Sirens-of-Titan

Prelude to Challenge 4: Elemental Magic And so it was that through all the efforts and and hard work of it's citizens, Historica recovered the lost Elemental Crystals. Upon hearing that all four crystals had been found, the Historican Victor Revolword sent the following letter to each of the four Mighty Guilds of Historica. "Dearest Guild Leaders, I believe I have found the answer to where the lost Shrine of the Druids may be located. As it is our High King's Command that the shrine be discovered, I humbly request that you send forth your four adventurers; Lord Owain Of Avalonia, Ragnar'The Fearless' Nibelung of Mitgardia, Kathyrin Flagg of Kaliphlin, and Kahzoul 'The Reaper', of Nocturnus to meet me in five days time at high noon on the outskirts of Cerdica. Each adventurer should bring their guild's crystal so that we together may locate and open the shrine. I must insist that those four be sent, as I trust no one else with a task as important as this. I cannot say more as I fear this letter may be intercepted. ~Sincerely,Victor Revolword" And so it is five days later, and the sun is high in the sky as the four adventurers meet on the hill overlooking the capital. Owain: "Hello friends, it has been too long!You stil alive Kahzoul? I wasnt sure if you'd make it given how unsafe Nocturnus is these days." Kahzoul: "Nocturnus? I wouldn't talk, considering the mess the drow have created in your lush homeland! Those little buggers pop out of every hole; they're like vermin I tell you! Soon they'll be all over!" Ragnar: "Ha...I'd like to see them things try and burrow under Mitgardia's frozen tundra and solid granite mountains! The Drow will never make it in Mitgardia, I can assure you... Kathyrin, how are things in Kaliphlin?" Kathyrin: "I can't complain. It's been a tough few months; overturning every stone in the desert in search for a water crystal sure wears down on you. I'm eager to see what Victor has found out!" Ragnar: "Here he comes now!" Victor: "Ah, there you are, the four great heroes from the four great guilds! Forgive the sudden and mysterious circumstances of my summons, but I have made a discovery that no one is aware of! The exact location of the shrine was made clear to me, and the crystals woill likely confirm it!" Owain: "Victor,all of Historica was out and about looking for secret shrines and burial sites; how have they not found it? I'm starting to think it may not be in Historica at all!" Victor: "Ah, and therein lies the exciting part of the discovery! It is in Historica! It's been under our noses our entire time! Tell me, what have you heard about the Knights of Cadarn?" Kathyrin: "They were an ancient order of knights, in the days before the Guilds. They were hailed as brave warriors and ruthless fighters." Victor: "Correct, but do you know what their specialty was?" Owain: "If they were anything like modern knight's I'd put my money on drinking and/or brawling." Victor: "No, they were expert Mage hunters! They believed in the Chivalry and words of spiritual leaders and sought to root out magic from the world. They did not succeed, but they recorded their exploits and projects very thoroughly!I stumbled upon a History of the Knights of Cadarn, and after a few chapters found an interesting description of a shrine, very much like the one we're looking for! It was taken over by the Knights, who drove away the Druids and sealed the entrance. To make sure no one would ever find it they built a fortress on top of the it! The Fortress of Mizia!" Ragnar: "So all we need to do is find the fortress ruins?" Victor: "I looked for its location, and after countless hours of research realized that it was still standing! After nearly one thousand years, the fortress was still very much intact!It is not called Mizia anymore, it's an occupied ruin; in the on the West border of Nocturnus!" Kahzoul: "Occupied? Occupied by who?" Victor: "A blood-thirsty Orc tribe, no less! Travelers won't come near it, and that is why I need you. These Orcs are man-eaters, not the civilized Orcs you're used to in your cities. They will attack us if we approach, so we must be ready for a fight. I am just an old man, but with your four's skill, I believe we can make our way through the fortress and into the shrine! But I must confirm it, please take out the crystals." The adventurers do; as the crystals approach each other they start to glow. Victor: "Quickly now... Yes yes, let us see... Aha it is exactly as I thought! The crystals point East! We are headed towards the fortress then!" Owain: "Do you know what we'll find in the Shrine Victor?" Vicrtor: "If I knew I wouldn't be going along on this journey with you! I'm sure the King will be very pleased with whatever treasures we find. Now let us depart..." The adventurers and Victor travel for 3 days and 3 nights and arrive at an impressive sight; a run-down archaic fortress that oozes a chilly magical tingling. There are human bones and head about the grounds, and the adventurers cautiously approach the gate. Orc Guard: "Human! Meat!! Let's get them brothers and sisters!" Victor: "Now now, there's no need for anyone to get hurt! We simply want to move inside. These four are excellent warriors, let us pass and there won't be any trouble!" Orc Guard: "Humans talk too much! Warggghh!Kill them!" Owain: "I guess we're doing this the hard way then?" Ragnar: "It's more fun this way! Yarghh!" Kahzoul: "I've got the high positions! Jumping is my thing!" (he jumps onto the battlements) The adventurers engage the horrific Orcs.... Ragnar: "Take that, Yearghh, and that! You want some too? Yargh! Keep coming at me, I'll take you all on you worthless vermin!Kahzoul, you jumping monkey, get off your perch and join the fight!" Owain: "I guess that's how they teach you to fight in Nocturnus! AAAH!... By jumping around until the enemy gets dizzy and falls on his sword!" Kathyrin: "He's killing more than both of you combined you loud-mouth! Yahh! Stay down Victor, there are more of them coming!" Kahzoul: "That's the last of them! Yahhh!" The adventures assemble in from of the fortress gate. Victor: "Oh my, that was almost too much for my old bones... So, here we are, the fortress of the Knights of Cadarn! The shrine entrance will be somewhere below the altar. Be weary; I feel strong magical forces at work here..." Kathyrin: "We're ready for whatever comes our way Victor! Let's head in!" The group enters the fortress and quickly finds the abandoned altar. After several attempts to life the slab fail, Victor notices grooves in the stone in the shape of the Elemental crystals. Once the crystals are places, the slab sinks into the floor revealing a hidden stairwell. The group heads down. In the darkness of the underground, the smells of moist rocks and and fresh vegetation give the party a whiff of freshness. As they walk along a dark corridor an doorway appears; as if cut into the rock. Light illuminates the landscape on the other side, and the party of travelers head in. They arrive at an impressive sight; the Temple of the Druids. Victor: "Behold friends; the oldest shrine of its kind in existence! Look around! These floors and statues are thousands of years old! This place predates Historica!" Ragnar: "What on earth kind of temple is this? I haven't seen anything like it!" Victor: "It is a Shrine for the worship of Elemental magic! Look around; we are surrounded by the 4 elements; each has an altar on which the crystals should be placed." Kahzoul: "The brifge is out, we could swim but the water is turbulent; we'll never make it!" Victor: "Allow me." (he raises his staff and utters) "Mostikus!" Kathyrin: "Amazing!" Victor: "A cheap trick compared to the magic we'll find here. Off we go now let us cross!" Ragnar: "What are these eagle statues for?" Owain: "They look like the altars Victor mentioned; but how do we know what crystal goes where?" Victor: "You must think in terms of the elements; look here an Elder Wood tree; the symbol of the ancient earth. The earth Elemental crystal goes here!" Kathyrin: "There are stepping stones into the water there; it must be for the water element! The fire pits signify the fire element and Ragnar, if I'm not mistaking, that misty cauldron rock there symbolizes the air element!" Victor: "Excellent observations my dear! Can you reach the altars safely?" Ragnar: "Yes, be careful Kathyrin; that water is treacherous!" Victor: "Here we go, place the crystals on the altars and I will recite some ancient druid enchantments!" Victor: "Wonderful! Get ready now!" As Victor reads of ancient Druid chants, the floor of the cave trembles and an ancient trap door opens in the shrine revealing a glittering object. Ragnar: "What is it Victor? Treasure??" Victor picks it up, and walks to the edge of the water. Victor: "Oh it's better than that my lad, better than that! It's the helm of the Druid Head priest! The enchantments herein are more potent than any magic we possess! I've been looking for it all my life!" Owain: "Wait, you said you didn't know anything about what was kept in here!" Victor: "Ah, yes, I may not have been entirely honest you see; my true purpose in coming was to obtain this lovely artifact that the Knights of Cadarn wisely hid away from mankind so many centuries ago! You see, this artifact makes me the most powerful magic user in the world, and it is high time I got my way. I should thank you all, without you I would never have been able to find the crystals and get inside the Shrine! Now Historica is mine for the taking!" Ragnar: "Are you mad old man! We'll cut you down before tyou manage to raise an arm in defense!" Victor: "Let's make sure that does not happen!" (He raises his staff and utters a chant. Suddenly the adventurers are held down by an invisible force) Owain: "What on earth is going on! Stop it you old coot!" Ragnar: "It's pulling me in! I can't move!" Kahzoul: "Aaah the fire! He's pulling me into it! Stop him somebody do something!" Kathyrin: "Help! I'm gonna drown! It's pulling me towards the deep!" Victor: "Easy there my pretties, the more you struggle the worse it'll be! You're gonna be servants to my will!" The adventurers are pulled into the elemental altars and disappear. Victor: "Ah, my apologies, but I need your souls!" (He collects all 4 crystals) "I hope you're comfy in there! Now to test how powerful this Helm is; I should be able to materialize in another dimension. Let's try the realm of Elemental Spirits!" (He brings his staff down onto the floor; the room begins to spin, and he is transported into a place with no obvious dimensions or features) Victor: "Spirits can be seeded into these vessels! I am sorry my friends but you ill be the host of these spirits! Each of you will become an elemental being under my command... The Drow are an annoyance, the real threats to Historica was right under your noses this whole time!And all I had to do was put on the guise of an old geezer! You High King is not safe, your Guilds are not safe! I will put events into action that will challenge Historica's very existence! Now, I summon you spirits of Elemental magic! Take on these souls and vessels! Serve me and destroy my enemies! I command you, OBEY!!!" Brilliant lights shoot across the darkness and find their way to the Crystals that now house the unfortunate adventurers; each one erupts in a brilliant display of it's element's properties. From the seeds rise four giant Elemental Monsters... Victor: "Rise! Rise and obey your master! By virtue of this Great Helm, I command you to do my bidding!" Victor: "The hour of the Black Mage Victor has arrived! My elemental forces will reduce Historica to rubble! Doom is coming!!! Soon to come: Challenge 4. Stay Tuned...

Prelude to Challenge 4: Elemental Magic And so it was that through all the efforts and and hard work of it's citizens, Historica recovered the lost Elemental Crystals. Upon hearing that all four crystals had been found, the Historican Victor Revolword sent the following letter to each of the four Mighty Guilds of Historica. "Dearest Guild Leaders, I believe I have found the answer to where the lost Shrine of the Druids may be located. As it is our High King's Command that the shrine be discovered, I humbly request that you send forth your four adventurers; Lord Owain Of Avalonia, Ragnar'The Fearless' Nibelung of Mitgardia, Kathyrin Flagg of Kaliphlin, and Kahzoul 'The Reaper', of Nocturnus to meet me in five days time at high noon on the outskirts of Cerdica. Each adventurer should bring their guild's crystal so that we together may locate and open the shrine. I must insist that those four be sent, as I trust no one else with a task as important as this. I cannot say more as I fear this letter may be intercepted. ~Sincerely,Victor Revolword" And so it is five days later, and the sun is high in the sky as the four adventurers meet on the hill overlooking the capital. Owain: "Hello friends, it has been too long!You stil alive Kahzoul? I wasnt sure if you'd make it given how unsafe Nocturnus is these days." Kahzoul: "Nocturnus? I wouldn't talk, considering the mess the drow have created in your lush homeland! Those little buggers pop out of every hole; they're like vermin I tell you! Soon they'll be all over!" Ragnar: "Ha...I'd like to see them things try and burrow under Mitgardia's frozen tundra and solid granite mountains! The Drow will never make it in Mitgardia, I can assure you... Kathyrin, how are things in Kaliphlin?" Kathyrin: "I can't complain. It's been a tough few months; overturning every stone in the desert in search for a water crystal sure wears down on you. I'm eager to see what Victor has found out!" Ragnar: "Here he comes now!" Victor: "Ah, there you are, the four great heroes from the four great guilds! Forgive the sudden and mysterious circumstances of my summons, but I have made a discovery that no one is aware of! The exact location of the shrine was made clear to me, and the crystals woill likely confirm it!" Owain: "Victor,all of Historica was out and about looking for secret shrines and burial sites; how have they not found it? I'm starting to think it may not be in Historica at all!" Victor: "Ah, and therein lies the exciting part of the discovery! It is in Historica! It's been under our noses our entire time! Tell me, what have you heard about the Knights of Cadarn?" Kathyrin: "They were an ancient order of knights, in the days before the Guilds. They were hailed as brave warriors and ruthless fighters." Victor: "Correct, but do you know what their specialty was?" Owain: "If they were anything like modern knight's I'd put my money on drinking and/or brawling." Victor: "No, they were expert Mage hunters! They believed in the Chivalry and words of spiritual leaders and sought to root out magic from the world. They did not succeed, but they recorded their exploits and projects very thoroughly!I stumbled upon a History of the Knights of Cadarn, and after a few chapters found an interesting description of a shrine, very much like the one we're looking for! It was taken over by the Knights, who drove away the Druids and sealed the entrance. To make sure no one would ever find it they built a fortress on top of the it! The Fortress of Mizia!" Ragnar: "So all we need to do is find the fortress ruins?" Victor: "I looked for its location, and after countless hours of research realized that it was still standing! After nearly one thousand years, the fortress was still very much intact!It is not called Mizia anymore, it's an occupied ruin; in the on the West border of Nocturnus!" Kahzoul: "Occupied? Occupied by who?" Victor: "A blood-thirsty Orc tribe, no less! Travelers won't come near it, and that is why I need you. These Orcs are man-eaters, not the civilized Orcs you're used to in your cities. They will attack us if we approach, so we must be ready for a fight. I am just an old man, but with your four's skill, I believe we can make our way through the fortress and into the shrine! But I must confirm it, please take out the crystals." The adventurers do; as the crystals approach each other they start to glow. Victor: "Quickly now... Yes yes, let us see... Aha it is exactly as I thought! The crystals point East! We are headed towards the fortress then!" Owain: "Do you know what we'll find in the Shrine Victor?" Vicrtor: "If I knew I wouldn't be going along on this journey with you! I'm sure the King will be very pleased with whatever treasures we find. Now let us depart..." The adventurers and Victor travel for 3 days and 3 nights and arrive at an impressive sight; a run-down archaic fortress that oozes a chilly magical tingling. There are human bones and head about the grounds, and the adventurers cautiously approach the gate. Orc Guard: "Human! Meat!! Let's get them brothers and sisters!" Victor: "Now now, there's no need for anyone to get hurt! We simply want to move inside. These four are excellent warriors, let us pass and there won't be any trouble!" Orc Guard: "Humans talk too much! Warggghh!Kill them!" Owain: "I guess we're doing this the hard way then?" Ragnar: "It's more fun this way! Yarghh!" Kahzoul: "I've got the high positions! Jumping is my thing!" (he jumps onto the battlements) The adventurers engage the horrific Orcs.... Ragnar: "Take that, Yearghh, and that! You want some too? Yargh! Keep coming at me, I'll take you all on you worthless vermin!Kahzoul, you jumping monkey, get off your perch and join the fight!" Owain: "I guess that's how they teach you to fight in Nocturnus! AAAH!... By jumping around until the enemy gets dizzy and falls on his sword!" Kathyrin: "He's killing more than both of you combined you loud-mouth! Yahh! Stay down Victor, there are more of them coming!" Kahzoul: "That's the last of them! Yahhh!" The adventures assemble in from of the fortress gate. Victor: "Oh my, that was almost too much for my old bones... So, here we are, the fortress of the Knights of Cadarn! The shrine entrance will be somewhere below the altar. Be weary; I feel strong magical forces at work here..." Kathyrin: "We're ready for whatever comes our way Victor! Let's head in!" The group enters the fortress and quickly finds the abandoned altar. After several attempts to life the slab fail, Victor notices grooves in the stone in the shape of the Elemental crystals. Once the crystals are places, the slab sinks into the floor revealing a hidden stairwell. The group heads down. In the darkness of the underground, the smells of moist rocks and and fresh vegetation give the party a whiff of freshness. As they walk along a dark corridor an doorway appears; as if cut into the rock. Light illuminates the landscape on the other side, and the party of travelers head in. They arrive at an impressive sight; the Temple of the Druids. Victor: "Behold friends; the oldest shrine of its kind in existence! Look around! These floors and statues are thousands of years old! This place predates Historica!" Ragnar: "What on earth kind of temple is this? I haven't seen anything like it!" Victor: "It is a Shrine for the worship of Elemental magic! Look around; we are surrounded by the 4 elements; each has an altar on which the crystals should be placed." Kahzoul: "The brifge is out, we could swim but the water is turbulent; we'll never make it!" Victor: "Allow me." (he raises his staff and utters) "Mostikus!" Kathyrin: "Amazing!" Victor: "A cheap trick compared to the magic we'll find here. Off we go now let us cross!" Ragnar: "What are these eagle statues for?" Owain: "They look like the altars Victor mentioned; but how do we know what crystal goes where?" Victor: "You must think in terms of the elements; look here an Elder Wood tree; the symbol of the ancient earth. The earth Elemental crystal goes here!" Kathyrin: "There are stepping stones into the water there; it must be for the water element! The fire pits signify the fire element and Ragnar, if I'm not mistaking, that misty cauldron rock there symbolizes the air element!" Victor: "Excellent observations my dear! Can you reach the altars safely?" Ragnar: "Yes, be careful Kathyrin; that water is treacherous!" Victor: "Here we go, place the crystals on the altars and I will recite some ancient druid enchantments!" Victor: "Wonderful! Get ready now!" As Victor reads of ancient Druid chants, the floor of the cave trembles and an ancient trap door opens in the shrine revealing a glittering object. Ragnar: "What is it Victor? Treasure??" Victor picks it up, and walks to the edge of the water. Victor: "Oh it's better than that my lad, better than that! It's the helm of the Druid Head priest! The enchantments herein are more potent than any magic we possess! I've been looking for it all my life!" Owain: "Wait, you said you didn't know anything about what was kept in here!" Victor: "Ah, yes, I may not have been entirely honest you see; my true purpose in coming was to obtain this lovely artifact that the Knights of Cadarn wisely hid away from mankind so many centuries ago! You see, this artifact makes me the most powerful magic user in the world, and it is high time I got my way. I should thank you all, without you I would never have been able to find the crystals and get inside the Shrine! Now Historica is mine for the taking!" Ragnar: "Are you mad old man! We'll cut you down before tyou manage to raise an arm in defense!" Victor: "Let's make sure that does not happen!" (He raises his staff and utters a chant. Suddenly the adventurers are held down by an invisible force) Owain: "What on earth is going on! Stop it you old coot!" Ragnar: "It's pulling me in! I can't move!" Kahzoul: "Aaah the fire! He's pulling me into it! Stop him somebody do something!" Kathyrin: "Help! I'm gonna drown! It's pulling me towards the deep!" Victor: "Easy there my pretties, the more you struggle the worse it'll be! You're gonna be servants to my will!" The adventurers are pulled into the elemental altars and disappear. Victor: "Ah, my apologies, but I need your souls!" (He collects all 4 crystals) "I hope you're comfy in there! Now to test how powerful this Helm is; I should be able to materialize in another dimension. Let's try the realm of Elemental Spirits!" (He brings his staff down onto the floor; the room begins to spin, and he is transported into a place with no obvious dimensions or features) Victor: "Spirits can be seeded into these vessels! I am sorry my friends but you ill be the host of these spirits! Each of you will become an elemental being under my command... The Drow are an annoyance, the real threats to Historica was right under your noses this whole time!And all I had to do was put on the guise of an old geezer! You High King is not safe, your Guilds are not safe! I will put events into action that will challenge Historica's very existence! Now, I summon you spirits of Elemental magic! Take on these souls and vessels! Serve me and destroy my enemies! I command you, OBEY!!!" Brilliant lights shoot across the darkness and find their way to the Crystals that now house the unfortunate adventurers; each one erupts in a brilliant display of it's element's properties. From the seeds rise four giant Elemental Monsters... Victor: "Rise! Rise and obey your master! By virtue of this Great Helm, I command you to do my bidding!" Victor: "The hour of the Black Mage Victor has arrived! My elemental forces will reduce Historica to rubble! Doom is coming!!! Soon to come: Challenge 4. Stay Tuned...

Prelude to Challenge 4: Elemental Magic And so it was that through all the efforts and and hard work of it's citizens, Historica recovered the lost Elemental Crystals. Upon hearing that all four crystals had been found, the Historican Victor Revolword sent the following letter to each of the four Mighty Guilds of Historica. "Dearest Guild Leaders, I believe I have found the answer to where the lost Shrine of the Druids may be located. As it is our High King's Command that the shrine be discovered, I humbly request that you send forth your four adventurers; Lord Owain Of Avalonia, Ragnar'The Fearless' Nibelung of Mitgardia, Kathyrin Flagg of Kaliphlin, and Kahzoul 'The Reaper', of Nocturnus to meet me in five days time at high noon on the outskirts of Cerdica. Each adventurer should bring their guild's crystal so that we together may locate and open the shrine. I must insist that those four be sent, as I trust no one else with a task as important as this. I cannot say more as I fear this letter may be intercepted. ~Sincerely,Victor Revolword" And so it is five days later, and the sun is high in the sky as the four adventurers meet on the hill overlooking the capital. Owain: "Hello friends, it has been too long!You stil alive Kahzoul? I wasnt sure if you'd make it given how unsafe Nocturnus is these days." Kahzoul: "Nocturnus? I wouldn't talk, considering the mess the drow have created in your lush homeland! Those little buggers pop out of every hole; they're like vermin I tell you! Soon they'll be all over!" Ragnar: "Ha...I'd like to see them things try and burrow under Mitgardia's frozen tundra and solid granite mountains! The Drow will never make it in Mitgardia, I can assure you... Kathyrin, how are things in Kaliphlin?" Kathyrin: "I can't complain. It's been a tough few months; overturning every stone in the desert in search for a water crystal sure wears down on you. I'm eager to see what Victor has found out!" Ragnar: "Here he comes now!" Victor: "Ah, there you are, the four great heroes from the four great guilds! Forgive the sudden and mysterious circumstances of my summons, but I have made a discovery that no one is aware of! The exact location of the shrine was made clear to me, and the crystals woill likely confirm it!" Owain: "Victor,all of Historica was out and about looking for secret shrines and burial sites; how have they not found it? I'm starting to think it may not be in Historica at all!" Victor: "Ah, and therein lies the exciting part of the discovery! It is in Historica! It's been under our noses our entire time! Tell me, what have you heard about the Knights of Cadarn?" Kathyrin: "They were an ancient order of knights, in the days before the Guilds. They were hailed as brave warriors and ruthless fighters." Victor: "Correct, but do you know what their specialty was?" Owain: "If they were anything like modern knight's I'd put my money on drinking and/or brawling." Victor: "No, they were expert Mage hunters! They believed in the Chivalry and words of spiritual leaders and sought to root out magic from the world. They did not succeed, but they recorded their exploits and projects very thoroughly!I stumbled upon a History of the Knights of Cadarn, and after a few chapters found an interesting description of a shrine, very much like the one we're looking for! It was taken over by the Knights, who drove away the Druids and sealed the entrance. To make sure no one would ever find it they built a fortress on top of the it! The Fortress of Mizia!" Ragnar: "So all we need to do is find the fortress ruins?" Victor: "I looked for its location, and after countless hours of research realized that it was still standing! After nearly one thousand years, the fortress was still very much intact!It is not called Mizia anymore, it's an occupied ruin; in the on the West border of Nocturnus!" Kahzoul: "Occupied? Occupied by who?" Victor: "A blood-thirsty Orc tribe, no less! Travelers won't come near it, and that is why I need you. These Orcs are man-eaters, not the civilized Orcs you're used to in your cities. They will attack us if we approach, so we must be ready for a fight. I am just an old man, but with your four's skill, I believe we can make our way through the fortress and into the shrine! But I must confirm it, please take out the crystals." The adventurers do; as the crystals approach each other they start to glow. Victor: "Quickly now... Yes yes, let us see... Aha it is exactly as I thought! The crystals point East! We are headed towards the fortress then!" Owain: "Do you know what we'll find in the Shrine Victor?" Vicrtor: "If I knew I wouldn't be going along on this journey with you! I'm sure the King will be very pleased with whatever treasures we find. Now let us depart..." The adventurers and Victor travel for 3 days and 3 nights and arrive at an impressive sight; a run-down archaic fortress that oozes a chilly magical tingling. There are human bones and head about the grounds, and the adventurers cautiously approach the gate. Orc Guard: "Human! Meat!! Let's get them brothers and sisters!" Victor: "Now now, there's no need for anyone to get hurt! We simply want to move inside. These four are excellent warriors, let us pass and there won't be any trouble!" Orc Guard: "Humans talk too much! Warggghh!Kill them!" Owain: "I guess we're doing this the hard way then?" Ragnar: "It's more fun this way! Yarghh!" Kahzoul: "I've got the high positions! Jumping is my thing!" (he jumps onto the battlements) The adventurers engage the horrific Orcs.... Ragnar: "Take that, Yearghh, and that! You want some too? Yargh! Keep coming at me, I'll take you all on you worthless vermin!Kahzoul, you jumping monkey, get off your perch and join the fight!" Owain: "I guess that's how they teach you to fight in Nocturnus! AAAH!... By jumping around until the enemy gets dizzy and falls on his sword!" Kathyrin: "He's killing more than both of you combined you loud-mouth! Yahh! Stay down Victor, there are more of them coming!" Kahzoul: "That's the last of them! Yahhh!" The adventures assemble in from of the fortress gate. Victor: "Oh my, that was almost too much for my old bones... So, here we are, the fortress of the Knights of Cadarn! The shrine entrance will be somewhere below the altar. Be weary; I feel strong magical forces at work here..." Kathyrin: "We're ready for whatever comes our way Victor! Let's head in!" The group enters the fortress and quickly finds the abandoned altar. After several attempts to life the slab fail, Victor notices grooves in the stone in the shape of the Elemental crystals. Once the crystals are places, the slab sinks into the floor revealing a hidden stairwell. The group heads down. In the darkness of the underground, the smells of moist rocks and and fresh vegetation give the party a whiff of freshness. As they walk along a dark corridor an doorway appears; as if cut into the rock. Light illuminates the landscape on the other side, and the party of travelers head in. They arrive at an impressive sight; the Temple of the Druids. Victor: "Behold friends; the oldest shrine of its kind in existence! Look around! These floors and statues are thousands of years old! This place predates Historica!" Ragnar: "What on earth kind of temple is this? I haven't seen anything like it!" Victor: "It is a Shrine for the worship of Elemental magic! Look around; we are surrounded by the 4 elements; each has an altar on which the crystals should be placed." Kahzoul: "The brifge is out, we could swim but the water is turbulent; we'll never make it!" Victor: "Allow me." (he raises his staff and utters) "Mostikus!" Kathyrin: "Amazing!" Victor: "A cheap trick compared to the magic we'll find here. Off we go now let us cross!" Ragnar: "What are these eagle statues for?" Owain: "They look like the altars Victor mentioned; but how do we know what crystal goes where?" Victor: "You must think in terms of the elements; look here an Elder Wood tree; the symbol of the ancient earth. The earth Elemental crystal goes here!" Kathyrin: "There are stepping stones into the water there; it must be for the water element! The fire pits signify the fire element and Ragnar, if I'm not mistaking, that misty cauldron rock there symbolizes the air element!" Victor: "Excellent observations my dear! Can you reach the altars safely?" Ragnar: "Yes, be careful Kathyrin; that water is treacherous!" Victor: "Here we go, place the crystals on the altars and I will recite some ancient druid enchantments!" Victor: "Wonderful! Get ready now!" As Victor reads of ancient Druid chants, the floor of the cave trembles and an ancient trap door opens in the shrine revealing a glittering object. Ragnar: "What is it Victor? Treasure??" Victor picks it up, and walks to the edge of the water. Victor: "Oh it's better than that my lad, better than that! It's the helm of the Druid Head priest! The enchantments herein are more potent than any magic we possess! I've been looking for it all my life!" Owain: "Wait, you said you didn't know anything about what was kept in here!" Victor: "Ah, yes, I may not have been entirely honest you see; my true purpose in coming was to obtain this lovely artifact that the Knights of Cadarn wisely hid away from mankind so many centuries ago! You see, this artifact makes me the most powerful magic user in the world, and it is high time I got my way. I should thank you all, without you I would never have been able to find the crystals and get inside the Shrine! Now Historica is mine for the taking!" Ragnar: "Are you mad old man! We'll cut you down before you manage to raise an arm in defense!" Victor: "Let's make sure that does not happen!" (He raises his staff and utters a chant. Suddenly the adventurers are held down by an invisible force) Owain: "What on earth is going on! Stop it you old coot!" Ragnar: "It's pulling me in! I can't move!" Kahzoul: "Aaah the fire! He's pulling me into it! Stop him somebody do something!" Kathyrin: "Help! I'm gonna drown! It's pulling me towards the deep!" Victor: "Easy there my pretties, the more you struggle the worse it'll be! You're gonna be servants to my will!" The adventurers are pulled into the elemental altars and disappear. Victor: "Ah, my apologies, but I need your souls!" (He collects all 4 crystals) "I hope you're comfy in there! Now to test how powerful this Helm is; I should be able to materialize in another dimension. Let's try the realm of Elemental Spirits!" (He brings his staff down onto the floor; the room begins to spin, and he is transported into a place with no obvious dimensions or features) Victor: "Spirits can be seeded into these vessels! I am sorry my friends but you will be the host of these spirits! Each of you will become an elemental being under my command... The Drow are an annoyance, the real threat to Historica was right under your noses this whole time!And all I had to do was put on the guise of an old geezer! You High King is not safe, your Guilds are not safe! I will put events into action that will challenge Historica's very existence! Now, I summon you spirits of Elemental magic! Take on these souls and vessels! Serve me and destroy my enemies! I command you, OBEY!!!" Brilliant lights shoot across the darkness and find their way to the Crystals that now house the unfortunate adventurers; each one erupts in a brilliant display of it's element's properties. From the seeds rise four giant Elemental Monsters... Victor: "Rise! Rise and obey your master! By virtue of this Great Helm, I command you to do my bidding!" Victor: "The hour of the Black Mage Victor has arrived! My elemental forces will reduce Historica to rubble! Doom is coming!!! Soon to come: Challenge 4. Stay Tuned...

Good news! They found my package and I'm taking pictures today; challenge 4 prelude will be up tomorrow! Cheers! -SOT

Mitgardians, I am honored to have such loyal and capable guild members in my midst! Congratulations kabel and soccerkid,may you use your reinforcements and new citizens well! Ecclesiastes, thank you for organizing the challenge, providing prizes and once again contributing with an awesome MOC! The tower is truly wonderful and intimidating! Great to see everyone's avatars in attendance! As has been hinted before the prelude for challenge 4 is under way, it should be posted (hopefully) tomorrow or early Saturday.(I am facing some unprecedented issues concerning a "misplaced" mail package that may contain important Guild materials, so I'll wait until it is found by the lovely folks at my local post office before taking pictures and posting. Cheers, and thanks for your patience guys!

Poll added!

Get a few lamps with white halogen bulbs and three big pieces of white cardboard. Problem solved.

The Drow are indeed overstepping their bounds, but they will be unwise to wage war with all Guilds of Historica. history will tell us that even the mightiest of armies can be easily defeated once it spreads itself too thin and engages itself on multiple fronts. I am ordering the Hersirs of the Norsemen and of the Foreign Legion to sent out a regiment of Mitgardians to Avalonia as peace keepers. They are to aid our Avalonian brothers and civilians if any Drow dare attack them there. I extend the opportunity to any Mitgardian to send a force to Avalonia should they be itching to give the Drow a piece of their minds, and a taste of Mitgardian steel. As for our own borders, the Mountains of Mitgarida are mighty shields of stone, and the mountain passes are fortified with newly constructed watchtowers. I wish to assure Mitgardia's citizenry that they are safe from harm. To put our citizen's minds at ease even more, I am ordering Hersir Chorian and his men of Ondylian to reinforce the capital with brand new defenses, and to organize an evacuation plan for the villages in the surrounding areas. If any drow manages to survive the hellfire of the mountain defenses and moves into the colonized plains, we will be ready to evacuate our civilians and dispatch our forces. Stay strong Mitgaridans, something tells me this is just the beginning...

Excellent work de Gothia! The lighting really looks dramatic and your minifigure choice and placement give tons of unspoken insights about the scene. I really like the bagpipers; a very clever and original use for the figures.

That sure is pretty SI! I love all the angles and the color scheme in use here. The brick-built hull is also wonderful, as well as the eye-catching battlement-like design that runs throughout! 5/5 from me!

Easy solution would be to build the whole gate sideways and then snot it upright against the wall with headlight bricks. There's nothing wrong with using technic either; just make sure you conceal is with system parts. Lots of real world castles have facades and mechanisms that appear one way but are actually quite different when you look behind the build. If you're trying to challenge yourself to build something entirely out of system that's great, but it's far more practical to use concealed gears and cogs for motorized action.

Well done soccerkid! Both your sense of design and layout, as well as your use of colors, have become really top-notch! I really like that the bridge part is build sideways and configured with the bottom of the upright tower seamlessly. I hope you keep building and representing Mitgardia and yourself in this kind of glorious light from now on!

Greetings Guildsmen, Jarl Nibelung is currently in the last stages of a diplomatic trip to the south. He will return to oversee this war with the Drow personally in three days. Until then it is his wish that Mitgardians do not engage the Drow unless provoked first. They pose no real threat to us; the real enemies of Historica are far more sinister and we must be ready to face them... Challenge 4 will not be directly announced Monday, but the prelude for it will be showcased on here in a post by me. Look for that early next week The lessons learned on the survey have already been implemented in both voting and planning of the next challenges. Cheers and keep Mitgardia strong!

Hello Guildsmen, I'm out for about a week and will be back to historica after the 27th when we will announce challenge 4! Cheers and looking forward to more fun in GoH! -SoT

I respectfully disagree; I think if you do what the Lego company does with every new wave you are not breaking the rules; that is make custom head/body prints and new parts and accessories. I used to think of it very conservatively but as soon as collectible minifigures started to appear and flooded the market with hundreds of new accessories and molds I was convinced that using parts from companies like brick warriors and brick arms was fair game as it was only a matter of time before Lego released a similar item. (Turns out I was right) As for custom printing that entails perhaps the least amount of "cheating" imaginable! The zombies here are based on Lego's own design, done by their guidelines for spacing by a talented artist (Brickthing) and printed professionally. To me that is hundred-fold better than printing a face on paper, and pasting it on a minifigure. And what is cheating? Cutting parts, using glue to hold parts together, stressing parts past their natural limit. That's Lego's own definition. Prizes for Hostorica will include custom heads and accessories; all professionally done, so please consider the incredible amounts of work that has gone into these and why the people involved deserve the credit given to them here. Cheers

It's a beauty Taz! From top to bottom the design is pure awesome! I think it's the most balanced build you've done to date; just a perfect blend of colors and unique techniques! New zombies look great as well!

Hello folks, once again great work on Challenge 3! The voting thread is up and running; cast your votes for your favorite creations. Check out the rules here ---> VOTE There will be a grace period of about 2 weeks before the next challenge is announced. Enjoy the time off or build mini challenges; it's up to you. Challenge 4 will be even more epic and exciting, so I hope all members enter and plan accordingly for it!

The good news is that there really aren't too many pieces that are exclusive to castle only. You can use any color scheme to build a castle wall, and use any of a variety of techniques to do it. What's good for you also is that you can take the LOTR sets and use them for MOC'ing in other themes. So don't be intimidated if you don't have castle sets or a ton of grey and brown parts; who knows the LOTR sets might inspire you to get some.

Great builds MikeyB! You've nailed a sense of style down and the narrative form of your story, minifgure choice, color selection and photo quality and presentation are incredible! I say bring on chapter 3!

Great entrees so far Guildsmen! How good it is to see all the excellent Mitgardian MOC'ers putting on a display of skill that rivals the best builders on both MOCPages and Flickr! Keep up the good work, I can't wait to see the rest of these!

Beautiful lava as always! The Nannaan'esque creatures are especially wonderful; a great blend of technic and system parts! My favorite detail, however, are the several crypt-like doors in the rock! Great work here lisqr and best of luck in the contest!

Guardians fall under the category of how well you address the theme. It's not more than 2-3 points out of 50. But even a few minifigures will do, there's no reason not to include a random bandit or two.

Hello Guild Members! Well it's been over six months since the Guilds of Historica began their trial run and we want to know what you think so far! It's been an incredible process, with hundreds of talented builders and creations gracing these pages, making for one of the best MOC'er online communities yet! SURVEY TIME: Do you like the Guilds? Do you feel they can be improved? This is your chance to let us know how you feel about the whole project! Please take the survey and comment below in the following format: example: Hello I'm from (Guild) I am (Active Builder and Member/Member/Past Member/Not affiliated with Guilds) Pick one Comment on what you like about GoH. Comment on things that could be improved. This survey will help us figure out the best way to keep improving the Guilds, Challenges and making EB the most fun and exciting AFOL community out there! If you've left the guilds tell us why. Be brutally honest; we can take it! Or we can blame it on one of the other guild leaders

Angeli, the deadline was extended once to account for over-ambitious planning and busy schedules; it's not something we can keep doing, as it'll grind the forum to a halt. We need to get things moving with challenges, prizes, and introduction of challenge 4 on a somewhat timely schedule, and while I don't speak for everyone I'm not too keen to keep pushing the deadline back. Is there any way you can salvage the build or do something with what you've already got? There are still two days to make changes and submit your MOC.

Thanks Rolli, this is why we're here; to inspire and share. Your embassy building last round was just as inspiring to me so it goes both ways!