Louis of Nutwood Posted January 14, 2021 (edited) Tales of Valnötstrad Svart Dyr, The Black Dragon “The man stormed into our village as a sudden summer rain. His clothes were ragged, torn, and burnt, and his sunken eyes showed what could only be described as fear in its most visceral state. Before he could mumble a word, we knew the tale. We knew the threat. How could we not? His town was the third to be attacked since last we saw the full moon. Soon, there would be no other villages left untouched, and ours was just as exposed. The man pointed to the setting sun, indicating the beast went west, where the dirt path led to the wetlands. We gathered our spears, packed our shields, and bid our loved ones farewells. Our feet sank with every step, and when the dirt path turned to mud, we heard the roar of a thousand demons, drifting among the woods. The party divided to flank whatever it was we would encounter until we reached a clearing. And there, we saw it. Its meandering tail, its thick skin made of leather, its long neck that could reach the sky. From its end, yellow fiery eyes showed no recollection of a soul, but the primitive drive of a starving animal. He opened his pale wings and embraced the water, the trees, that small group of once brave, diminished to nothing but frightened warriors... Hell, it took the whole swamp. Its belly shone and its teeth glistered with the blinding light of its breath. The cold wind became a scorching wave of flames that took our brothers and our courage in a heartbeat. But with my last sigh of hope, I grabbed the shaft of my spear and threw it at the beast. The spear hissed, cutting wind and flames before it cut the dragon’s flesh and landed on its chest. A demonic shout made the trees tremble and our hearts burst. With an impulse, the monster flapped its wings and flew away, leaving behind a hint of faith: a trail of red blood. Svart Dyr, the Black Beast is what we called it. That night, we did not kill it. It is a tale for another night. But that was the night we knew we could.” By Fiobvr the Wise, my grandfather. Louis of Nutwood ______ Built for CCCXVIII, Medieval Monster Menace Category. Hope you all like it. Would love some feedback. Edited April 29, 2021 by Louis of Nutwood Additional photos Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ecclesiastes Posted January 14, 2021 This is awesome! So much to like here, the base with different shades, the action, and of course hard to miss that stunning dragon! The head is especially well made, great job! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jtooker Posted January 14, 2021 Great brick-built dragon - having brick wings is especially unique. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Louis of Nutwood Posted January 14, 2021 3 hours ago, Ecclesiastes said: This is awesome! So much to like here, the base with different shades, the action, and of course hard to miss that stunning dragon! The head is especially well made, great job! Thanks for the kind words, Ecc! I'm quite fond with the dragon too! Glad you liked the head and all the action. Cheers, mate! 2 hours ago, jtooker said: Great brick-built dragon - having brick wings is especially unique. Glad you noticed them, sire Tooker! If the scale was a tad larger, I don't believe the wings would stand still. I'm very happy with the result, though. Thanks for mentioning. Skol! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
deraven Posted January 15, 2021 Love the tree. The reeds in that murky, marshy water are lovely as well. The fully brick-build dragon is wonderful, and the fire breath works well. The overall color scheme with just several shades of a fairly small palette of colors really gives it a cohesive feel. Fantastic build! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JintaiZ Posted January 15, 2021 Great build! Love the dragon wings. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zoth33 Posted January 15, 2021 Awesome build here. I like the dragons design, the head and wings are great. The different layers in the build give it some nice depth. The landscaping and rock work flow together nicely. The tree design is wonderful. The color choices here work very well, the dragon colors and the build itself. Really good work here. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LordDan Posted January 15, 2021 Fantastic dragon! I especially love the head and fire effects, and it has a very nice landscape and fig posing to go with it too! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Louis of Nutwood Posted January 15, 2021 18 hours ago, deraven said: Love the tree. The reeds in that murky, marshy water are lovely as well. The fully brick-build dragon is wonderful, and the fire breath works well. The overall color scheme with just several shades of a fairly small palette of colors really gives it a cohesive feel. Fantastic build! Thanks for the support, DEraven! I'm happy you liked the full composition, but I'll be honest and say the tree is the thing I'm least happy with in the build. I'm thrilled you liked the dragon and the fire! They were a challenge to put together. Cheers, mate! 18 hours ago, JintaiZ said: Great build! Love the dragon wings. Thanks for noticing them, Jintai! Glad you liked the build. Those wings are a challenge in balance, but I'm happy with the result as well. Thanks! 14 hours ago, zoth33 said: Awesome build here. I like the dragons design, the head and wings are great. The different layers in the build give it some nice depth. The landscaping and rock work flow together nicely. The tree design is wonderful. The color choices here work very well, the dragon colors and the build itself. Really good work here. Thank you so much, Zoth! I'm thrilled you liked the full composition. Thanks for mentioning a few aspects you liked, as I'm particularly proud of some of them. Cheers, mate! Thanks for the support. 1 hour ago, LordDan said: Fantastic dragon! I especially love the head and fire effects, and it has a very nice landscape and fig posing to go with it too! Naah, thanks, LordDan! I'm particularly proud of the fire effect, so thanks for mentioning. I'd been trying to come up with something for week, but I'm happy with the result. Thanks for the support! Skol! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Grover Posted January 15, 2021 Wow! *Applause* This is a well-deserved front page. The whole scene is great from the irregular base and colors to the amazing dragon. I particularly like the dark and sand green water in contrast with the lime green. You have successfully managed to incorporate almost every shade of green through color blocking, which is impressive and tricky to do. The minifig posing and facial expressions are great. The tree on the right is shaped well, but kind of squarish, although I don't know how you get around that given the limitations of the medium. However, the dragon deserves its own paragraph. My, is it spectacular! I really like the overall feel of it, since it hearkens to the medieval fantasy dragons to me. Look out @Henjin_Quilones, you have some competition in dragon building now! The head is my favorite part. It gives such a menacing, powerful and evil look to it. The eyes seem to glow. The fire is also spectacular, and you can tell that the recipient did not live through it! Great work with the SNOT landscaping in dark tan, too. It really looks good. Great work, and keep it up! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kai NRG Posted January 15, 2021 This is a really neat build, love the swamp, the brick-built wings (well worth another mention!) and by the way, that tooth-eye is perfect! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
deraven Posted January 15, 2021 3 hours ago, Louis of Nutwood said: I'll be honest and say the tree is the thing I'm least happy with in the build. Haha! Since you said that I went back and looked at it more closely. Yeah... it's not exactly a complex piece of building and by itself it wouldn't be noteworthy, so let me rephrase that piece of my compliment: The tree is simply designed and doesn't specifically draw your eye, but it's a nice piece of set dressing that makes the rest of the scene feel more complete! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Aurore Posted January 17, 2021 (edited) One more amazing brick-built creature from you! It reallly looks lively. The rather intricate design of the head is very beautiful, and I love the wings : they may look a bit too thick if viewed from the side, but their shape is just perfect and nicely detailed. The landscaping is gorgeous too, great rockwork and color palette! Edited January 17, 2021 by Aurore Typo... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fletcher Floyd Posted January 17, 2021 Great job Louis! I would not be suprised at all seeing this one winning it‘s category! Great entry with a lot of action and an impressive dragon! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Louis of Nutwood Posted January 17, 2021 On 1/15/2021 at 6:46 PM, Grover said: Wow! *Applause* This is a well-deserved front page. The whole scene is great from the irregular base and colors to the amazing dragon. I particularly like the dark and sand green water in contrast with the lime green. You have successfully managed to incorporate almost every shade of green through color blocking, which is impressive and tricky to do. The minifig posing and facial expressions are great. The tree on the right is shaped well, but kind of squarish, although I don't know how you get around that given the limitations of the medium. However, the dragon deserves its own paragraph. My, is it spectacular! I really like the overall feel of it, since it hearkens to the medieval fantasy dragons to me. Look out @Henjin_Quilones, you have some competition in dragon building now! The head is my favorite part. It gives such a menacing, powerful and evil look to it. The eyes seem to glow. The fire is also spectacular, and you can tell that the recipient did not live through it! Great work with the SNOT landscaping in dark tan, too. It really looks good. Great work, and keep it up! This is why I crave for you thorough, fully detailed and sensitive feedbacks, Sire Grover! During the last additions to the build occurred to me the thought that "wow! I'm using almost every shade of green there is in LEGO". It wasn't intentional, but only gave me some interesting fact about the build. And I'm thrilled you noticed it too. Thank you for mentioning many of the aspects that bring me joy about this MOC. And about the dragon, @Henjin_Quilones is most definitely a huge inspiration. I'm happy you guys liked this beast-from-the-darkness, here! Cheers, sire Grover! Always much appreciated! On 1/15/2021 at 6:47 PM, Kai NRG said: This is a really neat build, love the swamp, the brick-built wings (well worth another mention!) and by the way, that tooth-eye is perfect! I'm thrilled you liked it, Kai. Thanks for mentioning the tooth-eye! There was a lot of trial and error going on in that dragon-head. As of the wings, I'm just happy they stood still for the picture. Skol, mate! On 1/15/2021 at 7:50 PM, deraven said: Haha! Since you said that I went back and looked at it more closely. Yeah... it's not exactly a complex piece of building and by itself it wouldn't be noteworthy, so let me rephrase that piece of my compliment: The tree is simply designed and doesn't specifically draw your eye, but it's a nice piece of set dressing that makes the rest of the scene feel more complete! Hahah. I'm flattered with your polite rephrasing, DeRaven! I recognize the three deserves a bit more attention, though. Thanks for the trouble of coming back for a second look. I really appreciate it. Thanks for the support, man. Cheers! 13 hours ago, Aurore said: One more amazing brick-built creature from you! It reallly looks lively. The rather intricate design of the head is very beautiful, and I love the wings : they may look a bit too thick if viewed from the side, but their shape is just perfect and nicely detailed. The landscaping is gorgeous too, great rockwork and color palette! Lady Aurore, what a pleasure to have you here! I'm honored you liked this wholesome creature and its brick-built wings. Since you are a master in landscape-vegetation building, it really means a lot you like this smelly swamp. Thanks for the Mitgardian support! Skol! 12 hours ago, Fletcher Floyd said: Great job Louis! I would not be suprised at all seeing this one winning it‘s category! Great entry with a lot of action and an impressive dragon! Thank you so much for the appraisal, Sir Fletcher. I must say again how impressed I am with all your entries to the CCC, both in quantity and in quality. It means a lot that you liked this humble creation, as I'm very pleased with the result as well. I did try for something with a lot of action, and I'm glad you captured the intention. Cheers, my friend! And thank you all for the kind words! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
(Luc)ky Luke Posted January 19, 2021 The dragon and the fire are amazing, and I really like the design of the landscape, especially the tree which I think is very unique. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Louis of Nutwood Posted January 20, 2021 On 1/19/2021 at 5:12 AM, (Luc)ky Luke said: The dragon and the fire are amazing, and I really like the design of the landscape, especially the tree which I think is very unique. I'm very pleased you liked it, sir Luke. It warms my cold heart to know this beast of a dragon has been so well received, even if it has destroyed many a villages in the North. Its fire breath was a challenge to take, but I'm relieved we lived through it. As for the trees that surround and protect us, I'm happy you liked this one, for, I confess, I'm not particularly happy with. But, hey! Thank you for your much welcomed support, mate. During these hard times, we must stick together with our fellow northerners. Skol, brother! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Man with beard Posted January 23, 2021 (edited) Really nicely built and composed. The fact that you gave a very fierce Lego dragon a nice plump tummy just makes me happy when I look at it. Edited January 25, 2021 by Man with beard Grammar Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Louis of Nutwood Posted January 25, 2021 On 1/23/2021 at 3:12 AM, Man with beard said: Really nice built and composed. The fact that you gave a very fierce Lego dragon a nice plump tummy just makes me happy when I look at it. Hahah. Love it. You can tell where a dragon comes from by the size of his tummy. Thanks for the support, manwithbeard! Skol! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Niku Posted January 25, 2021 I like all the perceived movement it really brings the build to life. Thanks for sharing. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Louis of Nutwood Posted January 28, 2021 On 1/25/2021 at 12:32 AM, Niku said: I like all the perceived movement it really brings the build to life. Thanks for sharing. Thanks for stopping by, Niku! I'm thrilled you like the action in here. Skol, my friend! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mrcp6d Posted February 3, 2021 I saw this and immediately thought "dang! we're building the same same thing!" Seriously though, this is well executed. The head of this beast is amazing and locating the action in swamp was a great idea with excellent landscaping to follow it through. Love that fire effect near the shield, but I wish it was thicker in the middle where the bar piece is. Dunno about the tree either, shape is great but the lack of texture in the trunk kind of conflicts with the nicely detailed & textured landscaping everywhere else. Good luck in competition! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Louis of Nutwood Posted February 4, 2021 18 hours ago, mrcp6d said: I saw this and immediately thought "dang! we're building the same same thing!" Seriously though, this is well executed. The head of this beast is amazing and locating the action in swamp was a great idea with excellent landscaping to follow it through. Love that fire effect near the shield, but I wish it was thicker in the middle where the bar piece is. Dunno about the tree either, shape is great but the lack of texture in the trunk kind of conflicts with the nicely detailed & textured landscaping everywhere else. Good luck in competition! Thank you so much, MRCP! It's always a thrill to receive an appraisal from a builder you admire. Thanks, bud! I wish I'd seen your similar build. Now I'm darn curious! I'm glad you mentioned the head and the fire effect, which are two achievements I'm proud of. I did struggle with the fire effect -- a lot of trial an error with a particularly limited amount of trans-orange pieces. Hence, the rather slim middle flame. The tree is binging me chills, really. It's the only part I'm not happy with, and I can see how un-textured it is. I think it serves its point, to fill that part of the build, but looking back I wished I'd done something more creative. Thanks again for the support, bud! Skol! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
