LordDan

Very nice work @Kai NRG on the floor and wall patterning! The Viking shields work surprisingly well for this context. @Grover Great work on the figs and story!

Looking good! I usually prefer an overview so we can see more of the build, but as @Grover pointed out having the perspective at eye level and shallow depth of field helps a small scene like this shine and leaves the rest to your imagination. I'll also second Grovers point on getting more light / a light box. I struggled for years to get decent photos as someone who is not an expert at photography, and then bought a lightbox and it made getting good photos significantly easier ( until you start building too big and it no longer fits in the box ) Also @Grover you mentioned the wrong person

Thanks! Good point on the flags, I haven’t really considered the flat vs in wind aspect. I guess the cursed winds of Nocturnus blow on strange ways Thank you!! I did my best to make it feel suitably Nocturnian! Thanks Talus!! I suppose the lava in Nocturnus is more like movie magic lava (ie: Mustafar from Revenge of the Sith) than real life lava where you are cooked if you get remotely close. The roof technique is a modified version of this from @Ayrlego, he uses that roof style pretty frequently in this MOCs to great effect. The curving technique is based on brick bending. I used the same technique with a slightly different bend for my Avalonia amphitheater, and the technique is based on this build from Hardegon on Flickr. Thanks guys! I was worried at first that the build would be a bit drab with all the DBG and black, but the lava & roof plus all the characters added plenty of color!

Welcome @Brickwolf @Hemar Seldim to our noble guild!!

Less of a permanent leave, and more of a long-term vacation to expand Avalonian influence into the frozen North

Excellent archway! The depiction of magic is very cool, and the nice landscape + archway make for a great vignette!

Exciting to see the Book IV story progressing! Nice work on the study, feels nice and cozy! The plants and glimpse out the window/ balcony are a good touch!

Really cool fortress / tower; I like the use of curves throughout! The dragon is definitely the star of the show though, I like how it is distinctly Avalonian with the dark green/ sand green combo! The use of the alligator tails as horns is also very clever!

Lovely series of builds, it's always great to see your tradition continue each year! The small buildings and carts really stand out in how detailed and intricate they are, I especially like how well the barrels fit in the mulled cider stand, and the tavern courtyard scene in general is excellent!

Cool figs and an excellent scene from Adde51! Looking forward to seeing the backlog of MOCS!

Dan plans to continue his travels across all of Historica, but has decided to take a bit of a winter vacation and join the noble guild of Mitgardia! He will always remain a loyal ally and friend of Avalonia, but its time for a new adventure!

I, Dan , declare my support for the mighty guild of Mitgardia! Although Dan will always remain a loyal ally and friend of Avalonia, he is taking a winter vacation for a bit! Originally a lord of Avalonia hailing from the settlement of Araluen , Dan unfortunately lost his title after disappearing without a trace and failing to show up for his lordly duties ( he spent a few years living in Nocturnus). Since then, Dan has spent his time traveling throughout all of Historica as an adventurer; exploring, fighting, and helping those in need (along with exploring the various food, drink, and entertainment the different guilds have to offer ). He plans to continue traveling across the guilds and is excited to bring some Avalonian spirit to the frozen wastes of Mitgardia, as well as looking forward to discovering some of that famed Mitgardian Dwarven Ale!

Looks like the green legs are actually from this monkie kid figure although they work well for the kraken knights. I managed to snag a few of the brown legs yesterday before they went out of stock, I missed the Gryffin torsos and shields though.

Sounds exciting!

Nice to see so many Avalonians gathered together! The build in the background looks very impressive too.

Awesome! The walls and towers are impressive, with loads of detail and a nice 6 sided roof technique! I love the little scenes throughout, such as the barber miss cutting the hair and the killer rabbit. The crane is also very impressive, and functional (although the power source is questionable )

Thanks guys! I really like building this style of trees, although it does burn through bar and flex tube pieces. Thanks! I made sure to include as many Avalonian sig figs as I could! Thank you! I based the banners on the totems and flags that are prevalent at current day music festivals, but with a castle theme! Thanks John! I had a lot of fun coming up with ideas for different concession stands. Thanks guys! The curved seats / amphitheater was very satisfying to get right! The original build I borrowed the technique from had a much larger radius for their semicircle though, so mine it pretty stressed and forced in there Thanks Josh! I spent way longer than I originally intended adding more and more characters into the scene. I started out planning for a sparely occupied arena so you could see the curved amphitheater, but decided it was more fun to have a packed audience! Thanks Eyrezer!! I think there's so many fantasy themed opportunities to build an amphitheater, like there are classic roman styled ones but also it could be fun to do guild themed ones such as a snowy landscape with covered seats for Mitgardia or an undead audience watching gladiators fight it out over lava in Nocty! The opportunities are endless! Thank for the detailed feedback Grover!!! I'm very happy with how the elevation and integration into the landscape turned out, I based the landscape 5 bricks high to fit with the standard for a LUG display, which let me sink the seating and standing floor down, which turned out really well. As you noticed, I made a lot of references to modern concerts and venues, and based it on modern music festivals with banners and flags, funny costumes / hats, and some pyrotechnics . I tried to make the crowd a mix of Avalonian themed figs, references to classic castle themes, and some castle themed ravers .I’m glad you liked the bard! I usually try to tell a story through the build itself, so the written part tends to be my weak spot.

Thanks! I finally found a use for the new(ish) 1x3 container pieces. They are held in their solidly now with friction, although I haven't tested it upside down. The floor mosaic fell out one time when I was building and if you look closely you can see the outer pattern in the circle is messed up a bit as a result ( I didn't notice until well after I took the pictures). The dark tan/ blue part got reworked a ton though, I started off the way it is now and did 1/2, then undid it all and switched to red/ dark tan to match the dark red sections, then decided I didn't like it so switched back. So really I rebuilt that section 3x Thanks!! I added some damaged sections throughout like the busted statue and scratched / cracked walls to make it fell like the battle had started to damage the arena.

Very nice wagon / carpentry shop! As Kai NRG pointed out I really like the detail of using tan for bare / whittled wood in contrast to the normal brown.

Excellent work on the forced perspective and microscale city! The landscape is fantastic as well, and really fills out the scene. I feel like many of the microscale builds I see only feature a building / city and limited terrain directly around it, whereas you filled out the entire landscape to great effect! The drawn maps are also a great detail!

It’s great to see the final version of this! The infographic style picture is awesome, so useful for a huge bustling layout like this to tell what’s what and point out cool landmarks. The various mechanisms are also great, perfect for a con layout. I love the fantasy vibes you have going, with the brightly colored orange and yellow roofs, villagers of many species, varied buildings and statues, and unique landscape.

Congrats! This was a super fun challenge, and it’s great to see GoH come back to life and the builds pouring in.

Love the spooky vibe! The blue lights and wall patterns really sell the atmosphere, and the use of the 2x2 bricks with channels in the walls is super creative!

Excellent scene! The stone details such as the arches and circular floor pattern are great, and I love the feel of a busy street with carts and animals passing. The planters and red vegetation are nice touches as well. I have to agree that the scene feels overpoweringly grey though.

Love the long house! The multicolor curved roof looks amazing, and it looks great set atop the rocky outcropping with vegetation around. The interior is excellent as well, with the shield decor and vibrant atmosphere. It would have been nice to have an uncropped overview shot of the inside like you did with the exterior.