The Diaries of Reinhard Wolffson - On Celestia

[Darnok]

617, Day 15 of the 11th month, In Jameston

These last days have been weird.

I boarded a ship in Arlinsport three weeks ago. Its destination was Cocovia - or so I thought. My plans were to work on the Royal Wagonway, explore the island, its plants, animals and natives. I had no idea that the captain of my ship was the greatest idiot to ever sail the Brick Seas. When we landed, I was informed that we had arrived in Celestia, not Cocovia - the captain was sure they were one and the same!

The gods, they do not smile on me...

 

So what to do next? I first looked for a room, which was easier said than done. The whole town was busy with foreigners, I repeatedly heard some kind of orchid mentioned. I finally found a small hotel in the outskirts of Jameston.

Over the next days, I made a series of long walks through Jameston itself and the area around it - what a beautiful corner of the world this turned out to be!

There was a nice little place to rest at the very end of town - the "Garnet Inn" - which I frequented often these days. After one of my walks into the nearby jungle, I had an evening meal there, when I met a most interesting woman:

 

"So you are one of the ousiders looking for an orchid here? You are aware that there are lots of orchids in this jungle?" I asked her. She seemed to be drunk.

"Yarr, orchid stuff. I am famous, you know? And this one orchid will be famous too, we just need to find it first. It is somewhere deep in the jungle, and everybody and their donkey is sending expeditions out. I guess you noticed..."

"Possibly. But tell me more about this. And: barkeep, give this lady another bottle of your finest!"

 

"Cheers, what a gentleman! Unlike my damn husband, who is chasing some poor souls to rip off in the south... never mind. So we had our own little expedition going, but you know what? The jungle sucks. And orchids suck too. Two days into this green hell were enough for my taste. May some other fool have luck with this, we will leave tomorrow. You want some equipment, only mildly used? And for this bottle - why is it half empty already? - one piece of advice: leave too. There are so many things I have never seen or even heard about out there, one silly flower is not worth the effort!"

 

Having said that, she stumbled out of the inn, not to be seen again.

 

So many things never seen or heard about out there? How awesome is that? What a great chance! I might just take it, but an expedition into the unknown is not to be taken lightly. I will sleep about this, and see what the next days bring.

 

=================================================================================

 

This thread is supposed to tell the story of Reinhard Wolffsons adventures on Celestia. Many posts here are also entries for the Orchid Challenge, but these will be reposted in seperate threads as requested by The Powers That Be - I assume it will make the handling of the challenge entries easier.

Some other builds will not be for the main challenge, but "story builds" only, some posts might actually be text only (the horror!). Please comment on the challenge entries in the respective seperate threads, and here when it is about the story itself (sometimes both might be appropriate). If in doubt, just post where you want.

 

Edited January 15, 2018 by Drunknok

[Darnok]

The "Garnet Inn", run by old Osmond Garnet and his daughter Jewel, is a jack-of-all-trades pub. It serves a variety of beers and wines, you can get a fine meal there - many ingredients are grown in its own garden behind the house, or come from the nearby jungle - but "Ol' Osmond" also offers postal services and sells a couple of newspapers. Customers are served in the lower level, Jewel and her father live and sleep upstairs.

 

Situated at a road eastbound into the deeper jungles of Celestia, and literally the last building of Jameston on this route, over the last weeks the "Garnet Inn" has become a popular last stop for expeditions before finally moving into the wilderness.

 

At this place, a few days after Reinhard had met quite a strange lady:

 

617, Day 21 of the 11th Month, In Jameston

Almost a week has come and gone, but now I finally have made up my mind. Even if I never planned to end up on this island, I will be damned if I do not make the best of it! If there is indeed a fabled orchid in the jungle out there, it can as well be me who finds it. A few discoveries on the way there would be most welcome!

 

The preperations are made, I will start tomorrow in the morning. Today I will visit the "Garnet Inn" one last time. The owners daughter, Jewel is her name, seems to profess an unusually good knowledge of the plants around here. She does venture into the jungle for hours every few days, and often brings back leaves, berries and whatnot to put into her (delicious) meals. If I could convince her to come with me, that would be a great help...

 

I thought that I could just ask. "Dear lady Garnet, we do not know each other too well, but I have noticed your considerable expertise when it comes to the nearby jungle. I ham heading for the wilderness tomorrow in the morning, and a person like ou would be a great help! What would you say when I ask you to join me on my expedition?"

 

Jewel replied: "I thought you would never ask. I have so many ideas! It is just that my fath..."

 

We got interrupted by Ol' Osmond:

"Enough of this nonsense already! Jewel, you will not go on one of these foolish expeditions.

Silly flowers deep in a deadly jungle?! Do not be so childish! And you mister: get out of here and do not come back!"

 

I had to leave, but heard Jewel whisper "come back in the earliest of morning" before being kicked out by her infuriated father.

 

===================================================

617, Day 22 of the 11th Month, In the jungle near Jameston

In the early morning, just before the black of the night turns into the darkest blue of dawn, I waited behind the "Garnet Inn", curious as what to expect. I did not have to wait long, when one of the upper windows opened in absolute silence, and young Jewel climbed down a rope!

 

What a surprise! There was not a lot of time for discussions, for her father seemed to have noticed the open window. Just when he came out of the front door, furiously yelling at us, we legged it into the nearby jungle.

 

Now the sun is up for two hours already, and we have made a good bit of progress on the paths made by those expeditions coming before us. My first real adventure in the New World has just started!

 

===================================================

Dramatis Personae:

Reinhard Wolffson, 48 years old, moved to the New World after the death of his father. An experienced explorer already, he hopes to discover many more wonders and secrets all over the Brickseas. Somewhat stranded on Celestia, he now is heading for the deep jungles of the island, looking forward to find a fabled "superb orchid" - and study as many things as possible on the way there.

Jewel Garnet, 32 years old, daughter of "Ol' Osmond" Garnet. Until just recently, she heped in running the "Garnet Inn", and is well known for both her cooking skills as well as her curiosity - but most of all for her desire for adventure and freedom. She knows the jungle close to Jameston inside out, but never moved far away from the town. She sees Reinhard as a chance to finally follow her dreams. Where this will take her? Only time will tell.

 

======================================================================================================

 

The adventure is now "officially" started, this post will work as my entry for Category A of the Superb Orchid Challenge.

 

First, some more pictures of the builds outside:

Spoiler

 

The roof (including the upper level, which has no interior - sorry @Mesabi ) can be taken off, and the building itself can be taken apart right in the middle. More pictures of that, including details from the scene in the first post:

Spoiler

 

C&C on the story as well as on the build itself are of course welcome.

Edited January 15, 2018 by Drunknok

[Darnok]

617, Day 25 of the 11th month, In the jungles of Celestia

We headed eastward and south for the last three days, following the river since yesterday. Ms. Garnet has been of invaluable help, telling me many things about the jungle here in general and a lot of plants and animals in particular. We hardly had to eat any of the rations I brought with me on this expedition, since she knows all the edible plants available - most of which are absolutely delicious!

When following the river this very morning, Ms. Garnet pointed out that there was a species of flower she assumed I would like to study. It meant a short detour south, but it was worth it. This deserves a letter to the Royal Society of Natural Philosphy.

 

===

 

To the Royal Society of Natural Philosophy,

 

from Reinhard Wolffson on Celestia,

 

early on my expedition into the jungles of Celestia I have come across a plant like none I have seen before. In appearance somewhere between flower, bush and palmtree, the most prominent feature of it is its variety of differently colored flowers - ranging from orange to red and different shades of pink. Find attached some paintings of it (the range ruler representing 3m in fractions of 30cm each):

 

By observing different examples of the plant, I have found another interesting fact. It seems that about one in thousand flowers is an anomaly: it is not in one of the colours named above, but combines all of them. Again, I have done a few paintings of one of such flowers (the range ruler representing 5cm in fractions of 5mm each):

 

This "miracle" combined with its overall richness in colours has given the plant its name: Mirabilis Celestia, or "Miracle Flower of Celestia".

 

Given the fact that the  seems to be quite common so close to the settlement of Jameston, I wonder if it can be grown on other islands of similar conditions like here on Celestia. Its beauty would make a great addition to the Queens properties. The rare flowers described above would make great presents for the Crowns guests of honour.

 

I remain the Queens humble servant. For the Crown, for Corrington!

 

===============================================================================

 

This post also acts as my first entry for Category B of the Superb Orchid Challenge.

 

Some more pictures of the scenery build, as well as the flower in a "not-painting mode":

Spoiler

 

Edited January 22, 2018 by Drunknok

[Darnok]

617, Day 29 of the 11th month, In the jungles of Celestia

Following the river, still eastbound, we came into rocky terrain over the last two days. Where before was only jungle, we now move between rocky hills. It also felt like the vegetation is getting a lot less colourful - I can not recall coming across a single flower today.

 

We did set up our camp for the night near one of these rock columns. It was already dark, with the campfire burnign nearby, when I noticed another light in the darkness.

 

I asked Ms. Garnet to put out the fire, to get a bette look. My first suspicion was quickly confirmed: we were looking at a luminous spider.

 

617, Day 30 of the 11th month, In the jungles of Celestia

On the next morning I inspected this fascinating spider more closely - for some reasons young Ms. Garnet was not eager to follow me.

 

I just have to put my observations into another letter to the Royal Society!

 

===

 

To the Royal Society of Natural Philosophy,

 

from Reinhard Wolffson on Celestia,

 

about seven days east of Jameston, in an area of jungle vegetation and rocky hills relatively close to the river, I was able to observe a type of spider with an uncommon mode of hunting.

It seems that the lack of flowers nearby is forcing the spider to attract its prey with other means - in this case by the use of light. I do not know how it achieves this effect, but this spider can glow in the darkness, and by this attracts insects which then get caught in its net. Most of the spiders body and parts of its legs glow in the dark. Upon closer inspection by daylight, these body parts are covered in a transparent substance, which looks like glass or gems at first sight.

 

I can provide a couple of paintings of this spider, based on my notes and firsthand observations. The range ruler represents 10cm in fractions of 1cm each - as ou will see this is quite an impressive creature:

 

Due to its ability to provide light at nighttime, I have named this species the Arachnida Lumenoctis, or "Nightlight Spider". Apart from its size, its most interesting feature is the ability to glow in the dark. I suggest further studies of this species, for its special ability - if deciphered and well understood - has promising applications in many fields.

 

I remain the Queens humble servant. For the Crown, for Corrington!

 

===============================================================================

 

This post also acts as my second entry for Category B of the Superb Orchid Challenge.

 

Here are some more "neutral" pictures of the spiders macro-build:

Spoiler

 

A shot of the scene without "humans":

 

And finally, two shots from the "real world", with the beast stalking two of my cats and taking my laptop hostage:

 

I hope I have not given an arachnophobe a shock with this post. As always, C&C is appreciated.

[Darnok]

617, Day 3 of the 12th month, In the jungles of Celestia,

18 Days before the Winter Solstice

The last four days have been a rough trip. We tried to stay close to the river, but the rocky terrain and the thick jungle often forced us to make a detour. On one of these I noticed a type of flytrap by the wayside that neither me nor young Ms. Garnet has ever seen before. It had a strong smell around it, and Ms. Garnet insisted we move on - but I simply had to study it for a while!

 

It was in fact the largest flytrap plant that I have ever come across! As fate seems to smile on me, I was lucky to observe a local species of fly getting caught, something I will share with the Royal Society.

 

===

 

To the Royal Society of Natural Philosophy,

 

from Reinhard Wolffson on Celestia,

 

more than a weeks travel east of Jameston, still in an area of jungle vegetation and rocky hills relatively close to the river, I came across a type of carnivorous plant of flytrap, larger than any other I have seen before. Together with its description I will share with you my observations of a local species of fly getting captured.

On this first painting - the range ruler represents 20cm in fractions of 2cm each - you can see the plant in its open state: two large and two small green leaves, each with leave eaxtensions to the sides bent outwards and thin but stable spikes at the end. In its middle stands a stem with a blossom of bright orange and yellow on top, which is emenating a strong smell, like of rotten meat. I have no doubt this smell being the bait for the flytraps prey, which by my observation includes at least one type of local flies. I will describe these a bit more detailed below. One of such flies did get close to the flytrap and finally rested on its blossom - at which point all four leaves snapped together. This included the leave extensions also bending inwards, giving the plant the appearance of praying hands. Using this image, the fly was trapped between the "fingertips", firmly held be the tiny spikes. Two smaller paintings will illustrate this:

 

Finally another painting (same scale as above) of the plant in its closed state:

 

Due to its closed leaves giving the appearance of praying hands, I named this plant Dionaea Religiosa, or "Praying Flytrap". 

 

I will finish this letter with a few paintings I made of the species the Praying Flytrap caught when I observed it. It is a type of fly that seems to be common in this area of Celestia, with colourless translucent wings and a shiny black body. Its carapace is made of overlapping sharp plates, its head sporting a little spiky horn. The range ruler in the first painting represents 2cm in fractions of 2mm each:

 

===============================================================================

 

This post also acts as my third entry for Category B of the Superb Orchid Challenge.

 

A few more neutral pictures:

Spoiler

 

As always, C&C is appreciated.

 

 

Edited January 26, 2018 by Drunknok

[Darnok]

617, Day 5 of the 12th month, In the jungles of Celestia,

16 Days before the Winter Solstice

 

We are way out of Jameston now, and the environment is getting feral – I love it!

 

Jewel seems to feel well too. A day ago she insisted I stop calling her "Ms. Garnet". She still keeps pointing me towards all the things she knows from around Jameston, plant and animal alike, but I already notice that she knew less about the things seen today compared to last week. We are clearly heading towards areas more and more unknown to her. Just a few days ago we came across a type of beetle Jewel did not know. They seem to be a regular inhabitant of the deeper jungle, as they became a common sight over the next days, usually next to what seemed like a wild form of sugarcane.

For another letter to the Royal Society I described these beetles and their close environment in detail.

 

===

 

To the Royal Society of Natural Philosophy,

 

from Reinhard Wolffson on Celestia,

 

about three weeks into my expedition east of Jameston we found a beetle like I have never seen before. It is about two inches long, of black colour, shining in bright sunlight, and its carapace is encrusted with lots of little bumps. Due to his colour and the fact that its crust is unusually sturdy, I named this species Scarabaeus Armanigrum, or Blackplate Beetle.

This beetles body structure is quite common, with three segments: caput, thorax and abdomen, while the latter two are a bit hard to distinguish due to the layered exoskeleton. There are two pairs of front legs, and one pair of hind legs, and there is a tiny stinglike appendix at the end of the abdomen; whether it is for self defense or a part of the reproductive organs, I was not able to find out yet.

While the Blackplate Beetle is a common sight in the deeper region of Celestias jungle, it can only be found on the ground, never on trees or bushes. Since I observed the Blackplate Beetle only near groups of a wild form of sugarcane, I assume it feeds mainly on it or its leaves. I can provide a couple of paintings of the beetle together with some of the leaves (the range ruler represents 3cm, with ten fractions of 3mm each):

 

The Blackplate Beetle has one very uncommon feature, which is a little inflatable organ at the underside of its head. I was able to observe its function: it seems to be used for the creation of a variety of sounds, ranging from continuous deep buzzing to repeated short high-pitched shrieks. What the deeper meaning of this is, I can not tell for now. If I had to speculate, I would assume it had something to do with mating rituals or territorial behaviour. I suggest further studies on this matter.

 

I want to warn the reader about the final part of this description, for it might disturb the more conservative persons out there.

 

I was able to catch a few Blackplate Beetles, roast them over open fire, and eat them. Their crust, as described above, is pretty sturdy, which leads to a crunchy experience when you bite into the roasted beetle. The taste is salty at first, coming from the crust, but quickly mixes with the mildly sweet and juicy inner parts. It is my belief that the sweetness of the inner parts is due to the Blackplate Beetles diet of the variety of sugarcane found in the deeper jungle.

I ate five of these beetles, and did not need further food for the next day! I urge the Royal Society of Natural Philosophy and the Crown to use this discovery to the best of its possibilities: just a single barrel full of Blackplate Beetles could feed the crew of a small ship for weeks. Imagine the possibilities!

 

It is not up to me to work out the implications of this discovery though. I remain a humble servant of the Crown.

 

Yours truly,

Reinhard Wolffson

===============================================================================

 

This post also acts as my fourth entry for Category B of the Superb Orchid Challenge.

 

A few more neutral pictures of the beetle build:

Spoiler

 

As always, C&C is appreciated.

[Darnok]

617, Day 14 of the 12th month, In the jungles of Celestia,

7 Days before the Winter Solstice

We have now reached areas of the jungle that Jewel has never set a foot in before. The terrain is rising, when close to the river I can see mountains nearby. The jungle has become even thicker than in the last week, our progress has become very slow.

 

Despite the difficulties and challenges the jungle and its swampy terrain have to offer, we are still following the river - it is still easier this way than in the deeper jungle. The last days have been interesting, for there have been many ponds by the riverside, each more beautiful than the one before. Not only ais the vegetation more colourful close to them, but there seems to be a varied flora and fauna underwater as well. Jewel agreed that we should explore one of these ponds in more detail.

 

Over us the dark green of the jungle opened up to let the sunlight reach the ground, the air was buzzing with all kinds of insects, and there were flowers, orchids and other colourful plants everyhwere:

 

Jewel advised against it, but I could not help but take a jump into the crystal clear water and dive into the world below the surface of the water shining in the bright sun:

 

The experience was fantastic: not only were there many types of sweetwater plants I have not seen before, and different type of fish hiding in seaweed and crevices, but there is also an underwater tunnel connecting this pond to at least one other. I wonder if this is an exception, or rather a common thing? Sadly, I could not continue my studies, since a thunderstorm was approaching and we had to look for shelter.

 

Either way, this terrain feature definitely deserves another letter to the Royal Society!

 

===

 

To the Royal Society of Natural Philosophy,

 

from Reinhard Wolffson on Celestia,

 

I write you once again, for the jungles of Celestia do not stop to to surprise with wonder after wonder. This time I have come across a terrain feature alongside a river - the one that goes into the Brick Sea right next to Jameston. My position is about four weeks east of Jameston, and the river has spread into a series of ponds here.

 

Due to the broken jungle ceiling, enabling the sun to reach the ground, the vegetation is even more varied than in other areas. I only had little time to study this area (ad weather prevented further exploration), but I can provide a couple of paintings of the flora and fauna both over and under water:

 

Something I wished I was able to investigate in detail was an underwater cave connecting this pond to another one:

 

Going by my observations, albeit limited, I assume that there is a whole network of tunnels and caves connecting many of these ponds, resulting in one big ecosystem below the surface of the water. It is unclear what species from the river also live in those caves, and what else is hiding in there. I recommend a future expedition with the purpose of clearing up this mystery!

 

It should be obvious by now that the jungles of Celestia have many wonders for us to explore. My humble observations are nothing but a starting point. Given more time and ressources I am sure the Crown could make significant discoveries and profit greatly from the scientific breakthroughs that would follow without a doubt. It is not up to me to decide this though, but I urge the Royal Society of Natural Sciences to build on what little foundation I was able to build here.

 

For the Queen and Corrington, yours truly,

Reinhard Wolffson

===============================================================================

 

This post also acts as my fifth (and final) entry for Category B of the Superb Orchid Challenge.

 

The whole scene in a wide shot:

 

As usual, there are additional pictures of the build:

Spoiler

 

As always, C&C is appreciated.

[Darnok]

617, Day 21 of the 12th month, In the jungles of Celestia,

Day of the Winter Solstice

The sun is down as I am writing this by the light of our campfire. Today has been a gift from the gods, with wonders shown to me I did not dare to dream of. There is much to tell, starting a few days ago.

 

Moving on from the riverside pond, we soon realised that the terrain ahead was impassable: swampy in most places, with the many ponds and the jungle vegetation obstructing our way forwards. Luckily Jewel discovered an easily passable rivercrossing nearby, which took us on the other other side of the river for the first time in our journey. The jungle was as dense as before, but apart from that there were no additional obstacles. We moved on, staying close to the river where the vegetation was a bit lighter. The terrain kept rising slowly over the next days, but there was nothing else worth mentioning.

 

Until today of course. Shortly after sunrise we came across a few ruined pillars that were brickbuilt - a definite sign of civilisation, even though we had not seen a single minifig since the start of our expedition. Finally, a few hours further down the river we found an ancient temple, or what was left of it.

 

I only assume it was a temple once, for there were paintings on the wall of a small tower on our side of the river, as well as crytal-topped structures on the bigger building on the other side. While the jungle had overgrown the site, we were able to find a little path through it. With the temple entrance in clear sight, one challenge was still ahead of us. A long time ago the big temple had a bridge crossing the river, but it was in ruins now, only overgrown remains still standing.

 

The solution to our dilemma had quite some irony in it: for all the trouble the jungle had given us in the last weeks, now for once it paved the way for us. One of the huge trees nearby had lianas hanging from its branches, and we were able to swing across the river on one of them! Now all that was left was to climb the overgrown cliffs on which the temple was built...

 

It was past midday when we reached the top of the cliffs, but the temple ruins were now right in front of us. I felt like a young boy again, eager with anticipation for what we would find!

 

My feelings were justified, for inside the temple we found not only an ancient place of worship, indicated by statues of what were most likely gods or holy ancestors in the archway and mythical paintings on the walls. In one corner of the hall there was a giant orchid sitting in hte sunlight coming through a window nearby. I do not know if it was the most beautiful one in the whole world, but both me and Jewel were sure it was the most beautiful orchid we had ever seen in our life.

 

 

I took my time to study this magnificent orchid - naming it Orchidacea Maxima, or "Supreme Orchid" - in more detail.

I even did some paintings, to tell the rest of the world of its beauty.

 

 

By the time I was done, the sun was already close to the skyline...

 

But the temple had one more wonder to share, as I found when I stepped out of the hall onto the ruins of what must have once been a balcony for observations of the sky. As I looked at the small tower we had come across in the morning, I noticed that the sun was exactly between its ornamented structures as it touched the horizon.

 

As I only noticed then, today was indeed the day of the winter solstice. This was no incredible! Obviously these structures were lined up perfectly for this event, for this could not be an accident. So whoever had built this place must have had excellent knowledge of the suns movement - an advanced civilisation for sure! I shudder at the thought of what might have happened here. Whatever it was, there are only ruins left to tell about it. Who knew what else was around here?

 

I had already decided what to do next, and told Jewel after nightfall. I wanted to move on, explore more of this area and the island around it, but felt I could only ask this of myself. Giving my letters to the Royal Society and the map I had done to her, I asked Jewel to leave me the next morning, and return to Jameston on the same route we had used to come here - we had no mayor trouble so far, so I assumed it would be safe for her to do the journe back alone. To me great relief, she agreed. We would part ways tomorrow.

===============================================================================

 

This post also acts as my entry for Category C of the Superb Orchid Challenge.

 

This build was without doubt my biggest challenge so far. I consists of two modules, combining to one scene. Here are some more selected pictures, and even more in the spoiler tag:

 

Here are some detailed pictures of both modules seperately, from eight angles and from above.

The one on the low ground with the tower:

Spoiler

 

The one with the high ground and the main temple:

Spoiler

 

Finally, more pictures of the orchids macro build, including a "disassembled" view on the lower half:

Spoiler

 

Building the macro orchid was fun, and finding a solution to build it in minifig scale was interesting too (and not as difficult as I had feared). Before somebody is asking: yes, that map at the hand is handdrawn, with all the small mistakes that come with it.

 

I plan to continue Reinhards adventures on Celestia, but for now I need a break from the jungle!

 

I hope you enjoyed the expedition so far, as always C&C are welcome.

[Darnok]

618, Day 27 of the 1st month, In the jungles of Celestia

I am still deep in the jungles of Celestia. It was right to send the young Ms. Garnet back to Jameston, but I do miss her company. The last weeks have been a challenge, and at many times I wished I still had her by my side. The jungle has become wilder and more difficult to pass, so I keep my trusted axe ready at all times, just in case.

 

I have been following the river for over five weeks now. If there really was a civilisation in this area as I have assumed after finding the temple, the signs of its existence are scarce. There were a few small ruins along my path, but none were more than some overgrown walls, claimed by the jungles centuries ago. So it was all the more exciting when I came across something different today. Other than the previous ruins, it seemed to be a shrine of sorts, and relatively intact.

 

The similarity to the ruined temple were I found the Supreme Orchid was striking. I could not help but stand in awe.

 

After some time I continued my journey, with new enthusiasm for what mysteries this place had still to offer.I could not help but feeling watched though...

 

=================================================================================

 

The adventures of Reinhard Wolffson on Celestia are not over!

 

Some more shots of the "main build" without minifig, and the mysterious watchers:

 

Not caring about property size at all was kind of refreshing, and I think this is my first build with a somewhat irregular base. I will definitely do more of this, it was quite fun and easy to build.

 

As always, C&C is appreciated.