Tag: Simurg

I’ve had a number of suggestions for places to visit reach me of late – and I promise I will get around to hopping over to seeing them and potentially blog about them in due course. However, over the years there have been places I’ve particularly enjoyed visiting and look forward to re-visiting, and these tend to quickly bubble to the top of my list of places to write about whenever I note they have been redressed – and such is the case here.

Simurg occupies a quarter Full region, and since its inception has never failed to impress with both the beauty of its looks and the use of elevation to present a sense of space beyond the setting’s physical size. The work of Lintu (KorppiLintu) with the support of Kwoone Oui (Kwoone), this is a place which changes with the seasons whilst retaining the touches and care of design which always make it a must-see destination.

For the coming of spring – and the fact that February is the month of romance – the setting offers warmth in terms of both colour and in the romantic little places it presents in which visitors can pass the time. In doing so, it retains something of the elevated element of the landscape from the winter 2024 setting, and which which again presents the Landing Point.

However, while the wooden deck and seating area continue to cling to the top of the cliff and overlook the landscape below, the rest of this open space no longer sports buildings, but instead is now an open meadow-like space with wonderfully attractive vignettes: a stage suggesting literary or poetic readings, a table for two, complete with the dessert from a romantic dinner,  whilst an old piano has be repurposed as a flower planter, although as it is accompanied by a violin sized to present a cello, it still offers a suggestion it is there to provide music to accompany the romance of the setting.

A path winds down to the lower elevation to one side of this high meadow, passing Lintu’s workshop (once again open to the public) escorted by a parallel parade of trees to reach the lower part of the setting.

In following the path’s gentle downward sweep past the workshop, visitors arrive at a scene which those who visited Simurg in winter 2024 might find tantalising familiar in part. There is a body of water here, fed by a stream proceeding outwards from the vertical decent of a waterfall, which carries with it something of a memory of the broader stretch of stream passing through the winter 2024’s lower half.

The difference is that whilst that water was frozen for winter, and the stream narrowed to pass onwards to the edge of the region, now the water flows freely from stream into what is now a broad oval pond, the one open downstream length of the pond now closed-off by land. Thus, in its presentation, the pond offers one of those hints of the previous iteration of the setting I enjoy seeing, whilst still allowing this version of Simurg to be stand in its own right and independent of past builds.

Within the lower elevation of the setting there is – as ever – much to see, indoors as well as outside. Rowing boats sit on the waters of the pond to offer places to sit, and the temptation to perhaps dangle a hand in the water as swans form love hearts with elegant curved necks as they face one another. Around the banks of the water are further places to sit in the sunlight and watch the swans on the water or the horses roaming the meadow.

Two buildings can be found alongside the pond; one is the ever-popular Apple Fall Old Manufactory, the other a two-storey cabin by Hisa. Both are well-furnished and over little retreats  which, even if not used as places to sit, offer a wealth of detail and touches ripe for appreciation and photography. They also stand – along with the workshop on the slopes of the hill – home to the many cats who probably sit as the actual owners of the the landscape (because cats always take charge! 🙂 ).

Across the water lay an old terrace and fountain. The terrace forms the home to an outdoor refreshments area served by both fixed and mobile drink and food stands. Close by is a wrought iron gazebo where people can sign the setting’s guestbook (another guestbook can be found at the Landing Point).

Upstream from the pond and curtained behind the waterfall, sits another staple of Simurg’s settings: the cave, here neatly hiding the Simurg in-world store, as well as offering places to sit and pass the time.

As noted at the start, I always enjoy visiting Simurg; so much love and creativity goes into it (much of which I’ve merely glossed over here) that it is for me one of the gems of Second Life – but don’t take my word for it; go and enjoy it for yourselves!

SLurl Details

• Simurg + Romance in Spring (Lunar Valley, rated Moderate)

It has been but a month since my last visit to Lintu’s (KorppiLintu) always-engaging Simurg, so this might seem a rapid-fire return. However, being the time of year that it is, the parcel has been redressed from its autumn / Halloween design to a winter / seasonal setting – and Lintu was kind enough to drop me a personal invitation to come and take a look.

Added to the above is the fact that Simurg is a parcel rather than a full region, and Lintu is adept at demonstration just what can be done to present richly engaging settings in Second Life without the need to go all-out on an entire region. This is something I have always admired when designers do so (and have tried to achieve myself within the parcels I’ve held / hold, even if I’m too selfish to share them!); thus visiting Simurg is always a personal pleasure for me.

Simurg + Winter Valley sees the setting region to something of its “split level” design, with Lintu again using elevation to give a sense of space and quite literal depth to the location, whilst also allowing for the inclusion of another “hidden space” within it to further enchant visitors.

Visits commence on the elevated aspect of the setting and to its western side. Here, within a wooden gazebo visitors can purchase Simurg products via a wooden Christmas tree and look out over a snowy environment whilst deciding if they are suitably dressed for the winter. I most certainly wasn’t, my qipao dress being way to summery – so I fixed that by adding pair of elbow gloves 😀 .

From the Landing Point, a path points  eastwards, bracketed to one side by a decidedly warm looking log cabin (one of Cory Edo’s excellent designs), with a large covered veranda complete with fireplace and blankets on the sofas to keep folk warm.

On the other side of the path, and close enough to the cliff edge to provide a view out over the valley below, is a boarded look-out point with warming braziers and wooden seats located behind a heavy rope set out along posts to prevent folk stepping too close to the edge and possible slipping over it.

Also facing the cabin from across the main path is another, single-room cabin, reached by a shallow set of stone steps. With glazed walls and an open space before it again looking out over the valley, it is set far enough back so as not to be rudely staring into the dormer windows of the house directly below it. The main path passes behind this little cabin, skirting under a backdrop of rocky cliff faces and then descending gently down towards the valley below.

In descending the slope, the path passes by Lintu’s workshop (open to the public) and links to the end of another path leading down from the front of the little cabin. It then ducks under a lynch-gate before dipping again and curving around to meet the carriage track passing up along the valley from its very south-eastern corner. A stage coach guards the track here as it blends with the off-region landscaping (as does a fence to stop people colliding with the region’s edge).

The track runs alongside a broad pond through which a local stream passes – although both are now frozen. The fact that they are means the pond can be used for ice skating – just touch the hearts floating over the ice. The track follows the edge of the pond to where it narrows into the neck of the stream. Here it is crossed by a little hump-backed bridge and the little village square on the far side, with its Christmas tree, little stalls, coffee shop and tailor’s shop.

Beyond the bridge, the frozen surface of the stream offers a way into the Fairy Cave, where more magic awaits other who venture inside, with two romantic little settings to be enjoyed.

Throughout all of this are little touches and details that mark Lintu’s care and eye for creativity. Cats roam and play inside her workshop, the cabins and house are all furnished, places to sit can be found throughout, deer and wolves can be seen among the woodlands in the off-region landscaping (and within the region in a few places!) while white horses wait to greet you in the cave. And all the while the chimes of a music box playing When You Wish Upon a Star might be heard, landing another layer of romance to the setting.

All in all, Simurg + Winter Valley presents another photogenic and enjoyable setting form Lintu, and I recommend it for a wintertime visit!

SLurl Details

• Simurg + Winter Valley (Lunar Valley, rated Moderate)

In June 2024, I dropped into Simurg, an engaging 4096 sq metre parcel seated within a Full region leveraging the Land Capacity bonus and designed by Lintu (KorppiLintu). Presented as a photogenic location, it offered an engaging mix of ancient history and a touch of fantasy mythology (see: Simurg’s mythical beauty in Second Life). Since then, Lintu has been busy expanding that build (of which more later), and is also presenting another setting specifically for the Halloween season.

Also located on a Full region (but entirely separate to Simurg), this is Simurg + Halloween in Autumn. Occupying a parcel roughly twice the size of Simurg, it offers an equally engaging location for photography in which there is more to be found than might meet the eye on first arrival.

The landing point sits on the east side of the setting, which is itself located in the south-east corner of the region, allowing it to to have, in keeping with Simrug, open water on two sides. Indeed, the landing point sits with its back to the sea as it sits in the shadow of two of the buildings within the setting. One of the latter is the Simurg Gothic Cottage, designed by Kwoone Oui (Kwoone), Lintu’s Second Life companion, and it is the first in a series of scenes suitable for the season that are awaiting discovery as one explores.

Spreading itself out before the landing point is something of a stone-flagged village square or street, the local chapel and graveyard to one side showing more signs of ghostly goings-on, edged with touches of humour via some of the tombstones, along with plenty of indications the dead are not entirely content to rest. A large house looms up over the back of the chapel, and while it is unfurnished within, its nature is such that it draws the eyes to it. More to the point, a walk up the steps leading to it will provide arched access to a back terrace where fortunes might be read, together with a bridge spanning the gap to another rocky plateau.

This second plateau is home to The Ruined Retreat by Marcus Inkpen, and here offered as what I take – from the cauldron bubbling away in the remnant’s of one of the building’s rooms – is potentially the home of one or more witches. This house overlooks the northern end of the village, where a street runs west from the cliffs, passing assorted places of business and residence (façades), with two of the former being the local apothecary’s abode, where potions and other magical items might be found, and the local music hall where the bare bones of entertainment might be enjoyed (in a manner of speaking 😀 ).

The western end of this street takes the form of the open maw of a cave which at first appears to be a rocky tunnel passing under the witches’ house. In fact a wander into it will bring one to the three witches gathered around their cauldron as if awaiting a certain Macbeth to come to them in much the same way as he found the three weyward Sisters (to use the description from Shakespeare’s First Folio) as he crossed the “blasted heath”. Beyond an encounter with the three, the cave will bring those walking through it to a ribbon-like meadow beyond, where horses peacefully graze and water tumbles down rock to fill a pond on which a leaf boat awaits those looking for a place to rest. More on this anon.

However, a look to the left as one reaches the three crones when entering this subterranean walk (or to the right, if coming from the meadow) will reveal a second passage downwards, lit by what first might seem like the flames of hell, given the denizens found along its length. However, allowing for the spider and the webs she has woven, it leads to a quite unexpected and hauntingly attractive setting sitting is a large cavern. With access also provided by  steps descending the cliff-face to the south of the Gothic Cottage mentioned above, the cavern also provides access to another little sitting area well away from the rest of the village for those who seek it on  the water.

Now, to return the to meadow, which can also be reached by walking through the village and passing under the bridge leading to the witches’ house. Follow the path meandering through it and past the pond, and you’ll come to both a further little seating area, and open against the rock wall a teleport portal that will carry you to Simurg, delivering you to one side of that setting. Here, a further portal directly behind you will take you up to the gardens, or a walk through one of the arches under the stone curtain and then across the stepping stones beyond, will bring you to the ruins.

Neither the gardens nor the ruins have significantly changed since my last visit (although some details have been added / removed), although they do now sit under a most dramatic sky. Two enormous craft hang in the sky above, their form perhaps vaguely reminiscent with Stargate SG-1’s ships of the Ori for those familiar with that show (a not entirely out-of-place line of thinking, given the show’s dives into mythologies and an ancient history, etc.).

However, the most significant change is to be found by using a further teleport portal located within raised garden to carry you below the flagstoned and partially-flooded floor of the main structure. Here you will find the aquatic element of the setting that gives it its extended name:  Ancient & Underwater City. It is a place of flooded ruins where a trio of Roman deities – Venus, Mars and Saturn – are joined by the Romano-Hellenistic goddess Diana in poses of battle, as kraken-like tentacles rise from even greater depths below the submerged ruins, while sea plants and fish calmly go about their business.

I did not find a teleport portal linking Simurg back the the Halloween setting – which might be simply a case of lack of seeing on my part – so I’ll add the Simug link below as well, as if you’ve not visited either, both are more than worth the time, offering as they do compact settings with plenty to explore  and appreciate. I assume Simurg Halloween + Autumn will vanish some time after October 31st – so be sure to visit on or before then!

SLurl Details

• Simurg + Halloween in Autumn (Lunar Valley, rated Moderate)
• Simurg – Ancient and Underwater City (Myra, rated Moderate)

Located within the north-west corner of a Full private region  which has been sub-divided into a series rental parcels, and which leverages the Land Capacity bonus, Simurg occupies a little under 4096 sq metres and is held by Lintu (KorppiLintu). It is offered as public space for visitors and photography, redressing it to suit the season and / or to offer different themes. The iteration I visited at the start of June 2024 carried the sub-title Ancient City, and contained a mix of ancient history wrapped with a touch of fantasy mythology.

Given its small size, the setting is seemingly easy to take in at a single glance, open to the water on two sides and the other two screened from the rest of the region intruding through the considered use of a main structure and two scenic backdrops. However, a simple glance can be deceptive; there is a lot more here than at first appears to be the case.

Perhaps the easiest way to think of the setting is as an ancient and once massive building – perhaps a temple; a place long since overcome by the passage of time. The landing point sits on the north side of the parcel, backed by great arches of a tall, ruined wall and looking across what was once a flagstone floor, now broken and open to flooding by the surrounding waters.

A good portion of this floor survives, pointing south-east towards stairs leading up to an antechamber apparently overlooking the rooftops of a large town or city suggestive of some where in Italy or southern Europe. Also pointing towards the antechamber  is a high wall mixed with rock formations which seems to form  the western boundary of the setting – although looking through its lower arches will reveal this is not the case.

Upon this wall, and looking down over the flagstones and water, is a line of statues which carry a Grecian styling about them. Further statues are set just above the waters at the base of this arched wall, although one of these is more Elven in look, thus providing one of the more fantasy elements to the setting. This is increased by the presence of stone-rendered sea beasts in the waters either side of the main flagstone floor. These in turn may have been called forth by the strange mer-like figures trumpeting the arrival of a figure upon a chariot and carrying a trident as he appears to have risen out of the sea behind the landing point.

All of this statutory add to the idea that this is a place steeped in history and legend (that charioted figure, for example, might well appear to be raiding up out of the sea, but he appears to in fact be Achilles, rather than any deity of the deep rising from the sea). However, little touches are add to the mix which bring together so much – as with the elven figures mentioned above, together with one of the statues within the antechamber also mentioned earlier. Rather than being something from ancient times, it is in fact a reproduction of a statue on the Honour Grave of Johannes Benk (1844-1914), located within the Vienna Central Cemetery, thus giving a further little twist to the setting’s narrative.

This great, semi-flooded hall is only a part of the setting. Sitting atop the high wall running on the west side, and above the statues thereon, sits a large table of rock forming a north-pointing promontory. Here, within a garden-like setting is evidence that however ancient the ruins below and around it might be, this is a place still very much in use. To one end stands the remnants of a modern brick-built structure with the bric-a-brac of modern life in and around it, presenting cosy place to sit and pass the time. facing it from the far end of the promontory is  wrought iron gazebo with table and chairs under its open top, offering another place to sit, whilst between them, the garden is split by water tumbling from above and then down a gaping hole it has tunnelled through the rock so it might fall onwards to join the waters below.

A glance down through the hole created by the waterfall reveals a little campsite tucked out-of-sight from the main ruins and sitting on a rocky outcrop. But how is it, and this elevated garden to be reached? There is no means by which to climb the ruins / rocks to reach it, and the waters surrounding and campsite on its outcrop appear too deep to wade through. The answer is to follow the trail skirting the waters flood a part of the ground level area and running north, away from the steps up to the antechamber.

Lit by electric or gas street lamps, this path leads the way to a teleport portal sitting within a door-like ring of stones. Obey the instruction of Click to Teleport, and you’ll be carried up to the garden. A second teleport tucked behind the brick ruins will then carry you down to the foot of the waterfalls. From here it is possible to take stepping stones back through an arch to the main part of the setting, or – despite the depth of the water between shore and campsite – walk to the little campsite without getting dunked, courtesy of an invisiprim.

Making excellent use of the available parcel space and vertical elevation, this iteration of Simurg has a welcoming mystical air to it. For me, this was increased by the parcel’s name: “Simurg” is one of the alternate spellings for the benevolent bird of Persian mythology, the simurgh. This is perhaps more happenstance than intentional – as noted, the parcel’s design seems to change over time (at least going by Lintu’s profile picks), rather than intentional – but it’s still a nice convergence between name and theme.

Certainly, the atmosphere within the setting is enhanced by the local environment settings (which I admittedly tweaked very slightly for the purposes of the images here), and brings together a mix of influences in a pleasing cocktail of sights and opportunities for photography. It might perhaps benefit for a slightly more immersive soundscape, but this is a very minor niggle and in no way detracts for the overall  beauty and appeal of Simurg.

SLurl Details

• Simurg Ancient City (Myra rated Moderate)