Fantasy Faire 2016 has opened its gates, and will run through until Sunday, May 1st. It brings together everyone with a love of fantasy – enthusiasts, creators, performers and designers – for eleven days of commerce, special events, live music concerts and more, all to help raise funds for Relay for Life of Second Life.
Rather than write a long preview to this years event – which once again offers some of the most fantastic region builds seen in a virtual world to present visitors with a set of connected realms – I decided to put together a preview video. I hope you enjoy it, and I look forward to seeing you in the Fairelands!
This year, Fantasy Faire once again presents the hunt in an expanded, story-based quest in which visitors to the Fairelands are invited to participate.
As the Bard Queen’s Emissary to the beleaguered races of the realm once called Belfience, but now cast under the darkness of the Unweaver and called Malfience, those joining the quest are tasked with finding the Exiles from that once peaceful land, and with their support undo the evil of the Unweaver and bring healing to the land.
To help you play your role to the fullest, here are some hints and suggestions to start you on your way.
Getting Started
There are two versions of the HUD available through the special RFL of SL vendors, which are prices as follows:
L$250 – provides you with the quest HUD and tools to get you going
L$350 – provides you with the quest HUD and tools to get you going and male and female Emissary costumes so you can be more in character – and it will help you recognise other Emissaries, so you can help and support one another!
You must accept the experience by clicking Yes to participate
When you have purchased your HUD package wear it, and then touch it to unpack the contents to a folder in your Inventory called FF2016 The Tale of Exiles. This contains 3 game elements which must be worn: the Game HUD, and two attachments simply called “Attach Me” and “Attach Me 2”.
On wearing the HUD, a scroll will open on your screen with some important information. – please read it through and then click it to close it.
Your viewer’s World Map will open, together with an invitation for you to join The Tale of Exiles experience (shown right) – you may have to move your world map to one side to see this.
Make sure you click YES to accept the experience, as this will ensure that things behave correctly as you go.
The HUD
As with most HUD-based activities, the HUD tracks your progress, provides hints, and for the quest, provides access to various options, of which Teleport and Inventory at the top let and right are probably going to see the most use – toggle to open / close.
The HUD – tracks your progress, provides hints, etc.
Teleport opens a list of the Fairelands (above left), clicking on the name of one will display the World Map, allowing you to teleport to it. Note that the destinations are not necessarily where the Exiles are – although some might be closer than others!
Inventory records the various items you collect during the quest (above right). You can page through the items using the back and forward buttons and – at the appropriate time in your quest, click on Use to make use of the displayed item.
Click Help to obtain a note card describing the rest of the functions.
Saving Progress
You don’t have to complete the quest in a single go; the HUD will record your progress and items collected, allowing you to leave and do other things, and then return to the quest later. You can remove the HUD (and other attachments) on leaving the Fairelands / breaking off from your quest, and then re-attach them when you return to the Fairelands or want to resume your quest.
However, if you want to be completely assured your progress has been saved before stopping, click Setup > Save.
Reloading Progress
Occasionally, things do go wrong in Second Life. If you find your HUD is misbehaving, or failing to display the right information, click Setup > Reload. This should force the HUD to reload information from the quest database and correct problems.
Game Play Guidelines
Gameplay comprises a number of chapters (indicated by the HUD) which can be divided into four parts: Heed the Bard Queen, Seek the Exiles, Find the Eggs, and Heal the Lands.
Part 1: Heed the Bard Queen
When you start the quest, the HUD will open your World Map so you can teleport to the Bard Queen – or you can use the LM supplied with the HUD package. You will also have to return to the Bard Queen once you have located and spoken to all eight of the Exiles.
When you arrive at the Bard Queen, click on her to converse through dialogue boxes (top right of your screen)
Part of the Bard Queen’s story will be told through videos displayed in your viewer. If the videos do not start automatically, click the screen. If they refuse to run, use the links in local chat to watch them on YouTube (please do not share or embed links to the videos in blogs!)
One of the features introduced to Fantasy Faire 2015 was the opportunity to nominate and then vote for the King and Queen of the Fairelands and their (strictly non-human) Chancellor.
Nominations came from across all realms of fantasy, with the top five nominated for each of the positions of king and queen (human or human-looking nominations only) and chancellor voted upon through the course of the Faire, with the winners announced at the Fantasy Faire May Day Masked Ball.
The duly elected king, queen and chancellor for 2015 were respectively Havelock Vetinari and Granny Weatherwax and Greebo the cat, all of which marked a fitting tribute to the late Sir Terry Pratchett, who passed away in March 2015,, and whose life and works were celebrated and commemorated as a part of the 2015 Fantasy Faire.
The Fantasy Faire 2015 King and Queen, and their Chancellor – who will it be in 2016? Nominate your choices!
But now, a year on, the first duly elected king and queen have put aside their sceptres, and the chancellor his chains of office. It is now time for the Fairelands Folk to elect those they feel should be elected king, queen and chancellor of Fantasy Faire 2016.
In order for this to happen, there must first be nominations! So who do you think is deserving?
Use the form below (or if you prefer, go directly to the same form on the Fantasy Faire website) and nominate your choices for king, queen and chancellor. Any character from the worlds of fantasy is eligible; the only major requirements being that nominations for king and queen must be human (or human-type) characters, whilst nominations for chancellor are restricted to non-human (or non-human type) characters.
As with 2015, the top five nominated individuals for king, queen and chancellor will go forward for public voting at this year’s Faire. The winners will then be announced at the May Day Costume Ball on May 1st. So make sure you nominate your choices today!
Note: last year’s winners, Vetinari, Granny Weatherwax and Greebo the cat, all from the works of Terry Pratchett, are NOT eligible for election this year.
Fantasy Faire, the largest fantasy-related event to take place in Second Life, opens its portals on Thursday, April 21st and runs through until Sunday May 1st inclusive. It will bring together everyone with a love of fantasy – enthusiasts, creators, performers and designers – for eleven days of commerce, special events, live music concerts and more, all to help raise funds for Relay for Life of Second Life.
On Sunday, March 20th, the Faire organisers announced that applications for blogging about the Faire are now being taken, with the announcement reading in part:
Every year we welcome almost a hundred bloggers into the early access to the Fairelands, to photograph and capture their beauty when they are still pristine and free from the Lag Monster. This year is no exception.
As with recent years, bloggers are additionally invited to participate in one or more challenges. These are not obligatory, and anyone – official blogger or otherwise – is free to participate in them. They are:
Faire Folk – “create a character from the Fairelands. Pick one of the Faire sims as their home, make a look mostly from Faire items, make the character come alive. Take at least one picture of that character in the chosen home sim and blog away! The more roleplay-style bloggers are invited to write about the character as well, but even those to whom pictures speak more than words can let those pictures speak loud and clear! Sim exploration stories encouraged!”
My New Shiny – “find a shop in the Fairelands you have never heard of before and blog something of theirs that you love. This is all about finding and showcasing the hidden talents, the newcomers, the surprises you can find when you explore the Fairelands thoroughly instead of just going through your already familiar favourites. If you know every single shop in the Faire, pick one that you think should be in the spotlight more.”
Why I Relay – “this challenge is for those who do have a personal reason to support Relay for Life events and who would like to share it. Obviously if you don’t have any personal tie to the charity or if you’d like to keep your reasons private, there is no need to do this. But those who would like to speak out for the charity, for RFL and for their reasons, they are invited to do so.”
I Remember – “tell us your favourite Fairelands of the past, dig up the old pictures, reminisce, travel down the memory lane. Write about your transformations, talk about your favourite moments, re-live it all again. Re-live and prepare to meet your new favourite moments soon!”
Fantasy Faire 2015: The Spires of Andolys, April 2015 (Flickr)
Those applying to be an official blogger at this year’s faire can also apply to write for the official Fantasy Faire website. This has no influence on the actual blogger application and should be filled only if you are truly interested. There’s very limited spots for this.
For full information on applying to be an official 2016 Fantasy Faire blogger, please refer to the Blogger Info 2016 page on the official website, and then complete the application form.
Fantasy Faire 2016, in aid of Relay for Life of Second Life, will take place between Thursday, April 21st and Sunday May 1st inclusive.
The largest fantasy-related event to take place in Second Life, Fantasy Faire It brings together fantasy enthusiasts, creators, performers and designers for eleven days of commerce, special events, live music concerts across 14 themed regions, with special emphasis on fund-raising for Relay for Life of Second Life.
Via Fantasy Faire
Merchant applications have been open since early March, and the ten core regions for the event are filling up fast, although there are, at the time of writing, some parcels still available. Blogger / press applications are set to open on Sunday March 20th.
This years brings some new names to the list of designers selected to bring the faireland regions into being, as well as seeing some familiar and popular names returning as well. The regions and designers are:
Blackmoor by Lokii Violet. “Fog snakes down the gas lit streets. Footsteps echo on the cobblestone but whether friend or foe approaches it is impossible to guess. Shadows loom in every corner as the bowels of the city wake up and the workings of another moonless night begin.” Store status: sold out.
Breeze by Kayle Matzerath. “A very bright and pastel watercolour village that harnesses the wind to turn it into magical energy.” Store status: themed stores only.
Bright Haven by Kilik Lekvoda and Rynn Verwood. “A fairytale market town brimming with wonder, happiness and magic. A stroll down the cobble streets might see you breaking out in song accompanied by your woodland friends.” Store status: sold out.
Dangarnon by Jaimy Hancroft and Eowyn Swords. “Villains roam the cobbled streets of a fallen Andolys where evil rolled in and blotted out the light. Skeletons of what once was are all that remain. Rotting and crooked the stone houses and towers are a sad reflection of their former glory. Darkness hangs over the land like a heavy blanket suffocating any ray of light. But even here, in all this blackness a shimmer of hope has managed to hide and survive, a tiny piece of what once was this magical place still lives within these dead walls. Perhaps all is not lost yet…” Store status: sold out.
Hope’s Horizon: Fantasy Faire 2014
Echtra by Loki Eliot. “The land is stuck in time. There is no summer nor is there any winter. There is just a grey emptiness hanging over the once busy town of Echtra and the surrounding moorland. And what of the legends that tell of a great sleeping dragon under the hill the town is built. Will the secrets of this once thriving community be revealed and if they can be discovered exactly who will awake?” Store status: not provided.
The Golden Delta by Alia Baroque. “The Immortal City bathed in gold and turquoise where the river and sands of life draw the passing of time.” Store status: themed stores only.
Lucentia by Marcus Inkpen and Sharni Azalee. “There lies a realm in the depth of antiquity or perhaps its the distant future- where all is energy and light and physical substance has no meaning. A glowy world of shifting lights and undulating energies. A world of magic and emotion and beauty. Where the only danger is losing your mind.” Store status: sold out.
Ichi-Go Ichi-E: Fantasy Faire 2015
Serenity by Kaelis Ember and Aikeo Rieko. “They say there are one thousand steps to the top of Serenity, an ancient city, every nook and cranny carved to perfection, smooth curves, beautiful terraces, stunning waterfalls, latticed windows. Built by ageless hands so many moons ago, they also say that those who ascend to the top of the city will discover something more valuable than gold, the knowledge we’re not alone in our fights.” Store status: sold out.
Tinkers Hollow by Mayah Parx. “If you had the power to create anything you thought, what would you think? And if every thought you thunk took form, where would you store all the stuff? Welcome to Tinkers Hollow. The eclectic trappings of an unusual mind filled with everything from toys and cards to gears and cogs. Who knows what might appear?” Store status: not provided.
Twilight Illusion by Sweetgwendoline Bailey and Eldowyn Inshan. “The Realm of Twilight Illusion is a land divided. Rising out of a vast lake of lava, small islands pepper the view. Connected by rickety bridges the inhabitants make a life amid the hellish landscape of rotten vegetation, creepy trees, stinky mushrooms, bones, skulls and ravens. As sulphur and brimstone percolate below the breezes of the upper levels remind of sun and dew, welcoming the visitor into a flower filled meadow where worries are replaced with joy under rainbow skies and a picnic of nectar and honeyed cakes has been laid out by unseen hands.” Store status: themed stores only.
Crimson Field: Fantasy Faire 2013
In addition, the following regions will also be a part of the Fairelands:
Fairelands Junction by Saiyge Lotus
Fantasy Faire Radio / Literary Festival by Elicio Ember
Arts and Entertainment by Haveit Neox
Fantasy Faire Hunt by Rynn Verwood
As usual, I’ll be covering Fantasy Faire in these pages, but to keep right up to date with news and announcement, keep an eye on the links below.
Inara Pey: Living in a Modemworld 