Gabe

Lovely embassy build CptMugwash, looks very spacious inside - lots of room to take good interior shots! (I always seem to end up so cramped in mine ) The details and liveliness of your embassy really make it for me. Nice work!

Wow, what a huge, impressive build! The story and the interior scenes are awesome, it's great to see all the Nocturnus characters come together in harmony. All except Daniel of course... poor fella! So much going on with the buildings as well - i love all the different windows and styles of ornamentation you have used. The top part of the embassy is particularly beautiful!

Haha, that was a hoot to read, thanks Angeli for hosting a most entertaining games! :thumbup: Phrixelle is well satisfied with her efforts, making it to the fourth round and losing only to the eventual winner. (Congrats rogueang!) Although it is interesting - Phrixelle beats Yvonnel in the 2nd round, the war golem beats Phrixelle in the 4th round, and then Yvonnel returns to kick over the emptied golem after the final rounds completion.. Swings and roundabouts, hey? We will certainly be giving Phrixelle a heroine's welcome on her return to Peregrinus - as well as a new suit of armour, of course! ps. Your gladiator arena was great btw - an innovative way of showing the defeated.

Wow, great work MikeyB! I love the story in the form of a letter, it was really engaging and it pulled me through the moc to notice each perfect detail. Beautifully clean build too, great stuff.

Wow, great embassy Captain Blackmoor! I especially love the roofline and detailing, and the interiors are great also. I am curious about the amount of vegetation you seem to have growing on the inside walls and ceiling though - what's going on there?

Phew! Well, i finally got my embassy together - i say embassy, although it came out kinda looking like a wedding cake, so i don't know. Anyway, i finished it, that's the main thing! And so i present to you: Dogun a Kaleti - the easternmost star... I've missed some of the great embassies that have come out in the last few days, but hopefully i'll have some time in the next few days to get around and check them all out. But can i just say here - i love Erynlasgalen/Amelia Phantomhive's embassy...it's just so, so beautiful. One of my fav of all the embassies i've seen! Also, congrats to Basiliscus for getting his stained glass moc featured on TBB! Totally well deserved, it's a pearler.

Oh, that is just beautiful! So simple, yet elegent and complete. Lovely work!

Deep in the Moruth swamplands lies the lands of the powerful Ga'zaar warlocks. The area is well known to be rich in both poisonous and medicinal plants, many of which are also valuble for spellcasting and magical brewing. Some years ago, Lord Sansael's father sought trade agreements with the Ga'zaar warlocks and an embassy was established there to bring traders of the two guilds together. The embassy has become known as "The easternmost star" by Kaliphlian merchants and adventurers, a reference to it's unusual shape. The star shaped base is supported on huge wooden pylons, driven into the mud and then encased in volcanic concrete. The neccecery construction materials were brought in on Peregrinian barges at great expense, and constructed with a mixture of local and Kaliphlian labour. The local orc tribes, who helped with the construction, are justly proud of this landmark - it certainly goes a long way to dispelling the myth that all orcs are shoddy builders! In addition to being aesthetically pleasing, the shape of the base also has magical signifigence. The six pointed star contains and directs the energy of the most powerful divinations along it's sacred geometry. (By tradition, all ambassadors assigned to the embassy are powerful mages in thier own right, as they have the neccercary skills in arcane herbology.) Magical, ever-flowing fountains are present on each point. As well as being wonderful magical conductors, the fountains are also a reliable source of fresh, clean water in the fetid swamp. There are two ways of entering the embassy. The more important guests and dignitaries can disembark at the small jetty, and enter through the eastern door. (the one marked with the scarab shields) They can then acend the staircase to the open air reception level, where they are recieved with all due hospitality. The other way of entering is by the spiral staircase underneath the base. Unless the visitors are at least semi aquatic, this can only be accessed at low tide by wading or punting across the mud flats. They are either recieved on the lower floor, or if the matter is one of low skullduggery (or personal hygene on the part of the visitor!), the ambassador might decend to the basement level to conduct business. The embassy has only minimal staff, being both small in size and remote. Besides the ambassador, there is his assistant, his personal gaurd of 2 (you can see them gaurding the staircase and entry to the top level), four peregrinian gaurdsmen and the boatman. As a rule, ambassadors to Nocturnus don't tend to last too long, Nocturnus being what it is! However, the current ambassador seems to be bucking that trend. A personal appointee of Lord Sansael, Ambassador Daraith Vensal has been in the post for 2 years now, and already shows signs of "going native". Afflicted with a rare skin condition, he was glad to make the move to Nocturnus, where the sun is not so harsh and irritates him less. He also sees the post as a great opportunity to pursue his magical studies with the local shamans and warlocks. He has a reputation locally as a smart dealer with a ruthless streak and an eye to the long game - and he never lets anyone know what game he's playing! The boatman is one of the mountain mummy tribe from the Rakath. As a rule, Peregrinians shun the mountain mummies, having long ago been in conflict with them over land. However, Ambassador Vensal's last mission was to approach the mummy tribes about common land access rights, and he has made many freinds in the southern Raketh. The mummy Pashhun is one who returned with him to Berigora, and later decided to follow him to Nocturnus. Pashtun's job here is to gaurd the jetty and greet the dignitaries. The ground floor of the embassy. A local orc shaman has come to talk about trading herbs and herblore for repairs to her villiage. She is received by Ambassador Vensal's assistant, the Djinn Azok. Ambassador Vensal receives a local dignitary to talk about what he can offer visiting Kaliphian merchants, and to discuss the recent unrest in Cedrica and Historica generally. After the meeting, the local warlock joins Ambassador Vensal in a ceremonial toast from the east fountain, before heading off again in his boat. It's been a long day! All duties done, Ambassador Vensal relaxes on his private balcony. Ambassador Vensal's room at the top of the embassy. ~~~~~~ Phew. Did this make it in at the 11th hour? I hope so! Thanks for looking peeps! 22/02: Edited to reflect new alterations. I realise that the new version has missed the embassy deadline, but i really wasn't happy with parts of my build and so had another bash at it. Here are the two versions side by side - the old one on the left, the revised one on the right. Overall i'm happy with the revisions. The shape seems more pleasing now, with a more obviously tapering structure and clearer divisions between the floors. The stairs to the top level have now been relocated to the back of the building, and follow the sides of the building more closely. The use of white has also been restricted to the fountains, columns and window accents on the top floor. The middle floor is more enlosed now, for privacy and warmth. Two of the 6 walls between the columns are solid (although the front contains a doorway), while the other 4 are curtained to evoke a tent-like atmosphere. The ambassador and his visitors can now recline in comfort, Kaliphlin style, and discuss business on the middle floor. (Note: i took out part of the front wall to be able to take this shot!) The only drawback to the revisions is that the ambassador's bedroom is now a bit smaller, and he can't fit his bookcase in. Still, we all have to make sacrifices in the name of style! And lastly, just because i couldn't resist... I hope you have enjoyed looking at my embassy revisions, and i'd be very interested to hear what you think of them. Cheers all!

Wow, this is stunning Etzel! I love your approach of creating a whole neighbourhood to set your embassy in. All the different angles and levels and colours and details are almost overwhelming, yet the whole has a pleasing sense of unity. I'm particularly fond of the left side view with the curving stairs.

Nice work DaMaximus! The embassy is a nice size and the interior is well furnished. That game of checkers (or whatever it is) seems rather heated... I like your balcony as well, it gives the front of the embassy a nice focus. However, you might want to consider doing a little more landscaping, assuming you have enough parts - rocks, snow drifts, cobblestone paths or mud tracks, vegetation etc. Also, you could build up the snow drift on the roof a little more to make it look more realistic. Little details like that can really help a good building like yours stand out.

Interesting boat design rogueang, i like the work on the figurehead. I take it these are rowboats that are stored on a larger ship? If so, does this mean we shall we be seeing the parent vessel from you sometime??

Very solid looking embassy, K.Kreations! The detailing on the front of the roof is great, and i love the winding path and rock wall leading to the gate. I am wondering though about the front gate - is there enough room between it and the door of the embassy for it to open? It looks like the space is only 5 studs deep, but the gate is 6 studs across...

Absoloutly, i reckon go for it! What you might call "churned out" might look inspired to someone else - and sometimes working through a creative block can yield the best results. Or at least i hope so, cause that's what i'm doing!

Beautiful work! The dislocation in time between the story of Thesus and the Minotaur and that of Daedalus and Icarus is very well dealt with, and the view through the window the perfect touch. Despite being pretty much comprised of stone walls, the whole scene has a very airy feel to it that resonates well with Icarus's story. I love the repeating patterns on the walls and floors, and the minifig posing is great as well. A work of art!

Brilliance. Sheer brilliance! :laugh:

Yay, more ships! Great little boat Hersbrucker, i wouln't have thought of using the scaffold piece for a mast, but it actually doesn't look too bad! The shaping on the sides and the triple bar handles as railing is pretty genius too. Nice work - now i just have to find some time to work on my own ship...

Wow, such a great fusion of styles. The back corner house feels very Nocturnus inspired, while the walls, towers and gate seem more Mitgardian. The colour scheme is perfect, and i love all the interiors and details too. (Including the druid doing some "housekeeping"!) Seems like i'm in good company in saying that this is my fav embassy thus far.

Hi there Bernd; I do like your build and i applaud your controversial subject matter, but possibly there are a couple of things you might want to consider about how it might be viewed: 1. The whole "house for female figs" thing - this reads as code for "a house for women", but it's not actually a house for women. It's a brothel, which is pretty much a house for men and thier appitites. The way your post is worded could thus be construed as offensive to many women, who wouldn't work in a brothel for any money. If it were me i would drop the coy joke and call it a "house of pleasure to relax" or something along those lines - much less chance of ppl getting upset. 2. The interior of the house, despite it's lively reputation, seems rather dead and devoid of humor or incident. Why not show any of the male figs in the house in a state of disrobe? Could be in the shower, arranging payment, getting a massage, being a bit dejected cause they can't get it up, whatever. What about interactions between the workers - sharing clothes, making a cup of tea on a break etc? How about a female client? What about someone in a wheelchair being brought in for thier monthly session of "joy"? (although scratch that, you aren't wheelchair accessible... whoops) Anyway, sorry to go on a bit, your build is technically lovely but i think you have the potential to make it much more thought-provoking and even realistic. Cheers!

Thankyou o mighty guild leader! Yeah, they are quite the peanut gallery aren't they - i have to keep threatening them with time-out in the Fabuland corner to keep them in line. Cheers, i like your confidence! However i'm not so sure about that, especially considering that the guild leaders will be taking part this round. But at least my embassy will be a contribution to the guild total. ps. Or hang on, are the guild leaders participating in this round? I'm sure i heard something to that effect, but then how will the voting work - is it changing, are we all voting or something? Damn, i feel so out of the loop now... all i know is that the deadline for the embassies is on the 15th. Essentials, y'know! Ah, great to see your embassy coming together robuko! The 3D freize you've got going on is great, and i assume the upside-down arches at the bottom will line up eventually? The hawk's head bleeding into the goblets is an especially cool effect, and appropriately creepy. The domes behind it look awesome too - i agree that they could be raised a notch to make them more visible. Yeessss... Nocturnus makeover FTW! Ooh, crap, i'm paired up with this guy in the first round! Damn, he looks scary... to my pride! Why o why couldn't i have drawn against some fierce swordsman or axe weilding giant... Cheers, i better get cracking on it actually, i feel a bit stuck right now. I'm with Kayne on this one - some strategically placed white tiles, 1x1 rounds, small plates and cheese slopes should give you the effect you are looking for. I do like DC's solution with the feathers/horns as well, but that tends to look more like melting snow/slush, rather than a blanket effect. Great little scene, Waterbrick Down! Those mummies sure look like they have a lot to say. Love the scroll too - great idea.

Agreed. And we haven't even seen the whole thing yet! Can't wait until the next chapter,... as usual!

Thanks! It was a bit nuts on the public days, wasn't it? Half the time i got elbowed aside in the crush and ended up getting pushed away from my table. Did you end up coming to the convention on the Friday at all, or did you just have time for the weekend? The convention day is by far the best day for viewing and chatting to the builders. Cheers, glad you like it! Keep building and collecting and no doubt you'll aquire the bricks you need sooner or later. Thanks narbilu! Yes, a Rivendell is pretty much top of my wish list for LOTR/Hobbit sets as well. But regardless of whether or not one actually gets released, i'd quite like to have a go at making my own Rivendell one day. (Yes, i've been very much inspired by Blake Baer's brilliant Hobbit creations!) Thanks DaMaximus, glad you like it!

Very interesting ship with the ball and socket attachments on the side - i like it! I am not so sure of the ramming blades - i think they would be much more effective if they were located closer to the waterline.(look at pics of triremes and you'll see what i mean) Nice work!

Lovely red roof De Sandman, although a it niggles my eye a little that the tower roof is black. (I'm guessing you ran out of red slopes?) The half timbering and mix of greys in the walls is well done too. Nice embassy!

Nice work Odin's son Fred! I've been keen to see how Darlig Ulv-Stranden is shaping up, it sounds like a most interesting destination.

Thanks! Yes, if i want to build other things, then my creations typically have a short life. And this one had a longer one than most - sections like the bridge and gatehouse survived with only minor brick raiding and modification for over 5 months. The award i got was one of several "Judges choice awards" that were given out. I think these were meant to be commendations for MOC's that didn't quite fit into the expected catagories (like town layout, train layout, SW creation, etc) or that just missed out on awards in thier own catagories. I was quite shocked to get one because there were so many awesome MOC's there - every time you turned around you were amazed by something else. Check out the Brickvention group on Flickr and you'll see what i mean! Thankyou, i'm glad you like it! Captain Sparrow was initially there just to amuse myself - i expected to get a wall spot, which meant the back side would not be visible, but in any case it worked out quite well. Thankyou for your kind words! The bridge is based on Ludford bridge in Ludlow, Shropshire. :) I first saw it on an episode of "Time Team" and wanted to have a go at replicating it's unusual shape. My version is a good deal shorter though! ps. Do feel free to copy any part of this you like btw - as i've said, i've swiped ideas and techniques on this from everywhere, so to be able to contribute something back to be swiped by someone else is a nice feeling. Thanks! That's the idea, a bit of Rivendell, a bit of Lorien, simplify and smush it all together. Thankyou also to everyone else that commented - i'm glad you have enjoyed looking at my display!