Today sees the opening of Petites Kingdom, bringing together a number of creators of petite avatars and their accessories in a single, themed sim.To mark the opening, there will be a special welcome ceremony at 12:00 noon SLT, followed by the opening of a crystal hunt which will run through until the 20th October. Entertainments will commence at 15:00 SLT.

Thanks to a helping hand from Elizabeth Tinsley, I managed to get a sneak peek at the new Kingdom today, ahead of the official opening.

The press release for the opening provides something of a backstory for the new region, noting that this new world, ringed by mountains, will eventually be the home to nine floating islands for petites (and big folk visitors), although only five are currently available. The remaining four are trapped somewhere on the other side of a magical portal, the crystal power supplies for which have been scattered across the region following an accident, and must be gathered back together in order for the portal to have enough power to bring the remain islands to their new home.

It’s a charming story in which to frame the crystal hunt (the crystals themselves offering rewards to those finding them), and it’ll be interesting to see how the remaining four islands will arrive (one at a time between now and the 20th October, as the portal “regains” its power, or all together in another region-wide celebratory event?).

Te region itself is beautifully put together using phantom sim extenders to project a towering vista of mountains surrounding a great lake, a valley to one side allowing water to travel from the lake to the sea beyond. Great falls tumble from the high mountains, replenishing the lake’s supply.

The five islands are clustered to one side of the lake, floating majestically above the turquoise water and casting long shadows over its smooth surface. Some are linked by long, slender bridges, others stand alone; some float free, others dip their lower extremes into the water. Each island comes with its own tale / backstory.

There is the Flying Castle, held aloft on jets of crystal magic, and where we are told the Petite Parliament regularly holds session – regularly being on those days which aren’t holidays, celebrations, weekends or good for fishing. In other words, around two days a year. Would that our parliament in the UK would do the same… Elevated above this sits Raven’s Roost, a stone citadel built upon The Rock and home to the warriors of The Ravens. The village of Couerdebois, home to the Fleurians, lays nestled around the roots of the tree of life. Niteobryn is where the Digger city can be found, together with the mines of the magic crystals. Here is the source of the petite’s power, complete with a tiny railway on which the mined crystals are carried. Finally, in Lililoco on the Theramon archipelago, reside the Nuneefufoos, who can shape the world to their dreams, and so change their homeland as time passes.

Currently, much of the islands are pretty much given over to vendor space – which is one of the reasons I’m curious as to what the remaining four islands will be like. They are also scaled to suit petites and “big folk”, so you don’t necessarily need a petite form to pay a visit. The keen-eyed will probably spot builds here by the likes of Marcus Inkpen and Laufrey Markstein, which fit will with the theme of the region, and demonstrate the breadth of support for the petite community.

I have something of a fascination with petites, and have already been trying the odd demo mesh or three, and wandering the vendors in Petites Kingdom certainly allows one to get more of a feel for what is available in terms of clothing and a wide range of accessories and goods … Anyone coming out with a latex / leather look and heels is liable to make a killing out of me :).