Inara Pey: Living in a Modemworld

I am a fully paid-up member of the Elicio Ember Appreciation Society, and I have been for well over a decade. Elicio is a man who has both a beautiful personality and a fabulous creative vision which brings together elements of fantasy, science fiction and the natural world in the most fascinating and engaging of blendings.

His region designs have long graced Fantasy Faire – not every year, admittedly; but in the years where his work has been present I’ve personally felt a greater draw to visiting the Fairelands than perhaps in those years when his presence has been absent. And I say that with due respect to all the other builders of Faireland worlds, most of whom have drawn me to some degree.

In 2016, one of Elicio’s designs was Otherworld, a quite marvellous imagining extending from below the surface of the waters to a high plateau. I found myself visiting it multiple times and climbing its stairs and wandering its paths and gardens to the point of making a very short video about it at the time.

I’m clearly not alone in both my love of Elicio’s world building or of Otherworld in particular – earlier this year, Akiko Kinoshi (A Kiko) opened Nymerion, a very special place within her Akipelago estate.

Both a rebuild and a reimagining of Elicio’s Otherworld, it captures the beauty of the original, offering it under a new and quite stunning EEP Day Cycle whilst also offering new touches and twists. The result is a location which is genuinely and completely captivating.

The Landing Point sits on the high plateau, a semi-flooded wetland rich in exotic plants and rocks rich in glowing runes and occasional crystal spires. In and of itself, this plateau is captivating and ideal for photography. In the original it also incorporated the suggestion of dragons through the remnants of bones.

This is something Akiko has very much enhanced within Nymerion: the dragons themselves are herein present – indeed, their eggs form the nucleus of a local hunt you can learn about when visiting – just touch the hunt posters scattered around to find out more.

Nor are the dragons the only lizards to be found here: the setting is also the home to dinosaurs, all eager to keep an eye on comings and goings – like the dragons – but which are content to allow visitors free passage without the risk of becoming a tasty snack.

Stairs lead the way down to the lower levels, where might be found suspended walkways and paths around the great legs of rock supporting the high plateau. These are interspersed with glass pavilions offering places to sit whilst hidden stairs offer further means to reach the areas sitting just above the surface of the waters below.

There appear flying and water craft melding elven design with sci-fi tech to be found. None appear to be linked to any form of rezzing system, and so finding them can be a random matter of stumbling upon them. I also found that whilst the flying craft appeared to work, none of the water craft did, and several were piled up under one of the lower pavilions.

Whilst the central waters here are shallow, they do deepen abruptly to the south and west, where a flooded realm awaits – and I’ll leave you to explore it.

This is very much a realm where time should be spent not just in exploration and / or photography, but in simply savouring the EEP Day Cycle. The latter doesn’t simply running through day / night, running over the default SL 4-hour “day”, it transitions through a number of different EEP settings, each of which casts Nymerion under a unique sky and lighting. If I’m honest, I’m not sure all work – but those that do give the setting an additional layer of mystery and magic.

Offering a homage / recollection to the original Otherworld by Elicio, Nymerion carries with it Akiko’s own touches which make it both unique and engaging in its own right, making any visit highly worthwhile.

Slurl Details

• Nymerion (Akimori, rated Moderate)

In June 2024, Gian (GiaArt Clip – of Monkey Island and Buddha Garden fame (you can read about all his work in these pages) – invited me to visit Infinite Darkness, an utterly atmospheric build right in image, metaphor and reference.

At the time, my visit resulted in a rather lengthy piece on the build, in part because – as regulars to the pages (if they still come by…) know – I am particularly taken by locations in Second Life with have a depth of narrative to them and so tend to bang on a bit, but also because Infinite Darkness is genuinely captivating and rich in its imagery.

This past weekend (at the time of writing) I received a note from Gian, inviting me to pay a further visit to the region:

I’d like to show you this new area of ​​Infinite Darkness, in case it interests you for the blog: I built this cathedral (both the façade and the interior, more than a week to build) and set it right into the rock face of Infinite Darkness. …I also redid the entire Windlight setup, ranging from the lighter night cycle to the deepest night

– A part of Gian’s invitation for me to revisit Infinite Darkness

At its core, Infinite Darkness is a walk between the forces of good and evil and light and dark and into the realm of the Gothic-vampiric. As such, the setting comprises a number of locations, both at the ground level and up in the sky.

It is the ground level where those making a first visit should initially explore, starting from the Landing Point chapel. And then cross the bridge. Do take time to note the theme’s symbolism here (and throughout): the fact you “rise from the death” on arrival; the angel and the skull within the chapel, the statues (including Geefs’ Le génie du mal along the bridge). However, as I’ve already written at length on the overall design as noted above, I’ll just offer a very brief summary here before moving to the new element of the setting.

Each of the four islands at ground level continue the core themes through different perspectives and intertwined narratives (including the general layout of the region mirroring that of a cathedral, as I noted in my 2024 piece). The two small islands to the north and south perhaps most clearly carry symbols of religious “good” and “evil”. Do make sure to climb the two central islands before you head down, to first reach the house straddling its peak (and again, note the artwork on the walls and the statues), and from there take the bridge to the Gothic Castle where the mantle of vampirism lies heavy.

Throughout your explorations, do keep your eyes on the art and statues; nothing here is entirely coincidental. As noted, Geefs’ Le génie du mal  resides close to the Landing Point, adding a touch to the core narrative. Elsewhere it is possible to find Michelangelo’s Pietà from Saint Peter’s Basilica, Alexandre Cabanel’s rage-filled Fallen Angel and even a modified version of da Vinci’s Mona Lisa adding her story to the narrative – to mention but three more obvious pieces.

The new cathedral lies at the foot of the castle-bearing island, and can be reached on foot by descending around the left of the lower, house-bearing isle. Hewn from the rocks of the island, it is eerily lit by blue flames held by sconces and tall statues, exuding a sense of darkness as much as religious “light” – both literally and figuratively. Gregorian chanting can be heard echoing off the walls against the moaning of the wind whilst the altar stands wreathed in fog, a guarded pit behind it.

Red-lit archways to either side of and behind the altar join the original catacombs. Enter these and you’ll come first to a pair of flame-holding angels, one pointing left and the other to the right. To the left, the path leads by way of a small subterranean lake to where the Dark Master of Death awaits in his crypt to carry people away to hell (I actually managed to miss this entire part of the build back during my first visit in 2024. It is more clearly marked now, and I’ll leave you to discover it and what awaits beyond!).

To the right the path leads to another new element of the build: a passage through and up (via ladder) to a further crypt, this carrying clear references to the Knights Templar – note the chalice  (Grail) on the stone altar facing the Templar’s cross and the motto Deus Vult (“God Wills It”).

Follow that path from the chamber below the Templar crypt and you’ll reach a further gateway – with a polite warning to turn back and follow the dark route passing via the Dark Master of Death, as mentioned above.

Gian is, until October 31, 2026 (appropriately!) running a photographic contest featuring Infinite Darkness. It carries a prize pool of L$10,000. See the Flickr announcement for details and rules.

Deeply immersive, rich in symbolism and narrative, Infinite Darkness remains an fascinating, highly atmospheric visit.

Slurl Details and Links

Infinite Darkness is rated Moderate

• Main Landing Point (recommended for first time visitors)
• The Cathedral (for those who have previously visited and wish to start there)
• Journeying through Infinite Darkness in Second Life (updated) – my original piece on Infinite Darkness
• Tiger Studio – Gian’s website

Not too long ago, I wrote about the tendency for SL explorer-writers to perhaps focus on writing about those regions which are new to SL or which demonstrate seasonal or other changes in their look and overall design, perhaps at the expense of those which offer a sense of constancy in Second Life.

The example I used in that article was Lost Lagoon. Another such location – well, to a large degree at least – is Autumn Trace (or as it was originally called, Fall Trace), one of Elvira Kytori’s mixed-purpose region designs offered under the White Dunes estate banner.

It’s a place I’ve not visited since 2019, and even then, it hadn’t changed that much from my visit in 2016. This is largely true of my most recent visit in September 2026; the region remains much as it has always been: a captivating wetland region largely open to public wandering (and boating) and with some scattered (and clearly denoted) private residences.

The wildlife rich wetlands of the Autumn Trace come alive as the sun break through the mists of the morning. Immerse yourself in this romantic and heartfelt destination.  

– Autumn Trace About Land description

This is a setting worthy of photography; one rich in ambience, sounds, wildlife and quiet corners and unexpected surprises. Getting around is mostly a case of following the wooden boardwalks as they march out over the waters and reeds, perhaps resting at the various seating areas some offer along the way.

These boardwalks allow the central area of the region – which includes the Land Point – to be explored with ease. However, there are two further parts of the land open to the public which lay separated from the landing Point by water (although one has its own LP, which I’ll come to).

Both of these latter areas can be reached via boat rezzer, this being available at the end of the boardwalk pointing right as you leave the Landing Point – sit in the boat to obtain oars. The first of these other areas lies to the south and includes a further a boardwalk mainly serving two further private homes (although the boardwalk itself is public access).

The second sits to the north-west and at first might appear to also be a private house. But appearances can be deceptive.

This is because whilst it may have once been a residence, the current occupant, SL photographer Carla Zeiss (Carla Amiot, exhibiting a nice play on names with her Display Name!) has turned it into The Heron’s Rest Coffeehouse, a completely charming – if a little quirky – coffeehouse which is part of the ever-increasing co-working network of cafes and coffeehouses.

Sitting on sturdy wooden piles above the waters of the wetlands, Heron’s Rest is aptly named, given much of the wading birds to be found within the region, along with waterfowl. It offers both shaded veranda seating as well as indoor space. I refer to it as quirky as the indoor seating area opens directly into Carla’s bedroom space! I was also a little unsure of the potted plant sitting in the backgammon board – but that’s probably because I’m a keen backgammon player!

It also appears to be a very much a self-service establishment: baguettes and cold meats, etc., are available on the front veranda for people to make their own sandwiches whilst a large espresso machine (looking as if it would be equally at home powering a steampunk airship!) sits alongside.

The seating on the front veranda is particularly comfortable and offers fine views across the region, marking it as a prime spot to pass the time with friends.

Whilst the rowing boats offer the means to move back and forth between the different parts of the setting, they also allow for waterborne explorations as well. The southern side of the region offers open waters which are home to geese and ducks and heron, whilst to the north they are move given over to reeds and tall grasses but are equally navigable and contain more wading birds and waterfowl.

The default EEP setting is suggestive of a heavy later autumn evening which can perhaps feel a little oppressive, but can make for dramatic photography. I’ve largely used it in the images herein, but admittedly have lightened their overall tone somewhat.

However, the region really does lend itself exceptionally well to most EEP day settings, so if the Shared Environment isn’t to your liking, just try some of your own; you’re guaranteed to find one which works with the region’s design.

Autumn Trace has always been an attractive setting; and while I’ve obviously no idea how long it will remain, Heron’s Rest has simply added to its charm.

Slurl Details

Tranquil Bay is rated Moderate

• Autumn Trace Landing Point
• Heron’s Rest Coffeehouse
• Coffeehouses and Cafés