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One of the more prominent landmarks inside the walls of Mophet is the Midhana minaret. Built a long time ago, it has been the focus of repeated renovations through the years which has given it a somewhat unique look in terms of the colourscheme. Another Mophet build, I know...haha! Got a bigger collab with @Zilmrud coming up in a little while so I gotta catch up on posting here
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One of the more prominent places of worship in Mophet is the temple of Afe'aa. It's primary cartaker is a priestess by the name of Kahina, a woman of strong conviction and compassion. Along with Tabib, she is one of the more well-known people in the city and her opinions carry a lot of weight. Close up of the entrance of the temple where Kahina welcomes Tabib. A shot of the interior which features a large mosaic floor. Had a lot of fun making this temple/mosque. Started with the mosaic on the outside where I based it heavily on a pattern designed by @LittleJohn. For once I actually decided to do an interior, which was a bit of a challenge as I didn't want to compromise the look of the exterior. I then decided to go for a mosaic floor on the inside as well and came up with a pattern I was pretty happy with (small tutorial on my Flickr for anyone that might be interested). Thanks for watching, cheers!
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The eastern gate of Mophet is one of the most recently built additions and as such, the aim for the rulers of the city was to illustrate the wealth that now flowed through the city. Because as any good salesman knows, image is everything... So this build started with me getting a hold of a bunch of the tan ingots from the local pab-wall and thought it might make for a cool border. So I started playing around a bit with it and decided to build a microscale gate. This is also my second entry to the 12x12 category for summer joust. I hope you guys like it, and thanks for having a look
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Tabib had grown increasingly annoyed with the increased number of slavers that had made their way to Mophet recently. Although the badlands wasn't exactly known to be a gentle place, Tabib had very little love for this so called business. On this particular day, he found himself expressing his frustration to one of his crows. A little known fact about Tabib, at least for people outside of Mophet, was his somewhat unusual ability to sometimes communicate with animals. Tabib himself had never really thought about it as his father was said to have had the same gift, but he had come to understand that this ability was mostly reserved for people of Nocturnian decent... A little intro-build for an upcoming collab with @Zilmrud where his sigfig is coming to Mophet...
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During his youth, Jingu spent long hours exploring the many ruins across the Jade Sands. Meditating next to the remnants of an ancient monastery, he hoped to gain some wisdom from his forebearers. Jingu Jingu of the Jade Sands, reporting for Kaliphlin
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A gang of thieves chases Nikou upon discovering her theft of an emerald gem. She leads them into a busy market square where she finds herself trapped between the gang on one side and the town guard on the other. Scaling a statue at the center of the square gives her brief reprieve from her would-be captors. As the walls close in around her, Nikou makes an acrobatic leap over the head of one of the guards leaving the gang and the guards to sort themselves out. This was going to be the second of three scenes for the Just Another "Normal" Day category of the Summer Joust competition, but my partner was unable to complete their portions. Though not mentioned in the story, it takes place in Petraea. I am also submitting this for the Doctorate of Historica for the following two qualifications: General Building → minifig posing Anthropology → life in Kaliphlin
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Mining in Buğra Quarry has been busy since filling the collapsed tunnel. The dwarves are behind in filling quotas for the villages and settlements to the south, especially the wall at Batuhan. The pay is incomparable and has brought workers from across the continent. The Buğra Quarry is my third entry into the Summer Joust 2020 contest as well as LOLUG’s July contest. The theme for both was “tri-color”. The MOC came out a bit larger than I had anticipated. It has at between 8,000 and 10,000 pieces. It felt a bit like I was just spraying down parts at some points while trying to keep the rockwork varied and interesting. I had been planning a quarry MOC for a few months as a source for all the stone used in an ongoing MOC. You can see a preview of it here and here; I am working on expanding it and will post pictures on my website when I get it done. I’m also submitting this MOC for review in the University of Petraeas Doctorate of Historica Program under the following category: Landscape Design → Studs up rocks and cliffs Website | Flickr | YouTube
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The Desert King has been growing increasingly dissatisfied with his control of Kaliphlin - sand, palm trees, more sand - he wanted something more. Sure, it's nice to relax in the cool of an evening on a rooftop, while being served fruits and star gazing - not to mention the best linens, the seemingly endless riches, and the finest spices in all of Historica - but he wanted more. He wanted control. Control of all of Historica, not just Kaliphlin. He began secretly gathering troops to Al Tajir, near the Avalonia-Kaliphlin border, preparing to launch a surprise attack on Cedrica. He also planted spies in several locations, using the current unrest of the guilds to garner support for himself. As more and more troops began arriving in Al Tajir, some residents of the city loyal to the High Council began to grow suspicious. They soon discovered what the Desert King was planning, and immediately sent word to the Queen and Resistance leaders. The queen gathered some elite Avalonian troops, and had a few of her Generals lead the march to Al Tajir, hoping to catch the Desert King by surprise before he left the city. With the help of the Resistance troops their journey was swift and undetected. Before the Desert King knew what was happening his armies were being slaughtered and driven from the city, while he himself was trapped in the palace. Such a swift and successful strike against one of her primary detractors quickly quieted public disapproval of the queen. Even much of Kaliphlin appreciated her help, as the Desert King was deposed and leadership was restored to the High Council. And while many still were not fully convinced of her right to leadership, no one dared openly rebel against a queen with such solid military backing. There were of course a very few Kaliphlinites who were more concerned with the safety of their goods than who their ruler was... Lots more pictures on Brickbuilt. So this is my entry for Challenge IV, Category A. As soon as I saw this category, I knew I had to use the opportunity to at least try to rid Kaliphlin of the Desert King's rule The build weighs in at 34.8 pounds, making it my largest MOC so far both in footprint and weight. Very glad to be done with this though – now our desk isn’t mostly covered by a single build! Well, once it’s taken apart anyways… Thanks for looking, C&C welcome! -
Throughout Barqa the wealthy merchants and craftsmen of the city like to have a small walled garden on their property. The climate here where the Arkbri river meets the sea is favorable for the cultivation of many kinds of flowers, and many merchants take pride in their collection of exotic plants. Walled garden of Barqa Barqa is known for its black cats, and those who like the cats (or dislike rats?) make sure to have small doors for the cats to pass unhindered. Barqan cat door Additional images: My entry for Guilds of Historica Book III Challenge IV, Category B.
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Hungry upon entering Batuhan, Rhaylf began looking for a tavern and a warm meal. Before he could get to the center of town, his nose lead him off the main road. “Traveler! Try some pizza.” Noè the proprietor shouted from a counter window. “Pizza?” Rhalyf replied, “I have not heard of such pastry, but its smell is agreeable." “Ay, it is recipe from my homeland, Varlyrio,” Noè explained. “My wife, Melitina, makes the dough and bakes it in the oven, fresh. My son, Federico, even makes deliveries - mostly to the on-duty guards who cannot leave their post over the noon hour. We have made a good life in the three years since we left Illaryian; as Batuhan as grown, so has our business." Rhalyf laid down some coin and enjoyed some pizza before heading on his way. I built this MOC for the Summer Joust 2020’s Every Set Could be a Castle Set category. It is based off of set 6350 Pizza To Go. For a write up of techniques including tutorials and inspiration, see this post. I’m also submitting this MOC for review in the University of Petraeas Doctorate of Historica Program under the following category: Architecture → walls #1 (Tudor) Website | Flickr | YouTube
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One of the more serene places in the otherwise busy streets of Mophet, the Ab'Yad temple offers calm for all those who seek it. So this is my second entry to the summer joust, this time in the tri-color category. A lot of arches...
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At the residence of Qa'Yid, one of the more wealthy inhabitants of Mophet, all is not well... Qa'Yids work as a ship captain keeps him away from home quite a bit, and as a result of this, his wife has started showing a little too much interest in the pool-boy... Yet another addition to Mophet, more will follow . And a big thank you to everyone that commented on my previous posts, really appreciate it!
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Outside the southern coast of Kaliphlin, on the mythical island of Mubarazat Al-Sayf, the temple of Ya'Hum towers towards the sky... My entry to the 12x12 category for summer joust. The idea of using the wheel piece over the doorway of one of the buildings is insipred by an old build by SimonNH.
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The journey of Parzival Chapter I, part IV Outside the gates of Mophet Chapter I, Part I - The Wakeup Chapter I, Part II - The Arkbri River Oasis Chapter I, Part III - Desert Illusions Just before the sun went down they arrived to Mophet, a city in the desert. "Mophet is a desert oasis along the Oil Road in the Siccus Badlands. It lies about 0,5-1 days ride to the east of where the Oil Road touches on the banks of the mighty Arkbri River. It is strategically located right in between the two larger cities of Barqa and Petrea. It is a settlement which is expanding and its population has been constantly growing over the past few years." (Read more about Mophet in the wiki). Outside the gate to the city many tents, carriages, and other had camped for the night waiting for the city's gates to open in the morning. "- We stay here and make camp before the Dawn and the opening of the gate. Barchi! make some food for us and give the slaves the last of the dried meat. You can refill our supplies in the morning at the market when I meet the others". "- Of course my Lord!" The guard started to unpack a bag whilst the other guards sat down. Z looked at the guards when they sat outside the cage. For some reason Z didn't think they looked like real people. Their faces was hard as stone. He didn't think he had seen anyone of them make any expressions at all. They where like walking statues, or maybe like puppets. "- Have we stopped"? Pointy said and rubbed her eyes. "- I'm so thirsty" "- I heard that they are giving us some food.” Z said. “- That’s great news.” The guard came up top the carriage with some dried meat and bottles of water. The prisoners ate with great appetite. Soon they all lay down to sleep again. In the last rays of sunlight before the sun set Z looked at mage and the guards sitting beside the fireplace. He joined the others and fell asleep on the floor of the carriage. Later that night "- Kraaah, food, food!" Z woke up with a jerk, quite dizzy. “- Krahaaa, the stupid walker, got food!?” “- Is it you again Crow? I it ok if I call you that” Z said inside his mind. Crow looked down on Z between the bars. Z took a little bit of his meat and reached up and gave to Crow. He ate with good appetite. “Good meat, Kraaah” Crow said when he munched on the meat. “Can you help us?” Z asked cautiously. “Can you get help? We are trapped inside this cage!” “- Ask Tabib. Tabib hate slave traders!” “- Can Tabib help us? “- Tabib can help walker with magic neckless” Crow said and looked at Z’s cheast. Z looked down on his cheest. There was no neckless around his neck. Strange he thought. “- Kraaah, Crow come back, Crow help” Crow said and flew away in the night. Z leaned back against the bars wondering what this meant. The sun began to come up on the horizon and it was soon time to go inside the great city of Mophet Next Chapter -
It has been three days since we were run off the road into the Wither Woods. I can see why our Rego was apprehensive on getting involved on the continent. What should have been a simple trip to the Avalonian capital has turned into a slaughter in the dark inside these woods. Death lurks in these trees. My contingent of solders has all but vanished and I know it is not cowardice or desertion. I fear if I fall asleep, I may never wake, but I have not slept since we were attacked on that first night; I can fight it back no longer. We’ve situated camp on this crag over a stream; we will be safe on two sides, at least. Hirbod has the first watch. May his eyes, and ears, not fail us tonight. -Sicuro Off-Course in the Wither Woods After weeks of no word from Sicuro or the contingent of men he led to Avalonia, rumor made its way to the Rego of Varlyrio. This whisper was enough to convince his minster of War and himself that isolation from the continent was prudent. Varlyrio would not send troops to the Battle of Historica. ------------------- This is my entry into the Guilds of Historica Book III Challenge V: Category A (which takes place in Book II). This lost diary entry explains what happened to the contingent of troops sent by the Rego of Varlyrio. Their disappearance solidifies his view that Varlyrio should stay out of the distant war. A bonus image of the MOC can be seen below. It features full lighting and and an aerial view. Aerial View I’m also submitting this MOC for review in the University of Petraeas Doctorate of Historica Program under the following two categories: Landscape Design → trees #1 Geography → forests The coniferous trees follow Katie Walker’s design while the odd-angled branched ones are based on Legopard’s Design. I found both by following this Brickbuilt Tutorial. Website | Flickr | YouTube
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On the outskirts of Mophet, Na'zal is tending to his goats and ostriches. As the trade route between the city and the Arkbri river had been established, his otherwise solitary existence had been disturbed more than he appreciated...It did however present some opportunity for extra income, as many of the travelers needed a place to rest and eat on their way to the new port. "I guess you have to make the best of the current situation" Na'zal muttered as he went to about his business. So this is yet another addition to my growing city of Mophet in Kaliphlin. The build actually started with the green dome which I was able to find from a seller at Skaerbaek last year. Hope you like it, thanks for looking :)
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The journey of Parzival Chapter I, part III Desert Illusions Chapter I, Part I - The Wakeup Chapter I, Part II - Arkbri River Oasis The things that happened in the oasis changed the whole situation for Z and the other prisoners. Maybe just running away wasn’t an option. They had to find some other way. But one thing they had learned. Left-Eye told the others that he had some very clear images coming to him when be escaped. The further away from the caravan he came the more images came to him. The images was random and didn't make sense at all. It was clear that the mage had some spell on the prisoners that took away their memories. After the incident Left-Eye started to have daydreams. At first it was abstract things but after awhile he could describe some detailed images of him in some kind of Town or City. Maybe this was memories from his past. They had all heard the guard say "The thief from Sionnach" when he talked about Left-Eye. And the mage anger when he said it. It must have something to do with his past that the mage wanted to hide from them. A few days after the oasis Z was lying in the floor of the carriage trying to get some shadow. The heat in the middle of the day was exhausting, and the water and food was very meager. Everyone felt that they had very little energy and tried go use it with caution. "- Meat, meat, hungry! Kraaah" "- What!" Z lifted his head a bit to see who was talking. Everyone in the carriage was sitting or lying down trying to rest. Z lay down again thinking he must have dreamt something. He closed his eyes again. "- Kraaah, food, food!" Z heard some crackling sounds and some voice in his head at the same time. "- Get away you crazy bird" The guard started to wave his hands in the air. Z sat up again, his head pounding. Something scratched the bars on top of the cage "- Silly man! Kraaah. Your eyes I eat If you sleep". Z heard someone… or something say in his head. He saw a small shadow move on top of the cloth draping the carriage and heard a tapping and scratching sound in the bars. "- Who' s speaking?" Z whispered. No one answered him. Hammer moved a bit in his sleep. And the shadow was walking around on top of the Cage. Could it be a bird or something? Z was thinking. He was a bit nauseous and leaned against the bars. It's silly, he taught, how can a bird talk? Then he saw that the shadow stopped moving around and was completely still. Z squinted with his eyes and looked at the shadow. He saw something round and shimmering in a hole in the cloth where the shadow was. Was it….? No, it couldn't be, he thought. Was it an eye? "- I see you, Kraaah!" The voice came from inside of his head. "- You have meat!?" Z froze. Did the bird just talk to him or was he talking to himself? ”- Hungry! You have meat?" I tried to talk to himself again inside his head. ”- Can you hear me?” ”- Yes, kraaah! Stupid walker. You have meat!?” The bird started to move again. It stopped by another hole in the cloth and looked down at Z. ”- Erm, are you talking to me, bird?” ”- Yes walker! No bird, kraw. Got meat? Got food Kraaah” the bird started to walk around again. ”- Do you mean that you are a crow?” ”- Stupid walker! No meat! Kraaaah!” The crow flew away. Z was in chock. What had just happened? he thought. He felt very tired suddenly. He sunk down and fell into a deep sleep. Next Chapter
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Pondering the challenges presented by a growing city, Tabib D'Odo would often take refuge in his study to find some peace and quiet. His duties and responsibilities had increased dramatically over the past year as Mophet had grown from a quiet desert oasis into a rather large city. The previously scattered settlements and buildings had slowly merged together and a lot of new ones had been built. The walls of older settlements and forts in the region incorporated and renovated into proper city walls and with it, the formation of the official city guard of Mophet. All of this meant that a lot more things needed the attention of the leading members of the community, one of which was Tabib. All was not only pleasant with the growth of the city, as illustrated by the increased number of people with questionable motives that now frequented the markets and establishments. Tabib was especially concerned with the roumors that slave-traders had began to show up, transporting poor souls to who-knows-what. The matter had been discussed at length with some of the other members of the city counsil but some chose to look the other way as the trade did seem to generate a lot of revenue to the city. Tabib decided to write letters to some of the leading members of other prominant cities in Kaliphlin, hoping to gather support for tougher laws against this horrific custom. So this is a small vig I created to show the inside of my sig-fig Tabib's study. I came up with a design for the floor which I rather liked (see below for a small tutorial) and then tried to decorated the room with a few things to make it a little more habitable. Hope you guys like it. cheers.
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Given the influx of money and resources Mophet had experienced in recent times, a proper city guard was required to maintain the peace. Soldiers were recruited and trained and finally equipped with standard uniforms. Up until this point, the guards keeping some sort of peace in the city had consisted mostly of former soldiers who had ventured south in search for pay, and thus had taken with them whatever armour they had on them. The training was overseen by one of the more seasoned warriors, Muhar'Ib, a man not known for being "easy-going"... Not all of the recruits are quite as brave as the rest... Nor does everyone know how to keep their focus... So this is the latest addition to Mophet. I started out with the aim of making sort of a training ground, mostly because I got my hands on some of those new sheilds...haha! I came up with a design for arches which I was pretty happy with so I decided to add a tower in which to use them. I also wanted to try and use all those maccaroni tiles so I came up with a new technique for a roof which I used for the building on the left side. Anyways hope you guys like it, thanks for watching!
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The journey of Parzival Chapter I, part I The wakeup Total darkness. A buzzing sound fills the consciousness. “Where am I? Who am I?” he thinks He open his eyes a bit. A bright white light fills his eyes and it stings and burns. But he really wants to see… He takes his hands to his face. It’s warm and he is sweating. His mouth is dry, but he tries to say something. “- Gahh. Where… who…. Tirsty!” “- He is awake!” a voice says. He opens his eyes again. He can see a bright light and shadows. He close his eyes again and do another try. Now he sees a bright sky between some form of bars in front of him. And he sees shadows… no, it's faces looking down at him. “- Here, drink some of this.” a voice says He feels a warm liquid pouring down his throat. Is smoothing and the pain in his throat begins to decline. The people around him helps him to a upright position, sitting against some kind of bars, they are warm. “- Where am I? Who are you” “- Haha, that's a good question son, why don’t you tell us?” He opens his eyes again and look at the man. He can only see a blurry face of an older man, with some kind of patch over his left eye. “- Who are you?” he asks the man. “- Well, that’s a good question also. We can’t answer that questions ourselves son. But all we can say is that we are traveling through some kind of desert or wasteland.” He covers his eyes and shields away the sun and look around him. They are sitting in a carriage with steel bars and some kind of cloth shielding the most of the sun away. The carriage is drawn by an elephant and in front of that there is a camel with an man in a cape and a hood. He looks around himself and se four other people in addition to the first man, all poorly dressed in rags that only covers their private parts at the most. “- Who are you?” “- Well we don’t really know that. We all waked up here in this carriage and we can’t remember who we are.” “- What do you remember?” He tries to remember something, but his head is all fuzzy. He tries to concentrate and remember something, but the more he concentrate the more some kind of buzz increases in his ears and he feels a pain in his head. He stops and feel more tired than before. “- We don’t know our names, but we got nicknames. I’m called Pointy, because of my point ears of course. The man to your left is Hammer” She points to a man with a black mohawk type hairstyle. ("Hammer") “- The man besides him is Left eye” She points at a man with black hair and moustache and a patch over his right eye. ("Left Eye") “- And I am called Right eye” “- And I’m Hooves. And we agreed to call you Z” “- Why do you call med Z?” “- Well, that’s simple”. You got a Z type birthmark by your dragon tattoo” she points at his arm. Z looks down on his upper arm and se a big tattoo of an dragon on his arm. He looks at his other arm and se some kind of wound, or a mark och brand like the ones used for cattle on his other arm. Z looks up and sees that the other males in the carriage has the same, but not Pointy. Then he sees that all of the males also have a metal cuff on their right arms. “- What’s this” Z hold his arm up and shakes the cuff. “- We all go that so the slave trader can chain us together” Left eye points towards the man at the camel in front of the caravan. “- Slave trader?” Z asks out loud “- SHUT UP BACK THERE!” a man in the front of the carriage yells at them. “- Yes, he is going to sell us we think” she says with a sad face…... Z and his crew Next Chapter
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The outskirts of the Kaliphlin capitol are as busy as ever, with bustling markets selling everything from fresh produce to weapons. Merchants and travelers constantly come in and out of the guarded gate, hoping to make a small fortune from the traffic of trade. This was built for the Middle Eastern Setting category of the Summer Joust. This is my first creation in the middle eastern style, so I'd like to thank all the Kaliphlin builders for inspiration!
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The journey of Parzival Chapter II, part III The Goat-farmer Previous Chapter - Chapter II, Part II - The Dream hapter They walked on north in the desert to get to the Akbri River. The walked away from trails and such so they could keep hidden. Crow had noticed spies on the trails in the area. Some of them with the "eye of maruu" sign. So they had to lay low and avoid people. Z walked closer to Pointy to have a talk. -" I'm glad we all made it out from that alive" Z said -" Me too! Was it all luck? Because it felt like all of us had some kind of combat training or such. It feels so strange with this fuzzy feeling in my head. It's like the head is full of cotton. I can sometimes get pictures in my head that are reminiscent of memory pictures. But they are so fragmentary that it's hard to tell if it's fantasy or not. -" I really know the feeling. But the strange thing was that I had a fairly convincing dream right before the attack. It was like a memory from my youth. I was hunting with some others, and they called me lord. And just as I was going to shoot my bow there was a bright and colourful bird right in front of me. It warned me about the attack. And when I woke up Crow was talking to me. So strange.`` "- So was Crow interrupting the dream?" "- Well… it kind of felt like that" Z said as he shrugged. The surroundings were a lush forest, and it felt like home. Maybe Tabib was right. My home is to the north in Avalonia. It feels right somehow. "- When you say it like that, I feel the same. This warm and bare landscape does not feel like home at all. I feel kind of naked under the sun. A forest with big trees feels more at home. (A MOC done by Andreas Lenander (Adde51) with my figs) A bit from the main road was a small white house with green domes on top. A few goats were grazing around the house of the meager vegetation. -" We should stop here and ask for directions." Hooves said. -" That's a great idea. But everyone must be alert as we do not know if the residents of the house are friendly." Pointy said. Hammer walked to the house and knocked at the wall beside the entrance. A man with black clothes and a brusque appearance came out of the house with a pitchfork in his hands. He seemed ready for anything. -" What do you want?" He asked. -" I'm sorry if we disturb you in the middle of the day when the sun is at its highest. We want nothing more than a little advice on which path to take. We are on our way to the Akbri river. But we do not know the best path there." Z said as gently as he could -" I'm sorry about my rough approach. But there have been so many strange people and creatures around lately. You don't know what you'll find at your door. I'll help you with some advice. But I'm sorry that I can't help with water or supply. It is the dry season so I barely have enough for myself and my goats. Akbri river is quite close actually. Only a half day's walk to the north. There is a small village by the river there. If you keep walking you'll be there before dark. They have water there. -" We are really thankful for your help. We don't have anything to give you for your help. -" It's alright. But be sure to get there before the sun goes down. There are many bands of thieves and evil forces that thrive in the dark around here. Take care!" The man said and walked into his house again. -" Thanks for the help." Z said. The crew started to walk to the north, eager to get to the river before dark.
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The journey of Parzival Chapter II, part II The dream Previous Chapter: Chapter II, Part I - Desert Daylight The sun was setting and the sky was orange fading to purple. Z and his fellows walked with their heads bent along a small path with parts of desert and parts bushes and trees. The heat was still intense and they were all tired after a long day in the sun. It was time to find a place to camp for the night. Z saw what appeared to be abandoned buildings inside a large grove of trees and shrubs some distance from the road. Maybe an abandoned farm or similar. It was very dense shrubbery and many shady trees. "- We should set up a camp soon. We all have to rest. There is an old farm over there. Maybe we can find shelter and maybe an old well or something. At least it’s a bit from the path." Z said "- That sounds like a good idea. My legs ache" said Hooves They left the path and went into the bushes. The buildings were very overgrown with trees and shrubs. It was certainly a long time since they were abandoned. "- There is a glade here with the remains of a campfire. Here we should be able to set up camp. The bushes should give us good protection from passers-by." Hammer said. "- Hooves and I will go and see if we can find something in the abandoned houses. Then we look for firewood." Left-Eye said They set up camp and the sun went down fast. They ate a small meal and lay down to sleep. Left-eye took the first watch for the night. It had been a long warm day and they all soon fell asleep Z heard a whispering voice and opened his eyes. He didn't quite understand what the voice had said, so he looked around. He was standing in a lush forest with a bow in his hands. It felt like a summer dawn. Beside Z a man stood, he had horns just as Hooves. And behind Z there were two men, one heavily armed knight with a dragon on his breastplate and an archer with a hood and mask over his head. They were all dressed in dark green clothes. It all felt a bit weird and Z felt a bit fuzzy in the head. He noticed that he was no longer a man, just a small boy. He also felt a big pressure inside and a tingling adrenaline sensation in the body. The man beside in whispered again and it was the same voice: "- My lord, you have to focus! Relax your shoulders and aim. Concentrate on the animal and try to hear it. Feel it's heartbeat." Z aimed at the deer by the water. It hadn't noticed it yet. It was drinking water and having a look around. It looked peaceful. The sounds of the forest got more zoomed out and he could hear his heartbeats pounding in the ears. But it felt strange. Was it his or the deers heartbeat he heard? He could almost see the pulse in the deer's body that was in the same rhythm as the sound in his ears. "- When you have it in sight, take a deep breath. Feel the animal's heartbeat so you can aim directly at his heart. You must hit the heart directly so that the animal doesn't suffer." Z felt the animal now. He could hear what the deer heard and feel the wind in its horns. Z felt that the deer was at peace with nature and that it wasn't stressed at all. He took a deep breath and aimed straight at the heart of the dear. He was just about to let go of the bow string when he heard a strange voice in his head. "- Kraaah! Walker must wake! Hurry!" Z blinked and tried not to lose his focus. And when he looked up at the deer again he saw a strange colourful bird in his sight. What was this? So strange... "- Wake! Bad man come! The bird said to him Z sat straight up and looked around. He was in the camp with the others again. Was it a dream? Or what was that? Was it a memory? His head was blurred. "- Hurry! Wake up!" Z heard in his head again. And now he recognized the voice from the crow. He was sitting in the palmtree above waving his wings in the air. Then he heard whispering voices from the bushes: "- It's them. Take them all out before they wake. But don't hurt the one with the necklace. Tie him up. We have to bring him back to the boss" Z started to wake the others and tell them to get up and get their weapons. But only a few of them had the time to get up before the attack began. Five dark figures came out of the bush. Each had a black shield with an eye on it and various weapons in full swing. Z, Hammer and Pointy were first on their feet and could meet the attackers. Z had a sword he had received from Tabib in Mophet. He used it to parry a blow from one of the attackers. Hammer drew his sword and Pointy drew her knife and bow. Together they managed to ward off the first attack. Meanwhile, Left-Eye, Hooves and Right-Eye woke up and managed to get their weapons. A wild battle broke out in the clearing and pretty soon they discovered that the attackers were better equipped and much faster than them and they quickly ended up in an inferior position. One of the attackers knocked the sword out of Z's hand and he lost his balance and fell backwards. When the attacker jumped on Z and was about to stab the sword in his stomach, Z panicked and felt the time almost slow down. Before the attacker hit Z with the sword, Z felt a strong force accumulate in his chest. He pushed his hands forward while instinctively shouting something loud that he himself did not understand. The words just flowed out of him. The attacker stopped in the air and was then quickly pushed backwards by a pressure wave that came out of Z's hands. The attacker flew back into the bushes. Z quickly got to his feet and stood amazed as he felt a force gather in his body and the time slowed down. He felt a tingeling feeling in his legs as he drew power from the. He felt a strong connection to the ground and all the surrounding trees and plants, almost as if they were an extension of their own senses. The attacker came out of the bush for a new attack. In Z's mind a word came up as written by a golden pen. He held out his hands to the opponent and uttered the words. Immediately he felt how meandering roots rose from the ground and meandered around the opponent. He felt as if he was grabbing the opponent himself. He lifted the opponent into the air while squeezing him with the roots until the opponent was slowly suffocated. Hooves fought with one of the attackers with his long staff. And like Z, he felt a force build up in him the more he felt that the striker was superior in speed and tactics. And when the attacker managed to get past Hoove's defense and chop against his head, Hooves put out his hand against the attacker. At the same time, flames of fire flowed out of his fingertips and quickly embraced the attacker. The man screamed in pain when he was burned to death. While Z and Hooves fought with their newfound abilities, the rest of the crew managed to overpower the attackers and kill them all but one. The battle was over as soon as it started. Everyone stood tired and breathless in the clearing. Hammer had captured the last survivor and stood with his sword against his throat. The others hurried to his side. "- Who are you and why did you attack us?" Hammer shouted at the man. The man turned a little and laughed with the sword to his throat. "- Answer me!" Shouted Hammer Pointy came forward and put his hand on Hammer's shoulder and asked him to calm down a bit. "- It is best that you answer him, otherwise he will cut you apart like a pig," Left-Eye hissed with a wicked grin. "- You will never get anything out of me or anyone in my brotherhood" the man laughed. Before anyone reacted, his hand slid inside the sleeve of his tunic and pulled out a small narrow dagger with a blackened blade. He quickly pushed it into his own throat while having a grin on his lips. Hammer tried to stop him but it was too late. The man quickly began to gargle and his eyes turned inward and his whites of eyes were visible. A couple of strong tremors went through his body, but then he became stiff as a stick. They all backed away from the body in disgust. "- Who can do that to himself?" Said Pointy in disgust. "- I would say, only a true fanatic," Right-Eye said resignedly. "- Quick now, we have to gather our things quickly and get out of here before more come," Z said. They quickly gathered their things and moved silently away in the thickets. Next part...
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Outwitted Ogre ‘Tell us a bedtime story, papa,’ said Aida. ‘What would you like to hear?’ I asked as we sat down near the hearth. ‘Tell us about Hassan and Mehdi, papa!’ Abbas said. ‘You’ll have nightmares,’ I responded. ‘Pleeaase’ my children said in unison. ‘We know how it ends,’ Aida protested. ‘Alright,’ I said, ‘the story begins many years ago, when your grandfather was still alive…’ “I’m beginning to have second thoughts about this undertaking,” Hassan said after two hours walking in silence with the desert on the horizon. “Aye,” Mehdi responded, “fame and glory isn’t as alluring once that task is at hand. But we volunteered and could not show our heads around the Wither Woods if we retreated now. And think of the poor Modiri family." “Yeah, they had no warning. It must have gotten their dog first. Most times people run away and just lose some livestock,” Hassan said as they walked on. “How far into the desert do you think it makes its home?" “Can’t be too deep. But no one has ever ventured this far,” Mehdi answered. “The trail is clear and I think even the sand won’t cover these tracks too quick." ‘They followed the tracks into the desert as night fell and the air cooled,’ I said continuing the story. ‘They walked on past midnight, carrying their long weapons.’ “What do I see in the distance?” Mehdi asked as a crescent moon shown overhead and lit the otherwise flat landscape with a faint light. “Must be a large rock formation the Westersands haven’t worn away,” Hassan replied. “Do you hear that noise?" ‘A reticent but hash sound fell on our heroes’ ears as they stopped and looked at each other with hesitant glances.’ “I think we’ve found the beast’s haunt,” Mehdi suggested. After a pause, “We can use those rocks to our advantage.” “But it’ll surely see, or smell, us coming - there is no other cover around." “Not if one of us cycles around and approaches from the back side. He could sneak up those rocks and get the jump while-" “While the other is bait?!” Hassan protested. “Well, if the timing were right, the danger would be low - and less than both of us facing it head on,” Mehdi explained. “Are you offering to be the bait?" “Draw straws?" ‘So Mehdi grabbed two straws and Hassan picked.’ “I’ll wait here until the sunrise,” Hassan said with the short straw in hand. “And I’ll walk around a mile and start climbing just before,” Mehdi said before departing into the desert night. ‘At the first sign of daylight, Hassan stood up and prepared himself for a fight. Just before sunrise, he saw the beast behemoth awake - something had caught its attention behind the rock it was laying against. Just as it was standing up, Hassan rushed forward and shouted, “HEY!” ‘Upon heading the sound the creature turned around right as the sun broke over the horizon. Standing in front of Hassan was the huge ogre that was responsible for so much loss of life and livestock. In its hand a humongous, spiked club. Just as Hassan was preparing to defend himself against a fatal blow, Mehdi leapt from the rock bringing his halberd down hard on the back of the ogre’s head. “You were early,” Mehdi said. “You were just in time,” Hassan replied. ‘And now it is time for bed,’ I said. About the Build I created this MOC for the Summer Joust’s Going Big category. I chose miniland as the scale. Building the ogre definitely took me out of my comfort zone, as I do not have much experience with ‘constraction’ builds, and using sand green added to the challenge piece-wise. I also used the MOC in LOLUG’s June meeting competition, which featured the white fang/horn (88513) as the seed piece. Background Image The background is Green Grasses on Sahara Desert by Greg Gulik used under the CC license. Source of Inspiration I had the general desert rock concept in my head but after seeing Grant Davis’s Desert the idea was solidified. I was unable to come up with a helmet design I liked, so I borrowed one from Letranger Absurde. I found these other brick-built ogres interesting: https://flickr.com/photos/janskrzetuski/51909253156/ https://flickr.com/photos/142720019@N08/51824166828/ https://flickr.com/photos/152897799@N04/27591231837/ https://flickr.com/photos/147565277@N03/50256722011/
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