Gary The Procrastinator Posted October 4, 2015 Posted October 4, 2015 (edited) My latest castle-theme build; hope you like it, along with the story. The build was inspired by the photo at this link here. Click on the picture for a larger view. ----------------------------- Story ---------------------------- Stepping out onto the boulder, Sir Caelan Munro glanced at the Wyvern River fifteen feet below him and noted how fast the water gushed through at this point. Here the river narrowed greatly into a chute, and with all those rocks amidst the rapids, a fall would equal a watery death indeed. Precisely what he had always heard about this place… ‘Hunter’s Bridge’, they called it. Here a massive boulder from higher up in the Dragonscale Mountains had slid from its perch hundreds of years ago and rolled down until it lodged here, forming a natural bridge over this narrow ravine. It was the only point where one could cross the river safely for dozens of miles up or downstream. Safely being a relative term. Some hunters and the especially-daring had even crossed with horses, but only the most well-trained animals could make it over. His unit of archers, the Scout Snipers, did this when necessary. And today it was necessary. Except it was Caelan’s first time here at this location. “What a place to have to fight Areani,” he thought aloud, refering to the enemy's elite troops. “Why you doin’ that?” Tavish asked him from behind cover. “Why're you always makin’ yourself a big target?” the archer chided. “What’s wrong with an ambush for once?” “You know me,” Caelan replied as he found his ready position on the high rock, “no patience for it. Besides, you’re the ace in the game, remember.” He took in the serene scene; heather in full bloom, gentle wind blowing, sun rays gleaming through the trees, all with the sound of the rapids rushing below him. Hardly fitting for the violence undoubtedly close at hand. Just a few minutes later, two men in dark clothing emerged from behind the dense foliage on the other side of the river and made to cross. Both were armed, covered in mud, and obviously winded from the chase; Sir Caelan knew full well that a posse of his own Scout Snipers were pursuing them. The one with the crossbow hung back while the leader stepped cautiously onto the rock. He was the one they needed, for around his shoulder was the stolen satchel. “Mind if we cross, good sir knight,” he tried the easy way first, “as we must make Durrough by nightfall.” “Come on through. Don’t mind me. But I’ll need what’s in that satchel as a toll.” There was the briefest moment of tension, and the leader made a slight movement with his head. The second man started to raise his crossbow but Tavish’s first arrow flew in from the trees. These men were Areani however, and the man actually managed to deflect it with his own bow. A third Areani now appeared in the background, the one they had left in reserve for just this situation, and he came forward with his own crossbow. Caelan and the leader unsheathed their weapons and went at each other at lightning speed. With no maneuvering room on that boulder-bridge, it was a straight up slugfest, with both men fighting two-handed. As good as he maybe though, the leader was weary from the run. Caelan was rested and had his best armor on. The Areani hung back therefore to let his henchmen help him take care of the ‘obstacle’. They never got the chance however, as Tavish was well-aware of the presence of the third man, having gotten a full report from an advance Scout earlier in the day. His second arrow was already crossing the river as the man stepped out of the shadows—only to catch the expert shot full in the chest. He never even got his crossbow shot off. The other Areani crossbowman was able to recover and, not seeing Tavish’s location had shifted his aim back onto the knight when the archer’s third arrow slammed into his forehead, settling the issue. The leader noted his grim situation, and backed up enough to potentially run back into the trees. Caelan looked at him with little pity, and advised, “Tavish has no problem shooting an Areani in the back. Hand it over.” The leader seemed to come to a new conclusion. Staring coldly at Sir Caelan, he snarled, “Witness how a real man dies!” and jumped into the rapids below. Tavish appeared at Caelan’s shoulder, staring into the gushing water. “Drama queen.” “At least we didn’t have to drown this one in soup this time,” Caelan answered dryly in reference to a past fight with the Areani. “Let’s find the body.” “Oh joy.” Thirty minutes later they came across the body on the eastern side of the river, battered so badly he was now unrecognizable. The satchel however was nowhere in sight, and it took them another two hours to find it. When the archer found it at last, he reached in and retrieved a sopping wet book. “Well lookee here, the diary of one recently-deceased sailor!” he declared. “Poor man,” Caelan stated as he came up alongside. The sailor had been killed by the Areani in their mission to steal the diary. Fortunately he had not gone quietly, there had been witnesses as a result, and the Scout Snipers were alerted in time to pursue what everyone assumed were Areani spies. “Poor idiot, you mean. It’s one thing to keep a diary of your voyage to newly discovered islands, and quite another to brag about it’s existence to the wrong kind of lady friend.” Caelan took the book and thumbed through it. “Spies are everywhere now.” Even though some of the ink had run from the soaking, the book still had enough information to make it worth stealing. “Right,” the archer said wearily, “well let’s get to that little tavern in Weiller village before all the supper is gone. And you’re buyin’.” “What?! You owe me this time!” “I got two Areani today. You’re zero for three.” Incredulous, Caelan blurted out, “And the leader…?!” “He self-eliminated. You just stood there a-gawkin’.” In feigned disgust Caelan slammed the soggy diary back into the satchel and muttered, “Oh you’re all wet….” ------------------------- Comments welcome. Cheers! Edited October 4, 2015 by Gary The Procrastinator Quote
LittleJohn Posted October 4, 2015 Posted October 4, 2015 Gorgeous build, Gary! The rockwork is superb and I like all the different colored plants Quote
SirBlake Posted October 7, 2015 Posted October 7, 2015 Very nice work. I particularly like the sedimentary layering in the rock. Quote
James Wellington Posted October 7, 2015 Posted October 7, 2015 Very cool. Love the rock bridge. Quote
Robert8 Posted October 7, 2015 Posted October 7, 2015 (edited) Lovely! I like the bridge and the tree Edited October 7, 2015 by Robert8 Quote
Schreeuwwitje Posted October 7, 2015 Posted October 7, 2015 Awesomeeeee! Love the bridge, tree, rocks... damnn... Quote
TenorPenny Posted October 7, 2015 Posted October 7, 2015 There's a nice energy and dynamism here. Quote
Blitzismydog Posted October 8, 2015 Posted October 8, 2015 I love your use of the palm leaves for the tree, so creative. Quote
Captain Braunsfeld Posted October 9, 2015 Posted October 9, 2015 Fine tree, Gary, and the rushing water looks great! Quote
AardWolf Posted October 11, 2015 Posted October 11, 2015 I really like the tree and the colorful flowers around the rock edges. Of course, the bridge is excellent as well and, as I said on Flickr, I really like your choice of trans-clear cheese slopes for water through the rapids. Quote
Gary The Procrastinator Posted October 11, 2015 Author Posted October 11, 2015 Beautiful! Thanks so much Graham. A great build ! Good job ! Thank you Faladrin. Gorgeous build, Gary! The rockwork is superb and I like all the different colored plants Thank you LittleJohn. A splash of color helps offset that "great big gray rock syndrome". This is incredible! Thank you LegoPercy. Very nice work. I particularly like the sedimentary layering in the rock. Thank you Sir Blake, geology was one of my areas of study in college. Very cool. Love the rock bridge. Thanks James! I appreciate the comment. Lovely! I like the bridge and the tree Thank you Robert. Nice rockwork and really cool bridge Thanks Titus, it was fun to build, if a little frustrating at times... Awesomeeeee! Love the bridge, tree, rocks... damnn... Thanks so much Schree...very kind comment. There's a nice energy and dynamism here. Thank you for noticing TenorPenny, I tried to fit as much implied motion in the build to contrast with the stationary rock... I love your use of the palm leaves for the tree, so creative. Oh I have to be up front on this one, that's a Mark of Falworth technique which a lot of us now use for pine trees. Thanks for noticing though! Fine tree, Gary, and the rushing water looks great! Thanks always Capt B, much appreciated. I really like the tree and the colorful flowers around the rock edges. Of course, the bridge is excellent as well and, as I said on Flickr, I really like your choice of trans-clear cheese slopes for water through the rapids. Thank you Aaron, I always appreciate your insights, and look forward to your top-notch next builds! Quote
Sci-FiFleetAdmiral Posted October 27, 2015 Posted October 27, 2015 Fantastic build Gary! I love the boulder's placement, looks like one wrong move and you'd end up like that Areani! Quote
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