SarahJoy

New build: Ruadhi City Council: To War?

I'd like to claim UoP credit for Ruadhi City Council for: - Trade and Law: Governing Body approved I'm still one vote short for A True Bloodbath: Landscape Design: Trees (1 of 3) Hydrology: Still Water Geography: Swamp pending: 3 votes, 1 needed

Note to readers: if you're rushed for time, you can skip to the last paragraph. Siedna: Ah, good, we're all here. Council members, as you can see, we're joined today by Lady Akantha, at the invitation of the Alikos elders. Matteus: Okay, let's get straight to business. Ruadh must choose a side in this conflict. Look, I know y'all don't want to get involved, but we may not have a choice in the matter. The best defense is a good offense, right? Euphemios: That my be true in battle, Matteus, but I don't believe it's the best course of action for our community. Siedna: You'd prefer we remain neutral, then? Euphemios: The Tauri of the Alikos are not bloodthirsty like you humans! We wish only to follow our ways in peace. Together with the Atelier, Siedna, we have formed a prosperous and just community. Why would we leave it? Doing so would leave Ruadh exposed, and put us at risk of capture and slavery. Themis: Euphemios, you old coot, you know some of the younger Tauri are restless and eager to see the world, just like you used to be, before your muzzle turned gray. (Turning to Siedna) He's right, though. The Alikos will remain neutral. Siedna: Noted. And what of the merchants, Kristin? Kristin: As Euphemios said, Ruadh has been prosperous for us. Our success lies in following the Kaliphlin ideal of trading with all, equally and fairly. So long as it's profitable. (Grins for a moment.) Siding with a faction means, at best, loss of trade with the other factions. (Looks somber.) Look, Ruadh has been a place for many to start anew. Look at the Potters -- they came here from Mitgardia to escape strife. Why would we wish to bring it here? Why jeopardize a good life and good profit? Siedna: Thanks, Kristen. Seamus? Seamus: Regardless of the official Ruadhi stance, the Atelier must remain neutral. Sure, we train our artists to be good in a fight, but that's brawling. War and soldiering are another thing entirely. (Matteus nods in agreement.) More importantly, if we took sides, Ruadhi artists across the Guilds would be vulnerable to political attacks. In other lands, our welcome is dependent not just on our talents and geniality, but our disinterest in politics, local or guilds-wide. Siedna: I agree. Now, Lady Akantha, you've been rather vocal, working to persuade Ruadhis to side with the High Council. In fact, it seems you've been surreptitiously recruiting since you arrived in Ruadh. We'd like to hear your arguments. Lady Akantha: I wish only for the Tauri to continue to have the right to follow their ways as free people. The Desert King once enslaved us as beasts of labor. The Ulandians have subjugated an entire race;who is to say the Tauri will not be next? Only Flagg and the High Council have left us in peace. If the Tauri of Alikos remain neutral, they might be left alone, but what about their brethren throughout the Guild? Who will fight for them? What will happen to us if Ulandus or the Desert King prevails? We must protect our freedoms! And Ruadhi, as friends of the Alikos -- how can you risk them falling into slavery? Euphemios: How can you talk of fighting to protect our ways? Do you know nothing of our history, girl? As slaves we were used as beasts of war! And you suggest FIGHTING to protect our freedom to stay OUT of conflicts? Lady Akantha: (voice raised): Sometimes compromises are necessary! Surely you realize the ends justify the means! Euphemios: We WILL NOT have our culture compromised by lure of your exotic beauty, you hear me? We WILL NOT -- Themis: (inturrupts) Enough, Euphemios! (more calmly) Captain Corydon? What's been the mood in the Brute Squad? You'd know better than most how the younger 'Taurs are leaning; perhaps you could fill us in. Captain Corydon: Most of our troops agree with the Alikos elders, ma'am; they want to protect our home and our ways. There are few, what did you call em? Restless ones, eager to follow Lady Akantha. Siedna: And what are our defensive capabilities, Captain? Can we afford to lose anyone? Captain Corydon: Actually, ma'am, our troops have more than doubled, between new recruits and newly re-enlisted members who want to defend us. The Brute Squad is stronger than ever, ma'am, and more than capable of protecting Ruadhi peace. Those that want to fight for the High Council, well, to be honest, ma'am, I'd rather let 'em go. Don't want folks who don't really want to be here. Siedna: All right then. Lady Akantha, thank you for speaking with us. Council, it seems we're all in agreement. (Matteus rolls his eyes but remains silent.) I move we remain neutral and shore up our defenses. Short of closing the city, there will be spies and intrigue, but no violence or destruction will come to Ruadh. I also suggest we allow Lady Akantha to gather what forces she may. Active Brute Squad members must seek permission from the Captain to be released from their duties, so we don't become weak. All in favor? (A chorus of "aye" and hands raised.) All opposed? (silence) Ruadhi city council members, left to right: Captain Corydon, Brute Squad representative; Matteus Ruadh, founder; Siedna Ruadh, founder; Seamus Gallach, Atelier representative; Euphemios, Alikos Elder; Themis, Alikos Elder; Kristin Eriksdottir, merchant representative. ____________________________________________________________________________________ I'd like to claim UoP credits for: - Trade and Law: Governing Body (approved) Constructive criticism always welcome!

from the Rules thread: Is this topic where we would do so? Does it even matter this week, since there is only one possible option for each faction?

Looks like the High Council is the only one still in need of a PM group, then.

Beautiful! Great rockwork, and the epic scale of the waterfall and build overall is really stunning. The lone tower on the cliffs is clean and elegant, and the cool still water above and below the falls are lovely. One small quibble: while I enjoy the starry night background with the mountains, I think it would be more effective if the sides and base of the build were cropped. Overall, though, it's still one of the better examples of this concept! The cool lighting really helps to give that moonlit feel.

Welcome, Adair! i believe you need to post a sigfig before you're officially joined. That said, we're pleased to have you, and I look forward to reading more of your story! 10 posts is the magic number, as I recall, when you can edit your profile.

Thank you! Thanks, kabel! As gendren_y pointed out, they're actually from the old Belville line, but that doesn't change your concerns. The scale is obviously off, but in a world with minotaurs and magic, oversized dogs seem plausible. The molds themselves are pretty dough-y looking, by today's Lego standards, but they're the only piece that vaguely resembles Labradors (my dog) and are thus far the only black dog piece, so they'll have to do. On the bright side, their relative rarity makes it easy for me to declare them a unique Ruadhi breed. Thanks Mike! Thank you, and thanks for the +1! Thank you! Thanks Cap! Thank you! I agree, we definitely need more "real" dog options. Thanks Gideon, and thank you for the +1! Thanks! It's a bit ridiculous, isn't it? The Ruadhi prize their dogs, and as artists are a bit eccentric; they love the kennel. I have to assume the rest of GoH finds such extravagance to be a silly waste of resources. Thank you LJ! And thanks for the +1. Thanks Brick Man! Thank you! I don't have any nice photos from a higher angle, but here's one I posted earlier, cropped differently to show more roof and less minifig, and a WIP photo: It's a bit of a modified herringbone pattern. Thank you blufiji!

Thank you! Thanks Mike!

Are aftermarket parts, like Brickwarrior accessories, permitted in this challenge?

A few of my minotaurs will be fighting for the High Council.

Very cool tower, and I agree with kabel:

Great story -- so ominous! Really effective use of small builds to illustrate a bigger story.

New build: Ruadhi Husbandry

I'd like to claim UoP Credits for Ruadhi Husbandry: approved - Architecture: Roofing: Roof 2/3 - General Building: Minifig Posing - Agriculture and Zoology: Raising Livestock I'm also still short one vote for A True Bloodbath. pending

Designed by students and funded by alumni, the Kennel of Ruadh is one of the settlement's architectural curiosities. The stained-glass canopy is a marvel of glasswork and magic, held together with enchanted githril. Here, the famed Belville mastiffs are bred and trained to serve as companions and protectors to Ruadhic artists. Locals just call it the kennel; tourists somewhat mockingly call it the Canine Cathedral. Lady Siedna and her husband Mateus pay a visit to the kennel. An artist teaches a puppy basic obedience skills while her friend looks on. Throughout the day, students muck out the kennels, a task made more difficult by mischievous young puppies. After filling the food dish with scraps, a student reaches through the fencing to play with a young pup. Meanwhile, an instructor attempts to teach proper grooming techniques to his distracted student. The kennel at sunrise. I'd like to claim UoP Credits for: - Architecture: Roofing: Roof 2/3 - General Building: Minifig Posing - Agriculture and Zoology: Raising Livestock

UoP +1 for both builds

Thank you for your kind words! Glad you like it! Thank you, and thanks for the +1! Thanks BrickCurve! Thank you! Thank you Lord Vlad! Thanks Maxim! Thank you! Thanks Kai! Those FP links you posted for me a while back were tremendously useful. Thank you, and thanks again for inspiring the tree design! Thank you SK! Thank you robuko! I'd love to be a purist, but it's hard to ignore the potential of aftermarket parts when there are no purist equivalents. The "weeds" from Altbricks in particular are a nice addition to a desert landscape, I think. It is a bit unusual, I admit, but it seemed to fit with the story. Thank you, Gideon, and thanks for the +1! Thanks, Captain! Thank you!

Great build, Kai! I like the rockwork and the color placement for the waves. The figures and debris in the water are great, as is the story!

Octo is a tool. He is wise to keep his distance from Lady Siedna. ---- Beautiful builds, Mike: I particularly like the stained glass in the white panes, and that crazy gold throne. Ska, I love the way everything is starting to come together in the story. Great characterizations!

Very cool build! I love the flames and the stark white (light blue gray?) floors with that glowing mosaic-work.

Cool windmill; a very nice build. I like the wagon, and you have just enough detail on the green plates to keep it from being too bare. The pink-orange lighting is a bit distracting, especially in the background, but that might just be me.

Fun story, and nice little build! UoP +1 for both claims.

Nice base, and fun little build! Usually, I say others are very welcome to build in Ruadh, but you'll have to forgive me for not offering this group the same welcome!

That's a lot of masonry bricks! I like the visual effect they create with the stacked round plates. Nice job with the rockwork as well.