Franco Clarke

Thank you, that scene was really what inspired the entire story really. Thanks, I am just finishing the next part now. I'm glad you like the second shot, that was my favourite too! Thank you, I will always try to take fully lit shots, since the night ones aren't so good for details.

Erwin stood on the deck of an unfamiliar ship in the middle of a battle. The cannons fired and the deck rocked, but the officer in front of him stood steady. The man had a straggly red beard, and had a patch over one of his eyes. He had a bicorne hat atop his head and was wearing the uniform of Corrington's navy. He spoke with a cool voice, layered with malice 'Good morning Commander Erwin Clarke, how nice of you to join me on my ship' The man unsheathed a long slender sword and leapt at him. Erwin raised his sword and stumbled back, only just managing to block the attack. The officer stepped to the left quickly and then slashed again. Again, Erwin barely blocked the blow, and fell back again. 'Your fighting technique is sloppy and unrefined' the man said, thrusting his blade at Erwin 'but there again what would you expect from a merchant playing-soldier' Erwin dodged but the sword caught his coat tearing it. 'It's a shame your skill betrays you, you hide your true nature quite well' the Officer went on taunting, feinting right and then jabbing left. The blade grazed Erwin's thigh, drawing blood. If he didn't do something he was going to die by the hands of this Corrie. Erwin swept forward, extending his sword toward the officer's one good eye. Suddenly something exploded. Erwin flinched and his sword merely scratched the officer's cheek. Erwin looked over to see the Colombe erupt into flames off the starboard side of the ship. Taking advantage of Erwin's distraction, the officer flicked his wrist and sent Erwin's sword spinning across the deck. Erwin took a step back and found himself trapped up against the stern of the ship. 'You need to focus more, your distraction has cost you greatly' the officer gloated pointing his razor sharp blade at Erwin's neck 'You will be destroyed, and your precious merchant fleet will shortly follow!' Erwin grimaced 'I may die, but you will not win, for as long as you act with such cruelty, good men will always resist Corrington!' The officer smiled 'A charming sentiment, but I'm afraid history will not see things that way when Corrington rules the seas!' Saying this, the Officer plunged his sword toward Erwin's chest. Erwin awoke. He was in his cot at the fortress of Breshaun. The battle hadn't taken place at all. But something was wrong. The drumbeat of action stations rolled through the night. Erwin got up and pulled on his uniform. As he ran to Stingray, he wondered what could be the problem. Beside the vessel, he caught up with Private Collins who was already standing to attention as the crew prepared the ship for action. Standing by the gangplank was a junior officer, resplendent in his floppy tri-corner hat. As Erwin rushed up he hailed him 'The governor requests your immediate presence, we have a situation' Erwin frowned and followed the man calling over his shoulder 'Collins, I trust you can finish the preparations for Stingray! I shall return as soon as possible' After a short walk, they entered a large house on the edge of the Naval Sector of Breshaun. Erwin had never been in this building before, since it was one of the fleet captain's residences, and thus off-bounds without an invitation. He wondered what could have caused the alarm to be raised. At the end of the corridor an open door spilled light into the hall, between a huddle of figures. The young officer announced Erwin's arrival, and the crowd parted to let the Governor through. Erwin stood to attention and saluted. The governor addressed him quickly and directly 'Commander, we have a situation, and apparently you are the man we need' He signalled for Erwin to follow him into the room. As he passed through the crowd, he noticed they all outranked him significantly. So what service could he provide that they could not? The room he entered was lined with tables, with scattered chairs in-between. Large windows lined the far wall, one of which lay shattered on the paved floor. A chest had been overturned and its contents strewn across the flagstones. Broken glass glinted among the papers which had been in the chest. Obviously someone had been looking for something. 'This building is the main design shop for our shipyards here in Breshaun. A few hours ago, somebody broke in and stole secret plans for our latest warship, plans which could do a great deal of damage if they fell into the wrong hands. I guess you can see the problem' Erwin nodded 'Yes sir, I will do anything I can to help, what will my role be?' The Governor continued 'We have very little experience in this field, however, since you handled the Londa case so successfully, we thought that you might be our best bet.' Erwin replied 'Sir I must inform you that I only aided an agent of the King at Londa Bay, I may have difficulty retrieving these vital plans.' 'Of course I understand, but by the time we had requested the king send an agent, the plans could well be lost' Erwin saluted 'Then with all due respect, I request to be able to begin operation at once.' 'Indeed, time is of the essence, we have deployed the fleet to monitor traffic coming off the island, but there is too much traffic to ensure we find it that way.' The governor handed Erwin a slip of paper with his stamp on it 'This should ensure that you get any help that you need' Sorry, but this story ended up being very long, with not all that much happening hopefully, subsequent parts will be less long-winded. The build here was another experiment with a small interior scene, and I think it came out slightly better than previous ones. I also did a few more night photographs, which I think should be clearer now.

Thank you, I am glad you liked the night photographs, and I will continue to experiment until I get it nailed down! The baseplate was cause of this build since I wanted to cover the water in the middle up! Thank you, I was pleased with the moon too! For night shots, I would suggest taking them when it is already dark, that really helped this time around! Thank you, I will try and add a little more light in my next set of night shots.

Great work, I like the sloped roof, it adds a bit of shape to what might otherwise be very square! It looks a very build able design, which could be adapted for many purposes - perhaps a houseboat type thing?

Wow these layouts just get better and better! They really do get the feeling of the entire world that's been created.

http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?/forums/topic/142454-ol-fb4-mysterious-isle/ I Franco Clarke I Oleon

Stingray slipped through the calm waters of the night, the sea dark apart from the cool light from the moon. Erwin stood at the wheel and with his eyes, accustomed to the dull light, watched the sea for anything which might impede Stingray's voyage. The moon reflected in the smooth ocean, like a huge pale cheese. Suddenly an island appeared off Stingray's starboard bow, as if it had just popped into reality. Erwin started, he could have sworn there was nothing there before! The island was small, and illuminated by a strange unearthly glow, which appeared to have no source. In the centre of small piece of land, was an overgrown structure with an obelisk jutting from its roof. The building, which, as Erwin studied it in more detail, appeared to be a temple, dominated the island. Erwin adjusted their course and called to the marine on watch with him, 'We should probably investigate this island, rouse the rest of the crew and prepare the dinghy' The dinghy cut through the surf and ground into the sand of the beach. Erwin climbed up onto the prow and lept down onto the island. As his feet touched the ground there was a loud crack and a chunk of masonry fell away from the obelisk and hurtled to the ground. Erwin turned the rest of the landing party who were getting out the boat, 'Be careful, the temple might not be structurally sound, watch your step.' The group started to explore the undergrowth around the ruined temple, finding that the plants had grown over a paved floor, and that a heavy-looking altar lay at the front of the temple. Erwin froze. He felt something cool around his ankle. He knew that the islands in this area were infested with dangerous snakes and spiders. Slowly he peered down at his foot. Then he began to laugh, it was only a couple of sticks that had got snagged around his leg. He kicked them away and looked up again. Then he felt something round his ankle again. Annoyed, he looked down, what could it be? The sticks were back around his ankle. But they were not sticks; no they were far too pale and knobbly. Erwin recoiled in shock, as his leg was being gripped by a skeletal hand. He took a step back, but the hand's grip tightened and an arm appeared out of dirt. Frightened, he kicked at the bones, and succeeded in breaking their grasp. Then his heart went cold, for the earth around the bones writhed and broke as a skull rose up through the ground. The skull came followed by a spine, rib cage and shoulders. Soon there was a full skeleton standing motionless in the moonlight. It opened its mouth in a spine chilling grimace and made a rattling noise. 'Captain duck!' shouted a familiar voice. Erwin did, and Private Collins' musket cracked out in the quiet night, hitting the skeleton's head, scattering bones everywhere. Erwin got to his feet and breathed a sigh of relief. 'Where would I be without you Private?' Erwin commented, 'It seems like there was at least one resident here before us then' There was a rustling sound, and Erwin turned back to see the bones sliding through the plants and snapping back together. The skeleton rose back up, this time with a shattered hole in its face where Collin's shot had hit home. Erwin noticed another skull pushing its way through the sands of the beach, whilst an arm was reaching out from beneath one of the paving slabs. 'Ugh, looks like we upset someone!' said Collins. 'I wonder if there is a way of permanently dealing with these guys?' Erwin unsheathed his sword and cut one of the skeletons down, but he could hear the clattering as the bones reformed. One of the walls of the temple collapsed and even more skeletons poured out from inside. 'I couldn't agree more' returned Private Collins, sending one of the skeleton's skulls spinning into the water. They rushed back to the dinghy and heaved in into the water. 'That island is too spooky for me' said Erwin as the dinghy moved back toward Stingray, 'and I don't think it will be of much use to Oleon with its current inhabitants' They tied the dinghy to Stingray's side and continued on their journey, leaving the island far behind. Once again I tried to do some night-time scenes, hopefully they are more clear than previous attempts. The temple came about due to finding a number of parts which had suitable patterns on them. Since I already had a spooky overgrown temple, and a desire to do a night-time story, the time of year lead me to give the story a supernatural theme.

Excellent build, it all sits together so well. To add to that the photography is superb, but those are some pretty tall trees!

A nice build, and of a topic we don't see all that much of! I like all the different users of the baths.

Great work on the removable sections, I like how the building is partially subterranean.

Neat cannon and I like the roof of building.

Looks like those pirates have got things sorted out! I wonder if the ship's new owners will keep the ping pong table? The build is good, I like the splintered jetty and the crane.

http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?/forums/topic/141460-ol-fb3-return-to-isla-de-ceniza/ I Franco Clarke I Oleon http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?/forums/topic/141078-ol-fb2-deception-at-the-terrabanks/ I Franco Clarke I Oleon http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?/forums/topic/141031-ol-fb1-escort-duty/ I Franco Clarke I Oleon

Thank you, it is always a pleasure to rid the seas of pirates! I'm glad you liked the new weapon, but it might take a while to reach frontline service. Thank you, the shot of the rocket firing was my favourite too. I'm glad you like the barge, I plan to make a few more since they are so simple.

A lovely pair of ships, which came together so quickly! They are deceptively large, and I especially like the use of the shields on the anchor.

Stingray juddered and rolled over the calm sea in a most un-characteristic manner. Erwin grimly held the wheel in a vain attempt to keep her on course, but it was really the stiff breeze which was keeping the ship on course. Erwin looked to the right at what was making Stingray so unseaworthy. A small barge was tied to Stingray's starboard side, and had completely ruined the ship's balance and streamlining. Aboard this barge was a new weapon, hidden under a canvas at the bow, and Erwin had mistakenly volunteered to escort the barge to test the weapon. The inventor of the new weapon had come along for the testing so that he could observe its capabilities, and if required, make adjustments to improve its viability. He had said that he wouldn't reveal the weapon's type and design until they reached the testing point, for fear of an enemy spy. Erwin had assured him that Stingray's crew were as loyal as any other in Oleon's fleet, but the inventor would hear none of it. The lookout announced that the target was close and soon it was visible on the horizon. The selected testing ground was Isla de Ceniza, and island known to harbour a small band of pirates. Indeed Erwin had discovered these pirates a few months back, but had been unable to root them out due to their heavy cannon. The inventor had assured Erwin that the new weapon would outrange the pirate's cannon, meaning they could deal with them without being in any danger of return fire. Erwin ordered Stingray to drop anchor and they let the Inventor board the barge and prepare it for action. A squad of marines boarded the small vessel and untied it from Stingray's side. They then rowed until they were a decent way from Stingray, and then too they dropped an anchor to hold the barge steady. Then they removed the cover from the weapon and Erwin, watching through his telescope saw that it appeared to be a series of poles, a bit like an organ laid upon its side. Indeed this was a very strange weapon, since it didn't appear to have a barrel to load shot into. Perhaps it might be some sort of catapult? Intrigued, Erwin turned his gaze onto the island. The pirates had noticed their arrival and had began preparing their boat. New weapon or not, Stingray still outmatched their defences, and they were taking advantage of Stingray's halt to try and escape. Back on the barge, the Inventor had got everyone to stand at the far end of the barge, away from his weapon, and then approached it alone holding a burning torch. He touched the torch to a small lump at the end of one of the poles, and immediately it shot along the pole and flew into the air. It followed a curving arch, trailing a jet of fire and screaming like some unholy monster, until it landed upon the island and exploded, lighting a fire which quickly took hold in the dense undergrowth. Obviously pleased that he had got the range right, the inventor began lighting all of the poles, and they too followed the first and howled towards the island. In little under a minute the small piece of land was turned into a raging inferno. The flames shot high into the sky as they consumed the plants, and trees. One missile fell short and hit the pirate's boat, setting that alight too, and the charred remnants of it soon sunk beneath the waves. The fires continued to burn for over an hour and once they had died down, the inventor landed to inspect his handiwork. Erwin wandered around the island, now little more than a pile of ash and sand. He found Private Collins looking at the barrel of the pirate's cannon, still glowing faintly from the heat of the fire. 'That is quite a weapon' Collins commented. 'I'd hate to see what it could do to a wooden ship.' Erwin nodded 'Indeed I fear it may make the old cannon obsolete.' This story showcased my design for a small general purpose barge, seen here used as an experimental weapons platform. I actually had half-made this when I wrote the original Isla de Ceniza story, but it has been languishing incomplete until now. The barge was designed so that it could be used for a wide variety of purposes. Here it can be seen as an infantry transport barge, perhaps to be used on a ship of the line. Alternately you could remove a few soldiers and instead use this barge as a 1A ship, with a cannon in the front. Or you could remove the gun and load some supplies. The only thing which I originally wanted this barge to do which it currently can't is to transport a wagon. However I might make an enlarged version which can do this at a later point. I will finish off with picture of the two barges I have completed so far.

Thanks for the heads up, its so easy to forget about things like flags! I'm glad someone noticed the dragon sail, it came out very faint in the photos. Thank you, once I had decided upon the dragon arch, It all came together very short and fat, and I kinda like it that way!

Thank you, The high stern was mostly as a result of trying to fit the arch into the ship. I think I will keep it around, until I get enough parts to make something else out of it. I am glad that you like the arch. I see what you mean about the shields, and I have now replaced them with dragon plumes which looks better I think.

What a brilliant idea, and well executed too! I am not familiar with the style of ship, but from a purely aesthetic point of view it looks great. It is almost like a small fort floating on to of a barge, and I hadn't realised quite how big it is until I saw your useful size comparison photograph

The convoy continued on its journey, now with the addition of one recently liberated pirate ship. They docked at Amicable Point, and off-loaded the pathetic pirates. Indeed sailing into the harbour with a skull and crossbones sail had caused quite a stir. Now the group was on the final leg of the voyage through the Terrabank region. Erwin grimaced as he held the Vif on a steady course. The quicker they made it through this area, the better, the Terrabank brought up unpleasant memories. A call from the lookout brought him back to the present, as a larger vessel was approaching the convoy head on. The Terrabank was a popular area with pirates, since the areas of shallow water prevented the entry of larger warships. Therefore this lone vessel was unlikely to be a merchant ship. If the ship was indeed a pirate, and it was at least slightly more competently crewed than the last, they were in for a hard fight. It likely outgunned their convoy and also had a comparable number of crew. If only Stingray wasn't in for repairs, this would be a simple task. Erwin caught Private Collins' newly captured ship out of the corner of his eye. It still hadn't been repainted in Oleon colours, so might pass as a pirate ship. The approaching vessel still hadn't changed course, so Erwin decided it was better safe than sorry. First he signalled Collins to bring his vessel up beside the Vif. The Colombe was ordered to drop back and escort the merchant ships in case the plan went wrong. Private Collins called across 'Are you worried by that ship advancing from the East?' Erwin walked up to the rail, picking up the hat of the pirate captain they had left at Amicable Point. 'Indeed, and I think you are the key to defeating it,' Erwin replied, 'I want you to lower the Oleon Flag, and raise the old Jolly Roger. You will pretend to attack the Vif, hopefully fooling the new arrivals. Once we can get close enough we should be able to deal with the new vessel.' 'Sounds good sir, should we fire a few cannon shots in your general direction? That might help with the illusion' Collins shouted back. 'That would be perfect, just make sure you don't hit us! Also you might want this' said Erwin chucking the pirate hat across to Collins. The two vessels parted ways, and Erwin got the crew to start shooting at Collins' boat. Collins removed his shako, stowing safely on the deck, then placed the grimy bicorn upon his head. At his signal the cannon roared, spitting a shot which bounced off the waves at the Vif's stern. Inspecting the approaching ship, Erwin recognised that his fears had been correct; this ship was flying the Jolly Roger too. Hopefully it would try and use the Vif's apparent distraction to bypass the escort and attack the merchant ships directly. Turning the tiller slightly, Erwin redirected the Vif slightly so that it would appear easy to sail straight past it. They took the bait and continued on toward the merchants. When the pirate ship was only 100 metres from the Vif, Erwin shouted 'Now' and turned the Vif so that it would come up on the starboard side of the pirate's cutter. Collins directed his boat to the port side of the pirate ship, pulling down the jolly roger and raising the battle flag of Oleon. 'Load the grape shot!' Erwin hollered, hoping that Collins would follow suit. If they were lucky they might be able to cut down a significant number of the pirates, levelling the playing field. The Vif drew level with the pirate ship, as Collins moved up on the opposite side. 'Fire!' The grape shot achieved its goal and almost all the pirates who had been amassed on the deck of their ship in the hopes of raiding some defenceless merchants were immediately taken out of the fight. Those that survived unscathed grabbed onto the cannon which was mounted on the centre of the deck swinging it to point at Collins' apparently turncoat pirate ship. It kicked back, sending a heavy shot straight through the middle of the main deck. Water gushed out from the hole as the boat began to sink. A crewmember shouted up to Collins 'The ship is lost'. Cheerfully, Collins shouted back 'Then it is time to get a new one!' Seeing Collins' crew clambering up onto the deck of the pirate ship, Erwin signalled for his crew to follow suit. 'For Oleon!' he shouted grabbing onto the side of the pirate ship and beginning to climb up to the deck. The fighting was short, and the pirates were quickly overcome. Trapped between two separate boarding parties, they stood little chance. The survivors quickly surrendered and the ship was taken. Collins looked back to see that the deck of his ship was awash and the mast had collapsed. 'Sorry sir but the boat you entrusted to me is becoming a submersible' Collins said to Erwin, as the pirates were tied up on the deck of their ship. 'That is a pitty, but it would be far more awkward to try to stretch the Vif's crew over 3 ships' replied Erwin, 'Let's hope that the rest of the voyage is more peaceful' Here are a few clearer shots of the pirate ship, Wyvern. Surprisingly, this ship actually gets a set of sails and a little bit of rigging, although I kept the amount of string down since this is not intended to be a permanent build. She was originally going to have a low stern, more similar to the Colombe, but once I found that dragon arch, I had to use it, hence the high stern. The dragon theme spread through the rest of the ship as well. I've just noticed that I put the flag back on upside down, oh well. The deck is quite cramped, especially around the stern. Holes in the main deck should serve as access underneath. In the style of a classic ship, I made the stern deck pivot up too access the stern cabin, not that there is anything inside.

Thank you all I am glad that you like my little boat.

Nice looking warship, it fits the converted theme well, by lacking a more usual gun deck. I like how most of the guns are on very flexible mounts, making the ship's cannons far more efficient than the more common mounts.

Nice work, the texture all over it is my favourite part.

Thanks, I'm glad you liked her. I am content with this version, and as it was meant to be semi-fantastical rather than historical, I won't change it. However I shall incorporate the suggestions into some brigs which I am planning to build. Removing the requirement for an enclosed deck will really help!