MassEditor Posted February 8, 2015 (edited) Talk was light during the ride to Shadowmere. Neither Lord Vladivus nor Anfauglir could shake off the thought that one was leading the other to a trap. Although Anfauglir was alone and many leagues from his men, Vladivus suspected the disgraced Covenant commander might have a trick up his sleeve. After all, was it possible his allegiance had turned so quickly against the Black Spire? For his part, Anfauglir had no way to tell whether Vladivus would lead him right to the hangman's rope. His fate was currently in Vladivus' hands. Anfauglir and Lord Vladivus, flanked by two of Shadowmere's royal guard, rode through the massive black gates which had long protected Shadowmere. The other side was alive with the sounds of the city's famous markets. Merchants were lined up on both sides of the street to sell their wares and little could be heard above the din of haggling. A group of children swarmed Vladivus in excitement, hoping to hear one of his many tales of battle. For the first time, Anfaulgir was able to see for himself the glory of Shadowmere - Nocturnus' most cultured city and one of the mightiest in all of Historica. The group continued towards the royal palace whose towers and spikes rose threateningly towards the sky. The palace was not only home to Vladivus and his court, but served as headquarters for most of the organized resistance against the Black Spire. Anfauglir was led through several halls before entering a room deep within the palace. A shadowy figure stood in the middle, studying a large model of what appeared to be the Obsidian Spike. Vladivus moved forward to great him. "Ah, Lord Mortis, thank you for waiting on us. I apologize for the delay - there was a slight... erhm... misunderstanding at the border. Nevertheless, have you already met Anfauglir?" Lord Mortis turned and shook Anfauglir's hands. "We have not, but no doubt our reputations precede each other. Anfauglir, your escape alongside the Zugal and Dragon Master leaders has been heard across Nocturnus. That rabid dog has lost some of his closest allies, and now limps on just three legs." Anfauglir laughed at this thought of Raavage. "And many horror stories have been told over the reign of you and your minions - I am glad you have chosen to join us against the Black Spire." Vladivus walked up and locked eyes with Anfauglir. "Join us he has - it is you, Anfauglir, whose motivations are still unclear to me. Though my spies suggest your betrayal of Senurhem and Raavage is absolute, I'm still left questioning, why the change of heart? Had the blood finally run too deep?" Anfauglir lowered his head and spoke. He had been awaiting this question. "I was but a simple soldier, blindly following orders for what I thought was my people's best hope in this cruel land. Then I realized the Black Spire would have us march to battle forever, and that all we had fought for would be eventually consumed. Raavage and Senurhem seek a path of endless war that will not stop at the border of Nocturnus." Lord Mortis thought he could see their alliance crumbling before it had even begun. If Anfauglir and Vladivus could not put their past behind, this gathering would be for nothing. "Vladivus, I see no lies in Anfauglir's words. Here stands before you a man wishing to right his wrongs. I have seen the graciousness of you and your city... you would not forget it now I hope?" Vladivus relaxed. He knew he needed the Covenant commander. Their history, however injurious, could be redressed once Raavage's head was on a spike. "I hope you are right, Mortis. What we need now more than ever is able-bodied soldiers, and men to command them. Anfauglir, we still have much to reminisce about, but you are right: Raavage's goal has always been Historica. I'm afraid, however, the other guilds will not sit idly by. If the Black Spire is allowed to conquer all of Nocturnus, Historica will surely unite against our lands. The ensuing battle would likely lay waste to what little we have left." Vladivus walked to the model and mentioned for Mortis and Anfauglir to follow. "Fortunately, that day has not yet come. We still have time to defeat Raavage, but first we need a strategy. Here you see a model of the Obsidian Spike - the heart of Raavage's dominion. The stories you have heard are true: the fortress is impregnable. The Spike is protected by swamps on one side and buttressed by mountains on the other. This only leaves a frontal attack-" Anfauglir cut him off. "That would be suicidal. It would take a legion just to knock on the front door, let alone enter it." Glaring at Anfauglir, Vladivus continued. "-which only a fool would suggest. We need to hit Raavage where he is weak. Given your former alliance, Anfauglir, I was hoping you would have some suggestions." "We need to strike against Senurhem. Raavage is using the Covenant as a crutch now that he has lost the Zugal and Dragon Masters. You have surely heard, too, that the Drow and Varlyrian's allegiance with Raavage may be fracturing. If, as Lord Mortis says, Raavage limps on three legs, let's make him limp on two." Vladivus thought of the Dragon Masters and Zugal. Little has been heard of them since the escape from Lagash Ur. "And what of Anzar, Korrak and Rokkar? Will they fight with us?" Anfauglir took a deep breath and replied. "I don't know. I'm afraid their hatred for one another will not die easily, even under the Black Spire threat. Besides, I fear Raavage will focus his wrath on the Zugal and Dragon Masters for their betrayal. They may not have the forces to spare." Vladivus knew Anfauglir had failed to mention one detail - something his intelligence operatives has just received rumors of. He was about to ask when suddenly the door to the war room flew open and one of Vladivus' guards hurried in. The guard saluted Vladivus. "Sir! A group of warriors claiming to be emissaries from the Black Spire are outside the gate. They wish to relay a message from Raavage, to you personally sir." A look of concern dropped over Vladivus' face. "Looks like they were close on your trail, Anfauglir. Guard, order the garrison to man their posts and stay alert. We shall not fall for any of the Spire's traps! Lord Mortis, Anfauglir - will you join me at the gate?" Anfauglir nodded and followed the guard outside. "And you, Mortis?" "I do not wish to miss what foul message Raavage has sent our way, but there is something I must take care of first. I am expecting some encouraging news from one of my commanders. As you know, we vampires share many connections, and I am sensing something now - as if a veil of eternal sleep is being lifted." Vladivus placed his hand on Mortis' shoulder. "Is it Sonja, my friend?" Mortis nodded. "I believe she has finally returned." "Fantastic news, my friend. Please, take your time and join us at the gate when you are ready. I doubt these Spire scum will leave any time soon." The two shook hands before Vladivus turned and exited the room. Mortis sat down and concentrated. His mind began to form a picture of a dark crypt containing several coffins. Knocking could be heard from within one. --------------------------------------- A full shot of the MOC: --------------------------------------- About this MOC: Greetings! This is another part of the ongoing collaborative project Lord Vladivus, Jorrith and myself are working on. Thanks to everyone who made it through this long, long story - we had a lot to set up in this part of the project! Hope you guys stay tuned because there's much more awesomeness on its way! Other parts of this collab: Part 1 - On the Road to Shadowmere Part 2 - Old Friends And here's a link to ZCerberus' epic Obsidian Spike, so you can see what the model in my build was based on. Edited February 9, 2015 by MassEditor Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mike S Posted February 8, 2015 Awesome! Good to see Shadowmere getting fleshed out more with more solid structures! That mini model is a nice touch! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Blufiji Posted February 8, 2015 Wonderful. I like where the story is going and the build is very impressive. The mini spire model in particular. Didn't know that we in Nocturnus figured out the world was round btw. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Justin M Posted February 9, 2015 I love the bookcases, people don't make them in Dark Brown too often. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Graham Gidman Posted February 9, 2015 This is just too cool! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mrcp6d Posted February 9, 2015 I really like how you're able to tell a story using snippets of a larger MOC! In this one, I absolutely love the model! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gedren_y Posted February 9, 2015 Interesting things afoot. Vladivus' keep appears well appointed. Shadowmere must be enjoying some lucrative trade. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LittleJohn Posted February 9, 2015 Excellent build! The bookcases look great, but that globe holder is fantastic! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Spader Posted February 9, 2015 Wow! Nice moc! I love the books and maps. Their's is an unlikely alliance, forged in the fires of war.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
-Carson Haupt- Posted February 9, 2015 First off, congrats to you all, I'm really loving this story. As for the build, it's fantastic! I love the mini model and the whole thing is just so believable! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Yooha Posted February 9, 2015 Is it the 1st occasion we see Anfauglir without the hood? His hair (or wig?) is surprising to me, but not bad. The story or the build don't need any more praise, I'm still a huge fan! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lord Vladivus Posted February 9, 2015 Awesome! Good to see Ang without the hood! So many great details, not least of which is the mini model! The suits of armour in the alcoves are cool too! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gunman Posted February 9, 2015 Really nice atmosphere ME! The mini model you created is well done! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kabel Posted February 9, 2015 Amazing stuff as always and your story actually is really interesting too, although I do think the winter is getting to you too. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jorrith Posted February 9, 2015 Darn, now i'll need to bricklink the hairpiece for Anfauglir! I allready had the delight of reading the awesome story a few days ago, but what a smashing build! It just makes me want to do a shadowmere build even more! I love the scale model of the spike, and those book cases turned out great in dark brown. Also the different floor levels give it a spacious feel, just as the balcony. You really outdone yourself ME! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Garmadon Posted February 9, 2015 Another lovely interior build, MassEditor, excellent details throughout Besides the great story a few things that caught my attention were the fantastic bookshelves, Obsidian Spike model, windows, flooring, and knight statues against the wall As always, I can't wait for more! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bregir Posted February 9, 2015 I don't know what to praise the most, the build or the storyline, so I will chose an entirely different thing! I think the collaborative and coordinative effort put into this is extraordinary - and the results are fantastic - I really can't wait to see the upcoming episodes! Both Mortis' vision and Ravage's messengers promise great tales to be told! Keep up the good work - Hope this might inspire even more collaborative efforts in GOH Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Captain Braunsfeld Posted February 9, 2015 The "full shot" of the MOC is really great. A fine, well-designed room. Excellent! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MKJoshA Posted February 10, 2015 Fantastic work! All the details (for me it's the 2 plate high stairs) are amazing! I have a technique question though, how do you get the triangle shields to sit flush against the wall? I know a arch is used on the top half, but what allows the bottom rod of the handle to fit? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
soccerkid6 Posted February 11, 2015 Such a tremendous interior, wow The layout with the entrance coming out below the raised dais is pretty sweet, as is the balcony Superb architecture for Nocturnus, and in particular Shadowmere. Lovely furniture too, I like how you varied the sizes of the shelves Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MassEditor Posted February 11, 2015 Awesome! Good to see Shadowmere getting fleshed out more with more solid structures! That mini model is a nice touch! Thanks Mike! LV has given us an awesome building venue with Shadowmere! Wonderful. I like where the story is going and the build is very impressive. The mini spire model in particular. Didn't know that we in Nocturnus figured out the world was round btw. Haha, thanks blufiji! I think we Nocturnians have always known the world to be round, it's those other guilds that still fear falling off the end of the oceans! I love the bookcases, people don't make them in Dark Brown too often. Thanks! This is just too cool! Glad you liked it! I really like how you're able to tell a story using snippets of a larger MOC! In this one, I absolutely love the model! I appreciate that! The mini model was my favorite part of this (actually, that's where I started with the build, the rest is just there to fill the scene ). Glad you liked the presentation as well, I like to hid the size of these story MOCs until the very end. Interesting things afoot. Vladivus' keep appears well appointed. Shadowmere must be enjoying some lucrative trade. Thanks gedren! Yes, Shadowmere has much in its favor as one of the biggest and most cultured cities of Nocturnus! Excellent build! The bookcases look great, but that globe holder is fantastic! Thanks LJ! Wow! Nice moc! I love the books and maps. Their's is an unlikely alliance, forged in the fires of war.... Thanks! Yes, it'll be very interesting to see where this goes! First off, congrats to you all, I'm really loving this story. As for the build, it's fantastic! I love the mini model and the whole thing is just so believable! Thanks a lot Carson, glad you're enjoying the story! Is it the 1st occasion we see Anfauglir without the hood? His hair (or wig?) is surprising to me, but not bad. The story or the build don't need any more praise, I'm still a huge fan! Thanks Yooha, for the praise and for continuing to follow our story! This is indeed the first time Anfauglir is shown without his hood. He felt it would be rude to enter Shadowmere with his face hidden so he let loose his rocking hairdo. Can't say just yet whether it's a wig or the real deal, I might have to make a freebuild to figure that out! Awesome! Good to see Ang without the hood! So many great details, not least of which is the mini model! The suits of armour in the alcoves are cool too! Thanks LV for letting me build in your fantastic city! Really nice atmosphere ME! The mini model you created is well done! Thanks Gunman, really glad you liked it! Amazing stuff as always and your story actually is really interesting too, although I do think the winter is getting to you too. Haha, thanks! Man, you have no idea how tired I am of winter! (though, considering I live in Arkansas, my definition of winter may be different than your's. Anything below 15 C is too cold for me! ) Darn, now i'll need to bricklink the hairpiece for Anfauglir! I allready had the delight of reading the awesome story a few days ago, but what a smashing build! It just makes me want to do a shadowmere build even more! I love the scale model of the spike, and those book cases turned out great in dark brown. Also the different floor levels give it a spacious feel, just as the balcony. You really outdone yourself ME! Thanks a lot Jorrit! Glad you liked the story and build, and I'm excited to keep this collab up! Another lovely interior build, MassEditor, excellent details throughout Besides the great story a few things that caught my attention were the fantastic bookshelves, Obsidian Spike model, windows, flooring, and knight statues against the wall As always, I can't wait for more! Thanks Garmadon, hope we won't keep you waiting long! I don't know what to praise the most, the build or the storyline, so I will chose an entirely different thing! I think the collaborative and coordinative effort put into this is extraordinary - and the results are fantastic - I really can't wait to see the upcoming episodes! Both Mortis' vision and Ravage's messengers promise great tales to be told! Keep up the good work - Hope this might inspire even more collaborative efforts in GOH Wow, thanks a lot for this comment Bregir! Really glad you enjoying this collaborative effort. I'm like you - I'd like to see more collaboration in GoH! I think those Mitgards got something in the works though! The "full shot" of the MOC is really great. A fine, well-designed room. Excellent! Thanks Captain Braunsfeld! Fantastic work! All the details (for me it's the 2 plate high stairs) are amazing! I have a technique question though, how do you get the triangle shields to sit flush against the wall? I know a arch is used on the top half, but what allows the bottom rod of the handle to fit? Awesome Josh, glad you liked it! I also liked how those stairs turned out. You are right: to get the triangle shield flush, you use an arch. What holds it in place is a 1x2x1 panel. The vertical handle of the shield fits perfectly into the thin part of the panel. I don't know who came up with this technique but I learned it from Torgar. Such a tremendous interior, wow The layout with the entrance coming out below the raised dais is pretty sweet, as is the balcony Superb architecture for Nocturnus, and in particular Shadowmere. Lovely furniture too, I like how you varied the sizes of the shelves Thanks a ton SK, means a lot coming from a master interior decorator such as yourself! Glad you liked the furniture and overall design of this build. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MKJoshA Posted February 12, 2015 Awesome Josh, glad you liked it! I also liked how those stairs turned out. You are right: to get the triangle shield flush, you use an arch. What holds it in place is a 1x2x1 panel. The vertical handle of the shield fits perfectly into the thin part of the panel. I don't know who came up with this technique but I learned it from Torgar. That is perfect, thank you! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bregir Posted February 12, 2015 There is definitely something going on up north, and as with this, I can't wait to see the next chapter! Plus, the challenge coming closer! :thumbup: And we've generally seen quite a few nice ongoing storylines - I am hoping this trend will continue. The bacon-sprinkles on the awesomesauce is when others start support these stories with small builds. (Like Sarahjoy's recent build) What I am really looking forward to see is how this and the Kaliphlin civil war leads up to the final chapter of Book II! *Is thrilled* Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NiceMarmot Posted February 12, 2015 I really hope you all keep this story going for a long time. It's really great (as are the builds). I love that you all aren't dropping the whole Nocty story once the focus moved on to Avalonia, Mitgardia, etc. Will be fascinating to see this play out. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jorrith Posted February 13, 2015 I can't speak for the others, but i know their hart lies with nocturnus and so does mine. But that does'nt mean we like to occasionally build outside of nocty... We'll probably continue both. So not to worry! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
