[MOC] Challenge V. Category A: Howling in the Mountain

[Louis of Nutwood]

Entry to Book III, Challenge V: Category A - The Varlyrian Troops.

 

Howling in the mountain.

The chilling cold pierced through my leather jerkin as if there was nothing but my bare hands to cover me. Rigid with the frost, my cloak flapped nervously behind my back and pulled me south, alerting me – no, begging me to turn back and run. But after a handful of days travel, I reached too far into the mountains to return, and was too committed to find the truth, even if it meant never to reveal it.

It had been months, since these strange events have been occurring outside our once calm and monotonous village. It did not happen once or twice, but numerous, countless times, every so often – and I remember the day it started.

It was late in the night when I woke to the sound of Bartosz, our grey-skinned hound, barking frantically at the kitchen window – it was unusual for him, as for the past 7 winters, he’d slept curled and tucked in his own fur under the wooden structure of my bed until sunrise. That night, tough, he’d made a fuss. Wheat grains covered the timbered floor, the oak-chair my pa built was split around the cottage and he’d scratched the whole wooden door from waist height to bottom so vigorously that the fur around his paws was tainted burgundy with his raw blood. For the first time in years, he glanced at me, ears pointed to the ceiling, his white teeth as large as my fingers glowing in the moonlight and liquid dribbling from his mouth to the floor, the muscles in his shoulders swollen, spasming at me, and he growled. A sound born from the core of a threatened, fearful beast. It made me tremble, for I was not staring into my dog’s eyes, but into the soul of a monster dragged only by its primal senses.

I realized it was not only Bartosz who was acting strange, but in the distance, I heard the howl of another dog, and then another. It was rather a chant, as possibly all the dogs on the village were now howling to the moon, as if calling their animal companions to a feast, or worse: issuing an alarm – a pack behavior to become alert of what’s to come.

It happened again and again, and it drove us insane. Not only the howling, but the growing cold that rushed through the village every time harder and harder. You see, we live in a village – the last human village before reaching the mountains - that’s not that far from the sea, filled with arable land, soft ground, perfect for planting fruits and vegetables – it rains when the sun is hotter, and the climate is rather friendly apart from occasional winter winds that come from the mountains. But it got so cold, so unexpectedly... Nothing grows from under thick layers of frost, week after week. So, it drove us... insane. Particularly Frignevr, the blacksmith – that poor bastard. He was as short-tempered as he was big, and you would mistake him for a giant if he wouldn’t assure us his mother and father were as human as they could be. That one night, I felt the chill stretching through the holes between the planks that held my house together, Bartosz woke and ran, and the howling started. Amidst the whistling chants, a desperate roar, not from any dog or beast, but from what could only be a giant man, echoed on the stoned streets of our frost covered village. That horrific gutted scream smashed our doors, hammered our ears, and settled within our dreams, and just as it started, the unnerving, desperate cry ceased, giving way to a perpetual dead silence that endured ‘til morning.

From between the ice-covered mountains, the first light of the day painted over the white mantel a red trail to a land uncharted, for this was marked only by the spilled droplets of blood of one of our own. That day, attending for the realms request, an expedition of ten men was sent to investigate. That night, not only the hounds and wolves howled a constant, tenuous melody, but a raw smell, a stale, moldy whiff, a stench of putrid decay took the streets, and uninvitedly entered our homes.

The smell was eventually dissipated into the mountains, from where the expedition never returned, and the trail faded over the layers of unwanted and unexpected snow. Under pressure, the realm gathered another fifty men – swordsmen, archers, bannermen, carrying the white and gold markings on their shields – for a second expedition, along with hounds and eagles trained to detect hidden trails and follow camouflaged scents. Sixty men short, the army supposed to protect our sons and wives started to look faint and incomplete, specially when four days past their departure, the group that left to the sound of our prayers, vanished and buried our hopes under the falling snow.

At night I did not sleep, but jumped aside when the dogs started barking, the nauseating odor invaded my house, and a deafening roar that combined a thousand lions sounded across the cobblestone paths, and made my chest tremble with a shiver running through my spine. I wanted to move but couldn’t – and I prayed for the souls of those poor men that would never return to our lives. 

I woke to the unnerving sound of a fist pounding at my front door, and as sudden as the cold took our village, and our blacksmith and our army, I knew my time had come.

“Ready your shield and sword. Beg your family farewells. We part on the morrow”, signed the High-King, the Rego, over his waxed seal.

Carpenters, fishermen, merchants, old and young, experienced or – most likely – not, with sword in hand. The few remaining that populated our village reunited where the first light of day shone: between the mountains where a trail of blood leaded the way to our uncertain destiny. We camped by night if we were lucky enough to find a rathole or a cave, or under the starts and the moon, and the rocks and the cold, and marched by day, following whatever was left of the expedition before us – pikes, helmets, messages left on walls and trees, pieces of cloth, footprints... Until there was nothing left to follow, but a dim and distant rotten and burnt smell that refused to cease.

Every morning, our group turned smaller and weaker, as the members of our crew perished to the fierce conditions and reckless paths we were thrown into. By night, we heard the scuttling screams and roars coming from above us and echoing through the scars carved over centuries on the rocks. Looking ahead to the unknown, the vagueness to put reason to the sounds, the smell, the unhuman thirst to kill and its psychological defiance, drove one by one to an abyss of despair.

That night, we took shelter on a cave, and shared its roof with a family of skeletons that made this gap on the mountain their home for centuries. Despite the blowing wind and the drenching humidity, we were able to light a fire and roast the last of our game. While sucking the lean meat from the fragile bones of an overcooked squirrel, I glanced towards the bottom of the cave where the carcasses of our hosts lay, and looking into their empty sockets, I saw my destiny. On the wall, black markings made of coal caught my attention. The drawings depicted a group of men being followed by a larger silhouette with pointy ears. It could be a wolf if it were not for its height. A demon, perhaps, or a vision from people long forgotten. On the first light, I left the cave and my companions behind, for during the night, they have all joined our hosts in an eternal sleep.

As I approached the summit, that putrid smell turned sour, stronger than ever, as if a thousand bodies were left in the open to disintegrate over time. The snow turned thicker, and the paths became steeper as I pushed myself against the blowing wind, depriving me from seeing ahead. My hand lifted and covered my eyes, and from between my purple fingers, I saw a narrow path that pushed the snow aside and left its markings on the ground – a fresh trail, I realized. I followed the trail as it took me to the summit of the mountain.

Two pillars emerged from the ground like snow-white banners, showing the world the peak was claimed – not by men – but by nature itself. Molded into the rock, was the inner part of a dome protecting its center from the what looked like a shire devoted to – if not built by – the gods themselves. In its center lay huddle made of what appeared to be a tangled amount of... what is that? I approached it and identified the maze being made from bones stripped from flesh, broken, smashed, and crushed into a bed that smelled of mold and rotten flesh. Big and small, long, and thin. I saw the fabric scratched along the way, and the splinters of weapons left throughout the mountain. These were the remains of the expeditions, the leftovers of our friends, the pieces of our royal guard.

I lifted my cloak to retain the nauseating smell, while struggling not to vomit as I moved closer to the basket. Inside were the remains of animals and men, piled at each other through time.

 

Cornering a rock, I followed the trail of bones, and then I heard. The visceral sound of a meal being eaten, meat being pulled from the bone, blood dripping, and a constant snort of desperation. Over a large pile of bones, a dark creature full of fur leaned and feasted. Its dangled black hair dripped with blood, and the stench was more than I could bare. It looks like... a wolf. And I remembered the drawings on the interior of the cave. Three, maybe four times my size, thick and muscular, its arms stretched wide could reach me in a heartbeat. I tried to sneak away, but the mere sound of my pounding heart must have alerted the beast.

 

 

It turned and stared with fearsome yellow eyes, and as I pointed my spear to its chest, one swing of its long and hairy arm was enough to blind my sight and numb my senses. Laying on the snow, my sight turned darker and I heard the bark of my best friend Bartosz.

…The councilor knocked at the Rego’s chamber door. “Your Highness, we are being called to position in the war of the continent. They ask for men and weapons. Our presence is demanded at once”.
The Rego took the parchment and tossed it in the hearth. “How can I take part, when all my men were sent to the mountains and failed to return?”

Spoiler

 

________

 

________
Louis of Nutwood.

Hope you like it.
Would love to hear thoughts and comments.

[zoth33]

The wolf looks awesome.  Great build.  I like your rock work and the snow.  Fig looks great too.  The bones scattered around is a nice touch.  The story keeps your attention and has great attention to detail.  

[Louis of Nutwood]

9 hours ago, zoth33 said:

The wolf looks awesome.  Great build.  I like your rock work and the snow.  Fig looks great too.  The bones scattered around is a nice touch.  The story keeps your attention and has great attention to detail. 

I'm thrilled you liked, Zoth33. And it warms my heart to hear "the story keeps your attention" - I'm trying to improve my writing craft, and it doesn't come without hours of effort and sacrifice. 
I've been trying to adventure myself in building more creatures and add more movement, too. So, I'm glad you liked my (were)wolf. It turned out a bit larger than I expected, but it poses nicely. 
Thanks for the support.

Cheers, mate!

[W Navarre]

You sir, have been very busy! (Now I get why you haven't had time to answer my flickr mails  ) The monster wolf is so awesome! The landscape is great, and the bones work for either bones or snow! I'll have to remember that. Great cave for extra detail, the dead figs and the stalagmites look good, and the layers of colors in the rockwork are top notch. You can tell you studied for the story, and it's an excellent explanation for why the Rego was busy! 

[Louis of Nutwood]

3 hours ago, W Navarre said:

You sir, have been very busy! (Now I get why you haven't had time to answer my flickr mails  ) The monster wolf is so awesome! The landscape is great, and the bones work for either bones or snow! I'll have to remember that. Great cave for extra detail, the dead figs and the stalagmites look good, and the layers of colors in the rockwork are top notch. You can tell you studied for the story, and it's an excellent explanation for why the Rego was busy! 

Always a pleasure, sire Navarre, to read through your thoughtful comments. 
Past weeks have been busy in the lands of Varlyrio, I must say. But I'm ready to what lies ahead, eager to put brick over brick once more.

There's so much literature, though! About Varlyrio, the intrigues and all.
I'm thrilled you mentioned the cave. It was planned from the start, but wasn't sure how it was going to end. I'm trying to work on more creatures and movement, so I'm glad you liked the (were)wolf and that the story makes sense to the whole undergoing plot. 

Thanks for the support, man!
Skol!

[Kai NRG]

Great idea to scatter some bones around!  Nice rockwork too. The black makes the beast a little hard to see but he definitely looks vicious.  I especially like the texture of the claws along the back.

[Louis of Nutwood]

3 hours ago, Kai NRG said:

Great idea to scatter some bones around!  Nice rockwork too. The black makes the beast a little hard to see but he definitely looks vicious.  I especially like the texture of the claws along the back

Thank you, sir Kai! Always a blast to read through your thoughts. 
I agree that the black turned a bit hard to discern - photographing black frequently becomes a rather painful job, but I'm satisfied with the result. I'm thinking of photographing the beast separated, as I feel this post doesn't do full justice to the actual thing, still. I've been trying to use the claws this way, as fur or feathers, and it does present a sort of different effect, right?

Once again, I'm thrilled you liked it. 
Thanks for the support, lad.
Skol!

[Kai NRG]

54 minutes ago, Louis of Nutwood said:

I'm thinking of photographing the beast separated, as I feel this post doesn't do full justice to the actual thing, still.

Please do, I'd love to see it more clearly! 

[mrcp6d]

I really like this.  The beast is massive and black LEGO's legendary difficult relationship with photography probably actually helps in this MOC rather than hinders.  The minifig is quite the nice mashup too.  

[Louis of Nutwood]

7 hours ago, mrcp6d said:

I really like this.  The beast is massive and black LEGO's legendary difficult relationship with photography probably actually helps in this MOC rather than hinders.  The minifig is quite the nice mashup too.

Thanks, brother! I'm thrilled you liked it too. I was skeptical to use only black for the beast, but gave it a shot knowing the struggle it would be to photograph. A hundred pictures later and just a bit of treatment paid out, in the end. But I'll definitely add a couple more pics of the separated (were)wolf. The minifig mash-up is something I'm particularly proud of too, so I'm happy you mentioned it.
Thanks for the support, lad.
Glad you enjoyed it. 
Skol!

[Aurore]

Oh my, that wolf looks really impressive! I too would be interested in seeing detailed photos of it. 

Like always, you did an amazing job with the rocks. I especially love the cave, with appropriate stalagtites and stalagmites. Congrats too on entering two builds for this challenge! 

[kahir88]

That beast looks really good! When I first saw the build and started reading the story, I was curious how they will fit in the "not sending troops" challenge, but the classic "it was just a dream" twist was well placed. :) Keep on!

[Louis of Nutwood]

3 hours ago, Aurore said:

Oh my, that wolf looks really impressive! I too would be interested in seeing detailed photos of it. 

Like always, you did an amazing job with the rocks. I especially love the cave, with appropriate stalagtites and stalagmites. Congrats too on entering two builds for this challenge!

Always a thrill to read through your analysis, Aurore. 
I'll certainly post more photos of the separated beast, and I'm glad you mentioned the cave. 
Truly a rush being able to submit two entries, but worth it in the end. 

21 minutes ago, kahir88 said:

That beast looks really good! When I first saw the build and started reading the story, I was curious how they will fit in the "not sending troops" challenge, but the classic "it was just a dream" twist was well placed. :) Keep on!

Glad you liked it, Kahir!

But "just a dream"? Sorry, lad. It was no dream at all. 
Bartosz ran away into the mountains a few days past and was not seen since. 
The beast, the putrid smell, the path of bones and rags, the drawings on the cave... all true.
One cannot expect to survive the slap of such a beast, though.

There he went, and there he lay alongside his neighbors, brothers and friends, and the royal guard sent by the Rego, attacked by the werewolf in the mountains.
Now, it remains uncertain if this is the only one.
The villagers are desperate, as no person has returned from the mountains yet, and the guard crumbles by the day.

Well, back to the writing table to review, review and review. 

[Grover]

Outstanding!  Love the whole thing.  You did a great job telling the story.  I was wondering where it was going at first, but then you pulled it all together at the end and it was very well done.  My only suggestion would be to explicitly state that the Rego had sent a letter when the messenger comes to the door.  That wasn't clear to me until I read that the Rego had signed it, then I realized that he wasn't speaking.  I like the idea of a natural foe (or perhaps unnatural) in the form of the werewolf, so the Rego tried to send something but the werewolf destroyed it.  That wolf must have killed a lot of people for it to smell that bad in such a cold environment!

The build is great.  You've done an excellent job conveying the steep mountain sides, complete with snow caps, and the lowered mountain pass.  The bonus of the cave with the skeletons is a very nice touch.  The wolf, however, is really the centerpiece here, and is excellent both in size and quality.  The all-black makes it both menacing and difficult to photograph.  @ZCerberus has done a nice job before photographing some of the black Nocturnus builds, but I don't know how he did those, so if he's still around, you might want to PM him for photography tips.  I'd love to see more of the detail on the wolf for sure.  Also, good use of the shoulder cloth on the warrior (from that big Garmadon fig, right?).  I will also say how much I like the muted color scheme.  I think it really shows how bleak and desolate the land is, which is great.

Very nice work, what we have come to expect from you.  Keep it up!

[Garmadon]

You, my friend, have a very intense story here!  Excellent job - the rocks, cave, and the gentle curve and change in color around the edges of the path are all top-notch, along with the mix of textures in the ground and rocks, and you've really been showing what you can do with your large brick-built creatures lately!  The (were)wolf is very well done, and the eye is definitely a stand out!  If there are a couple of critiques I'd have they would be that the peak on the right would probably improve with a little more variation on the color change (I mean, more jagged instead of almost a straight line for half of it), and that I think (without having hardly any experience or talent for brick-built creatures  ) that the head of the wolf should be higher up towards the top of the back rather than lower down where it is.  That and a couple of pointy ears would give a more instantly-recognizable wolf-ish look - depending on the angle, right now it looks either a little humped-back or very leonine to me; the last picture in the story, at any rate, is giving me some definite and awesome lion vibes, which would be great except that it's supposed to be more wolf than lion, it seems   I would like to see some more pictures of it too though, and maybe it will have more of a wolf-ish look with a different pose   

As I already mentioned, excellent job with the story as well - very well-written (I can tell you've been really working hard your stories recently!), and terribly, chillingly gripping.  Excellent stylistic choice in waiting until the very end to bring it back around to the theme of the challenge and answering your readers' question, "what does this have to do with the Rego not sending troops??" which they've been looking for the whole time, and all the additional details (like the lean meat from the overcooked squirrel) really make the story alive and keep the interest strong.  If anything, though (before reading your Cat. B stories) I'd actually suggest trying to make your stories slightly less intense - throwing in some humor or pleasant randomly occurring thoughts in passing (though that wouldn't have really worked here, haha - a bit of more direct humor would have lightened it up a bit though).   As it is, you almost feel like you're dying or about to die the entire time, until you get to the end and everyone actually is dead; which is exactly what you were aiming for here, of course, but it leaves your reader feeling almost oppressed by the conglomeration of disasters upon each other.  It's not bad for a story or two, but after that it gets to be a little too heavy and starts getting hard to read.  But I love that you've gone the extra mile and obviously put a lot of time and thought into your stories recently, and I think it's certainly paying off!  There were a few things that are put a little differently in English, and a few words that aren't quite right (like cornering - in English that means "forcing something into the corner," either figuratively or really, when what you want is "skirting," which is moving around the edge of a corner), but you've definitely got an impressive vocabulary and a good hold on the grammar too.  Keep it up, mate!

And sorry about the long rant - that's just the writer in me not being able to help it    You have quite a solid entry here - great job!

[kahir88]

Hm.. true. Maybe the story's length and the sudden change of the scene confused me. Dunno, why I was thought, was a dream. :D Still, great story and a gorgeous beast! :)

[Louis of Nutwood]

On 6/6/2020 at 5:44 PM, kahir88 said:

Hm.. true. Maybe the story's length and the sudden change of the scene confused me. Dunno, why I was thought, was a dream. :D Still, great story and a gorgeous beast! :)

Glad you liked it, Kahir. 
But don't bother! It is my responsibility as the writer to be crystal-clear when transmitting the idea, so I profoundly appreciate the feedback, as it makes us grow as builders and storytellers. 
Thanks, mate! 

On 6/5/2020 at 4:48 PM, Grover said:

Outstanding!  Love the whole thing.  You did a great job telling the story.  I was wondering where it was going at first, but then you pulled it all together at the end and it was very well done.  My only suggestion would be to explicitly state that the Rego had sent a letter when the messenger comes to the door.  That wasn't clear to me until I read that the Rego had signed it, then I realized that he wasn't speaking.  I like the idea of a natural foe (or perhaps unnatural) in the form of the werewolf, so the Rego tried to send something but the werewolf destroyed it.  That wolf must have killed a lot of people for it to smell that bad in such a cold environment!

The build is great.  You've done an excellent job conveying the steep mountain sides, complete with snow caps, and the lowered mountain pass.  The bonus of the cave with the skeletons is a very nice touch.  The wolf, however, is really the centerpiece here, and is excellent both in size and quality.  The all-black makes it both menacing and difficult to photograph.  @ZCerberus has done a nice job before photographing some of the black Nocturnus builds, but I don't know how he did those, so if he's still around, you might want to PM him for photography tips.  I'd love to see more of the detail on the wolf for sure.  Also, good use of the shoulder cloth on the warrior (from that big Garmadon fig, right?).  I will also say how much I like the muted color scheme.  I think it really shows how bleak and desolate the land is, which is great.

Very nice work, what we have come to expect from you.  Keep it up!

Thrilled you liked it, sire Grover!
Thanks for the feedback, and I agree the passage with the letter could have been more clear involving the Rego. And have you seen the amount of bones scattered around? The Rego is basically out of army. And you know what? It might not be only one werewolf. Tan tan taaan.
I read and reread photographing tutorials. Still, it completely depends on the build and angles and colors, and it is always a nightmare. 
Yes! big Garmadon shoulder cloth. Very fitting, I thought. 
Again, thanks for the support, lad. 
Skol!

[Louis of Nutwood]

On 6/5/2020 at 11:36 PM, Garmadon said:

You, my friend, have a very intense story here!  Excellent job - the rocks, cave, and the gentle curve and change in color around the edges of the path are all top-notch, along with the mix of textures in the ground and rocks, and you've really been showing what you can do with your large brick-built creatures lately!  The (were)wolf is very well done, and the eye is definitely a stand out!  If there are a couple of critiques I'd have they would be that the peak on the right would probably improve with a little more variation on the color change (I mean, more jagged instead of almost a straight line for half of it), and that I think (without having hardly any experience or talent for brick-built creatures  ) that the head of the wolf should be higher up towards the top of the back rather than lower down where it is.  That and a couple of pointy ears would give a more instantly-recognizable wolf-ish look - depending on the angle, right now it looks either a little humped-back or very leonine to me; the last picture in the story, at any rate, is giving me some definite and awesome lion vibes, which would be great except that it's supposed to be more wolf than lion, it seems   I would like to see some more pictures of it too though, and maybe it will have more of a wolf-ish look with a different pose   

As I already mentioned, excellent job with the story as well - very well-written (I can tell you've been really working hard your stories recently!), and terribly, chillingly gripping.  Excellent stylistic choice in waiting until the very end to bring it back around to the theme of the challenge and answering your readers' question, "what does this have to do with the Rego not sending troops??" which they've been looking for the whole time, and all the additional details (like the lean meat from the overcooked squirrel) really make the story alive and keep the interest strong.  If anything, though (before reading your Cat. B stories) I'd actually suggest trying to make your stories slightly less intense - throwing in some humor or pleasant randomly occurring thoughts in passing (though that wouldn't have really worked here, haha - a bit of more direct humor would have lightened it up a bit though).   As it is, you almost feel like you're dying or about to die the entire time, until you get to the end and everyone actually is dead; which is exactly what you were aiming for here, of course, but it leaves your reader feeling almost oppressed by the conglomeration of disasters upon each other.  It's not bad for a story or two, but after that it gets to be a little too heavy and starts getting hard to read.  But I love that you've gone the extra mile and obviously put a lot of time and thought into your stories recently, and I think it's certainly paying off!  There were a few things that are put a little differently in English, and a few words that aren't quite right (like cornering - in English that means "forcing something into the corner," either figuratively or really, when what you want is "skirting," which is moving around the edge of a corner), but you've definitely got an impressive vocabulary and a good hold on the grammar too.  Keep it up, mate!

And sorry about the long rant - that's just the writer in me not being able to help it    You have quite a solid entry here - great job!

THIS is amazing. Thank you so much, Garmadon. It really is what I hope and expect to receive as feedback every time I post something. I always say "nah, this time I'm going to write only a small paragraph, and that's it", but words find their way into the story. 
As a non-native English speaker, it thrills me to know the grammar and vocabulary are sufficient (as I understand I might slip here and there). The ~cornering~ advice. Precious! Would not have a clue and would constantly keep using it. Now, ~skirting~ feels much more refined, and now enters my list of "new words to use". 
And yeah, I totally understand that the lore, putrid, darken vibe shows rather frequently in my writing. Stephen King and Lovecraft have recently been hanging in my nightstand - might be why.
I'll keep the humor in mind, then. Splashes of gigglish human thoughts might do the trick. 

Thanks again for the support, man. Truly appreciate it!
Skol!

[Umbra-Manis]

Incredibly detailed story, I really enjoyed reading through it and when I got to the beast I very much had a feeling of "Holy crap I'm glad I'm not a minfigure!"

[Louis of Nutwood]

1 hour ago, Umbra-Manis said:

 

Incredibly detailed story, I really enjoyed reading through it and when I got to the beast I very much had a feeling of "Holy crap I'm glad I'm not a minfigure!"

 

I can’t express enough how much it means that you liked reading through the story. I’m thrilled you liked the build and feared for the Minifigure. Cheers, man!