["A Safe Haven" Challenge: Cat. B] Citizens of the city of Bandari in the land of Mwamba

[Henjin_Quilones]

Citizens of the city of Bandari in the land of Mwamba

An entry into "A Safe Haven", the Fifth Anniversary Challenge, Category B

 

 

In the land of Mwamba, an large island located in the tropics, near the equator, dwell many different peoples. Like on mainland Historica, where elves, dwarves, orcs, humans, and countless other races coexist in relative harmony, so too is the case in Mwamba. In the harbor city of Bandari, located on the northeastern coast, elves predominate, as they founded the city many long ages ago; but humans are found in plenty, particularly in the roles of merchants and shopkeepers, and a robust civilization of gnomes has grown up to nearly rival that of the Mwambian elves, though underground as gnomish cities are. Centaurs also trot the streets of Bandari, friendly to the elves, at least. Pale skin is not seen here, except on outsiders who have come to the island from afar, as the sun shines hot all through the year, with a short pause for a rainy season or occasional ocean storm. 

 

The humans:

1. Panga the Dragon Knight

Panga belongs to the ancient human order of Dragon Knights, who long ago fought and killed off the dragons on their side of the island, bringing peace to the human settlements. He is an unwelcome sight in the city of Bandari, however, as the elves who rule the city live in harmony with the dragons and look with suspicion on all who have sworn vows in that dragon-slaying brotherhood. 

2. Mkate the Baker

 

Mkate, though human, is much sought-after in Bandari for her buffaloberry tarts and cocoa-bean scones, and the other products of her ovens grace many a table and fill many a belly. When her daily baking is done, she can be seen walking the streets of the city selling her baked goods. Her skills have made her wealthy, as seen by her elaborately embroidered bodice.

3. Anyo the Hunter

 

Anyo is no ordinary hunter, taking down the giant herdbeasts of the plains or fierce predators of the forest; rather, he roams the streets of Bandari and kills the large rodents that terrorize the homes of the residents. He is an expert marksman with his bow, despite having lost an eye years ago from a vicious attack of one of the rodents he now hunts. 

4. Ganga the Ranger

 

Ganga is one of the most trusted men in all of Bandari; whenever, of course, he is actually in Bandari. He spends most of his time in the wilderness, scouting with the elves, guiding travelers across the treacherous plains and mountains, and fighting with bandits along the trails. Few besides the elves have his level of woodlore and knowledge of the wild, and fewer still return time after time still alive and in one piece. It is said that the striped cloth around his waist was the blanket his mother left him in, which later became his loincloth as he was raised by lions and other forest beasts, and now serves as a belt. 

5. Biashara the Merchant

 

Biashara is the most well-known merchant in Bandari, largely because he sells goods that no one else can, merchandise imported from far away across the sea and delivered to no one but him. He made his start delivering the whisky of the famous Pombe the elvish distiller from Bandari to the other regions of Mwamba, and continues to be the exclusive distributor of that prized spirit, but he has capitalized on that success to become fabulously wealthy, yet still directly involved in the day-to-day running of his empire. 

 

The gnomes:

6. Chombo the Gnomish Handyman

 

Chombo may not look like much, but he keeps the machinery of Bandari running like a song. His magnifying glasses allow him to see the finer technical details with great precision, never losing a screw, even the tiniest ones. Pombe relies upon Chombo to keep the various stills of his distillery running, and it is Chombo who makes sure the dragon hatching ground's underground furnace keeps the eggs at the perfect temperature. 

7. Bunda the Gnome King

 

Bunda maintains his underground kingdom with strict discipline, running everything like the clockwork that his technicians so meticulously design and tend. He spends hours each morning combing out his beard to give it the proper volume and shine. He loves gold, and decorates everything he can with the warm tones of his favorite metal, accented with the burgundy hues of his favorite wines. 

8. Injini the Gnomish Tinkerer

 

Injini is the brains behind many of the gnome kingdom's many technical marvels. It is said that he can make chunks of black rock move a wagon, though no one--besides Injini himself, of course--has seen it work yet; but clouds of steam seem to follow him wherever he goes. He developed a new type of glass, and discovered a revolutionary technique for tinting it, resulting in the rose-colored safety glasses he always wears. He has yet to lose a limb or suffer serious injury in his inventing work, but those close to him say it is only a matter of time. Injini, looking at the world through his safety glasses, however, begs to differ. 

9. Duki the Gnome Guard

 

Duki is one of the many guards who surround King Bunda day and night. Heavily armored, and getting up there in age, nonetheless Duki remains spry and light on his feet. The double bladed ax he carries is rumored to be no ordinary ax, but instead some sort of new device invented by Injini using unknown black powders. Like so many of the gnomish marvels, however, no one has seen them work besides their inventors and owners. To date, no one has been foolish enough to attempt to attack Bunda's people in war and put the rumors to the test. 

 

The elves:

10. Pombe the Distiller

Famed the world over for his fine whiskys, Pombe is one of the most popular elves in all of Bandari. Always ready with a dram and a smile, Pombe's distillery is the best spot in Bandari to relax after a long day or meet an old friend. The pleasant amber color of his whisky, combined with the smoky undertones, cause troubles to melt away and the world to become a better place. 

11. Chuma the Blacksmith

Chuma is known for the quality of his blades, as even the elf princes and the dragonriders seek him out; yet his work is probably seen more frequently by the residents of Bandari in the iron rings that bind together the barrels coopered by Mbao and then filled by Pombe's whisky. His clientele, besides the high elves, includes Injini, who prizes the finery of his tools, and many of the centaurs of the area, who insist that nobody shoes a centaur better than Chuma. He wears a dragon-decorated leather apron to advertise his importance to the dragonriders. 

12. Bahari the Sailor

Bahari has the responsibility of following the shoals of fish off of the northern and western coasts of Mwamba, catching them, and bringing them back to feed to the dragon hatchlings of the Hatchery, since it is easier to catch the fish in the sea than to herd cattle on land to feed the voracious appetites of the growing flyers. When he is not out in his larger fishing boat looking for the swarms of sharks, tuna, and other large fish, he takes his smaller craft out for the smaller fish right outside the Bandari harbor to sell in the market. He knows his way through any storm and can navigate either with the fancy compass made specially for him by Injini or else by the stars, wind, and the smell of the water. 

13. Mbao the Cooper

Mbao occupies the small shop between Chuma's smithy and Pombe's distillery, where his craft is plied exclusively on behalf of Pombe's whisky. No one makes a better barrel than Mbao, with tighter seams and less loss through evaporation than is typical for barrels from other coopers. Mbao's skill has seen his fortunes rise alongside Pombe's, and is himself a wealthy elf. 

14. Mkuu the Elf Lord

Mkuu is the prince of the elves, the lord of the dragonriders, and the governor of the region around and including Bandari. His skills as a rider are unparalleled, and his wisdom in council is much sought after by humans, gnomes, centaurs, and elves alike. His dragon, the black Nyeusimoto, is seen soaring through the skies all around Mwamba, an image of strength and hope to those in distress. The other dragonriders trust him in all things, and only Mkuu's father, the venerable Mfalme the Wise, has more power on the island. 

15. Kufunzi the Dragon Trainer

Kufunzi is an old dragonrider, one who has seen it all and yet lived to tell the tale. It is said that he was the first elf to successfully ride a dragon, subduing the proud creature to his will somehow, though the exact details are surrounded by legend and Kufunzi himself never talks about his past in any detail. His role is now to train the dragons that hatch at the Hatchery, as well as their riders. He carries a staff to hook an unruly dragon around the neck, and always has a bribe of food of some kind or other. He is covered with scars from many a recalcitrant student, and is blind in his one remaining eye, yet nothing escapes his notice. 

16. Hamisha the Exiled Elf

Hamisha was exiled away from Mwamba many years ago, for some crime that she will never speak about, but is rumored to be theft of a dragon egg. She has passed the centuries living in Hesperia, in the westernmost part of Avalonia, and became one the most trusted members of Princess Galaria's wolfriders. Now she has been exiled again, this time from Hesperia by King Fingolë the Golden, and is sailing back to her original home with Galaria, Henjin Quilones, and their companions aboard the Nagra Luca, hoping that she might find a warmer welcome from her old people. 

17. Winda the Elf Scout

Winda is the younger sister of Mkuu, and is thus a princess of the elves. She serves as an adviser on her brother's council in her role as the leader of the patrols of elves that roam the island, scouting for threats that might arise. She is adept with the bow she carries and has never been seen to miss her target, though the others on the council whisper that her true target is to become a dragonrider like her brother; thus far that goal has eluded her. 

18. Yoka the Dragon Nurse

Yoka is the overseer of the Hatchery, the place where female dragons come to lay their eggs, and where the eggs are kept safe until they hatch. Once the dragonets crack out of their shells, they are fed and raised up by Yoka until they are old enough to be trained by Kufunzi and assigned a rider. The hot sands beneath the Hatchery are kept warm by the furnaces of the gnomes, but Yoka does not mind the heat anymore. She is close friends with Winda, who has been seen visiting the Hatchery more and more frequently, ever since the most recent clutch of eggs hatched. The yound Kijivu, a greyish-silver dragonet, is Yoka's personal favorite ward right now. 

 

 

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C&C welcome, of course. A special thanks to those who gave me feedback on them from Flickr, when I first posted images of these figs a month back or so, especially @TitusV. I took much of the criticism and used it make a few of the figs much better. I hope you enjoyed the look at the peoples of Mwamba, and in particular Bandari. It used up all of my non-light-flesh flesh-toned heads to make them, including two PotC zombies. TLG needs to make more dark-toned female minifigures, especially! As a bonus (since Ecclesiates seemed to imply that they would not fit the mold of a CMF) I'll post the pictures of the four centaurs that I also made at the end of this post later, once I have taken better pictures of them, but you can always see somewhat blurry pictures of them on my Flickr account here if you cannot wait...

 

 

Edited June 28, 2018 by Henjin_Quilones

[mccoyed]

I really like the idea of an equatorial region with lots of PoC representation. Some people are going to grumble, as always, that Lego isn't meant to have racial representation but that cat got out of the bag when they started making flesh-tone heads as part of their licensed series. Lego is working on doing better with that stuff, but it is still severely limited so you've done really well and managed a pretty wide range of characters. That said, the one criticism I have is that there's still a lot of repetition (in the hairstyles especially) which makes it more difficult for individual figs to stand out (which they should in a CMF). In addition, I think you might have tried to include more unique types of craft or trade and gone a bit further with the aesthetics and gear of the warrior figs. Kafunzi is a great example of an exception since his weapon is unique. As they are, there's a maybe just a bit too much "reskinned European Fantasy" going on. I think you could have committed to a more extensive distinction between the aesthetics of the (mostly) Eurocentric Historica and wherever you're drawing influence from for Mwamba. That's the thing, right? The names sound like a mix of Sub-Suharan Africa and Indian Subcontinent but the "trappings" of the figs feel kind of vague, as if they'd fit in just fine with the more dramatic diversity of Kaliphlin or Nocturnus.

Now all that being said, I think Panga is one of the coolest figs I've ever seen on GoH. I really dig how you've used the Thor: Ragnarok parts here. I have a feeling your brick-built baby dragon, which is brilliant, is going to be very influential and borrowed a lot by other builders. Probably the star of the set. Hamisha looks awesome and really stands out from the crowd, which makes her another exception (like Kafunzi's weapon) that proves the rule with regard to my criticisms about repetition in this series. I also like the Gnomish tinkerer and the brace of rats you did for Anyo the Hunter. We've seen countless hunters in CMFs and I think the main thing that differentiates yours is the rats (the gear is similar to others) and of course that the character is using one of Lego's PoC heads.

Edited November 25, 2017 by mccoyed

[TitusV]

I will not repost all of the comments I made earlier on Flickr (seems like I gave a lot of feedback there, oops ) but the general feeling is sooooo great! Amazing job Henjin, really   

[zoth33]

Really like all of your figs.  The elves are really done well.  Great job.

[narbilu]

I love the gnomes, especially because they are not represented very much in Historica... well done!

[Henjin_Quilones]

On 11/25/2017 at 3:30 PM, mccoyed said:

I really like the idea of an equatorial region with lots of PoC representation. Some people are going to grumble, as always, that Lego isn't meant to have racial representation but that cat got out of the bag when they started making flesh-tone heads as part of their licensed series. Lego is working on doing better with that stuff, but it is still severely limited so you've done really well and managed a pretty wide range of characters. That said, the one criticism I have is that there's still a lot of repetition (in the hairstyles especially) which makes it more difficult for individual figs to stand out (which they should in a CMF). In addition, I think you might have tried to include more unique types of craft or trade and gone a bit further with the aesthetics and gear of the warrior figs. Kafunzi is a great example of an exception since his weapon is unique. As they are, there's a maybe just a bit too much "reskinned European Fantasy" going on. I think you could have committed to a more extensive distinction between the aesthetics of the (mostly) Eurocentric Historica and wherever you're drawing influence from for Mwamba. That's the thing, right? The names sound like a mix of Sub-Suharan Africa and Indian Subcontinent but the "trappings" of the figs feel kind of vague, as if they'd fit in just fine with the more dramatic diversity of Kaliphlin or Nocturnus.

Now all that being said, I think Panga is one of the coolest figs I've ever seen on GoH. I really dig how you've used the Thor: Ragnarok parts here. I have a feeling your brick-built baby dragon, which is brilliant, is going to be very influential and borrowed a lot by other builders. Probably the star of the set. Hamisha looks awesome and really stands out from the crowd, which makes her another exception (like Kafunzi's weapon) that proves the rule with regard to my criticisms about repetition in this series. I also like the Gnomish tinkerer and the brace of rats you did for Anyo the Hunter. We've seen countless hunters in CMFs and I think the main thing that differentiates yours is the rats (the gear is similar to others) and of course that the character is using one of Lego's PoC heads.

Thanks for the criticism, mccoyed! I agree that there is repetition, but there is only one hairpiece with reddish-brown elf ears in production, too, it limits what can be done. An official LEGO CMF line can make new molds and recolor old ones, but for this, I could not, of course. I started with the idea of having darker-skinned elves (rather than the standard pale-skinned variety) and went from there, using the parts I had in my collection (besides a BL order to get the brown elf ears). Ultimately I decided that elves are probably still rather elvish, though, no matter the color of skin, and so the trappings of their high civilization ended up looking more like standard fantasy stuff, with different architecture and location. I was also limited on what kinds of torsos I had available, as most of what I have is LotR, SW, and Super Heroes, with a small amount of PotC in there. It is hard to get terribly different in culture using what is in LEGO's collection currently (or at least in mine). I am looking forward to getting the Black Panther sets for some more diversity, too. Anyo's face, by the way, is from SW (the Kanjiklub Gang Member from the 2015 MF set) not PotC. 

On 11/26/2017 at 3:27 PM, TitusV said:

I will not repost all of the comments I made earlier on Flickr (seems like I gave a lot of feedback there, oops ) but the general feeling is sooooo great! Amazing job Henjin, really   

You helped considerably, Titus, so I thank you. I am sure you can see some differences that reflect the feedback you gave me, especially with Mkuu and the gnomes. 

On 11/26/2017 at 7:31 PM, zoth33 said:

Really like all of your figs.  The elves are really done well.  Great job.

Thanks! Glad you like them!

On 11/27/2017 at 9:42 AM, narbilu said:

I love the gnomes, especially because they are not represented very much in Historica... well done!

I agree, we need more gnomes!

[TitusV]

Just now, Henjin_Quilones said:

...

You helped considerably, Titus, so I thank you. I am sure you can see some differences that reflect the feedback you gave me, especially with Mkuu and the gnomes. 

...

Aye, I've seen and approved the changes!

[mrcp6d]

Henjin, these are fantastic.  (It looks like you and I were riding the same brainwave with dragons )  I really like how you've taken what LEGO has given us for "pointy ears" and created some unique and wonderful figs!

The modern compound bow for Winda is killing me though--really jarring. 

[Henjin_Quilones]

3 hours ago, mrcp6d said:

Henjin, these are fantastic.  (It looks like you and I were riding the same brainwave with dragons )  I really like how you've taken what LEGO has given us for "pointy ears" and created some unique and wonderful figs!

The modern compound bow for Winda is killing me though--really jarring. 

Thanks, mrcp6d! I hope to see some dragons in your settlement build (assuming you make one) since I love dragons. As for the compound bow - it was the only black bow I had, and I actually really like the way it looks; I imagine it as some sort of dragon-horn laminate composite bow, as opposed to a more typically European self bow of one piece of wood. 

[mccoyed]

On 12/3/2017 at 1:14 PM, Henjin_Quilones said:

Thanks for the criticism, mccoyed! I agree that there is repetition, but there is only one hairpiece with reddish-brown elf ears in production, too, it limits what can be done. An official LEGO CMF line can make new molds and recolor old ones, but for this, I could not, of course. I started with the idea of having darker-skinned elves (rather than the standard pale-skinned variety) and went from there, using the parts I had in my collection (besides a BL order to get the brown elf ears). Ultimately I decided that elves are probably still rather elvish, though, no matter the color of skin, and so the trappings of their high civilization ended up looking more like standard fantasy stuff, with different architecture and location. I was also limited on what kinds of torsos I had available, as most of what I have is LotR, SW, and Super Heroes, with a small amount of PotC in there. It is hard to get terribly different in culture using what is in LEGO's collection currently (or at least in mine). I am looking forward to getting the Black Panther sets for some more diversity, too. Anyo's face, by the way, is from SW (the Kanjiklub Gang Member from the 2015 MF set) not PotC.

What I would have done different is use hair-pieces that don't show ears and just let us assume the ears are covered. Or use headgear. I would not have repeated the same hairpiece. I do understand parts limits, but that's the challenge of doing a CMF.

[soccerkid6]

It's easy to see you put a lot of thought into this series! The tiny dragon is adorable  Mkuu, Winda, and Ganga are my favorites 

Clever hammer design for the blacksmith too! 

[The Maestro]

Sorry I missed this man, but I thought it was a fantastic idea when I saw them on flickr. I like the use of non flesh heads although I can say I only have about 5 due to their relative rarity. My favourites would be Kufunzi and Bahari 

[Henjin_Quilones]

On 12/4/2017 at 11:51 PM, mccoyed said:

What I would have done different is use hair-pieces that don't show ears and just let us assume the ears are covered. Or use headgear. I would not have repeated the same hairpiece. I do understand parts limits, but that's the challenge of doing a CMF.

I see your point, but have no regrets about using the same hair piece for all of the male elves. I like the way it looks, personally. 

On 12/13/2017 at 11:22 AM, soccerkid6 said:

It's easy to see you put a lot of thought into this series! The tiny dragon is adorable  Mkuu, Winda, and Ganga are my favorites 

Clever hammer design for the blacksmith too! 

Thanks, SK! Glad you like the dragon. Mkuu, Winda, and Ganga are probably my favorites, too. 

On 12/28/2017 at 6:45 PM, The Maestro said:

Sorry I missed this man, but I thought it was a fantastic idea when I saw them on flickr. I like the use of non flesh heads although I can say I only have about 5 due to their relative rarity. My favourites would be Kufunzi and Bahari 

They are rare, for sure (which is why I have been trying to collect more of them over the years)! I'm glad you like them!

[de Gothia]

Wow, glad to see that this topic came back to the surface cause you have som great figs!! Love the different combos!

 

Well done!