Challenge III - Category A: Perils Old and New

[The Stad]

Previously:

A New Post at Gammeltårn

Party Supplies

The elves had arrived in the harbor of Forstlys as the first light of dawn warmed the horizon. Hastening forth from their ship, they had immediately requested an audience with the lord of the isle.  Now they stood in the hall as Kjell and his father strode in, several guards of the Stromvakt following closely behind.

One elf wearing armor trimmed in green stepped forward and bowed low as the men approached.

"My lord," he began,"I wish that my return to these shores were in happier times and on business less urgent, but I fear that I bear word of trials and troubles yet to befall your lands."

Kjell felt his father bristle beside him, weighing his answer to a greeting that some might consider a veiled threat.

 

 

 

"Friends," the wizened lord replied,"your arrival here is quite unexpected, and your news, it seems, unwelcome.  We have seen much trouble already of late, and had hoped that the worst was put behind us.   You must tell us more of this new threat.  From whence does it come? What are we to expect? Why does it come now?"

"Alas, my lord, to describe the origins of this evil would be to tell a tale that spans millennia, for it is tied to the fate of the same people who built these very halls three ages ago," the elf explained, gesturing at the ancient stones around them.  Kjell struggled to hide his shock at hearing this, but if his father were surprised he concealed it quite well.

"I would know all I can of the trials we are to face," contested the lord.  "The day is yet young.  Come, tell us all you can, ere your errand carries you onward, as I'm sure you've many more to tell this news."

 

The emissary then related to them the tale of the Pinnothen, who had come to great power in the north of Historica - long before it was known as such - until they fled internal strife and untold disasters and followed their Chosen Prince into the east.  There they found vast lands, called the Great Wings, in the grip of countless slavers and the many dark elf kingdoms who employed them.  The Pinnothen hosts freed and embraced every slave they found, and drove the elves before them relentlessly. The cunning and cruelty of the  Eastern Drow could not withstand the righteous fury of the Chosen People and the vengeance of former subjects let loose upon their old masters.  In their new home, the Pinnothen created a mighty new empire that far surpassed the power they had known in the west, and which still stood unrivaled.

 

 

 

With their armies crushed and their once-vast holdings reduced to a handful of remote, barren islands, the Drow turned to dark sorcery as a means to regain their strength. For years uncounted they labored and practiced, perfecting the art of swaying the mind and enhancing the body.  Eventually they perfected their rituals, and began to grow their ranks once more with a fierce creation spawned from their hapless prisoners and few remaining slaves.  The creatures they created took their name from the mark left by the unholy magic that had made them: the Hand of Corruption.

 

 

Slowly, the Drow explored their new strength of arms, lending their beasts in small number to various warlords and despots, sowing chaos wherever possible and testing the potency of their creations until, finally, they found an enticing target.  

 

While the Pinnothen remained unchallenged and unassailable in the Great Wings, an insolent would-be ruler named Raavage had found great success with a relatively small contingent of the Hand of Corruption in the old homeland of the Pinnothen.  Though he may have ultimately been defeated, Raavage's efforts had taken a heavy toll on the people and the land, and Historica was now ripe for conquest by a greater force.  The Drow finally had their opportunity, and would hold nothing in reserve now.

 

 

"My presence here is as a warning," the emissary finished.  "You must prepare yourselves, and guard your alliances cautiously.  The Drow will sow seeds of discord among you to ease their advance.  I fear they have already begun to infiltrate the ranks of those who would oppose them.  My people have already captured many of their spies upon the seas east of here, and I am certain many more have eluded us."  Kjell immediately thought of the strange exchange with the Rigr that had recently brought him here to Forstlys.  

"My lord," Kjell interjected, "before our guests take leave of us, there is more I must ask of them..."

Spoiler

Overviews of the four builds, each of which is 18x18 without borders, fitfing within the overall contest limits of 36x36.

This was a fun opportunity to continue fleshing out some concepts from past challenges (The Peoples of the Great Wings) and continue working on my overall story-line!  Still continuing to experiment with my limited photography setup, but I hope you enjoy it. C and C welcome as always!

 

[W Navarre]

Great work, the first one is my favorite, since I love the way you can see the beams and the ceiling! 

[Grover]

Very cool!  I like how you kept everything in the area but broke it up into multiple sections.  The story is great, too, incorporating some history of the rise of the drow.  The mini posing is great, colors are well done, and the all Lego background looks awesome.  Very well done!  I look forward to reading more of the story!

[mrcp6d]

The all LEGO shots are great and the story is a nice addition to Historican lore.  Nice series of builds here. 

[Louis of Nutwood]

That’s awesome! I like how you built a number of little vignettes to tell bits of the story. Great work.

The second one is one of my favorites. The background and the angle makes it look like a painting. 

The bloody pool picturing the Hand of Corruption is also great!

The story is very well done, much interesting. 

[Zilmrud]

Great figs and scenery! And a smart move to use diffent MOCs as different scenes. I really like the intensity of the fighting scene

[de Gothia]

Clever idea to use smaller mocs! The photos where all you can see is lego is something iI really like and you have done a great work with yours!

[soccerkid6]

Excellent series of builds, with my favorites being the first interior and dark drow setting The combination of wood rafters and sturdy looking stone wall looks fabulous.

And you managed a super clean fit with the angled building among the rockwork. The SNOT dark red bricks make for a suitably sinister looking liquid.

[Goldiebricks]

Very well done, I’m especially fond of the micro build