Gideon Posted February 10, 2017 Gideon’s GoH build index August 6, 2018 Updated to the end of Book II. Looking forward to getting back into GoH for Book III !February 10, 2017 It’s been four years since I arrived in Historica and got hooked for real on this world. To celebrate this and to prepare myself for the next challenge, I’ve made an attempt to collect all my GoH builds here and will present them roughly in chronological order and try to put them in context.If you want to read more and see more pictures, please click the links below the pictures which will take you to the Eurobricks threads. If you want to leave comments however I would prefer if you did it here in this thread or on the pictures on Flickr, not “resurrecting” old threads. Sigfig intro For the full sigfig background, you can read my old presentation thread here: http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=79999. My sigfig is Gideon the half-elf. He is now the chairman of the City Council of the glorious city of Barqa, the trading hub of south-western Kaliphlin. That was not always the case... Sigfig in battle armor Gideon was born as the offspring of the daughter of a minor Avalonian lord and an unknown elvish father. When dying in childbirth, she took the secret of who Gideon’s father was with her to the grave. Love in Avalonia Gideon spent his early years among the human children in his grandfather’s castle Nordana Hall in Avalonia. Neither his grandfather, nor the other humans in the castle were particularly found of the half-elf, so Gideon learned many hard lessons from children and grownups alike that he wasn’t “one of them”. Practicing children Gideon decided to leave the place where he had never been truly welcome and set out to make his own place in the world. He spent many years as a mercenary and travelled all over Historica but finally made his home in Kaliphlin, the most diverse and tolerant of the guilds. Caravan guard Petraean city wall Book I - The Revolword Saga I joined GoH in the last months of Book I, and at that point the evil wizard Victor Revolword, his elementals and the forces loyal to him named the “Hand of Corruption” were wreaking havoc all over Historica. (You can read the whole story here: http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=83406) Revolword’s Terror The small town of Groenby was raided by Revolword’s forces, and he appeared himself to perform some sinister rituals... Pillage of Groenby Victor Revolword in Groenby Cities were burning all over Historica... Burning city ...while some mercenaries were still fighting for the lords of Kaliphlin who had gold to pay them. This particular watchtower is occupied by the Arkbri Falcons, a notorious band of mercenaries under the captain Ediz Falconi. Falcon’s Nest Battle for Queenscross A strong force of Victor Revolword’s forces were marching towards the strategically important city of Queenscross, which held one of the only crossings over the mighty Arkbri river. (The battle was played out in this thread: http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=80826). A call to arms was made, and Gideon responded together with the Arkbri Falcons, his old Avalonian friend Sir Derrik of Groenby (who’s county had been devastated by the attacks from Revolword and the Hand of Corruption) Army Marching to battle along the Arkbri River Many of those marching to Queenscross with Sir Gideon would later fall in the battle there, as told in the report of the battle by Paulos MacLean. Among the casualties were Gideon's old friend Sir Derrik. Aftermath of the battle of Queenscross Battle of Castle Zar Not long after the battle of Queenscross a new person showed up. Aidana, a battlemage of the Khel'Zarim, appeared and enlisted the help of Gideon and his friends to retake the seat of her order Castle Zar from the orcs who had taken advantage of the absence of most of the battlemages when they were busy fighting Revolword’s elementals all over Historica. On the road to Castle Zar After getting into the castle, the final battle against the orcs was fought inside the great hall of Castle Zar. Battle scene After winning the battle, the archmage was freed and Gideon’s part in the Revolword war was over. Council chamber in Castle Zar after the battle. My builds around the battle for Queenscross plus the battle of Castle Zar was my entry to book I challenge VI. Inside Kaliphlin Some of Kaliphlin’s many wonders were presented to the world through the Inside Kaliphlin collab, I built two MOCs for this. (See all builds here: http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=84240) The Dune Sea The Fighting Pit of Mophet Mini-challenges at the end of Book I “There are many wonders of architecture throughout Historica: massive dwarven halls, lofty elven towers, elegant cathedrals, and impregnable fortresses. But Revolword and the elementals have laid waste to many of these structures. Now that Revolword had been defeated, craftsmen across Historica took up their tools to rebuild the former glory of Historica.” - Paraphrase of the introduction to SK’s Master Arhitect Challenge Gideon’s response to the immense destruction left by the Revolword war was to pay for repair works on the city walls of Kaliphlin’s capital Petraea. Paying for the repair of the Walls of Petraea Repairing the Walls of Petraea Raising the Dead In the quest to create a potion to resurrect Dugal MacLean (Ska’s sigfig) from the dead, Gideon assisted by capturing a red scorpion. It’s venom was needed for the potion. Collecting the Venom of a Red Scorpion Life and Death in Kaliphlin (mini-challenge) http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=87279 Graduation in Barqa Card XVI Kaligem Humanitarian aid to Mitgardia After some trash-talking between Kaliphlin and Mitgardia, Kaliphlin decided to provide some humanitarian aid to Mitgardia - regardless of if the Mitgardians needed it or not... Mitgardian Trade Sultan’s Gate A collaborative effort to flesh out the city of Sultan’s Gate. This build was created to match the inside of the main gate built by Robuko. Sultan’s Gate - main gate and town houses Freebuild - Nordana Castle Built for the Swebrick medieval landscape but also to represent Gideon’s birthplace in Avalonia. Nordana Castle, from left Nordana Castle, from right Book II The defeat of Victor Revolword left Historica in ruins and many new conflicts emerged out of the Elemental War... Challenge I - The Battle for Nocturnus In Nocturnus, a civil war broke out between the old leadership and a new alliance calling themselves the “Black Spire”. I was assigned to the Black Spire team for the challenge. http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=86759 Soraya of the Hashishin, an ancient and secretive group of Kaliphlin mercenaries and assassins, was sent on a mission by the Black Spire to recruit soldiers. Travelling the Nocturnian countryside is however not without it’s dangers, so her trained monkey helped her dispatching a few ambushes... Ambushing an Ambush Eventually, Soraya found a cyclops tribe ready to join the cause of the Black Spire. Recruiting a Cyclops Tribe Fortifications throughout Nocturnus were also occupied by the Black Spire. Swamplands Tower Citizens supporting the Varlyrian mercenaries fighting with the Black Spire barricaded a city block in Illyria, the capital of Varlyrio. The Garra (guard of Illyria) was dispatched to deal with the troublemakers, but it turned into a bloody affair... Fighting Among the Canals Battle of the Wither Woods A battle fought during the War of the Brothers. Participants built forces to send to the fighting, which then were recreated by the GoH members doing the actual wargaming. Full report here: http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=94787 Arkbri Falcons Barqan city guard Cyclops tribe Challenge II Aiding the refugees in Avalonia Treating the sick at a hospital in Barqa Lighthouse of Barqa Freebuilds Kaliphlin forces were fighting the Drow loyalists, patrolling the borderlands with Avalonia and dispatching any stragglers venturing over on the wrong side of the border... Waiting outside the gate Infiltration by Assassins Forest patrol Desert Cavalry With peace restored, the ever important trade could continue. A Kaliphlin merchant buying goods at a market Caravan trade through the Kaliphlin desert Delivering the mail Escorting a valuable load Ice fishing in Mitgardia Ostrich farming Historican Settlements: Streets of Barqa Barqa is the trading hub of south-western Kaliphlin. The city is located where the mighty Arkbri river meets the sea. The Arkbri river stretches all the way from the mountains of Mitgardia and is a major shipping route through central Historica. Barqa is a melting pot of people and cultures from all points of the compass, and dozens of different languages can be heard in the streets. Streets of Barqa Streets of Barqa, outside Streets of Barqa at night Challenge III Political turmoil in Mitgardia made the dwarves take up arms and go to war against the Drow. Among the dwarves of Historica, veneration of the ancestors is widespread and many statues of fallen heroes are placed in the great dwarven halls. It is common to seek the blessings of these heroes of old, usually through a ritual performed by a priest, before going into battle. Blessing of the ancestors Dwarves going to war against the Drow, through ancient tunnels where their ancestors buried their dead. Drow grave robber have already been there... Infiltrating through the dwarven necropolis Challenge IV All along the usually fertile Arkbri valley crop failures started to happen, leading to widespread food shortages and famine. This caused food prices in all towns and cities dependent on that food to rise dramatically. Reports of food riots made their way to Barqa, where the emergency supplies in the city's granaries and it's strong city guard were been able to keep major riots from happening. Food rationing in Barqa Two powers arose to challenge the ruling High Council. Ulandus on islands in the south and the ancient Desert King arising out of the legends and taking Sultan’s Gate as his capital Bands of spies and raiders started appearing all over Kaliphlin, and the High Council struggled to keep those at bay.... Catching Desert King spies in the Arkbri valley Defending the supplies to Messahmuk Forces loyal to the High Council were also fighting to secure vital routes where enemy forces could advance, patrolling it’s own lands and ambushing the enemy where they least expected it. Blocking the road to Queenscross Guarding Flagg’s reservoir Patrolling the grasslands of southern Kaliphlin Ambush in the Nestlands Haxtarus, ruler of Cefivia, a location on the outskirts of the Witherwoods, betrayed the High Council and handed over control of his territory to Ulandus. High Council soldiers seized him and he was put on trial for his treason. Trial of Haxtarus Duels were fought between champions from the different factions. Duel in the Sacred Forest Duel in the Ashes of a Volcano Finally, hostilities ceased but with no clear victor. The Desert King in particular did however make significant territorial gains. The agriculture of Kaliphlin is heavily dependent on irrigation. During the Civil War, many parts of this infrastructure was damaged. Since the cessation of hostilities, the City Council of Barqa has sponsored a rebuilding campaign of the irrigation canals in the Arkbri valley. Now once more fresh water from the river can be diverted to the fields of the bread-basket of western Kaliphlin. Arkbri Irrigation The Frozen Beyond The Algus are an ancient race from the Frozen Beyond, north of Mitgardia. After being quiet for millennia, they suddenly moved south and invaded Mitgardia and pushed as far south as Kaliphlin. Strange icy creatures also appeared and seemed to obey the Algus magicians... Ice worm in the sand Algus capturing a fortress in Kaliphlin With bands of Algus roaming Kaliphlin, there were an increasing number of reports of strange weather. From some of the caravan routes, reports even spoke of fairly deep snow! Many animals perished due to the harsh conditions, so the Kaliphlin vultures were thriving. Snow in Kaliphlin Oil proved to be an effective weapon against the Algus, so the Council of Barqa decided to set fire to a number of tar pits despite the economic implications. The black oily smoke proved effective in deterring the Algus and reversed the effects of their weather manipulation. Together with the other measures used throughout Historica to fight the Algus, the frosty invaders were expelled to their frozen hell in the north once more. Burning the tar pits In the war against Raavage and his Black Spire forces (full story here), Lord Gideon led the Kaliphlin forces into war and defeated the forces of Raavage and his Kaliphlin loyalists in the battle of the Shifting Oasis. Mobile siege weaponry produced in Barqa, spewing the terrible liquid Barqan fire, played an important role in securing the victory (despite being occasionally as deadly to it's users as to the enemy). https://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?/forums/topic/148157-book-ii-challenge-v-category-b-barqan-fire-wagon/Siege workshop in Barqa Book III A story yet to be written...! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Henjin_Quilones Posted February 10, 2017 Amazing work, Gideon! I had seen many of these before in various "Best of GoH" compilations, but to see them all together in one place is great. My favorite detail in them, among many fantastic details, is the wide-trunked palm tree on the ostrich farm. I have never seen anyone else use the barrel halves for a tree trunk before, and they work well! Keep up the good work, and I look forward to seeing what you will do in the current challenge. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Blufiji Posted February 10, 2017 All of these builds are outstanding, however to me..Patrolling the Grasslands is my absolute favorite. The sense of action you get from that build is surreal. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MassEditor Posted February 10, 2017 (edited) Wow, so impressive and inspiring to see your GoH builds all in one place. Some of the best castle MOCs ever (the Streets of Barqa is forever etched into the collective memory of castle builders) and definitely among the top in photography as well. Very interesting to see your building progression, too (as I thought, you were always good!). On the Road to Castle Zar is new to me, glad you shared it here because it is one of the best forced-perspective shots I've seen. I look forward to all the new masterpieces you will add to this list! Edited February 10, 2017 by MassEditor Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zoth33 Posted February 11, 2017 This is quite impressive. All of your builds have nice texture and great landscaping. I really like all of your figs as well especially Gideon he is such a great character. Keep up the great work. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MaasEffekt Posted February 11, 2017 Wonderful! Inspiring! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Muakhah Posted February 11, 2017 It was the Streets of Barqa that got me truly hooked on guilds of historica. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gunman Posted February 11, 2017 Amazing series of builds for sure Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kai NRG Posted February 11, 2017 Amazing collection of builds Gideon, you've been one of the inspirational builders of GoH and it's amazing to be able to scroll through it all like this! Keep up the great work! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
soccerkid6 Posted February 12, 2017 Man do the years go by fast I remember being incredibly impressed by your series of introduction builds, and since then, you've only continued to amaze and inspire! Your Repairing the Walls of Petraea MOC brought back a lot of memories Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Grover Posted February 12, 2017 I found Nordana Castle via Flickr some months back, and it is one of my favorite castle MOCs. I think you really hit the right mixture of textured bricks, light and dark grey for the walls. The roof colors, the stream around the castle... it's everything that I would want out of a castle MOC. My hat's off to you. I would count you among the masters here. Awesome! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TitusV Posted February 12, 2017 such an amazing collection of such amazing builds. Some of them I had seen before, some of them not, but They're all just gorgeous Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
en_zoo Posted February 13, 2017 awesome post! I had come across few of your builds here and there, yet seeing them all in one place and in chronological order is 'simply' inspiring. cannot wait to see what you build next! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Slegengr Posted February 14, 2017 And here lies many an inspirational build for me... Excellent builds, Gideon! I certainly missed some over my time here on Eurobricks and am glad to see all of these builds compiled into this post! Your photography skills really stand out as a perfect addition to your outstanding building skills! I will be looking forward to your builds that could be added to the list in the future. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Captain Braunsfeld Posted February 14, 2017 So, this is your "best of", I understand. And the quality of your MOCs is amazing - some of my all-time-favorite MOCs seem to be coming from you. Masterpieces really. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ecclesiastes Posted February 14, 2017 This is so much fun to look at. Especially seeing the improvement of building and photo skills! I was also thinking of making a post like. Not to just show all my builds, but to connect them to each other storywise. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
don leopold Posted February 14, 2017 It is nice to see all your work in one topic. Your buildings are a great inspiration for a lot of people, especially me, the streets of Barqa made me to join Kaliphlin a year ago. I am looking forwards to see more buildings of you. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Brandon Stark Posted February 15, 2017 Nice series of builds! It's great seeing them all in one place. I have to admit, it's these builds that make me think about joining Kaliphlin. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LittleJohn Posted February 15, 2017 So wonderful to see all of your builds in one place. The Streets of Barqa would have to be my favorite from you, but there are so many other amazing builds as well, such as Swamplands Tower, Lighthouse of Barqa, and Sultan's Gate, to name just a few. I look forward to seeing what you will create in the future Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mrcp6d Posted February 16, 2017 A wonder look back, I can't wait for more! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Garmadon Posted February 22, 2017 Excellent idea to index and tie together all your builds here, Gideon, and as others have said, it's truly inspirational and quite a pleasure to scroll through them all! Keep on building! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
