Louis of Nutwood

Serenity I woke to the constant slapping of the waves against my face. My head sunken in the black sand, bursting with the biting cold. To one side, the unstopping streams of an unknown river. To the other, trees I had never seen. A world I had never been to. Each breath was a frosty cloud dancing before my eyes. I rubbed my hands together, but warmth was nothing but a distant memory. Up in the North, winter is brutal, and I felt its cruelty in my soul. I stumbled through an untouched trail amongst twisting naked branches. The hissing wind whispered words of fear and doubt. Compelling and unquestionable, I dared to give up. It could have been weeks, months. I cannot say. For time is irrelevant when life slips away on every breath. But in the distance, amidst distorted and twisted trunks, the glimmer of a star caught my eye. And with it, the faint warmth of hope. Every step was a challenge, and every challenge, a new reason to move on. I stopped, not for being exhausted, nor for being drained. But for being amazed. For such beauty, such indescribable exquisiteness, was not from this world. Stillhettre, the tree of hope. Serenity. Louis of Nutwood

Hvitdreki, the white dragon I remember the first time I saw him. It was a crisp morning, the kind that makes your breath fog in front of you. I had wandered beyond the familiar woods, drawn by an unexplainable urge, a chanting of the gods. I crested a hill and there was a clearing. Shimmering in the sunlight, blending with the snow and the ice. Its scales glistened, each one catching the light in a dazzling display. A misinterpreted beast. How could such a beautiful creature cause such caos and distress? My heart raced with a mix of fear and awe. I was gazing upon a legend, a living embodiment of the myths our elders spoke of by the fire. Hvitdreki, the white dragon. Silently, I left, hiding in the shadows, to remember this day for all days to come. What I didn’t know was that we would meet again. But that is a tale for another night. ______________ Louis of Nutwood Hope you like it. Let me know what you think.

Little John - 1 point Zilmrud - 1 point Adde - 1 point

Captain Flint - 1 point Exetrius - 1 point Gideon - 1 point

Andreas, you have such a breathtaking signature style! I see Kali and I immediately know it's your creative mind behind it. Impressive layout, especially when made in Middle-Eastern inspiration. Craaazy good tree trunks. THe white and tan tower is my favorite! The blue tooth-piece dome is phenomenal too. The sail is outstanding, and the mix of yellows for timed decorative walls is incredible. Truly inspiring. Makes me want to travel Kali for a little while. Awesome work.

Truly impressive Mitgardian setup. Good to see the characteristic Serpentine-Longboat and the strategically round wooden tower with spikes. Just as our ancestors built in the old days! Plus, the working wave mechanism is very impressive! Amazing work, sir MKJ.

My bad. Seagulls. Not Eagles. Though s---eagulls and eagles must be at least cousin-related.

Holy port! This is astonishing! Truly massive, yet very polished and detailed work. I'm mindblown. The stone covering the tops of the builds is an incredibly nice touch. A tad claustrophobic for a port, but very unique. Wonderful and inspiring. Certainly a MOC to be printed on the annals of the Guilds for reference. Amazing.

My Mitgardian heart rushes whenever I see a snow covered build. Such a lovely hut (kidding! This is almost a mansion!). Massive roof, and a very impressive snow technique. I love the sand green grass poking out of the ground. And the textures in tan used for the house are spot on. Amazing work, Captain. Skol!

Thank you for the wholesome analysis, sir Zoth! Really glad you liked the overall texturing and layout. Sometimes I get to force myself to build something snowless. Skol, brother! Thrilled you liked this humble composition, Kai. I went for 'minimalist and clean', but I'm happy you like the slight texture variation. And oooh yes! I'm also impressed with how the dark brown and lime green fit well together. I remember seeing this palette in a couple of Brother Steven's Mocs. Do invest in it, as I am planning an expansion too! Now.. will this color scheme go well with snow? Scenes for a new chapter. Cheers, Kai!

Oooh, the battlements and crenellations are a sight to behold! Lovely work with the vegetation and the 360 degree build. The wooden sign is truly clever, and the pebble path is super smooth. Awesome work, sir Kahir.

These roofs are phenomenal! Lovely to see you were able to build a 3 act story in a single build. The Italian-Spanish-Villa style is breathtaking. Amazing work, sire Tooker.

Such a lovely build, sire Grover! The green is unusual, classy and very unique. The roundness of the tower is truly impressive. But the eagles are the best! I can almost hear them whistling, calling and pipping. There's also so much action going on! It's a very interesting build, and it's awesome to discover new funny things happening with every glance. Eagles attacking guards. Guards being mad at eagles. Eagles stealing fish. Eagles cracking kids eggs. Chickens thinking they are eagles. Eagles strategizing over stealing pretzels.. Did I miss anything? Keep it up with the comic and classy builds, Grover. Skol!

Entry for Guilds of Historica's Anniversary Challenge, Category B (Old but Gold). Back to Svalg Keep

Back to Svalg Keep To the very end of a treacherous dirt road, west of the Bay of Storms, lay a small fortress called Svalg Keep. The fortress was erected by the Old Men, where the winds were heavy, the temperature was low, and no man had reason to pass by. For behind those doors, nested only chaos and destruction. My stallion trotted through icy roads, as small bits of the fortress appeared between the snow-covered pines. The dim light of the lanterns that kept Svalg Keep alive looked blurred and weak from a distance. The more we approached, more it looked old and forgotten. I have been here before and promised never to return. Never to open the gates of chaos. Never to access the memories I prayed to forget. “But there is such joy in chaos. Stow all the world's evils behind a door and tell men that they must never, ever, open the door. And it will be opened because there is pure joy in destruction.” As I stood by the gates of Svalg Keep, the wind whispered a desperate cry, hustling through the trees and fading in the distance. Iron chains hugged tight to the rusty handles, to ensure what was in, would never come out. I chuckled. Every path would lead me here. Where everything began. For chaos and destruction live in every warrior’s soul. And only amidst chaos, we can find our peace. Built for Guilds of Historica's Anniversary Challenge, Category B: Old but Gold _________ I've built Svalg Keep back in 2019. By the time, I had just started writing my own stories. The castle came alive as I built it the first time -- much more alive in my imagination. And I've always wanted to revisit it. It was also my first build to be featured. That build made me start interacting with you guys and the LEGO community in general. And I believe it was my entry-ticket to the Guilds of Historica. Re-imagining that build was a way to revisit those days I got introduced in the frozen lands of Mitgardia, my proud and heartfelt homeland. That's my way of saying thank you. For years of fun-creative-building-storytelling time. Here is the old (but gold) version: Hope you like it, folks. I've made some considerable adaptations. But luckily you can grasp the resemblance. Let me know what you think. Skol! Louis of Nutwood