Tag: Calas Galadhon

Calas Galadhon White Cristmas 2015 (Flickr) – click any image for full size

Ty Tenk and Truck Meredith, owners of the marvellous Calas Galadhon park lands, have once again brought something very special to Second Life in the form of their season Christmas region. And this year taking the theme of White Christmas, it is something very special, even by Ty and Truck’s remarkable standards.

As suggested by the name, the land is blanketed in white, a rich carpet of snow which also clings to the trees and bushes even as more falls from the darkening skies overhead. Sleighs await visitors arriving in the region, offering a ground-level tour – and Caitlyn and I thoroughly recommend taking one to start your explorations.  The sleighs will take you around the region at a gentle pace, following snow-covered track around and through the island before depositing you at the Christmas Pavilion.

Calas Galadhon White Cristmas 2015 (Flickr)

But that’s not the end of things; the Pavilion is open to visitors, and offers a comfortable room in which to sit before a roaring fire, while the Christmas tree awaits across the hall. Outside, and down the slope, a frozen lake and ice-skating await, while the paths and tracks offer plenty of opportunities to wander on foot and to find little spots to sit and watch.

And that’s not the end of things either. A short distance away from the pavilion sits a balloon ride. This will take visitor up, up, and away into the cold winter skies, all the way to the North Pole, by way of mountain passes and snow filled valleys, all the way to Santa’s HQ. Here, reindeer wander the fields below the village or keep an eye on visitors while Santa and his little helpers take a bit of a break between making toys and gifts and starting on their 24-hour delivery round.

Calas Galadhon White Cristmas 2015 (Flickr)

While Santa and Co may be absent, that doesn’t stop people peeking inside the workshop, dormitory, local hostelry and Santa’s house, or from visiting the launch point for the sleigh of sleighs, and from even sneaking a little cuddle while sitting in it.  And once a visit is done, a nearby teleport stone will provide the way back to the pavilion.

In fact, for those in a hurry, teleport stones are scattered around White Christmas to help make getting around easier – but I would venture to suggest it’s better to avoid them and make your way on foot or via the balloon (in the case of getting to the North Pole), because there is so much to see and plenty of Ty and Truck’s wonderful touches and little visual jokes. And of course, there’s also the reindeer tour – and don’t forget to put the festive audio stream on as well when visiting. Specially put together by Truck and Ty, it is the perfect backing for a visit!

Calas Galadhon White Cristmas 2015 (Flickr)

I could say more – but the joy of the Calas Galadhon seasonal regions is visiting and exploring them, so I’ll let you do that for yourselves, and instead leave you with a little video after the links.

SLurl Details

• Calas Galadhon White Christmas (Rated: Moderate)
• Calas Galadhon main SLurl (note White Christmas is not a part of the parkland regions)
• Calas Galadhon blog

Cybele Moon (aka the dune mouse) has also produced a short video filmed at the Calas winter region – please take a look!

Valyria, Calas Galadhon Halloween (Flickr) – click any image for full size

As we enter the twilight months of the year, one of the things I enjoy doing is visiting the Calas Galadhon themed regions. Every October and December, Tymus Tenk and Truck Meredith have brought us fabulous themed builds under the Calas Galadhon name which have allowed Second Life users to fully enjoy both Halloween and Christmas. And October 2015 is no exception, the Calas Galadhon Halloween region having opened its gates.

Valyria is currently accessible to members of the Calas Announcement Group, and will be available to all in the first weekend of of the month. I’ve been fortunate enough to have special preview access over the last couple of days, and can say with hand on heart, anyone who loves Halloween, fantasy and the works of JRR Tolkien and / or GRR Martin, is not going to want to miss what is on offer.

Valyria, Calas Galadhon Halloween (Flickr) – click any image for full size

This is a region which draws inspiration from both of these great story tellers and mixes them together with Ty and Truck’s own unique vision, to present a seasonal environment which is simply stunning to behold and to explore. Spread across, under, and over the region are a series of environments which naturally flow one to another, presenting visitor with much to see and discover – so much so, that I actually don’t want to say too much about it, because I don’t want to spoil the joy of discovery.

As is common with Ty and Truck’s builds, the landing point offers plenty of advice to get you started, and the information boards are worth a read – then it’s a case of following the paths and seeing whence they lead.

Valyria, Calas Galadhon Halloween (Flickr) – click any image for full size

To further help you in your travels, there are also two tours on offer: one by boat – which you can join near the landing point – and the other by dragon, which you’ll have to make your way to. In doing so, you’re liable to find the path through the region offers many branches and splits, each one enticing you onwards into deeper explorations. Some might climb upwards into the hills, others may lead downwards and underground. For the latter, a flashlight is on offer near the landing point, so you might want to pick one up before setting out.

The dragon tour will also serve to see you started on a quest which is designed to help you find your way to parts of the region which you might otherwise miss; just look for the “journey cloths” after dismounting your dragon.

Valyria, Calas Galadhon Halloween (Flickr) – click any image for full size

The centrepiece of the build – at ground level at least – is a marvellous ruined city. It is here that the various touches from GRR Martin and JRR Tolkien seemed to fuse into one for me. Exploring it, I felt as if I was both walking through the remnants of Tolkien’s Osgiliath, now the haunt of Sauron’s fell creatures, and also walking amidst the destruction which befell the City of Valyria, after being struck low by “the Doom”.

It is within the ruins that the Portal lies. This will take you to a further part of the build, up high in the sky, and which has another nod to the lands of Westeros.

With caverns and builds hidden below ground, the wonders of the city above ground, the world of The North in the sky, all bound together with dragons, winged beasts, monsters, spiders and so much more – including touches of Ty and Truck’s wonderful humour, Valyria is not something to be missed. It makes for another generous gift from a partnership who have given so much to Second Life over the years.

As noted, members of the Calas Announcement Group can enjoy Valyria ahead of the official opening, and the rest of SL from the first weekend in October. When you visit, do please consider showing your thanks by donating towards the upkeep of the Calas Galadhon park and make sure you have the audio stream enabled; Truck has once more produced a superb sound track to enhance explorations.

SLurl Details

• Valyria – Calas Galadhon Halloween 2015
• Calas Galadhon main SLurl (note Valyria is not a part of the parkland regions)
• Calas Galadhon blog

 

Armenelos, Calas Galadhon (Flickr) – click any image for full size

In December 2014, Ty Tenk  contacted me to let me know that Calas Galadhon would be closing its gates for the month of January 2015, while he and Truck Meredith took their annual hiatus from things following the busy October through December period. He also informed me that during the hiatus, there would, again as usual, be some remodelling within the parks, and as a result, the long-running recreation of the famous Santorini, located in the Armenelos region, would be packed away, and the region itself re-purposed.

While Santorini may well have gone from Calas Galadhon, Armenelos itself formally re-opened on Sunday, March 8th, and true to their word, Ty and Truck have created something truly fabulous. Relocated to occupy the north-west corner of the estate, and sitting alongside a new addition to the park, Long Lake, which Ty and Tuck have added to Calas in order to bring the total number of regions in the park back up to 12, the new Armenelos is a visual and aural delight.

Armenelos, Calas Galadhon (Flickr)

On arrival, the visitor is presented with a rugged, wooded landscape, with high cliffs facing the sea to the west, west, and which drop slowly to lower-lying land to the east, and the bridge connecting Armenelos with the  mostly low-lying islands of Long Lake, and which in turn offer passage to the Misty Mountains.  Across Armenelos, tall spires of rock and flat-topped plateaus push their way between the trees, offering high vantage points from which to survey the world, while paths an trail wind through the tall grass and under the shade of high boughs, encouraging visitors to wander and explore.

And there really is a lot to see; so much so, that unless you are keen-eyed, you’re liable to miss many of the finer touches tucked away across the region which bring it to life. For a start, make sure to have local sound enabled; Armenelos has a wonderful sound scape that enhances the feel of immersion: waves crashing against the cliffs; the singing of birds inland, the bark and cry of gulls wheeling over offshore island  where they and pelicans are nesting; the honk of male deer, the plaintive cry of a high-soaring eagle or two; the slightly worrisome howl of wolves through the trees…

Armenelos, Calas Galadhon (Flickr)

Signposts close to the landing point will point you in the general direction of many of the region’s attractions, such as the oriental pavilion, where you can enjoy a refreshing cup of tea under the benevolent gaze of Buddha. From here you can follow a wooden board walk around the rocky escarpment that rises to one side of the pavilion and hop onto a boat with a friend or two and enjoy a trip around and through the waters of Armenelos and Long Lake, passing the Dolphin Cafe, which remains in a re-modelled form on the west side of the land, and which resume its live entertainments from Monday, March 9th at 18:00 SLT (Oz’s club also remains overhead as well).

For the daring, there’s the opportunity to scale the high plateaus and then traverse between the various high-points via rope glides supplied by Cube Republic, which have excellent camera positioning for giving you a real feel for shimmying your way over deep gorges on a single length of rope! There are also, of course, all the touches one would expect from Ty and Truck – places to sit and chat, to cuddle or dance, and hidden walks which might not be discovered on a first visit.

Armenelos, Calas Galadhon (Flickr)

For me the magic of Armenelos doesn’t just come from all of this; it also comes from the little details that have been added throughout the region, and which really do require a keen eye in order to spot. Such as spotting one of Morgan Garrett’s marvellous and beautifully detailed little brids sitting on a bough or watching you from the side of a board walk, song occasionally bursting forth from it; or looking up into the branches of a tree and spying a little lizard, frozen in place, looking back and you and pretending it really isn’t there…

Given all of this, you’ve probably gathered that Armenelos isn’t so much a place to be visited, but rather to be experienced. It its new form, it addes further depth to the already remarkable Calas Galadhon parklands – which, if you haven’t visited before, I strongly urge you to do so, as there is much to see, including new attractions. Should you do so, remember you can take a horse from near the park’s main entrance and ride up from Calas Galadhon, through Mirrormere and over the Misty Mountains to Long Lake (which, btw, offers activities of its own), and then on to Armenelos, making for a wonderful trail ride.

Armenelos, Calas Galadhon (Flickr)

When visiting, please also remember that Ty and Truck provide all 12 of the Calas Galadhon park regions purely for the benefit of other residents. They do not offer land rentals or use the regions to run an form of business, nor profit from the estate. They provide 40% of the total running costs out of their own pockets, the rest being made up by donations by visitors. So please, when visiting, do consider using one of the donation points scattered throughout the park to show your appreciation for, and support of, their work and generosity in bringing to much to Second Life for us all to enjoy.

Related Links

• Armenelos landing point SLurl (Rated: Moderate)
• Calas Galadhon park entrance SLurl (Rated: Moderate)
• Calas Galadhon blog

The New Year tends to be a time of change and renewal, perhaps as much in the virtual as in the physical. Last year, the Calas Galadhon park lands underwent something of a remodelling in order to better meet the changing pressures of finance and time. The move came as Ty Tenk and Truck Meredith, who give so much of their time to the running of the park, closed the regions for a month to give themselves a little breathing space after the build-up to Christmas through Halloween, and the creation of their fabulous themed regions for both.

Ty recently contacted me to let me know that the park will again be closing at the start of 2015 so he and Truck can enjoy another well-earned break. As with last year, the closure will also be bringing changes to the park regions; and while the final plans haven’t been entirely worked out, it does mean that the Santorini build on Armenelos will be removed.

“For a number of reasons we feel this is the best move for us,” Ty said in announcing the decision. “While ‘the village on top of the hill’ has been popular in years past we both feel confident we can come up with something new to make up for it – a new and updated Misty Mountains for one!”

Some might be tempted to point out that thanks to the arrival of mesh and materials et al, that Santorini is starting to look a little long in the tooth and that the move to replace it is overdue. To them I’d say that things happen in their own time, and while it may well be basic prims and simple textures, Santorini will be missed. It has been a jewel sitting off the coast of Calas Galadhon since the beginning, and many  – including myself – have found immense enjoyment in wandering the stepped streets, winding our way around the whitewashed houses and peeping through windows at their cosy interiors, or sitting down on a terrace to enjoy a little music and wine. I actually know several people for whom the village was their first introduction to the Calas park lands.

For those who would like to capture a last memory or two of the village, there is still time; the last ferry will not be departing Santorini until early in the morning on Thursday, January 1st, 2015. So a visit on New Year’s Eve could be just the ticket if you want to see the old year old and greet the new one in a favourite corner of SL.

And as to what comes after? Well, Ty and Truck plan to keep OZ, the nightclub high overhead, running, and find room for the Dolphin café, currently sitting alongside Santorini (and where there is still time to enjoy a sirtaki dance with friends!). Whether the final plans see and expanded and revamped Misty Mountains or something else, the one thing you can be sure of is that 2015 will present plenty of new reasons for visiting Calas Galadhon, which, after the month’s break, will re-open in February 2015.

Related Links

• Santorini direct SLurl (Rated: Moderate)

Ty Tenk and Truck Meredith not only run the Calas Galadhon parklands, every Halloween and Christmas they set-up a special region, reflecting the theme of each period respectively.

This year, they gave us the Darkwood for Halloween, a darkly Tolkien-esque place offering orcs, elven boat rides, trolls, dragons, eagles and barrel trips. Now, with December opening its doors, they bring us the Calas Galadhon Noel, the region beautifully made over into a festive wonderland, with sleigh rides, magic reindeer flights, cuddle spots, ice skating and a whole lot more.

However, rather than me wibble on about it at length, I thought I’d cut to the quick and bring you a short video which I hope will encourage you to visit.

Calas Galadhon Noel is now open to the public through until the end of the month – and if you previously visited the Darkwood, I hope you’ll watch the video right to the very end :-).

To fully appreciate the region, do make sure you have local sounds enabled and have region’s music stream active – Ty has put together a very special selection of music to accompany your visit.

Related Links

• Calas Galadhon Noel SLurl (Rated: Moderate)

As we enter the twilight months of the year, one of the things I enjoy doing is visiting the Calas Galadhon themed region. Every October and December, Tymus Tenk and Truck Meredith obtain a region from the Lab and use it to offer something truly extraordinary where Second Life users can join in the fun of celebrating first Halloween and then, from early December, the Christmas season – and 2014 is no exception.

Currently hosting Ty and Truck’s Halloween design, entitled Darkwood, this year’s region will open its doors to the public on Friday October 3rd, and will remain open through until Saturday November 1st inclusive. It will then undergo a makeover ready for Christmas, re-opening in early December. In anticipation of the Halloween theme’s opening, I was kindly extended an invitation to explore the region, which I was only too pleased to accept.

The theme for this year’s Halloween design is rooted in Tolkien’s tales – in the great forest of Mirkwood in fact. Once known as Greenwood the Great, the greatest of all the forests of Middle Earth, it fell into darkness as Sauron’s long shadow was cast over when he took the fortress of Dol Guldur as his own, thus making the great forest a place where, to quote The Silmarillion, “fear walked … in shadowy glades; fell beasts came hunting, and cruel and evil creatures laid their snares … for the nightshade lay deep there.”

However, this isn’t to say Darkwood is “all about Tolkien”; while it does draw on elements from The Hobbit (with a splash of The Lord of the Rings), these are only the foundations for the theme – there is much more besides, becoming a world very much drawn from Ty and Truck’s own imaginations, filled with creatures and being of darkness and horror from within and beyond Tolkien.

From the landing point, visitors are invited to accept the region windlight settings and turn on the specially selected music stream (featuring music from Peter Jackson’s Tolkien-inspired films and is worth enabling, as it suits the environment perfectly). Then it’s a case of taking a lamp and following the path to the Elven Pavilion which, throughout the month Darkwood will be open to visitors, will be the venue for a range of events. But all travellers should heed the words of Gandalf, “Stick to the forest-track, keep your spirits up, hope for the best, and with a tremendous slice of luck you may come out one day.”

Within Darkwood, the track is relatively easy to keep to; lamps periodically light the way and there are the occasional signs to help you. The problem for the traveller is that it won’t stay singular; instead, and like the trees under which it (mostly) passes, it keeps on branching, leading all around and through the region until you might feel – as did a certain group of Hobbit-accompanied Dwarves – that you may never reach your destination. But that’s all part of the fun – because each time the path divides, new discoveries await you, no matter which route you take.

So it is that as you wander you my find yourself beset by spiders, riding barrels down fast-flowing streams to a broader river or trying to slip past a group of Trolls who appear to have meat other than roast mutton on their minds. Elsewhere, darker things await hidden in rocky clefts or under the darkness of the trees, and not a few decidedly “un-Tolkien” creatures may take an interest in your passage!

There’s also a familiar scattering of Ty and Truck’s mischievous wit across the region; as you explore you might discover the reason why the Calas Galadhon parklands seem so bereft of staff nowadays…  There’s also a lot of attention to detail and subtle nuances to catch the eye along the way.

Because the Darkwood path does twist and turn and divide, a suggestion is that visitor first take the Elven boat tour of the region. This can be found over the bridge from the landing point, and the boats will take you on a tour through, under, and even over the region. It won’t give away all the secrets within the woods – but it might also carry you to places you could otherwise miss should you avoid it or the barrel-ride. At the end of the tour, the boats will return you to their berth, allowing you to start your adventure on foot.

As noted at the top of this piece, Darkwood opens its doors to the public on Friday 3rd October (at approximately 09:00 SLT, although this is still TBC). Until that time, it is open to members of the Calas Galadhon group only, and people are asked to respect this. So why not take the time to dig out your drow / zombie / troll / beastie look and see how it fits so that when the gates do open, you can visit in a style to match the theme? Costumes aren’t a requirement for visits – but they do add to the atmosphere! Also, keep an eye on the Calas Galadhon blog for information on events at the Elven Pavilion and news on Calas Galadhon in general.

Related Links

• Darkwood SLurl (rated: Moderate)
• Calas Galadhon main SLurl (note Darkwood is not a part of the parkland regions)
• Calas Galadhon blog