Tag: Calas Galadhon

Christmas is almost upon us and it is past time when I should have covered one of the great annual events of the season in Second Life: the Calas Galadhon Christmas regions, rich in detail and offering plenty of entertainment. I feel slightly tardy in getting to the four (yes, four this year!) Midwinter regions so late in the month (although it’s still sooner than last year!), but unfortunately, when it comes to time and dealing with the physical world, things are what they are, and I’m still taking things as they fall / time allows. Apologies to Ty, Truck and the team for this.

For 2025, the Calas Christmas regions follow the same overall design as seen for both 2023 and 2024 – but with the addition of the aforementioned fourth region. As to be expected, all of the elements which heighten enjoyment during a visit are included: ice skating, sleigh rides, flying reindeer rides, balloon tours, horse riding, and music, together with of opportunities for photography.

Following on from 2024, reaching the ground level of the regions is a two step process. The first being the main Landing Point, with its walk across a frozen setting to a teleport portal for a trip down to Santa’s workshop complete with a chance to visit with Santa within it. From here, an outside path passes the present loading bay where Rudolf and his team are waiting, presumably eager to get on with the work of delivering presents around the world. From here, arrows point the way to the second teleport portal. Do note that the portals are walk-through, but that if you haven’t previously accepted the Calas Galadhon Experience, you’ll be asked to join it on the first use of one of the portals.

The Landing Point lies on the southern edge of Midwinter 2 with the open countryside of Midwinter 3 behind it. The Landing Point is home to the couples and single / group sleigh rides, with the cross-country ski tour starting point (Group membership required) a short distance away, as is a Calas horse rezzer. These will travel south into Midwinter 3 and so can visitors on foot – just over the the region crossing is a sled ride down to the lower-lying lands there, for those who prefer.

Within the wilder lands of the south visitors might find a Christmas tree farm, a cavern with a teleport leading back up to Santa’s workshop, a barn serving as the warehouse for the Christmas tree farm, wild animals and … a sense of peace.

North across Midwinter 2 are various routes up through the snow-covered lands to where the Christmas Pavilion presides over the frozen skating lake with its Christmas tree and miniature Disney island, together with the overflow dance pavilion and Calas Christmas Special train. With its multiple places to sit around the shore of the lake, the seasonal interior of the pavilion and cosy confines of the train carriage, together with the balloon tour, the lake and pavilion are an obvious destination for visitors. However, what interested me with this year’s iteration of the estate lay within the newest region to be added.

This lies to the west of Midwinter 2, and offers another wilderness setting to explore, with little touches of typical wintertime activities  such as people driving home for Christmas (RIP Chris Rhea). The setting is dominated by the Loon Overlook Café and Bar, a homely place sitting upon a table of rock overlooking a ribbon lake which in turn offers a quiet place for skating should the pavilion lake prove to be a little crowded. A little further to the west is the flying reindeer tour.

Facing the Loon Overlook from across the lake are a couple of log cabins, while a cocoa station sits on the bank of the lake for those who need a warming drink, the main lake and the pavilion forming a backdrop for those with a high draw distance. However, what I like in particular about the new Midwinter region is that it has an air of the main Calas Galadhon estate about it, offering those exploring it a sense of wandering through the Calas parklands in winter, without ever having to leave the Christmas regions or all they have to offer.

Throughout the entire Midwinter estate are places to sit, things to do and a multiplicity of poses which might be used for photography – details are available via Calas Galadhon Christmas introductory note card presented at the Landing Point. Those who enjoy Christmas music should enable the local audio stream.

As always, the Calas Galadhon Christmas regions offer a lot to see and enjoy – so make the most of them now to both continue your Christmas and holiday celebrations and before they once again vanish into the night for another year!

SLurl Details

Note that the Midwinter estate is rated Moderate.

• A Calas Christmas main landing point
• Santa’s workshop
• A Calas Christmas sleigh tour (ground level landing point)
• A Calas Christmas cross-country skiing
• A Calas Christmas balloon ride
• A Calas Christmas horse rezzer
• A Calas Christmas ice skating
• A Calas Christmas pavilion
• A Calas Christmas small pavilion
• Calas Galadhon website

Shadowfell, the special three-region setting presented annually by Tymus Tenk, Truck Meredith and the Calas Galadhon team for the Halloween season, has opened its doors for 2025, and I received an personal invitation from Ty to hop over and take a look – which given the annual treat always presented by the setting, I was only too happy to do.

Now it is fourth year – and thus appropriately titled Shadowfell IV – the setting has also been expanded with a fourth region, with all four being Full regions utilising the Land Capacity bonus available to such.

As with all of the Calas themed builds, this is one in which it is very important visitors note at least some of the guidelines regarding a visit, all of which can be found at the landing point – with the most important perhaps being:

• Make sure you Used Shared Environment (via World → Environment).
• Enable local sounds and make sure you have particles visible.
• If you are on a PBR viewer,
• If you are running a non-PBR viewer, make sure Advanced Lighting Model is active, and if your system can manage it, do make sure Shadows → Sun/Moon + Projectors is enabled.

For those familiar with past iterations of Shadowfell, much of the first three regions (Mist, Mist II and Mist III) present a familiar setting and walks. These include the boat tour close to the main Landing Point, the caverns with their experience-based teleport up to the Darkfell setting in the sky, the gardens of Shadowfell, the swamp and ruins, the floating platforms, the creatures and touches of Tolkien I’ve covered in both my 2023 reporting on Shadowfell and my 2024 short video, which I’m taking the liberty of embedding again below.

However, none of the above means these regions should be skipped be returning visitors, there are plenty of new touches and twists worth discovering as one follows the trail(s) northwards through the regions.  As such, making your way through all of the regions remains the recommendation.

But it is the newest region in the setting, Mist IV, which is the focus for me in the rest of this piece. It is here that the City Ruins of Shadowfell can be found, together with the Elven Flyer and the magnificent Temple of the Moons.

The Elven Flyer offers another touch of Tolkien, the flyer in question being called Star of Eärendil II – a reference to Eärendil half-elven, forbear of Aragon, who carried the Silmaril Morning Star on his brow as he sailed across the sky (The Silmarillion). Like Eärendil’s voyages across the skies of Middle Earth, Elven Flyer also takes to the air, providing an airborne tour of the newest region within Shadowfell, with occasional dips into the Mist III region. Flights take roughly 17 minutes, and have the novelty of having people ride the winged boats whilst floating (both singles and couples).

The Temple of the Moons and city ruins also offer an interpretation of Tolkien’s legendarium. In Middle Earth, the elves departed “into the west” from Mithlond, the Grey Havens. Here, the Temple of the Moons is described as serving a similar purpose: From which the elves sailed to distant lands, although the reasons for the sailings are different: in Tolkien’s tales, the elves departed because their time in Middle Earth had drawn to a close; within Shadowfell we are informed they departed “before the darkness came”, thus giving Shadowfell a touch of its own mythology.

The temple itself rises from close to the centre of Mist IV, sitting on an island which appears to be of artificial construction more than a natural formation. A single channel of water points north and west to the open sea, presumably the route by which departing elves started their journey to those distant lands. Multiple bridges connect the temple’s island with the surrounding land and gardens.

The towers of the temple rise almost to match the surrounding trees, steps rising to meet the ground level of the structure, the stapes guarding two tall amphora which suggest they might once have been for illumination rather than being filled with liquid, although if so then their fires have long since been extinguished.

Behind the amphora, two tall statues of (presumably elven) warriors stand with their backs to the walls of the temple. They appear to be guarding a floating egg sitting within the first level of the temple. Stairways up to this egg lie on the far side of the central tower relative to the guarding statues. Touching the egg either by approaching via the stairs or from below, will teleport visitor to the upper level of the temple, revealing the reason for its name in the sky to the west – a sky where a dragon also flies.

The moons also cast their light down onto an open space with a pond, a number of naturally raised seating circles (and a woodland throne!), standing stones and a stage area with is back to the sea. This appears to be a second event space, complete with an Intan dance system, so I presume some of the events planned for Shadowfell will be taking place here, although the schedule of events, available at the Shadowfell Pavilion only mentions the latter as an events venue.

As always, the regions of Shadowfell are packed with details and characters – not all of the latter necessarily monstrous or wicked or born of darkness. The Darkfell does continue its Alien-esque leaning whilst offering a couple of new additions (or maybe I’m simply misremembering from visits in past years).

Travel through the setting can be aided through the use of landmarks available through the Shadowfell information notecard, or by keeping an eye out for the Journey Cloths scattered throughout the setting. However, I strongly exploring on foot and working your way around the various paths in order to experience Shadowfell to the fullest, with the boat tour and Elven Flyer helping to ensure you don’t miss anything. Those who enjoy musical accompaniment with their explorations should enable the local music stream, which features a selection of music curated by Ty.

Shadowfell remains one of the highlights of the Second Life Halloween season, and should not be missed by anyone who enjoys Halloween or has a love of fantasy. I gather than further elements might be added whilst the regions remain open, so return visits through October for both the events and additional exploration might be in order!

As always, my thanks to Ty, Truck and the Calas team for the invitation to explore and for all that they do for Second Life through Calas Galadhon, Shadowfell and their Christmas settings.

SLurl Details

• Shadowfell IV (Mist, rated Moderate)

So, Santa has (hopefully) made all his visits for 2024, and the year is marching to to close. However, for those seeking to retain the joy and excitement of Christmas can do little better than take a trip to the Calas Galadhon Christmas regions and embrace the warmth and fun offered by the three Calas Midwinter regions.

Following the general design seen in 2023, Tymus Tenk and Truck Meredith, together with the rest of the Calas Galadhon estate team, have once again bring forth a setting that offers opportunities for entertainment, ice skating, sleigh rides, balloon tours, horse riding and plenty of opportunities for photography.

As is common for the Calas seasonal regions, a visit commences high in the air at a crowd-clearing landing point, complete with a walk across an (Ant)Arctic setting to the teleport portal. However, in difference to previous years, rather then carrying you down to the regions proper, this will first deliver you to Santa’s workshop (follow the arrows!). Teleporting will require acceptance of the local Experience, but this only needs to be done once (and then only if you’ve not previously accepted it).

The workshop allows you to see Santa’s pixies and fairies and elves all hard at work (presumably getting up a good stock of toys, gifts and stocking fillers for Xmas 2025 now!). Santa himself is present, and will let you take a photo with him if you’re nice.

Beyond the workshop is the loading area, where presents and toys are stack ready for transfer to the outdoor loading bay for Santa’s sleigh – and it is out beyond the sleigh loading area is the second teleport portal that will transfer visitors down to the ground level.

To the south, the expanse of Midwinter 3 forms open countryside, here and there broken by woodlands, hills and water, ripe for exploration on foot or horseback (there is a horse rezzer for the latter just down the slope from the sleigh ride tours or you can add your own, if you have one). Also to be found within this region is a local Christmas Market, once again given a sense of life by static NPCs,  while the land and woods have a mix of wildlife. Tucked away within the hills and gorges of the southern extent of this region sits a teleport back up to Santa’s workshop.

The ground-level arrival point overlooks all three regions, being located up the uplands of MidWinter 2. As is usual with the Calas Christmas settings, this includes the traditional sleigh rides through all of the regions. Alongside of these is a landmark giver, which will present visitors with a notecard containing landmarks to the major locations within the regions, helpful for those who want to get somewhere quickly.

On the other side of the hill from the sleighs sit a couple of rezzers for skis and sleds, allowing visitor to scoot down the slope towards the southernmost region, thus giving a quick means to go exploring. Another new (I believe, as I don’t remember it from 2023 but could easily be wrong) is the cross-country ski tour. This requires membership of the Calas Group to obtain the skis alongside it (or you could try the skis from the rezzer close to the ground-level arrival point). Just sit on one of the two skiing pose balls and select the tour.

Of course, in the run-up to Christmas the Pavilion was the focal point for events, with the lake below it available for ice skating. The latter remains popular whilst the former now makes for a quiet visit with the Christmas events drawn to a close – and the portals remain for quick TP flips to various locations. There is once again seating all around the lakeside, and a nice little touch for this year is the Disney Island sitting out on the ice. Other attractions here include the balloon ride, the Calas Polar Express train, couples photo points, and indoor cuddles / conversations before the great fires in the Pavilion’s lounges.

As always, the Calas Galadhon Christmas regions offer a lot to see and enjoy – so make the most of them now to both continue your Christmas and holiday celebrations and before they once again vanish into the night for another year!

SLurl Details

Note that the Midwinter estate is rated Moderate.

• A Calas Christmas main landing point
• A Calas Christmas sleigh tour (ground level landing point)
• A Calas Christmas cross-country skiing
• A Calas Christmas balloon ride
• A Calas Christmas horse rezzer
• A Calas Christmas ice skating
• A Calas Christmas pavilion
• A Calas Christmas small pavilion
• Calas Galadhon website

Every year, Tymus Tenk, Truck Meredith and the Calas team bring us worlds of wonder to explore in the form of their Halloween and Christmas wonderland builds as an adjunct to Calas Galadahon Park, and each year we are gifted with regions of mystical / seasonal delight. Mixing an atmospheric setting rich in places to explore, scenes to uncover, rides to enjoy and events to attend, all knitted together by the weave of environment settings, soundscape and supporting music, these builds are always and genuinely a highlight of Second Life.

For October / Halloween 2024, the Calas team once again present Shadowfell, a three region journey journey through a realm which although probably not modelled specifically after any element of Tolkien’s mythology, carries with it something of a sense of Middle Earth during the Second and Third Ages, mixed with hints of other franchises to offer an engaging potpourri of elements deserving of careful exploration. First presented in 2022 as The Gardens of Shadowfell, the setting was updated and expanded in 2023 (see: A journey through Shadowfell in Second Life), and it is this iteration – with some little tweaks and updates (including the use of PBR materials) – which opened at the start of October 2024 for people to enjoy.

As with all of the Calas themed builds, this is one in which it is very important visitors note at least some of the guidelines regarding a visit, all of which can be found at the landing point – with the most important perhaps being:

• Make sure you Used Shared Environment (via World → Environment).
• If you are not a PBR viewer, make sure Advanced Lighting Model is active via Preferences → Graphics).
• Enable local sounds.
• Make sure you have particles visible.

It also is suggested that those who can, should also enable Shadows via Preferences → Graphics. This is worthwhile if you can – and with the roll-out of the performance improvements within the viewer, this should be easier than it might have once been for a fair number of Second Life users – and I’d at least recommend it for photography.

This year, rather than blathering on and talking the four legs off a donkey describing the setting, I thought I’d offer a video instead – hope you enjoy it (best viewed in You Tube!)!

SLurl Details

• Shadowfell (Mist, rated Moderate)

When the world is ever changing
Like a candle in the dark
There’s a source of inspiration in the air
It’s time to let a Calas Christmas onto your heart.

A wonderful place of love and peace for everyone
With magical sleighs and horses to ride
A wonderful dream of joy and fun for everyone
Sharing a place where imagination is set free.

OK, so Melanie Thornton didn’t quite write the lyrics to Wonderful Dream (Holidays Are Coming) quite like that, but I figure if a certain brand of carbonated soft drink can turn the lyrics from the song into a seasonal promotional jingle, then why can’t I a tweak a line or two? After all, it is the season of goodwill and all that goes with it, and in Second Life, there is perhaps no better place in which to share the love and happiness the season tends to bring than at the annual Calas Galadhon Christmas regions.

For 2023, Tymus Tenk and Truck Meredith, together with the rest of the Calas Galadhon estate team, bring us no fewer than three regions in which to enjoy the snowy beauty of winter, partake of many activities that come with it, mark the closing of the year – and of course, engaging in all the broader celebrations and joy which Christmas itself invokes.

The team have been bringing us their visions of the Christmas season for the past 15 years – a fact which genuinely marks the Calas Christmas regions as both a feature of and tradition within Second Life. As such, I’m always delighted to receive an invitation to visit in advance, although I do intentionally tend to leave any blog post written until after the regions are fully open to the public so no-one is disappointed by the fact the first few days the regions are open are (rightly) reserved for the Calas Galadhon group who support the estate throughout the year.

For this year, A Calas Christmas builds upon the setting established in 2022, extending it across the third region. This allows visitors to enjoy many of the locations and sights from 2022 (as well as the staples in the form of the Pavilion, sleigh rides, and so on), as well as presenting opportunities for broader explorations and wandering and – of course – photography.

The main landing point 0nce again sits on an (Ant)Arctic sky platform (you can take your pick as to whether it might be the north or south polar region, given SL is the magical place where polar bears and penguins can share the same environment 🙂 ) where the Moon hangs low in the sky and an aurora swirls around. Here new arrivals are asked to find their way to the portal and from there (by way of accepting the Calas Experience if that have not previously done so), down to the ground level arrival point.

The use of the sky platform helps prevent too much congestion piling up down on the ground, the walk to the portal allowing earlier arrival to settle on a course of action at ground-level, be it simply setting out and wandering or taking one of the sleighs to tour the regions. Of the two options, I’d suggest that those new to the Calas Christmas experience should consider the latter first; the sleighs offer a cosy means of seeing the major sights and points of interest, which can always be returned to on foot.

Those familiar with the Calas Christmas settings may feel bolder and opt to take to their pedal extremities – even if only to the bottom of the slope leading away from the sleighs, to where a horse rezzer awaits those who might like to region through the setting.

The sleigh tour lasts close to 50 minutes (although you can hop out at any time), but will comprehensively cover all three regions, providing a degree of commentary along the way. Towards the end, it will also take to the air to offer a bird’s eye view of the skating lake and the pavilion. Whilst taking it, visitors might like to enable the streaming audio; as always the tracks featured on it have been carefully selected by Ty and Truck to reflect the theme for the regions with music, hymns and songs from a broad range of genres.

The new region within the setting is a place of trails, wildlife, cabins and places to sit or take photos – the cabins perhaps being particularly welcome for those feeling a sense of the setting’s wintry cold! In terms of opportunities for photography, the Calas team have once again been accommodating; through the setting are numerous places where poses might be found for those wishing to capture special moments  – with Tinies and Dinkies catered for as a well as Big People. Not all of these might be obvious, so I do recommend making sure the information folder available at the Pavilion is obtained, as it includes a note card listing all the points where posed photos might be taken.

And speaking of the pavilion, this is where the Calas Christmas events will be taking place throughout the season, with the schedule of performances  available via the information folder mentioned above, and which can be obtained via the sign board just inside the pavilion’s entrance. As well as the horses and sleigh tour, Calas Christmas once again offers balloon flights over the regions (another opportunity for photography and  seeing the sights from a different perspective; and of course, the Calas Christmas express is marking its presence with a degree of hissing steam and its customary cosy interiors.

Once again, Calas Christmas brings everyone in Second Life the opportunity of season fun and celebration in a classic setting. Not to be missed!

SLurl Details

Note that the Midwinter estate is rated Moderate.

• A Calas Christmas main landing point
• A Calas Christmas sleigh tour (ground level landing point)
• A Calas Christmas balloon ride
• A Calas Christmas horse rezzer
• A Calas Christmas ice skating
• A Calas Christmas pavilion
• A Calas Christmas small pavilion
• Calas Galadhon website

Every year, Tymus Tenk, Truck Meredith and the Calas team bring us worlds of wonder to explore in the form of their Halloween and Christmas wonderland builds as an adjunct to Calas Galadahon Park, and each year we are gifted with regions of mystical / seasonal delight. Mixing an atmospheric setting rich in places to explore, scenes to uncover, rides to enjoy and events to attend, all knitted together by the weave of environment settings, soundscape and supporting music, these builds are always and genuinely a highlight of Second Life.

For October / Halloween 2023, the Calas team once again present Shadowfell II, a journey to a realms which although probably not modelled specifically after any element of Tolkien’s mythology, carries with it something of a sense of Middle Earth during the Second and Third Ages, mixed with hints of other franchises to offer an engaging potpourri of elements deserving of careful exploration. First presented in 2022 as The Gardens of Shadowfell, things have this year been expanded into a third region for visitors explore.

As with all of the Calas themed builds, this is one in which it is very important visitors note at least some of the guidelines regarding a visit, all of which can be found at the landing point – with the most important perhaps being:

• Make sure you Used Shared Environment (via World → Environment).
• Make sure Advanced Lighting Model is active via Preferences → Graphics).
• Enable local sounds.
• Make sure you have particles visible.

It also is suggested that those who can, should also enable Shadows via Preferences → Graphics. This is worthwhile if you can – and with the roll-out of the performance improvements within the viewer, this should be easier than it might have once been for a fair number of Second Life users – and I’d at least recommend it for photography.

Those familiar with the Calas Halloween builds will know that there are two primary means of exploration – on foot, following the paths winding through the regions; and via tour boat (available a short walk from the landing point). I strongly recommend you take the time to use both; the paths and trails offer the most comprehensive way through Shadowfell – including to the teleport portals which are a vital part of the complete experience, but which are beyond the reach of the boats (for obvious reasons); just be sure to allow around 50 minutes for the boat ride.

I would also suggest, perhaps, that when exploring on foot, the accompanying music track is turned off during a first visit so that the ambient sounds can be fully appreciated. Instead, turn the music on for the boat tour (and for subsequent visits). Finally, and as per the guidelines at the landing point, keep an eye out for the eye-in-hand tapestries along the routes – they offer teleport opportunities to additional sit points and locations that you might otherwise miss.

Shadowfell really isn’t so much a single place, but more a realm of multiples environments, all interlinked by the paths and trails as they wend their way through it. There is the forest, with its twists of Tolkien’s Mirkwood, and the caverns dark and old (and on the ground and in the air); places where spiders wait to trap the unwary and even more unearthly creatures have come to call “home” (and where I again found myself wishing that music streams could be defined by altitude as Jerry Goldsmith’s theme for a 1979 Ridley Scott film remains highly suitable for the caverns in the sky!

Then there are the ruins where the cold eyes of battle-ready orcs keep watch, or which mark the place where a kingdom of men (or elves) has fallen. There’s also the caves cut by the aeons-long passages of water, lit by the glimmerings of crystals and otherworldly plants as the water leads inexorably to swamps as beautiful as they are mysterious.

Throughout it all creatures of many places and world watch or roam. Some are clearly hostile; others perhaps content more with the watching. Some might even look friendly and welcoming (although with one, I’m always reminded of a comment by the legendary Robin Williams: “Mickey Mouse to a three-year-old is a six foot RAT!” – so perhaps some of the funnier-looking characters here aren’t as innocent as they might appear!).

Given this is an expansion of 2022’s Shadowfell, there is much which is likely to look and feel too familiar to those who visited in 202. However, looks really can be deceptive, and there are many new and subtle touches which bring a fresh sense of discovery and exploration. This is obviously very much true of the additional region, a place which extends the swamplands into something darker and more chilling and in which ruins mindful of both adventures in the depths of the forests of the Far East and also of places like Moria, hewn from living rock and long deserted by those who created it.

Here fires burn from high stone ledges, perhaps awaiting visitors such as yourself – or perhaps indicating those who lit them heard your approach and even now lie in wait should you stray from the path. Then there are the statues and figures: a hint of Sauron (or perhaps the Witch-King of Angmar) here, a hint of Herne the Hunter there; whilst all across the regions are hints of and suggestions of all walks of fantasy and horror.

As always with Shadowfell and Calas special events, entertainment is also provided throughout the time the realm is available to visit; check out the schedule below for dates and times of performances at The Pavilion.  But above all else – do visit and enjoy; Calas events like this are not to be missed.

SLurl Details

• Shadowfell II (Mist, rated Moderate)