The Lost Refuge is partly a puzzle to solve, and partly a tribute to Linden Lab CEO Ebbe Altberg, who passed away recently. It’s a collaboration between Silas Merlin and Solas Enchantment (a.k.a Solas NaGealai), built for the Second Life 18th birthday celebrations, which you can find on the sprawling virtual fairgrounds here.
You start off in a rocky glen, on a central space with four rushing rivers flowing in all four directions:
There is a magic spell book lying open on the ground, giving you instructions you must follow and items you must collect to obtain prizes.
According to a notecard provided by Solas and Silas:
Step within the looming rock walls, amongst the statues upon the 5 giant pillars that guard the elements. Your first task will be to find the book to learn the lore of the land. It will help guide you to find the 5 stones that house the gifts and a hidden world beneath you.
The lore within the book: “The fairy, the mole the phoenix and the fish were pouring elements into the magic pool in hope of opening the way to the lost refuge for so, so very long that in the end they turned into statues. They were missing a fifth element for the spell to operate. Spirit was missing.
On the eve of the birthday of the world that shelters us all, the overseer crossed over to the other side. In the beyond, he remembered his flock, and visited this land to infuse spirit into the magic waters, to open the way to new wonders to come. Find the elemental rune stones to find your gifts. Hint: always follow the way.
The overseer is a tribute to Ebbe Altberg:
Here are a couple more shots of the Lost Refuge, to entice you to pay a visit!
You can start your exploration of the Lost Refuge here.
