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Keymonus

[OL - Challenge III - Cat A] The Pearl of the South

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Infero Pordejon, December 619, Charlatan Bay

Tristan followed the instruction received… an abandoned warehouse in Lowtown, no guards, just before the dawn. He couldn't refuse the "invitation", considering that it came from a department of the Oleander administration in charge of some "special duties", but the possibility of disappearing without leaving a trace worried him a lot. By sure, he thought caressing the hilt of his sword, he wouldn't go without a fight.
Fortunately for him, Tristan's suspects soon proved to be wrong. In the old warehouse he only found a man… he didn't seem the one that he had met in the morning, but the men of the Secret Service of Oleon were known for their ability in disguises.  

Asian Port and Market

"If you want to assassinate me, you should try now… by sure, you chose the right place!" Said Tristan with a half smile. Not to find a platoon of hired killers waiting for him was a great relief.

"Nice to meet you, monsieur Rimbaud. You know who I work for, and I think you understand that we don't want anyone to hear or see to much. We are in a turbulent settlement, but the elimination of witnesses may always rise some troubles. I'll be brief: some big wigs wanted you to be charged with treason, but in general the colonial authorities were satisfied by your personal endeavour here in Charlatan Bay. Bringing here regular soldiers was impossible due to the political implications, but the stabilization of the pirate settlement was functional to our interests in the region. Probably you will even find a medal waiting for you in Astrapi, where you must return as soon as the circumstances will allow. In this letter you will find all the instructions you need for now, but our men in the settlement will give you more details." The man didn't show any emotion saying this. Curiously, Tristan noticed, he was speaking with a light Altonian accent, probably part of his cover identity.

"I imagine that there is something more than simply some handshakes for my role in the end of this awful civil war, isn't it?" He knew well that the man wouldn't have said anything he had been ordered not to say, but still hoped in some more details.

"What do you know about the Lotus Empire?" Replied the man.

Tristan was completely surprised by the question. He answered frankly: "Almost nothing. I know that some commodities are imported from that state, such as expensive pottery, tea, silk and a salty sauce beloved by our aristocrats; on the contrary, we export there only a few goods, mainly tobacco and silver, but in both directions goods pass through several hands and borders, while direct contacts are very rare. Once I met a sailor who claimed to have visited a Lotii port, but I don't know how much was true and how much a tavern history…"

Asian Port and Market

It had happened almost eight years before, but by sure it was enough to ignite the imagination of Tristan, at the time a young captain hunting for Saleeki pirates. The sailor described a lively and rich settlement, with beautiful women…

Asian Port and Market

...floating markets, selling fruits never seen before...

Asian Port and Market

…exotic foods, such as a strange roll of seaweed, rice and raw fish.

Asian Port and Market

The settlement, said the young sailor, was called Sazanparu, that meant roughly Pearl of the South... one of the evocative names that make sailors dream.

-Far more pictures in the spoiler-

Spoiler

Asian Port and Market

A thief escaping from two guards...

Asian Port and Market

 

Asian Port and Market

...and hitting some bystanders

Asian Port and Market

A rich gentleman.

Asian Port and Market

An overview of the buildings

Asian Port and Market

More in detail, the building with the tavern

Asian Port and Market

Other views of the market

Asian Port and Market

 

"Did you hear me?" Tristan was recalled from his juvenile dreams of adventure and exploration. "I said that Lotii activity was recently reported by our agents in the New Haven region"
"The Lotii? Here in the New World?"
"Yes... and what's more, it seems that they are going to start an open war with Carno, due to their conflicting interest on El Oleonda. I don't know much more, but all the details are in the letter. Read the new orders, then destroy it."

Asian Port and Market

Tristan cracked the seal and started reading, while the other man walked towards the door.  "Wait a second! -uttered Tristan- YOU WANT ME TO DO WHAT???"

 

Asian Port and Market

Overall view. The little warehouse in Charlatan Bay is in truth the base of the tower on the left… A little of magic, time travel and teleport!

Edited by Keymonus

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Nice build! I love how crowded and bustling it is.

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A fascinating sequel to Tristan's adventure, great story. The build is excellent as well, the irregular dock looks good, and it's nice to see different symbols of Lotii culture featured in a same build, which work together to create a vibrant market scene.

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Good story, good build and a great opening for more adventures. 

The Lotii market is fun!

 

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Thank you guys! It was a real pain taking the pictures without something going out of focus/too dark/too bright, but I'm very satisfied by the result! To achieve the effect of an overcrowded market I used 20 minifigs in the small area of the street, so some details are partly covered, but I'm very proud of this build, probably one of my best ones up to now.

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What a rich, rich build!!! It shows the Lotii vibe perfectly!!!

Edited by blackdeathgr

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Beautiful build and interesting storyline.

On 3/12/2020 at 1:18 PM, Keymonus said:

 "If you want to assassinate me, you should try now…"

Now that is a loaded opening line of dialogue!

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Thank you guys! In my mind the Lotii are a mix between Chinese and Japan kingdoms, while I imagine other states in the area as something like South Eastern Asia, Tibet and so on… I strongly hope that someone will sooner or later flesh them out!

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Nice build !

A very busy wharf indeed... Perhaps a little bit too crowded but it's doing the job !

Cool build !

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Never a dull moment in Sazanparu :D

Great job making a challenge-entry that fits in your story as well!

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I really like this build. Hiding a scene in the tower is a nice touch and the market is so very busy (in a good way). The building on the right is my favourite, but the tower isn't too bad either. What steals the show, though, is the activity depicted in the market/water front, and I think you have done an excellent job in posing throughout the scene. Your minifig choice is really nice (something I found hard, with so few Asian looking figs in my collection), and my favourites (including posing) are the running thief and the "gondolier".

I also really like how you have linked this to your existing story and the idea of a flashback is great. :thumbup:

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