitting within it will start you on your way to your final destination, by way of a climb up through the mountains. Personal experience may vary here, but I found I needed to use the Camera floater and controls to get my camera out of the bottom of the carriage in order to see anything of the lands through which the ride passes – but I do use a custom camera preset rather than the SL default (and given the scale of things, Castle Dracula does seem to be built in expectation of oversized avatars using the SL default camera position).
Castle Dracula: creeping through the crypt
It is on your arrival that the fun begins. From being greeted by the Count himself through to attempting to find the remaining 14 pages of Harker’s journal, there is a lot to see and explore – and potentially touch for interactions. There are some very nice touches to be appreciated – such as the count himself, a phantom NPC which is perfectly animated. Through the castle’s many rooms are elements from the novel as well as from other Gothic horror influences (perhaps most notably Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein: The Modern Prometheus) to touches of Giger-like neo-Gothic, together with what might be taken as nodes to M.C. Esher and others.
After being shown to your room by a rather chatty Count, you are free to commence your explorations – where they may take you is down to the route you chose on starting, and the branches you take thereafter, so I’m not about to give a room-by-room account. However, entering major locations in the castle – the entrance hall, the library, the ballroom, the Gallery, the Midnight Garden and so on – will be recorded on the HUD map in the form of clickable points you can use to jump between rooms, if necessary. But do take note – these are not the only locations within the Castle; you will need to explore carefully, as some of those which are not recorded on the map may well contain elements of Harker’s journal.
Castle Dracula: “It’s ALIVE!” – the upper level of the extensive laboratory, which includes nods towards Mary Shelley’s great work within its lower floors
There is no reward to completing the quest per se outside of learning of Harker’s fate and the luxury of reading his journal entries – which follow most of the events found in the novel relating to his time at the case – in the correct order. However, finding all 16 pages will trigger the start of your own fate: will you be able to escape the Castle before the Count finds you (and without simply teleporting away!), or will you find yourself his next victim?
And even then; is it death that awaits you – or will you awaken in the hold of a ship bound for England (a hold in which you may well find yourself able to collect a few little mementos of your time at Castle Dracula before heading home)? Why not pay a visit and find out?
