[pteron]

[pteron] as viewed from the sea. Click any picture in this post to embiggenize it.

While in an Honour McMilan mood ("Look! An Art Sim!!"), this intrepid traveller put on her wire mesh avatar like Honour often wears then teleported into [pteron], an artsy feast of monochromatic moodiness studded with startling oases of stunning (SLurl). I've visited more than several times before today, bringing my wife along for one sojourn, and I still don't get a sense of purpose behind the design, but getting lost might be the idea. Everything is spectacular and there is so much to see. The ground level is the obvious place to start, so I won't. Head along an invisible bridge after you land and through what turns out to be a door to find a teleport hub.  Starting at the 9:00 position of the teleporter and working clockwise, here's what you'll see: Nostos, Coma, Kykols, and Speciation.

Nostos as viewed from the ship you arrive at after teleport.

Cammed way back and above the plane of the barrier creating the sky, this photo still doesn't do justice to what  you can see in-world. The endless seascape against the night sky takes your breath away. Note the cylinder ... your "landing craft."

Nostos is first and shares the color palette of the "ground" part of [pteron] — variations of sea green but with finer sublety. You land in what appears to be a derelict vessel but after some initial excitement at the moving lights you look outside to and endless seascape dotted with whorls of water showing the physical effects of fantastic energy fields. I don't know if one is supposed to leave the ship or not, but a cloud layer obscures the full central structure. Only by camming for a birds-eye view can one appreciate the magnificent expanse. My photo isn't nearly as good as seeing it in person.

Coma starts out relatively cheerful, but then becomes bleak ... dark, dark bleak.

Coma is a small, exceptionally organic and liquid (make sure your ambient volume is turned up) area that mixes bright ocher in with the sea green on the ground until you decide to push the boundaries. Provided you don't take a wrong turn and fall several hundred meters, you'll find a dark tunnel that leads to a dark structure held in an inky void with shifting shades of blackness. The meager torches provide little assistance so navigating the precarious stones and walkways is iffy at best. Ultimately, one can't enter the structure anyway, but the experience is breathtaking. Abandon all hope as like several areas, there is no return teleporter. 

An establishing shot of Kyklos, featuring one of the organic "spines" that floats outside the main structure

Particles really make the scene and add life, thought the structure itself is magnificent. This is a perfect build.

The stylized organic structures and particle effects that compose Kyklos make me first see a massive space station but then some pseudo "skeletal spines" and the swirly ramp enclosures evoke thoughts of an undersea structure. Whatever the intent, the build is flawlessly executed. Each aspect compliments the others and the whole to create an amazing experience in cyan. Alone, Kyklos is worth the time. With the whole of [pteron], it is amazing. I'm left without words to express the impact.

Life abounds in Speciation. I'm not sure what sort of life, but out of the corner of your eye something always seems to be moving. My metal avie was in danger of rusting to be certain.

Nothing was really moving, but that's certainly the impression with all the light and organic elements.

Speciation is a smack in the face. Abandoning the blue-green-cyan palette, this area uses ochre (like in Coma) but my first impression was "archeological find." The color and some odd light glyphs upon arrival made me think I was in the antechamber of some mystical ruins. Leaving via the small, orange teleport ball does little to disabuse this impression. I arrived on a stone platform that leads to a hollow of more stone and more mystical light. Darts of rain splash in shallow pools where what could be tentacles lie about. Turn up the ambient volume and you hear the rain, the flow of water, thunder, and ... something. The surface of the ocean — if that is what it is — is surreal in it's shades of maroon, charcoal, and ocher as it flows east to west. Dandelion-like sprays abound to contrast the chains ornate light structures in this scene that exudes dampness. The words ancient, decay, and ruins repeat in every corner. I buy a [pteron] plant that might be intentional set to sell for free, but I know that without being in Speciation, it won't be as spectacular. My metal wire avatar is not at home here, but part of my soul belongs.

There are times when ground level seems so normal compared to your typical real life experiences and then there are times it takes a hard left turn into .... somewhere.

[peteron] at ground level is mightily impressive in its own right, but seems a bit anti-climatic once seeing the other parts of the region. However, as you explore you'll find there are mysteries ... strange rooms with strange thrones ... odd bits of furniture in odd places ... hidden places with teleports to more hidden places ... sealed rooms with things in sealed transparent boxes. Between the monochromatic architecture and the frequent need to teleport back to the main landing area, exploring becomes exhausting but addictive. There is a pattern here, if only suggested by all the unmarked teleports that take you to Speciation or the clickable objects that speak in riddles (atom ring ... you flow in me ...). If you never explore the separate areas, ground level will keep you busy for a while. If you learn the secret, though, please let me know.