GoH 10 C: The Hunt

[socalbricks]

Built for 10C "Miscellaneous" Category and for Brickscalibur "Frozen Wilds" Category!

Amir had spent years gaining the trust of his employer. When he finally gained access to his massive vault in Barqa, he made sure to pocket some on every "accounting check". Sure, the old geezer was nice, but he was also gullible, so Amir reasoned that he deserved it! He planned to sail away to Valyrio once he had enough, and buy a quiet villa overlooking the sea with his ill-gotten gains. 

As it turned out, the old man was not as senile as Amir thought. Noticing a discrepancy (and hiring his own investigator), he discovered the plot and ordered Amir arrested. Amir was able to get out of town with only a sack full of the pilfered gold. It wasn't ideal, but it was better than being imprisoned or worse - authorities in Kaliphlin did not take such offenses lightly. 

Now he was on the snowy slopes of Mitgardia. Nice and far from Kaliphlin, but he wasn't safe.

He recalled his response when he heard the news. Sitting in a tavern a few hours prior, he overheard from some travelers that a massive bounty had been put on his head. As if that wasn't bad enough, it turned out that Kars was one of the many hunters vying for the reward. 

Amir had heard stories of Kars for years - a tall, lean man of few words with a bizarre mask. It was said that his silver eyes pierced the soul and drove his quarries to regret the choices that led them there. Nicknamed "the Bloodhound", he was said to be the best tracker in all the land. Countless stories told of his incredible feats - Amir never fully believed them, but the news still caused him to panic. Making an inconspicuous exit from the tavern, he made his way further north.

Rounding a bend, he froze in place. There he was waiting for him. All the stories were true.

Drawing his dagger,  Amir lunged at Kars. Faster than lightning, the bounty hunter responded with his own sword: a massive saber. In the hands of anyone shorter it would have been unwieldily. Kars dodged Amir's thrust and slashed him the back. Though only a shallow wound, Amir still cried in pain, and tumbled down the slope. Propping himself against an old birch tree, he watched as drops of blood colored the snow a bright red. He turned his head to see Kars approaching him, sword still drawn. 

Amir locked eyes with the bounty hunter. From behind his wooden mask peered two silver eyes; sharp as needles, they had hungry yet calculating look to them. More importantly, they peered into Amir's soul. For the first time in years, Amir felt shame and guilt for what he had done. He regretted everything that had led him to this point. 

Before he could beg for his life, Kars spoke.

"You're lucky your employer wants you alive."
 

 

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Edited April 3, 2023 by socalbricks

[LordDan]

Great scene! Its unusual to see a build sloped like this, it works really well! I like the jagged snowy cliffside and the rocks below.

[Exetrius]

Interesting build! As mentioned, the slope is unusual indeed, challenging. I think the footprints and the snow trail look good, as well as the snow overhanging the cliff. The mouse is a welcome splash of colour there. I'm a little less convinced by the rest of the snow cover Maybe it's a bit too smooth or too round, but that may be personal preference for more studs. The trees look great, love the owl flying off to escape danger. It bugs me though that hinges at the tree bases are visible, I'm thinking perhaps you could have added a layer of stone underneath the bumps of snow, so that those bumps are raised enough to hide the hinges. 

Great build up of the suspense in the story and good delivery of Kars' line.  

[Ecclesiastes]

Nice trees and snow work. And neat storytelling, you almost feel the dispair.

[Umbra-Manis]

Great work with this snowy slope, I love the drifts you've constructed and nice work with the posing and story. 

[socalbricks]

@LordDan Thank you so much!

@Exetrius Thank you! I appreciate the feedback, especially regarding the hinges at the base of the trees. The layer of stones sounds like a good solution!

@Ecclesiastes Thanks! I've been working on my storytelling - glad it seems to have payed off here!

@Umbra-Manis Thank you! I loved using a bunch of those Slope 3 x 3 Corners!

[Grover]

Gorgeous build!  You have a lot of really great things going on here.  The trans red dots on the snow really lead the eye, and I appreciate that you took the time to make sure they were sunken into the snow layer, since warm blood would melt the snow a bit.  The dark red leaves under the white on the trees really sells the idea that the white leaves are just snow covered red ones.  The angle on the owl makes it a great action shot.  You did a really nice job with the curved slopes on the ground to represent the snow.  The white overhang pieces at the end are great too, and I love the way you did the dark grey cliffs under the overhang.  The mouse there both gives perspective and breaks up the color so the texture is easier to see.  And we get a great story as well!  Nice work!