gedren_y

Buying piece-meal can cost you in shipping fees, but if you just want to rebuild classic ships this might be your better option. If you are worried about knowing which parts to buy, join Peeron.com. This site has scans of original instructions and parts lists. Yes, parts from original sets from the early years of Pirates may have degraded over time. But fortunately many of the parts are still produced and are made of better quality ABS. Buying piece-meal you can avoid the degraded parts issue. Some original printed parts, such as flags and sails, aren't being produced anymore, but there are sellers on Bricklink that produce stickers and waterslide decals of original prints (and modified versions in colors that never existed in the original line) and custom cloth sails. If you go this route, you might want to check out some tutorials on how to remove unwanted prints from bricks. (I recommend Brasso tarnish remover.) You can buy parts with printing issues, ie. scratches, or completely un-related prints for relatively low cost. I hope this helps you build your fleet.

TLG has already given us a steampunk-ish theme with Monster Fighters, and considering that they already have plenty of recent parts that fit the classical world, we may see a Greco-Roman theme. I would much prefer to have something even more ancient, like Mesopotamia, but that would be quite a stretch for TLG.

Obviously thirsty visitors to Petraea, stop by the Dromedary Drinking Hall, have a pint and tell your tale.

I wanted to do something for Petraea. The Dromedary Drinking Hall is what I came up with. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ History: What is now known as the Dromedary Drinking Hall began as nothing more than a hole in the ground. More than a century ago the dwarf Noordus Blackhammer dug a hole into the bedrock to keep his mead cool while he worked in the sun. Some co-workers found out and decided to do the same. For a time the spot was called Mead Lake. When the work was finished the workers moved on, but the holes remained. The master of the property eventually decided that a cool place for good drink would be very welcome. He hired back all the dwarves and set them to connecting the holes and building a small drinking hall. Over time the drinking hall passed from one master to the next, being expanded several times. It got its current name from the third owner, Shoopi Hopnon (a big fan of camels). At the time of the slave revolt, the Dromedary Drinking Hall was closed for rennovations. A new chandelier fixture was in place and a grand floor design had just been started. During the revolt, the owner died along with the artist who designed the tile arrangement, and many of the fancy tiles were looted. (The RL reason is gedren_y needs a better assortment of tiles.) The drinking hall passed to the dead master's freed slave, Podnik Tok. Being short on funds, Podnik scrounged up what tiles and funiture he could. He re-opened just a week later with his late master's finest drink being sold at four times its previous prices. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ DR Overview 01 by gedren_y, on Flickr DR Overview 02 by gedren_y, on Flickr DR Overview 03 by gedren_y, on Flickr ^^^ I actually got some overview pics this time. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Todays' events: Durgen Abirneend, Official Messenger for the Cobalt Vale High Ministry, is still in Petraea, having a grand time at the Dromedary Drinking Hall. DR Patrons 01a by gedren_y, on Flickr Durgen is the one in the silver helm. (Sorry for the blurry pic, got too close with the camera.) DR Patrons 01b by gedren_y, on Flickr Habneeb Shabneeb Babneeb, caravan master on his way to Cedrica, spending the night in Petraea before moving on. DR Patrons 01c by gedren_y, on Flickr Uurd Huurg, fourth cousin to Dextrus Flagg on his mother's side, is tasked with entertaining visiting officials. Durgen is four sheets to the wind and feels the need to talk: "Spent a score 'hic' years guardin' our 'hic' city wall. Never thought much 'hic' of stylin', shavin' or 'hic' even cuttin' ma hair. But now I'm 'hic-hic' da 'ficial Messen-'hic'-er, I gotsta 'hic-hic' look presen-'hic'-ble. Went to dis dwarf barber 'hic-hic-hic' 'n got da local 'hic' style." -He drinks then continues- "Say, dis 'hic' mead, don taste 'hic' es strong 'hic-hic' es ma home 'hic' drink, but it sure 'hic' packs a wallop. Hehe 'hic' wallop. Wahl and 'hic' Lohp, ma sister's 'hic' youngest 'hic' twins. Dey're on my 'hic' wall now. An deir 'hic' older bro-'hic'-er is da guard to da new Minister Ex-'hic'-tern-'hic'-al. Da lad's tea-'hic'-toatl'r, but plenty 'hic' good with a blade. Here's 'hic' to ya, lads!" -More drinking- "Now, don't 'hic' get ma wrong 'hic-hic' bout da Minis-'hic'-er. He's a braw 'hic' fighter, but 'hic' wiffin' Nocturnus 'hic' goin' ta pot 'hic' an' Aval-'hic'-nians bein' such 'hic' buggers 'hic-hic' lately, evr'one need sum'one 'hic' to watch deir 'hic' back. Mine's dat 'hic' pretty lass over 'hic' dere. Go on an 'hic' be soc-'hic'-ial, but 'member 'hic', her swords're prob-'hic'-ly sharper dan yours's. Heh heh 'hic-hic-hic' he." DR Patrons 02a by gedren_y, on Flickr DR Patrons 02b by gedren_y, on Flickr ^^ Shay Liih, Durgen's guardswoman, has decided to stay with their gear. Being a bit paranoid, she is watching all the people coming and going intently. Her drink is white tea flavored with pommegranate. She also refused to remove her late father's throwing axe. (Don't repeat Podnik's mistake!) DR Patrons 03 by gedren_y, on Flickr Joop Yah (in the turban) is upset about not having any anchovies on his pizza. There haven't been any on the last four caravans from Mpya Stedor. Some dross about provisions for some new guardsmen. Podnik Tok (with the bottle) still wears his slave clothes now and then to remind Guild officials of his loyalties. To keep in Dextrus Flagg's good graces, the drink flows quite freely for visiting dignitaries. He is convinced that this applies to Durgen. Namses Setesh agreed to accompany the Nestlands Clans-persons to Petraea for his good friend Aturl. He is now so drunk that he is about to start a food fight. If he can hold his balance long enough that is. DR Patrons 04 by gedren_y, on Flickr Avalonian Guardsman Gifinim Cireneg (<-some name fun) has been ordered home from his comfortable embassy position. Considering that all he knows about the problems in the north is some drow rebellion in Nocturnus, he is understandably upset. But being a loyal soldier, he will do his duty for Artorious Rex. He will soon learn things are much worse now. DR Patrons 05 by gedren_y, on Flickr Snuggf Gruumish (the orc) is supposed to be standing guard in case someone tries to attack the Official Messenger, but is considering thonking him on the head to shut him up. Ourfin Mm'Driig (hat) and Lakid Mm'Driig (bandana) have been sent to inform Uurd Huurg of the recent happenings. They do not enjoy being the bearers of bad news. Particularly to Uurd Huurg, who doesn't take bad news well. DR Weapons Storage 01 by gedren_y, on Flickr DR Weapons Storage 02 by gedren_y, on Flickr ^^ Podnik Tok asks that you stow your weapons. DR Food by gedren_y, on Flickr Bread, bananas and plantains are made available to minimize the effects of strong drink. Very few patrons actually eat them, though. DR Display 01 by gedren_y, on Flickr An aquamarine copy of the sword that killed Podnik's late master. Exspensive! Do not touch! DR Display 02 by gedren_y, on Flickr Unicorn horn preserved in enbalming fluid. Do not touch! (Got too close again. My camera's viewing screen is useless for determining shot quality.) DR Display 03 by gedren_y, on Flickr New flags hung to celebrate Dextrus Flagg's new boat. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ (Outside pics) DR Windows 01 by gedren_y, on Flickr The windows are at street level. Light reflecting off the bright ground keeps the Dromedary Drinking Hall well lit during the day. DR Window Wells 01 by gedren_y, on Flickr DR Window Wells 02 by gedren_y, on Flickr ^^ Window wells, my nod to Mike Holmes, and some nice depictions of sand drifts. DR Corner Close by gedren_y, on Flickr Someone has been excavating a little too close. Podnik is considering suing. DR Flags Close by gedren_y, on Flickr A close up look at the flag arrangement on the roof. DR LIghting 01 by gedren_y, on Flickr DR Lighting 02 by gedren_y, on Flickr DR Lighting 03 by gedren_y, on Flickr DR Lighting 04 by gedren_y, on Flickr ^^^^ My attempt at having the chandelier actually work. Didn't work. The aquisition of a bright, white LED fell through, so I made the best of what I had to work with, which wasn't much. DR Chandelier Close by gedren_y, on Flickr A close up of the chandelier. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I will attempt to get better photos in a few days. I'll also make a thread with some (hopefully) good shots of my principal characters soon. Edit: I attempted to use an old digital camera that has control issues. It was never good for close work, but I got an interior overview shot out of it. Not great, but it gives you a sense of the composition. DR Overview 04 by gedren_y, on Flickr gedren_y

The soldier torsos in the first pic are the Crownie mail. In the second pic, from left to right: Vikings, Vikings, Kingdoms.

Good drow architecture. Evocative photo editing. I am wondering, though, where all the capable drow warriors are. The outposts that the Avalonians have attacked so far seem to be under-manned with an easily overwhelmed force. They must be amassing elsewhere to make a swift coup. Just an observation.

Wonderful! Now I know who to use as guards for the offical visit to Cobalt Vale. (I have multiples of your Palace guards, Market guards and Archers.) It also looks like Sir Yohawkness is enjoying some fine Nestlands products. The High Guard of Ghuin Nol have enjoyed this pattern and shield type for some time, though they use more white in their uniforms and bashing spikes on their shields. The story here goes that the pattern and shield design the High Guard use was inspired by paintings on a cave wall, seen by several of our secret traders long ago.

Thank you, your constructive criticism is noted. I do have plenty of red flags. One is actually on the standard in the cart, but it isn't visible. You'll get to see it when I do the standard planting scene. I do wish I had gotten a good overview pic of the build, but alas I had to dismantle it and move all my Lego into another room. The use of sports parts as walls has been done before (noticed some in a Mitgardia build), so it's not that innovative. I do believe I am the first to use slotted sports base as a firing hole, though. You'll be seeing plenty of Brickarms products in my vigs. Hopefully some of my up-comming parts usage will be seen as innovative, but energy sword and glaive polearms are pretty common. I wonder if anyone noticed the monopods on the shields, because I find it helps make the studs on the octagon shields seem to have an actual purpose. To those who read my intro story, here's a hint to the Red Dwarf reference: the Minister says it.

Sdair Zuuree says, "Avalonians! In the Nestlands the only zombies that are raised are those of convicted murderers, still serving their sentences to their victims' families. All law abiding citizens here rest peacefully in the bellies of birds, as they are avatars of our Armored Eagle Goddess. Good peoples should be left to spend eternity how they choose." OOC: I am thinking that the majority of the drow in Kaliphlin cities are culturally a more matriarchal version of the Nietzscheans of Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda. It seems like the psychology fits. Does anyone agree?

If you are thinking any version of Space Police then you are thinking space stations. Many space stations have civilian personell, dockworkers and freighter crew that are usually in some form of uniform, usually jumpsuits. Those can simply be pocketed torsos and legs that are the same color. Companies also use uniforms, and Lego has established Octan as existing into the future with its logo appearing in SPIII sets in small ways. There are plenty of blue pocketed shirt torsos with the Octan logo, and with those you could use the first wave Power Miners blue pants for a refueling crew. Use cyborg and scientist heads fromn Power Miners and Agents, and give your figs sci-fi looking equipment. Try to use clothing that doesn't show a neck opening, and avoid using hands the same color as heads, so you can give your figs helmets and air-tanks to work outside a space station.

Wonderful 'classic' space builds. I can understand why you chose a black table as your surface. Space is black. But if you want to have stars and/or other space phenomena in your backdrop, I suggest getting your hands on a 2010 ed. of Cosmos by Giles Sparrow. It is a large book with grand space images. I am looking through it now and am considering a space build just to use it as a backdrop myself.

First born unicorn! We just Kan't Stop! But seriously, do not let drow ambition destroy the joy of a Kaliphin scion. Do not let your Avalonian agression rule you. If you must, be brave, but don't get carried away.

Just realized that mag wheels work as well, but they only come in white and black. I wss wrong. They only work on the other kind.

You could also use one of these with some 1x1 round plates or a combo of these and any of the animal horns or just about anything with a standard bar protrusion.

The house is my favorite. It even could be an historic house from one of the Dutch or German communities of the mid-west US. I think I saw something similar in the movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off which was shot in and around Chicago.

The Drow rebellion has amassed enough support where they might actually succeed in their coup. As long as the Nestlands are left to themselves, the Clans of the Armored Eagle Goddess will simply watch the goings on. gedren_y is wondering where the helmet on the Plankton head comes from, though.

Sorry for the second post, but I had to share this. Inspiration struck, but I don't have all the parts. Maybe another Kaliphlin guildmember can use this. Kaliphlin Wall Ext. by gedren_y, on Flickr Kaliphlin Wall Int. by gedren_y, on Flickr I bid you good building.

Here is the first scene in the story from my entrance into the Kaliphlin Guild. To read the story go to this page. CV Entrance 01a Greeting by gedren_y, on Flickr CV Entrance 01b Greeting by gedren_y, on Flickr ^^ Greeting the visitor. Second pic sill not so great. CV Entrance City Guard 01 by gedren_y, on Flickr CV Entrance City Guard 02 by gedren_y, on Flickr ^^ Sdair Zuuree's brothers (twins), Wahl Zuuree and Lohp Zuuree, respectively. CV Entrance Sdair Zuuree by gedren_y, on Flickr ^ Sdair Zuuree (gedren_y) himself. CV Entrance High Guard 01 by gedren_y, on Flickr CV Entrance High Guard 02 by gedren_y, on Flickr ^^ The High Guard from Ghuin Nol in attendance. Don't let their pretty armor fool you. They are ruthless and efficient killers. CV Entrance Exterior Detail 01 by gedren_y, on Flickr CV Entrance Exterior Detail 02 by gedren_y, on Flickr CV Entrance Exterior Detail 03 by gedren_y, on Flickr CV Entrance Exterior Detail 04 by gedren_y, on Flickr ^^^^ Entrance exterior detail shots. You may notice some of the wall parts are not connected. This is because the wavy surface of the table would have left parts of the wall floating off the ground. The third pic shows the movable barriers designed to stop charging horses and carts. CV Entrance Interior 01 by gedren_y, on Flickr CV Entrance Interior 02 by gedren_y, on Flickr CV Entrance Interior 03 by gedren_y, on Flickr ^^^ Shots of the interior of one of the walls. The other is a mirror. Here you see the back ends of the spears on the walls. This small protrusion allows them to be launched. At minifig scale distances, they seem to be quite effective. Also note the ready crossbow and spears for throwing near the viewing slot. All all arrow- and spear-tips are coated in poisons made from local plants. CV Entrance Cart Detail 01 by gedren_y, on Flickr CV Entrance Cart Detail 02 by gedren_y, on Flickr ^^ Close-up pics of the visitor's cart. Not good pics, but it will be featured in a few more vingettes. CV Entrance Bird Food 01 by gedren_y, on Flickr CV Entrance Bird Food 02 by gedren_y, on Flickr ^^ Where the people of Cobalt Vale feed their dead to the giant vultures. The city of Cobalt Vale is open to visitors. Just be sure to abide by the laws and be courteous to the people. (Note: These pics are actually from the second round of photography. The first I deleted.)

I've just edited my innitial post with 2nd round photos. I'll now be making a larger thread for the build.

Good work. It is very much what it is supposed to be. My only nit-pick is that the swords that are displayed are upside-down. Proper display of a daisho set is with the cutting edge up. Just turn the swords over and it will be perfect.

A fine vessel, grand enough for an official visit to some far off port, or just some deep sea fishing. The flags are Fire Nation from this Avatar set. Only in this set, but you do get ten of them.

It reminds me of one of the Scottish islands castles, the ones that were repeatedly distroyed, rebuilt and distroyed again. One from the era of Robert the Bruce and the Scottish War for Independence.

Since many Avalonians are determined to have conflict with the drow, you may want to use the Deadpool figure as a drow wearing red. Maybe his armor and clothing could be colored with the blood of his enemies. Throw a black cape on him and either a black hood or a white Brickforge ponytail. With all his pockets, he should be carrying lots of small weapons and supplies. The Nestlands Clans want to avoid ill-attentions, though, so we will refrain from insulting comments to either side.

Thank you, but Sdair Zuuree (two U's) does not drink alcohol. His uncle, Durgen Abirneend, has availed himself of Petraean hospitality though, since he is the one carried the innitial offer of alleigance. He has yet to return. I'll begin work on his drunken speach as soon as I get better pics of the current build. The Cobalt Vale city wall used up most of my tan, dark tan and dark orange pieces.

The Clans of the Nestlands formally announce their alleigance to Dextrus Flagg and the Kaliphlin Guild. Where, what and who, you ask? Where: see map: Map of Nestlands by gedren_y, on Flickr What and who: read story: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ There is an ancient tale in the lands of Peregrinus of a fair skinned people that landed on the beaches of the mainland, and then disappeared into the mountain lands beyond. There was never any contact between the people of Peregrinus and these settlers, and most believed they simply perrished in the unforgiving landscape. Over the centuries, though, stories cropped up about fair folk in the mountains, or of a painted city rich in metals and fine cloth. Since most came from traders that traveled the land route from Qarkyr, they were dismissed as misidentifications, or embellishments, of the local Mountain Mummies. As the port of Berigora and the Peregrinus fleet grew, the land route for traders fell out of use. The often fantastical stories ceased to be told by outland traders, but were still told in taverns and to little children at bedtime; with even more embellishments. So the tale of the fair folk be came legend; one not truly believed by any citizen of Peregrinus today. They have just now found that some of those fantastical tales were grounded in fact. The fair folk have made contact. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I was ready and waiting when the man in the Petraea Guard livery approached in a horse-drawn cart. CV Entrance 01a Greeting by gedren_y, on Flickr CV Entrance 01b Greeting by gedren_y, on Flickr "Halo and welcome, good representative of the powerful Dextrus Flagg to Cobalt Vale, the center city of the Nestlands; sacred space of the Clans of the Armored Eagle Goddess," I parroted my prepared lines with as much emotion and little accent as I could manage, "I am Sdair Zuuree, Guardsman to the new Minister of External Affairs. Please, follow me." CV Entrance Sdair Zuuree by gedren_y, on Flickr (Sdair Zuuree = gedren_y) I turned, and then relaxed some as the guest removed his blades, climbed down and followed. Seeing my relaxation eased some of the tension of the city guards, but they were startled when the horse decided to follow the driver. "I and my kin be proud to be Kaliphlin," I told them in my own accent, "I will be escortin' the Minister on his official travels. 'Tis a very excitin' time for us here." The soldier grunted, looking about. "You'll 'ave met one of my kin already," I continued with an jovial tone, "Durgen Abirneend, my mother's brother, is the messenger we sent with our Declaration of Alleigance. The man loves his drink, so, I 'spect him to be fair pickled when he finally makes it home." "Welcome, welcome to the messenger from Petraea! I am Aturl Prndrn, Minister of External Affairs for the Nestlands Clans. And your name, sir?" exclaimed our new Minister in his best public speaking voice. "I am Captain Ahmnatt Sanib, Officer of the Court," the visitor replied, "I am here to finalize the Nestlands Clans acceptance into the Kaliphlin Guild." With that speach finished he removed an ornate guild standard from his cart and placed it in an open stanchion the Minister had prepared. With that duty done he removed his helm and gathered two large scrolls from his cart. "I have two scrolls requiring both our signitures. You as representative of the Nestlands Clans, and I as witness. One scroll will remain here and one I will return to Petraea for the court records." "Yes, yes, yes. We will get to official business in due time," the Minister dismissed with a wave, "But for now let me share with you some things about our people and our home. I am thinking that the great leaders in Petraea would like you to report as much as you can about us, correct?" The captain nodded. "Good then, please come inside," Aturl invited with rellish. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The captain was seated in the office of the newly appointed Minister, and the polite offers of refreshments deffered until later. Aturl breathed deeply, as was his habbit to do when preparing for a long speach. I groaned and leaned against the wall, knowing I would be here quite a while. "We the people of The Armored Eagle Clans emigrated millennia ago from the lands that today are Mitgardia," the Minister began our people's tale, "In those early times we were persecuted for our worship of the Armored Eagle Goddess by a great many succession of Lion Kings. The great voyage to our current home was couched in the idea of finding the fabled Nest of Metals, where it was believed our Goddess would return to the world in a great egg. The practical reality was we were being driven from our ancestral lands by the ever-expanding reach of the oppressive Lords." The captain looked at his tunic with a frown. "No need to worry about your emblem," I told him "The old hatred's long gone now." "Throughout our history here," Aturl continued, "We have attempted to keep ourselves apart from the native peoples, but over the centuries new ideas, architecture, technology and language have filtered their way in. First from quiet pacts with the Mountain Mummies, and then later with our own secret traders. More on that later." I had to chuckle at that. "While many still consider our current home sacred lands, most do not believe in the literal return of our Goddess." I coughed to remind him of my beliefs. "Oh, I guess Sdair still does," then he quickly returned to his topic, "We modern hill peoples now consider ourselves Kaliphlin hill people. This and the recent cooperative quests we've witnessed have spurred the clans to cast off centuries of hiding. Now we are formally announcing our allegiance to the Guild Leader Dextrus Flagg, while still holding on to our heritage." "The drow threat sorta forced us," I broke in, "The drow like rocks more than desert." For that I got a glare. "You'll notice much of our clothing still retains the forms of our ancestors, but not their weight," he kept on with his planned remarks, " Our accents, pronunciation and even the odd 'old word' may seem strange, and many have skin lighter than most. Despite our differences, we hope to be trusted companions in this new age of cooperation." "Some o' the older clan members are a bit wary o' outsiders." I interjected, and recieved an even more stern look. "How about we discuss the hills of the Nestlands?" the Minister quickly changed the subject. "Please do," the captain replied pulling the feather out of his helm and a folded bit of parchment from inside it. "All our hills are rich in iron and semi-precious materials: pyrite (fool’s gold), pewter (with varying degrees of copper/tin mix), a white metal the locals call khuweipp and cobalt. Blue pigments made from this cobalt (some lightened with khuweipp) and weapons made from our metals can be found nearly everywhere in the Siccus Badlands," he boasted, "Most wouldn't know that they came from here due to the fact that, until recently, all clan traders went out in disguise, most in the guise of our neighbors the Mountain Mummies. The reason I speak with so little accent is I was one of those traders. My good friend Namses Setesh saw my disguise as a fun joke on our customers." "You are familiar with their culture?" the captain asked excitedly, "Can you..." "No!" the minister replied firmly, "They kept our confidence until we decided to reveal ourselves. We can do no less for them." "Understandable," he replied with resignation while making notes. "My home hill is Nod Nol," Aturl said whistfully, "It is the smallest of our hills, but the one best suited for raising the little livestock that we keep." "Kine and sheep mostly," I explained. "Dub Nohl, Sdair's clan hill?" I nodded, and he continued, "Is the southern-most hill and has the darkest stone in the region. Ghuin Nol is the northern-most and highest hill and has the lightest stone. On a clear day the High Guard, Ghuin Nol's elite soldiers, can see the causeway of Peregrinus from the Skywatch Perch near the sumit. That is how we were able to prepare our welcome for you so quickly." "They spotted you more than a day out," said with a smile. "Vesw Nol is our western-most hill," Aturl droned on, "and it is where most of our metal ores are processed. It is possible that the metal for your helm and swords was smelted there." The captain tapped his helm and gave a shrug. "Edst Nol is the wide double-hill in the other direction," the Minister said with a sweeping gesture towards a curtained window, "It is where most of our clothing and pigments are produced. Where we stand now, as you know, is Cobalt Vale. It is the religious, cultural and commercial center. All traders that leave the Nestlands are based here. I'm thinking I should treat you before you leave to a nice cape." "Tell 'im the rest, Minister," I grumbled, "Not just the good." "You'll have noticed some green among the hills," Aturl said with a careful softening of his tone, "There is water here, but it comes from mineral springs with such a high metal content that all water for drinking, washing and gardening has to be distilled. Plants grown in the natural waters, though edible by the local animals, when eaten raw are indigestible to people and are often poisonous. Food preparation is taken very seriously by the hill peoples." "Don't offer to cook for a clansman," I huffed, "You'll get laughed at, and probably called 'bird food'." "Never ask what the meat is in a dish you are served," the Minister cautioned, "because you are likely to be told the truth. Usually it's mountain ram or mountain cat, but occasionally you'll be served monitor lizard. A common food you may want to avoid is a local derivation of haggis, made from the organs of said monitor lizard, boiled date roots and a weed-like plant that has been steeped in mead, wrapped in the lizard's skin and baked." "Naw," I drawled, "My mother's 'zard bag ain't that bad." "Despite our new announcement of alleigance," Aturl returned to his cautions, "I would discourage visitors from traveling alone away from Cobalt Vale. The clans have a long tradition of hostage taking. There is no need to worry about mistreatment since hostages are treated as honored guests, but you must stay until the ransom is paid or until a year and a day have passed, and the food may not always agree with you." "That's mostly the Vesw Nol clans," I grumbled, "Dub Nol doesn't do that anymore." "If you do travel our lands," he rejoined, breaking off my rant, "You may note that we have no cemeteries. We still adhere to ancient tradition by feeding the bodies of the dead to birds. Usually the giant vultures that most Kaliphlins avoid. This is important to us, so if you find one of our clan-members dead, please do not bury us." "No burial. Important" he murmured, continuing to make notes. "Some things you must be aware of concerning our laws are that theft, murder and the killing of birds will not be tollerated in the Nestlands," the Minister said more pointedly, "Even minor theft of food can make someone a 'guest' of the city for a year and a day. If you are hungry, but have no coin, do not let pride keep you from asking." "There is always plenty of food," I said proudly, "Good people share when there is plenty." The captain smiled at that. "Murder," the Minister returned forcefully, "carries the sentence of life and afterlife servitude to the clan the offender has taken from." Our visitor opened his eyes wide at that, but continued with his notes. "The killing of a bird comes with harsher punishment," warned Aturl at his darkest, "As they are holy symbols here. The killing of a non-eagle bird, other than the giant vulture, is punishable by the removal of flesh equal in weight to the dead bird. The killing of eagles is a death sentence. The killing of a giant vulture is permissible in self-defence, but a sport killing has the same sentence as an eagle killing." "Hap na scraddig graah!" came a cry from the street. "Sdair, will you please open the side door for Sesi?" the Minister requested, "She is probably overburdened with food for tonight's feast." I did so as quickly as I could, but by the time I returned, the scrolls were signed and they were having what smelled like shwipper spirits. I don't drink alcohol, so I stood outside the door until I was relieved. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ So that is the tale as it exists so far. Edited with new photos. Some are still not what I wanted, but I have to dismantle it now. More photos of this build can be found here. I invite any guildmember to build their vision of life in the Nestlands. I just ask that you keep your builds consistant with the culture and landscape, and the locals should speak with an accent simmilar to American Hillbilly. Build with whatever colors you like as the Nestlands have plenty of paint. I hope you enjoy this addition to the Kaliphlin Guild. gedren_y PS: I am planning more vingettes from this story, so keep a watch for them. Oh, and can anyone spot the Red Dwarf reference?