Cara

I saw this and thought how much it looked like a house in San Francisco and that was before I saw the models name! lovely interiors too.

At first glance you don't realise the scale of this moc! And then you see the minifigs and realise its BIG, but then comes the picture with your helper and wow! its huge. My favourite bits are the bridge and mosaic with the arches

4 Erynlasqalen: 1 6 de Gothia: 1 7 zcerberus: 1 10 lisqr: 1 15 gabe: 1 And I wished I had more points to assign.

I'm going to go round grinning all day...

I can just image that enormous statue in a forest somewhere waiting to be discovered, love the scale. Fun action shots of the story too.

I agree! Seeing the underside of the plates instead of the studs adds a nice difference in texture and twists things up a bit

That profile view of the entrance to the cave is beautiful and the lighting really makes the inside stunning. But my favourite thing is in the first scene. That little force perspective through the windows

Very nice entry Those stalagtites and stalagmites add perfectly to the feel.

All accosting him in the bathroom Nice job on those tiles!

Great entry! Lovely colours all those blues with the tan, very Kaliphlin.

Above the Clouds [search for the Air Crystal] I ducked as another empty ale mug flew past my head. My stomach rumbled as I looked at my uneaten bowl of tunnel rat stew. The dwarves here in Omurtag were serious about three things: mining, drinking and storytelling. After a long day of the first they progressed to a long night of the next. Months ago I'd met an old dwarven prospector, deep in the central mountain range. I might have been a tree for all the attention he paid to me, but say a few carefully dropped words and he would ramble for hours. His gems of wisdom were as few and far between as the nuggets of ore he was panning. But, over weeks of careful prompting I came away with the knowledge of a cautionary tale set in verse. True, it was in archaic Dwarvish so the rhyme and meter left something to be desired in translation. However, it was the first true hint I'd had that the legend of the elemental crystals was not just a human myth. And so I ended up here, in a Dwarven clan hall in Omurtag, where bards were always welcome. I had done my duty and sung away the hours entertaining them long into the night. It was time to test my poem. I beat on the small lap drum in time to the lines. "And where did ye be hearing that young human?" said a greying dwarf to my right. "It's been many a year since these halls have heard that story." I perked up in excitement. "Although your pronunciation IS atrocious, 'course drunk as they are," he nodded towards masses along the great hall, "they could barely make out any tale you spin." "You know the legend of the elemental crystals?" I asked. "To be sure, the Dwarves have always known of such, but the only one we be interested in resides not in these mountains." My heart sank to hear that I wasn't as close to my journey's end as I had thought. But there was hope! An actual mention of the crystals as real artifacts, not myth. "If the Earth crystal resided in this here range it would have called to her people long since," he explained. "But in the old days, with that poem came the tale that the Guardians of Air protected a treasure high in the mountains, above the clouds." I knew from experience that 'treasure' in Dwarvish was interchangeable with ore, gem, or...crystal. I gasped softly. "In the heights above here lies a temple, those who built it long gone by the time Dwarves arose from the depths. From there, those of pure intent may climb the Guardian's pathway to the crystal. Lose the way but once and the crystal's guardians will pass judgement upon ye as unworthy," he cautioned. "I can take ye there if ye be so inclined." He laughed at his own joke. We set out the next morning. For four sennights we trekked, gaining thousands of feet in elevation before my guide led me to the gateway of the mountain temple. Little remained to show where the building had once stood except some low, ragged walls and the large flagstone floor. We huddled in the lee of the stones and there my guide and I fasted as required. Meditating in a more miserable, damper place I could not imagine. I confess, my mind kept wandering. What must be an awe inspiring view of the sheer mountains and deep valleys was obscured by the dense clouds. Sitting in that eerie cocoon, the only change was the strange and somewhat ominous calls of the wind through the rocky spires. I could see how tales of fantastical creatures had evolved. My tummy grumbled. I hope my companion thought it merely another unidentified noise of the mountains. I thanked the Goddess for my penchant for sticky buns. If I came back from this adventure I'ld be able to able to indulge guilt free for weeks, the way I was shedding pounds. Maybe this is why it took two days before a spirit appeared to us. At first I wasn't sure I was seeing anything except another wisp of cloud across the flagstones. But the closer I studied it the more I realised this wisp was not drifting with the cloudbank. Out of this moment of enlightenment shaped a wraith-like form, white-on-white and easily lost. It floated towards the far edge of the shrine's courtyard where I thought a viewing platform led out over the side of the mountain. But there at the far side of the platform started a staircase of white, travelling up into the clouds. It came to me that if my will failed the path would crumble, disintegrating back into the ether from which it formed. And I would be falling, a long, long way. I climbed a few steps then looked back and see the path was solid behind, tempting me to turn back. It was good to know if I made it to the crystal I would most likely be able to come down the same way I went up. To my surprise my dwarven guide followed me out onto the stairs. "If you find yon crystal mayhaps I'll go a wandering again and listen for the call of Earth." Now I understand why he'd agreed to be my guide, although how you guide from behind did make me wonder. We climbed and climbed and I started to worry we'd still be ascending as night fell. The monotony of climbing through a shroud of white began to wear. My cloak grew heavy with the weight of water from the clouds and my mind began to wander, again. It would be nice to feel the sunshine on my face and solid ground beneath my feet. Suddenly, as I started thinking these things, I stumbled. My foot passing clear through the stair in front of me, only to be saved by my other knee landing squarely on a patch of still-solid step. It was then the true danger of this journey struck home. As I looked ahead I could see places where the stairs were growing transparent, threatening to disappear and take me with them into the swirling clouds below. The ferocious monsters of the Dwarves' story were nowhere to be seen. I believe them an old-wives tale to scare those faint of heart. Although, the amorphous nature of the stairway was quite scary enough on its own. I was so concentrating on the staircase that I failed to notice the oppressive density of the cloudbank was lifting. Sunlight began to filter down as the clouds changed to light mist. And then between one step and the next we were above them. The pure blue sky stretching from horizon to horizon with only faint glimpses of the mountain peaks pushing through the blindingly white. The undulating roof of the clouds stretched out so densely that it felt I could step off the staircase and onto their floor. The lure of this illusion probably took the lives of many adventurers before me. It was then I looked up. There defying all the elements, or perhaps because of them, stood a crystal shrine. The sheer, clear form capturing the blues from the sky until it appeared to glow with inner light. There, hanging from the arches was a crystal bowl. And inside the bowl stood the Air Crystal, pure and clear of flaws, lit from above by sunlight through the transparent domed roof of the shrine. I stepped onto the mosaic floor of the shrine and began to reach for the crystal. As I did I noticed my Dwarven guide had failed to join me. The path behind appeared solid but he was nowhere to be seen. I knew then of a certainty that I would not be trading tales with him again. Perhaps one day others would go in search of his Earth crystal, and when they found it I would raise a mug of ale to his memory. More pictures on my Flickr Album

Good job kabel! Nice north wind idea and it really worked well getting that blue background

Lovely archway with gorgeous curves Bartjuh. Nice entry

That's a really elegant little base

I couldn't ask in the main thread about the contest deadline because its locked. Anyway I'm finished aside from the inevitable fiddling , I just have to photograph it in good light tomorrow. But until then....

Phew! that great then. Since I'm out for half of each day so I have this evening to fix and tomorrow afternoon to photograph.

HELP!!! At what time does the Challenge 3 finish tomorrow and have to be posted by? I am PST. My air temple took flight when it was knocked off the table. It was fine as in its element, however when it met the earth element that was a different matter....

Lovely lava waterfall You brickshelf link says the folder isn't public yet.

Thank you guys for the encouragement! I have to post little bits to feel like I'm getting somewhere otherwise I'm in danger of not finishing. @Alex the building-like arches in the background are part of the pathway.

The Air Shrine, where the air crystal resides: now to place it in the scene. Counting down the those last days...

Thanks for those measurements, I was about to look them up, lucky I read to the end of the thread!! This looks like it could be a really inspirational contest. Thanks for a nice deadline, being away most of June this means it might be possible

The lego stores are getting some new yummy bricks in. I will have to tally up the exact numbers later but this is two small pots from Santa Clara: Lots of lovely fronds, purple transparent cones, red gemstones, red 2x2 flowers, white flower sprues, some wheels and two white windows (they had doors and door frames too and dark tan 2x2 tiles). One of those leaves is $0.70 on lego pick-a-brick and I fit 72 in the cup. Then three small pots from San Mateo: 1x4 bright pink, 2x3 purple plate, 2x2 rounds in trans light blue and trans neon yellow, 1x2 transparent - because I'm running low, red flower sprues and the trans purple cones. San Mateo didn't have gemstones or the flowers but they did have fronds on their wall.

I am drooling over those pastel tiles, the figures, the brick printed bricks , the dark orange, the sand green, oh my! If those actually made it to a shop pick-a-brick wall they wouldn't survive the day Thats a lot of money compared to lego shop pick-a-brick I would be so so broke if I found that selection somewhere. Very, very nicely done.

Gorgeous lava, the contrast between the neon orange and black rocks down through grey to the water. Lovely.

What fun! I love the details like the melting chocolate spill.