DrColossus

This is great stuff. I've loved all the modules so far but this is one I would want to live in. If you don't mind teaching a technique, can I ask about the stained glass? Looks like trans studs pushed through a fence. If so, how is the fence attached behind the wall?

This is beautiful and well planned! Love the posing, really makes it come alive. I think the guys in the launch boarding the Arandela is my favorite bit!

[story note: This follows directly on from An Incident at Unnecessary Bridge] There is a meadow, near the borders of the Elk Clan's lands. Most of the year, this meadow is covered with snow. When the ground begins to warm and life returns to the land, flowers emerge. "Breath of Spring", the Elk clan calls these small white blossoms. This year, the Breath of Spring has come unseasonably early. A man in armor stands near what can only be a hole in the ground. Before him are a horse and rider, and a man in chains. The man in chains once fought alongside these others. Now he is their captive. They force him down a ladder, into the earth beneath the flowers. Beneath the meadow, a power dwells. How long he has been here, no man can tell. But his purpose is becoming clear... The chained man stands before him, full of the knowledge of his own failure. His former comrades stand ready to subdue him. "What say you in answer for your cowardice?" demands the one who holds the ember-red staff. "I'm sorry, Lord Svell-Andskoti! The blacksmith should never have escaped, but he was strong!" the man whines. "Too strong for us!" "And yet you fled!" thunders the lord of this dwelling. "Is your clan not strong? Is the north not a land of might? You shamed your clan and dishonored the power you serve: the Enemy of Ice! Your men will have another opportunity to defeat the servant of Kala-Herra, the Lord of Frost - but you will not be with them. The North is no place for weakness, and the ice does not forgive." He scowls, and points his staff at the unfortunate captive. Its tip glows red like a banked fire. "Your men will learn: Svell-Andskoti does not forgive! If you will not serve well... you will be consumed!" Flames leap from his staff. The captive is engulfed in a horrifying inferno! The guards leap back in terror! When the flames subside, all that remains is a pile of ash, a set of chains... and a beard. A forlorn memorial to a cowardly man, and a terrifying warning to all enemies of this new power in Mitgardia! [Thanks for reading, all! There is more going on than poor Olin the Smith realizes! (Although Sigrd the horse suspects something is up...) I finally went out and bought some foam-board, and I took pictures in daylight with the window wide open. I did have to photoshop in some black space on the left side of the underground photos, because it was bright white. I had to leave the left wall open or there would not have been enough light to take a pic. Everything else is untouched though. This is my first attempt at such a complex build, including multiple levels, mosaics in a wall, and multi-layer bases. I was able to make a border for the top because my local Lego store had 1x2 wood palisades on their brick wall. I made a tower of them and got like 140! Stacking is fun... Anyway, thanks again! C&C are very very welcome. Now to spend some time on an Archery Phase I, and then Stables Phase III!]

Hey, if we do an arms race, I'm in! I've got a couple of ready-made ships that I'm itching to employ. (Though to be fair, one of them has 3 mid-section hulls and is more of a Ship-of-the-line... but the other could work as a cog, perfect for the Mitgardian Hanseatic states!)

Thanks! I have to remember to try angles other than just straight-on.

Thanks again for the advice and help! I took some more photos from different angles, and have tried to do a more careful job with the editing. Here are 2 new views of the scene:

Yeah, this is really beautiful! Aesthetically it's very well planned, but I think I'm most impressed with the portcullis. That couldn't have been easy to plan.

Oh you're right! I couldn't see it, my computer screen is small! Also, using a falcata grants you bonus points, so good job there.

Man, that's good stuff... If I had to reach for something to change, I'd say it might be cool if someone were in the middle of falling off a log (like, arms up and flailing?), and you might want to stick something on the right side to occupy some of the empty space. But those are minor, this is a really sweet build.

Quick update to the above: Olin is an Aquashark!

Oh! Sweet! So my Stable Phase II is half-way to passing! (Nonetheless, I think I can get a better pic of it, so I'm trying to post that tonight). I'm excited to see it up on the front page!

Than you! I agree. I took some shots last night at a better angle, and with a real camera, but I haven't yet had time to edit and upload them. I'll try to get them up tonight!

Holy cow Garmadon great job! Olin's head comes from, I think, the Ice Adventures. But I'll confirm tomorrow and let you know.

Oh, there's passing and such? How do I know if my builds pass?

Is there a place that says what the names of the towns are? I looked, but I couldn't find any explanation of the numbers on the map (yet). Also, where are the mountains where the Dwarves live?

If you need a blacksmith, Olin's looking for a job! ;-) But the horse comes with him, and he's a bit of trouble...

Thanks! I've always believed this story is really about Sigrd's journey, even if Olin is technically the star of the show. Thank you! I saw someone else put them sideways on the front of a house, and I "borrowed" that for this build. I can't remember who it was though. That's true. I rushed a bit editing it yesterday because I wanted to get it posted. I think I'm going to do another photo shoot to get a better angle (for example, the roof is angled to avoid snow build-up but you can't tell from this picture), and I'll take more time and care with the editing. Thank you everyone for comments, compliments, and advice!

Oh, I never posted Phase II of the stable here. Here it is! Stable Phase II: A Humbe Homestead | DrColossus | Mitgardia

Great setup for an improvised stable, seems very much like what you would do if you wanted your horse to not freeze to death. Nice little fire, too!

Ah, the old Medieval mud farmer, very promising! I like the discovery of the ring, looking forward to seeing how that develops!

I like it! His hat is pretty great! To make it look more store-like you could potentially drop a small pile of coins on the counter, if you have them, or possibly put a rack or shelf behind the guy. But that's all for Phase II. This is really a good start, and the story fits the action well.

Yeah, every part of this is wonderful. Very inspiring!

Your bases continue to be fantastic! Nice build, I feel bad for that li'l dude.

OK! Phase II of the Stables has been posted. SKI ROOF! AoM Stables Phase II: A Humble Homestead. | DrColossus | Mitgardia

After the Incident at Unnecessary Bridge, Olin and Sigrd were feeling a bit more optimistic about their prospects. Already they had encountered adventure, mystery and excitement, and had begun to gather riches as well! What they had not encountered, however, was food, or a warm place to sleep. After a while, this became an unavoidable problem. At last they came to a tiny village, and Sigrd indicated, by refusing to walk any farther, that this would be a fine place to stop. A conversation with some of the locals soon revealed the village's blacksmith had recently departed to try to make a better living in Valholl, so Olin was welcome to set up his forge on the edge of town! Unfortunately, they did not have a spare house or stable, so he would have to build them himself. Sigrd suggested, and Olin eventually agreed, that building the stable was the higher priority. Unfortunately, local building materials were somewhat lacking. Some wood, some old planking, and a pile of stones would have to suffice. Nonetheless, he did his best - after all, he was a blacksmith, not a builder! Sigrd moved in, after insisting that their new-found wealth (Olin had begun to think of it as their "treasure") be stored in the stable with him, where it would be safe. There they settled in, and went to work, earning money, food, and a chance at finally being able to afford a trip to the dwarves. It came as some slight annoyance to Olin, and an infinite source of amusement to Sigrd, when a scruffy village dog joined their party. Olin named him Snorri, and soon learned to his sorrow that a dog should not be left unsupervised near an un-watched turkey leg lunch. [Note: Mostly, the thing I'm excited about in this build is the SKI ROOF! Even though it looks raggy and weird, I'm kind of pleased it came together. You could also use those bricks that have grooves in them, but it's a little dicier. The nice thing about this is you can kind of angle the slats of the roof to make it look patchy and even more terrible, if you want! I'm also messing around a little bit more with landscape texture, though at this point I am really lacking materials to work with. I'm hoping that a PaB order will come in soon and give me lots more options. You could consider this a draft of this build, and I might re-do it after your comments before I move on to a much more complex build and have to use up the pieces. SKI ROOF!]