jtooker Posted September 6, 2021 Great Wall of Batuhan Great Wall of Batuhan The great wall of Batuhan protects the village from the evils of the Wither Woods. Spoiler I have been working on this medieval LEGO creation for several years and plan to expand it in the future. I’ve enjoyed focusing on the landscaping aspect of this build as well as many little details. I hope you enjoy viewing the pictures and descriptions below. I first present an overview followed by each part generally going from east to west. Overview Construction was commanded and overseen by Aarash the Ardent using stone from Buğra Quarry. Skilled stoneworkers from Kaliphlin and beyond worked for seven years to complete the wall. There are several barracks, gates and towers along its length. It runs north of town eastward to the Barlas river and the Wester Road, which runs through he Wither Woods to Avalonia. Aside from the protection it gives, it is also headquarters the Guard of Batuhan. Aerial View Eastern Tower The Eastern Tower viewed over Lake Barlas The Eastern Tower overlooks the crossroads of the Wester Road leading north through the Wither Woods to Kaliphlin, Woodbrow Road leading into Batuhan itself and the road leading south to Barqa. Eastern Tower of the Wall Door of the Easter Tower East face of the Eastern Tower Road To Barqa A Peasant Walking South The road leading south of the tower leads to Barqa. It is always busy with travelers and merchants on their way to Avalonia. A stone bridge provides a safe crossing of the Barlas River. A House Lays in Ruins Next to the Barlas River A Guard on the Bridge of the Barlas River Looks East Eastern Gate A Guard and Traveller near the East Gate Set near the Easter Tower, the East Gate guards the road that leads north to the Wither Woods. Forest and Lake Barlas Wildlife Near Lake Barlas East of Batuhan lies a small forest near Lake Barlas. The path north of the forest runs along the great wall. Deer in the Woods Path Along the Wall Path Along the Wall Forest Canopy The Barlas River flows through the its Rocky Banks Chipmunk and Mushrooms Runs now in Lake Barlas Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zoth33 Posted September 7, 2021 This is a lovely design. The wall has some nice texturing and coloration. I really like the landscaping, nice variety throughout the build. The small lake and river are a nice touch. The ruins here give the build an ancient feel. Nicely done all around. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Umbra-Manis Posted September 7, 2021 A distinct pleasure to look at and explore all of the details! The scale is quite grand, but it does not detract from the distinctly detailed sections, which all flow together quite nicely, and the wall provides a continuous presence behind it all. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
derEselausErgste Posted September 7, 2021 Wonderful. Not a building with a landscape attacched, but a landscape with some building. Thats how it looks like in reality. Of cause You would not allow to grow woods nearby the wall, but keep a distance of at least an archery, esp. arround the gate. Nevermind, it looks great. My personal favourite are the tendrils on the left side of the wall Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kai NRG Posted September 7, 2021 This is lovely, beautiful water, very organic layout for the vegetation, great variety in the trees, and also a really good wall and tower, just the right amount of texture. Great work! +1 for the UoP credits! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Eyrezer Posted September 7, 2021 Spectacular @jtooker! Lots of little details to explore, while overall the build hangs together really well. What size is this MOC? I love the way you've done the water depth changes in the bay and the mix of tiles and 1x1 round plates. Good to see the korok made it onto the tower? Add a note of lore on them and I'll happily add it as another race on the wiki. Is that bear going to get the deer? Any story behind the lake ruins? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jtooker Posted September 8, 2021 On 9/6/2021 at 7:29 PM, zoth33 said: This is a lovely design. The wall has some nice texturing and coloration. I really like the landscaping, nice variety throughout the build. The small lake and river are a nice touch. The ruins here give the build an ancient feel. Nicely done all around. Thanks! I wanted the land to look as if it had been occupied for a long time. 20 hours ago, Umbra-Manis said: A distinct pleasure to look at and explore all of the details! The scale is quite grand, but it does not detract from the distinctly detailed sections, which all flow together quite nicely, and the wall provides a continuous presence behind it all. I was hoping to get a decent scale without sacrificing detail. Hearing your words means a lot! 17 hours ago, derEselausErgste said: Wonderful. Not a building with a landscape attacched, but a landscape with some building. Thats how it looks like in reality. Of cause You would not allow to grow woods nearby the wall, but keep a distance of at least an archery, esp. arround the gate. Nevermind, it looks great. My personal favourite are the tendrils on the left side of the wall I'm glad you enjoy it - my main goal was to focus on the landscape and I'm glad that came through. Good point on the woods near the walls. 3 hours ago, Kai NRG said: This is lovely, beautiful water, very organic layout for the vegetation, great variety in the trees, and also a really good wall and tower, just the right amount of texture. Great work! +1 for the UoP credits! I'm glad the texture of the walls looks good to you - I spent a decent amount of time going for a look I was happy with (not too rough, but not pristine either). 2 hours ago, Eyrezer said: Spectacular @jtooker! Lots of little details to explore, while overall the build hangs together really well. What size is this MOC? I love the way you've done the water depth changes in the bay and the mix of tiles and 1x1 round plates. Good to see the korok made it onto the tower? Add a note of lore on them and I'll happily add it as another race on the wiki. Is that bear going to get the deer? Any story behind the lake ruins? The MOC is 4x3 baseplates (32x32) so 128 studs by 96 studs. The koroks are there mostly for people to find at in-person shows (there are 3 total) as well as homage to the Legend of Zelda video games which inspired parts of this build (especially Breath of the Wild, though that came out after I started the build). If you want to put them in the lore, that is fine - I'd say they are playful, but shy tree folk. I'd put my money on the deer. No story on the lake ruins - I just wanted to convey the idea that this area has been occupied for generations. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
derEselausErgste Posted September 8, 2021 (edited) 12 hours ago, jtooker said: I'm glad you enjoy it - my main goal was to focus on the landscape and I'm glad that came through. Good point on the woods near the walls. Under the early reign of King John (John "Lackland", brother of Richard I. "Lionheart"), the shire reefs were instructed to ensure that all highways in the vicinity of an archery were kept free of undergrowth and bushes, to secure travellers from ambushes. Of course we are not talking about the range of a typical long bow. The long bow with its effective range of 200-250yds saw its main use not before the beginning of the 14th century (although the Welsh utilized it successfully since the 11th century). King Johns decree dated from the early 1200ths, and we can estimate the said bow ment to be a typical "flat" or hunting bow. These bows had been effective up to 50yds (45m), and in general we can expect that the typical range of the clearing will have been some 25yds in maximum. Complementary it shoud be noticed, that the idea of Robin Hood and his merry men shooting on Nottinghams soldiers amidst the forest with a long bow is wrong for sure. The long bow needed space to handle, something that was hard to find in old Englands forests. Edited September 8, 2021 by derEselausErgste Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Grover Posted September 11, 2021 (edited) Wow, this thing is huge! Very pretty landscaping. I particularly like how you have emulated a real forest with the various colors including greens in autumn, since nature rarely makes everything uniform. The height of the wall looks great, and I love the detailing on the water. I'm not sure if the main picture shows the inside or outside of the wall, but if it is the outside and you're going for realism, I will echo what @derEselausErgste said and the area outside the walls would be clearcut for defensive purposes to prevent enemies from having cover. Of course, if it's the inside then it doesn't matter much, and frankly the foilage looks so good it's hard to justify clearcutting a whole baseplate worth of space for realism! Another note on realism might be to make the crenelations larger. Historical merlons were actually much larger than people imagine (soldiers were able to hide behind them) and a lot of the modern fantasy castles have vestigial crenelations. (Link to picture of people at Conwy castle for merlon proportions) Of course, this is a fantasy world, so it's up to you what to do with it! https://wanderingcarol.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Conwy-Castle-Wales.jpg I like the ruined stones and the dock as well, especially the waterfowl and the nice way the wall is angled and sets into the rock. The change in elevation near the tower adds a nice layer of detail, and you have a nice level of detail for the walls without being chaotic and while still maintaining all light bley, which is awesome. I love how you tie it in with the road to Barqa as well. Awesome work, and I can't wait to see as you add to it! Edited September 11, 2021 by Grover Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jtooker Posted September 16, 2021 @Grover, thank you for the comments and I appreciate the complements. Regarding realism, what you see would be the 'inside' of the wall, as the Wither Woods is on the other sides (presumably a many yards or miles away) and what the wall is guarding against (most pictures are looking north). But having said that, you and @derEselausErgste are right about keeping trees that close. Regarding the merlons, I gave some thought to making them bigger - perhaps I still will, at least on the out facing side. A bigger defensive feature missing are the machicolations, I really wanted to get these in, but could not find a way and also get the aesthetic look I wanted at the top of the wall and with the 45° pillars. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mrcp6d Posted October 26, 2021 I really, really like the architecture here. Smooth(er) arches contrasted with the textured walls underneath and behind them are lovely. The water is great here too! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
