Zar-Ifrikt - Work In Progress

[Yzalirk]

Okay, some I'm planning on building quite a bit of things for GoH, especially in Kaliphlin. What I'm planning on building are quite a few different settings, like the front to a castle wall, part of a castle wall, small kiosks/shops, things like that as well as natural looking environments. All my ideas and work in progresses will go into here before becoming an actual topic itself that way it could be the best I can do. My own little lore will be placed here as well so you guys can post any feedback to it as well.

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So, I've finally decided that I may be going with Orcs after or, or some sort of race similar to Orcs. Anyways, not the point for this idea I've thought of. My guys are a large faction, almost like an empire, that strive for types technology that improves their combat abilities through magic and storing electricity in created gadgets to power up these types of technology. They also produce some higher-tech weapons that is very difficult to make and is very expensive to fund. They are also "Soldiers of Fortune" due to their elite combat effectiveness so if the price is right, they'll side with the highest bidder. Their architecture, I am hoping for, seems like very early industrial on how it's (very) dirty and how much pollution gets created. So at the same time, they're good but bad. They are very skilled metal workers too and self-sustainable by themselves. They do, however, buy from other merchants throughout Kaliphlin. These materials are meat, metal, wood, and weapons. Although they make lots of weapons for their troops, they smelt down swords and shields and breakdowns bows and crossbows for parts for their "technological" advancements. Their leadership consists of a high Council which includes myself (new sig-fig will most likely be named Vem Tabook), important people of the society (So the wealthy and most skilled), and other Kaliphlin lords. However, they are arrogance and hatred seems to lean more towards the Dwarves for their passion for mining and taking precious metals and minerals, they seem to do little trade with them. They also don't really like humans and elves due to their "bloody" past (I will create and unique story about that later on) but most of them want to make treaties with them. Some humans and elves feel the same way too.

When people afflict with their affairs, like destroying their constructs, technology, mines, and just about anything else a part from killing mass numbers of these people, they send in their most elite soldiers, The Grustrag Three. They are hired to kill those who meddle with this empire. If the person who is instructed to be assassinated and is a high lord or important person to the Historica society, they leave them scarred and begging to be put down and attack a device to their leg call a Grustrag Bolt. This device can only be removed by using a Grustrag Bolt Release. The schematics to build it can be obtained by Dwarves but for even more, it can be built by Dwarves. Very little is known about them to outsiders other than that they are part of my society and were experimented on, tested for the advancements to the rest of the military. They are gruesome fighters, they will even kill other members of the society if they thirst for bloodshed. Some people also think they were genetically engineered somehow but no one knows, except of members in the High Council that belong to this society. Considering these are important people to my empire, they can't be killed if defeated, they will retreat if almost about to die (I will elaborate on this more in the future as to why they can't die). They also have names but that will also be revealed in the future too.

So tell me, what do you guys think? It took quite a while to come up with these ideas and concepts so I really hope I can use them. And when I say they create technology that is quite advanced, don't think I'm talking about guns, missiles, and nothing like that.

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All feedback will be welcome here because all of this is a work in progress. I would also like to thank Lord Vladivus for helping me out with the name of this advanced Orcish Empire (Zar-Ifrikt) and with names for Orcs and some titles too for them. If you'd also like to contribute some names and stuff, feel free, it would help out a lot and I'll try to do something special for your guys in the future, that if you help me out a bit.

[Lord Vladivus]

Looking good so far, can't wait to see some MOCs!

[Yzalirk]

Looking good so far, can't wait to see some MOCs!

Thanks, I was on a tight budget but I manged to get everything I need most first. I got my orders in last night, except BrickForge. I had no idea there was a minimum buy of $10 there.

[Rogue Angel]

You'll run into the $10 minimum on a lot of Bricklink stores as well.

[Yzalirk]

You'll run into the $10 minimum on a lot of Bricklink stores as well.

I ran into that quite a bit so I just bought from other stores or just didn't buy from the stores that did that. I ran into that a few times but on average, I spent about around $30 at each different store. But I did manage to get quite a lot of parts with my budget. I'm also glad I found some 16x16 plates in green and tan so I can have a base for my builds, I got four of each. As for bricks, I got a lot of these in both dark bluish gray and dark tan. Now I just have to wait about a week or so to actually start building again!

[-Carson Haupt-]

This sounds cool! You say you're not talking about guns or missiles, but never say what you ARE talking about, so now I'm curious!

[Yzalirk]

This sounds cool! You say you're not talking about guns or missiles, but never say what you ARE talking about, so now I'm curious!

I honestly can't wait until I reveal what the Zar-Ifrikt create, it's going to be interesting. I don't want to reveal much about what they build because it will really make for a cool reveal. The only thing I will leak is that they mostly create "body modifications". That's a bit of a teaser I'll just let you guys can ponder about.

[Alfadas]

Sounds nice! Looking forward to some MOCs.

Body modifications. Hmm. Like wooden legs, metal arms?

[Yzalirk]

Sounds nice! Looking forward to some MOCs.

Body modifications. Hmm. Like wooden legs, metal arms?

Thanks. I promise I will get a build up the day I get all of my orders delivered and finally show some work.

As for wooden legs and things like that, you are on the right track.

[Bregir]

Thanks. I promise I will get a build up the day I get all of my orders delivered and finally show some work.

I am looking forward to seeing where all this is going - But don't be too worried about getting the builds up too fast! It's a creative process, not a moc-factory, remember

Get them up, when you are happy about the result, or would like some advice on how to move on

Just my two cents

[Ecclesiastes]

It's good to have story up like this. But it seems all a bit to advanced to me. It almost sounds a little steam-punkish.

I would really like to see that you did start building instead of talking about buying bricks. Or better start with just figs, like this:

(I'm pretty sure these guys will kick The Grustrag Three's megablocks. )

When you've done that. Start with little vignettes, and you really don't need a lot of bricks to do so:

Thanks, I was on a tight budget but I manged to get everything I need most first. I got my orders in last night, except BrickForge. I had no idea there was a minimum buy of $10 there.

I really don't get why people waste money on brickforge stuff.

[Yzalirk]

It's good to have story up like this. But it seems all a bit to advanced to me. It almost sounds a little steam-punkish.

I would really like to see that you did start building instead of talking about buying bricks. Or better start with just figs, like this:

...

(I'm pretty sure these guys will kick The Grustrag Three's megablocks. )

When you've done that. Start with little vingettes, and you really don't need a lot of bricks to so:

...

I really don't get why people waste money on brickforge stuff.

I'm trying to mix a bit of both Steampunk and Magic elements together, similar to the Dwemer of The Elder scrolls. I placed all my orders and they should ship hopefully by the end of this week, hopefully.

You have me super excited to show off The Grustrag Three now. I'll let everyone ponder as to what they'll look like and what they use.

For vignettes, I actually do plan on building them kind of like that, in a way, but with a different shape for a base.

Lastly, I do plan on getting some BrickForge stuff because the potions and the staves would work really nice with GoH, in my opinion.

[Scaevola]

Interesting so far, but I use my veto on storing electricity. It's too advanced for the day and age GoH is set in.

[Yzalirk]

Interesting so far, but I use my veto on storing electricity. It's too advanced for the day and age GoH is set in.

I can see your point with that, and I actually kind of agree with you. I have a few ideas that could work instead.

-Maybe something like The Elder Scrolls with the soul gems, maybe something like that?

-Maybe with certain things, there are gears that used to power certain things, like a mechanical handsaw? (Literally..?)

-Or a way to harvest energy from either thunder or the sun by some sort of ritual that requires maybe a specific gem or something?

What do you think? Yay or nay?

[kabel]

I think all that steampunk etc. stuff is just not GoH. Personally I try to strive for historical accuracy and the only fantasy elements I refer to are dwarves and old school green orcs. Every then now we see a magical flash and a little dwarven black powder. What we had agreed on when we started book I three years ago was state of the art 1450 anywhere in the world, but mostly Europe and the Middle East.

[Yzalirk]

I think all that steampunk etc. stuff is just not GoH. Personally I try to strive for historical accuracy and the only fantasy elements I refer to are dwarves and old school green orcs. Every then now we see a magical flash and a little dwarven black powder. What we had agreed on when we started book I three years ago was state of the art 1450 anywhere in the world, but mostly Europe and the Middle East.

Sooner or later, people are going to have to learn how to make even more outlandish things by trial and error. I doubt everyone in GoH realm would have not tried making some crazy things, like the Dwemer of The Elder Scrolls. I don't plan on going the traditional Steampunk way with flying airships and things, I think a better route would be like the Dwemer. It's just my opinion though. I'll have to try a few things and pick whatever seems more appropriate for the GoH realm.

[mccoyed]

Some of these guys may not know Elder Scrolls and Dwemer. If I were you, I'd be more generic and have "crystals" that store "magical energy" which can be used to power your faction's "magical machines". Even then, though, you're likely to get the same objections if you don't acknowledge what people are telling you about GoH precedents.

[Yzalirk]

Some of these guys may not know Elder Scrolls and Dwemer. If I were you, I'd be more generic and have "crystals" that store "magical energy" which can be used to power your faction's "magical machines". Even then, though, you're likely to get the same objections if you don't acknowledge what people are telling you about GoH precedents.

I like that idea, I may use that. Similar to soul gems is what I think you're trying to hint at? Well I have plenty of gem pieces I could use for it so I can do that. But I feel like there should be a con to it, maybe the crystal decays over a certain amount of time?

[mccoyed]

Yup, you've mentioned Soul Gems before. If you want to have a downside, I'd say that you should go straight into Necromancy with it and thus give it that very eeeevil moral shading that Necromancy usually has. So due to the immorality of using this technique, maybe your faction is hated and hunted? But also, in TES, Soul Gems run out of "charge" eventually so there's that too. I'd stay away from being too detailed or systematized with it. Keep it loose so others can build on it and so that it doesn't violate any GoH precedents. If there's suddenly magically charged gems everywhere that can be used to make powerful magical weapons, it would destabilize the world.

[Yzalirk]

---{}--- Update ---{}---

Here's a few pictures showing of the things I got from BrickWarriors (not everything are in the pictures, I got lots of the items you'll see).

What do you guys think?

Edited September 5, 2014 by Behemoth

[Hammerhand]

Nice haul, though I'm personally a "purist". The shield and glaive in particular look pretty cool. One problem I could see potentially arising though, is that on some challenges/mini-challenges, after-market parts aren't aloud, so I guess you'd have to work around that somehow.

[mccoyed]

That flamethrower is a definite no-no.

[-Carson Haupt-]

That flamethrower is a definite no-no.

I second this.

[SarahJoy]

That flamethrower is a definite no-no.

I'll third this.

For me, I have trouble with the idea that you're trying to shoehorn your own (somewhat previously established in your mind) personal storyline and elements into GoH, rather than letting your storyline organically grow within the world of GoH.

Edited September 5, 2014 by SarahJoy

[Lord Vladivus]

That flamethrower is a definite no-no.

Fourthed.

I do agree with Sarah- the technology stuff doesn't really fit in GoH. GoH is distinctly medieval, with the height of technology being some of the siege engines. Granted, there's magic, but it shouldn't be used simply as a plot device to shoehorn super powered weapons and advanced (for the era) technology in. You've got a really cool idea with the isolationist orcs, and their industrious ways, just don't take them too far- keep it at being amazing at smithing weapons and armour. Perhaps they could have mighty iron siege engines, like ballistae and trebuchets, instead of the usual wood and iron mix. Don't miss the point of GoH, it's a forum where a community comes together to tell a story and to provide advice for improving (that can include builds and story-writing).

With that, I do like the figs, the armour is pretty cool, and will set yours apart, but do be wary of the challenges that don't allow you to use third party stuff. I do look forward to seeing the Zar-Ifrikt successfully intergrated with GoH.

Just a few ideas, and observations!