A Day on the Farm

[MassEditor]

Nocturnus may be a land of warlords and monstrosities, but, as with the other Guilds in Historica, the fabric of society in the Darklands is composed of the common people who toil honestly and humbly in hopes of securing a future for their children. No where is this more evident than on the many farms dotting Nocturnus. Armies cannot fight and rulers cannot dictate without food. Even in these lands, where the shadows never cease to grow, men and woman of all races manage to scratch a living in agriculture. Like their parents and grandparents - and as their children will do so in the future - these simple people work the fields with their hands and only the most basic of implements. Large families are common on these farms where labor is a prime resource.

The average Nocturnian farmer's place in society is not much different than the villeins of medieval England. He or she is obligated to provide a number of workdays for the village lord, although these mandates can usually be shirked with a bribe to the right court official. Even those who cannot avoid working their lord's land usually have a plot or virgate to call their own. Crops can vary widely from farm to farm with poorer farmers tending to focus more on sustenance than profit. The better off farmers who have access to large plots of land and efficient irrigation systems like to focus on cash crops like pipeweed and, of course, that most lucrative of local produce: the Nocturnian pumpkin.

With a growing season between early spring and late fall, most farmers in Nocturnus cannot afford to devote the time and recourses needed to produce these very water-dependent fruit, but those who do can enjoy profitable returns. The pumpkin is used to make enchanted pumpkin pie, which is a much-relished stable in all the great houses of Nocturnus. The enchanting process is usually performed on the farm itself by a certified enchanter, usually a wizard from the local lord's manor. This is done for a small fee and often nothing more than a bed for the night and a few hot meals. For most farmers it must be a very odd sight to see the lord's wizard walking through their fields reciting odd enchantments and trying not to get their robes dirty. The process is mostly a mystery to them, with most believing it is nothing more than tradition or an aide for the pie cooking process.

A shot of the whole build:

Father Orc plows his field tirelessly in hopes of adding to next year's pumpkin crop. Mother Orc carries out some water while the Orc-Child chases away a few pesky pigs hoping for a pumpkin snack.

A wizard from the village lord's manor performs the obligatory enchanting process:

Just a simple interior for the shed:

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About this MOC: I picked up this idea a little while back after inquiring about the origins of enchanted pumpkin pie in Nocturnus and thought it would be neat to show a little pumpkin farm (my wife and I grow pumpkins each year, but it's not a very fun thing to do). After checking out SK's awesome Maple Syrup scene the other day I was inspired to go ahead and do it. I needed a quick break anyways from the Hand of Corruption builds, which I'll try to have the next one up here too later today.

Thanks for taking a look, I hope you enjoy!

Edited July 11, 2014 by MassEditor

[Infernum]

Growing enchanted pumpkin pie huh? Nice build! Love the tilled sections, and the trees look cool! They have a great shape!

[Lord Vladivus]

Haha awesome Mass! Great details. Wasn't expecting to see you produce this after the Hand of Corruption builds!

[LordDan]

i like the ways it's still very farm-like but it's uniquely nocturnian. very cool build!

[Rogue Angel]

Very nice work! I especially like the portrayal of orc famers. Well done!

[MKJoshA]

This is amazing! I love the plow and that cute little well! My favorite thing about this though is how normal and Nocturnian it is.

[Scaevola]

Very nice work. The shed looks very worn and decaying, and the trees are excellent. Great work as usual. Also this administrative system works well for Nocturnus. Due to its harsh climate and constant internal struggles, village lords are quite a good remedy for such a situation. Is the village still directly supervised by the lord of Nocturnus, or are they quasi-independent (i.e through tributes of money or pumpkin crop)?

[-Carson Haupt-]

I always wondered where you guys got your food! (Or if you even ate...) This is a wonderful answer to that question! the pumpkin vines are very nice.

[MassEditor]

Thanks everyone!

Is the village still directly supervised by the lord of Nocturnus, or are they quasi-independent (i.e through tributes of money or pumpkin crop)?

You know, I imagine it would be a different situation in each village or fiefdom. Fealty would extend farther and more extensively in some hamlets and not so much in others. Some lords would take a more active approach to ensuring taxation and that workday obligations are met, while others would delegate village governance to underlings (like stewards, baliffs or reeves). Military campaigns require finances, and kings need feasts to demonstrate their power, so villages couldn't be controlled too loosely, but a village could also be squeezed dry by over enforcement (though a village wouldn't want to be too independent, at least not in Nocturnus, where the sole thing most lords provide is their protection). Add to that the complex relationships and statuses that would develop between villagers - free versus indentured, landholding versus renter, religious figures versus manor stewards - and it would be unlikely to see the same system in two different villages.

[-Horizon-]

The trees look great ME, and so does the shed roof.

[Duvors]

You do realize that Enchanted Pumpkins are carnivorous and highly mobile don't you?

Anyway this is a nice MOC, elegant in it's simplicity.

[Jorrith]

This is really nice! So much detail, i really like those trees!

[mrcp6d]

Nice peaceful build. The detail in the plow is awesome.

[Gideon]

Very nice build, I always love when we get to see everyday life scenes from Nocturnus!

Great minifigs!

[soccerkid6]

Nice to see a slice of everyday Nocturnian life! My favorite parts of this build are the well (always nice to see new well designs, especially ones of this size), shed (nice that you put an interior in), and various farming implements in the scene The plow and plants themselves are also excellent. Very glad that my Maple Syrup build inspired you to put your idea into bricks

[Torgar]

Very cool. I love the hut and the plow.

[Gabe]

Great build ME, love it! Nice to see how the other half lives, in contrast to your imposing and grand Lagash Ur builds.

[Garmadon]

Excellent pumpkin patch, MassEditor, it is great to see the other side of Nocturnus!

Nice job with the shed, well and trees as well; however I would suggest that when doing irregular borders you try to make the sides a little less straight.

Just a nitpick though, great work overall

[MassEditor]

Growing enchanted pumpkin pie huh? Nice build! Love the tilled sections, and the trees look cool! They have a great shape!

No growing pie here, just pumpkins! Thanks Infernum!

Haha awesome Mass! Great details. Wasn't expecting to see you produce this after the Hand of Corruption builds!

Haha yes sir it's a little different than my Nocty builds so far!

i like the ways it's still very farm-like but it's uniquely nocturnian. very cool build!

Thanks Dan!

Very nice work! I especially like the portrayal of orc famers. Well done!

I appreciate it Rogue Angel!

This is amazing! I love the plow and that cute little well! My favorite thing about this though is how normal and Nocturnian it is.

Thanks Josh, glad you liked it!

Very nice work. The shed looks very worn and decaying, and the trees are excellent. Great work as usual. Also this administrative system works well for Nocturnus. Due to its harsh climate and constant internal struggles, village lords are quite a good remedy for such a situation. Is the village still directly supervised by the lord of Nocturnus, or are they quasi-independent (i.e through tributes of money or pumpkin crop)?

Thanks again Scaevola!

I always wondered where you guys got your food! (Or if you even ate...) This is a wonderful answer to that question! the pumpkin vines are very nice.

Thanks! Yes everyone has to eat!

The trees look great ME, and so does the shed roof.

Thanks!

You do realize that Enchanted Pumpkins are carnivorous and highly mobile don't you?

Anyway this is a nice MOC, elegant in it's simplicity.

No, I guess I missed that tidbit! I suppose these are the more domesticated version!

This is really nice! So much detail, i really like those trees!

Thanks man!

Nice peaceful build. The detail in the plow is awesome.

Thanks!

Very nice build, I always love when we get to see everyday life scenes from Nocturnus!

Great minifigs!

Thanks Gideon, I'm excited about doing a few more of these type Nocty builds once I get the Hand story out of the way.

Nice to see a slice of everyday Nocturnian life! My favorite parts of this build are the well (always nice to see new well designs, especially ones of this size), shed (nice that you put an interior in), and various farming implements in the scene The plow and plants themselves are also excellent. Very glad that my Maple Syrup build inspired you to put your idea into bricks

Thanks a ton SK! Your builds are always a great source of inspiration!

Very cool. I love the hut and the plow.

Thanks dude!

Great build ME, love it! Nice to see how the other half lives, in contrast to your imposing and grand Lagash Ur builds.

Thanks! Haha yeah it's definitely a change of pace. Even in Nocturnus people have to scratch a living I suppose!

Excellent pumpkin patch, MassEditor, it is great to see the other side of Nocturnus!

Nice job with the shed, well and trees as well; however I would suggest that when doing irregular borders you try to make the sides a little less straight.

Just a nitpick though, great work overall

Thanks for the feedback Garmadon! I agree, the irreg border needs some work. It's the biggest flaw I think, but I just ran out of those darn wedge plates!

[mccoyed]

There's a lot to love about this. I dig the write-up. I always make sure I read the accompanying text to your builds, ME. But because it hasn't been mentioned yet, I'll point out that my favorite part of the build is that shed. So little space but it doesn't feel cramped or tiny. There's an excellent economy of space with the furnishings in there. That's a skill I really want to improve myself as I tend to have to build bigger to accommodate all the details. I'm less good at finding ways to make those details smaller or more evocative.

Anyways. Hat's off again!

[Gunman]

Everyday life of a Nocty? :) Great minifigs there... and lovely scene as always ME!

[Maxim I]

I kinda overlooked this topic :( shame on me because this Moc is really amazing!!

The amount of detailing is absolutely formidable! So many things to love

[MassEditor]

There's a lot to love about this. I dig the write-up. I always make sure I read the accompanying text to your builds, ME. But because it hasn't been mentioned yet, I'll point out that my favorite part of the build is that shed. So little space but it doesn't feel cramped or tiny. There's an excellent economy of space with the furnishings in there. That's a skill I really want to improve myself as I tend to have to build bigger to accommodate all the details. I'm less good at finding ways to make those details smaller or more evocative.

Anyways. Hat's off again!

Thanks Mccoyed, a very nice comment here. I admit I had the same problem, wanting to pack a ton of detail into a small space, but I've come to realize that more is not always better. Sometimes simplicity can be more pretty than complexity. I'm glad you think so with this build, anyways.

Everyday life of a Nocty? :) Great minifigs there... and lovely scene as always ME!

Thanks Gunman, it's not all blood and bones in the Darklands! Besides, it's hard to pillage, loot, destory AND be the best Guild in Historica without food to eat!

I kinda overlooked this topic :( shame on me because this Moc is really amazing!!

The amount of detailing is absolutely formidable! So many things to love

Thanks DM! There was a ton of action on the forums recently, which made it easy to miss a lot of things!

[Yzalirk]

Beautiful MOC and fantastic details. I love the trees you used too. Overall, I'm quite jealous!

[kbcakir]

Orcs growing a family huh!? That is very original especially for people, thinking orcs pop up from the earth like mushrooms (I am one of them :D)