Tag: Calas Galadhon

We are approaching the month of Halloween, when spooks and creatures of the the night (without referencing Kiss there) roam, and once again the world of Shadowfell has emerged from the deeper darkness to tempt visitors with four regions of mystery, monsters, aliens and more.

The work of Calas Galadhon creators Tymus Tenk and Truck Meredith, Shadowfell marks its fifth anniversary and is now very much a part of Halloween events in Second Life and is always well received. This year sees some new features, fun and updates making a visit (or visits!) well worth the time.

As with all of the Calas themed builds, this is one in which it is important visitors note at least some of the guidelines regarding time in the regions, 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 can, enable Shadows on your viewer and, preferably, use a PBR-enabled viewer (or make sure Advanced Lighting Model (ALM) through Preferences → Graphics, if you are on an older viewer).

Note that if running with Shadows enabled does hit your system hard, Shadowfell V can still be enjoyed shadowless, so to speak!

Once again, Shadowfell offers a choice of taking to the trails and paths through its regions or allowing the boat tour to carry you through all the regions. There’s also the Elven Flyers for a shorter guided trip. If you’ve never visited Shadowfell before, the boat tour might be a good place to start, as it will give you a feel for things and allow you to see glimpse some of the settings you can re-visit in detail on foot – but do be aware it now runs for just shy of an hour, so allow time – and perhaps use it as a reason for multiple visits.

The boat tour is available close to the main Landing Point and will, among other things, reveal that even zombies like to occasionally simply sit down and dip their feet in the water and just chat 🙂 . It will also reveal some of the newer elements  – a touch of Game of Thrones with skeletal dragons; a little humour  – who knew Bambi was a creature of darkness waiting in the foggy waters to swim at unsuspecting travellers? – and more.

The boat tour won’t return you to the main Landing Point, but instead drops you off within the Mist II region, allowing on-foot explorations to resume from there. However, for those who prefer, the drop-off point is a short walk from a portal rock that will return folk to the Landing point to allow explorations to resume from there.

The Elven Flyer, meanwhile, offers a 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, it will take you a a flight through the sky lasting roughly 17 minutes and has the novelty of having people ride the winged boats whilst floating themselves (both singles and couples).

Each year, Ty and Truck try to introduce new touches to their Halloween and Christmas builds, and for this iteration of Shadowfell there is a host of new elements to be discovered. a couple come early-on as you take to the path away from the Landing Point – and if you are something of an arachnophobe like me, can cause a shiver or six – thanks, guys! 🙂 .

This year, Shadowfell appears to have new mesh-based atmospheric effects in places, and the general environment settings appear to have been tweaked a little (either that or I missed things last year / my PC is behaving differently this year!). Both changes are welcome as they both add to the mystery of the setting and make a journey through the regions more engaging.

One of the things I’ve always loved with Shadowfell is the mixing of mythologies: classic horror in the form of zombies, sirens, monsters and more, together with clear elements of elements of Tolkien (in keeping with the roots of Calas Galadhon regions as a whole) and fantasy, the touches of humour and a rich touch of science fiction horror in the shape of elements from, and interpretations of, the Alien franchise. All of this remains evident this year, complete with some new touches – don’t touch the slime dripping from eggs!

With garden of colour and ethereal beauty rubbing shoulders with cavern of darkness and possible terror, there is also very much a sense of dreams and nightmares to be found throughout Shadowfell.

For those making a first visit to Shadowfell, do be aware that not everything is on the ground – and take nothing for granted in the cavern with the airborne figures – touch the right point and you’ll find yourself carried deeper into the dark caves which, for those familiar with past iterations of Shadowfell, have been updated quite magnificently with materials and more.

When in the “sky caverns” do make sure you touch the central portal stone in the main chamber. It will lift you to a place mixing elven elements with creatures of the deep and a touch of Alien’s Engineers. A further stone here will return you to the cavern of the aliens. Where you can explore deeper into the caves and eventually find your way back to ground level.

There is so much that could be written about Shadowfell – but it should be seen first-hand. As such, the setting will be open to all from September 29, 2026, whilst those joining the Calas Galadhon Announcemens Group can gain early access to the regions. Also, don’t forget to keep you eyes on the Calas Galadhon website for news on special events at Shadowfell throughout October 2026 (also advertised through the Calas Group mentioned above).

Should you enjoy visiting Shadowfell, do please consider making a donation to the Calas team – they do so much for Second Life throughout the year through Calas Galadhon Park, Shadowfell and  the Calas Christmas regions, they deserve our support.

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• Shadowfell V (Mist, rated Moderate)

The Garden of Hope is a joint venture between Calas Galadhon and The Grove Estate and features the creative work of Tymus Tenk of Calas Galadhon and Patch Thibaud from The Grove. It came into being during the 2023 Relay for Life season Hope Floats as a memorial to all those who have lost their lives to cancer, and has now been restored as a lasting place of peace and remembrance.

Its return, coming during the 2026 Second Life Relay for Life season and (more personally) on the heels of my own emergence from the shadow of cancer (for the second time in a decade, albeit this time being somewhat more worrying than 2018), led it to being added to my list of places to visit.

In fact, given its ties to Calas – a place that has long been close to my heart – it quickly percolated to the top of my list, hence this article. I was also, frankly, curious as to how Calas and The Grove came together, The Grove being another place which – while I’ve not really covered it in these pages due to much of it being residential in nature – I’ve enjoyed wandering through in past visits.

The answer to this latter question, how do the two design approaches come together, is “extremely well”. The Garden of Hope is a simply beautiful setting, rich in detail, beautifully created with a multitude of spaces in which to remember those we may have lost – and serves as a fitting memorial to Crito Galtier, the original owner of The Grove, who provided guidance in the development of the Garden prior to his passing away at the end of 2023.

The Landing Point offers an engaging description of the region – which is joined to the rest of the Calas Galadhon estate, sitting as it does close to the Garden’s northern edge where it joins Calas’ Glanduin. A path leads up to this northern boundary, whilst another points south and takes visitors deeper into the region.

This southern path is, in some respects, the “stitching” that brings the “Grove influenced” and “Calas influenced” parts of the region together, the former sitting on the eastern side of the path (and meeting it at its southern end) and the latter running more down the west side of the region.

However, whilst there is this sort-of split to the region’s design, with either side of the path directly designed by Patch and Ty, the overall blending of the landscapes and features within them is a lot more subtle than their meeting simply being denoted by a path; something that becomes clear as one explores and moves from east to west and back again.

The architecture on the east side of the region, for example is clearly drawn out of the influence of Patch’s work at The Grove, whilst to the west, the Garden carries the natural loo and feel of the countryside found within many of the Calas regions. As noted, they are linked by paths and trails with – one or two exceptions duly noted in a manner that present no divide, and thus presents both halves as a whole.

The Garden also neatly brings together two very contrasting architectural styles into a single whole. Patch’s work very much speaks to Mediterranean themes and elements, leaning towards a modern take of Greco-Roman design and Tuscan influences. Ty’s work, meanwhile, as well as embracing the natural themes from Calas Galadhon, carries a strong oriental theme and motifs.

When walking through the Garden of Hope, it is hard not to be absorbed by its beauty and wrapped in a sense of thoughtful contemplation. Whether the latter is in remembrance of those we’ve lost or the great good fortune we’ve had (as in my case) in coming through an immediate threat posed by the disease, or simply in reflection of the care and love poured into the region’s design doesn’t really matter: Garden of Hope is a place which bestows a wonderful sense of tranquillity to all who pass through it.

Throughout the Garden are places to sit or dance, and secret places to discover as they pass underground. There’s also more to come, as Ty noted to me during my visit: he and Patch plan to add a memorial wall where visitors can submit a name of someone they’ve lost, together with a short message. This will likely include an interactive element (Ty suggested a lotus on one of the bodies of water) visitors can touch and have a small golden orb rise to the skies as a prayer or wish for healing.

In all, the Garden of Hope is a place of piece, harmony and beauty which should not be missed.

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• Garden of Hope (rated: Moderate)

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!

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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

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.

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• 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