I’ve been rather lax here for the past couple of months. Bryndal has been the only one posting here at all for the past four weeks. I guess it is time to step things up a notch and being investigating and traveling around Caledon to see what’s what.
Suggestions for places to visit are more than welcome.
Friends,
As you clearly know by now, I enjoy exploring our beautiful Caledon. To that end, I recently had the pleasure to visit the Jack & Elaine Whitehorn Memorial Library. This majestic structure is located on the Northwest corner of Victoria City and contains all manner of interesting and illuminating materials.
The library has four levels of fascinating exhibits and texts, but the truly intriguing material is stored in the archives. What??! You had no idea there were archives in the library? Well, the library archives are beneath the ramp leading from the main level to the second level.
The archives consist of a single large room with vaulted ceilings and various boxes of questionable origin. There is even a cask of whiskey in the corner, ostensibly fuel for late night digs though the archives.
Sifting through the boxes, I stumbled across a curious stone tablet covered in hieroglyphs.
The secret it revealed, shocked me to my core.
More to come….
Warmest regards,
Bryndal Ellison
Friends,
As I related earlier, whilst investigating Pearse’d & Cut, I discovered an underground complex that held Edward Pearse’s most deeply held secrets. The now-Duke Edward had a meteoric-rise in Caledon society—supposedly fueled by his success in the fashion industry and valor on the battlefield—climbing the social ladder from military officer to Earl and now to Duke. But as revealed by the items discovered in his covert hideaway, the talents that pushed Edward Pearse to the top are completely unrelated to his expert use of pinking shears.
You see, as I walked into the hidden room beneath Pearse’d & Cut, I noted immediately the painting upon the far wall:
The woman in the painting looked vaguely familiar…albeit dressed in a manner more roguish and risque than is the wont of most Caledonian ladies. But I could not place her. On a hunch, I reached behind the painting, and discovered a small packet of pictures that revealed Edward Pearse’s double life.
This first picture seemed to depict some sort of pirate revelry. ‘What could this have to do with Edward Pearse?’ I wondered.
Then I turned to the second picture:
Dead parrots? On the deck of a ship? People in pirate garb cavorting about? It all seemed surreal. And then…the picture that crystallized my suspicions.
Edward Pearse… Pirate Captain!….perhaps Pirate King!? I noted that the presence of the brass arm, which meant the picture could not have been painted terribly long ago. His secret life of piracy and plunder no doubt funded his precipitous rise on the Caledonian social scene. It is unclear where he plies his illicit trade…as Caledon’s seas have been thankfully free of such terrible predations at least so far. But it comes as no surprise now that Edward Pearse has secured for himself a maritime duchy conveniently adjacent to the open sea:
Nor could it be coincidence that his duchy is located next to Penzance–could it?
Nor even—when one truly thinks about it—does his new title seem anything other than completely fitting: the Duke of Arrrrrgylle indeed!!
Avast me hearties! Keep a watchful eye…there be pirates about!
My head spinning with all the revelations, I hurried for the door. But, a final backward glance sent chills up my spine.
Truly there is more to Edward Pearse than meets the eye…
Warmly,
Bryndal Ellison
Friends,
As promised in my last installment, I write today about another of Caledon’s secrets beneath the surface. This one has its roots on the southwestern side of Victoria City, where sits the imposing structure of Pearse’d & Cut’s Flagship Store. The store has occupied that spot, in one form or another, since the founding of our great City—though it started, like its proprietor, from humble beginnings. The first store comprised of a single room on the first floor of a narrow shop space, with a second floor devoted to workspace. Although he no doubt created many more things than I can remember, I recall in the early days that Mr. Edward Pearse was primarily known for his vests and uniforms. His popularity grew quite significantly…or so it appeared, so that soon he opened progressively bigger stores in Victoria City–as well as expanding to other neighboring regions. Soon came accolades, awards and titles. There can be no question that Mr. Pearse’s talent as a tailor set the men’s fashion scene aflame, but I began to wonder if his vast wealth could be solely attributed to his burgeoning couture empire.
To this end, recently I went wandering about Pearse’d & Cut’s Victoria City store, and out on the well maintained grounds, I stumbled upon the entrance to a secret lair!
The main room beneath the store appeared at first blush to be a boiler room.
But upon closer inspection, I discovered a cleverly hidden staircase to yet another subterranean level.
At the bottom of the stairs, sat a black and imposing door. Steeling my courage, I tried the knob and watched in amazement as it swung open to reveal a secret lair.
Examining the entire contents of the room would have taken days. But a hint to the mystery of Edward Pearse’s great success was right before my eyes….
The rest of the story must wait until next time.
Warmly,
Bryndal Ellison
Friends,
Well, I thought I might get right to the point of this blog—it is named Caledon Underground for a reason isn’t it? And that reason, as near as I can divine is to report upon the various interesting things going on beneath the surface of our beloved Caledon. I suppose that could be interpreted many different ways, but let me share with you what drew me to Caledon….depth.
I came to Caledon in early October 2006. Actually I came to Port Caledon to be exact–drawn there by the gorgeous furniture created by Serra Anansi. Up until that point I’d found SL to be an endless string of cheesy nightclubs, garish shops, and a few pristine beaches. Not really my cup of tea. But when I came to Caledon that October, it was …magical. Halloween had come to Port Caledon, there were ghosts, goblins, turkeys and swirling leaves all about. It was dark, and empty. As I walked down the quiet streets, I could hear the haunting clang of a sea buoy — a lone sentinel stationed at the harbor entrance.
The shops were fascinating–with all manner of oddities for sale–some more seemly than others. Then I stumbled upon the Mews, a seedy shipping district complete with opium den, burlesque theater, and the odd dead body floating about.
Perhaps you’re thinking this is too morbid, but for those who did not have the pleasure of exploring Port Caledon during that time, I assure you it was delightful. One never knew what would turn up around the next corner. Although there were many many residents who contributed to the overall feel of Port Caledon that October, I credit Solivar Scarborough, the proprietor of Caledon Mews, with executing the theme best. We have some incredibly talented folk in Caledon, but to my mind those who exhibit their talents best are the ones who keep within the 19th Century theme (something with which I personally struggle). Solivar’s Mews build was pitch perfect–seedy, yet intriguing. I only wish that I had taken pictures of it while it existed. But as is wont to happen in SL, things change. There are still some gems in Port Caledon—as there are throughout greater Caledonia–check out the second floor of the Keyhole if you have a moment sometime. There are some…err….authentic pictures up there. Desmond’s Galley the Venture is another treat, and you can even see Nessie from time to time.
As I mentioned above–there are a number of interesting places to explore. Perhaps as time permits, I will report upon them here. The first such place that comes to mind (because it is close to my heart) is the Victoria City Sewer System. Inspired by the Port Caledon Sewer System, which has unfortunately gone away, the Victoria City Sewer System is a work in progress. Nevertheless, it has some incredibly interesting features such as:
A Speakeasy
An Opium Den
These are just a few of the sights to explore beneath the orderly streets of Victoria City.
In my next installment, I will delve into the dark underbelly of an establishment owned by one of Caledon’s newly raised nobility. Yes…beneath the well manicured lawn and tidy shop of one of our residents lies a den of iniquity…or something like that.
Until then.
Warmly,
Bryndal Ellison
Hello Again…
Well, I figured I ought to write while I have the time to do so. I usually don’t wander about Caledon during the work day, but today I made an exception. Mr. Epsilon is putting the finishing touches on his International Shipping Warehouse. It’s really quite impressive with rusty elevators and dusty cranes. I can only say that it is an improvement over the green smoke belching stacks it replaced.
Here’s a picture of the (nearly) finished product.
Friends,
After much cajoling, my dear friend Mr. Epsilon has convinced me to post. I’m not much of a blogger to be honest. Can’t imagine that I have much interesting stuff going on about which to write. Nevertheless, I will endeavor provide you with some amusing commentary from time to time.
So—for today’s installment…behind the scenes with the Evil Genius himself. What does Mr. Epsilon do when he’s not building belching smokestacks and rusty cranes? Well, the truth is…he writes. Lists of new and exciting evil (or not so evil) things to do in Caledon.
I think this picture says it all. Mr. Epsilon has built himself a new warehouse from which to launch his international shipping concern. Just the first step in extending his tentacles out into greater Caledonia. Much like the East India Shipping Company, Mr. Epsilon’s company will soon dominate the entire metaverse….as soon as he gets some ships.
If you drop by his warehouse (on the northern border of Victoria City) you may glimpse at some of his diabolical plans for world domination.
Until next time.
Warmest regards,
Bryndal Ellison
It’s amazing to me that the bloghud posts whatever i type into the title of a posting, and not the body
Posting my first test crosspost to http://caledonunderground.com/
posted by Subghoul Epsilon on Caledon VictoriaCity using a blogHUD : [blogHUD permalink]
