Laesonar's Saga Ep.7 - Laelariel [Part 2]

[en_zoo]

Ep. 6

Laesonar's Saga Episode 7 - Laelariel [Part 2]

 

“My my! If that isn’t that ugly faun!” 

The little group had been descending the path along the empty lake while their noses were slowly getting used to the putrid stench coming out of it. Krisly reacted to Laesonar’s words:

“Oh you mean Ogrik? Is he safe then?” 

“It surely looks that way. He even seems to have found a girlfriend.”

“You mean a lady faun? That must be Marielle. What else can you see, Laesonar?” 

“I can spot an old man. He looks worried." 

"That must be Jeffrey." 

"The situation doesn’t look too good in town. They're discussing something with a couple of knights.”

The word ‘knights’ awoke Armin’s interest: 

“Knights? Which colours do they wear? Do they have heraldry of any kind?” 

“They wear green and have a dragon on their shields.” 

“Avalonian soldiers? It must be something official then. Let’s hurry and get into town, this place is making me more and more curious!” 

The situation wasn’t good at all. They passed by dried up fields and abandoned fishing docks before getting into the once-was outer city, now just half-burnt ruins. Closer to the city walls one last house was still standing, right in front of the gateway to the inner city. Judging by its appearance, the city must have been a rich one, in a past not too far in time.

 

 

The two fauns and the old man called Jeffrey spotted the little group approaching and after a few greetings and hugs, it was the time for introductions.

Helga took the word. 

"Jeffrey, Marielle, please meet Laesonar half-elf and Armin Mainardus. They helped us to fight the bandits and together we managed to finally avenge my brother! And these are Marielle and..." 

"Jeffrey J. J. von Jeff! For centuries my family has had the honour of serving the Lords of Laelariel, one generation to the next, starting with my ancestor Geoffrey von Jeff, all the way to my father Geoff J. von Jeff! We heard of the defeat of the bandits and Digby the Lunatic's death - I'm glad to make your acquaintance. Please meet my nephew Stan and..." 

Laesonar, seemingly unaware of the conversation, was looking around. Noticing a dozen eyes staring at him, he turned around quickly. 

"It is my pleasure to meet you, Mr. von Jeff. I do have however a couple of questions about this place, if you don't mind." 

Everyone's face grew sad. Jeffrey glanced at the ruins and sighed. 

"I'll be glad to answer your questions, master half-elf." 

"So, what's with the blue moss?" 

Everyone was taken aback by such unexpected question, only Armin smiled. Jeffrey was initially hesitant, but then understood and played along. 

"It's called Agerat. It's typical of the whole area around Lake Laendir, it mainly grows on rocks and it's one of the symbols of the city of Laelariel. Despite being a moss, it doesn't suffer much from lack of water, as you can see. Some ascribe healing and even magical properties to the plant." 

"So how is the lake empty?" 

"There was a weird earthquake a while back. The earth moved only in a particular spot, North from here. A vast chasm opened up underneath the riverbed and the waters of the river now disappear into it before reaching the lake. Changing the course of the river would be very costly and we have barely had any resources ever since the disappearance of the Laendirians." 

"Laendirians?" 

"Laendirians are our fishes. Or at least they were. A particular type of fish which, not unlike other species, finds its way up river from the sea, finally stopping in the lake to reproduce. The latter was named after them. Fishing, salting, commerce - Laendirians are the reason why the city thrived in the first place. They mysteriously stopped coming and our explorers downriver never came back, so we do not know what happened. At that point the call to arms arrived, directly from Albion. The wars against the Drow as well as Raaavage took our warriors away, together with our Lord and his sons. They never made it back." He stopped and took a deep breath. "The city was attacked repeatedly, we managed to hold the inner part, the rest was destroyed. The earthquake did the rest, depriving our land of water. The survivors started leaving, now there isn't much left to fight for and..." His voice broke. 

"And yet, some of us are still here and will always be!" A high-pitched voice suddenly reached the group's ears. "Stop blaming it all on yourself, uncle Jeffrey! We'll never leave our city, even without water!" 

"Oh. Er... ladies and gentlemen, please allow me to introduce my niece..." 

"Lola. My name is Lola." 

 

 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Hello everyone ^^

As I mentioned, I've been building very slowly. That wall was actually ready last summer (2017) and I was trying to follow up on the wall style of some Avalonian fellows (HQ, Titus, Maestro) who were then cooperating for the Summer Joust. As you can see, I turned the sand green to medium blue and decided to make it a staple feature of Laelariel by adding some lore in the story. I do like that wall, though I feel it's a bit overtextured, so I'll probably try and find some sort of compromise next time. Not much to say about the house, apart from mentioning @TitusV once again (remember? ) for his 'classic' tudor. Though, a fellow castle builder here in Berlin called it 'neo-classic style', which could open an interesting discussion, I reckon

So yes, hope you like it. C&C most welcome as usual ^^

 

Edit: Ep. 8

 

 

 

Edited November 18, 2018 by en_zoo

[Kai NRG]

I love the blue in the wall!  Really spices up the build.  Great tree too!

[The Last of Nergoue]

the blue in the walls and throughout the rest of the build looks really good. 

[zoth33]

I like the look of this build.  The blue in the wall is nice and the texturing is well done.  The tree is cool.  The barren landscape works well with the build.  The building is very nice I like the blue with the brown and the way the building gets wider at the second floor.  The roofs are nicely done too.  The story is great the build really compliments it.  

[Basiliscus]

Really great build @en_zoo! Love the medium blue in the wall, it adds a new dimension to things and I like the way you've incorporated it into the story as moss. On the story, it's very well written, kudos to you for that!

The Tudor house is really nicely done, some great architectural features, I might suggest that the blue here clashes a little with the blue in the wall, another colour might have been a better choice. I'm nitpicking really, overall it's a tremendous build.

[en_zoo]

On 10/22/2018 at 10:32 PM, Kai NRG said:

I love the blue in the wall!  Really spices up the build.  Great tree too!

hello Kai ^^ thanks. always good to hear from you!

On 10/22/2018 at 11:53 PM, The Last of Nergoue said:

the blue in the walls and throughout the rest of the build looks really good. 

thank you, I'm planning to make it the main colour of the city, so I'm really glad you like it! :p

On 10/23/2018 at 4:26 AM, zoth33 said:

I like the look of this build.  The blue in the wall is nice and the texturing is well done.  The tree is cool.  The barren landscape works well with the build.  The building is very nice I like the blue with the brown and the way the building gets wider at the second floor.  The roofs are nicely done too.  The story is great the build really compliments it.  

thank you, it's all really nice to hear, especially that story and build fit well together

On 10/23/2018 at 9:13 AM, Basiliscus said:

Really great build @en_zoo! Love the medium blue in the wall, it adds a new dimension to things and I like the way you've incorporated it into the story as moss. On the story, it's very well written, kudos to you for that!

The Tudor house is really nicely done, some great architectural features, I might suggest that the blue here clashes a little with the blue in the wall, another colour might have been a better choice. I'm nitpicking really, overall it's a tremendous build.

thanks Bas (can I call you Bas, or is Colin better?) I'm really glad to hear you liked the story - I'm always afraid the episodes are too long.. Tell me more about the blue in the wall - you mean it doesn't make much sense for the house to be the same colour of the 'moss'? Or?

Edited October 24, 2018 by en_zoo

[mccoyed]

The color choices stand out a lot. That pastel blue looks really good against the brown ground. I think the story is good, lots of fun, but would be more readable if you didn't orient it in the center of the page.

[de Gothia]

So much to love here! The wall, the gate, the house, the well and of course the colours! The blue spots here and there makes this mocs stand out in a really cool way! Well done!

[Exetrius]

It's been a while, @en_zoo! This is quite a break from your previous creations in terms of colour, and I like it! The light blue in the wall is integrated really well, and the dark blue in the roofs further completes the picture. The wall isn't over-textured in my opinion, maybe the rounded part just a bit. 

I don't even remember the last time I saw a base which main colour is brown, but you make it seem so natural! The olive green, medium nougat and dark tan balance out the overall colours scheme. Furthermore, the amount of stones and their spreading is just right for the atmosphere you are going for, and the little bits of dark brown and the wedge plates do the rest! Really solid work! 

I've read hardly any personal GoH lore in a long time, but this made me curious enough to read through the whole thing. "Jeffrey J. J. von Jeff!" cracked me up. 

[halixon]

Wow! Love the architecture in this. The pebbles on the road are a nice touch, although they could be a bit denser. I especially like the figs in this!

[Basiliscus]

17 hours ago, en_zoo said:

thanks Bas (can I call you Bas, or is Colin better?) I'm really glad to hear you liked the story - I'm always afraid the episodes are too long.. Tell me more about the blue in the wall - you mean it doesn't make much sense for the house to be the same colour of the 'moss'? Or?

Ha! You can call me whatever you want, I'll answer to anything 

The episodes are definitely not too long, it's nice when builders go to the effort of fleshing out their builds with a good story.

What I meant about the blue was - medium blue is perfectly acceptable to use as filler on the house. Medium blue is a great and unique choice of moss on the walls. But both together in the same MOC? Maybe a bit much. Maybe using medium flesh, sand green or some other contrasting colour for the house would have helped to emphasise the medium blue in the wall. Just my opinion, it's something to think about for future MOCs.

[en_zoo]

On 10/24/2018 at 5:34 PM, mccoyed said:

The color choices stand out a lot. That pastel blue looks really good against the brown ground. I think the story is good, lots of fun, but would be more readable if you didn't orient it in the center of the page.

thank you ^^ good point about the contered writing.. I thought it was cool, I'm gonna have to rethink that

On 10/24/2018 at 7:35 PM, de Gothia said:

So much to love here! The wall, the gate, the house, the well and of course the colours! The blue spots here and there makes this mocs stand out in a really cool way! Well done!

thanks de Gothia! I'm planning to use that blue a lot, so it's good to know fellows Avalonians like it ^^

On 10/24/2018 at 8:37 PM, Exetrius said:

It's been a while, @en_zoo! This is quite a break from your previous creations in terms of colour, and I like it! The light blue in the wall is integrated really well, and the dark blue in the roofs further completes the picture. The wall isn't over-textured in my opinion, maybe the rounded part just a bit. 

I don't even remember the last time I saw a base which main colour is brown, but you make it seem so natural! The olive green, medium nougat and dark tan balance out the overall colours scheme. Furthermore, the amount of stones and their spreading is just right for the atmosphere you are going for, and the little bits of dark brown and the wedge plates do the rest! Really solid work! 

I've read hardly any personal GoH lore in a long time, but this made me curious enough to read through the whole thing. "Jeffrey J. J. von Jeff!" cracked me up. 

Hello Exetrius, nice to see you're still around too! :) It has been a while indeed.. a crazy year.. :/ but I still appreciate all of your comments Glad you liked the story - I intend to have a few more episodes, hopefully I'll manage this time.. Interesting point about the brown bases, I hadn't realise..

15 hours ago, Windusky said:

Wow! Love the architecture in this. The pebbles on the road are a nice touch, although they could be a bit denser. I especially like the figs in this!

thank you, Windusky ^^ Given your comments I guess you'll like my mod of my own build, which I'll post later on next year, I reckon <--- yes, that's a spoiler , but seriously, I'll make sure to tag you there so you'll tell me

11 hours ago, Basiliscus said:

Ha! You can call me whatever you want, I'll answer to anything 

The episodes are definitely not too long, it's nice when builders go to the effort of fleshing out their builds with a good story.

What I meant about the blue was - medium blue is perfectly acceptable to use as filler on the house. Medium blue is a great and unique choice of moss on the walls. But both together in the same MOC? Maybe a bit much. Maybe using medium flesh, sand green or some other contrasting colour for the house would have helped to emphasise the medium blue in the wall. Just my opinion, it's something to think about for future MOCs.

I see, it's a good point. Well, I do have a couple of WIPs back home (I'm currently at my parents) which... how should I put it? They explore blue a little more, shall I say After that, medium flesh does sound good.. or maybe lavender?

[mccoyed]

I think it probably depends on what kind of browser or app is being used. For me, on my widescreen monitor, it's harder to read center text on forum posts.

[Henjin_Quilones]

This is the best thing I've seen from you yet! This is excellent. I love the walls and the tower, and the blue is just the best. I would suggest trying to either build a second layer behind the walls, or else putting some paper or cardboard back there to prevent the light from shining through, but that is just something to consider for future builds. I'm not a huge fan of tudor in general, but yours is nice, and the odd tree is oddly good. I am super glad that you are continuing on with the story here, and I look forward to seeing what you do with it in the future!

[Grover]

Awesome job!  I would not have expected the sand blue (or whatever the official name is) to work well in the castle wall, but it does.  The tudor is great, the nice design of the quarter circular tower on the wall is nice, and I like the small trees.  I think you did a great job with the landscaping, since it's flat dirt with stones and some contour, but it makes me wince again at TLG's choice of reddish brown.  I strongly preferred the old brown, as it seemed more natural to me.  The prominence of the reddish brown in your build calls attention to it, and I wish they had never changed it.  Don't really care as much about the light grey and the dark grey, but such is life.  Anyway, well done!

[en_zoo]

On 10/26/2018 at 11:30 PM, mccoyed said:

I think it probably depends on what kind of browser or app is being used. For me, on my widescreen monitor, it's harder to read center text on forum posts.

Right. It works pretty well on my phone..

20 hours ago, Henjin_Quilones said:

This is the best thing I've seen from you yet! This is excellent. I love the walls and the tower, and the blue is just the best. I would suggest trying to either build a second layer behind the walls, or else putting some paper or cardboard back there to prevent the light from shining through, but that is just something to consider for future builds. I'm not a huge fan of tudor in general, but yours is nice, and the odd tree is oddly good. I am super glad that you are continuing on with the story here, and I look forward to seeing what you do with it in the future!

Thanks HQ, glad you like story and build ^^ Good point about the second layer - I thought about it because of the arrow loops, but then I was just lazy By the way, as you can see I've taken the freedom of giving a name to that lake as I beleive it didn't have any till last year - Please correct me if I'm wrong and I'll change it.

17 hours ago, Grover said:

Awesome job!  I would not have expected the sand blue (or whatever the official name is) to work well in the castle wall, but it does.  The tudor is great, the nice design of the quarter circular tower on the wall is nice, and I like the small trees.  I think you did a great job with the landscaping, since it's flat dirt with stones and some contour, but it makes me wince again at TLG's choice of reddish brown.  I strongly preferred the old brown, as it seemed more natural to me.  The prominence of the reddish brown in your build calls attention to it, and I wish they had never changed it.  Don't really care as much about the light grey and the dark grey, but such is life.  Anyway, well done!

Thanks Grover, good to see you around! and hey, I prefer old brown too, but then again, having one more nuance available is also nice ^^

Edited October 29, 2018 by en_zoo

[mrcp6d]

The use of blue all over in this MOC really stands out as awesome.  Solid structural techniques and details throughout are impressive too.

Great build!

[en_zoo]

4 hours ago, mrcp6d said:

The use of blue all over in this MOC really stands out as awesome.  Solid structural techniques and details throughout are impressive too.

Great build!

Thank you, glad you like it ^^

[soccerkid6]

Great to see you back in the guilds Very strong build to return with too! I like the unique aspect the blue moss gives, and your use of arches in the wall gives a very solid look
Pretty tudor-work for the house, with just the right level of decoration at the roofs.

[TitusV]

Tudor? Tudor. Tudoooooooor!

Oh my, I know I've left the forums a bit (more than a bit) long, but I couldn't leave this one without a comment!

A great wall (though I think putting a black wall behind it might prevent seeing some gaps), a great base and an even better tree on the side all mike it a very nice build... But then I haven't mentioned the tudor-sections yet  The only thing I could think of is that not using the medium blue for both the wall and the house would make the latter stand out even more, but that's a detail my dear. Very nice job

As for the 'neo'-classical style... I guess that if you'd see the MOCs of the 'founding fathers' (like ZC or DC), our could be nicknamed 'neo' very well?

[adde51]

Very nice work man, I'll just echo what's already been said, especially about the blue parts scattered here and there. Very nice touch!

[en_zoo]

On 11/4/2018 at 12:00 AM, soccerkid6 said:

Great to see you back in the guilds Very strong build to return with too! I like the unique aspect the blue moss gives, and your use of arches in the wall gives a very solid look
Pretty tudor-work for the house, with just the right level of decoration at the roofs.

Thanks SK, nice to know you're reading along and glad you noticed those details. I do need to find a different way for the roof gable though, I've got bored with this one

3 hours ago, TitusV said:

Tudor? Tudor. Tudoooooooor!

Oh my, I know I've left the forums a bit (more than a bit) long, but I couldn't leave this one without a comment!

A great wall (though I think putting a black wall behind it might prevent seeing some gaps), a great base and an even better tree on the side all mike it a very nice build... But then I haven't mentioned the tudor-sections yet  The only thing I could think of is that not using the medium blue for both the wall and the house would make the latter stand out even more, but that's a detail my dear. Very nice job

As for the 'neo'-classical style... I guess that if you'd see the MOCs of the 'founding fathers' (like ZC or DC), our could be nicknamed 'neo' very well?

Here you are! I've been waiting for your comment on the Tudor, boss! No seriously, glad you like those details ^^ As for your point about the blue all over the place, you're not the first one pointing it out ( @Basiliscus)  - I do have one WIP that way, then I'll have to think about it and I do accept suggestions for other colours! The medium blue on the walls is here to stay, so a new colour that can go well with it is in need for the Tudor -  I can't think of anything else but Sand Green or Flesh, apart from Lavender, that is... Yes, I think I wanna go lavender!

As for the Neo-Classic thing, that's exactly what we meant! ZC's and DC's work being the Classic one, this fellow builder mentioned ours as 'neo' (you might know him from Flickr, his nick is Wochenender). Though I consider myself as a follower of your style, rather than an exponent of your caliber!  I could open a discussion about this..

2 hours ago, adde51 said:

Very nice work man, I'll just echo what's already been said, especially about the blue parts scattered here and there. Very nice touch!

Thank you Adde, I'm glad you like it! ^^