The Awakening - Part 2

[Jorrith]

Disclaimer: The following installment is very picture intensive. ME suggested i'd resize and link the bigger pictures, but it's over 40 pics, and well... I don't feel like it after a long workday, probably going to mess up...

Other parts of our collab:

On the Road to Shadowmere By MassEditor

Old Friends By Lord Vladivus

The Resistance Forms By MassEditor

After reading The Resistance forms, i think The Awakening - Part 1 fits better after The resistance forms, even though it has been posted earlier. The following is part 2 of the awakening. Enjoy!

Prologue

After lord Mortis rudely entered Sonja's dream and warned her about the coming storm, sonja interupted her slumber that lasted multiple centuries. The next part of this story takes place in:

In the cemetery of harbringer's haven stands the dark statue of Danag. He was the first vampire in nocturnus to realise that with building enough blood fountains, the need to drink from the living would become obsolete. Vampires and non-vampire beings could live together, benefitting from eachother instead of hunting and hating eachother. Danag gained quite a fortune in his long lasting life, mostly from building blood fountains in all of nocturnus and was always eager to share his wealth with the less fortunate. His offspring still help the needy as a tradition, and therefore danag's statue is somewhat used as a shrine honoring his, and his family's munificence.

But danag also had a darker side... The scythe the statue bears was danag's tool to uphold justice.. Besides wise, generous and social, danag was also known and feared for his cruelty towards criminals. Children are still told the stories of Danag the reaper, coming at the houses of little kids that are up to no good in the middle of the night...

When danag died, his remaining kin ordered the construction of a crypt befitting his achievements in his undead life. The crypt was expanded several times, untill it almost became a necropolis underground. It was also the wish of Danag to offer shelter to those who became weary of living a life eternal. Up top we find a vampyr guard securing the entrance...

Suddenly the guard hears something... Very faint, but he notices it is originating from the vents underneath the statue...

Guard Owen: Sounds like knocking... And it looks to me like the sound is coming from downstairs... I'd better check it out.

Downstairs we find another guard, more or less off duty and enjoying the mead that the locals place at the shrine of danag...

Guard Owen: Soran, i am hearing sounds coming from downstairs.. We'd better check it out.

Guard Soran: *Hick!* Not my problem, you're the one on duty aand it's probably just somebody having a nightmare. *Hick!*

Guard Owen: You know, you would do wise to cut down on your drinking...

Guard Soran: Pff, i don't drink on duty and what i do in my free time is none of your buisness! *Hick!*

Guard Owen realises he's not going to get any help from his fellow guard, so he ventures inside the crypt alone.

Guard Owen: That good for nothing deat beat....

Guard Soran: I've heard that!

Guard Owen: All quiet here... Must be one of the vampires deeper inside the crypt...

As soon as Owen walks around the corner, he sees the lid of one of the coffins laying next to it. While opening the gate, Sonja pops up from her coffin, still in a very foul mood... (the reason why can be found in the previous part of this story)

Sonja: You bloody *******! What in nocturnus name took you so long?!

Guard Owen: Mi... Milady.. I was guarding outside.. I could only hear you very faint..

Before the guard can explain more, he is rudely cut off by Sonja..

Sonja: Then where is the other guard?! No matter, wake up the crypt! Light the torches! Start the fountain and make sure the vampyr guard is sent to the armory first, then everybody else! And while you're at it, get us some drinks from the fountain!

Guard Owen: Yes Milady! Right away Milady!

Owen rushes towards his colleage to tell him the news and thinking about the deep trouble they will be both in if sonja discovers that both guards have relaxed their working hours... They were both supposed to guard full time..

Sonja reaches for the pillow in her coffin, and finds the ring that Lord Mortis promised her would be there...

Sonja: Well, well, well.. Looks like the old man was right! Time to wake up Darius and Quintella..

Meanwhile, guard Owen neared the guard room, and calls out to Soran.

Guard Owen: Soran! Come here!

Guard Soran: What is it now? Did you get scared by a little spider?

Guard Owen: Put a sock in it, i've just got the order to awake the crypt and mobilise everybody, including you.

The grin on Soran's face quickly faded, just as the tone of his skin. The cup he held was still half full, but he quickly threw it inside the lava pool underneath, causing a short puff of steam.

Guard Soran: Oh no! I've been drinking... If they find out about our deal we are both toast!

Guard Owen: Be cool, get rid of those cups and bottles, tidy up the place quick and light the torches. Just pray the oil and smoke will hide the smell on your breath a bit. I'll go and start the fountain, and get the remaining vampyr guard awake and geared up. In the meanwhile, make yourself rare.

Owen runs back into the crypt to start up the fountain.. After pulling a lever, blood is starting to flow from the cup that the fountain's figure is holding..

After a while, there's a thump... and another.. Large stone covers are dropping out of the walls, and vampires emerge...

Lured by the smell of fresh blood, more and more vampires are rising from their resting places...

And feasting on this endless supply of blood, their first drink in centuries..

After the vampires had a drink, the vampyr guard is directing everybody to the armory to suit up..

It does not take long for the main hall in the crypt is starting to fill with armed vampires, not knowing why they are mobilised, rumors start to hum among the men..

Finally, Sonja appears on the balcony dressed in her battle armor...

Sonja: Men, ladies.. You are probably wondering why your slumber has been disturbed and why you are now in battle dress... A storm is coming, and the time to just sit idle has passed! Lord Mortis came to me in my dreams, warning us of the danger that is called the black spire. He is now in shadowmere, forging an alliance with other forces and requested me to bring our covenant to that city.

The men grow silent for a moment, then the rumoring starts again between the men.. why fight? we were sleeping peacefully... no need to go to war...

Sonja: Men, i understand your feelings and i for one would have preferred we just rest forever more. But we as a group of vampires are posing a threat to the black spire, just because of our numbers and will either be taken out, or subjected. We have a choice now to be defiant, or to be slaves... What say you?

Suddenly, a death knight approaches the balcony... His face shows age, and alot of battle scars.. He carries a large sword, weighed down with a gold bar..

Death Knight: We will definatly not be slaves, but if this is so important then why is Mortis not here himself to tell us this? Why should i take the story of a turned vampire girl for truth? If i recall correctly, you have no authority to lead these men, nor the authority to give orders either. If lord Mortis is not around here to lead us, someone second in command should be chosen.

Sonja, still in a foul mood, is enraged by the words of this death knight...

Sonja: You insolent swine! I should have you killed on the spot where you stand right now! Look at this ring, and look well before you say anything else! This is the ring of Danag, and it was granted to me by lord Mortis! That makes me second in command! Now bow, or prepare to die!

Necromancer Quintella: Oh please stop this! There's no need for bloodshed among our own, if we are divided now, all is lost allready. Sonja speaks the truth, lord Mortis has also spoken to me in my dreams on this matter and she is now second in command. The decision was allready made before we went to rest in this crypt!

Darius: Please listen to Quintella, she is wise and allknowing. Whatever lord Mortis had decided in the past, we should stick with it and be united as one!

Sonja has moved down from the balcony, and gently moves Darius to the side..

Sonja: Well here it is, death knight... Either accept my leadership, or be cast out.

Death Knight: Milady, i am loyal to the vampire covenant, lord Mortis and the bearer of Danag's ring. My undead life is yours to command. Death to the black spire!

The death knight kneels before Sonja...

Sonja: Rise, death knight! Your pride and defiance is admirable. I am honored to have you among the troops. Fight well, and i'll see to it your exploits will be rewarded. Guard! Send out a few men to the local village, and find some mounts to buy. Three minimum, but more would be best. Also buy some food, some of us might be hungry for more than just blood.

And so, when the last light of the day fades, a small group of able men is running to the village of Harbringer's haven to aquire some mounts. Later that night, the necromancer is walking trough the cemetery...

Quintella: Thank you for escorting this old lady, but there's really no need. The dead can't do much to me, but i can do alot to them.. The spell i'm about to perform is dangerous to the living, so you two better stand back a bit. Don't be afraid of what comes out of the ground, they are mine to control...

The two guards stand down, and watch the necromancer walking further into the cemetery, the red gem on her staff is turning green with an ominous glow...

Chanting incantations better not heard by the living, Quintella raises her staff, and taps it on the ground firmly. A loud thump is heard, not able to produce with a staff that size, and a green light is waving outwards on the ground...

As the necromancer is walking away, a light rumble can be heard... Hands are starting to emerge out of the graves...

Lured by the spell, the formerly dead start to walk towards the crypt...

The following morning, we find Sonja at the shrine of Danag paying her respects and praying...

Sonja: Danag, my lord.. Please keep us safe in the times that come. I have little to offer but my life, i would gladly give in return so that the others are safe. Please be with us.

As Sonja is praying, the group that left last evening returns...

Sonja: Ah, excellent! You found a warg! It's a shame it's not a white one, but it will do for now. Only three mounts?

Swordsman: We are so terribly sorry milady! We have asked around all of harbringer's haven all evening and the early morning for mounts, but the people did not have many. These were the only ones we could find, and as soon as they saw the axeman's shield they would not take money for them either! They said we were children of Danag, and gave us their mounts.

Sonja: They gave you these mounts? Danag be praised! Once we find other mounts to buy, see to it that these mounts are returned to their rightfull owners. It is the right thing to do. Order the men to assemble up top, we are leaving within the hour!

Swordsman: Yes milady!

And so, the vampire covenant starts to march towards Shadowmere...

Darius: What a magnificent sight!

Quintella: Indeed, but also saddening. Some of these fine men will not return. I hope the zombie troops will take the worst casualties, but the future is still unclear.

Sonja: Let's hope we'll do good. For now, the path goes to shadowmere and not war... Yet.

Additional pics:

Troops 01

Troops 02

Troops 03

Front view

Side view Left

Side view Right

Hi there! I'm terribly sorry for the vast amount of pictures, but it is quite a large build with quite a story, so i had to use more pictures than i would have liked. This is my biggest build to date, and took me about two months, multiple PAB and bricklink orders to complete. The top level is removable in 3 sections for ease of photography inside the crypt, and maybe some have noticed the improved photography.. (a.k.a. new digital camera) There were so many other pictures i would have liked to post, but including the linked pics, its 46 pictures allready! I also wanted to put an ending incorporating punishment for the two guards in here, but that would have taken another two or three pictures, and with the massive amount of pictures, i think it would be better to leave the guards fate to the readers inmagination.

I hope you enjoyed the build and story, C&C welcomed, and also take the time to visit LV's and ME's builds!

[Spader]

Wow! Amazing interior, and good story. I really like the plot here.

[MassEditor]

Absolutely stunning build, story and presentation Jorrith! You've obviously put an amazing amount of work into this stunning creation. There is so much to appreciate and say about this build... not sure where to begin! There is some stunning architecture here, with that crypt entrance on the ground level being my favorite (the roof is so sinister looking). I love how it quietly hides a massive complex of crypts and tunnels underneath. The path leading up to it is great too. The story is fantastic as well, and has an awesome mixture of humor, suspense, intrigue and action.

The large crypt room is awesome done, you've played with some awesome angles in there and it looks great! The area with the bridge over the lava is some stunning work as well (love the upside down rockwork!!). The various scenes (the graveyard, Sonja addressing the tropps, Quintilla raising the dead, the troops leaving for Shadowmere) are quite epic and really help sell the story. I really love how, in your builds, you let no space go to waste. You use every inch to enhance the detail and story of your builds, especially this one.

Man, this is really the best Nocty build we've seen in some time... top notch work! My hats off to you!

Glad to know the forces of Lord Mortis and Sonja have pledged to aid the Nocturnus resistance!

[Captain Braunsfeld]

Absolutely great - magnificent.

Others (me?) would have turned this massive post into a series of 50 posts

Very well done: awesome build and great story!

[MiloNelsiano]

Wow. This is really great--builds and story. The best work I've seen from you by far. Keep it up, please!

[Tomsche]

I love the entire storyline evolution so far.

Seems Buffy will be in over her head though

[Etzel]

Amazing build and great story all in one! I didn't realize until I looked at the last picture links that all the different scenes where connected in one huge build, very impressive! I especially like the crypt with the blood fountain and all the different vampires that comes out of their graves. The diversity among your troops is excellent, I really like that it isn't a clone army with the same torso-helmet combination for everybody.

I'm really looking forward to the next builds from you guys, I just caught up on the others and I really like them too!

[SerenityInFire]

Awesome work! The crypt has real ambience.

[Gideon]

Wow! That's how you illustrate a story with Lego

Nocturnus is definitely in a league of it's own when it comes to storytelling and collaboration builds!

[Blufiji]

Absolutely speechless. The build alone is magnificent, with all if it's details and techniques( that crypt man) but the story really holds weight. The thought of the three high generals of Nocturnus uniting is a sight to behold!

[-Carson Haupt-]

The crypt is so huge! I never expected that to be hiding under there! I really like this!

[Umbra-Manis]

Whoa! I really like your minifigs.

[Lord Vladivus]

This is awesome Jorrith! Insane scale, but detailed!

[kabel]

An amazing piece of art, that's for sure! My favourite part would have to be the crypt and the blood fountain, not quite sure how you did but it's absolutely superb!

[mrcp6d]

This is a great slice if storytelling! I really like that crypt though...simply great work there!

[LittleJohn]

Fantastic build and story! The crypt and landscape are amazing!

[Mike S]

Excellent build and story!

[Jorrith]

Thank you everybody for all those awesome comments!

I love the entire storyline evolution so far.

Seems Buffy will be in over her head though

I've just received word that Buffy retired as a vampire hunter... Wonder why....

An amazing piece of art, that's for sure! My favourite part would have to be the crypt and the blood fountain, not quite sure how you did but it's absolutely superb!

I've used Bar 1x8 with Round End (spring shooter dart) for the blood stream flowing from the cup, the fountain has a few technic plates with holes for the bar to go trough.

[MKJoshA]

_{No need to apologize for the amount of pictures, they are all well used! This story kept me reading with rapt attention, great work! You guys are quite the team and I'm thrilled you're part of GoH.}

[soccerkid6]

This thing must be pretty huge! I didn't expect to see such gorgeous interior scenes Amazing crypt, and the bridge to it looks great as well Nice touch with the stalactites in the rockwork

[Garmadon]

Amazing build Jorrith, the size of that underground crypt certainly took me by surprise! Great work on the bridge to the crypt and the lava underneath, the crypt itself, and the blood fountain - excellent use of the blaster dart there

[Jorrith]

Thanks guys! When i started this build, i used two 32x32 and two 16x16 baseplates for a base, not realising then how massive it was going to get eventually. There were times while building, that i have been questioning my sanity... Well ok, the thought played trough my head while ordering more bricks...

[Bregir]

I've got to ask - all those crypts and rooms; are they all in the same build as the surface pics?

This is a crazy cool build, and a brilliant next chapter in your collab - They do say that the greatest joy is in expectation, but still... GIEF US MOAR! NAOW!!!

I think my favourite part is the crypt with the graves opening as the vampires emerge, but really - It is all amazing.

It seems the support for the Nocturnian Resistance (I shall say zis only vance!) is rising! Will this shake the foundations of the Black Spire?

[ElCrab]

The rockwork (especially on the upper portions) and the crypt room are amazing. Great work.

[Jorrith]

I've got to ask - all those crypts and rooms; are they all in the same build as the surface pics?

This is a crazy cool build, and a brilliant next chapter in your collab - They do say that the greatest joy is in expectation, but still... GIEF US MOAR! NAOW!!!

I think my favourite part is the crypt with the graves opening as the vampires emerge, but really - It is all amazing.

It seems the support for the Nocturnian Resistance (I shall say zis only vance!) is rising! Will this shake the foundations of the Black Spire?

Yes, it's one build, with the surface on top! We'll give more, don't worry... Only give us time to build, sir.

@ ElCrab: Thanks!!!