CHALLENGE IV: Category A: Burning bridges

[Etzel]

Following the uprising in Mitgardia under Sir Uldain, Lord of Bleywood, the Northen Guild was is turmoil:

To strengthen the popular support of his rebellion, Lord Bleywood sent out a group of men to seek out a shaman in the distant Clan Lands. Shaman Noiddi was considered mad by many, but during his episodes of trance he had vision of both past and future events. Rumors had spread of his vision of the old chieftain Krix the Cruel from many centuries ago that ruled almost all Mitgardian territory.

Persuaded by Lord Bleywoods men, Noiddi seeked out the bog where the infamous chieftain had been buried the old-fashioned way in the dark, murky waters. With ancient rituals the shaman raised the bones of Krix the Cruel, and with them the last crown worn by something equal to a Mitgardian king.

 

The antique artifacts were quickly transported the Lord Bleywood and presented to his son and heir, Sir Urdraigh. With the symbolic power of the chieftain of the olden times and the strength of the growing rebel forces, the Mitgardian people were ready to break free from the tyranny of the southern Queen…

 * * *

It was finally time to face the battlefield for Lord Bleywood’s rebellion. So far they had succeeded in the political and tactical arena by gathering more and more lords and cities to their side, while at the same time the guild leaders in Valholl had been divided and undecisive in their actions. The support from the people had grown as well, and Lord Bleywood and his allies had increasingly became the true leaders of the lands of the Northern Guild.

The threat to their success came now from the outside. Queen Ylspeth would not let a fourth of her kingdom slip away with out a fight. An army of loyal knights, mostly Avalonian nobles, and their levies marched north and set course towards Valholl to join up with the remaining royalist Mitgardians that were still holding out. The Bleywood forces made their stand at a bridge across the Whistling River in the southwest…

 

The battle ended in a great victory for the rebellion. The Avalonian knights were lured out in the woods and picked of one and one, the footmen and archers tried to outflank the Mitgardians but got stuck in the mud, and the bridge was held by the elite troops of Theodore Bruin. The beaten royalists retreated to the south and the claim to the Northern lands by Lord Bleywood was now unquestioned. Sir Urdraigh took some noble prisoner to ransom and gave orders his soldiers:

“Burn the bridges! We will have no use of them now that Mitgardia is once again a sovereign land. We want nothing from the southern lands anymore. The border is closed! Queen Ylspeth can try to salvage what little pride she has left, but one thing is certain: she is no longer Queen of Historica, because Historica as a unified kingdom is no more. The other guilds will soon follow us in their quest for independence.”

 

 

More pictures can be found at my Bricksafe account: https://bricksafe.com/pages/Etzel/guilds-of-historica-

 

[Gideon]

Great story and very well illustrated

The trees are really stealing the show here

[Louis of Nutwood]

Great story! I love the mythical aspects of it. 
An independent Mitgardia is a stronger Mitgardia!

Beautiful trees, there. Very spiky! And the whole swamp-forest area is excellent! I love the way you built the water, and the effect of the bones rising from inside the lake is no short from fantastic. 
The wooden path through the forest is also very cool. Specially the burned part.

I do think the shamans can be decisive before battle, as they bring the gods closer to the men. 
I feel Mitgardia getting stronger, and I can see the enemy fleeing in desperation. Victory is near, my friend!

Great entry, fellow warrior of the North.
Skol!

[Grover]

Gorgeous build!  The foliage really is the stand-out in both builds, I think, but you have a lot of other great details in there as well.  In particular, I really like the bones rising from the lake and the burnt out sections of the bridge in the second build.  I am really glad that Lego finally made some more fall colored leaves, as the yellow looks great for the birch/aspen colors on the white/yellow trees.  The mix of foliage in the first build is really great, and I like how you separated part of it with the purple flowers.  The uneven terrain where the shaman sits near the shore with spectators up on the cliff watching is really well done, and I like how you left openings in the trees so you can see the whole scene.   The icy cold waters in the second scene are depicted well, and I like the blood in them.  The use of the custom Historica shields are great, too!  If I were to suggest anything, it would be to widen the river to make it connect both streams and be 15-20 studs wide.  The streams now look like you could jump over them, so logically, burning the bridge wouldn't have a lot of effect.  Of course, it could be that the stream is just low right now because it's fall/winter, and in the the spring is impassible.  Regardless, I think the use of the dark tan/olive green with the fall leaves really sells this as a fall scene and sets a great tone for the overall composition.  I appreciate how you tie it in with the previous storyline that you have as well.  Great job!

[zoth33]

I like all the trees in the build.  The different color leaves look great.  I like the little details like the blood in the water.  Great figs and nice story too.  

[Eoin Wallace]

The storytelling here is great and both builds are very well done! 

[Blufiji]

Very bright and colorful scene, great job with the minifig posing!

[adde51]

Very nice work with both the story and the builds. Some really great landscape-work and the foliage and colours are very much in keeping with the feel of the story as well as the location where it's taking place. Nice job buddy!

[W Navarre]

Did I somehow for the most part miss this? The magic effect in the first build with the lake is sweet, and both builds are really cool! 

[soccerkid6]

Very wild and unique landscape styles, that still fit well in Mitgardia
Those spiky trees are super impressive, and it's also great seeing the printed birch elements used in your second model.