CDC2 CMF : Aurore [Scholars & Spellcasters - and some Scammers too]

[Aurore]

Here is my entry for Category 1 of the 2nd count down challenge - Populating Historica.

Let me introduce you to some prominent scholars and spellcasters of Historica. And some scammers too...
Spoiler sections contain photos of the back of each minifig (without cape for those who wear one). There are external links to Wikipedia where I took inspiration from the real world...

 

Avalonia : Derwen, Centenary Dryad
Dryads care for seedlings like shepherds care for lambs. Did you really think the Enchanted Forest grows all by itself?  - Valtan, elven guide, to an oblivious tourist

 

Spoiler

Avalonia : Angharad, Dragon Breeder
Dragon breeding is a matter of hard work, patience, and careful selection. Fireproof clothing is a must too. - Catchphrase of her infamous speech at the 124th Inter-Guilds Dragon Husbandry Symposium

 

Spoiler

 

Avalonia : Cingwi the Enchantress
Don’t judge a book by the cover, they say. Well, don’t judge that girl by her shy smile and sweet nature: she knows her sh*t. - Hatto the Half-Elf, innkeeper and philosopher

 

Spoiler

Kaliphlin : Prof. Tahani Noor Aurea, PhD, of the University of Petraea
She’s, like, totally psycho! She turned me into a frog just because I damaged a book! - Miri, failing student

Spoiler

Kaliphlin : Saanvi, Gemmologist
Diamonds are a girl’s best friends. And so are emeralds, opals, aquamarines, and all varieties of corundum. Lapis-lazuli, on the other hand, can’t be trusted. – Saanvi

 

Spoiler

Kaliphlin : Torghur the Farseer
Oh my, the seer had told him his future was cloudy! – Varma, Siccus Badlands merchant, hearing of a peer’s death in a sandstorm

 

Spoiler

Mitgardia : Torvi Ulfberhtsdottir, Runesmith
There is such a thing as forgery of forged runes, kid, and the runesmiths are ruthless with copycats. – Gordeghag Grumblehelm, weaponmaster, upon being given a sword inscribed “Ulfbetr” by a clueless and soon very remorseful apprentice

 

Spoiler

Mitgardia : Fridtjof Amundson, (Other)world Explorer
Crrrzd hssi, jktlvo shhhha ! Frrrriuzd. - F. Amundson, to nixie warlord Gwr of Jötunheim

 

Spoiler

Mitgardia : Uukkarnit, the Boreal Witch
Don’t worry, that’s just a little lady walking her pooch. - Algus captain Ubal, a few seconds before being buried with his whole phalanx under a sudden and unexpected avalanche

 

Spoiler

Nocturnus : Crenath of Aziroth, Soul Collector
Why would anyone torture souls when you can neatly put them in a jar and admire their beautiful, vivid colours right on your desk? - Crenath

 

Spoiler

Nocturnus : A'angis, Succubus Mistress
Oh hello, beautif….aaaargh ! - Every single man who met her

Spoiler

 

Nocturnus : Ozco, Master Embalmer
Ever wondered how to protect your undead minions from decay? All it takes is a good embalmer and several yards of linen. - Lich Lord Thagrasel

 

Spoiler

Varlyrio : Secenri, Subterranean Botanist
On the surface, light creates the colours. Here, magic does and it is much more imaginative! – Secenri

 

Spoiler

Varlyrio : Vyelarhin the Flawless, Astromancer
Cartomancy is a scam, never trust someone who says they read your future in filthy little scraps of paper. Turn to the stars instead! – Teodolinda D’Augustino, momentarily wealthy dowager

 

Spoiler

Varlyrio : Niccolo di Fiamma, Alchemist
All that glitters can become gold - Unofficial motto of the Illyrian Guild of Alchemist

 

Spoiler

Cedrica : Raina the Red, Archimage
Power is the pivot on which everything hinges. [She] who has the power is always right, the weaker is always wrong. - Some obscure diplomat, writer and politician

Spoiler

 

Edited September 1, 2021 by Aurore

[jtooker]

I love the theme you've chosen for your figs.  The guild-based backgrounds are a nice touch.  Great photography too!

[Robert8]

I can't even tell which are my favorites because I love them all!

Damn Aurore, you have such a good taste to put together these characters. Most of them look like they were released that way

[Henjin_Quilones]

So colorful, so delightful to behold…sigh, I guess trying for second place isn’t bad…

[Kai NRG]

These are some great minifigure combos--impressed by how frequently you managed to near-seamlessly blend heavily printed legs and torsos that weren't meant for each other!  Some of these characters are pretty intriguing too.  I especially like the embalmer.   Great call with the colorcoded backgrounds to easily distinguish guilds! 

[Aurore]

@jtooker Thank you very much! I'm so glad you enjoy the photos - and the theme too, as I've always have a special fondness for those kind of characters in fantasy fiction.

@Robert8 Thank you so much! Given the amazing designs you come up with, I definitely feel honoured by the compliment!

@Henjin_Quilones . Just.... 

@Kai NRG Thank you so much! I'm actually always impressed by TLG when they manage to come up with minifig parts that look so incredibly well with much older ones (such as Chima torsos with very recent HP legs)....
Also, I have to confess the embalmer is one of my favourites too. Nocty can have some quirky, sympathetic denizens too!   

[W Navarre]

What a splendid assortment of figs! I think I like the alchemist best, I also really like the use of the dark tan claw on the Farseer's staff. Looks like voodoo. 

[socalbricks]

Great work as always! There's very little I can say that hasn't already been said - the parts combos continue to impress. Raina the Archimage and Ozco the Embalmer are my personal favorites! 

I also love the "soul face" in the Soul Collector's hand! That piece is perfect.

I'm putting the finishing touches on the photos for my CDC2: CMF entry. Looks like I'll have some stiff competition!

Keep up the great work!

 

[zoth33]

All the figs look great.  You to a really great job with color combinations.  And a very nice use of the Bone queen hairpiece from the monkey kid.  I like that you included a quote from someone about each character even if it was from the character itself.  

[Boindil Lego]

Those figs are great! I have to ask, are these all real LEGO parts? You used some great torso`s I never seen before.

[Aurore]

@W Navarre Thank you very much! Glad you enjoy Torghur's staff, I had a lot of fun designing it (with, indeed, a little bit of voodoo in mind)/

@socalbricks Thank you so much! I was wondering if anyone would notice the "soul face", it's not as noticeable on the photos than in reality...So happy you did! I'm looking forward to your serie too!

@zoth33 Thank you very much! The concept of the quotes is inspired by Magic cards, as I've always enjoyed those reading them! 

@Boindil Lego Thank you very much! Yes, all parts are (real) (and un-modified) LEGO. Most of the torsos come either from Chima, Ninjago or Chinese New Year sets, and I swapped the arms for many of them too - which may not help recognizing them. Don't hesitate to ask if there is one specific one you would like to know more about!

[Gideon]

Fantastic figs, all of them! 
Great choice to use a common theme and I also like the guild backgrounds

[Frike]

Your figures are as colourful and coherent as always, you've really nailed these combos! I'm a huge fan of the dragon breeder especially. 

[Aurore]

@Gideon Thank you very much! The theme came rather naturally, as those kind of characters are often my favourite in fantasy fiction. I'd need to make a serie out of my confort zone some time, such as monsters (or just more male characters, as my husband complained) 

@Frike Thank you so much! The dragon breeder was the first one I made, as soon as I got my hands on that cute little egg...

[Umbra-Manis]

This is an incredible collection, and I love how you themed them all consistently but gave such character to each one. 

[Aurore]

@Umbra-Manis Thank you so much! I really had a lot of fun thinking up their names and quotes...

[Grover]

Gorgeous!  So many hairpieces I still need!  I think my favorites are the dryad and the succubus.  The archmage looks awesome, too.  I think my next build with the queen will have to incorporate the archmage of Cedrica, her advisor!

[Aurore]

@Grover Thank you so much! I'd love to see Raina with the queen...and Bob...

[kahir88]

So many wonderful magic and mysticism-related figures. Lovely! 

My favorite is the succubus. She would be a great mistress, for my Efreet. :D

[Exetrius]

I had procrastinated commenting for when I had a good amount of time to absorb each and every minifig. But now that I have done that... I don't know where to start! Your main visual, the presentation, is more than stunning!  The choice to use your desk (or floor?) as backdrop, instead the of conventional paper, worked out very well because of the stark contrast between it's colour, light reflection and material pattern, against your colourful minifigs on colourful bases. Beautiful photography, there! And then the figs... oh, they are superb! It is figs like these that make me question whether I actually still have a preference for yellow figs. Like others, I'm having difficulty to pick a favourite; Derwen; Torvi; Fridtjof; A'angis; Niccolo and Raina are all amazing! 

Looking forward to your next build!

Edited September 14, 2021 by Exetrius

[Aurore]

@kahir88 Thank you very much! I had to search for your Efreet Lord (this one from 2018, right? Looks insanely great!), and I do agree A'angis would get along quite well with him. 

@Exetrius Thank you so much! So glad you enjoy them! 
And yes, indeed, the backdrop for the group shot is my building table - which is my former dining table. I've had it for years but only very recently noticed it makes a clean, no-brainer background for MOCs...Oh well, guess we learn something new every day.

[kahir88]

1 hour ago, Aurore said:

@kahir88 Thank you very much! I had to search for your Efreet Lord (this one from 2018, right? Looks insanely great!), and I do agree A'angis would get along quite well with him. 

Yes, he is. I'm glad you too believe, there is a spark between them. ;) 

Anyway, will you update your Natural History of Historica volumes with the CMF's plants and critters? :D

[Aurore]

22 hours ago, kahir88 said:

Anyway, will you update your Natural History of Historica volumes with the CMF's plants and critters? :D

I will! But first I must finish my Ancient Wonder build... 

[DwalinF]

I think its the best set of all! Very colourfull and bright characters. So many parts I don't even know where they are from

[BardDandelion]

These are really cool. I like that you focused on one theme with all of them.