Soyokaze (Flickr) – click any image for full size

Soyokaze (“gentle wind”) is the home and dōjō for the Soyokaze clan, a school for C:SI sword combat, and a RP environment honouring the samurai and the Edo period of ancient Japan. It is also the home of the Bushido Challenge, which is one of the most involved challenges I’ve yet tried in SL, being both immersive and engaging.

The Soyokaze-ryu can be found on the ground level of the region. Here, set deep within a river gorge, sits a small village, the wooden buildings standing on either side of the gorge, a stone bridge spanning the waters. This place is clearly of of strategic import, as it is overlooked by two stone-built castles.

Soyokaze (Flickr) – click any image for full size

There are opportunities galore for photography here, and clan members offer a warm and friendly greeting. Period costume is not required (indeed, it should be pointed out that the clan is dedicated to preserving the best and oldest of traditions of the Edo period, rather than being set in the Edo period – hence the seemingly odd appearances of things like a soda drinks dispenser, dart board and modern-era gamer’s chairs in some parts of the region). That said, some light role-play does, I’m told, take place within the region at times.

As a centre for C:SI sword combat, the school welcomes enquiries from interested parties, which should be addressed to DomoKun Giotto or Kasumi Hashi. There are a number of combat zones placed around the village, mostly notable the impressive form of the school itself, nestling in the neighbouring valley. If you’d like to rez props for any photography, rezzing is open, and auto-return set to 21 minutes – but do please remember to pick your bits up if you finish within that time.

Soyokaze (Flickr) – click any image for full size

For those who wish to extend their visit, there is the Bushido Challenge. This involves coming to the aid of Princess Ayuki, trapped in a labyrinth of tunnels by malevolent spirits, and is – as mentioned at the top of this article – one of the most engaging challenges I’ve attempted in Second Life, and recommend it. But be warned, it does require a fair amount of time (or at least, one or more return visits), and a couple of parts of the challenge can only be solved through the assistance of / co-operation of others.

Assisting the princess is a case of stepping through the teleport portal, found within the village, and then solving seven challenges involving the Bushido code: Gi (justice & morality); Yu (heroic courage); Jin (compassion); Rei (polite courtesy); Makoto (sincerity); Meiyo (honour) and Chu (duty & loyalty). Each challenge is reached through its own portal, starting Gi (although it is possible to take some of the challenges in any order you choose).

Soyokaze (Flickr) – the entrance to the Bushido Challenge



The challenges are all varied in nature, mixing logic, elements of a hunt, learning a skill, solving riddles, exercising good timing, and so on, offering a complex quest in which – for a part at least – you’ll need local sounds audible in addition to having a friend on-hand to assist you. As you solve each challenge, don’t forget to claim your reward from the treasure chests located within each challenge area.

Instructions in places may not be all that straightforward, so if you get stuck and any point, find your way to Princess Ayuki (who stands in one of the tunnels behind a portal), and she’ll offer you some tips / advice.

I confess to not yet having completed the challenge, largely down to running out of time during my initial visit, and not having anyone on-hand to assist in the challenges requiring co-operation, so I cannot say how things finish (and wouldn’t spoil it for you, even if I did!). One thing I will say is that, while I enjoyed those elements of the quest I have completed (and look forward to solving the rest), the one part I’ve had a lot of fun with is the archery challenge. Scripted by Yamil Dagger, this is quiet simply a lot of fun, whether or not you’re playing for prizes – indeed, I’ve since been back for another couple of rounds, simply because it is so much fun.

Soyokaze offers an enticing mixture of a photogenic environment, the chance to join an established C:SI combat clan, and the opportunity to engage in a quest that has just the right mix of fun, frustration and a growing desire to overcome the mischief of the spirits and reach the conclusion.

Add to that the village tavern, which offers a cosy place to meet and talk with friends and clan members, and Soyokaze presents itself as a very engaging place to visit. Very thoroughly recommended!

My special thanks go to どうも (DomoKun Giotto, who has designed the region and is clan Sōke along with Kasumi Hashi) and to Akiko Yuki for their time in making me feel welcome and facing a barrage of questions, to ジョイ (Kimicko), for her assistance with part of the Bushido Challenge quest, and to Yamil, for his encouragement as I took the archery challenge.

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