The Hand Book II: Anfauglir's Camp

[MassEditor]

Rays from the first morning light were just appearing over the peaks of the Rakarth Mountains when the party neared the encampment. Its wooden towers and gate could be seen from a great distance, guarding the entrance to a valley known as the Panjshir. It had been a grueling night’s march though the rough terrain, with Raavage's minions never far off. Now, with safety in sight, the group could have its first rest since escaping Lagash Ur.

There was no need for Anfauglir to announce their arrival; his men had shadowed the group for several hours and ordered the gate open when Anfauglir and the others approached. Inside the camp, a diverse group of troops comprised of many Nocturnian races are forming up for the morning drill. A groupd of knights riding black steeds thunders to the main gate where the party waits. The lead rider dismounts and approaches Anfauglir.

Anfauglir: This is Sakarmand, my lieutenant and certainly a sight for sore eyes. Senurhem and Raavage found our trail sooner than I had hoped, and we have been pursued since Lagash Ur.

Sakarmand: Indeed m'lord, our men ambushed a company of Hand soldiers earlier this morning. We are preparing for another patrol to hunt down any others in the area. By the number of troops our scouts have reported leaving Lagash Ur, it appears Senurhem has not taken kindly to our betrayal.

Anfauglir: He is not our only concern now. Raavage had planned to kill these men last night and will seek to destroy us for our part in their escape. We should prepare for an attack but first, I know my guests are in need of rest and something to eat.

Korrak, Rokkar and Anzar are led to a makeshift kitchen and provided a Spartan meal of dried fruit and stale hardtack. Anfauglir appears after a short time and joins them in the meal.

Anfauglir: I know this isn't quite the feast prepared for you at Lagash Ur but Sakarmand informs me our supply situation is weak. In any case, I have ordered my men to set up cots for you to use in the officers' quarters. You are welcome to rest here or you may leave when you wish.

Anzar looked up from his food and glared at Senurhem. Such hospitality was not common in the Darklands. What was Anfauglirs aim?

Anzar: While I am in debt to you, I am still curious as to why you helped us. You are now a fugitive of your own people, what would you expect from us in return?

Anfauglir: I simply wanted the three of you to live to report Raavage's treachery to your own people.

Anfauglir stares hard at Korrak. He sees the revelations washing over the raven, but continues to speak.

Anfauglir: The Black Spire has long clouded the foresight of the Zugal, but now perhaps they will see the error of that alliance.

Anfauglir turns his attention to Anzar. The Dragon Master diverts his eyes.

Anfauglir: You, Dragon Master, you must return to your people before Raavage sees them destroyed. You must find Handrid.

Anzar perks up. He is taken aback by the comment; only his most trusted advisors knew of the missing dragon.

Anzar: How did you learn of Handrid's escape?

Anfauglir: We maintain contact with Shadowmere intelligence operatives. They received word of dragon sightings shortly after the fall of Dragon Keep. So far, this information has not reached Senurhem or Raavage, otherwise they would have handed you over to the Zugal as a trophy the moment you entered Lagash Ur. Raavage intended to use you to get to Handrid, nothing more. He knows the dragon would be a powerful addition to his army. You cannot let him succeed.

Rokkar mutters something but Korrak is the first to speak up.

Korrak: Anfauglir, you cannot expect us to watch idly as this Dragon Master - our enemy- recollects his strength. He would certainly set the dragon loose upon us in retaliation for the loss of Dragon Keep. The beast should be found and destroyed!

Korrak's comments enrage Anzar, who begins to hurl his own accusations at the Zugal brothers. It looks as if swords will be drawn before Anfauglir breaks them apart.

Anfauglir: Enough! Save some fight for the Black Spire! If Raavage succeeds there will be no Dragon Keep, no Eyrie, just darkness and death. If we survive, you can continue this quarrel then, but for now just consider what I say. Raavage will not stop until all are slaves under his rule.

Korrak: Aye, Raavage has a powerful army under his command but he cannot hope to subdue the Rebellion and the other Guilds. Even isolated Abyssian continues to stand against Raavage's best efforts. After last night's events, he can count the Zugal too among his growing list of enemies.

Anfauglir: I'm afraid the entire might of Historica could not stop Raavage unless we fight now. He wants Abyssian because he knows it contains a dark power, the power to raise an army of the dead. That is why he called you to Lagash Ur, to recruit your help in breaching Abyssian's walls.

Anzar: This is indeed troubling news, but Abyssian has so far proved impenetrable. How could he possibly succeed, with his allies so few?

Anfauglir: The situation has evolved. Raavage no longer needs Abyssian to raise his army: he has Senurhem. My former lord has long bolstered his ranks by raising warriors who fell on the battlefield. You witnessed these soldiers yourself at Lagash Ur. But now he pledges his loyalty to Raavage.

Korrak: Ha! A few extra skeletons will hardly stop the Zugal!

Anfauglir cut him off.

Anfauglir: Unfortunately there is more to this tale, Korrak. Senurhem draws his necromancy from an ancient source long kept secret from even his inner circle. But now Raavage knows, and the Hand Lord claims he can amplify this evil power. Imagine battling armies of undead who fall only to rise again. If such a thing could be done, it would surely spell the doom of Nocturnus and all of Historica.

Anzar: What ancient source do you speak of? Few knew these lands better than my father, and he never spoke of such evil power.

Anfauglir: This is all I can tell you. Such things Senurhem has never explained to me or anyone else - except Raavage. But we are not in complete darkness just yet. My scouts inform me that Raavage's men are searching for an artifact, an object Raavage needs to magnify this power. I do not know what they seek, but we must find it before Raavage.

Korrak: If true, your words are cause for grave concern. For our rescue the Zugal are in your debt, Anfauglir, and as long as one of us draws breath Raavage will not succeed.

Anfauglir: Good, these words bring me hope. I'm afraid we will need every fighting man and woman by our side before this is over.

Anzar: And you, Anfauglir, what will you do?

Anfauglir: My men and I will stay here and try to tie down Senurhem's forces. We cannot allow his armies to be released against the other factions of Nocturnus. My scouts will also continue our search for the artifact.

Anzar: Noble, I admit, but I see no more than a few dozen men under your command, maybe a hundred at most. Senurhem and Raavage will crush you if you stay here.

Anfauglir: Young Dragon Master, I see you are not familiar with the Panjshir. In this natural fortress ten men can hold off against ten thousand! In any case, there is no time to second guess ourselves now. I know we are all in need of rest. Feel free to stay here as long as you like. When you are ready to leave I will provide men to escort you to your borders.

Anfauglir looks at the three leaders before him and knows that hope is against them all. The Zugal and Dragon Masters are warring, the Rebellion is splintered and weak, and Anfauglir knows he hosts little more than a token force. Their only chance rests on preventing Raavage from securing the artifact.

Anfauglir: Before you leave I must say one thing. I cannot ask you to end your conflict, the wounds of which are still unhealed. I can only hope that you will put aside your feud in fear of a greater enemy. Raavage had hoped to secure you both as allies, but now he wishes for you to tear each other apart. By doing so, you will only ensure our defeat.

Anfauglir hears the gate open and the sound of horses entering the camp. Samarkand has returned and Anfauglir hopes he has news to share.

Anfauglir: I am needed elsewhere now and must bid you safe journeys. I will pray for your people and hope the darkness does not reach them. I know we will meet again, if not in this world than in the next!

Several soldiers arrive to take Rokkar, Korrak and Anzar to beds in the officers' quarters. After resting for several hours Rokkar and Korrak begin the long march home. Anzar leaves not long after with several of Anfauglir's men as escorts. The separate groups set out under clear skies with hopes for a safe trip home. Although they cannot see it, many miles away at Lagash Ur a storm is brewing. Dark clouds are forming, and the sound of war began rolling through the valleys as if thunder...

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A pic of the gate MOC (without the additional mountainside I built for the story photos):

About this MOC: Hello again! Here is the fourth part in the ongoing Hand of Corruption story for Book II in Nocturnus! Before I say any more let me issue a round of apologies to you guys for the longer-than-expected delay in this installment, and another round to my co-conspirators in this ongoing collaborative project, ZCerberus and Torgar, for having their characters locked up in this story for so long. I thank them for their patience and all their help during the way!

Ok, so this was my first attempt at a micro build. I admit the background could use a little work but I hope the effect comes across! One thing I wanted folks to note in this story line is the disparate conditions facing Anfauglir compared to Senurhem. While Senurhem enjoys safety in his large fortress, with strong forces to protect him and lavish feasts to feed him, Anfauglir and his men must stage their resistance from a beat-up wooden camp stuffed into the mountains, with only a handful of soldiers and few supplies. I thought these differences would help highlight the uphill battle the resistance has ahead of itself, and add to the tension by forcing Anfauglir to fight a shadowy, guerilla-type campaign against Raavage and Senurhem.

In any case, thanks for taking a peek and, as always, any feedback is welcome!

Other installments of this story:

The Hand Book II: Summit at Lagash Ur

The Hand Book II: Summit at Lagash Ur Part II

The Hand Book II: Escape from Lagash Ur

The Hand Book II: Anfauglir's Camp

The Hand Book II: A Gathering Storm

For a refresher on the events leading up to these series of builds, please start here!

Edited July 21, 2014 by MassEditor

[Jorrith]

Awesome as usual! Can't wait for the next installment of this story!

[ZCerberus]

And now the Ravens and Dragons are out on their own... I see some more story threads developing.

Great work with the forced perspective part. Really sharp.

I also like the rockwork. As usual, it is very clean and natural looking.

[Lord Vladivus]

If you require warriors, I, Lord Vladivus, can send reinforcements. My zombies are loyal only to myself, and will not serve Ravaage. Shadowmere is ready for war.

Anyway... Awesome! Beautiful build- love the forces perspective at the beginning. Nice to see Shadowmere getting a name drop as well! Superb story, I can't wait for the next installment (as usual!).

[mccoyed]

Awesome.

[Torgar]

Great job again, really effective forced perspective. I also like how shabby the fortress looks next to your clean rock work.

[Wat Tambor]

Nice build, nice to see that the story continues.

The forced perspective works very well for the introduction, especially the micro scale camp is well built.

[TheUtilityBelt]

I'm loving this story! I would fight Ravaage but the Wither Woods is happening. Maybe after!

[Scaevola]

Excellent installment. The forced perspective is excellent (I couldn't even tell it was a microbuild from the picture it resembled the to scale gate so much!). The SNOT rockwork is superb too, in addition to the exquisitely detailed portcullis. The storyline was also detailed and thought-stimulating as usual. With the rebels beginning to consolidate their forces and news of Raavage's plans to betray his own allies reaches the other guild, I don't predict much backing for the Black Spire in the next Nocturnian Civil War (as evidenced by TUB32 and the new members of Nocturnus pledging themselves to Old Nocturnus).

[LordDan]

Wait so the gate moc is seperate from all that additional mountainside? Besides from that slightly confusing bit, it is a great moc. Love the way the wooden structures are temporary looking yet still formidable and the gate fits beautifully into the mountain , which has great rock work.

Although if that wooden gate is where you plan to hold out against 10000 soldiers, good luck. I'm sure someone will bring a torch and those lower sections of the rock face look very climbable, like stairs...

[TenorPenny]

Just. Awesome. Great set up, use of pose and figures.

[Mike S]

Awesome stuff! You have really been going strong and all top quality builds!

[MassEditor]

Awesome as usual! Can't wait for the next installment of this story!

Thanks! I hoping for next Monday.

And now the Ravens and Dragons are out on their own... I see some more story threads developing.

Great work with the forced perspective part. Really sharp.

I also like the rockwork. As usual, it is very clean and natural looking.

Thanks man, I for one am definitely excited to see Anzar and the Zugal's next moves.

If you require warriors, I, Lord Vladivus, can send reinforcements. My zombies are loyal only to myself, and will not serve Ravaage. Shadowmere is ready for war.

Anyway... Awesome! Beautiful build- love the forces perspective at the beginning. Nice to see Shadowmere getting a name drop as well! Superb story, I can't wait for the next installment (as usual!).

Thanks LV, I'm sure there will be a vital role to be played by all before this is over!

Awesome.

Thanks!

Great job again, really effective forced perspective. I also like how shabby the fortress looks next to your clean rock work.

Appreciate it T!

Nice build, nice to see that the story continues.

The forced perspective works very well for the introduction, especially the micro scale camp is well built.

Thanks Wat, I was a little unsure about the micro camp but I'm glad you liked it.

I'm loving this story! I would fight Ravaage but the Wither Woods is happening. Maybe after!

Thanks TUB.

Excellent installment. The forced perspective is excellent (I couldn't even tell it was a microbuild from the picture it resembled the to scale gate so much!). The SNOT rockwork is superb too, in addition to the exquisitely detailed portcullis. The storyline was also detailed and thought-stimulating as usual. With the rebels beginning to consolidate their forces and news of Raavage's plans to betray his own allies reaches the other guild, I don't predict much backing for the Black Spire in the next Nocturnian Civil War (as evidenced by TUB32 and the new members of Nocturnus pledging themselves to Old Nocturnus).

Haha, thanks Scaevola, I'm excited to see where this will all go. Hopefully Raavage himself will explain more before too long...

Wait so the gate moc is seperate from all that additional mountainside? Besides from that slightly confusing bit, it is a great moc. Love the way the wooden structures are temporary looking yet still formidable and the gate fits beautifully into the mountain , which has great rock work.

Although if that wooden gate is where you plan to hold out against 10000 soldiers, good luck. I'm sure someone will bring a torch and those lower sections of the rock face look very climbable, like stairs...

Thanks Dan! Yeah I built some extra mountainside to "fill-in" the pictures for the story, since the microscale build shows the gate embedded in a large mountain range. The extra mountains weren't anything fancy to look at like the SNOT portions of the gate MOC, so I made them detachable and used them just for filler.

Also, I would say that Anfauglir's exclamation about the Panjshir is likely to be a lot of wishful thinking!

Just. Awesome. Great set up, use of pose and figures.

Awesome stuff! You have really been going strong and all top quality builds!

Thanks guys, glad you're enjoying them!

[Garmadon]

Another excellent build, MassEditor, outstanding forced perspective with the first pic

Great work with the kitchen and gate as well, looking forward (as usual) for the continuation of the story

Edited July 22, 2014 by Garmadon

[Yooha]

THe first picture with the microbuild looks good - cleverly blurring it to hide the details :)

I love reading these stories, seeing where they lead. Keep on!

[Gunman]

Excellent moc once again but the FP shot there really ROCKS xd

[Yzalirk]

Great MOC, great story, and great pictures!

[Hammerhand]

Awesome fortifications! The wood towers look great, and the anti-cavalry piece is cool. Nice continuation of the story! Can't wait for the next (final?) chapter!

[Gabe]

Great continuation of the story ME! Gosh, it is getting rather thrilling - i'm loving this storyline and your writing is very engaging. The mocs illustrate the story so well too - the FP in the first shot is especially nice, and i love the look of the ramshackle fortress nestled in the mountainside.

Looking forward to the next chapter!

[MassEditor]

Another excellent build, MassEditor, outstanding forced perspective with the first pic

Great work with the kitchen and gate as well, looking forward (as usual) for the continuation of the story

THe first picture with the microbuild looks good - cleverly blurring it to hide the details :)

I love reading these stories, seeing where they lead. Keep on!

Excellent moc once again but the FP shot there really ROCKS xd

Great MOC, great story, and great pictures!

Awesome fortifications! The wood towers look great, and the anti-cavalry piece is cool. Nice continuation of the story! Can't wait for the next (final?) chapter!

Thanks guys! The next build will be by no means final, just the conclusion for the latest series of events. I assure you, there's some awesome stuff along the way from my co-conspirators that will keep this story rolling!

Great continuation of the story ME! Gosh, it is getting rather thrilling - i'm loving this storyline and your writing is very engaging. The mocs illustrate the story so well too - the FP in the first shot is especially nice, and i love the look of the ramshackle fortress nestled in the mountainside.

Looking forward to the next chapter!

Thanks Gabe! I know the stories are a little long (there's so much to say!) and I hope the illustration helps keep the story engaging. I had hoped to get the next installment up today but not sure if that's gonna happen... Soon though I promise!

[soccerkid6]

Tremendous FP and the rickety wooden buildings are sweet Impressive portcullis design too

[Norro]

The forced perspective trend is not for everyone, but this is a really great and well executed example. Thanks for sharing!

God Bless,

Nathan

[MassEditor]

Tremendous FP and the rickety wooden buildings are sweet Impressive portcullis design too

Thanks SK, the portcullis was definitely my favorite part of the build.

The forced perspective trend is not for everyone, but this is a really great and well executed example. Thanks for sharing!

God Bless,

Nathan

Hey Norro, glad you liked it!

Edited July 30, 2014 by MassEditor

[Gideon]

Great continuation of the story, and well illustrated with these builds! I love how you've done a microscale version of the same build and especially like those microscale towers. The SNOT rockwork around the gate in the minifig scale build is also very nice

On the possibilities for improvements side (hard to find here!) I can't help to think that maybe some color variations and/or some subtle plant life (like the dark green/sand green in the microscale build's foreground) would enhance your rockwork even more, I also think that the microscale would have come out even better with a lower aperture number, as the resulting decreased depth of field would have made the individual pieces in the background less apparent then and improved the forced perspective illusion.

[-Carson Haupt-]

This is fantastic! They micro and fig scale match so well!