Gabe

The tale of Erudhalion and the water horse

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This was orignally meant to be an entry for the Kaliphlin "Myths and legends" mini-challenge, but i've missed the deadline, so it's just a free build. :classic: A free build that comes with a story! But here's the pics first up, in case you don't want to read the story - it's quite a long one!

waterhorsemytheb_140312.jpg

eachuisge7eb_140312.jpg

Ok, onto the story! *Puts on my storytelling hat*

Many years ago, in fact the year of my 18th birthday, when my father still ruled Peregrinus and i was but a stripling of a lad, the coasts to the east of our fair city of Berigora were laid waste by a series of mysterious storms. The storms were so fierce and localised that they destroyed whole villages with wind and wave, and drove many a passing ship to thier ruin on the shore. Fearing sorcery, my father dispached his scouts and spies, but none ever returned, only rumours of a strange beast that lay cloaked at the very heart of the storm, and was occasionally glimpsed. Survivors spoke of hearing the drumming of hooves in the air, and the shapes of mighty horses within the crashing waves. Within a year, the mouth of the x river and the coast about had become desolated and empty, ravaged by constant storms, a haunted land.

Now, in those days i was a headstrong boy, and the wanderlust that affects nearly all Peregrinians still ran hot within my blood. I had no thought for future rulership or responsibility, but sought out adventure wherever i could. And so i became determined to find out what manner of beast could control the elements like this. Defying my father, who ordered a ban on travel to the region, i set out for the coast.

I travelled for several days over the pass into the valley of the centaurs, and thence to the river Undualia, which i followed to the sea. A mile from the river mouth i encountered a high but crudely built wall being hastily repaired by a crew of centaurs and men. They explained that the river had started to behave strangely, retreating well below low tide, a sure sign of a coming storm and inundation. they begged me not to go any further, but i was filled with curiousity to see the land beyond, and continued on.

It did not take long before the weather started to turn ugly... huge, dark, roiling clouds filled the sky, and rain began to lash at my face. The lightening and thunder frightened my horse so badly that it threw me, and galloped in haste back towards the barrier. But although i was shocked by the severity of the storm, i was not frightened... yet! I pressed on until i heard a strange sound... a roar from the coast like the drumming of many hooves. It did not take me long to discover what it was - a huge wave, crashing through the narrow valley inlet, clearing all in it's path! In terror i fled to the cliff walls that enclosed the inlet, desperately climbing as far up as i could. It wasn't far before the cliff became sheer and i seemed destined to be swept from my perch by the encroaching water, but in desperation i found a crack in the cliff face and managed to squeeze myself inside just as the wave hit.

And now it seemed that instead of being swept away, it was to be my fate to drown.. the pressure of the water forced me through the crack like a cork into a bottle, but to my surprise, the crack opened out into first a passage, and then a larger cavern! When at last i struggled, spluttering to the surface of the water, i found i had sustained no worse than a few bad scratches and bruises. But the cavern was fast filling with water from the wave, and i had no way of knowing how high it would get... in the dark, desperately trying to stay afloat, wondering if this were to be my unknown tomb, i prayed in terror to all the gods i could think of that the water would soon receed.

It was by no means soon, but in time, of course, the water did subside... and by following it as it flowed out of the cavern, i was able to find the entrance again. When i emerged from the crack (it was a tight squeeze without the water pressure to push me through, i can tell you!), i fell to my knees in thanks. I have never liked caves to this day.

The scoured landscape that greeted me was a terrible sight. There were no trees beyond the wall left to uproot, but all else was flattened. I thought about turning back, tired out by my ordeal, but from my vantage point i saw that the beach was near and i felt drawn to it as an antidote after the terrible darkness of the cave. The clouds were already clearing, and i felt i had enough time to have a look around before returning.

As soon as i had scrambed down the rocks toward the beach however, i became aware of a presence besides my own. I looked about and could see noone. "Who is there?" I cried, "Show yourself!" At once the water at the shoreline heaved up, and a huge, magnificent white horse sprang from it's crest. "Who tresspasses on my domain?" it boomed in a loud voice. Somehow i found my courage in the face of this strage creature to squeak in outrage, "My name is Erudhalion Sansael, and this land belongs not to you, but to my father and all free Peregrinians! Are you the being responsible for all this destruction? I demand you give me your name!"

The huge horse laughed at this - of course he would not give me his name, to do so for a clearly magical being would be tantamount to making me his jailer! I had some magical instruction, not a great deal (as i am not suited to it), but enough to know that much. In that moment i could see that he meant to kill me eventually, but he was in no hurry - he would toy with me first for his own amusement. "Well, at least i won't die in that damned cave" i thought, and this gave me courage.

"So you want to know my name" boomed the water horse. "Well, if you can answer three riddles, i shall tell you. But beware - should you answer wrongly to any of them, i shall take your life instead!" My heart lifted as i heard this - perhaps i had a chance after all? I had always loved riddles and had a store of my own. "All right" I replied, "but only if you swear on the sacred water crystal that you will keep your word!" The water horse looked doubtfully at me. "All right, i swear" he grumbled. And then he riddled me this:

"I build up castles.

I tear down mountains.

I make some men blind,

I help others to see.

What am I?"

Well, that was almost too easy. "Pretty much every Kaliphlin child knows from the cradle that the answer to that is sand!" i cried, "Try me something harder!" The water horse smiled, making me think that part of his plan was to lull me into a false sense of security. "Alright then, young princeling," he said, "Try this on for size:"

"I live in water

If you cut my head I'm at court,

If you cut my tail I'm fruit,

If you cut both I'm with you

What am I?

My heart sank - this was one i didn't know! I tried to reason it out, recalling another riddle where "head and tail" meant the first and last letters of a word. The water horse sneered at me "having trouble, young Erudhalion? How badly do you want to know my name then, or indeed save your own life?" It took me many anxious minutes before in a flash of inspiration i stumbled on the answer - a pearl! - an earl at court, a pear is a kind of fruit, and and ear is something that is with you!

Now the water horse was really angry. He stomped and flared his nostrils, and ominous clouds gathered around him. As frightened as i was, i was also exultant... only one more and i had him! "You have done well, Erudhalion" said the water horse slowly, once he had calmed down. "But i have saved the best for last:"

"What does man love more than life

Fear more than death or mortal strife

What the poor have, the rich require,

and what contented men desire,

What the miser spends and the spendthrift saves

And all men carry to their graves?"

If the water horse was thinking to flumox me with this one, he really had seriously misjudged me. "Aha!" I cried out with relief, "The answer is nothing! Now you must keep your end of the bargin, water horse - tell me your name!"

Well, he raged and he prevaricated and he tried to worm out of it, but eventually he stuck by his promise, and i called on him to squeeze into my empty water gourd, where he lives still, literally a storm in a bottle. The incantation i trapped him with gives me the power to let him out three times only to do my bidding, but after that he is free once more. A few years ago we freed him to wreck a host of pirate ships that were threatening to blockade our harbour and ruin us, but since then he has remained at Peregrinus's lesuire, until next i call on him.

Btw, i promised i wouldn't tell anyone else his name - besides the obvious issues with magical summonings etc, it really is quite an embarressing one for such a powerful elemental spirit! Who knows, maybe that's why he went on the rampage in the first place? :wink:

Thanks for viewing and reading! I hope you enjoyed it. :classic:

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Not only a fantastic story but a great Moc too. The riddles were a nice touch, and remembered me about the Hobbit.

However not sure about the green flames, they are seaweed I presume, I would prefer the water color instead.

Overall great moc. :classic:

You would have done well on the competition. :thumbup:

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Beautiful waterscaping Gabe - and a compelling story to boot. I'm secretly glad you missed the myth deadline, else you would have squashed my already feeble hopes of ever winning something in a LEGO design contest. The horse has a wonderful sense of movement to him. Nice work.

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Great job! Nice waterscaping and sand, and a really good horse. A really good story too, with excellent riddles. I got the first one, but not the next two. An excellent myth/legend! Any chance of seeing an MOC of you in the cave?

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I enjoyed the story a lot! But the best part is the moc, that horse truly is a beauty! :sweet:

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Great story and that horse is fabulous! The body language of the horse is spot on.

Great job

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Wow, that horse is really stunning! With those magnificent watersplashes, it makes it complete!!

Also amusing story, certainly something a bard would tell around the fire!

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The story is very good and the horse is stunning. I'm becoming a big fan of these type of mocs after seeing the great work of Siercon & Coral. Really great work on the horse and it's surroundings, it looks spot on. I look forward to seeing what you come up with in round 3! Great work!

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Wonderfully well done Gabe! :thumbup: Not only is the build an absolute gem, your photography and backdrop make for an incredible presentation. The horse is a sculpture of epic design, and your story is wonderful and engaging. :thumbup::wink:

Why is this not up for vote in the story category? :look:

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I thoroughly enjoyed that, thank you for a great story and beautiful moc. The riddles were great, the horse looks amazing and the wave is really good too. I wonder how it would look with some photoshopped stormy clouds. The brick built cloud looks cool and the seaweed is a nice touch. If this were on time I would have definately voted for it :thumbup:

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Brilliant gabe! I can practically hear the surf, your shoreline is very evocative. The story is very entertaining, I got the first riddle, as a good Kaliphlin, but the second one eluded me and I guessed "time" for the third. For me, the white discs are a real highlight, I have been thinking along these lines with the white curly feather bits, but the discs are an excellent treatment, reminds me of Hiroshige. The posing and body of the horse are amazingly well done and in good proportion. I would prefer a thinner neck and maybe a 1-wide head, but the wider treatment conveys a real sense of power. The investment in blue slopes is paying off!

:classic:

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Wow! Brilliant Gabe! The horse is really nice and I love the water from the nose! The wave effect is also very well done!

Great job!!!

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Great build and story gabe! I am reading the Fellowship of the Ring again right now and the white horse in the water reminded me of the scene crossing the Ford ahead of the Nazgul! As I read on and found all the riddles I was immediately drawn to the Hobbit that I jsut finished last week. Anytime something can be considered Tolkien-esque.....it is a winner!

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Not only a fantastic story but a great Moc too. The riddles were a nice touch, and remembered me about the Hobbit.

However not sure about the green flames, they are seaweed I presume, I would prefer the water color instead.

Overall great moc. :classic:

You would have done well on the competition. :thumbup:

Thanks Niku! Yeah, with the riddles it is impossible not to think of Bilbo's battle of wits with Gollum, but i also had the Egyptian myth of the Sphinx in mind as well. :classic: The green tail and mane are indeed meant to be seaweed - i originally thought of having the horse a lot more encrusted with shell-like fragments and trailing weeds etc, but it didn't work out and this seemed a nice compromise. I added the weed on the shore and the leaves on the rock so it wouldn't look quite so out of place! :laugh:

Beautiful waterscaping Gabe - and a compelling story to boot. I'm secretly glad you missed the myth deadline, else you would have squashed my already feeble hopes of ever winning something in a LEGO design contest. The horse has a wonderful sense of movement to him. Nice work.

Aw, thanks Brickmaestro/Tashbaan, you are too kind! Best of luck in the comp btw, you are sure to do well with your sandworm. :thumbup:

Great job! Nice waterscaping and sand, and a really good horse. A really good story too, with excellent riddles. I got the first one, but not the next two. An excellent myth/legend! Any chance of seeing an MOC of you in the cave?

Thanks Gex! What, get me back in that cave? Not likely...! Unless... well it's just possible my travels to secure the water gem might take me back there, who knows? :wink:

I enjoyed the story a lot! But the best part is the moc, that horse truly is a beauty! :sweet:

Great story and that horse is fabulous! The body language of the horse is spot on.

Great job

Wow, that horse is really stunning! With those magnificent watersplashes, it makes it complete!!

Also amusing story, certainly something a bard would tell around the fire!

I really enjoyed the story! And the MOC was outstanding as well!

I didn't read the story but the horse is awesome! :thumbup:

Wow! Brilliant Gabe! The horse is really nice and I love the water from the nose! The wave effect is also very well done!

Great job!!!

Thanks heaps, fellow GoH peeps! I'm glad that you enjoyed it. :classic:

The story is very good and the horse is stunning. I'm becoming a big fan of these type of mocs after seeing the great work of Siercon & Coral. Really great work on the horse and it's surroundings, it looks spot on. I look forward to seeing what you come up with in round 3! Great work!

Thanks DC, i'm a big fan of Siercon & Coral as well, they are a huge inspiration for my fantasy builds. :classic: I can only wish i had the amazing knack with unusual piece usage that they do!

Wonderfully well done Gabe! :thumbup: Not only is the build an absolute gem, your photography and backdrop make for an incredible presentation. The horse is a sculpture of epic design, and your story is wonderful and engaging. :thumbup::wink:

Why is this not up for vote in the story category? :look:

Thanks Sirens-Of-Titan, i've only recently got some black card together for dark backdrops and this is my first outing with it, so i'm stoked it's turned out so well. The main photo was the pick of that shoot actually, just a perfect coincidence of light and timing etc. I wish they all came out that well! :laugh:

Unfortunately i missed the deadline for the Kaliphlin mini-challenge (i was still writing up my story), so i'm not in the running. But i'm stoked you like it anyway - thanks again! :classic:

I thoroughly enjoyed that, thank you for a great story and beautiful moc. The riddles were great, the horse looks amazing and the wave is really good too. I wonder how it would look with some photoshopped stormy clouds. The brick built cloud looks cool and the seaweed is a nice touch. If this were on time I would have definately voted for it :thumbup:

Thanks Cpt Mugwash/Kcaj, i'm glad you liked my story and build! :classic: I've tried photoshopping backgrounds before but i've never been able to make them work well - especially not with pics that have fairly strong directional lighting like this one. I agree that the brick-built clouds look a little too serene and not threatening enough for the story - a bit of a hazard to making the build first and the writing the story last i suppose! :wink:

Brilliant gabe! I can practically hear the surf, your shoreline is very evocative. The story is very entertaining, I got the first riddle, as a good Kaliphlin, but the second one eluded me and I guessed "time" for the third. For me, the white discs are a real highlight, I have been thinking along these lines with the white curly feather bits, but the discs are an excellent treatment, reminds me of Hiroshige. The posing and body of the horse are amazingly well done and in good proportion. I would prefer a thinner neck and maybe a 1-wide head, but the wider treatment conveys a real sense of power. The investment in blue slopes is paying off!

:classic:

Thanks Robuko/Rasputin! I'm glad the clouds are getting a bit of love, they are possibly my favourite bit of this build - and i've never made clouds before, so a first for me too. :classic: The idea of using white feathers for clouds is an interesting one - i'd be interested to see how it works out if you are going to try it. (I don't have more than 2 to rub together, alas!) I agree with you about the neck of the horse being a tic wide, btw. I had a few battles trying to get the neck to close front to back - the upside down segment at the front *ought* to have been sufficiantly captured by friction, but it kept slipping for some reason and in the end i just went "good enough". Lazy i know! :laugh:

Great build and story gabe! I am reading the Fellowship of the Ring again right now and the white horse in the water reminded me of the scene crossing the Ford ahead of the Nazgul! As I read on and found all the riddles I was immediately drawn to the Hobbit that I jsut finished last week. Anytime something can be considered Tolkien-esque.....it is a winner!

Hah, you are the third person now to mention that it reminds them of the Ford of Bruinen... interesting cause the horse build was a test of sorts for a Ford of Bruinen MOC that i am planning to tackle later this year. I guess that means i'm on the right track, which is a nice thing to hear. Thanks! :classic:

Edited by gabe

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First of all, well done in answering all your comments in a single post . :thumbup:

Secondly I love this whole thread the build the story and the photography , I enjoyed it immensely top stuff !!

I'm sure if you had made the dead line you would have placed.

I was a bit surprised to see it didn't get more fives in the MOCathalon....I wish I'd known there was a team ANZAC....next year maybe?

Again great stuff Gabe. :thumbup:

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Dead brill, gabe! Avalonia obviously supports you!

The details on the horse got me: the trans. green fire on the mane and tail are genius!

Can't wait to see more!

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Master builder of Kaliphlin, the horse with all the muscles in motion is super!

My wife saw your Moc and now I have to build something with water too. The problem? You did a very good job. :hmpf_bad:

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I love the story, and you've done a great job with the MOC. I really like all the water details, and the horse looks great! Do you worry that the being will want revenge after his third task? Will this bottle carry down through the generations? Great job!

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I've commented on way too much in one day (sorry about that folks) but I tried to comment in order, except this one, hence the bump.

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First of all, well done in answering all your comments in a single post . :thumbup:

Haha no worries mate, i try to please! :wink:

Secondly I love this whole thread the build the story and the photography , I enjoyed it immensely top stuff !!

I'm sure if you had made the dead line you would have placed.

I was a bit surprised to see it didn't get more fives in the MOCathalon....I wish I'd known there was a team ANZAC....next year maybe?

Again great stuff Gabe. :thumbup:

Thanks Taz, much appreciated. :classic: Strictly speaking, this wasn't actually my MocA entry, i just re-used the build to tell a different story. The actual entry you can see here, but the pics for that weren't quite as good, so i understand not scoring higher. Not that i'm complaining about a score of 27, mind you! :laugh:

Dead brill, gabe! Avalonia obviously supports you!

The details on the horse got me: the trans. green fire on the mane and tail are genius!

Can't wait to see more!

Cheers Jason, glad you like it! :classic:

Master builder of Kaliphlin, the horse with all the muscles in motion is super!

My wife saw your Moc and now I have to build something with water too. The problem? You did a very good job. :hmpf_bad:

Thanks Cristoph! Water can be tricky for sure, but there are so many different ways to render it in ABS that i'm sure you shall find a way to build something awesome yourself. :thumbup: Just be sure to make it a GoH build so we can see it here as well! :grin:

I love the story, and you've done a great job with the MOC. I really like all the water details, and the horse looks great! Do you worry that the being will want revenge after his third task? Will this bottle carry down through the generations? Great job!

Thanks rogueang! Yes, these are important questions certainly - our top sages and sorcerers are working hard to find a way to contain him once his third task is complete. Unfortunately, all the magicks that would do this seem to be of a very high level indeed, necessitating the use of a certain mythical artifact which we have only just learnt still exists... there is hope yet! :wink:

Edited by gabe

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