Artanis I Posted August 30, 2011 I had a big bunch of photos of my collection I wanted to show, of which many had little to do with the "How many factions" or the "Post your armies here" topics, so I thought I'd create a new topic dedicated to my castle layouts, armies & alliances and lump it all together. Stacks more photos including shots of each faction's castle layout can be found on my Flickr. The armies: (I have only included military personnel - civilians have been omitted. After all the photos were taken I found an extra Crown Knight guard... typical. ) The backstories: The Red Alliance: King Gerard rules the Royal Knights kingdom. His rule is fair, however he is not very "in touch" with his people, and is not regarded with much respect by his enemies. The Old Lion Knight kingdom has over time become a country without royalty, and is closely aligned with the Royal Knights. Despite the dissolved monarchy, the two castles of the country are still named "King's Castle" and "King's Mountain Fortress"... but are more or less each headed by an elected chieftain-type leader. Both strongholds and their armies use their sometimes separate and sometimes combined military power to drive back the threats posed by other knights or outlaws bands on the civilian populace. Contrary to all likelihood, there is no power struggle between the two parts of this Crusader "Kingdom". They are sometimes aided, sometimes not, by the Royal Knights who operate in a similar manner. The "Lion King", King Albertus rules over the New Lion Knight kingdom - named after the original red lion kingdom, except they really didn't have the right to take someone else's name. The name was taken out of nostalgia, pointing to a time in history of relative peace. Under normal circumstances (sounds a bit like Macedonia name war) there would be animosity with the Old Lion Knights, now known as Crusaders - except that they don't really care. "You can have your monarchy... we don't want or need one. Call yourself what you want, but we know we were here well before you." The New Lion Knights have adopted a policy of conflict avoidance. While this may seem honourable, the land is in turmoil with many enemies, and their lack of will to do much about it makes them the least favoured in their alliance. As their kingdom is the most removed from threat, the people live a relatively carefree lifestyle - though victims of occasional raids from New Dragon Knights would suggest this is not so. To be quite frank however, these raids are nothing compared to the troubles faced by the blue lion kingdoms. The Blue Alliance: King Leo & King Matthias overlook a geographically & politically split Knights Kingdom. KKI borders with the land controlled by the Fright Knights, KKII borders with the land controlled by the Shadow Knights. These two kingdoms are constantly under a dark shadow from these two very dark threats - although conflict is either rare or minimal. King Heinrich of the Crown Knights is allied with the Knights Kingdoms, his kingdom offers much needed support to their smaller armies. However, this kingdom is also under threat by the Trolls and the Undead, whose fortresses are in the vacinity, not far from Vladek's Dark Fortress. Fortunately these evil forces are also at odds with the Shadow Knights - giving King Heinrich some space to breathe. In a less pleasant and more mountainous setting than the red lion kingdoms, the blue lion kingdoms are less populated and have smaller armies. Fortunately they don't have enemies on all sides, as the red kingdoms are located behind them. (After all, you don't turn your back on your enemy!) In times of great desperation, either alliance will mobilise to defend the other's existence. The Undead army is led by an evil wizard Lord Karthuz - originally dispelled by King Leo from his castle for practicing dangerous magic. Bitter, he was welcomed by the Night Lord (Lord Basil) into his tower fortress, and formed a powerful partnership with the evil witch Willa. In time, their romantic relationship took a sour turn and he vacated for some cooling off time in the Shadow Mountains, where Lord Vladek has his stronghold. Unfortunately Vladek did not treat him as a guest as expected, but rather saw him as a threat to his dark sorcery autonomy. Vladek made a betrayal attempt on Karthuz against the Crown Knights - but he survived. This caused Vladek to force exile upon him, further into the mountains, never to return to the Fright Knights. Fuelled with revenge and malice, he concentrates his sorcery and mind on an army of necromancy and great dragons. This army is not strong enough to be a threat outside of the immediate area, so attacks are limited to the Crown Knights & Vladek's Shadow Knights. The Troll "Kingdom" has unknown origin, but is known to have been drawn out of the mountains by the creation of the Undead army. Led by the Troll King and aided by the Troll Sorceress, the anonymous rabble band of filth seek to plunder the lands inhabited by the humans. Due to their lack of discipline, they don't have the ability to stretch far. This could change with a substantial increase in number, however, conflict with the Shadow Knights keeps them at bay. The Troll Mountain Fortress is set on a large lake that borders the Crown Knights kingdom, and their unofficial allies' Skeleton Tower also sits on this lake. The Troll Warship enables them to quickly cross the lake without having to dodge ambushes in the mountain forest by Shadow Knights. Vladek's Dark Fortress is the home of the Shadow Knights, deep in the Shadow Mountains. Originally a knight of King Mathias' KKII, Lord Vladek's lust for power led him to attempt a revolution against the kingdom. Narrowly unsuccessful, he was banished into the mountains where he drew on the knowledge of Basil the Night Lord, and the sorcery of his witch, Willa. Sensing much treachery in Vladek's heart, Basil mobilised to make him an independent ally with his own fortress, closer to his new enemies, his former kingdom. This was a good move on his part, as Vladek would have sought to overthrow him too, in time. Using his combined dark knowledge, military power & influence, he built up an army and great impenetrable mountain fortress - and is now a terrible threat to the peace prospects of the blue lion kingdoms. Fortunately for them, Vladek has also made other enemies in the mountains. The Night Lord "Lord Basil" was the first to pose a threat in the mountains, with his Fright Nights he tamed a dragon by the witchcraft of an outcast from KKI, Willa. With her power of sorcery and his of influence he drew unto himself a small army to defend a fortress home, high in the mountains. Over time, Basil's help, guidance, and protection has been sought by numerous outcasts & exiles, many of whom have since become a dangerous threat themselves. Basil is however not so much considered as an evil warlord nor raider but as a harborer of criminals, who may commission raids but never undertake them. His alliance with Vladek has ensured his survival, and allows for a comfortable mountain retreat with little threat. Cedric The Bull leads a small band of raiders. He and accomplice Gilbert The Bad were both friends with Lord Basil before their ill-favour with kings Gerard & Leo were strongly established. Due to unknown reasons, these men were not accepted by the Old Dragon Knights (something to do with heraldry, it is said) and as such Basil went into the mountains, and the Bulls went about his dirty work, primarily against King Leo's KKI. The Black Knights arose out of a league of knights opposed to the Old Lion Knights control of the land. Most disgruntled knights of the day joined this league, except the Black Falcons, who have remained apart from them, but still at odds with the Old Lion Knights (now Crusaders). The league was formed after the original Lion Knights kingdom dissolved. These knights immediately became the greatest threat to the red lion kingdoms (this was before the New Lion Knights kingdom) and their mighty cavalry imposed terror on the people of the red kingdoms. Although not a kingdom, the land controlled by them held two mighty castles. The self-professed "Black Monarch" (better known as the Black Knight) "King" Gunther leads a very capable strong army. Not even his allies consider him to be a king - let alone his enemies, but he is well respected nonetheless. The Old Dragon Knights were an off-shoot of the Black Knights, the split occurred when Harald's connection with the majisto band of wizards took its toll. The wizards were rogues from the blue lion kingdoms who delved into animal manipulation, particularly dangerous beasts. The possibility of controlling dragons was attractive to Harald and other likeminded Black Knights, but was unacceptable to most. The result was two smaller armies - still allied, but not always in agreement. It was the majisto wizards' knowledge that Lord Basil sought, however his affinity for bats is rumoured to have been the reason Harald kept him away - forcing him out on his own and to find this knowledge elsewhere. The Old Dragon Knights managed to tame a number of dragons, and maintained a great threat against King Gerard's Royal Knights. In the old kingdom, many knights & lords operated outside of the monarchy. After the Old Lion Knights kingdom was dissolved, a sort of power vaccuum occurred, more or less. One of the more powerful oppositions to those who were in power were the Black Falcons. Their leader The Black Falcon behaved not so much as an evil leader, but more as a true noble. He declined the league of Black Knights, as their movement was more likely to be one of raiding, pillaging and destruction compared to his intentions, of simply overthrowing & ousting the current landowners. (In his opinion, they did not belong there. Of course others would disagree...) In retrospect of becoming such small fish due to turning down the Black Knights, (the dire seriousness of which was revealed in time) the Black Falcons formed an alliance with the New Dragon Knights much later. By this time there was no way they could ally with the more numerous Black Knights without being absorbed & losing their identity. New Dragon Knights formed later in the game as a league of knights dissatisfied with the opulent living of King Albertus' New Lion Knights compared to others in the land. They were unsuccessful in their attempts to overthrow the crown and ultimately targeted for extinction, but fueled with intent they settled in the forest and sought an alliance for the sake of their own survival. Lucky for them, the Black Falcons were also desperate for allies. Their ranks have increased of late, as such their cause is gaining momentum. Their fortress is located in the forest near the Crusader and Black Falcon castles, but their primary target is the New Lion Knight kingdom, not far away for a decent sized cavalry. The Forestmen are a band of outlaws also settled in the forest near the Crusader, Black Falcon & Black Knight castles. They have been running very small scale operations for longer than some of the major powers have been in existence, but have never posed much of a threat to anyone, merely an ongoing nuisance. The white feathered member may or may not have a name of note. Likewise with the black feathered member, and the woman in the green bandana... Another band of outlaws operates in the marshes near the Royal Knight & Old Dragon Knight castles, close to the mountain pass that leads to the Night Lord's Castle. This Wolfpack have never posed a real threat except to the Forestmen when their operations clashed. A pact was made between the two groups to not tread on each others' toes, as both groups' survival is constantly on a knife-edge due to their many enemies. Hope you enjoyed the read & pictures. Thanks for reading! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
K-Nut Posted August 30, 2011 :doh2: :doh2: :doh2: :doh2: Oh my! This has to be every Castle lovers dream! I love how you make every faction have a backstory. High-five for White plumed Black Knights! There is only one emotion that can express my wonder at your Dragon Masters army... P.S. Since when were the Dragon emotions there? :dlaugh: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ziljin Posted August 30, 2011 This is utterly amazing. so many awesome armies and very nice fluff background! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Skipper Posted August 30, 2011 I might have a hundredth of that collection. That's really very impressive. I'd hate to be a good guy in your kingdoms, they're completely outnumbered. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ogre Posted August 30, 2011 Very impressive! Quite the collection you've got there. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lightningtiger Posted August 30, 2011 'Artanis I', I was wondering where all the castle minifig's in Australia went too ! AWESOME collection, keep on collecting them as well......the more the merrier ! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheLegoDr Posted August 30, 2011 Very, very impressive armies. I enjoy reading their history also. Great job. That is a lot of horses! And I like seeing the display of all the castles. I like seeing those older sets in there! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Artanis I Posted August 31, 2011 Glad you guys like it, thanks for the comments. I had it all set up in the Lego room, but due to moving soon I have to pack it all up for a while, got the photos taken finally so now the sad process of dismantling castles begins. At least that means I get to rebuild these sets again sometime in the future, ah the loves of Lego! TheLegoDr: I also like to see the castles set up with the armies on guard for defence, I didn't post them individually here as there was already a million photos, but they are in the flickr album if you want to take a closer look. I usually have them like that on display. Armies look great by themselves, but better in context of where they're based, in my opinion. Sometimes I just stare at the castles sitting there for ages... Skipper: It's just too bad for them that I like the bad guys more! This is why the castles are so important, a good wall lined with archers can slow even a cavalry of 30 mounted knights, evening the odds a bit. And like I said, the land is in turmoil! This is not a civilian's paradise... K-Nut: Thanks to the white dragon plume, I can also have a leader for those dragon masters. I want to give him the white version of the horse helmet too, but it's a rare piece not many sellers have and I hate placing a BL order for few items. I was a big fan of those knights when they came out, they were so colourful but still looked tough. I think the green Kingdoms Dragon Knights are my favourites these days though. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheLegoDr Posted August 31, 2011 Artanis I I was a huge fan of all things dragon back in those early days of castle legos. I like your backstory involving them which explains why their symbol is so similar. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
horizon Posted August 31, 2011 Fantastic thread. And I still think Black Falcons are the coolest of the bunch. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
K-Nut Posted August 31, 2011 I expect that before you rebuild them all you make a huge Castle out of the pieces and have a huge battle. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
prvi svog imena Posted August 31, 2011 wow, my dream room :) I must say, a great collection. But what do you do about the dust on the shelves? Though, I must notice... only one elf? I expect that an elven rampart should be built here, to complement all the great races. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Undo Posted August 31, 2011 Wow! What a collection you have Artanis I, and imagination aswell. Impressive! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hartfan Posted September 1, 2011 Amazing collection. WOW. I have no words... o.O Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Artanis I Posted September 1, 2011 Artanis I I was a huge fan of all things dragon back in those early days of castle legos. I like your backstory involving them which explains why their symbol is so similar. As a kid I always assumed they were one and the same. Fantastic thread. And I still think Black Falcons are the coolest of the bunch. I'm more into green than blue, but those guys are definitely up there for me! I expect that before you rebuild them all you make a huge Castle out of the pieces and have a huge battle. Haha, I wish! I remember being a teenager and having time to have battles, these days I have to just daydream them while I'm at work... (shh!) wow, my dream room :) I must say, a great collection. But what do you do about the dust on the shelves? Though, I must notice... only one elf? I expect that an elven rampart should be built here, to complement all the great races. I have a separate room for Lego, I keep the door, window & curtains closed to keep out the sun, extreme temperature & dust. Shelf dust is mostly an accumulation of dead skin cells - so this way it is kept to a bare minimum. Also if you vaccuum the floor often enough you rarely need to dust. Regarding the elf, CMFs are very expensive compared to regular minifigs - AU$5 each plus you have to hunt to find the one you want, otherwise you buy them online for more. I only buy 1 of each one I like. Maybe in time that will change. Wow! What a collection you have Artanis I, and imagination aswell. Impressive! The imagination is necessary or Lego is just a bunch of bricks! Much more fun this way... Amazing collection. WOW. I have no words... o.O I regularly feel that way looking at the great MOCs on this site, so I'm stoked that some people would be the same about my collection.Thanks everyone for your comments! Some of those castles were hard to track down without paying a stupid price, so yes, I'm pretty proud of this collection. Oh and lightningtiger, a lot of these came from UK when the pound dropped, and after that from US when their dollar dropped... all the castle minifigs from Australia are out of my price range! I have no idea who's hoarding them. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
readyforit Posted September 1, 2011 It is awesome,sir! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Big Cam Posted September 1, 2011 Amazing collection. WOW. I have no words... o.O I have to agree with this statement, you may not have the largest collection ever seen, but you have an example from every single group plus the explanations and history on them all, it's very impressive. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
smitty9999 Posted September 1, 2011 That's a great collection. It's refreshing to see someone keep the older sets intact and not create MOC's with them. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hoboman Posted September 2, 2011 This is wonderful. And while it makes my collection seem inadequate, it does inspire me to continue to collect and grow. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gabe Posted September 2, 2011 Wowzers, what an amazing collection! All the castles look supurb together - i'm not surprised you spend time admiring them. I love yr detailed backstory for all the different factions too, makes for very interesting reading. Do you have a visual idea for what the geography of yr kingdoms (and the land around it) looks like? I was also wondering about where the dwarves fit in... i didn't see any. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Artanis I Posted September 3, 2011 It is awesome,sir! Thank you, kind sir I have to agree with this statement, you may not have the largest collection ever seen, but you have an example from every single group plus the explanations and history on them all, it's very impressive. Glad to be relevant! Jack of many trades, master of none. At least I kinda get what most people are saying, and they get what I am saying. That's a great collection. It's refreshing to see someone keep the older sets intact and not create MOC's with them. I hate dismantling sets, plus I can't design anything as good as TLG so they often stay built... and how can I say "I have all these sets, look: here's a MOC using all the pieces!" This is wonderful. And while it makes my collection seem inadequate, it does inspire me to continue to collect and grow. My collection was a lot smaller before being inspired by others' on Eurobricks. My Space collection was inspired by "gotta have em all - and a good sized fleet for each faction" but the castles + armies from seeing other members' posts. Wowzers, what an amazing collection! All the castles look supurb together - i'm not surprised you spend time admiring them. I love yr detailed backstory for all the different factions too, makes for very interesting reading. Do you have a visual idea for what the geography of yr kingdoms (and the land around it) looks like? I was also wondering about where the dwarves fit in... i didn't see any. I'm not a visual artist, so I don't have a physical map drawn or anything, but I do have one in my head. The old Lego catalogues go a long way to suggesting the appearance of each castle's location. As far as dwarves are concerned, I missed the Fantasy Era, and they never had a castle, so the only one I have came as a prisoner in the Troll Warship. I've pretty much collected the castles then fleshed out the armies for each. The castles were originally all on separate shelves around the room, and also set up properly as shown in the photo gallery, but I had to move them one by one to a particular shelf to photograph because the light in the Lego room is really poor, and the shelves very close together vertically. So the setup was previously more realistic looking, but I couldn't take a single photo of all (or most of) the castles at once. There are 3 or 4 missing from the photo here. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Niku Posted September 3, 2011 Really impressive. You have a large selection of minifigs, yet a usable quantity. What really attracted me the most is the background story, I really enjoyed reading it, and imagine all the display in my head. Once more congratulations for this amazing collection. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
