CDC1 Tale: The Chosen Kings

[The Stad]

Previously:

A New Post at Gammeltårn

Party Supplies

Perils Old and New

Unsought but Welcome

Out Through the Market

Embarking

Once Førstlys had disappeared in the distance, the wind caught their sails and the ship surged westward, slicing through the growing whitecaps and skipping over the deepening troughs between the swells.  Their course carried them rapidly past the rocky southern coast of the Burial Isle, whose sloping hills soon grew to craggy peaks and towering cliffs.  Throughout the afternoon they kept their distance from the increasingly jagged shore, for which Kjell was thankful, as the seas rolled more violently the further they sailed.  He felt his nerves were tight enough just worrying about the waves, and wasn't sure he'd be able to worry about the mighty rocks against which they crashed as well.  He and the other men said very little, each fighting his stomach (with varying success), while the gold-clad elves moved quickly and efficiently around them, seemingly unperturbed by the motion of their vessel.

As the sun descended and lit upon the horizon, the old elf turned to his helmsman. "Vaikea olla oikealla."  The helmsman shouted a few quick commands and, to Kjell's alarm, the ship wheeled about quickly and tacked rapidly to the north, directly towards the cliffs.  He wanted to yell, but dared not open his mouth. In a matter of minutes the dark mass of the coast loomed before them, and to either side in the gathering twilight could be seen great sea rocks, jutting from the churning waves like gnarled fingers.  Panic began to overtake Kjell; gone was the nausea, and in its place was the hollow fear that he might soon be swallowed by the endless, frigid darkness upon which they foolishly danced.  Beside him the old elf was calm.

Soon the foam of the mountainous swells, which relentlessly battered the rapidly-nearing cliffs, was all that could be seen in the dusk. The old elf raised his right hand before him, his left hand held to his chest, and quietly but clearly spoke, "Kuíave fōd thu luz."

Out of the night a pale light shot across their path, illuminating the base of the cliffs in a blue glow, and beyond it the waves seemed to calm.  Still, before the ship they yet surged, and the old elf turned once again and spoke to his helmsman, "Tee kaivoon, setten nomeasti vasemmalle."  The ship shifted course slightly, cutting along a deep valley in the water.  Kjell couldn't breath. The helmsman shouted again, they shot across the light onto smooth water, and immediately turned hard to port.  

They glided over the glassy surface, down a narrow aisle of water between the rock face and the luminous wall that held the raging sea at bay, and Kjell saw that the light progressed in a steady chain between the sea rocks.  As they neared one, the dim light revealed that the wall issued from openings in a structure that was built into the landward side of the rock, hidden from any eyes that would dare to search from the Bay of Storms.  Nearly as tall as the rock itself, the edifice towered over their ship as it passed.

 

In awe, Kjell turned to the old elf and breathlessly asked, "What is this?  Who built it?"

Again, the slight smile played at the corners of the elf's eyes and he replied, "These are the Lánfadan.  They were built in the long distant past by the Pinnothen, whose blood you share."

Kjell could not summon a response so, unprompted, the elf continued, "They were a great students of the world about them, observant of the flow of energy through the earth, trees, and sky, and were insatiably curious.  They soon mastered the ability channel that energy, direct it as they desired, and bend it to their considerable will."  

"They quickly became renowned as master builders and craftsmen, and a formidable force on the field of battle.  Even among the mightiest of kingdoms in the land, the most prudent rulers chose to offer generous terms of allegiance."  

  

Spoiler

Overall View:

"But if they were so mighty, what became of them?" asked Kjell. 

"Unrivaled might is its own greatest threat," the elf replied.  "With no opponents to face beyond their borders, the Pinnothen turned inward.  Princes coveted the power of kings, and the wars that brother waged against brother all but destroyed them.  But that, I think, is a tale for another night..."

Spoiler

With the lights on:

Without the ship:

 

I don't love how the photography turned out on this, but I'm still pretty happy with the internal lighting effect.  I wish I'd had a better way of showing off the waves behind the light wall, and I should have gotten a wider shot of the composition, but that's what makes every moc a part of the learning process, right?

PS - I'll be adding more to this post as I complete more mocs, so stay tuned.

 

Edited June 1, 2021 by The Stad
Typos. Typos everywhere.

[Kai NRG]

The lighting here is super cool, I really like the way the lattice looks with the blue behind it.  Great job on the pillars too, I like the diagonal patterns.  And the whole thing is so huge compared to the microfigures!!  Looks like it would be absolutely breathtaking to sail by!

[jtooker]

10 hours ago, The Stad said:

I don't love how the photography turned out on this

I disagree - I think it turned out well.  Everything looks mysterious and magical.  Great job getting the contours of the ship to look nice in the water.  Great story too - the build-up and description of the environment created an image in my head very much matching your MOC when I scrolled down to see it.

[Grover]

Oooh, cool!  I am really excited to learn about the secret entrance the elves know about... this is going to be fun!  As for the build, it looks great, especially the backlighting.  Going big is a problem sometimes as you mentioned in your other post, but you managed to make the scale look good with the nanofigs. 

13 hours ago, The Stad said:

I don't love how the photography turned out on this

I first looked at this on my phone and thought the same thing, but then when I looked at it on my computer, I was able to see a lot more contrast and detail.  I tried it on a few different screens and get very different results, so this may be one of those unusual pictures that is screen dependent. 

Well done!  Keep up the good work, and I can't wait to see where the story goes!

[The Stad]

*Original post updated*

@Kai NRG@jtooker - Thank you!

@Grover - Thank, I noticed that disparity with the screens more after you mentioned it.  Something to remember in the future!

[Kai NRG]

The lighting in the new build is if possible even better than the lighting in the first one!  The layout of the blocks of stone is really cool too.  Looking forward to seeing what you've got up your sleeve next!

[mrcp6d]

You've got a great ability to convey a sense of scale with your MOCs and that definitely comes through here.  Great work, love the lighting effects too!

[Louis of Nutwood]

At first glance, the ship look humongous! I had to come back and check it once more to understand it was built in microscale. And yet, it is still big!

I love the ship's design. Very unique, very clean and elvish. The angles as particularly pleasing. The use of gold is amazing, and the various tooth pieces contribute to the flowing design. Impressive and inspiring. The tower, hidden in the rock is heartwarming. To see this marvelous structure amidst the Bay of Storms must be something for few to meet their spirituality and true power. 

The lightning is great, and I appreciate the photo angle. It certainly builds up and matches to the great story that comes along.
To have a second build with the ancient practice of people discovering, using and mastering the 'energy' is giving a further step too. I'm very pleased with the sharp edges, shadows and the brilliance of the blue beam, lighted from below.

Fantastic scenes for an amazing Mitgardian entry, Stad. 
Skol!
 

[The Stad]

*Original post updated*

@Kai NRG - thanks, that build turned out much better than I had hoped.  I just wish I'd been able to integrate lights into the third one as well.

@mrcp6d - thank you!

@Louis of Nutwood - Skol!  I wish I had the bricks and time to build the ship at full minifig scale, but I doubt it would even fit in my Lego space...