Prelude: What Lies in Store

[Rogue Angel]

Prelude: What Lies in Store

A prelude to Challenge III

While agriculture has once again flourished in Avalonia, there is still great uncertainty as to how long this peace will last.  Rumors abound in every tavern and market - are the Drow planning another invasion while the Avalonian forces are weak?  Are the Varlyrians merchants secretly buying up the large store houses and merchant companies in Albion?  In the past, the Guilds would rely on each other, and in unity there was strength.  There could be wars going on in Kaliphlin or Mitgardia, and how would anyone know about it?  Could the roving marauders that have been preying on the weak show up at your doorstep tonight?  tomorrow night?  Next month?  With great uncertainty comes great stress, anxiety, fear....

Avalonian Farm

This farm has been quite prosperous in the past, and was able to largely escape the worst of the recent conflicts.  The last two years have not been easy with shipments lost, produce commandeered and price hikes from scarce supplies.

Wife: If we can bring in a full harvest this year, we should be able to sleep a bit more soundly at night.

Husband: I wish I could believe that, but we don't know what the future will bring.  It looks promising, but what if there is another conflict, and we don't get so lucky...?

Their son crosses the nearby stream, taking one of the pigs to market

Husband: Will Orick live to see manhood?  I pray he will, but if war breaks out again and he gets conscripted... If he ends up in the wrong place at the wrong time...

Husband:  In the past, I would have slept easily at night with how well this Spring has gone, but we may have to fend for ourselves from now on.  We can no longer rely on the Avalonian guards.  When is the last time you saw them on patrol?  We are ripe for the picking.

Husband: Our herd of cattle would feed a marauding band for weeks, and how would we be able to stop them?

Husband:  We were able to plant a full crop of wheat, but what if we have to go into hiding when it ripens and we lose our crop?  Remember the magic that tore apart those farms and the Village to the south years ago?  Old Man Rutherson said he heard from a merchant that the Queen is a powerful magician.

Wife: That is pure poppycock!  Old Man Rutherson also claimed the Drow had tunnels beneath the Town cemetery and they were going to animate all our ancestors, and that was pure nonsense!

Husband:  I know, I know, but with every rumor there is a seed of truth.  The Drow were tunneling..

Wife: That was across the next District!

Husband: But they were tunnelling!

Husband: I am taking Orick out with me tomorrow to start working on some walls around the West field.  If we can bring in this harvest, we may be able to afford some hired hands.

Wife: It won't come to that will it?

Husband:  We don't know what will come, and it's better to be safe then sorry.....

The Man grabs his cart and heads off.  The Woman heads into their home.

 

[de Gothia]

Great to see the start of a new challenge!! 

 

Love your moc! The size, yet packed with so many details!! A minor nitpick is the paths that could use some pebbles! 

 

Great work

[The Last of Nergoue]

Nice moc, love the roofs.

[zoth33]

Very nice farm.  I really like your landscaping.  The water feature is great, I like how you added the the three leaf plants in the water area it looks like a wetland.  The trees look stellar.  The farm itself is neat and clean.  I like the tile roofs.  The cow stalls look good and I like the way you put it at an angle.  Another neat detail is all the flowers in bloom.  Fun story too.  

[Grover]

Nice!  I like the expansive nature of the scene, with the stream, bridge, house, field, and stables.  These are some rich farmers, though, with buttons on their shirts and a stone house!  I really like the tiled dark tan roof on the house and stables.  The trees and flora look great as well.  If I were to nitpick, I would suggest that a bit more random detail be added to the ground (rocks, etc. in the path and fields).  The use of color is great, too--the light blue and pink are nice highlights that are not overdone.  I look forward to more of your builds!

[The Stad]

Great story, and very impressive moc! I love how many different details you fit into the scene, and it is fittingly lush for the Avalonian countryside.

[W Navarre]

 Very nice, good work with the trees! 

[soccerkid6]

Looks like a productive farm! I like the style of stonework with thick walls, and just a few SNOT dark bley tiles here and there.

The 2x2 dark tan tiles make excellent thatched roofs, while the river in front adds plenty of visual interest

[en_zoo]

Late to the party, but great job here, RA! Overall I find the farm really neat and very convincing; I guess the terrain in the courtyard could be a bit more detailed, but I still love the overall structure and the appropriate separation between different areas of the farm. A mild palette with simple touches of colour

I also always enjoy reading your stories and dialogs with the close-up shots. A very nice intro to the Challenge.