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So Merith and Kylee set forth from Valryrio to pick up where Dugal’s Journal left off. After reading through the journal all night, Merith learned that Dugal had gone on many quests over the two year period, each leading him to a new person or place that could point him in the right direction towards obtaining the Angel’s Tear. It seemed to Merith that it was one task after another, each one more ridiculous, and none had been a sure thing in acquiring the spear. So that is why she was on a boat now. Apparently Dugal had traveled to Nocturnus in order to obtain a Warlock’s eye. It was said with this ingredient, he could have a spell of direction cast, which would help him locate the next phase of his quest for the Angel’s Tear. Merith knew that she would have to get a Warlock’s eye for her own spell of direction, since Dugal had left off in the journal at this point. Dugal had been smart, where else would one find a warlock, other than the Valley of the Warlocks? This location was a sacred grove where those of the Warlock order came to fight for power amongst themselves. She had heard rumors of this terrible place, and the evil it spawned, and now she didn’t quite know what she was walking into. Perhaps she should have brought some guards? After landing in Nocturnus, the two ventured into the interior, despite curious gazes directed towards two ladies entering the swamp. After 3 days of following a crudely drawn map Dugal left, they came upon a valley. In the valley odd stone formations jutted from the ground all over the landscape. The two women journeyed towards the center of the valley. At one point, where many of the jagged rock formations thrust themselves through the earth, they heard a voice. “You have made a terrible mistake my dear.” Said a raspy voice. At that point a small men came out from between to rock spires. “Do you even know where you are?” intro by skaforhire, on Flickr “Yes” Merith replied coolly. “The Valley of the Warlocks.” “I sense no power within you child, therefore you two must have a death wish.” The man grumbled. Merith saw another figure farther back in the valley coming towards them. “I have no such wish, I come to obtain a Warlock’s eye.” She slightly smiled at this. The person further back in the valley hissed, but it was the short man that replied. “A regent for a spell, I assume. Well, you will have a hard time prying an out of one of our skulls.” He began to move towards her. “I don’t know, my fiancé didn’t have much of a problem a few years back.” Merith said, Kylee looked uneasy. “Tsssssk…. Your fiancé is dead!” came a voice from behind the rocks. DSC_0385 by skaforhire, on Flickr “Yes, but you didn’t kill him. Nor will you kill me.” Merith said. “We killed Dugal, we drank his blood, we took his power.” The short warlock said. “Funny I heard the story went more like this:" Dugal, along with his brother Paulos, Florbad the Mighty, Lord Goodwyn, and Hex Mantooth – A new Alleenridder, ventured to the Valley of the Warlocks. They had heard of a gathering of some of the more powerful warlocks from Avalonia. DSC_0389 by skaforhire, on Flickr The group had travelled to the sacred valley to determine who should lead their order in Avalonia. You see, the Ever Sacred and Unholy Order long ago made their personal battleground in the valley. Whenever a warlock fell in the Valley, because of a spell, they were turned to a rock spire – the strongest being the largest rock formations. It was said that overtime, the warlocks would regenerate and break free of the earth and rock to live again. This is why all disputes were settled in the Valley – the Warlocks could be reborn. Dugal and company planned to wait until the warlocks began battling and then they would move in for the kill. Unfortunately, the Warlocks had discovered the plot through scrying the day before. They laid in wait, and set off a dummy explosion to lure the intrueders. The Kaliphlinites were a bit surprised, but they recovered quickly. Dugal took on Malface Orion – probably the most famous of the batch that were currently present. DSC_0394 by skaforhire, on Flickr Paulos took on the man known as “Kinglock” The self-titled king of the warlocks. DSC_0398 by skaforhire, on Flickr The other three men faced off against others of lesser title. However, the Kaliphlinites were outnumbered. DSC_0396 by skaforhire, on Flickr Soon Mantooth was captured by a web spell, and Goodwyn had succumbed to a wall of air. DSC_0400 by skaforhire, on Flickr DSC_0405 by skaforhire, on Flickr Only Dugal’s magic inlaid axe – the Golden Axe of Eastgate – saved him from a vicious fireball. DSC_0402 by skaforhire, on Flickr Paulos had better luck though, after running Kinglock through, and dislodging his sword from the stone pillar that appeared in place, he went and dispatched one of the warlocks that were holding Mantooth. Some of the other warlocks fled. DSC_0408 by skaforhire, on Flickr Finally, Dugal out maneuvered Malface, and slid his golden blade across the warlock’s chest. Malface did not become a pillar though. Killing a warlock with a magical blade ends his ability to regenerate, DSC_0412 by skaforhire, on Flickr Thus the Kaliphlinites had a corpse to take an eyeball from. DSC_0414 by skaforhire, on Flickr “I believe that is how it went” Merith said. The anger and hurt in the short Warlock’s eyes was evident. “Well, I suppose I will avenge my brothers by taking Dugal’s Fiance.” The small man said. “I was there, we lost a great warlock that day.” “Revenge? You wanted to kill him and become the leader of your order! No, I think not. We can give you something you desire, and there is no need for anyone to die.” Merith said. “What could you possibly have, that I could not obtain?” The warlock said. “A maiden’s kiss.” Merith said. “You would let me corrupt your soul?” The warlock smiled. He knew that corrupting Merith would end her quest for Dugal, for her soul would no longer be pure. “But, I am not going to give you my eye.” “Yes.” Merith said as Kylee gasped. “and I reckon that your seeing glass would meet the requirements of the spell just the same as your actual eye. So that is the trade – the kiss for the monocle.” “Deal!” The Warlock hissed. Kylee rush up to Merith and whispered “You can’t do this, he will corrupt you!” Merith began to reply, but Kylee smiled. “I will do it.” She turned to the warlock. “Pucker up shorty, I will have this honor.” Before Merith knew it, Kylee had taken the little man in her arms, dipped him, kissed him deeply, and then snatched his monocle from his face. Kiss by skaforhire, on Flickr As they walked away Merith protested. “How dare you! You can’t sacrifice your innocence like that.” Kylee laughed, “Oh honey, I am a Lady of Cedrica, there isn’t much innocence left in me.” She smiled. “Besides, I caught him so off-guard, he couldn’t cast his spell. Then, when I took the looking glass, he couldn’t see us to retaliate. So, there was no real reason for you to risk it – leave it to the professional.” Merith turned and said, “I was just going to let him move in for the kiss, and then jab him in the ribs with this.” She flashed a knife. “I just needed the monocle.” They spent the night in a small Nocturnun town, where they found the local witch to cast the Spell of Direction. Apparently the next step was to find a lady outside of Everlast, she would know more about the Tear. The witch warned them though, if they wanted to talk to the Lady Elsbeth – a grand seer – then they would have to bring her the heart of a warrior. “Looks like we are going to need Lord DaMaximus’ help with this one.” TO BE CONTINUED BY DaMaximus!

Since my last couple Tales of the Past were more other people telling stories rather than actually a story, I tried to make up for that here. You can check out Parts One, Two, Three, and Four respectively but they aren't absolutely necessary to understanding this story! "Who will be here first, do you think?" Kalaflar asked for the twentieth time, as he leaned over the slim edge of the tower overlooking - indeed surrounded by - the sea. "I really don't know, Kal, there's no use asking it so much," and Gascoyne added to himself, "it had better be the army though..." As if in answer to his thoughts, the lone retainer with them nodded. "However much you want a fight younker, you'd better hope we don't get one until there's at least a few more of us!" But Kalaflar was not listing - he peered intently at the horizon, and suddenly cried out "Boats! Two of them! From the south!" Instantly all was abustle. For one instant Gascoyne gazed intently at the northern horizon, then he turned to finish what preparations were deemed necessary. The two boats, propelled under oar - for there was scarce enough wind to use even the tiny sails they boasted - advanced rapidly, and soon were near enough for both parties to distinguish each other in the midday light. "I count four of them to each one of us," Gascoyne muttered. "At least, we're up high and have the advantage." The enemies' crew was a motley band - some out and out villains, highway robbers and mudererers, others proud nobles who would not bow to Dextrus Flagg whatever the cost (though these always kept well to the background), and even an merchant who honestly thought that Flagg had no claim on Kaliphlin's throne. When within a stone's throw of the small island, the foremost boat pulled up it's oars, rapidly stowing them away and catching up their weapons. They were just within bow range, and the archers on both sides prepared their bows. The leader looked up at the tower, scrutinizing the faces of all present. Then, turning to his men, he issued a short word of command. By this time the current had carried them even closer to the island, and the second boat was stowing its oars as fast as was possible. Then, as if by preconcerted signal, the archers let fly - and the battle had begun. The men in both boats crowded to the front, pushing to be ready to spring to the land as soon as the boats were close enough. But none was faster than the black knight, whirling his sword above his head. His warriors followed suit - that is, those of them that were not laid low by the whizzing arrows. The second boat had maneuvered better and was closer to the island, so it was one if it's occupants that first scaled the tower. But the black knight was not far behind. Gascoyne, eager to get at him, sprang down the knotted rope that served as their ladder. At the same moment the black knight sprang up it. In the middle their swords clashed, again, and again. Up above, on the top of the tower, the retainer had already been thrown off, but Kalaflar lost no time in treating the enemy warrior to the same fate. And then, in the momentary pause of the battle, he lifted his head, glancing northward. A cry of excitement broke from his lips, for there, on top of them almost, was the ship Flagg had promised to send! With a scowl the black knight sprang back into his boat, and the few men who were left with him turned the boat's head and were soon far out to sea while the ship's crew congratulated them on their narrow escape. But just before they had quite vanished, the black knight caught Kalaflar's eye, sending a chill to his heart. A few more pictures of the build:

Though we may be far from home, we are always willing to bring part of our culture with us. The Waygate of Fortune was one of the six waygates established at home. Legend has it, that those that pass through this gate at the sun's zenith will be blessed with great fortune. Many settlers have always found the blessing to be true, causing groups of citizens to wait for midday to pass under. This may have never lived before in this land, but we are proud to give Kaliphlin this landmark. -Djun --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Overview Hope you enjoyed the MOC. Sure it's not the biggest MOC (and far from the grandest), but here's my entry into the Master Architect's Challenge. As usual C&C is always welcome and appreciated!!!

On the third day of the tour, we'll be taking you to the snowy solitude of the Lone Mountain - just to discover it's not so lonely after all! So please, buckle your seat-belts, set your trays in full upright and locked position, and get those ear muffs and mittens ready! Are you tired of the breezy winds of the Withered Wood and the tropical heat of the Jungles of Gorr? Then take a break at the Lone Mountain, where even the coldest snow lovers will feel at home again! Enjoy the bright and varied birds that make the mountain's echos ring again with their warbling songs! The Red Bellied Strutter, so named because of... well, it's red belly and a tendency to strut: The Black Billed Warbler, a blue and dark blue bird that is a native only of Kaliphlin: The Plimigen, one of the most common birds in all snowy areas, and found in flocks in the Lone Mountain and its environs: And that ends our tour for today! Stay tuned for tomorrow's visit to another landmark of Kaliphlin! If you've missed them, be sure to check out: Kayne's Inside Kaliphlin: Day 1 The Withered Woods Masa of Kaliphlin's Inside Kaliphin: Day 2 Jungles of Gorr And don't be late for the bus again! C&C are welcome! I hope one and all have been enjoying their trip through Kaliphlin so far!

Hands up, who's feet are incredibly painful after this long journey through Kaliphlin? So many wonderful sites have been seen, its almost sad that this first journey is coming to a close soon. Before you leave this wonderful place, I recommend spending a few days wandering the streets of the lovely capitol Petraea. There are many wonderful houses to be seen here, and the Kaliphlin people are always welcoming of new strangers to the land. Finally done, this is the last MOC for me for Inside Kaliphlin. It has been really fun collaborating with the other guild members on this, and it has been great to see the responses from everyone. I really hope you enjoyed our journey around Kaliphlin!

Part One Part Two Part Three As the days past the two youths became good friends, often rambling throughout the mountains, spending many a happy hour in the lonely solitudes and rocky fastnesses. One day, Gascoyne took Kalaflar out to a favorite haunt of theirs. After some time, Gascoyne finally began to tell Kalaflar his story. "Many years ago," he began, "Kaliphlin was overrun by a proud, evil knight who claimed all the land as his and punished any noble who did not accept his authority. There were many who would not consent to his evil practices, but gradually he grew in power, and as he did so he either killed opposing nobles or forced them to come to his side out of fear. My father, to escape the fate of the rest of his companions, fled to the Rakath mountains. The knight gathered a huge army, intent on storming our fortress, but, with a few loyal soldiers, my father waited for him along the sides of one of the most dangerous chasems of the mountains. When the knight reached the place, the soldeirs began loosning and trowing down rocks and boulders on tome of them, and one of these killed the knight. His son - a man of even more of a firey temper - vowed vengance, but was forced to a hasty retreat. On returning, he found Kaliphlin in turmoil. Rumor had reached them of the death of the knight, and with one accord all turned against his son. It was all he could do to keep his own lands, but the grip he had on other lands was broken. This all happened only a few years before Dextrus Flagg came to power. In retaliation to Flagg's attempt to take the thrown though, the knight's son has gathered a band of like minded rogues and is making a desperate resistance." Turning to Kalaflar he added, "I don't know how much of this you were aware of. But we are now certain that it was a party of that same knight's men who slew your Uncle's party. Word reached us, just days ago, that Flagg has sent several of his ablest generals to cope with the outlaw. But though they are brave and bold, the outlaws power grows daily. They need all the recurts they can get." He paused, and Kalaflar started. "What are you saying?" "Have patience. From the day we first heard, I have been begging my father's permission. At first he would not, but he has now given me permission. I leave in three days. And to waste no more words, will you come with me as my page - no, my squire?" Kalaflar looked by turns astonished and then pleased, and finally with a look of determination he said, "There is nothing I would desire more. But tell me, who do you see as winning?" For a while Gascoyne did not reply. Then at last he said, "I fear the forces are very nearly equal. I do not hide from you the tremendous things that are at stake. If we fail..." His voice trailed off, and little more was spoken. And so it was, that three days latter, the two young men set out for the scene of battle. Would they return again? (Out of Story), I built this as an attempt to hold the covered wagon for my Mpya Stedor build, but discovered that adding a bridge wide enough would be quite a challenge. I was pretty happy with how the landscaping turned out but I'm not quite happy with the way it turned out overall. C&C welcome anyways though!

After the past few days - the One Year party, Lion Dance, an exciting Gladiator Battle, a quick trip to the Arkbri Digging site, and then dropping by for an Oliphant hunt - I'm sure all our tourists are ready to unwind! And where better to do this than in Goolag Archipelago's Sunset Bay? An overview of the entire MOC. I actually built this before the party, so that was my inspiration for the border. Only the Bay: In general I think this looked better before I took the pictures (but then I almost always think that...). At least I built the entire thing really fast... I think it took me about three or four hours. Comments are welcome!

First of all, the guests are all made with pieces I already had. As my collection is not neverending, I choosed to create first the sigfigs of those who are active in the past months. After that, I started creating others So if you don't see your sigfig in this list, it just means I had not the necessary parts anymore for him. Sorry for that! The 80 Guests who could arrive: The story: Lord Dama Ehdehl Mfalme Ximus, better known as Lord Damaximus went to a trip to the far lands of Morastia (Roawia/LCC). Once arrived there, and after some adventures in Morastia, he felt in love with Lady Julia Xavier, the daughter of Consul Arturius Xavier. As Morastia is in a conflict with Lenfald, Lord Damaximus decided to sent a big army, led by Sir Nomar Helmier to there in order to help them. Not so much later, they married in the capital of Morastia (wedding will be build by MatthiasXavier). As his bride had to arrange some things after the wedding, she came a few days later to Mpya Stedor than Lord Damaximus. In the meantime, Lord Damaximus quickly visited Mitgardia (MOC by Garmadon). In the meantime, the first guests where arriving at the city, packed with gifts and beer (MOC's by Kai & Kai again, Dama, Scarst, Legofin & Kabel). As Lord Damaximus did not wanted to know what the present was he get from everyone before the wedding was over, the Treasure Master & Guards made a list of all gifts that arrived. As Lord Damaximus wanted to guarantee everyone's safety, weapons were forbidden in the city. The guards of all the guests had to celebrate in campments outside the city. Ofcourse the new couple had to shake hands with everyone. They did that ofcourse with a pleasure Here they are saying hi to that other famous Historica couple: Lord de Gothia & Lady Lena: Some more pictures showing all the guests partying & finally showing (West Inner) Mpya Stedor to you: And to finish, here one global painting, painted by an artist flying on a dragon: Thx for watching! C&C ofcourse welcome!! Also, don't forget to visit the Kaliphlin touristic areas tomorrow when you leave my city!!! Oh, you can all play the game: "guess the name of the guest!" in this flickr set:

(I'm sort of assuming that the 'second semester' is in swing, though if it isn't, free build all the way!) In the halls of Petraea University there are many sections devoted to displaying models, statues, and other historic content, and here's one of them! A boat and statue honoring Yoursulf the Yed, one of the most famous Kaliphlin merchants, trained in Petraea University. A statue of a reading student: And a model gatehouse on display. Comments are appreciated! It actually took me quite a while to come up with all the little details, but I'm happy with how it worked out (though it could have been around a more cohesive theme, admittedly.

One year ago the day before a month from now today I joined GoH with a silly little post... (just to make it clear I joined July 25th... but since free-builds end in June I'm going to get it in now... and silly me didn't check and thought it was the 26th instead of 25th... ) Oh well, close enough! In celebration of the momentous event, Ageven had a retreat built, right on the outskirts of the Withered Woods: Apologies to those of you whose sig-figs were wandering in the rest of the elaborate gardens! From left to right; Cara, Damaximus, Kabel (half behind the Kaliphlin flag pole) Dr. Rod, Legonardo, Gad (just his head), Gideon, and Erynlasgalen. A random Valaryian, equally random Falcon (Captain Nemo), with Masa and Jason on the other side... Prepare for the feast! Actually those torsos work better than I had expected... I just love that horse design... And the star of the show... a massive cake! Threw in a smaller cake in case there wasn't enough. And because I've been wanting to use the ruff like that and finally found a way! C&C welcome! This is I think my biggest (other than my Botanical Gardens which will reign supreme I believe), and probably one of my best! I hope you enjoyed it, I only wish I had actually joined GoH a year ago today... but this way I might just have to do two parties!

Day 14 has us revisiting some of Kaliphlin’s wildlife. We are in the northern badlands on safari, and this morning you are all in for a treat – a lone Oliphant has wondered onto our safari’s path. huntcard by skaforhire, on Flickr But what is this? Lerik’ai? This is a rare treat indeed. It is not often that one gets to see these often hostile and private people. It looks like they have their eye on our Oliphant bull too. DSC_2883 by skaforhire, on Flickr Oh my, cover your children’s eyes, the Lerik’ai are going in for the kill! Oliphanthunt by skaforhire, on Flickr Well, let’s get out of here before they decide to come after our tour. lerikhuntwhite by skaforhire, on Flickr ---------- The previous days on the tour: Day 1 - The Withered Woods Day 2 - The Jungles of Gorr Day 3 - The Lone Mountain Day 4 - The Qar-Akhen Marshes Day 5 - The Dune Sea Day 6 - The Great Dragonboat Race Day 7 - Arkbri Falls Day 8 - Okatowan Gardens Day 9 - The Triumphal Arch of Petraea Day 10 - Amrakect Market Day 11 - One Year Party Day 12 - The Lion Dance Day 13 - The Fighting Pit of Mophet Day 13.5 - Digging for History

The Dune Sea Heading north on our journey from the waterlogged marshes in the Akhenaten delta, where the Qar-Akhen river meets the Southern Ocean, the landscape quickly turns arid. Here we find the Dune Sea, with its great sand dunes stretching for leagues. In some places among the dunes there are sources of water so the area is not completely uninhabited, but the ever-shifting sands mean that the settlements usually have to be abandoned when they are swallowed by the dunes. One such settlement in the western part of the Dune Sea is depicted in the postcard below. The beauty of the landscape is usually enough to attract the occasional tourist. A less known highlight is that the sand dunes also offers great possibilities to ride wooden boards down the slopes, something that the local people have used as a means of transportation for hundreds of years. While maybe not as fast as skiing down the slopes of the Rakath Mountains, this offers southern Kaliphlin’s best opportunities for the speed enthusiast! Another painting of just the ruins and sand dune: Previous stops on the tour of Kaliphlin: Day 1 - The Withered Woods Day 2 - The Jungles of Gorr Day 3 - The Lone Mountain Day 4 - The Qar-Akhen Marshes

Historica is still an unsave place. Nobody knows what really happened to Victor Revolword and there are still groups of HoC-soldiers raiding villages. But in these dark times, Lord Damaximus will be married with Lady Julia Xavier, daughter of the Consul of Morastia. The marriage itself will be in Morastia, but there will be a big celebration in Mpya Stedor as well. Lords, celebrities, kings, troubadours, traders, ... from all over Historica and other places in this world will come to the city. Needless to say that in order to guarantee everyones safety, a lot of soldiers will patroll the city and the walls. As Mpya Stedor is also a (very rich) port, a lot of people will come by ship and they will all have to set anchor in the Ghuba-Ya Biashara (the bay in front of Mpya Stedor) . So to guard these ships, Lord Damaximus ordered some very fast and strong vessels. The flagship of those vessels is The Amazon. To add a little more prestige to it, the captain of the ship is nobody less then Admiral Bostoximus. Together with Henry The Sailor, he is teacher at the Mpya Stedor Naval Academy and is specialised in naval warfare. The captain of the naval troops is General Ivoximus. As their names indicates, they are both men of honour in the Guild of Ximus (otherwise they would have been called Ivo the Archer for example ) Anyway, "The Amazon": The Amazon by Da_Maximus, on Flickr The Amazon by Da_Maximus, on Flickr The Amazon by Da_Maximus, on Flickr The Amazon by Da_Maximus, on Flickr without any minifigs: The Amazon by Da_Maximus, on Flickr Admiral Bostoximus' cabin: (with bed) The Amazon by Da_Maximus, on Flickr (without the bed, now the desk can be used) The Amazon by Da_Maximus, on Flickr The countdown to the wedding can begin Personal note: I didn't really planned to build a real vessel. I was trying to make a slave-sloop for in my city, but while constructing, I saw the opportunity to make finally a nice vessel If I had the right bricks, I would have done some things otherwise, but based on the collection availabe, I am really happy with the result I know the background could have been better, but it are exams for me, so I prefer spending my breaks with Lego instead of creating a nice background C&C is ofcourse welcome!

Ok, I've finally finished what is probably my first totally unprovoked freebuild for GoH: An ancient viking game, Hnefatal (pronounced Nefatal), or King's Table has been played in Mitgardia for centuries. On his visit, Lord DaMaximus played Uridius Dratiphe a few times in the guild room (The other two walls of the room have the other Guild flags, or at least they would if they existed ). The game is similar to chess, the Red wins if it surrounds the king (the bigger piece) on all four sides (you can not move diagonally), and the Black wins if the King can get to one of the white squares on the corners of the board. The Game set-up. Playing around ! C&C are welcome!

Part One Part Two "He's coming to!" exclaimed a cheerful voice at the young lad's side. "That's good to hear. What is your name, young sir?" Something it the youth's manner made the servant instictively say sir. "Call me... call me Kalaflar." "Call you Kalaflar? Aren't you Kalaflar?" "It was my Uncle's name before me," Kalaflar explained. The servant started slightly, as though the mention his uncle surprised him. "Then my master will be doubly glad to see you. Come though, first you must eat and bathe." Several minutes later, Kalaflar, now in the dress of a young page, was ushered into the noble's presence. He made a low reverence, and then, straightening himself, looked curiously about the room. It was warm and well furnished, with several tinted windows that let the light in. On one side of the room, directly in front of him, lay the old noble, while at the foot of his couch stood a young knight, whom Kalaflar correctly supposed was his son. The noble looked at him kindly, and endeavored to rise slightly, while the servant lady at one end hastened to slide a pillow under his head. "I have been told your Uncle was Kalaphlar, the general sent by Dextrus Flagg for the selection of a city?" "He was, sir." "Then I have some information you may want to know. The news of the cowardly attack on your encampment has outraged every loyal Kaliphlin, and they have pushed the robbers back so far as to break the power of all the disloyal knights... except one, the most powerful..." he trailed off for a second, and his eyes wandered down the edge of his garment. For some reason, Kalaflar felt a cold shiver run through him. "But things are looking up," the noble continued more cheerfully. "Dextrus has determined to build the city on the spot you found, in honor of your sacrifice. Your Uncle will be buried with royal honors - his body was retrieved from the attackers. Indeed though, we had thought that none had escaped. How was it you survived?" And Kalaflar related the circumstances immediately surrounding the attack in great detail, during which all present listened attentively, for it was the only firsthand account available. When he had finished, the noble presented him to his son, a young man named Gascoyne. "I am sure we will be good friends," Gascoyne said frankly. The old man nodded. "Why don't you take him out now? Show him around the palace and get him settled." So Kalaflar found a new home... but for how long would it last?

Falcons in the Badlands Black Falcon Freebuild The Siccus Badlands; while the southernmost guild is mostly a desert, it admittedly is more hospitable, and greatly more prosperous, than the horrendous conditions that plague the eastern guild; the home of the “Black” Falcons. It is here we find two lone Falcons, who cast out for their crest’s deeds 100 years ago, are now forced to sneak into trade hubs in disguise. They are on a quest from their lord, Fendrel Falco, to smuggle back food that the overworked laborers now demand. They are not alone however, for suspicious eyes watch them from a distance… Come…look, another vendor…an old one… Welcome! Welcome! Come see, see! I have apples, wine, cabbage! Bread of course—and carrots! Rare they are in this region! Maps do you need? I have many! The second Falcon whispers… “Quickly…there are eyes upon us…” The first Falcon interrupts the vendor, “We will take all the bread, and that jug of wine. Will this cover it?” The Falcon holds out two large coins; but they are different coins than normal ones; they lack the glimmering flare of true gold darics. The old vendor pauses, and looks at the coins, and then begins to question the two, “What are these? These are not gold. You may see the age on my face, but my mind is not foolish enough to take subpar metals!” With the vendor alarmed, and beginning to make a scene, the two Falcons take flight, and quickly leave the market area to the safety of an alleyway; but they are perused by the eyes. Clear to their pursuer, the Falcons stop in the alleyway, and began to discuss openly, “What will we do now?! That was the last vendor in the city—and all of them discovered the coins. It must be true those of Kaliphlin know wealth more than others. What will we tell Falco?!" “We will tell him to make meat for the laborers! We cannot get any food from these suspicious vendors…and those eyes following us…we best leave the city immediately and return to Falhaven.” -------------------------------------- I'm rather happy with this build! I needed a bit of a break after working of Falhaven, so I figured it would be nice to visit the construction style of another guild. Kaliphlin has many different styles but I decided to go more colorful Arabic then generic medieval. This build is not located in a specific city (Unless those of Kaliphlin can find a place for it—since I made it more or less generic K.), and basically I just wanted to make a market place (Which is in stark contrast to the “market” of Port Wrath!), and utilize the food pieces and colors I have that will never show up in Nocturnus. On a final note, I also thought it would be cool to have a vendor selling crystal balls! Enjoy ~Nemo

Transporting goods to Mypa Steador, 12 hours, 5 days a week, rain an' wind an' road permitting! Happens to be good right now... This is probably (to date) one of my best yet. At least in my opinion; certainly it's my best rockwork (because for once I didn't run out), and I was pretty happy with the way the covered wagon came out! I only wish I had a new style horse... Here's a view of the vig without the wagon: Unfortunately some people have been under the (highly erroneous) opinion that Kaliphlins do nothing but hug their gold and spout trash-talking all day long. These people have hopefully now been undeceived. If not, I believe they soon will be! Comments are welcome!

Almost 4 miles from our last encounter, we found the camp. Lukan and I were surprised to find orcs up here, but it was only a group of four of them. While Lukan decided to take another route into the camp, I once more found myself diving head first into battle. Despite the orcs being well equipped, they never saw it coming. With the orc bandits now slain, we'll probably gather their loot and make for Qarkyr shortly... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Overall MOC Djun's POV I experimented with a new technique for an arcane "push", I rather like how it turned out Hope you all enjoyed the MOC WIth any luck, I should be out of these mountains with a small amount of coin. I hope I can leave it with someone in Qarkyr; if not, then I'll have to trek through the land and make for Mpya Stedor once more. I'm pretty sure they could use the coin. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- With any luck, I'll be building some more GoH MOC's soon. I find myself busy working on another project which should be 1/3 complete by next week. Anyways... As usual C&C is always welcome and appreciated!!!

Over the river and through the woods, To Grandmother's Damaximus' house we go! Isn't that horse design neat? Oh yeah, I got it here... Just a quick little build... actually I built the base for a covered wagon transport to Mypa (coming soon!), but it was too small (and then I built another vig, which was also to small... and my third one was in danger of the same problem but it's been fixed!) C&C welcome! Thanks for looking!

In the middle of the night, the moon hidden behind big clouds. A few people are moving quickly towards the sea. Somewhere at a forgotten pier in Nocturnus, 'The Slave' was waiting for them. 'The Slave' was the sistership of the 'The Amazon' and almost an exact copy of it. But unlike her famous sister, the 'The Slave' was a slave trader, constantly travelling between Mpya Stedor and the Guild of Amenor. But now she has layed anchor here in Nocturnus. On board are Lord Darecold of the werewolves, Master Racoon of the Vampires, Sir Haarloos (the Nocturnian embassador of Mpya Stedor) and his werewolfbrother Haaroprug. And also Sultan Steh V of Amenor... The group finally arrived. Sultan Steh V: You are late... Mr. Paars: I am sorry mylord, we had to avoid some patrolling guards... Sir Haarloos: you got everyone with you? Mr. Paars: Dr. Rod, 2 Drow and Queen Yvonnel Sultan Steh V: Perfect! Let's move before we get in trouble... [GOH] Some Noctunians travelling in the night by Da_Maximus, on Flickr [GOH] Some Noctunians travelling in the night by Da_Maximus, on Flickr [GOH] Some Noctunians travelling in the night by Da_Maximus, on Flickr [GOH] Some Noctunians travelling in the night by Da_Maximus, on Flickr Critics & Comments are welcome as always!

As many of you History fans are aware, I have been actively promoting the Guilds of Historica, Eurobrick's exciting subforum. Right now is a great time to join a guild as the main challenged have wrapped up and we are looking into opening a second chapter of the land. A large part of this little poll/survey is to find out why people haven’t already joined the fun to see if there are changes we could make in GoH to bring more people into the world. Feel free to both vote in the poll (with my somewhat facetious choices) and voice your opinion here. For those of you who are not aware, the Guilds of Historica is a MOCing (and role-playing) paradise where EB members can tell stories and build MOCs for their chosen guild. What are these guilds? There is Mitgardia in the arctic north, filled with many great building role-models. Mitgardia has strong Norse influences and of course, builds many a MOC in the snow. The Mitgardians are often signified as strong, proud, and solitary folk represented well by the great bear, their guild colors are yellow and green. For those of you who like Game of Thrones, think of Winterfel and the Starks or maybe a great Dwarven realm from Lord of the Rings. Then there is Kaliphlin in the diverse, but largely arid south. Those who like to build MOCs in the desert with Middle Eastern or ancient Egyptian influences will be right at home. Kaliphlins are nomads, storytellers and traders by nature, traveling between city states peddling their wares and a story or two. Kaliphlin is often represented by the Lion, their colors are dark blue and red. For those of you who like Game of Thrones, think about the free cities beyond the Narrow Sea, or other cities in Essos such as Qarth. Don't forget about Nocturnus, in the eastern darklands. Nocturnus is a land full of wonder and has a vast array of wonderful creatures. Orks, cyclopes, minotaurs, and creatures and monsters of every sort can be found in the darklands. Sometimes misconstrued as “evil”, the Nocturnians seem fairly xenophobic and usually take great pride in keeping the other guilds out of their lands. Sometimes represented by a serpent, the Guild’s colors are red and gold. For Lord of the Rings fanboys, think Mordor with even more strange creatures! And for those of you who like the more "classic" castle land, then the western paradise, Avalonia, is the guild for you. Separated into three distinct areas, the plains, great forest and mystic isles, Avalonia is a lush paradise filled with tudor castles and green fields. Some of the guilds, who are jealous of Avalonia's beauty and success, call the Avalonians "treehuggers", but the Avalonians are great warriors and architects. Avalonia’s colors are sand green and dark green, their sigil is the dragon. Lord of the Rings fans might see this land as very Rohan-esque, though you’ll also find some Rinvendell like Elvish settlements as well. Though currently not open for membership, the land posses a fifth guild, developed during the course of the project, Varlyrio. With a sea fairing culture and Mediterranean influences, Varlyrio is still largely unknown to the other guilds and the island nation may become very important in the developing story. Varlyrio has no official sigil (yet), but its colors and gold and white.

(Free build) After the effective Barqonian Interceptor a new sea-going craft makes its appearance... The Barqonian Intruder, a submersible designed to travel (short) distances unnoticed. I am currently in a 'submarine' mood and since Damaximus and Synbiote suggested that such craft would actually fit in the world of Historica (or more specific Kaliphlin, which is after all most advanced in Sea-based technology ) I decided to give it a try. I grabbed my box of old brown and within minutes I had a design, perhaps not completely new as this craft shows some similarities to one of my earlier MOCs (Submersible Intercept Craft: AquaShark). Because this creation advanced so fast I forgot about a quite important aspect, air supply. There's no use in having a submarine if you can't use it longer than you can hold your breath . I have to find something for that. I hope you like it, the Intruder is scheduled for its maiden voyage in November at Mpya Stedor (Brickmania Antwerpen) More pictures will be available at Brickshelf (once public)

As there are some important weeks in sight (yup, this is in fact a small teaser!), Lord Damaximus decided to go to Jade Haar Sneydehr, the barber of Mpya Stedor. The reason why he had to go to the barber can be seen here: After Jade did her job: And a lord is nothing without his cape, so hereby I (re)present you: Lord Damaximus of Mpya Stedor! And of course, after he was gone, Jade had to clean the room: You can go to the flickr page by clicking the pictures! Not really a very big MOC, but sometimes you need to enjoy the smaller things as well C&C are always welcome!

Challenge VI: A Song of Orcs and Fire Chapter I. Along the Arkbri River The Arkbri River flows through central Historica, from Mitgardia all the way down to Barqa in Kaliphlin. It is navigable along most of its course which makes it an important trade route. Despite the war, the traffic is lively along the river. A war party led by Sir Gideon and the avalonian Sir Derrik of Groenby is rushing to Queenscross further upstream. Sir Derrik and his men are survivors of the terrible sacking of Groenby by the Hand of Corruption. Some brave traders are still transporting their goods along the river. This particular river boat is loaded with food supplies for the army gathering in Queenscross, as some Barqa trader obvious has seen an excellent business opportunity to sell food at ridiculous prices as the destruction had left the city with precious little food to supply the forces making their stand against Victor's forces. Responding to the call to arms to Queenscross, Sir Gideon and his band of warriors are travelling up from Barqa along the towpath on the north side of the Arkbri river. It is however not safe to travel these days, as there have been encounters with orcs on this side of the river. Several of Sir Derrik’s men were killed by a raiding party, as well as the horse of Gideon’s squire. Fortunately nothing seems to dampen the spirit of this young lad, eager to earn glory on the battlefield. Meanwhile, refugees from the death and destruction further upstream are struggling in the heat in the opposite direction, not really towards anything but just desperately getting away from the slaughter. Right now they have been forced to take a break to let the oxen pulling the boat and the soldiers pass. Chapter II. After the Battle of Queenscross Many of those marching to Queenscross with Sir Gideon would later fall in the battle there, as told in the report of the battle by Paulos MacLean. Among the casualties were Gideon's old friend and comrade-in-arms Sir Derrik of Groenby and Sir Gideon’s squire, too brave for his own good. A few of those who have responded to the call to arms however showed up in Queenscross too late to join the battle. Surprisingly, some turned out to be acquaintances of Gideon. One of these is the scoundrel and former sailor Roger Farstrider, who had been expected to arrive with Gideon but somehow found himself delayed by some unclear reason, sounds like he found yet another excuse to save his skin when the odds looked bleak. But of course he wasn't more delayed than that he arrived in time to take part in some unsanctioned plunder of the fallen foes. Many are angry at him for avoiding the battle, where Roger’s deadly crossbow skills would have been sorely needed at times. At the side of a war-torn garden patch he is now doing what he likes best, taking a break from things and sharpening his enormous dagger. Not far after Roger, another man arrived along the same road. This was Lutalo, a dark and muscular proud warrior from one of the islands in the southern sea. Of some kind of noble birth after their fashion, he was exiled from his island many years ago never to return. He found refuge in the tolerant Kaliphlin society, and has fought for Gideon on more than one occasion. Arriving soaked in sweat after running for many miles, he is cursing long and loudly in his incomprehensible tongue for not making it in time to the glorious battle. On a street in the war-torn city, Gideon is bleeding from a dozen wounds and still shivering from nearly drowning when he fell into the river during the battle. The only thing that was between Gideon and certain death had been one of the mermaids aiding in the fight against the Hand of Corruption. Gideon is mourning the losses of both his old friend and his young protégé at the hands of the Cyclops. Suddenly an unexpected figure shows up. A female battlemage of the Khel'Zarim, truly a rare sight. Clad in crimson and with a grim looking and scarred face, there is however something familiar with this hard woman. Gideon (in pain and annoyed by the disturbance): What do you want? Wait...do I know you? There is something familiar about you? Battlemage: Gideon the half-elf isn't it? I'm Aidana, and the last time you saw me I was a young girl in the company of Sohail, father of that dishonest merchant Emad who I know you still have dealings with. Gideon: Look at you! Now I remember, but you certainly don't look like when we last met all those years ago! Aidana: I've seen more of the world, and know much of mysteries you haven't even heard about. And it's not only you steel-warriors who have to go through fighting and hardship. Gideon: Certainly not! Your order's reputation precedes you. But what brings you here? Aidana: As you can see, I was recruited by the Khel'Zarim who recognized my talent for more than just the small tricks I did to amuse Soheil's guests. They brought me to their seat at castle Zar, deep inside the jagged foothills of the Rakath Mountains, where the base of the Khel'Zarim have been for centuries. From there, we have strived to expand our knowledge of magic and also control and restrict its use throughout Historica. My wing of the Khel'Zarim is as you know called the battlemagi and our role has been to be the sword and shield of the order. Our goal is to seek out rogue wizards and other magical anomalies, wherever they may be. We do this both for the protection of Historica and for our own interest, since there is so much to learn of the mysteries of magic that the inward-looking graybeard scholars in the towers of Zar simply can't even imagine. The battlemagi’s main weapon has been elemental magic, but proficiency with cold steel is also an important part of our training. Most of our order, including myself, have focused our studies on fire magic. Indeed, some even claim that our order is a cult of fire, and if you have ever seen the eternal fire pits and stained glass windows in the great hall of castle Zar you can't be blamed for thinking that of us. Never numerous, the hard fight against the elementals throughout Historica has spread the Khel'Zarim battlemagi forces thin and caused heavy casualties among our ranks. Our castle was of course one of the primary targets of Victor's elemental mayhem, and countless elementals of all kinds put us under relentless attack. In order to defend the castle, the few of us who remained there had to resort to an extreme measure. We gathered the last of our strength and thanks to our deep understanding of elemental magic, we succeeded in creating an expanding anti-magic field around our castle which instantly dissipated the elementals just before they breached our castle walls. So far, the story sounds like a story of success to you, doesn't it? Gideon: Yes, but you don't seem to be too happy about it? Aidana: Indeed not. Now on to the dire news. Unfortunately, the anti-magic field also left us powerless and our spells useless. Only the eternal fire pits in the great hall, fuelled with deeper and more ancient magic, were spared the dimming of our magical power. Before the field had dissipated, we heard increasingly loud scratching noises which seemed to come from one of the walls. Suddenly holes started to appear in the courtyard at the base of the wall and out of the ground orcs started to emerge. Victor's plan had clearly been more cunning than we had expected, while we were busy fighting monstrous elementals a force of orcs had snuck in right under our noses and undisturbed dug their way in. My brethren fought valiantly, but many of the outnumbered and powerless battlemagi were slain by the invaders before we took the hard decision to abandon our castle. This leads me to where we are now. After the fall of Zar, me and my remaining brethren decided to split up and seek out the places where our skills were most needed. Hearing about the threat to Queenscross, I rushed here but didn't arrive in time. Fortunately, it seems that no sizeable elemental force were part of the enemy armies here so you and all the other brave warriors managed to hold here anyway. Gideon: Yes, but at a terrible cost. But you seem to have more to tell me? Aidana: Yes. Seeing that the enemy has been thwarted here, I am trying to gather a force to take back castle Zar. I know that you don't have many men left after the battle, but could I hope for your help in this endeavor? Gideon: Pah! As if a small band like us would be able to take a castle like that all by ourselves! Aidana: Yes. If the castle is poorly manned and you know how to get in without notice. After sacking much of the castle I saw most of the restless orcs continue on to new opportunities of plunder. Gideon: Aha! Now your plan suddenly sounds less unrealistic. But why the urgency? Shouldn't there be other more pressing matters for our steel and your fire, like taking back Cedrica or even going after those cursed Cyclops?! Aidana: There is surely much to be done, but I'm prepared to do whatever it takes to reclaim our castle without delay. I have reason to believe that the orcs haven't been able to enter all the hidden and protected parts of the castle yet, so much of our secrets may still be safe. And there might even be survivors hiding in these hidden parts of the castle. The archmage himself is still unaccounted for, and who knows the secrets of the castle better than him? Maybe he still is alive somewhere in there. But if Victor were to get there before us, he surely will find our secrets and kill our survivors and by that cause irreparable damage to our order. Gideon: Alright, once again I see that you have given this more thought than me.Aidana: Yes I have. So are you with me?Gideon: Gladly, but look at me. I'm not in any shape to kill more orcs anytime soon.Aidana: I agree, your wounds don't look very good! Let me do something about them. Gideon: Pah! As if magic could do me any good! And besides, don't you know that we elves are quite resistant to your kind of magic? Aidana: Don't presume to teach me about magic! And by the color of your skin you look just as much human as your pointy ears give away your elvish blood. Seeing how you still are alive after all these wounds I think you even must have some of the old blood of the northmen in you. She gives Gideon a small vial of a dark liquid, which he reluctantly empties. Gideon: Aaaah! It burns!! Aidana: Good. Then you aren't as immune to elemental magic as you thought and the potion is doing what it should. Look, the blood flow from that badly dressed wound is already stopping. And the shiver from the cold after your little swim in the river seems to have stopped? In a day or two you should be back in fighting shape. Chapter III: Through the Rakath Foothills And so it was that Gideon set out with a ragtag force towards the east, Aidana leading their way. Behind them were Lutalo (seeing the opportunity of finding glory in the coming battle) and Roger Farstrider (seeing the opportunity for gold in the coming battle). Another man with the same motive was Ediz Falconi, who also had been persuaded to join with some reinforcements from their nearby base at Falcon’s Nest. After a long travel on uneven roads up into the jagged foothills of the Rakath Mountains, the travellers pass over a ridge and finally see a great castle on the next mountain. Aidana: Behold, beautiful Zar! Now we are finally almost there, but we should await the darkness before trying to approach the castle. Gideon: Alright, but we are not trying to get through that main gate I hope? Aidana (chuckling): No, indeed not! To those who know the castle, there are innumerable hidden passageways. And some of them reach the outside of the castle as well. Roger Farstrider (catching up with the others): Sounds good! Hidden ways are always better than fighting. Ediz Falconi: Looks like a big castle, I assume our reward if we succeed will be accordingly? Aidana: Don’t you worry about that, if we take back the castle I will make sure that you are a rich man. Ediz: Sounds like my kind of battle! Lutalo: I yearn for a good glorious battle! It has been too long since I last had the chance to cleave an orc with my sword. Aidana (with a smile): Looks like you all can get what you are looking for. Now let’s rest a few hours and then get on to business. Chapter IV: Battle in the hall of the Khel'Zarim Aidana leads the party to a small crevace at the base of the mountain, and behind some rocks there is a smooth surface. She mumbles some arcane words and her staff starts to glow, and in response a fiery line spreads along the wall to form a doorway. With a low rumbling the door swings inwards and inside the opening a long narrow winding stair ascends into the mountain. Climbing for hours, the party finally reaches the castle. Most of the castle seems desolate and on the surface looks completely pillaged, with the decaying bodies of both magi and orcs still dot the courtyard. Some corpses clearly show signs of being eaten on, by orc or animal is hard to tell. From the great hall there is however some noise to be heard, and Aidana quickly leads the party in through the broken front door. Inside, a horrible scene unfolds. Dead bodies, skulls and bones surround the great marble council table where the band of remaining orcs apparently have taken up residence. Aidana, who has held a quiet determination throughout the infiltration of the castle loses her composure and screams: "Sacrilege! They are using one of the eternal fires for cooking! And it looks as they are cooking a human! This must end NOW!!" Surprised by the screaming, the orcs scramble for their weapons and prepare to attack the intruders who are quickly moving towards the orcs. A big orc in black armor with skeletal ornamentations, clearly the chieftain, stands outside the back door to the archmage's private palace and screams orders to his band. The battle begins when Gideon engages one of the orcs at the front along the wall, while Lutalo quickly jumps up on the council table to attack the orcs who are standing there. Roger Farstrider and one of Falconi's men take up their crossbows to eliminate the enemies with ranged weapons. The first casualties are one of the orc archers downed by one of Roger's bolts, the crossbow armed orc by the chieftain hit by the Falcon crossbowman. The enraged and still confused orc attacking Gideon exposes himself and falls to a quick strike from the half-elf. Falconi's men on both sides of the great table engage the foes, while Lutalo finally gets to taste blood on the tabletop. As more orcs are put out of action, the first casualty among the humans is the Falcon crossbowman who is hit by arrows from both remaining orcs with bows. On the right flank, the Falcons are quickly progressing through the still confused orcs while Gideon is circling around one of the fire pits. Roger Farstrider reloads his customized crossbow with lightning speed and takes aim at the ranged foe at the balcony. As another of the Falcons are mortally wounded, Aidana lands a hit with one of her fireballs knocking one of the orcs down engulfing it in searing flames. Falconi's closest man finishes off the orc he previously wounded. The battle clearly has turned in the favor of the humans, as Gideon and Ediz downs the last orcs by the firepits. Soon thereafter, a well-aimed crossbow bolt takes down the last orcish archer. All the humans, and the half-elf, advance towards the orcish chieftain who so far only with increasing desperation has tried to scream orders to his dwindling numbers. Before anyone, or even one of Roger's bolts, reaches the orc chieftain Aidana screams: He is mine! Now feel the fury of the Khel'Zarim!! A stream of fire arcs out of her staff and bright flames erupt around the big orc. The battle is over. Falconi tends to his wounded crossbowman and one of his men are finishing off the last surviving wounded orcs. Meanwhile, Gideon and Aidana enter the palace of the archmage. After some searching and calling out for survivors, a tile in the floor starts to move, exposing a stair. A dirty but well dressed grey-bearded man emerges from the opening calling out: Aidana! You did it!. Aidana: Archmagus, did you truly doubt that we would come back? Archmage: Yes, as the anti-magic field dissipated I thought that the battlemagi would retake the castle but as time went on and the only sounds I heard was from the orcs looking for treasure in my palace. Finally I was almost ready to do a final desperate attempt myself, but even with my powers I knew that it would likely have been my end. So I decided to remain here to destroy our secret archives if Victor came back. Aidana: I'm glad you didn't have to destroy the archives, imagine the loss to the world if the Flame had been let in there! Archmage: Yes my daughter, but I would let the Flame have them a thousand times rather than Victor laying his hands on them. Who knows what dark magic we have quelled over the centuries that Victor could use to terrible effect? Aidana: Of course, Archmagus. Archmage: We are still not safe here if Victor would turn his full attention here, but let us hope that other forces of good are victorious and that maybe as we speak even Victor himself has been defeated?And so it was that the Khel'Zarim once again ruled over their great castle, and the great hall was quickly restored to its proper state. And who knows, maybe the archmage is right that in the same moment, someone is fighting Victor himself...?

Though we are newcomers to this land, it is our leader's will that we deliver a gift to our new found allies. Accompanying me are a small band of soldiers along with our healer. The further we traveled, the more we realized that this was just like home. I think I'll enjoy it here... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Djun alongside a pathfinder View of middle carriage and an archer The Back carriage guarded by two soldiers and the healer Pictures of the scenery http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/Nightstalker580/Historica/Onward/dsc01603.jpg http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/Nightstalker580/Historica/Onward/dsc01604.jpg http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/Nightstalker580/Historica/Onward/dsc01605.jpg Once my business in Petraea is finished, I'll need to find access to the water; with any luck, I'll be able to call in for additional troops and look to settle in this land.