CDC2 CMF: Homecoming

[Exetrius]

Guilds of Historica Collectible Minfigures: Homecoming

Yes, I remember now... I don't know why, or if this is common, but I tend to forget where it all started. How I ended up doing what I do. But as I set out to write this topic, it came back to me. I think it was around 2014 that Guilds of Historica caught my eye. I'm sure it must have been one of the many awesome castle builds that guided me to this forum. I went over the New Member Guide, the Guild topics one by one, and saw the maps. And then I saw minifigures, unlike any I had seen before. Custom factions, armies, fantasy races, built from official lego pieces! Up to that point, my (teenage) creations were based on official LEGO themes, built to be populated by official LEGO minifigs. With Guilds of Historica, it all started to change. A new world opened up for me, a journey, and a place to belong. I started building custom figures myself, eventually a sigfig and his family, friends and foes, and joined the Guilds a year later. So looking back at it, the figures have always been there, sparking new builds and stories. Perhaps that's why I have this feeling of homecoming.


Introduction by Exetrius
Welcome to Historica, fellow adventurer! On my travels through this land, this mighty continent, I have seen many wonderful people, creatures and other beings. Of course I can't tell you about all of them, that would take days, weeks, months probably! But, don't worry: I have made a selection. Let me introduce you to some of those I have met, or heard about. From the cold North to the hot South, from the tumultuous East to the calm West, from the world above to the world below, and from places within to places outside the continent.

 

Let's start with the four guilds on the continent, and Varlyrio. 

Mitgardia 

Magnus, Lord of Spróggefjell Keep 

"Staring at my armour isn't going to help you get through the winter, get to work!"

Yffreya, wilderness hunter

"A mercenary job? Sorry, but I don't hate humans that much. Do I look like I do?"

Kaliphlin

Madame Quarrat, mine owner

"This deep pink sapphire came from the latest expansion. Work for me, and you might find one too..."

Norri, badlands nomad

"This is Bërtah, my favourite of the herd. She's a little shy around strangers, though."

Avalonia 

Fiona, Mystic Isles messenger

"It's mostly good news from Albion this time around, so I can afford to take the scenic route. You can join me for a while, if you like."

Jerome, salvager-carpenter

"You are leaving your old wagon in good hands, sir. And, on behalf of the trees in our forests, I thank you!"

Nocturnus

Pandemonium, 6th wizard of Zotharith

"Yes I burned the town, got a problem with that? There wasn't a good soul in the whole rotten place anyway..."

Umdurin, Vacunani scholar
 

"If I'm not mistaken Volume 467 of the Recorin Orbi makes mention of such a tunnel exit. I'll check with the archives." 

Varlyrio

Don Giullio, art dealer

"100% genuine, for certain. This is a one-time offer: 13 silvers and it's yours."

Rebecca, maid and assistant-chef

"I'd love to chat, but the market will be closing soon. Later!"

 

Outside of the Guilds, there is also plenty of interesting folk. Some of them I never met in person, for better or for worse...

Ghost Islands of Yureishima 

Yoshintamaru Sasekageojima, Master swordsman

"I see your spirit is fierce, but you lack technique. And away with those runes, they ruin the flow between you and the blade!"

Miyuko of the Dawn, folk legend

It is said that those who meet Miyuko die on the spot, and depending on her judgement either get sent straight to the realm of the dead, or are reborn from their former bodies.

The Underworld

Zugal defector and Demorian informant

"The war really changed the Clan, you know. I tell you: flying up and down the Underworld is better than serving Raavage."

K'sirtllhisqr, Drow mage

"Where do you think you're going, surface critter? Trespassing this area is strictly forbidden, even for Drow..."

Cedrica

Sabrina, spoiled brat

"Say hi to Marco, I got him for my half-year birthday! Hey, I'm not spoiled, you're just too poor to understand!"

Lunarius the Formidable, archmage

"A City of Magic, you say? Sounds like something I need to keep my eye on..."


----

And there you have it: 16 figures! I wasn't feeling very inspired from the beginning, but I had said I'd participate so I didn't go back on my word. I found a way to produce solid figures nonetheless. There are a number of little hints to previous builds or other references baked into the figs and their bios, tell which ones you like! I could do a breakdown later. Thanks for looking! Criticism welcome, hit me with all you got. 

 

@Henjin_Quilones I'm not going to keep this from you: Fiona with nougat skin and white elven hair looked glorious. For example as a Hesperian dragon rider. However, it just looked wrong next to the carpenter... Maybe a fleshie figbarf isn't all that unlikely anymore. 

 

Edited September 26, 2021 by Exetrius

[zoth33]

These look wonderful.  I really like the Drow mage, Zugal and Umdurin are my favorites.  

[Aurore]

Oh my, some absolutely gorgeous combos here! Pandemonium's torso and legs, for example, really do look like they were meant to go together. Same for Rebecca's!

I really appreciate that you made characters that don't actually fit in a Guild, but show that Historica is even more complex that it seems at first glance. Your introduction, your own story, your character's story and all those hindsight thoughts are incredibly interesting too.  

My absolute favourite is Lunarius - such a perfect minifig, such a nice use of those trans-light blue axes, and such an intriguing character! 
I also have a fondness for Sabrina, but I'll strongly deny it.

 

PS:

12 hours ago, Exetrius said:

"Staring at my armour isn't going to help you get through the winter, get to work!"

"But sir, me and the lads, we're wondering...is that a real shrunken head on your belt??"

[jtooker]

Fabulous set of figs!  I too like Lunarius the wizard best.  All of the figures seem like they fit their location well and the non-guild locations were a good idea.

My biggest criticism is the lack of accessories.  While I agree accessories should not outshine the figure, they should support the figure and they seem lacking for a few of yours.  But some accessories are terrific, especially: K'sirtllhisqr, Pandemonium and Jerome.

[Robert8]

Ok, that Lunarius wizard left me  

Don Giullio, Miyuko Fiona and Magnus are amazing as well! Although it would seem art deals aren't going well for Don Giullio considering he is wearing rags 

[Kai NRG]

These are excellent, and not just because they're yellow.   Both your Kaliphlinians are among my favorites, the mine owner is an especially good concept!  The Cedricans and Varlyrians are also impressing me particularly.  And then the combo between the dwarf armor and those pants with the same color bronze knees for the Mitgardian knight is perfect.

So many great minifigure series coming out of this challenge, keep it up everyone!

[Exetrius]

On 9/26/2021 at 10:30 PM, zoth33 said:

These look wonderful.  I really like the Drow mage, Zugal and Umdurin are my favorites.  

Thanks, zoth!

On 9/27/2021 at 8:39 AM, Aurore said:

Oh my, some absolutely gorgeous combos here! Pandemonium's torso and legs, for example, really do look like they were meant to go together. Same for Rebecca's!

I really appreciate that you made characters that don't actually fit in a Guild, but show that Historica is even more complex that it seems at first glance. Your introduction, your own story, your character's story and all those hindsight thoughts are incredibly interesting too.  

My absolute favourite is Lunarius - such a perfect minifig, such a nice use of those trans-light blue axes, and such an intriguing character! 
I also have a fondness for Sabrina, but I'll strongly deny it.

 

PS:

"But sir, me and the lads, we're wondering...is that a real shrunken head on your belt??"

High praise, thanks a lot Aurore!  Yeah, Pandemonium is one of my top favourite combos here. I featured the external territories (or out of the Guild's control) because on one hand I wanted to show them/honour them, and on the other it meant that my whole series would conveniently consist of pairs. And I had Miyuko laying around for months (not really fitting in with my previous fantasy fibarfs), who definitely would fit best in Yureishima. Lunarius was one of the very last figs that I made, but it was obvious he would be the ace of the game. I imagine he and Raina will form a great duo, btw!

I again spent a lot of time on the writing, and the narration evolved as I went along, so I'm very pleased you like the writing! 

re PS: 

"I don't know what seeds you and ya pals 've been chewing today, but this is clearly copper. I could use a little brush-up, though..."

 

21 hours ago, jtooker said:

Fabulous set of figs!  I too like Lunarius the wizard best.  All of the figures seem like they fit their location well and the non-guild locations were a good idea.

My biggest criticism is the lack of accessories.  While I agree accessories should not outshine the figure, they should support the figure and they seem lacking for a few of yours.  But some accessories are terrific, especially: K'sirtllhisqr, Pandemonium and Jerome.

Thanks! Interesting critique. After I finished the figures I was wondering to which degree I should accessorize them, because the more you add the more the combos get obscured in the group image. I reckon maybe should have put Umdurin's scroll in his hands instead of in his backpack, and perhaps I could have found another luxury item for Sabrina. Which of the figures were you thinking of?  

21 hours ago, Robert8 said:

Ok, that Lunarius wizard left me  

Don Giullio, Miyuko Fiona and Magnus are amazing as well! Although it would seem art deals aren't going well for Don Giullio considering he is wearing rags 

Thanks, mate! Don Guillio does look a bit dodgy, doesn't he?  Perhaps his art trade is just a cover-up of a more shady business he's involved in... 

12 hours ago, Kai NRG said:

These are excellent, and not just because they're yellow.   Both your Kaliphlinians are among my favorites, the mine owner is an especially good concept!  The Cedricans and Varlyrians are also impressing me particularly.  And then the combo between the dwarf armor and those pants with the same color bronze knees for the Mitgardian knight is perfect.

So many great minifigure series coming out of this challenge, keep it up everyone!

Thank you! Haha, yeah yellow.  Nice to hear you like my civilians, too! 

So when is your CMF series coming? 

Edited September 28, 2021 by Exetrius

[Kai NRG]

56 minutes ago, Exetrius said:

So when is your CMF series coming? 

Whenever I stop building long enough to edit the photos! 

[jtooker]

1 hour ago, Exetrius said:

Which of the figures were you thinking of?

Madame Quarrat and Umdurin for sure.  Fiona, Don Giullio, Rebecca, Zugal and Sabrina to a lesser extent.  You also had 3 'sword characters' but no shields (makes sense with Yffreya - though being able to see her second sword in the image would be better).

[Exetrius]

1 hour ago, Kai NRG said:

Whenever I stop building long enough to edit the photos! 

Haha, one does not simply stop building, ey? 

1 hour ago, jtooker said:

Madame Quarrat and Umdurin for sure.  Fiona, Don Giullio, Rebecca, Zugal and Sabrina to a lesser extent.  You also had 3 'sword characters' but no shields (makes sense with Yffreya - though being able to see her second sword in the image would be better).

Okay, thanks. I can see Madame Quarrat with an extra gemstone or something, or maybe a map with the mine site marked. I like the pose on Yffreya, but I reckon she would also look good holding the two swords pointing forward. For other figures you mentioned I could defend my choices, but I appreciate your elaboration.  

[W Navarre]

I love how striking and attractive they all are as a group! Each one is special, amidst other things I like the use of ax heads for wings and the Raven parts. 

[Eyrezer]

Nice set! I think Zugal is my favourite, followed by Miyuko. I also appreciated that you included some non guild locations too. I know Yureishima was one of the proposed expansions. Were the others too?

[socalbricks]

Great work! My favorites are probably Fiona, Pandemonium, Rebecca, and Lunarius. I'll second what Aurore said; the different parts on these figures truly feel like they belong together. 

I really like the design of Miyuko's staff as well - that design is ingenious! 

[Exetrius]

On 10/1/2021 at 8:55 PM, W Navarre said:

I love how striking and attractive they all are as a group! Each one is special, amidst other things I like the use of ax heads for wings and the Raven parts. 

Thanks!  That use of axes was definitely a eureka moment. I intended them more as a magic seal or aura, rather than wings. Anyway, it's there to make him look powerful.  

16 hours ago, Eyrezer said:

Nice set! I think Zugal is my favourite, followed by Miyuko. I also appreciated that you included some non guild locations too. I know Yureishima was one of the proposed expansions. Were the others too?

Thank you! The Underworld and Cedrica weren't proposed expansions like Yureishima, but they were preexisting. Cedrica (also known as the Crownlands) is the province/territory where Historica's Throne is located and where the Queen lives, at the centre of Historica, in between all the (continental) Guilds. The Underworld is technically wherever you go deep into the earth, and it would seem logical to me that as you go deeper, the influence of the rule above grows weaker, so that for the most part it's its own thing. 

4 hours ago, socalbricks said:

Great work! My favorites are probably Fiona, Pandemonium, Rebecca, and Lunarius. I'll second what Aurore said; the different parts on these figures truly feel like they belong together. 

I really like the design of Miyuko's staff as well - that design is ingenious! 

Thank you, socialbricks! I'm really happy those figs are so well-received, as well as the staff! 

[LordDan]

Really cool series! I'm a big fan of the various wizards/ mages like Pandemonium, Lunarius , and the drow mage! 

[Exetrius]

On 10/19/2021 at 2:17 AM, LordDan said:

Really cool series! I'm a big fan of the various wizards/ mages like Pandemonium, Lunarius , and the drow mage! 

Thanks, Dan!

[mrcp6d]

Great entry!  Magnus is lovely with the copper printing on the legs matching the torso, Yffreya is a nice evolution of the Eskimo minifig, and K'sirtllhisqr carries the blue accents very well. 

Sweet stuff. 

[Exetrius]

On 10/26/2021 at 8:32 AM, mrcp6d said:

Great entry!  Magnus is lovely with the copper printing on the legs matching the torso, Yffreya is a nice evolution of the Eskimo minifig, and K'sirtllhisqr carries the blue accents very well. 

Sweet stuff. 

Thank you!

[Umbra-Manis]

Finally getting around to taking a close look at these, you absolutely killed this series as a whole!

Love seeing a Vacuinani from another builder!

Some inspired part combos on the elvish messenger and the mitgardian knight. Also some truly great stuff from outside of the main guilds 

[Grover]

Finally starting to catch up on all these great builds... Magnus is great.  I always wanted to put that Nexo visor on a normal colored knight, and it looks great!  The badlands nomad is fantastic, with the color coordination and excellent use of pieces like the wand as a thin cane.  Nice use of the more pirate-era clothing for a Varlryian mini in the art dealer.  I think my favorite is the drow mage.  The color coordination is great.  I really like the overall homecoming feel.  Nice work!

[Exetrius]

On 8/7/2022 at 6:54 PM, Grover said:

Finally starting to catch up on all these great builds... Magnus is great.  I always wanted to put that Nexo visor on a normal colored knight, and it looks great!  The badlands nomad is fantastic, with the color coordination and excellent use of pieces like the wand as a thin cane.  Nice use of the more pirate-era clothing for a Varlryian mini in the art dealer.  I think my favorite is the drow mage.  The color coordination is great.  I really like the overall homecoming feel.  Nice work!

Haha, catching up is something I should do too... Thanks mate, glad you like them! Yes, I like the visor too, although closed it feels rather bulky. I spent a lot of time in colour coordination indeed, great to hear that paid off.