Khorne

Thanks, both! Glad you like it and also appreciate the worker. I used that head specifically because I wanted him to look tired or worn from having to spend his life shoveling salt, standing knee-deep in saline water under a very warm sun. Apparently, the pink color is typical of salt ponds, both man-made and natural. I looked it up and apparently is has to do with algae or bacteria that grown in the salt water when exposed to the sun. A picturesque sight, for sure.

Thanks! The ship would be even better in real life bricks . You're right, though. I'm just not experienced enough in Studio to add well-posed figures and such. Or maybe I just lack the patience to fiddle around with them digitally. IRL, I would also be able to add some sails, which would also add some life to the build.

Obviously seperation of Church and State is not a thing in Oléon . It's a lovely build and the stained glass windows look really cool, as others have pointed it. A fitting addition to Nouveau Oleandia. The build overall looks kind of grey though? Maybe some greenery outside the church could add a splash of color? Or some golden statues or details inside to show some of that Order opulence. The space above the flag also looks kind of empty, maybe you could fit a pediment there? The triangular shape could be a reference to the holy Aplynician Mountain and also link to classical Greek architecture. The cathedral of New Orleans also has some classical elements, which I think are an interesting choice. That being said, I seldom build large buildings this size so I don't know how hard or easy it is to feel it with detail.

Thanks! I've had the idea for some time now, like I said. Glad it worked out like I wanted. In hindsight though, I should've built the dike higher so that there's more contrast between the "high" ground and the pond itself. Some reference pics had high dikes, other were just really low.

Chapter IV. - The Harvest It took him some time, but eventually the Forger was able to create the necessary documents and travel papers for Celeste and Joseph. They had outstayed their welcome and remaining in Salinas-de-Sant-Arrys any longer was starting to become too great of a risk and could potentially endanger their host. It was time to leave. Five days had passed since Celeste's arrival on the shores of Oléon and the tense situating had been deteriorating by the hour. The talk of new taxes and levies is agitating the city and the capture of père Verlaine hardly alleviated the matter. Rumor was that more troops from up north were on the way to restore order. Celeste knew it was only a matter of time before things would explode. She knew the Ferryman was dead, even though she could not prove it to her comrades who didn't quite believe her. Celeste had seen it in her dream. The Lord of the Underworld had shown her, clear as day. He laid out the path for her to follow. At the crack of dawn, under the cover of still dimly lit firmament, Celeste and Joseph left the Sant'Arrys. First on foot and later on horseback, courtesy of sympathizing Heraclian partisans, even though the Society of Heracles was only a shadow of its former self anymore, after the El Oleonda mess. Even then, the Society was never able to fully take root in Oléon's rural and more conservative deep south. The communities here were small and tight-knit and didn't care much for the political games of Granoleon. Sant'Arrys might be the largest city in the area, it'd considered a quaint and insignificant city by northern, richer standards. So the help of the partisan was a rare feat, but a welcome one nevertheless. By early noon, they had left Sant'Arrys largely behind. The temperature was starting to steadily rise as the beating sun crept to its zenith. In order to get to the infamous endless grasslands and plains of Eranos, where Celeste would be able to lay low and regroup, she and Joseph first had to traverse the marshes and floodlands in the area surrounding Sant'Arrys. As far as the eye could see, there were silted up stretches of land, diked off in rectangular flats of land. A patchwork of pink-hued lakes glistened in the sun - crickets chirping and birds fluttering about. As Celeste rode her horse along the ridge of one of the dikes, following Joseph's lead, she was intrigued by the beauty of her surroundings. She looked upon the salt workers standing in the shallow lakes, sifting and shoveling the salt to the edges, where it was piled up for further containment and then transport. The clothes of the workers was caked in the white substance and under the warm sun quickly turned into coarse and stiff fabric. The salt business was the lifeblood of Salinas-de-Sant'Arrys and the surrounding villages. Taxing the industry further to fund the colonial wars would be devastating. Celeste felt a sadness come over her as she contemplated the future and what she had seen in her dreams. Even in this idyllic south the age-old truth stands: you reap what you sow. And Hades would first reap souls, before any freedom would grow. ---------- Long time since the last update! I've had this scene (or something similar) in my mind for quite some time. Originally, I was going to add a build before this one (at the Forger's place) but I didn't feel it was necessary for the story and I wanted to advance the tale. Obviously based on salt flats in southern France and Spain. There's a lot of exposition, scene-setting and world building. I'll try and add in some more interaction in the next chapter. I don't know when that will be, though.

I didn't know about 'phlogiston' and I had to look it up. At first I thought it was something invented for BOBS, which lead to some great builds and funny topics here on the forum, so thanks for that ! I was also surprised to learn it was actually a real theory as well. I would've never have guessed! A marvelous feat of engineering to propel your ship in such way!

Thanks, glad you like it! I always love building further upon the Essen storyline and expanding its lore.

Thanks! I literally spent ages trying to come up with a ship. I just didn't know where to start. Then I started to digitally build the new Black Seas Barracuda, because I like that ship and its shaping but I found it too big. Still, it was an interesting build and helped me to build this smaller ship later. I was also inspired by @Ross Fisher's Thessalonike. Thanks! The quayside was something I threw together quickly, largely made of parts of a larger build that I was disassembling anyway. Since the ship itself is digital, I really wanted to have at least something in real bricks in this post .

Thomas hurried himself to the offices of the formidable Essian New World Trade Company, known in Carnite as the 'Essener Ostterra Handelsbund', but more commonly referred to internationally as the 'Ravenclaw Company' - named after one of the powerful and wealthy ancient First Families who were co-founders of the company and whose sigil now served as the ubiquitous mark of the company. The Raven on a checkered blue background also embellished the office of Herr Knock, a mid-ranking clerk in the Company. Unlike the sailors, tradesmen and soldiers in its private company who were often of non-Essian origins and who were recruited either in other parts of Carno or abroad from places like Altonia and Balondia, most of the office clerks, bookkeepers and officers were Essian. Either from the city itself like Thomas, or very likely from Essen's seaside exclave of Karnemünde. Thomas quickly wiped the sweat from his brow as he entered the office. He was anxious to meet his new employer and was keen to make a proper, disciplined, first impression. A solid composure goes a long way in the Raven City, after all. "You called for me, Herr Knock?", Thomas queried. "Ah, yes. Herr Wagner. Do come in and have a seat," Herr Knock motioned the young Thomas towards a seat. Pulling some paperwork from a drawer behind him, the clerk turned his attention back to Thomas. "As you may, or may not, have heard there is a race being organized in the New Haven Sea in the New World. In order to establish its presence further and gain more recognition, especially in the eyes of the competition supported by the other Great Powers, the Board has decided to enter with a token vessel. A ship and crew are waiting in the harbor of Karnemünde, from whence they will sail towards Tortuga, where the race will start. You have been selected as the representative of the Company on this journey." Herr Knock handed over a series of paperwork to Thomas, who was now glowing with pride at the thought of being chosen for such an endeavour, however small it might be in the greater scheme of things. "D-danke, Herr Knock, for this grand opportunity," Thomas stuttered to thank the clerk. "I am honoured that the Company has chosen me for this task. I will not disappoint!", the young man continued and he jolted up from his seat and sternly saluted Herr Knock, who was somewhat surprised by the gesture. He nodded in appreciation, but replied sternly. "At ease, mein Junge. Keep your calm. You will be responsible for the adequate course of this journey and will keep tabs on the cargo. A great future awaits you, if you can bring this to a good ending. Like I said, you will find your ship and crew in Karnemünde. Make haste now. May the All-Father watch over you." ----- Saying goodbye to his wife, Thomas made his way from Essen to Karnemünde to find the ship he was assigned to and to meet the captain and its crew. After inquiring with the port authorities, he was told the way to the specific dock. There, he laid his eyes upon the Birger Jung. A small, but sleek sloop in all black, headed by a grim effigy of its namesake, the Essian dissident preacher and publisher of the infamous Reinland Theses, an important foundation in Essian religious life and general culture. To be named after such a grand figure was an honour. The captain of the ship was a man named Harald Fischer. In contrast to the stature of his ship, he was a rather large and intimidating man himself with a fiery beard and adventurous aura surrounding him. Something about the way he moved himself belied his Karnemündian background, compared to the more stoic nature of Essians from the City. The last bits of cargo were ported onto the ship and they it set off towards Tortuga. The Birger Jung Stats: Class 2, R3 M3 G2 C1 $2 H1 ----- So, this is the first time ever that I've built a ship. I have no idea if the masts are positioned correctly or if the shape makes sense, but I like it. Since I have no experience building ships, I also lack the parts to build it IRL, but it can be build. There are no non-existing or rare parts used to design it in Studio. Birger Jung (the person) is an important historical Essian figure, whom I have written some story about, which fits into a grander historical background info dump that I've been working and that I'll be able to post sometime in the future, for those who like that kind of stuff and still visit this sub forum . Anyway, I hope you enjoy this and I hope I got the stats right. Thanks @Professor Thaum for organizing. I'll send my route later, but I wanted to make sure I had posted the actual ship first.

Great! I'll probably post the ship over the weekend then and send my route. The ship can 100% be build from real bricks, so that shouldn't pose a problem. I'll see if I can whip up a small accompanying build in real bricks for the post.

Seeing as this is the last challenge, is this open for non-main factions as well like in the previous challenge? In other words, can I enter an Essian vessel for example? Second question: can I enter a digitally built ship? I never built a ship before, so my collection isn't very ship-oriented to crank something out. I did make something in Studio, which uses all existing parts so I could order those and build it in the future.

What's the Ideas gumball machine? Is it also an actual castle set, or is it a gumball machine like the name says and the figures are just accessories to the gumballs? Wow, really? Did not know that. Was the name of the faction shared via catalogues, or how did it work then? How times have changed. Lego wouldn't get away with that in Belgium nowadays, I think, seeing how everything is super politicized now. You might think of Fantasy Era as being Scots, because there was once a visual depicting them in a battle together with Scottish Highlanders. If my memory serves me right. Did a quick Google search and didn't immediately find the image, but I distinctly recall seeing something like that way back.

Thanks! Even though I'd prefer actual Lego horses, the brickbuilt ones look really good. Cool to see some new factions as well, but too bad the Ravens didn't any new figures. One fig/faction is kind of few. 2 or 3 variants per faction really help to bulk it out.

Where can you guys find or see these pictures of the new castle or the new knights?

Wow, so cool! That's a really beautiful build with plenty of details, but still playful and "simple" enough to feel like a true LEGO set comparable to the Viking Village or something from Ninjago. I like the modularity of it and the furnishing of all the rooms. Great work all around!