NeoLondon Times ~ Volume 28 Special Edition

A Royal Visit

21 September 2137
NeoLondon, planet NeoVictoria

The NeoLondon Times has learned that Captain Gwyddien ap Glyndwr of the Tuatha de Danaan will visit NeoLondon to honor the anniversary of his sister’s death in the Battle of Green Well, which occurred during the Strand Wars.  His sister was Arianrhod ap Glyndwr and wife to our own Lord Bowley.  Lady Bowley is interred in the crypt in the graveyard of the Cathedral of Air and Darkness.

Captain Gwyddien ap Glyndwr of the Tuatha de Danaan
Captain Gwyddien ap Glyndwr of the Tuatha de Danaan

Captain Glyndwr has a storied history in the royal court as a fierce warrior and a talented skinwalker. His most well-known victory was at the Battle of the Trees, one of the key conflicts of the Sidhe civil war.  There he fought against the sons of Don, enchanting the elementary trees and sedges to rise up as warriors against Don’s forces. The alder led the attack, while the aspen fell in battle, and heaven and earth trembled before the great oaks, who were memorialized as a valiant door keeper against the enemy. To this day, he wears their bones as his mantle.

Lady Bowley
Lady Bowley

Captain Glyndwr has not visited NeoVictoria for many years.  However, his retinue has already transformed Bowley castle to support his stay.  We expect the Captain to arrive, via airship, on Tuesday morning. His public schedule may be found below.

  • Tuesday, 22 September: The Captain Arrives
    Start: 11 AM, SL-time
    Cathedral of Air and Darkness
  • Wednesday, 23 September: Attending the Grave
    Start: 10 AM, SL-Time
    Cemetery, Cathedral of Air and Darkness
  • Friday, 25 September: Party at the Castle
    Start: 4 PM, SL-time
    The Captain hosts a party at Bowley castle.
  • Saturday, 26 September: The Charmed Hunt
    Start: Noon, SL-time
    The Captain organizes a hunt near the Solstice fairgrounds.

All citizens are invited to attend these public events!

Interior of Bowley Castle
Interior of Bowley Castle

The Decimation of Greenwell

[From the archives of the NeoLondon Times]
1 January 840 AD
Planet Greenwell, Strand Republic

Today, the Queen’s forces made great strides toward victory when they defeated all opposing forces on the planet Greenwell and rendered the planet uninhabitable. Now, void of life, it stands as a monument and warning to those who would oppose our beloved Empire.

The_Battle_of_Thermopylae
A scene from the battle

One soldier (who wished to remain anonymous) provided us the details. “The battle was goin poorly …very poorly …we were bein pushed back by them bloody fuckin golems.  Then we got word that the Soul Casters from the Medical Corp was gonna take the field.  Well, you know things are rightly fucked when your bloody healers take the battlefield.  We were given these charms … talisman they were called … and told ta keep ‘em with us at all times!  The next thing we knew, the fucking grass shot up like iron spears, striking the golems straight up their arses to their noses!  The ground started shaking, fire and brimstone erupted …it was bloody chaos. Then the blasted sky turned black!  How the fuck does that happen!?  So many screams from the machines, but not one of us was touched!  Those talisman worked!  Remind me not to piss off those damn bloody soul casters …bloody hell!”

The success of the Talisman Project notwithstanding, there were still heavy casualties to our Majesty’s army. Nearly 500,000 soldiers lost their lives in a series of battles which lasted ten days.  The medical corps lost 75% of their soul casters, almost 10,000 dead.  Most lost their lives activating and controlling the rune-staves that brought such glorious destruction to the enemy.  At the writing of this article, many of the remaining soulcasters remain in critical condition, but are expected to survive.  We are pleased to report that Lieutenant Colonel Katherine Foxtrotter, who conceived and led the Talisman Project, has survived and received a field promotion to full Colonel for her part in the ritual.

Death of Lady Bowley

[From the archives of the NeoLondon Times]
15 January 840 AD
Planet Greenwell, Strand Republic

It is with great regret we report the death of Captain Arianrhod ap Glyndwr of the Tuatha de Danaan, wife to Lord Joseph Bowley, the Governor of planet NeoVictoria. Captain Glyndwr Bowley died as a result of wounds sustained during the Battle of Greenwell.

Captain Glyndwr Bowley was the only casualty of her sub-unit of 120 soldiers, which she led to victory through the ten-day siege of the planet.  The details of her death are somewhat obscured.  What we do know is she was without her talisman when the soul casters released the full-force of their rune-craft against The Strand golems.  Some have reported that she refused to wear the talisman, while others report that she gave hers to one of her human soldiers who had lost theirs in the battle.

Going to the Battle
Going to the Battle

Here is what we do know.  While she was attended by soul casters, they were unable to secure her spirit to a soul cage, so she is lost to us forever.  Lord Bowley has announced a crypt will be constructed in the graveyard of the Cathedral of Air and Darkness and his wife’s remains will be interred there.  We will announce that date, as soon as it is known.

Our sincerest sympathies go to the Bowley and Glyndwr families for this most grievous loss.

The NeoVictoria Project Presents our Tenth Year Anniversary Events!

PRESS RELEASE
 For Immediate Release
 17 September 2019 [Updated 2 October 2020]
10 Year Anniversary Poster
Celebrate ten years in SecondLife!

We are Ten Years Old!

September 2020 marks the NeoVictoria Project’s tenth anniversary.  Over the decade, we have transcribed more than nineteen-hundred roleplays to our community website, produced almost one hundred machinimas, sponsored eight Fantasy Faires, and welcomed hundreds of players into our community.

For the next two months, we celebrate this success with a mixture of roleplay and out-of-character events and the unveiling of a delightful addition to the main SIM.   Everyone is invited, and everyone is welcome.  Come and celebrate with us!

Talk Like a Pirate 2020
Join Radio Riel and the NeoVictorians for Talk Like a Pirate.

Talk Like a Pirate!

Radio Riel & the NeoVictoria Project present “Talk Like a Pirate!” As always, we kick-off our anniversary celebration with a live radio event, broadcast on Radio Riel’s Steampunk channel, that celebrates “International Talk Like A Pirate Day.”

  • Date: Saturday, 19 September 2020
  • Time: 7 PM to 9 PM, SL-time (aka Pacific)
  • Gabrielle Riel to disc jockey.
  • MadMechaMessiah to host.
  • There will be prizes for best in male and female costumes! Argh!!!
  • Location: The skyclub in Machinima Sim
    SLUrl: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Machinima/98/127/703
ROCKtoberfest!
Come to rock OOCly in the SkyMall with the NeoVictorians!

ROCKtoberfest!

Beer, bratwurst, and brütal krautrock all day!  Different themes planned for every hour.

A Royal Visit
Join the NeoVictorians for ten days of roleplay fun!

The NeoVictoria Project presents “A Royal Visit (with Love and Strife …and Zombies)

Ten days of non-stop roleplay! This series begins on Monday, 21 September 2020, when it is revealed that a Sidhe noble has planned a visit. Everyone is invited to roleplay with us!

SCHEDULE FOR THE SIM-WIDE

Monday, 21 September: Tales at the Tavern

  • Start: 4 PM, SL-time
  • Lucinda distributes copies of the latest issue of the NeoLondon Times announcing the visits.  Citizens discuss and gossip.
  • Location: The Victoria Tavern [NeoVictoria SIM]
  • SLUrl:  http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/NeoVictoria/193/130/29 [OR from the final round of the tour, use the scripted teleport for the Tavern.]

Tuesday, 22 September: The Captain Arrives

  • Start: 11 AM, SL-time
  • The NeoLondoners greet the Captain’s arrival via airship on the roof of the Cathedral. A party follows in the main nave.
  • Location: Cathedral of Air and Darkness [NeoVictoria SIM]

Wednesday, 23 September: Attending the Grave

  • Start: 10 AM, SL-Time
  • The Captain makes a pilgrimage to his sister’s grave.
  • Location: Graveyard of the Cathedral of Air and Darkness [NeoVictoria SIM]

Thursday, 24 September: To Lay a Trap

  • Start: 10 AM, SL-Time
  • The Captain makes the rounds, visits with the citizens in the cathedral, including a conversation with Cerridwen.
  • Location: Cathedral of Air and Darkness [NeoVictoria SIM]

Friday, 25 September: Party at the Castle

  • Start: 4 PM, SL-time
  • The Captain hosts a party and announces a hunt for the following day.
  • Location: Bowley Castle [NeoVictoria SIM]

Saturday, 26 September: The Charmed Hunt

  • Start: Noon, SL-time
  • The Captain organizes a hunt near the fairgrounds …there may be zombies, there will be murder.
  • Location: Soltice Fairgrounds [NeoVictoria SIM]

Sunday, 27 September: The Scene of the Crime

  • Start: 2 PM, SL-time
  • Auditor Haskell investigates the murder.
  • Location: Soltice Fairgrounds [NeoVictoria SIM]L

Monday, 28 September: An Arrest

  • Start: 4 PM, SL-time
  • Auditor Haskell makes an arrest
  • Location: Marketplace [NeoVictoria SIM]

Tuesday, 29 September: The Trial Begins

  • Start: 11 AM, SL-Time
  • What will we learn?
  • Location: Courthouse, townhall [NeoVictoria SIM]

Wednesday, 30 September: The Trial Concludes

  • Start: 10 AM, SL-Time
  • Secrets are revealed
  • Location: Courthouse, townhall [NeoVictoria SIM]

In NeoVictoria, we do free-form roleplay.  This means there is no script; scenes evolve out of real-time character interactions.  Dark roleplay means characters may act in aggressive, predatory, criminal, and plain uncomfortable ways.

We use a simple dice-based wearable HUD called the NeoVictoria Roleplay Tool; avatars must wear this to see the roleplay chat.  The item is free and available in our Visitor Center and various locations on our out-of-character SkyMall.

Players don’t have to be a member of our group to roleplay here; we ask newcomers to take a tour of the Visitor Center in NeoVictoria SIM to learn about the storyworld before joining in the roleplay.  [Observer tags are also available for players who want to visit the land level, but not roleplay.]

NeoVictoria's 2020 Treasure Hunt
Best contest yet!

NeoVictoria’s 2020 Photo Contest

This year, we’ll use Flickr for submissions. Winners to be announced at a special party at the end of November.

  • Shoot on our land level.
  • Publish to Flickr.
  • Include your picture in the NeoVictoria Group and the SL Pic of the day Flickr groups.
  • One picture per avatar.
  • Runs 15 October to 15 November.
Halloween 2020 Square Poster
Radio Riel and the NeoVictoria Project present a Halloween 2020 skyclub event!

Halloween Extravaganza 11

In association with Radio Riel, NeoVictoria will have a Halloween Costume bash to celebrate one of our favorite holidays. Radio Riel will broadcast the event on both Radio Riel Main and Radio Riel Steampunk.

Dress your avatar in scary Steampunk, Victorian, Mecha, or Goth style and join us in Machinima SIM.   The party is not a formal roleplay event and is open to all adult Second Life residents; however, child avatars are not permitted.

2020 NeoVictoria Treasure Hunt!
Full of Steampunk goodness!

NeoVictoria’s 2020 Treasure Hunt