[Freebuild] Elgwi's Curiosities & Ivo the Baker (Chronicles of Embervale Ep.01)

[Aurore]

My CDC2 minifigs are nearly ready and my ancient wonder build is starting to resemble to what I have in mind. So here is a sneaky episode to link the Chronicles of Embervale prologue and the CDC!
Like the prologue, it's also available on my blog. 

----------------------------

The builds

Embervale Summer Fair - Elgwi's Curiosities

 

Embervale Summer Fair - Ivo the Baker

----------------------------

The story - Chronicles of Embervale Episode 1 : the Summer Fair

“Can I have a pony?”
“No, Grog, it’s not lunchtime yet,” Evrart replied absently.
“Not a pony for eating, sir! A pony for riding. Like the Boss’ white horse but smaller and less freaky? Please?”

Alrune turned her head to glance at the goblin with tender amusement, and Evrart had to hastily pull her aside to avoid a collision with a pot-bellied dwarf carrying a barrel.
She awkwardly thanked him while struggling to regain her balance – and her dignity.

The natural grace of elf maidens, what a hoax! 

It was the third day of the summer fair in Embervale, and a colourful and boisterous mob had stormed the otherwise quiet village. Trying to work her way through the erratic crowd, Alrune was feeling like a cockleshell trying to navigate through a sea of freighters.
She was contemplating the idea of casting a shockwave spell to clear a way when, much to her relief, they soon reached calmer waters and their destination.

Nestled in a cosy nook behind the inn, it was a huge stall kept by a tiny halfling. 
The stall was full of strange minerals, colourful vials and odd trinkets, everything thoughtfully displayed and impeccably polished. It certainly was the most dapper spellcraft shop Evrart had ever seen – even the stuffed crocodile hanging from the ceiling looked fresh as a fiddle.

“Hi there, your Ladyship!” the halfling cheerfully shouted when they reached the stall. “Geez, what a gloomy face you make!”
“Good morning Elgwi. The crowd is horrific today,” Alrune replied with a sigh.
“You may hate it, but it’s good for business, your Grace! Anyways, I have everything you requested. Just wait a moment, I’ll be right back.”

The halfling vanished into the depths of the stall, and she soon reappeared with a bag and a heavy-looking grimoire. Alrune’s face brightened.

"There you are,” she whispered, lovingly leafing through the pages of the book.
“Hundreds of illustrations drawn in the author’s hand, reviewed and annotated by Archimage Willibert himself,” Elgwi said with a little self-satisfied smile.

The two girls went on cooing over the book for a while, and a small but full purse changed ownership.

A few moments later, as Evrart was holding the bag and ready to escort Alrune back to the castle, Elgwi handed her a thick envelope. The elf frowned at the mere sight of the blood red wax seal that closed it.

“I almost forgot,” the halfling said. “That’s a message from your mother.”
“Seriously. She has dozens of servile minions, and everyone at the court considers her wish as their command. Yet she uses you as a messenger.”
“She did not give any explanation, your Highness. She just said it’s private and personal, and she’d rip my eyes out to feed them to her crow if I don’t convince you to read it – and do what’s written.”

Elgwi had spoken lightheartedly, but Evrart realised that Alrune was taking the threat very seriously.
“Fine, I’ll read it,” she hissed.

On their way back to the castle, no one dared to shove her. She was so obviously seething that everyone moved out of her way.

To be continued...

 

Edited August 20, 2021 by Aurore
I hate typos!

[W Navarre]

Excellent, you captured the feelings of a fair there. Love the roof on the first one, and the colors are bold and look so fanciful and good in the second one! So many great details inside, I really like the upside down crocodile! 

Edited August 19, 2021 by W Navarre

[jtooker]

Wonderful colors while still making a believable MOC!  The street is done very well and great job with the photography to focus on the characters.

[Aurore]

@W Navarre Thank you very much! The stuffed crocodile hanging from the ceiling is a must-have in any self-respecting magic shop, right?  

@jtooker Thank you so much! So glad you enjoy the illustration photos - I had to retake the second one so many times before getting everything right...

[mrcp6d]

I really like how densely packed the wares are on the shelves in both of these builds.  The angled display on the left of the larger stall in particular is well done.  You've got a mastery of color that not many of us have too!

[Kai NRG]

What a great pair of MOCs--the pink and purple curiosity tent looks so good, great curve in the back.  Lots of neat stuff inside too, love the alligator hanging from the roof especially!  But though it's much smaller, the tent on the section vignette is perfect in its own way, the garage door works super well.  I'm loving the sign post too!  And I also have to mention your close up minifigure shots for the story, so well composed and sharp focus on the figs.

Now... what's in that letter?

[Grover]

Wow!  I really love this build.  You manage to get a ton of detail into the shots while not making it too busy somehow.  I keep looking at the pictures and finding new things each viewing.  And what a ton of special pieces in there too!  Love the story, and am excited to see it continue!  As always, great use of color, and the minifigs are perfect!  You do a good job capturing the chaos of a street fair while retaining the ability to photograph, which is impressive!

[zoth33]

Really nice builds here.  I like the curvature of the tent building with the tile slope pieces.  The colors really pop and make for a nice visual.  The croc upside down is a nice detail.  There are some great looking figs in here also, actually when I first saw the 4th photo I thought what was Jamie Lannister doing there.  The guy with the armor and sword reminded me of Jamie at first glance.  Good story to accompany the build too.  

Edited August 22, 2021 by zoth33

[NOD]

The colorful curiosity sales booth looks great. It's unbelievable how many different things are being sold. I also like the different minifigures at the curiosities and bakery.

[romulan]

This is simply an incredible build. I love the colors - great photography too!

[socalbricks]

Great work on both of these MOCs!

The builds and positioning of the figures make the scenes "come alive"! The details in each build are lovely as well - I'm sure other people have already mentioned the upside-down crocodile! I also love how you portrayed the tent "fabric" in both MOC's - one with purple/magenta bricks and the other with tan "garage roller door segments". Both techniques are simple yet incredibly effective!

I can't wait to see what you come up with for CDC2! Good luck!

[Aurore]

@mrcp6d Thank you so much! Elgwi's colour palette came to my mind thanks to the new magenta Dumbledore minifig. I've always enjoyed dark purple, but had never used magenta before!

@Kai NRG Thank you very much! I'm especially glad you enjoy the sign post, since I had so much fun designing it.  As for the letter...we'll learn more about it in the next episode, I've finally found a way of integrating the CDC2 theme in the general storyline I had in mind!

@Grover Thank you very much! I've been collecting special parts with a "magical" flair for a while now, it was time I actually build something with them! I have quite a lot with a more "science" flair too, maybe I should build a lab for Alrune or Sigrid (or both?) someday. As for the photos, at least part of the credit shall go to the lens I used. I had completely forgotten about it before packing it when we moved house, and I'm so glad I have found it again! 

@zoth33 Thank you so much! Now that you've said it...I won't be able to look at Evrart's minifig without thinking of Jamie too! 

@NOD Thank you very much! It really was a lot of fun to gather the parts for the Curiosities shop. 

@romulan Thank you very much! Photography was one of my main hobbies a while ago, and I'm re-discovering it thanks to LEGO. 

@socalbricks Thank you so much! I see the crocodile is very popular...   As for the CDC2, I hope my build will be ready in time, I'm currently struggling to get it right!  

 

[Jerry McGlade]

I love these builds! I really like the feeling it gives you when you look at them! Wow!!

[Boindil Lego]

Really great builds! Love the colors of the forst one. The roof of the second is a nice NPU!

[BrickMatit]

Fantastic buildings!

I can almost hear people chatting, laughing, haggling... feel the chaos of the crowd!

The story is icing on the cake!

[Aurore]

@Jerry McGlade Thank you so much!

@Boindil Lego Thank you very much! I have to admit I had a lot of fun with the colours of the first one. 

@BrickMatit Thank you so much! So glad you felt the chaos I was trying to convey! 

[Exetrius]

Goodness, what a build!  I'll echo what mrcp6d said: exceptional mastery of colour! And I'm drooling over the use of prints and special items, wow! The Ninjago mask with the added horns, and of course the suspended alligator, both stand out, but the headwear rack shouldn't be overlooked either. Lovely sign with the special bread loaf, top-notch figures, particularly Alrune and the peddler and his wares, too! Little bit of criticism: I feel like the stone paving for the smaller build is a tad too cluttered in combination with the busy minifigure hustle and bustle. Maybe more heavy use of one of the colours (and make the rest more as accents) would be easier on the eye. Anyway, keep it up!

[Aurore]

@Exetrius Thank you so much! Thrilled that you noticed the peddler, I had so much fun building him! 

I think I see what you mean with the cluttered paving - and, with hindsight, I agree. I'll definitely take that into account when I'll build further market stalls!