The Stad Posted December 19, 2019 On the northern slopes of Pikesteel Mountain, nestled among the trees that blanket its basalt crags and sandy gullies, a complex of ancient structures lay. Seemingly untouched by time, and well hidden from prying eyes, its pure white walls had sheltered generations of Great Elk clansmen when their forest homes were menaced by immeasurable threats, then sat unoccupied in times of peace. But in the wake of the devastation wrought in their lands by the Algus, the elves sought to keep a permanent presence in this haven. The Pikesteel dwarves, for their part, had never been able to find the stronghold on the borders of their domain. Thus, they regarded it as a rumor or legend, and were surprised when the elves requested it, and even more surprised when the elves showed it to them. Some among the dwarves argued that they should claim the fortress for their own, given its situation upon their own domain, yet when scouts were sent to find it without elven guides, the hapless dwarves searched the forest fruitlessly for several weeks before stumbling back through the gates of the mountain, perplexed and looking rather worse for wear. Still, the Pikesteel dwarves were eager to have an ally to shelter their northern flank, and so they ceded the land and even committed to aid the largely nomadic elves with settling into their new, well-fortified home. The expert dwarven craftsmen, guided by elven design sensibilities, seamlessly integrated the elves' improvements with the existing structures. In little time the numbers of the tribe swelled, their kinfolk flocking eagerly to the flourishing citadel, which they called Herfin Telosuren in their tongue, or the Haven of the Great Elk. Travelers pays their respects at an ancient shrine to a god whose name has long since been forgotten to these lands. Admiring the tribe's motif, newly affixed to the Great Tower. The elven chieftain thanks the leader of the dwarven craftsmen for his efforts. The fountain tower looks out over the forested slopes that descend to the great lakes and flat lands to the north. Spoiler Another overview shot: I worked on this on-and-off since about the beginning of, not the last challenge, but the challenge before. In that time we had our first kid and then (quite abruptly) decided to move houses, so this project did not receive very much attention for quite a while. That said, I am very happy with how it finally turned out. Of course, you're welcome to disagree! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Louis of Nutwood Posted December 19, 2019 Man, I’m astonished by how beautiful and unique this fortress is. Herfin Telosuren took some time to present itself, but it truly amazed me. The use of colors is impressive! The green dome surrounded by a perfectly round white structure, the golden splashes (including the very clever use of katanas), the tiny details in tan, and of course, the colorful vegetation popping out from inside the walls. I would say it seemed too well preserved for such an ancient and forgotten structure, but your mention of “seemingly untouched by time” situates the ambience. Maybe with a little magic? The shrine is a beautiful and delicate touch. The greenery is very diverse and perfectly positioned. I love the larger tree on the left, and how it bends on the face of the rocks. As for the build, I think it is absolutely awesome! Though, it might benefit even more to add some pebbles or texture to the dark tan ground entering the fortress. The story is marvelous, really well written and made me more curious to know more about the tower and the place it sits on. Do you have any other stories or mythical legends portraying this place? Or a curse that follows the ones who visit the temple? Perhaps people might hear voices from worlds beyond this after praying to the unknown god in the shrine? Beautiful work and addition to Mitgardia, The Stad. Keep it up! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Alfadas Posted December 19, 2019 Uhhh wow... that is amazing! That is tower phase IV or V worthy. So many details. I am at a loss for words, I cannot properly praise this... Such an awesome build! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kai NRG Posted December 20, 2019 Ooh this is an awesome Elven build! The height of that center tower, the great colors of those flowers and foliage, and the great gold details all make this creation eye-candy! The tribe's motif is quite clever too. Very cool job! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Grover Posted December 20, 2019 OK, I'll admit: I look through pictures before I read the whole story. I looked at this and thought to myself: "I see all the elves, so this is supposed to be an elven fortress, but it looks like a fusion of elven and dwarven architecture." Then I read the story and it is! Great job! Love the trees and flowers, and how they naturally integrate to the walls, particularly adding some texture to the flowering vines to keep them from being flat. The detail of the shrine looks great as well. I really like the mixture of the two architectures. I would have thought that would be difficult to blend, but it's seamless! Outstanding! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
W Navarre Posted December 20, 2019 Oh, beautiful! Such pretty elfish architecture and good colour arrangements! Love all the diverse foliage, would be right at home in the hidden world under Varlyrio! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Aurore Posted December 20, 2019 This build is very impressive! I love how that refined and elegant architecture, with just the right amount of detail. And the story is very interesting... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zoth33 Posted December 21, 2019 The architecture is great. I like a the sleek lines and precision of the build. The landscaping compliments the build nicely. The statue and the fountain are nice details. The structure over the fountain is very elvish and combines well with the dwarvish part of the build. The emblem is unique. Very nice story to accompany the build. Hopefully there is more to the story and this build. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Stad Posted December 23, 2019 On 12/19/2019 at 1:07 PM, Louis of Nutwood said: Man, I’m astonished by how beautiful and unique this fortress is. Herfin Telosuren took some time to present itself, but it truly amazed me. The use of colors is impressive! The green dome surrounded by a perfectly round white structure, the golden splashes (including the very clever use of katanas), the tiny details in tan, and of course, the colorful vegetation popping out from inside the walls. I would say it seemed too well preserved for such an ancient and forgotten structure, but your mention of “seemingly untouched by time” situates the ambience. Maybe with a little magic? The shrine is a beautiful and delicate touch. The greenery is very diverse and perfectly positioned. I love the larger tree on the left, and how it bends on the face of the rocks. As for the build, I think it is absolutely awesome! Though, it might benefit even more to add some pebbles or texture to the dark tan ground entering the fortress. The story is marvelous, really well written and made me more curious to know more about the tower and the place it sits on. Do you have any other stories or mythical legends portraying this place? Or a curse that follows the ones who visit the temple? Perhaps people might hear voices from worlds beyond this after praying to the unknown god in the shrine? Beautiful work and addition to Mitgardia, The Stad. Keep it up! Thank you for all of your comments @Louis of Nutwood, I'm glad you enjoy the story and the moc!. I have to credit Ralf Langer (not sure if he's on here, but he is on flickr) for the tree technique. As for the history of the place, I have nothing specific to it, but there are other places like it spread around Historica... On 12/19/2019 at 2:21 PM, Alfadas said: Uhhh wow... that is amazing! That is tower phase IV or V worthy. So many details. I am at a loss for words, I cannot properly praise this... Such an awesome build! Thank you @Alfadas, hopefully I can improve in the next phase! On 12/19/2019 at 7:52 PM, Kai NRG said: Ooh this is an awesome Elven build! The height of that center tower, the great colors of those flowers and foliage, and the great gold details all make this creation eye-candy! The tribe's motif is quite clever too. Very cool job! Thanks @Kai NRG, glad you like the motif, it was fun to pull into the build. On 12/20/2019 at 6:47 AM, Grover said: OK, I'll admit: I look through pictures before I read the whole story. I looked at this and thought to myself: "I see all the elves, so this is supposed to be an elven fortress, but it looks like a fusion of elven and dwarven architecture." Then I read the story and it is! Great job! Love the trees and flowers, and how they naturally integrate to the walls, particularly adding some texture to the flowering vines to keep them from being flat. The detail of the shrine looks great as well. I really like the mixture of the two architectures. I would have thought that would be difficult to blend, but it's seamless! Outstanding! Thanks @Grover, I'm glad to hear that the build matches the story in your eyes. On 12/20/2019 at 9:17 AM, W Navarre said: Oh, beautiful! Such pretty elfish architecture and good colour arrangements! Love all the diverse foliage, would be right at home in the hidden world under Varlyrio! Thank you @W Navarre, I'll have to carve out time for a build or two there in the future. On 12/20/2019 at 11:45 AM, Aurore said: This build is very impressive! I love how that refined and elegant architecture, with just the right amount of detail. And the story is very interesting... Thanks @Aurore, refined and elegant were definitely among the design objectives on this one! On 12/20/2019 at 8:46 PM, zoth33 said: The architecture is great. I like a the sleek lines and precision of the build. The landscaping compliments the build nicely. The statue and the fountain are nice details. The structure over the fountain is very elvish and combines well with the dwarvish part of the build. The emblem is unique. Very nice story to accompany the build. Hopefully there is more to the story and this build. Thank you @zoth33, hopefully there will be more in the future... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
(Luc)ky Luke Posted December 29, 2019 Impressive build! I really like the robust looking designs of the towers with the turned tiles on the side in contrast to the trees and the very open shrine next to them. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mrcp6d Posted December 29, 2019 I like how you were able to make this look very elvish and yet still stout. Using white elements I think certainly helped. Also, the structure is quite well integrated with the landscape, which is kind of impressive given your use of those corner panels. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
soccerkid6 Posted April 21, 2020 What a stunner Incredible shapes, and the combination of bley and white screams elven. Like Mike said, you managed an interesting combination of rugged strength and elegance in the architecture. The little shrine, large domes, and open gazebo are my favorite sections, but really this whole build is amazing. Would love to be able to see it in person! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Stad Posted April 22, 2020 On 12/29/2019 at 1:06 AM, (Luc)ky Luke said: Impressive build! I really like the robust looking designs of the towers with the turned tiles on the side in contrast to the trees and the very open shrine next to them. Thank you, I'm glad you picked up on the contrast. I was trying to use that to demonstrate the different approaches to design of the different cultures doing the building. On 12/29/2019 at 3:09 PM, mrcp6d said: I like how you were able to make this look very elvish and yet still stout. Using white elements I think certainly helped. Also, the structure is quite well integrated with the landscape, which is kind of impressive given your use of those corner panels. Thank you, those corner panels, combined with locking turntables, are the reason that tower sits against the landscape like it does. On 4/21/2020 at 6:13 AM, soccerkid6 said: What a stunner Incredible shapes, and the combination of bley and white screams elven. Like Mike said, you managed an interesting combination of rugged strength and elegance in the architecture. The little shrine, large domes, and open gazebo are my favorite sections, but really this whole build is amazing. Would love to be able to see it in person! Many thanks, those were also some of my favorite (and most difficult) details to build. I would have loved to take this to a convention, but sadly, this has already been dismantled to feed the next project. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dathil Posted April 23, 2020 I love the ornaments in your architecture. You obtained a lot of detail while still keeping it smooth and elegant - really an elven structure Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
