[OL-FB] All quiet on El Oleonda

[Keymonus]

The Labyrinth, El Oleonda, December 622

"Enemies ahead, take cover!" Shouted Tristan, as his men started to kneel behind the ruins or in the thick undergrowth. "Open fire, at will!".

Bullets started flying in all the directions. The chasseurs aimed carefully before each shot, but also the Lotii were in a good position.

After the Lotii had disengaged from the siege of Seawatch and had -likely- returned to their bases, nothing seemed really different from two years before: both armies were hidden somewhere in the jungle, as invisible as if they had been an ocean apart; only small patrols crawled in that green hell, hunting one another and looking for any sign of the enemy forces.

Things, however had actually changed a lot since then: the recruits just dragged from the West had quickly been replaced by battle-hardened jaegers and chasseurs, the Lotii militiamen by the finest warriors of the four banners. Now all the fights had become fiercer, and any mistake was paid in soldiers’ lives!

That day, Tristan was crossing the Labyrinth with a company of light infantry, when they surprised a group of Lotii soldiers coming from the opposite direction. The huge complex of ruins represented one of the few reference points between les Colines du Roi (the King’s hills) and Seawatch, and could either represent a safe shelter or a deadly trap: the Lotii knew that place too, and dozens of men could in any moment be -completely unseen- just a few buildings apart.

The place must have been an important  city, the largest among those discovered on El Oleonda. Now, however, only a few large palaces were still standing, covered by the vegetation, among a web of alleys, canals and low walls.

One of the Lotii fell, wounded or dead, as his comrades continued shooting. The two groups were just a few metres far, but the ruins offered them a good protection, and most of the bullets just shattered some old bricks.

The Lotii were fighting well, but they were outnumbered, and soon they started to disengage, disappearing again among the ruins. Everything finished in a matter of minutes, then the jungle was silent again, as if nothing at all had happened.

Even though the soldiers of Oleon had won, their victory was almost pointless. The chasseurs owned the battlefield, but the enemy had disappeared, as always, and very next day it could have been their turn to die or to run for their lives. That evening, Tristan scribbled just a few words on his diary: “Lotii scouts engaged and repelled. Still no trace of the enemy army. All quiet on El Oleonda”.

———————

I put together this moc quite quickly, but I’m very satisfied by the result! I hope to show soon more of the Labyrinth, actually a ruined city somewhere on El Oleonda (since there are no official “King’s Hills”, it could basically be anywhere).

In the campaign, it should be considered as a minor skirmish, part of the recognitions from the advanced positions often light infantry.

C&C are welcome, as always! I hope you enjoyed the build and the story!

Edited December 27, 2022 by Keymonus

[Capt Wolf]

Good scene! I like the kneeling figure, and the ice cream for musket smoke and the HP wand for a ramrod. Good piece usage!

[Bregir]

"The Labyrinth"? I am intrigued - do we have some Knossos style stuff going on here?

Nice battle scene - great fig posing, and as Capt. Wolf says, NPU! I would have loved to see a little more description of what is going on. Is this a small skirmish, recon in force, or the beginning of a big battle?

[Ross Fisher]

Seconded. We're gonna need to know more about The Labyrinth. Really though, it's a great little scene. I'd love to see you do one with more verticality. 

[Keymonus]

Thank you guys! I’m glad you like my MOC! I tried to combine most of the fighting details I introduced in my builds over the years (the ramrod, splinters flying from a wall, minifigs kneeling…).

About the story… my laptop has the annoying habit of refreshing/closing open things (including eurobricks posts), and I didn’t want to lose the uploaded pictures. I’ll add a proper story today or tomorrow!

2 hours ago, Bregir said:

"The Labyrinth"? I am intrigued - do we have some Knossos style stuff going on here?

 

3 hours ago, Ross Fisher said:

Seconded. We're gonna need to know more about The Labyrinth. Really though, it's a great little scene. I'd love to see you do one with more verticality. 

That was the plan… some large and intricate ruin complex! As for verticality, I’d either need some more nougat bricks or a smaller plot, but I’ll sure try something higher in a next future!

[blackdeathgr]

Nice fighting scene and quite a reference on the title

11 hours ago, Bregir said:

"The Labyrinth"? I am intrigued - do we have some Knossos style stuff going on here?

YES please!!! 

Edited December 19, 2022 by blackdeathgr

[NOD]

Great diorama with an interesting and exciting story. The terrain with the remains of the city overgrown by plants looks great.

[Jeff of Clubs]

Love it! The scene and setting are as dynamic as always. Those crouching legs are very clever.