Three Twisted Knots

From Gwyneth:

There’s something about Nysaris that invites folk in. And I don’t mean the usual Faire, ‘Welcome! Everything is for sale’! invitation. No; there is something far deeper inside Nysaris, a city built around a goddess of hope.

The Realm had such a Classical Greek atmosphere that I was surprised to find myself in the company of a white raven. Since Apollo began the practice of shooting the messenger when the (white) raven who brought him the news of a lover’s infidelity had the audacity not to peck out the lady’s eyes, the god cursed all ravens to be black from that moment on. I’d hesitate to venture into a place like Nysaris if I were a kvitravn. For now, I’m calling him Sciathán Bán, because it’s a silly play on the Irish poem Pangur Bán. “Pangur” just means “cat”, and “bán” is “white”, so I checked with Brán for the word for “raven”— which I failed to pronounce after half a dozen attempts. He suggested “sciathán”, which means “wing”, instead— and that, it turns out, I can pronounce, with practice. I’ve made it clear to him that we are avoiding Apollo at all costs.

Of course the Realm is beautiful, although I found myself fondly remembering sunglasses, of all things, within the first ten minutes of our visit. Nysaris is relentlessly bright, as if someone sent over all the sunshine Scotland never uses or something, and Nysaris didn’t even say, ‘thank you; have some olives’, or something.

Janire Coba of Belle Epoque had a satellite store there, and the dress I bought from her to celebrate my visit here (hey, queen has to shop!) is inspired by this Realm. It’s even called “Nysaris”. It turns out she collaborated with the brazenly talented Vae of Petrichor to create this beauty, and that makes me love it even more.

By all of us, I of course mean me, Sciathán Bán, and this gorgeous gown! One of the Fallen Gods assistants even did a little ink for me on my way out this morning, so I felt like I was the lovelies Queen in the universe. I don’t think I’ve taken this lovely ring off my hand since I got it in WooHoo! Bay a couple of weeks ago. (No; I didn’t get bitten by a Drake; the jeweller just indulged me when I said I liked amythests!) And I don’t know what magic they used, but the Fae Dragons at Hexumbra managed to get a new eyeshadow palette and some lip stain out to me! I discovered it in the bathroom just yesterday. I… well. It looked like someone (Oh, let’s be clear: it was definitely Friðrós) had already been in the eyeshadow, but the colours I wanted were cooler, so I just silvered myself to share. I guess she wasn’t interested in the subtle lipstain— nothing about her has been subtle this trip, anyway. We’re going to have a lot to talk about when we return to Awenia. She remains, after all, the best intern I’ve had thus far.

It is a little sad to think that, as I write this, all these Realms have faded into the Mists, and we will never see them again as they are. I of course took many more photographs than I had time to share during the Faire itself, so there will be a few more photos from this year’s Great Faire coming from me. I hope that one day, I will be able to visit a place like Nysaris again and be touched by such sublime beauty and artisanship as I saw in the architecture and art there.

As we walked into the Hall of Heroes for the first time, I felt Sciathán Bán’s energy change, as well as my own. He began to trill softly, echoing the mournful and simultaneously joyful music I could hear coming from somewhere close by. I think I could have spent all day looking at the wall frescoes, feeling the energy of visitors past and present, and offering up my own energy and libations to the Honoured who have passed beyond the veil before me. I do wish you could see it. I hope you did see it.

We paused outside the Hall of Heroes to reflect. Everyone else we saw seemed to be rushing through to handle their last minute shopping before the Mists descended. Three people stopped me to ask about the gown; I was happy to tell them where the Belle Epoque store was, of course. I’m helpful like that. And fashion is like love: It’s an endless creative fountain. I don’t care if someone else is wearing the same dress I am wearing, as long as they enjoy wearing it.

And then, well. Brán kept looking at the spiffy pocket watch he’d acquired somewhere in the Synod, so I reluctantly led the last day Throng back to WooHoo! Bay, were they and a couple of demifae packed everything up.

It’s always sad, to see the cases and trunks packed again and make our way to the VIP portals (I’d never stand in a queue for the standard ones!), but if this year has taught us anything, it’s that if we believe in ourselves and our aspirations, we can be strong in the knowledge that we will meet in the Fairelands again next year. And while there might not be a live lizard karaoke bar, there will be something equally as wonderful. Many things.

Items featured or available at this year’s Fantasy Faire:

• Gown (includes headdress!): Belle Epoque, Nysaris. Available soon at the Belle Epoque Main Store.
• Sciathán Bán the kvitravn: CKit Falconry, White Raven. Available soon at the CKit Falconry Main Store.
• Silver Filigree Tattoo: Fallen Gods, Heart Of Gold. Available soon at the Fallen Gods Main Store.
• Ring: Rivendale, WooHoo! Bay Hunt Ring. Available only through the WooHoo! Bay Quest. I hope you got a chance to do it.

Other Fancy Stuff:

• Skin: Moth & Moon, Edie, in T1. Available at the Moth & Moon Main Store.
• Eyeshadow: Hexumbra, Cordelia Eyeshadow & Liner. Available at the Hexumbra Main Store.
• Lipstick: Hexumbra, Robin Lip. Available at the Hexumbra Main Store.
• Hair: Magika, Alvilde. Available at the Magika Main Store.
• Gwyneth is styled on a Maitreya and a Lelutka EvoX Gaia mesh head. Her ears attain their shape through Clover’s clever Lelutka Fantasy Ear Deformers, available on Marketplace.

About the Region:

Nysaris was one of 22 regions at the 2023 Relay For Life of Second Life Fantasy Faire, sponsored by Belle Epoque and Harshlands, and designed by Janire Coba and Kodaj Yoshikawa.

Celebrating its fifteenth year, Fantasy Faire 2023 is the largest gathering of fantasy designers, enthusiasts, roleplayers and performers in the virtual world. From Thursday, April 20 to Sunday May 7, treat yourself to shopping, dance and theater performances, DJ parties, auctions, questing, our Literary Festival, fantasy art, events and roleplaying as thousands of Second Life residents and creators bring their own visions together to support the American Cancer Society’s vision of a world without cancer.

From The Author:

As always, I had too much to do, even though I took holiday all through the Faire, and I wish I’d had time to write more stories of our amazing regions. There will be at least one more Fantasy Faire-related blog post from me this year, so stay tuned for that!