Necropolis Umbrae And Bewitched

 

 By Gemma Cleanslate

When I received a notice from the Nature Collective that warned,

“If Treasure you seek in this dark sad place, a deadly trial must you face.

In the deepest tombs not all things sleep and there must you go. though you may weep.

With the nameless beast will you find the key, and then you seek its symbols three.

With the key in hand you will find what you crave, and perhaps a path beyond the grave”.

I had to go see what was going on of course.

Necropolis Umbrae is an enticing cemetery. I am fond of cemeteries and this one is dark and lovely, filled with monuments (and many photo opps) among them. In the olden days cemeteries were places where families spent time enjoying the beauty and having picnics close to loved ones who have passed.

Walk around and you will see. The occult library is most interesting. And of course if you wish you can search out the answer to the riddle above. Save time!

I did and found the key! I saw two other avatars looking for it and were very close! Try it and you will be pleased if you succeed. It is an experience looking for it but don’t be afraid! You may find vampires or other frightening creatures waiting for you in the dark places. Just a warning.

Necropolis
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Or/143/118/1272

I was not daunted by that experience so I went off to another Halloween region. Bewitched is another Halloween Region that will take some time to explore.

Take a train ride to get a full overview of what to expect on your visit. This is just a taste of what you will face in Bewitched.

There are so many ghouls and goblins around the rail tracks . Keep an eye out as you pass by and hang onto the seat! Wander and worry about whom or what you might meet next among the grave stones or in the huge castle where I found many strange rooms, and people. I loved the Halloween tree in one of the rooms . It is the first one I have seen in my visits so far.

Walk through the grave yard up the steps to the haunte house and hop onto the little cart to take the ride through the haunted house. It is filled with all sorts of frightening skeletons and creatures popping up right in your face. Bring friends to protect you! HAZY COVE/127/1/21

Another autumn decorated place with some Halloween fun is Yosemite. I stopped over to check out this year’s décor and was met with skeletons standing around and pumpkins adorning the whole region. The trees have changed color adding a hue to the tall pines that live there.

I stopped over at the Visitor’s center where a navigator hud is available in the office for travelers and explorers and campers who visit often. On the porch one can see the many who have arrived and perhaps never left. I have a cabin and love it there .

Take a walk along the many paths or take a horse ride choosing among the many eager horses in the corral just waiting for you . Campers are already there with families to enjoy that and the playground for the kids.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Yosemite/143/62/25

Gemma Cleansate

 

Railway Stopover at Jopsy's

As I was tooting along the GSLR railway I saw a familiar sight in the distance. A hot air balloon I visited probably about 4 years ago. I decided to go back to renew my acquaintance with Jopsy's Pendragon's delightful particle places. There is a chair placed before a choice of TPs that will take you off into the sky in the balloon.

I took the ride, first, to the Cloud Chateau in the sky. After debarking I sat and enjoyed a spectacular particle display. This is listed as one of the oldest particle shows in Second Life. You are offered ”peace and welcome to all,” and can enjoy the music while you watch the show. It is a kalidiscope of exploding motion and ever changing color as it evolves before your eyes. It looks even better than I remembered. I think it is a relaxing place even though it is vibrant.

On my next balloon ride I took off to visit the Particle Lab in the sky. The last time I wast here I had no clue of what was going on . Now, I could never use the information but I at least understand now that Jopsy has made a “university” for those who want to major in particles . I can see that all the information here guides those who are fascinated with making particles and using them properly. There is a sandbox for practicing also. Green arrows will direct you on your way around the lab. I made my way back to the hot air balloon after my walk around.

My next flight brought me to the Vehicle Lab. A sign there told me that it is ”unfinished and opening soon," but that I was welcome to visit. It is another section of the university I see, with information for building all sorts of vehicles for a variety of movement around Second Life. I might be able to try building one of these from following the processes laid out here. After looking at the dates on the notecards, I wonder if this part of the university will ever be finished. But there is plenty here to keep one busy learning. The building is massive.

My next destination took me to “The Whale.” As I entered I was invited to join the Cycle of Life experience and enter into the grotto of lost souls. It is an introspective experience that I enjoyed. The next part of my voyage I had to work. I was handed an oar at the entrance of the caverns and had to guide myself through the maze while admiring the sights. It was a more extensive and interesting trip than I thought! As I took any easy way out by mistake I found myself in Jopsy's secret sandbox where there is work going on. There I found a lovely map of the entire balloon rides. There are many.

Again, this is a place that I will have to leave before I finish the tour or you may never read about it! I think you will enjoy a visit to Jopsy's place. If you like some of the articles you see don't miss the store you can shop for them before you leave. Jopsy describes himself as "a mix of Puck, Pan, Puff, Kringle, Elric, & Giger. He lives to tinker, create, teach, and flirt." I have to agree, though I have never met him. I recommend starting here to catch the hot air balloon and then you can choose your own route to adventure. It is right next to the railway in Slate (20, 183, 41)

This is not my last stop! Off on the rails to future fun!

Gemma Cleanslate

Railway Sidetrip

Since I wrote about the SLRR before I finished the route I thought I should take you a little farther. I decided to check out the “other” rails. I took my hobo engine to the GLSR to see the sims there. The engine passes along very nicely I was happy to find. At the end of the line I saw a sign for a ferry and there it was, arriving.

I hopped off the engine to take the ferry across the channel for a new adventure. Again, I was sidetracked by the sight of huge working oil rig sitting in the middle of the channel. Since the ferry stopped there for 60 seconds I decided to debark and check it out. I discovered that this ANWR rig is pumping out the basis of Second Life! I watched while prims came tumbling out and landed on a conveyer belt and down a holding place to wait for distribution when you need one.

After looking around for a while I went back down to wait for the ferry. You would think they could put a bench there at the waiting area. The ferry did not appear so I teleported back to origin and started over. I crossed the ANWR channel and landed at Cecropia on the Atoll. It was an interesting and enlightening side trip.

Wondering about that ANWR rig, I searched and found the answer in video you might like to see. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=df--_BTXdK8 .You can also find more about the rig in the wiki. I plan to continue my journey and let you know about more of my adventures.

Gemma Cleanslate

Riding the Rails - the Second Life RailRoad

How many of you have taken the SL railroad ride? I knew there was a railway but have never understood the length of the ride on Heterocera Atoll continent. I was amazed to find that the rail route covers 80 regions in Second Life with offshoots from the main line.

The railway has been around since 2005. The complete history of the railway is deliniated in the wiki if you would like to read about it all. http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Second_Life_Railroad/SLRR_History. I found it interesting that the railway began as a means of transport when there were no direct teleports.

I went to the Tuliptree Station and picked up a free engine and set out on my adventure. What fun. At some stations you can rezz your own engine near the track, and it will find the track by itself. Then you become the engineer and take off to ride the tracks as far as you want. Blow the whistle! Ring the bell!! Speed up the train!

As you ride along you will pass many places to stop and visit if you like. As it meanders hrough the sims, you will see some lovely venues: fields of wheat, horse farms, skyboxes, industrial areas, so, so many scenes. I stopped off at some of the sites, art galleries, shops, and Stations. I read somewhere that the station designs were a result of a building contest.

At Hobo Station I ran into a friend, Douglas Runningbear, who hosts fishing contests. He has lived at Hobo infohub "forever" he said, and he sees trains passing and told me there was a museum nearby. I tried to locate it but could not, so plan to go back to search again when I have time. However. I did find a delightful Steam Train museum in …..another sim ,with information about the history of the early steam engines, some small models and some large steam belching engines.

At the Bhaga Station I found a marvelous building housing the S&O Bessemer Steel Company with a nearby round house of trains switching rails. The place is amazing with cargo being unloaded and put into containers for transport by truck. There is a ferry ride back to Tuliptree, but I did not catch it. It is an amazing tour. I cannot tell you all that I saw. It would take a book! If you are an adventurer, I think you should take this trip, perhaps a little at a time.

You can pick up the landmarks of the SLRR at Tuliptree, where you will find the headquarters of the Railway Consortium, your first stop.The Virtual Railway Consortium is a non profit SL railway related group of train enthusiasts who work closely with the Linden Lab on the Second Life railways. Their website explains their vision in Second Life: http://www.virtualrailwayconsortium.org/. If you have a sim and wish to have a railroad on it you can find guidance for building your own on this website too. It is here at Tuliptree that you will find the information and also your free engine.

No, I have not completed the ride. It will take me more time. I thought I should write the story before I finished or it will be weeks before it gets to the paper.

Well, if you are looking for a long term project, keep it in mind. You can do a little each week and sometime in the future you will have traversed the whole continent! Then you can move on to the GLSR on the Continent of Sansera and to the ONSR, where you will need winter clothes! Bring skis too! First try SLRR beginning here.

See you on the tracks! Tuliptree (152, 155, 31)

Gemma Cleanslate