DrColossus

I apparently have a ton of background and rules reading to do, but I am in! So in. Just need to figure out time and some space to build in...

The dwarf Kabbi, entering his fourth year serving as mate of the merchant marine cog Eikmarr, the Oak Mare, stood before the mast and swayed slightly. He looked through the bottom of his now-empty bottle, and waited for more shouts from the hold. He knew his Captain’s moods. "The world is mad today, Birla!" Olli, the ship's captain, jabbed his finger at the map while he shouted. The dwarf girl Birla looked on, impassive; rages did not frighten her. "We limp from one port to the next, everywhere from the Bay of Storms to Butcher's Bay, and we can't unload even a single cargo! Why, oh why, did I pick now to invest so heavily in Kaliphin silks? No one wants silks now!" He paced a few steps before yelling up to the helmsman "More easting, Vigfuss, more damned easting!" Vigfuss, the helmsman, leaned on the tiller and rubbed his chin with his free hand. He had taken the once-unthinkable step of shaving his beard a few weeks ago to impress a girl in Nocturnus. A deep and quiet voice came from the sterncastle above. Mr. Ash, he was called - and only ever Mr. Ash. "The merchants smell trouble, Captain," he said as he sighted thoughtfully down the shaft of an arrow. "When war comes, silks lose their worth. We will yet see days when basic bread will fetch a king's price." Birla's sister, the dwarven shield-maiden Birna, watched as Mr. Ash loosed an arrow and effortlessly brought down a crow 400 yards away. No one ever asked whether he was human, elven, or something else; and certainly no one asked if he had a name other than Ash. She sighted her crossbow at a gull, much nearer, but decided not to shoot. The harsh light of the late-winter sea made her long for Pikesteel and the comforts of her family's hall. The ship plowed on, searching for a friendly port amidst greater signs of trouble and unrest. ------ This is very much a WIP! I've made a cog with a sort of exaggerated sterncastle, more to reflect the way they were drawn in illustrations than the way they looked. I haven't quite worked out a sail yet, but I've got a brickbuilt one coming along if I can figure out how to attach it. (2 large white wing pieces attached to a white space shuttle body piece). Would appreciate any input and thoughts as I bring it along to completion. I don't want to make it too ornate (it is primarily a working merchant vessel) but anything to make it look good would be gratefully accepted. Thanks!

Thank you! I hope to get a pic up with sails soon. I'm not sure if I can elongate, as I don't have a matching middle hull piece so I'd have to brick-build it; however, I can knock out the first four studs of wood, and shift the edge back farther (maybe with some brown arches) so it gives the illusion of a longer body?

Actually, kind of! I think I saw someone do it with flippers (mentioned in this thread): http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=34961

Nice ice! Very organic-looking. The kayak design is clever as well!

This is great! I especially like how the sail colors shift over to look more dynamic and lifelike. Can you tell me how you attached the shields? I have a few on my current ship build but they stick out quite far from the hull and could certainly look better.

I really like the use of the telescope part for the staff! I might have to borrow that for my own magic-workers...

This is really nice! I'm a big fan of the cut-out tunnel view in the first shot. What are those swords the drow have?

[Note: This follows on from the previous entry: A Shipment Goes Missing. This one's long too, but hopefully worth reading. Thanks!] In a valley at the foot of the PIkesteel Mountain, a river from the north finally exhausts itself in a small stream, and a pond. Around this stream the tiny village of Raven's Eye has grown up over the years, the inhabitants descended from Guild and Clan travelers alike. Raven's Eye doesn't see much trade... or rather, it sees it go by, to the east and the north. Travelers between the guild lands of the Bay of Storms, the dwarves at Pikesteel, and the Great Elk clan rarely need to stop in. And yet, the village is the perfect place if one needs to keep an eye on those travelers. Raven's Eye is a sleepy town, where a man can fish to his heart's content in the quiet chilly waters outside the old church. The villagers believe that leaving a blossom of the Breath of Spring flower on the church's little table will bring fortune. If the fish have any way of improving their fortune, they haven't told anyone. The church is built in the old style, the architecture that was outmoded even before the Guildsmen arrived here. Common wisdom says the steep slope and points help shed the frequent snows that blanket the area. But the dragon motif above the doors tell the true story: a pointy roof is harder for big things to land on. Superstition? Perhaps. But the church remembers, even if the people have forgotten. Inside, the two archers speak with Olin the Smith, who has come to call this village his home, while he earns some money to continue his travels. They speak quietly in the dim glow of the stained glass, the fresh scent of the Breath of Spring mingling with old wood. "I don't understand what all this has to do with me... OR with Sigrd!" Olin said. He was still a little off-balance, since these two had come into his village demanding to speak to the smith. When they heard he had a horse, they were even more insistent. "We've told ye, friend," said the woman. "There's trouble brewin' round here, no mistake. That suspicious-type with the chest full o' gold was on no peaceful mission, ye can be sure. First, we hear of unrest in Pikesteel. The third cousin of the dwarven king, suddenly made chief of all the mining operations after the previous chief gets burned alive in an accident. In the Great Elk lands, the Chief's right-hand man killed in a fight with a minor lord - over what? Who knows? But there's something afoot, and restless folk are suddenly finding the nerve to act up. And now we find that fellow carting gold from the dwarves towards the clans. It's all too much to ignore!" "But I still don't understand. I'm just a simple smith, in a tiny village..." "A strategically important village, lad," broke in the man. "Raven's Eye overlooks the route between the dwarves and the clans. A well-armed light cavalry unit, or better, some horse archers... If they were based here they could put a stop to whoever is causing all this mischief!" "But we don't have stables for a cavalry unit! We don't even have any soldiers!" Olin protested. "Aye..." the woman said, indulgently. "But ye can make weapons... can ye not?" And with that, it was decided. Just like that, Olin was living his dream, serving as blacksmith to his very own army unit. He built a stable worthy of a horse archer unit, and Sigrd began to teach the men of the village how to properly fall off a horse. Soon, the village was humming with activity - well, comparatively... and Olin prepared to lead this new unit on exciting adventures in Mitgardia! A Bird's Eye View of Raven's Eye The church is at the pond, on the left. Olin's new military stables are on the higher ground, on the right, where Sigrd is showing an unfortunate new soldier what it's like to ride a cranky horse. A woman of the village (I couldn't get the beard and the hair to fit together) opens the gate to the stable grounds, while a local man tries to tempt one of the new horses with a vegetable.

Thanks very much! I understand about the pond, it's quite small. The sharply pointed roof I really enjoy, especially now that I've taken it into my head that the style originated ages back as a way to keep dragons from landing on one's house.

I am guessing, but could definitely be wrong, that you can achieve that by not-quite pushing down all the plates at the bottom. It looks like there might be a little bit of space between each one, which multiplied over 2-3 plates could give you that nice tumblehome that makes a fighting ship look so good.

Creative sail construction! I agree with SK, a little more slope to the bow of the ship would make it look even more sleek. Great idea to design it as long and shallow, that really suits the purpose!

I like the roof a lot! As soon as I saw it I thought "Yeah, that's a good sea-side little shack."

Hi everyone, If it's OK, I'd like to follow up on my earlier request for credits on my Meeting in Raven's Eye build. I have 1 out of 4 votes needed for each credit. Thank you!

I like it! A lot of visual interest packed into not a huge space. I also wondered about access to the top level, but don't let that keep you up at night or anything. :)

Oh this is great! It's all really well thought out, and the dragon looks sturdy but also very capable of flight. Nice job.

Expecting an eBay order today or tomorrow with some shields and new figs, so the Bay of Storms cog Eikmarr will soon be afloat! (I hope, been struggling to find build time this week).

Thank you Gedren! I just need 3 more votes now...

I like the non-square base, and the use of slopes/other greenery to give the top of the tree its own character and shape. Nice build!

Oh, we don't read it. Here in Raven's Eye, we burn 'em for heat! Once a week, a dwarf comes down from Pikesteel and stands in the village square reading the news, which makes it easy for us. Although the dwarfish news is mostly about the price of metals...

Ha! That rag? I wouldn't use it to wrap fermenting shark meat. They had pomegranate juice on their hands! Of course they were from Kaliphlin! ...It's still cool to trash-talk, right?

On top of all the well-deserved praise, I like the use of the string-with-studs to cap off each row of vines. Makes it look very lifelike!

Oh man, I'm so excited for this. I did tons of ship builds before starting on castle... time to take what I've learned since and go back and apply that to the ships! (Also - are any of the guilds' colors blue and yellow? I have a blue/yellow one I was trying to do as a tribute to Sweden, but now I need to change the colors around.

This is really a beautiful build! The rocks look fantastic, and the incorporation of the stairs and the gap/arch make it look so realistic.

Well, I think I've gone about as far as I can go with the Stable, so I am proud to show off Phase III here! Olin the Smith has built a (small) armored stable in the tiny village of Raven's Eye, where he will be training light cavalry and horse archers to keep an eye on the valley under Pikesteel Mountain. A Meeting in Raven's Eye . In keeping with the local architectural tradition, he built the stable with the ancient "dragon-proof" design, where the roof is capped with long diagonal beams to prevent dragons from landing snow from accumulating on the roof. Meanwhile, his horse Sigrd teaches recruits how to fall off a horse without breaking their necks.