MassEditor

Excellent and beautiful depiction of Avalonia, quite captivating! The architecture is lovely (I sense a hint of Gunman's style too) and the subdued color scheme works very well. I love the idea of a magical fortress. Gotta say, you're landscaping skills are some of the best out there and this here proves why. Adding the layers of grass, dirt and stone is such a cool touch. The water looks so good it makes me thirsty! Living in Midland, how do you even know what water looks like??

Viva la Resistance! As usual, you demonstrate your mastery of the swamp. Simple, but very effective. I guess I never noticed it before, but the lime green/olive green combo works really well!

Lovely shot, perfect lighting and atmosphere. All you need is a fog machine. Seriously though, this is very cool. I wouldn't worry too much about a "build photo" - when you're going for an atmospheric, story photo like this, I don't think it's all that important. If anything, a build photo might take away something from the story photo. Plus, sometimes you have to build specifically for the picture to look good, which might mean you had to sacrifice elements elsewhere (my swamp hut used by Raavage in the prelude story is an example - I built it for the picture, in real life it isn't anywhere near as impressive).

Great job capturing the winter vibe! The snow patches on the roof look great. Nice scene overall and good read.

Fun little build and idea! I do agree too with the feedback above.

Wow, so impressive and inspiring to see your GoH builds all in one place. Some of the best castle MOCs ever (the Streets of Barqa is forever etched into the collective memory of castle builders) and definitely among the top in photography as well. Very interesting to see your building progression, too (as I thought, you were always good!). On the Road to Castle Zar is new to me, glad you shared it here because it is one of the best forced-perspective shots I've seen. I look forward to all the new masterpieces you will add to this list!

Cool scene and story, very action-packed! Love the griffin, great work. Glad to see the Drow getting their just dessert!

Lord Byron could hear the soldiers plodding along and bantering carelessly well before he saw them. He didn't even need to think twice why there were approaching his manor - years of farming the Avalonian countryside hadn't completely overcome his soldier instincts. Lady Elspeth was no stranger to such things either, not after a decade of marriage to one of Cerdica's former generals. She approached her husband and grabbed his hand. "These men, they are here for you, are they not?" Bryon squeezed her hand and looked into her eyes. "We knew this day would come. It must happen." Before long the column of soldiers appeared around a bend. The leading man, wearing the insignia of an Avalonian officer, quickened his pace upon seeing Lord Byron and Lady Elspeth. A smile beamed across his face. "Ah Lord Byron, I see life on the farm has been good to you and especially your waistline. Strange to see your hands dirtied by mud and not the blood of your enemies." Lord Bryon glared at the man. "Mention my waistline again and I will remind you of what these hands are capable of." The man threw back his head and laughed. He moved towards Lord Byron and embraced him like that of two old friends. "My friend, your sense of humor has not changed - in fact, it's as non-existent as ever. How many years has it been? Ten? Fifteen?" Lord Byron grabbed the man by the shoulder. "Too long. I see the lords of Albion finally made you a captain. Those silly fools." He turned to Lady Elspeth. "Dear, this is Gregori Davignon, my old friend and comrade-in-arms." "Welcome to Konigsfeld Manor Captain Davignon, it is a pleasure to have your company." Davignon removed his helm and glove and took Lady Elspeth's hand. "My Lady, the pleasure is all mine. Please, call me Gregori. No doubt you are Bryon's greatest accomplishment." Byron kissed Elspeth on her head. "Indeed she is. But I'm sure you're not here to compliment my lovely wife. The Lords of Albion have sent you on some great mission, no doubt?" Davignon looked at Elspeth and then at Byron. "In fact, I come bearing news of a most sensitive manner. Would be able to speak alone?" "My wife is lord of this manor as well. She too has the right to hear what you say." The smile had left Davignon's face, replaced by a look of grave concern. "So be it, but what I'm about to discuss must not leave here. It's been a long time since you've seen Albion, but I'm sure you know the troubles there. The Pearl City is flooded with refugees fleeing the plague and Drow raiders. Rumors tell of Spire agents in the city and disappearances. The armies of Historica are preparing to push against Raavage but each remain consumed by their own troubles, unable to commit the might of their forces into the fight." These events were not unknown to Byron - even in retirement his connections to Albion and Cerdica were well-maintained. He knew Albion was in chaos, leaderless and laid prostrate by internal turmoil. The other Guilds were faring no better. Davignon continued. "But there is a new and encouraging development, two in fact. Sir Trian Burress has returned to Albion, free of the Spire's yoke." This even Byron did not know. Could it be true? His old friend and the greatest commander of Avalonia was alive again? How many years had it been? Davignon could see Byron loose himself in thought. "My friend, there is more. The heir has been found." Byron was snapped from his reminiscing. "By the gods, you speak the truth? The High King has returned?" "Not yet, but soon my brother. Breggan of the Dragon Masters brought word of the heir's existence. That is why I am here. Sir Burress has given us the task of finding the heir and returning him safely to Cedrica. He asked specifically for your assistance." Elspeth, who had followed the discussion with uneasiness, could not contain herself any longer. She knew her husband would not decline. "Byron, you said this day would come, but why must it be today? The children… the fields, it's almost harvest time… and me… how will I live without you?" Byron pulled her in and held her closely. "My love, my life, this is the trouble with marrying old, foolish soldiers. At some point, they are always drawn back in. This is the day Historica has prayed for, the day we knew would come, the day you knew I could not escape. Without a king to unite the guilds, the peace we enjoy will not last. I must go, for Sir Burress, for Avalonia, for you." Elspeth looked up at Byron. "You are a good man, and an even better husband." She wiped several tears from her eyes. "You should go know and keep Captain Davignon waiting no longer. The future of Historica is know your task." Hesitantly, Byron entered the manor. It took him several minutes to find the old chest. Wiping dust from its cover, he opened it and began removing several items. The armor, unworn for 10 years, still fit. He removed the sword and swung it as effortlessly and deftly as ever. Bryon returned outside. He embraced Elspeth and their children and then left with Davignon. Elspeth watched as her husband left their home, possibly never to return. She held back her tears until he disappeared from sight. "Go soldier of Cedrica and return with peace and hope for this land." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Konigsfeld Manor: Hello! Hope you didn't mind the long read! This was originally meant to be a prelude but I just didn't get the story done on time. I really meant to include a few story photos, but I ended up needing the pieces for another build so those pics never got done... In any case, the story was slightly edited to follow the wonderful preludes by ZCerberus and Ecclesiastes. This is not for any of the challenges, just a little filler for the chapter. Thanks for looking!

Great landscaping/road, too cool!

A risky choice, but the dark orange looks good - especially next to the olive green leaves. Nice looking mill!

That's gonna be a tough one. I'd love to help out with a few pointers, though, TBH, my training is entirely in journalistic writing. This has been my first foray into fantasy writing and any quality to be found in it is a result not because of my training, but despite it. I think, more so than building, writing is a natural talent. But, like you said, the most important thing is, of course, to make sense. Don't jump around with ideas unless you can bring it all back together at some point. Put yourself in the character's role, what do you see happening and how would you respond to it? Perhaps this is just nitpicking, but one habit new writers should avoid learning is using 'he said, she said' behind every segment of dialogue or just putting their name behind a hyphen. It's relatively lazy and repetitive writing that takes readers out of the situation, reminds them that they're reading a story instead of living it. Most readers can track who says what when the dialogue involves 2 people. More than that can be tricky, but with a few literary touches, you can avoid the boring 'he/she said' stuff. For instance, instead of: "Commander, the enemy has broken through the main gate and his forces are taking the city!" the soldier said. "Order the men to fall back for a final defense around the keep," replied General Caitlyn. "But ma'am, we should commit everything towards the main gate. This is our only chance to eject the enemy from our city!" said a subordinate. Try something like this: The soldier entered the commander's quarters gasping. No doubt he carried a troubling message from the city's defenders. "Commander, the enemy has broken through the main gate and his forces are taking the city!" General Caitlyn shook her head. She knew the city could not be held indefinitely, but how had her defenses fallen so quickly? She had to reestablish a defensive line or risk losing the entire city. "Order the men to fall back for a final defense around the keep." As the soldier left one of General Caitlyn's officers stepped forward. It was Lieutenant Roxie, her face etched with concern. "But ma'am, we should commit everything towards the main gate. This is our only chance to eject the enemy from our city!" -------------------------------------------------------------- Like I said, it might appear to be a trivial matter but I think this style teaches you to write better and do a better job of creating a scene for your readers. I'll try and think of some other stuff and post it here or get it to Kai. A small fantasy writing guide could be a helpful tool.

Uh-oh, doesn't like good for this fellow! Nice build, the night atmosphere is well done!

Nice story and entry! Great job tying this personal story in to the larger events and places in Nocturnus. The swamp looks good but, like SK said, there's too much color. I'd scale back on the red, pink and orange bits (they stand out a bit too much for the swamp atmosphere and its restrained colors). I think you should have given yourself a bit more room to work, to build more contrast between the swamp and bank. Don't be afraid of repetition and less detailed areas - often simplicity in one area really helps highlight the more complex areas. And crop out the areas where the white background doesn't fill. Overall though, a nice combination of build, presentation and story!

Now this rig looks like some fun. All I want to do is play with this and rearrange all the load outs. Cool idea dude! And here I was thinking Trian Buress' decaying corpse was out causing trouble in the Darklands, when in fact he's designing weapon and combat control and communication systems for intergalactic corporations!

Oh yeah, more NCS awesomeness. Very cool design, somewhat near-futuristic looking too. Nice idea with the support mission of this spacecraft - I love to see a minifig scale ship dedicated to a task other than direct combat purposes. The VTOL engines look sweet and nice work with all those moveable functions. Would love to see all these recent NCS beauties together in a pic when you're done (if you still have them all together).

She has some lovely curves! Really, an exquisite and wholly unique ship, wonderful design! Great use of those new curved tiles. I love the subtle greebling too. Could you point me to which canopy piece that is?

Thanks Sleg! Mmmm.... purple.... Bring it on! Except the Joker minifig. Send that to: C/O Donald J. Duck 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Washington D.C.

Initial hope was to recreate one of the big Covenant AA guns from Halo 3 but I quickly realized I didn't have enough dark purple to pull it off. So here's a fictional version which perhaps fills a gap in the Covenant AA system between its light and heavy cannons. I don't suppose the missiles really belong here but I thought they rounded out the weaponry well enough. Besides, the Covenant are allowed to steal human tech if they want, and missiles are awesome, so why not steal 'em and use 'em? Skulls added for scale and overall coolness. Thanks for looking!

Ornamental lasers? No landing gear? I'm guessing it's a one-way trip for this fellow. Seriously though, cute as a button. Chubby, but kinda sleek too. Like if you put rocket boosters on a hedgehog.

Nice wheels dude! Love that sloped hood and brick-built weaponry and other details. This guy looks ready to tear it up!

That first picture is fantastic, does an awesome job selling the story. Great angle too, with the leader up front and the army awaiting orders. Sweet looking army and scene, the wall appears quite formidable. Glad to see Sir Nar Bilu lend his assistance to the great cause! (Hate to hear this scene is on schedule for destruction... hope the move goes well!)

As an Arkansan here, shouldn't that disqualify you from most discussions? Also, I'm so glad 'misremembering' is an actual word now. Thanks Brian Williams! Don't rely too much on those squiggly lines, they have a way of leading folks down the wrong path. God forbid you use a semi-colon. And, according to Microsoft Word, my name is always misspelled. @gedren_y I always enjoy your grammar lessons and even learn something from time to time! And now I can totally picture the ninth-grade gedren_y, pointing out a misplaced comma by his English teacher, who then suffers a nervous breakdown, retires - but not before assigning our gedren_y with a failing grade - and vows never to glimpse the written word again.

Great job recreating scenes from this two finest of Nocturnian cities! The references to the story and past events are excellent. Nice work!

Hello new and old members, looks like things are getting quite exciting around here! @Jacob Nion Great advice all around, your comment on integration and segregation (about building techniques, not schools) was especially apt. Should be a very helpful read for new Nocties!

Well, don't that just butter my grits! Sorry @SkaForHire