Garmadon

Challenge V - Results News from the Island Guild! For the past few months, rumors of great happens and dark secrets in Varlyrio had been surfacing on the mainland of Historica - plottings and rumblings, an uprising of the denizens of the vast underworld of the island, huge wolves in the mountains and dragons invading the cities, and the Rego's ship, landing short-manned and hard beat on the shores of Avalonia with stories of pirates and blood. Between it all only one thing has been clear - the guild of intrigue has been anything but at rest. Even in Varlyrio itself the families eagerly await news of what their political landscape would look like when the dust finally settles and count heads to make sure that everybody's still alive. But, at last, the fog enshrouding the island has lifted. Queen Ylspeth wandered up the halls of the great palace in Cedrica gazing absentmindedly over the gorgeous sight of the proud ships sailing in and out of the river's harbour, pondering the new situation. There had been little love lost between her and the Rego of Varlyrio, Supano Amancio - but a new ruler always meant a situation to require her best tact to deal with rightly. And then, the old Rego, although proud and somewhat stubborn, had not been altogether remiss in his duties in fulfilling the promised company of troops, it would appear - the troops of the island had been sadly depleted, it seemed, by a great menace in the mountains which had been decimating their forces - that, along with, the new ambassador had hinted to be sure, a bit of mismanagement on the Rego's part. Ylspeth shivered a bit at the tales of the dreadful werewolff and gathered her regal cloak around her, once again thankful - she almost laughed at the thought - that the seat of power in the Guilds was far off from the shores of that tumultuous guild. The madman riding a dragon into the streets of the capital and the news of some very questionable dealings of the guild leader with his Kolgari subjects did not serve to substantially change her opinion on that, even if the dragon had flown off with it's mad rider to the western badlands and the Kolgari had been freed from the Rego's tyranny by his disappearance at sea. She could not but hope that the new Rego would be kinder and more gentle in his treatment of all his subjects. But then, he was "of the people," they said... She quickened her steps, curious to see what she could gather about the new Rego from an interview with his chosen ambassador. The doors of the queen's throne room swung open grandly and the Rego's courier burst in. "Your majesty!" the courier knelt before Queen Ylspeth's throne, "Greetings from Luca di Carlo, Rego of Varlyrio." --------------------------------------------------------- Challenge Results! Category A: 1st place: @Louis of Nutwood (Mitgardia) - Howling in the Mountain. Prize: 70658 Oni Titan Runner-up: @kahir88 (Avalonia) - The Missing Letter Category B: Highest Scoring Teams: 1st place: La Cospirazione (@ZlatanXVIGustaf, @KevinyWu, @mrcp6d, @W Navarre). Prize: Custom minifigure(s) 2nd place: Rise of the Baiamontes (Team Baiamonte) 3rd place: Downfall of the Rego (Team Conzaga) 4th place: Fall of the Amancios (Team De Fiori) Top Scoring Entries: 1st place: @ZlatanXVIGustaf (Varlyrio) - 15.33. Prize: 70679 Ultra Dragon Runner-ups: @LittleJohn (Kaliphlin) - 15.17 @Henjin_Quilones (Avalonia) - 15 Thank you to everyone who participated to help flesh out the lore of the Island guild both building and story-wise! I've included the scores for the top three entries in Category B to show just how stiff the competition was there - excellent work, everyone! @soccerkid6 and @Rogue Angel will be contacting the winners shortly to be able to ship out the prizes, and Team di Cioto (@ZlatanXVIGustaf, @KevinyWu, @mrcp6d, @W Navarre) will need to put their heads together to decide how they would like to divide up their prize as the winning team A special thanks to all those from other guilds who came by to experience and contribute to Varlyrio in this challenge! Update to the Varlyrian Family Intrigue Thread with a few more precise notes on the guild developments to come shortly! And finally: Guild Points: Varlyrio - 56 gold Mitgardia - 64 gold Avalonia - 61 gold Kaliphlin - 37 gold

That is one beautiful longship, mate! The use of those large brown slopes is definitely something to remember, and the surrounding scene is great as well! If this is just a small teaser I'm certainly looking forward to seeing the whole thing!

Captain Whiffo stood on the docks outside Port Wilkes while one of the ETWC soldiers finished loading the skiff, finalizing the papers for his new ship, built for the East Trade-Wind Company by the fine Braunsfeld shipmasters in Pontelli. It had been way too long since he had last been to sea, and he was hankering for adventure on the Brick Seas. The dock official was working away busily at his ledger, noting down the Captain's specifications. "And that should be it!" exclaimed Captain Whiffo, with a clank of his hook. "Here ye have the licencing costs, sir." The official finished scrawling down the last line and looked up. "But Captain, you have forgotten that the ship will need a name. It has yet to be christened, you know, sir." "Oh right," exclaimed Captain Whiffo - "that'll be the WDTPTOE." --- --- "Short for, the Why Didn't They Put This Out Earlier," put in the Captain, helpfully. The official finally broke out of his astonished stare and started to jot the name down, but had to have Captain Whiffo repeat it at least twice before he actually got it right and closed up his ledger and took the payment for the new vessel. He shook his head as he turned away to leave, his face still a picture - muttering under his breath, "The WDTPOTE, the WTOEPD, the..." "Hey, t'wasn't my idea," Captain Whiffo laughed after him - "that's the name the builder himself put on it!" --- Just at that moment, Alberto and George Da Pontelli (in his newest hat) came around to bid the Captain adieu and congratulate him on his new command. They'd come over to visit the settlement and deliver the ship. "Ah, hello!" Captain Whiffo exclaimed, "I have but just finished off with all the last details and will be rowing off to the ship in a moment. Thank you again for bringing over the vessel, my friends, and be sure to relay my and the Company's thanks to its builder!" "Certainly, certainly," replied Alberto da Pontelli - "Best wishes to you and smooth sailing as well! What have you named her, sir?" "Why, the WDTPTOE, of course. That's the very name it came under from the shipyards, you know." Alberto da Pontelli stared at the Captain for a moment, and George had to suppress a coughing fit. "It stands for the Why Didn't They Put This Out Earlier, you know," added the Captain with a smile. "The W.D.T.P.T.O.E." "I- I think that was a bit of a joke," faltered Alberto at last. "What?" exclaimed the Captain blankly. But then, quickly recovering himself, he laughed, "Well, the joke's on you now, I'm afraid, 'cause that's what it's named!" --- But Alberto looked down at George and whispered to him, "The joke's on us, humph? Well, I'm not the one who has to write it every month on the trMRCA forms!" Captain Whiffo looked over at the monkey to see why he was laughing so hard... Yes, I did it I couldn't help it - and yes, this was all a bit of practice so hopefully I can get it right on all the forms It's been waay too long since I last posted a build here! This was built as a little thank-you to @Captain Braunsfeld for putting the WDTPTOE up for the ETWC to licence - thanks again, mate! And honestly the name fits very well considering that this is actually the first ship licenced by the ETWC itself... I know, right, Hopefully I'll have more builds up for the Brick Seas in a few months though! My building time is pretty packed full right now, but once I've got that cleared off I hope to return to BOBS seriously here! Plus I've got that Class 10 that needs to be finished here I've missed y'all! Thanks for viewing, C&C are welcome as always!

Nicely done! - the rickety wood-work is great, especially the section tied with rope, and between the flag, palm trees, provisions, and the colors over-all, this has an awesome and very fun look to it!

Great job on that longboat indeed - the shape is excellent and my does it fit quite a crew! I'll second the others about the black flag tactics and using the Oleon uniform too!

Fantastic work, @Faladrin, your ships just keep getting better! The rear windows and the hatches of the junk are great, as well as the curved section at the deck and the spinner top! The junk's crew is very appropriate and looks great as well, but I do think that my vote has to go for the galleon - I'm just loving that ship! Prow, to broadside, to stern, to those checkered sections and the green and gold that totally nail the Eslandolan look - fabulous work, mate!

Congrats all, well-deserved wins! I've definitely enjoyed all the garden builds popping up in the forums recently!

Ooh - I think I know a certain pirate Captain who would enjoy building him a sand castle in Tortuga (while waiting for his ship to be finished ). When was the deadline again? - I think we should be able to do this! Excellent hollow sand castle Callighan got had too! Too bad that it buried his shovel on the way down...

Love the classic style and fairly muted color-scheme here, Capt - the reds and yellow really shine against them, and that roof and the windows look great! And as others have mentioned, the crane and cross-sections are simply wonderful as well! I do feel like a little bit of brighter picture (or higher white balance in the camera) would make the colors pop a little more in later few pictures (more like in the first one), but that's the only minor nitpick I've got - very nice work, Captain!

Hilarious as always, Professor! Quite the collection of garden plants too, and they actually look really pretty when they don't look like they're about to gobble you up, Nicely done!

Love the hustle and bustle in this build - especially in the first picture! - and that ox cart crossing the scene fills it out very nicely! Great job and very nice entry, mate!

Stop making me wish I was still in Mitgardia, mate! This is an awesome example of a cottage in the frozen north - the low, long, snow-covered roof really captures the Viking-ish feeling, and a goat shelter underneath is about the only thing that could make it better! The wood pile and chimney give the house a cozy atmosphere too in contrast with the snow piled up outside. Keep it up!

Three "Aye's" from the ETWC bench! Willoughby would also like to interject the suggestion that while making our friendship clear, of course, we make no promises one way or the other in the letter in order to retain the right to proceed as the citizens and council of Eslandola see fit in reply to Archduke Oldis's response.

Great find, Doctor, that skeleton is pretty fantastic! Very nice work with the sand castle and the beach too, and it's always fun to see the crew of the Jolly Roger at their business!

Ooh, things are getting hot in Terraversa! Nice work, merc - those dark red uniforms are excellent, and I'm the earthworks and cannons in the second build! The double arch on the bridge is great too!

Willoughby lifted his hand (it was a hand, I'm pretty sure - might have been a foot...) and, through Agent Guelds, assented to the good Governor's proposal. "Seconded, sir! Yes, I believe a formal letter of inquiry into the desires of the Terraversans and the state of the matters there would be in order. At the moment all is merely conjecture and confusion - the Corries and the Oleanders are mutually annoying each other, and we have yet to hear from the actual residents of the island, and can make no decision before knowing their will in this affair. They are a self-governing, independent country, and as such it is their place, and not ours, to primarily defend their own interests and sovereignty. If they are continually leaning upon Corrington and Eslandola for their independence, they, frankly, are not independent at all - and simply intruding and prodding into foreign affairs with perhaps unwanted, certainly unsolicited, dubitable aid is not a trait of the fair and level-headed citizens and leaders of Eslandola." "Unlike those of some other countries..." muttered the rather non-tactful Lieutenant H. - "Remember Nova Malto!? War, I say - it is time for war!" Agent Guelds nodded emphatically. "Well, once we are done with the good Governor's proposition, I suggest we vote on that declaration of war on Corrington! Do I have a second?" He glanced around the room, then turned and whispered to Lieutenant H, "That is what we're here for, right??" Willoughby rolled his eyes.

Fantastic stuff as always, Actionfigure! Not sure how you do it, but you've once again nailed the shaping and proportions here. Those hinges under the eyes are just ingenious as well - excellent work, mate!

Hilarious idea and great execution, Jt! The red roofs and cobblestone are excellent, and I'll echo the others on that donkey! And it's a recipe from Varlyrio? Why am I not surprised - that's where all the good stuff comes from, right?

Nope  Be careful what you wish for...

That is a very stylish shop you have, snaillad, interior and exterior! The gold dome parts and the use of arches around the windows in the semi-circular part in front are a couple of my favorite details, but everything here is really masterfully done. The stairs and floor and shelves in the interior are all fantastic as well! Very nicely done, mate!

Aye! from the three on the ETWC bench! Willoughby was still glancing at the door in expectation, though...

Very nice work, Captain! - the gold around the windows and on the back lanterns is a great addition, and good job changing up the rest of the color-scheme a bit too. The addition of the Norwegian Blue is fantastic though! And thank you once again for offering this to the ETWC - I will try to thank you properly soon, and I hope she will have some great smooth sailing on the Brick Seas! And by the way, would you like me to actually name her, The Why-did-they-not-put-this-out-earlier? Because I could... More!!

Great to see your family showing up, Navarre! The are several very nice minifigs in there, and the descriptions, especially for the last half of the family, are just hilarious! Looking forward to seeing what this characters will be up to in the (hopefully) pretty near future!

Fantastic job, team! It was definitely a pleasure building and planning this out with you, and seeing all the final builds together here is even better! And yes, of course I saved the best for last! @Puvel Very nice work with the canal and facade here - I'm a fan of those stripes of half rounded tiles! The curved tiles over the door and windows are great too, and if there's one thing I'd suggest, it'd be throwing in a bit of color with some vines or flowers or maybe a few brightly colored passersby. The floor on the interior is very good though, as well as the barrel, tables and chairs! And I honestly really enjoyed writing your part of the story - it was way more interesting than mine! @Ayrlego You've nailed the Varlyrian colors! The lantern, balcony using the wands and sprues, and treasure chest tops for window baskets are great as well, and your assassin's pose and placement is perfect - though if I were him, I'd think about hiding that very shiny knife a bit farther out of sight! The arch over the canal was an excellent idea too (and very well executed), and very nice job with your section of the story! @kahir88 Great job with your ships and with depicting your story, mate! The sides of the Golden Fortune are very nicely done, and the unconventional rig and the lanterns are some awesome details. That raven figurehead on the pirate's ship is excellent too, and once again, thanks very much for all your input and work on the story here! You really helped a lot both coming up with ideas and fleshing it out into its final form! Thanks Bas! Exciting times indeed! I'm looking forward to seeing how this all ends up getting sorted out when the results are ready, and to all the repercussions and builds the challenge ends up producing as a result! I think I already replied to your question (though I can't remember where ); basically, though, just like when we first started our alliance, I still didn't want to be the next one to take the throne myself since it's meant to be a place opened to all Varlyrians who want to aim for it and I would rather hang back for a while and let someone else take the Rego's position... and since we had been talking over Luca becoming Rego - quite a while ago now, actually! - I just went for it without ever really reconsidering it! Whatever would make you think so?! ... Alright, maybe just a little... Thanks mate! Glad you liked it - I was happy to put some of all my random white pieces to some good use here! Thanks man! And we'll see about that! Luca hasn't exactly been suing for a long life since he came into the position, haha! Thanks Kai! That floor was where I got started (naturally ), and is certainly one of my favorite things in the build! Thanks Grover, glad you like it, and kudos to Ayrlego and Kahir who wrote up their parts of the story and helped get everything fit together just right! And since we knew that Luca and Navarre's team was going to be diving into the intrigue side (though no idea just how deep, obviously! ), we decided to take it on and hit the challenge right between the eyes! We'll have to see how it all ends up and who has the hold of the power once all the smoke clears, though - but Navarre's team certainly had their story well played! Thank you! My inspiration was almost certainly a cathedral building - this could be, or could be any kind of coronation dome, and the relief work was definitely not easy to deal with! Glad it works for you though, and yep - having the sun setting right behind the build as I was taking pictures for the light through the windows kind of made a bit of bleed inevitable, but I was pretty happy with how that turned out! The floor was actually pretty simple and came together almost by accident - the brick circles, that is. No way all the cheese slopes lined up accidentally As a matter of fact is wasn't all that difficult though - getting the windows to stick without falling out was a bit harder! Thank you! I'm glad the lighting paid off! I'd wanted to build this ever since I saw the picture that inspired it, and I may go back and revisit it sometime when I have more time to polish off the build, but I'm pretty happy with how it turned out all things considered! I'll need to get some more arches before I try it again, though - or maybe I should say Kai needs to get some more, considering that most of the ones here were borrowed from her for the build!

You may definitely color me impressed by your use of space here, mrcp6d! - same goes for all your team, but you have managed an all-LEGO exterior scene on a 32x32, and that is downright crazy! The canal and water plants are great here, as in all your team's entries, and the tile corner and roofs are excellent as well! Very nice work with all the activity in the scene too, and the fisherman toppling into the canal is a great detail! Re: the story - hey Navarre! I had like three builds completely figured out in response to this after Part III, and you had to go mess them all up here! Very nice job with the entire story though; that is exactly the kind of intrigue the whole concept of Varlyrian politics is meant for, and even if it backfired in part for the De Fiori's, I'm still certainly glad I gave you the opportunity to get it all started! And I believe you should be hearing from a De Fiori or two before too long...