[Freebuild] The Rise of Slågö Farm

[Eyrezer]

The build: The Rise of Slågö Farm

The story:

Marija Slågö ran one of the most productive horticultural centres in Notomys. While the land had always been fruitful, Marija’s hard work, shrewd business sense and innovation had taken it to new heights. This had seemed unlikely even one year earlier. Back during the Drow-Elf civil war, Marija’s husband Grigor had been wounded defending the hamlet. Several years trying to fight off infection and caring for her increasingly debilitated husband had seen the farm slowly neglected. When Grigor finally succumbed to death, Marija was left with two toddlers and one newborn. Some in the village urged Marija to abandon the farm and return to her childhood village.

Marija had other ideas. Leaving would mean betraying her husband’s dreams and leave their children ignorant of the home they’d built together. Instead, she vowed to turn the farm around. First, her mother-in-law Đoris moved in to assist with caring for the children. The homestead itself was built around a large, stone storage room perfect for storing the root vegetables that were their staple crop. Accessed through a wooden ladder, the second floor was a single room, dominated by a large bed with enough room for Marija, Đoris and the two wriggling toddlers. The infant, at least, had its own cot. A small kitchen, play area and Gregor’s dented amour completed that floor. A small attic completed the structure. Ever since the war, Marija kept her bow and a full quiver up there; with windows on each side, she could defend the homestead from all sides.

Marija’s second intervention was to sidle up to the local gnomish tinkerer and convince her to develop some new fan-dangled beehive prototypes. Marija had noticed that, the more active the farm’s bees, the more plentiful their crop. One of the local wood elves even volunteered to maintain the hives in exchange for a small portion of the honey. With the new beehives working a trick, Marija also increased the wildflowers surrounding the farm. While some neighbours considered this a waste of precious labour, Marija was convinced it would support her valuable pollinators. While she didn’t yet have a buyer for her abundant flowers, she was hopeful the well-to-do Varlyrian newcomer in town might be persuaded to purchase some.

Finally, Marija also scaled up her manure production. She liked to repeat the story of the visiting scholar from the University of Petraea who’d tried to convince her that soil in the Enchanted Forest was so fertile, you could plant beans anywhere and overnight expect to find a giant beanstalk. The truth every Avalonian farmer knew was that soil gave back what you put in – and that meant compost. So Marija struck up a deal to secure copious amounts of the best manure available: centaur manure! Forest fillies were regularly seen lugging bulging sacks up Slågö farm track, leaving shortly after, light of step, and accompanied by the clink of coin.

This season, Marija and Đoris’ efforts had come to fruition: a great crop of spuds and peppers; pumpkins, red and green gourds well on the way; and the full crop of giant corn sold even before it matured!

Of course, none of it would have been possible without the support from the other women of the village, many of whom had lost their own relatives in the war. Inspired by stories of the Avalonian Oak Maidens and Sword Sirens, Marija was one of the founding members of a small archery militia, alongside the trapper Jultarra and the hunter Roisin. As a small way of giving back, Marija had chosen to host a banquet to mark the graduation of four new, fully-fletched members of the archer’s guild. First up was Ari, manager of the local delicatessen; next was the fisherwoman Sofia; followed by Bess, whose mother ran the tavern. The last to attempt the test would be the Cyclops Scythia. This would be her third attempt, having struggled to overcome her lack of depth perception. To assist Scythia, the other guild members had pooled funds to buy her a crossbow. Hopefully this time would be different - at the very least she had been warned multiple times not to hit the old beehive!

The cast:

The Slågö family and helpers

Marija, Kalene, Miri, Đoris, Cara, the cat, the bees, Medb, the chickens, the armadorses

The centaur gong farmers:

Đamerus, Thalile, Sophare

The archery guild:

Jultarra (trapper), Roisin (hunter), Ari (delicatessanier), Sofia (fishmonger), Bess (publican's daughter), Scythia (Cyclops), Zara (butcher), Joan (baker),  Alice (candlestick maker), Agnes (shopkeeper), Donika (shepherd).

Build notes:        

Spoiler

• Marija and Đoris first appeared in my CMF, although this is the first time their family name appears. I picked up some 1x1 bricks with printed letters; turned out they were from this 1966 set. I only have limited letters and Slågö was one of the possible combinations.
• This is the first time I’ve tried the parts-intensive detailed rock walls. It really is intensive! The ground floor was built around the 6 crates for vegetables, and the whole thing can be pulled out modular style. I drew on @LittleJohn’s tutorial for the tudor walls. His farm wagon also makes an appearance. The interior is fully detailed and the cot is inspired by BrickheXe .
• The original beehive is inspired by this classic build by the Mayos.
• I had in mind @LordDan’s University Researcher for my anecdote about the beanstalk (unofficial of course!)
• For the adult centaur I used the technique by porschecm2.
• Two of the archers also appeared in my CMF Jultarra and Sofia, who also had her own story in Fish Tales.

More photos on my Flickr album.

Edited December 28, 2021 by Eyrezer

[Zilmrud]

Great story with alot of interesting things and links to other builds to tie it together! And a colourful build full of details and lush vegetation. Great work

[Niku]

Wow lots of color and looks very fine and vivid, I specially like the house and the tree is also eye catching.
Thanks for sharing.

[Aurore]

How vibrant, how beautiful! I would have never thought lime walls would look good with a red roof...but that farm looks fabulous! The black accents and grey lower level really compliment the bold colours. 
I also love the lush, original and well detailed vegetation. The continuity with your previous creations is amazing - characters from your CMF, and fungi species from your Ancient Wonder.
Last but not least, so glad to read more about all your characters!

[Kai NRG]

Really fun variety of bright colors in this MOC!  I love the lime green on the tree, though I'm not 100% sold on it as a wall color.  And speaking of lime, what are those lime green pieces with the little knobs on top that you stuck leaves on to make them look like melons?  Great combo!

[Eyrezer]

22 hours ago, Zilmrud said:

Great story with alot of interesting things and links to other builds to tie it together! And a colourful build full of details and lush vegetation. Great work

Thanks @Zilmrud. I mentioned to you on Flickr but worth repeating here that I looked over your Barrunda Manor several times for ideas. That farm is a bit better manicured than mine though! Glad it kept you entertained.I enojy trying to build off other GOH lore. I've been working my way through the back catalog, but still a long way to go.

14 hours ago, Niku said:

Wow lots of color and looks very fine and vivid, I specially like the house and the tree is also eye catching.
Thanks for sharing.

Thanks @Niku. I really liked your Borders of the Enchanted Forest too - maybe they are close by...

12 hours ago, Aurore said:

How vibrant, how beautiful! I would have never thought lime walls would look good with a red roof...but that farm looks fabulous! The black accents and grey lower level really compliment the bold colours. 
I also love the lush, original and well detailed vegetation. The continuity with your previous creations is amazing - characters from your CMF, and fungi species from your Ancient Wonder.
Last but not least, so glad to read more about all your characters!

Thanks @Aurore. Lime wasn't my first choice, but was the only colour I had enough of the 2 x 1 x 2/3 with 4 Slots parts. I'm happy how it came out though. Thanks for spotting some of the links to other builds. I even included another of the strange orange trees. Also, the "armadorses" are another one for your guide to Historican flora and fauna.

10 hours ago, Kai NRG said:

Really fun variety of bright colors in this MOC!  I love the lime green on the tree, though I'm not 100% sold on it as a wall color.  And speaking of lime, what are those lime green pieces with the little knobs on top that you stuck leaves on to make them look like melons?  Great combo!

Thanks @Kai NRG. So much lime - and I'm now working on another lime build.  I'm glad you asked. Most of the melons are the heads of the little green men from Toy Story. There is one with a double antenna, which is the helmet of Killer Moth. 

[Kai NRG]

5 hours ago, Eyrezer said:

Most of the melons are the heads of the little green men from Toy Story.

Now that is some exotic fruit! 

[socalbricks]

Fantastic work! I like the vehicle hub-caps over the house windows, the multi-colored squashes, the "Simpson's hair" trees, and the massive (and beautifully constructed) tree on the outskirts of the build is great as well. That sign using the old letter blocks is great as well, as are all the minifigures (the centaurs are my favorite). I read up on the "adult centaur" technique - it took some real skill (and a steady hand) to pull that off! I don't think I'm bold enough to do something like that! 

The story is great as well! You really thought over every aspect of the farm - even the fertilizer! The "centaur manure" is funny (but made practical sense if I think about it). Imagine if you were a sentient being (human, centaur, etc.) and someone offered to buy your "waste" off of you! 

 

 

Edited December 28, 2021 by socalbricks

[Exetrius]

Impressive build, a lot to take in! The farmhouse itself looks great with the tudor look, textured walls, and especially that protruding attic! Bold decision to go with lime and red (lime can easily mess up a colour scheme, imo), but you've made it work! That's a compliment for the rest of the build as well: your colour management is stellar! I want to call out the beehives which do so much work for the overall balance! I'm drooling over the dense vegetation; the flower beds, the crops, the bushes; it all could have easily been a mess, but it isn't! Love the subtle and realistic variations in green in the base, highlighting the level of sunlight exposure the spots get! That's great stuff!  The irregular base and stone pathways are solid work too. Also like the big compost bin and round 'growing pits'.

For criticism, I have two points. First one: the roof of the water well, which has an odd colour and texture choice, imo. I think a red, less smooth roof (perhaps similar to the farmhouse) would have worked better. Second, the archery group: a little splash of imbalance in an otherwise harmonic scene. Aside from the 'mixing yellows with fleshies' debate (which is a matter of personal taste), I don't see the need for a crowd in this scene, because the farm sells itself. Three archers or less would have been sufficient, imo. And be aware of green figures against a green background. 

All in all, great job! Looking forward to your next builds! 

[Louis of Nutwood]

It's beyond me how creatively you manage to use so many unusual colors in your mocs, sir Eyrezer. 
It feels alive! So many people, so many races and activity going on...
It's a breath of something... new! Very magical, very vibrant. 
Loved it. 

[Servertijd]

you are improving alot. It amazes me that all the colors blend so well, I have to agree on one point with @Exetrius, the blue roof is the one color that looks out of place here. But keep it on. It looks great nonetheless.

[Eyrezer]

Thanks @socalbricks, once I thought of that idea for manure I knew I had to run with it!

@Exetrius, I appreciate calling out the details you like. The vegetation is so much fun to work with but tricky not to have too rambling. Interesting comment about the well. My focus was on the base - using rubber bands in the wall and using the dimensions piece for the water (which is probably not even that visible). I then probably got lazy with the roof and undid my effort on the base. An interesting lesson on keeping everything to the same level of detail across a build. As for the archers, well, I need a force to defend the village, which will become clear in time. That element was story-driven rather than build-driven but I understand the point.

@Louis of Nutwood thank you very much! Having just been looking at the magnificence that is Kallstark, that means a lot coming from you.

@Servertijd - yes I agree! Steep learning curve trying new techniques, ideas and the bloody photography to capture what I've built. I'm getting lots of inspiration from the amazing builders here and their feedback too. 

Edited January 13, 2022 by Eyrezer

[Eyrezer]

Two updates. I also entered this into the CCC XIX Civilian building. That meant cutting down the farm size to fit with the competition limits. I turned it into a flashback:

The build: Purchasing Slågö Farm:

 

The story:

Yes, the house needed work; yes, the roof needed repairs; yes, the garden needed an overhaul - but it was their their home, their farm, their future! Grigor was so delighted that he rushed out and commissioned a beautiful sign announcing it to the world, even though that money would have been better spent on a goat. Marija, too, was filled with joy imagining growing old together and watching their children and grandchildren inherit the farm.

Build notes:

Spoiler

 

• This is our first look at Grigor, Marija's husband. I added more weeds around the place to give it a more wild and run-down look and I also scattered some of the vegetables grown later on around the undergrowth to imply wild sowings. There is also fewer items on the clothesline - no children yet 
• I tried quite a different set-up to photograph this than the original time and probably should have given myself more time. Competition deadlines create pressure though! l also took this photo of the build deconstructed, which I think is quite cool. Some other photos are here.
• Since I have found it interesting when others have done so, I've also added a build log folder to Flickr here. I think it shows the quite dramatic improvements/developments from the first concept.

 

I hope you enjoy!

Edited January 14, 2022 by Eyrezer

[Grover]

Now this is one for the ages!  Tons of details packed in here, as it should be for a farm.  The overall color scheme is very clever, and the lime green is a bold choice that screams fantasy world to me.  Love that you have an interior on the house!  The use of the various hair pieces for plants is great, and even though they're from the disney sets, the roosters don't look terribly out of place.  At the front door, the stones look great, at or below the level of the walkway.  Out in the garden, the stones are raised a plate above the grass, which seems a little backward.  The detailed plants everywhere are gorgeous, and I love the story, both present day with the archers, and the flashback.  Great work!