Sim of the Week

Our travels today land us in Piedmont City, a Gorean themed sim owned by Perryn Peterson. Piedmont City, and its 11 sister sims, make up a large Gorean continent in the Western Sea. Peterson says that two of the sims are private residences while the rest are open to foot traffic.

Teleporting into Piedmont city is a treat for the eyes and ears. You appear on a well constructed stone pier that is vaguely Middle Eastern in design. Sea gulls cry as they wheel over the docked ships and the faint hum of voices seems to draw you to the market. In the distance, you can hear the bark of sea lions as they compete with the gulls for attention. The loop that is playing is very good.  It is not so repetitive that is it jarring, and yet really sets the stage for your adventure here.

The entry point is a canopy covered, vine draped creation by Mike Olbracht.  It is a very peaceful, serene place that you almost do not want to leave.

Stepping out from the canopy covered entry point, you may want to turn west first, for between the market and the entry point is a wooden wagon where you can pick up freebie clothes to help make your exploration more fun.

Continuing west, you see the market place spread out to your left and the sturdy stone piers supporting your right.  If you stand on the docks long enough, you just might catch a glimpse of a sea monster or two. They seem to like the tall minaret-like tower on the North West corner of the sim; this tower also attracts quite the crowd of penguins.

Piedmont is a thriving community with over 50 citizens calling it home. There is a wide variety of classes and social events throughout the week with something for most everyone's taste.  I spent a delightful evening at the weekly feast in the Inn of the Three Stones being entertained by good conversation provided by Vizier Perryn Peterson, Quicksilver Blackheart, Innkeeper of Piedmont, and Seth Loomslough, Apprentice Physician, as well as by the excellent food, and warm, inviting atmosphere.

We continue South, passing through the market place to find one of the caste halls.  Unlike Gorean cities that I have visited in the past, Piedmont has an abundance of people in the low castes as well as the high castes.  From here, we will cut east once more walking up the center of Piedmont.

We next come across an entertainment area called the Laughing Gryphon. Here, straw bales form seating areas, and a large gaily colored tent sets a stage. In one corner, a large spider web stretches between the tent and the wall of a nearby building. I would hate to see the dust broom you would need to get rid of something that big.

As we exit the market area, we come across a small food stall filled with wonderful, delicate pastries and steaming beverages. Did I mention that Piedmont had a large Low Caste?  This stall is run by Crimmy Bellic, who is a master of the art. Stop by and pick up some delicious treats to nibble along the way.

Continuing on up the stone pathway, we find more Caste Halls and a Gorean bathhouse lining the way as we approach the Tavern on the left and a large stone courtyard decked with flowers, trees, peacocks and water fountains.

One of the things that strikes you most is the abundance of flowers and gardens.  Everywhere that you look, there are treats for the eye. Water gardens grace the Villas area and the High Caste Halls let out onto lovingly planted areas as well.

Peterson began building Piedmont in 2007. His sims were first attached to Iaomai, a Gorean-inspired slave house.  Peterson says, "I realized that Iaomai, which is a slave House and not a city, did not have the appropriate infrastructure to support Free citizens. So I proposed to build a "sister city"... well, eventually the tail has wagged the dog, as it were."

Building a city from the ground up is no easy task, Peterson says, "This took months and months of planning. It looks rather simple on the surface...But everything from the layout of the buildings to the interactive chores was studied intensively."

"In many SL Gorean cities, you will find mainly Warriors (Red), Physicians (Green - to patch up the Reds), a few Scribes (Blue) and a LOT of slaves," Peterson says.  "Here we have some of everything, just about."

One of the big changes coming to Piedmont and its sister sims is a move to more open waters. "Our avenues for expansion are rather limited here," says Peterson.  He goes on to say, "We are building a School of Gorean Medicine which will soon open. The building is nearly finished. Our Chief Builder is putting on the finishing touches, and then the Chief Physician will furnish it with my humble assistance."

At the close of the evening, I threw open one last question to the people gathered in the tavern.  My favorite one of all, What advice would you like to give a newcomer to Second Life?

Daneil Blaisdale, a visitor to Piedmont City and the Head Physician and Builder of Tabor said, "How not to look like a noobie for three months."

Quicksilver Blackheart, Piedmont City's taverner says to, "explore a bit. Don't join everything at first sight."

Seth Loomslough, one of Piedmont City's Apprentice Physicians said, "Getting a good appearance and a good wardrobe is an important start. Being told about AOs and radars and dance HUDs sooner would have been useful too."

This of course sparked off a round of reminiscences from those early days of Second Life. And so our evening at Piedmont comes to an end with laughter shared, good food, and friendly conversation.

So we bid farewell to this shining jewel.  Where will the winds of Second Life take us next week?  Only the Bag of Sims and the Lindens know for sure.