NiceMarmot

Wow, Gabe! I think you hit it out of the park again! (Hope you get that; I realize it's an American phrase...) I really like what you did to the top of the teahouse; it looks great. That's a wonderful build. Nice guild; I like the snake and pig creatures. I'm sure my guild, the Kelasituan, are probably frequent traders with Temukan; there are definitely a few similarities.

Good job; nice little castle. These micro builds are so cool; I've just got to start building more of them. And glad to see someone found a use for those statues!

Guild Name: Guild of the Kelasituan Guild Location: the Floating Islands of Terapulau Capital: Pandesi-pan Ruler: Tukesa Vikassi Unique Characteristics: Excellent sailors, swimmers, and fishermen, great wood-carvers, warm, friendly Color Scheme: Blue and Green Everyone in Historica has heard stories of the Floating Islands of Terapulau, but few have ever seen them. The islands sail around the great seas of the world, moving to the patterns of fish and weather. Occasionally, one of the islands will loom off the shore of Historica, prompting a flurry of trade, only to then drift away over the horizon. Creation Myth The Terapulau islands were originally part of the continent of Historica, on the central eastern coast. Legend has it that the inhabitants build huge cities and monuments of stone, and in doing so, insatiably quarried stone from the hills, leaving large swaths of rubble behind them. In doing so, they awoke the great Snake of the Mountains, who lies under the hills and slumbers protected in his den of solid rock. When the Snake saw the devastation people had wrought, and how they had pillaged his stone, he became very angry. He wrecked their cities and monuments with his massive tail, and then started to eat all the people. The people cried out for protection to the Seahawk god. Seahawk told them he could only protect them by tearing their lands off of Historica, and leaving them to float the oceans forever. And, they must avoid the use of stone in building, so as not to offend the Snake again. They agreed, and with his huge talons, Seahawk ripped the lands free from Historica and cast them into the sea, giving each island one of his feathers so they would float. Thus the Terapulau Islands were created. The land around the Goolag Archipelago on Historica, where the islands were torn off, still has a ragged, torn look. Some of the Major Islands with land-sails rigged, and showing one of the chained floating islands above Geography The Terapulau consist of nine large islands and several smaller ones. The islands are mostly jungle and tropical savannah, with sandy beaches, mangrove swamps, and low hills. There are no mountains or serious metal ore deposits. What stone there is tends to be a low quality sandstone, not terribly useful for building. The larger islands are estimated to extend several hundred feet below sea level, as they tend to run aground when drifting into shallower waters around Historica. They float due to large quantities of unobtanium in their soils; the same substance that makes certain mountains and islands float in the air. Here is a map of some of the larger islands. Note that the relative position of the islands to each other on the map is meaningless, as they float around all the time. The brown dotted lines linking one island to another are huge chains that permanently link some islands together. Peoples The Kelasituan are a mixed bunch. There is a large human population, as well as two large races of elves, the Jardesi, who live in the jungles, and the Walesi, who are seafaring elves. Additionally, there are various peoples descended from ocean creatures, such as the Buayan, who are crocodilian in form, and the Manreysi, who resemble humanoid manta rays. Government Each island (or set of small islands) is governed separately, by a lord called the Tuantuan. The entire guild is ruled by a leader called the Ratuan, elected by and from the Tuantuans every eight years at the Long Night Festival (winter solstice). Since most of the islands float independently, and each tuantuan can sail their island away, the Ratuan only has limited power over the Tuantuans, and mostly is concerned with settling disputes and managing foreign relations. Guildmembers on an island elect their tuantuan every four years, but it is not uncommon for a tuantuan to be reelected for decades. Tuantuans are selected from a special class of citizens, called the Tuanrang. Bright, organized children are selected to be part of the Tuanrang, and receive special training. As adults they take on most of the administrative roles. The current Ratuan is Tukesa Vikassi, shown above flanked by two of her elite guard. She was elected twelve years ago, and has done much to improve relations with the outside world. She is said to be a skillful negotiator, and generally fair, although not one to cross. She comes from a prominent line of shamans, although she herself has shown no magical or prophetic ability. Economy Fishing is the mainstay of the Terapulau economy. The islands are in a continual pursuit of the best fishing grounds in the seas, and are sailed in yearly cycle around the oceans. Since the islands are mostly kept in tropical waters, plants grow lushly, although agriculture is mostly limited to fruits and vegetables, with minimal livestock (fowl mostly), although the larger islands grow much rice. Exports consist mostly of dried fish, spices, tea, and fine pottery. There is also a burgeoning trade in the hides of the besargigi, an enormous crocodilian creature found on many of the islands. Imports consist mostly of metal and stone goods, as there is little rock and ore on the islands. Trade with Historica is a bit difficult, as the islands are constantly on the move and thus there cannot be fixed trade routes. However the general pattern of the islands' travel is well known (south in the winter, and north in summer), and a flurry of trade does take place whenever the islands near other land masses. Most trade with the islands is conducted by Kelasituan traders, as only they really know where the islands will be at any particular time. Religion The Kelasituan worship a god they call the Navigator, who is said to steer the world and all things in it through the challenging waters of life. Their worship rituals are primarily focused on getting the Navigator's help with steering their islands to the best fishing grounds. Each constellation in their sky is named, as are most of the major stars, and there is a myth associated with each one. Similarly there is a creation myth associated with most of the major species of fish. Good catches are ensured by many festivals involving ritual dancing in which the dancers move together imitating schools of fish. Recent History The perennial problem with islands is of course, population growth. Namely, given fixed land area and food resources, how do you prevent population growth in good times from getting out of hand and causing famine? The inhabitants of Terapulau resorted to more intensive agriculture and better fishing techniques, but eventually began to face overpopulation and famine. The rulers of the islands shifted to a military strategy, focusing on conquering other lands and peoples. When they were successful, they could seize resources to feed their people, as well as demand continuing tribute. When they failed, well, the resulting casualties served to alleviate population pressure. Thus the kings of Terapulau ruled the waves for a millenium, striking terror into all land-dwellers of the world. In the spring, all Historica prayed for winds out of the north, to prevent the islands from sailing north and launching their yearly raids. Finally, in the eighth year of the Red Dolphin, Historica banded together with several other lands, and launched a huge counter-attack against the islands. After an enormous battle, the islanders' fleet was destroyed and the mighty power of Terapulau broken forever. Dwarven smiths from Mitgardia labored all summer, chaining the islands together, and mooring them off the south coast of Gorr. The entire population was enslaved, and subsisted as slave fishermen and sailors for twenty years. In the fifth year of the Slimy Urchin, a huge typhoon broke several of the massive mooring chains. Seizing their opportunity, the islanders rose up in rebellion, cut the remaining chains, and drifted free into raging storm. The Historican fleet set out to chase them, but abandoned the pursuit after losing a third of their ships in the tempest. The people of Terapulau then renounced their old militaristic royalty, and formed the Guild of the Kelasituan to rule the islands. Returning to fishing and sailing, they focused on the old ways, living in harmony with the sea and the wind. Gradually, trade relations resumed with Historica and other lands, increasing the wealth of the islanders. Several hundred years ago, in the fourth year of the Warbling Tree Frog, Sultan Warg'altaz launched an invasion force from the Siccus Badlands of Historica, hoping to intercept the Terapulau islands as they drifted northwards in the spring. After several weeks of searching, they found a group of the islands about a thousand miles southwest of Historica. After several hard-fought battles, the invaders conquered six large islands. However, the Kelasituan inhabitants, nearly all of whom are experienced sailors and have boats, sailed away as defeat became inevitable. The invaders were left with an empty land. While proceeding to ransack the islands and enjoy the fruits of their victory, they failed to notice that before they had fled, the Kelasitaun had set the islands' sails on a course for the Polar Current. The islands were swept up in the current, and floated northwards to the Frozen Beyond. The invaders, having no knowledge of how to sail the islands, or even where they were, were lost, tired, hungry, and cold. They abandoned the islands in a panic in a snowstorm, sailing south. The Kelasituan warriors, waiting just over the horizon in their boats, fell on the fleeing invaders and routed them. Only a few survived to reach Historica. Needless to say, Terapulau has not been subject to a serious invasion attempt since. Note: I meant to add two more vignettes to this, one showing a typical Kelasituan fishing proa, and another showing typical architecture (wooden, southeast asian / polynesian style). The proa is almost done. But well, I ran out of time. Will hopefully add them sometime next week. Guild thread here

Guild Name: Guild of the Kelasituan Guild Location: the Floating Islands of Terapulau Capital: Pandesi-pan Ruler: Tukesa Vikassi Unique Characteristics: Excellent sailors, swimmers, and fishermen, great wood-carvers, warm, friendly Color Scheme: Blue and Green Everyone in Historica has heard stories of the Floating Islands of Terapulau, but few have ever seen them. The islands sail around the great seas of the world, moving to the patterns of fish and weather. Occasionally, one of the islands will loom off the shore of Historica, prompting a flurry of trade, only to then drift away over the horizon. Creation Myth The Terapulau islands were originally part of the continent of Historica, on the central eastern coast. Legend has it that the inhabitants build huge cities and monuments of stone, and in doing so, insatiably quarried stone from the hills, leaving large swaths of rubble behind them. In doing so, they awoke the great Snake of the Mountains, who lies under the hills and slumbers protected in his den of solid rock. When the Snake saw the devastation people had wrought, and how they had pillaged his stone, he became very angry. He wrecked their cities and monuments with his massive tail, and then started to eat all the people. The people cried out for protection to the Seahawk god. Seahawk told them he could only protect them by tearing their lands off of Historica, and leaving them to float the oceans forever. And, they must avoid the use of stone in building, so as not to offend the Snake again. They agreed, and with his huge talons, Seahawk ripped the lands free from Historica and cast them into the sea, giving each island one of his feathers so they would float. Thus the Terapulau Islands were created. The land around the Goolag Archipelago on Historica, where the islands were torn off, still has a ragged, torn look. Some of the Major Islands with land-sails rigged, and showing one of the chained floating islands above Geography The Terapulau consist of nine large islands and several smaller ones. The islands are mostly jungle and tropical savannah, with sandy beaches, mangrove swamps, and low hills. There are no mountains or serious metal ore deposits. What stone there is tends to be a low quality sandstone, not terribly useful for building. The larger islands are estimated to extend several hundred feet below sea level, as they tend to run aground when drifting into shallower waters around Historica. They float due to large quantities of unobtanium in their soils; the same substance that makes certain mountains and islands float in the air. Here is a map of some of the larger islands. Note that the relative position of the islands to each other on the map is meaningless, as they float around all the time. The brown dotted lines linking one island to another are huge chains that permanently link some islands together. Peoples The Kelasituan are a mixed bunch. There is a large human population, as well as two large races of elves, the Jardesi, who live in the jungles, and the Walesi, who are seafaring elves. Additionally, there are various peoples descended from ocean creatures, such as the Buayan, who are crocodilian in form, and the Manreysi, who resemble humanoid manta rays. Government Each island (or set of small islands) is governed separately, by a lord called the Tuantuan. The entire guild is ruled by a leader called the Ratuan, elected by and from the Tuantuans every eight years at the Long Night Festival (winter solstice). Since most of the islands float independently, and each tuantuan can sail their island away, the Ratuan only has limited power over the Tuantuans, and mostly is concerned with settling disputes and managing foreign relations. Guildmembers on an island elect their tuantuan every four years, but it is not uncommon for a tuantuan to be reelected for decades. Tuantuans are selected from a special class of citizens, called the Tuanrang. Bright, organized children are selected to be part of the Tuanrang, and receive special training. As adults they take on most of the administrative roles. The current Ratuan is Tukesa Vikassi, shown above flanked by two of her elite guard. She was elected twelve years ago, and has done much to improve relations with the outside world. She is said to be a skillful negotiator, and generally fair, although not one to cross. She comes from a prominent line of shamans, although she herself has shown no magical or prophetic ability. Economy Fishing is the mainstay of the Terapulau economy. The islands are in a continual pursuit of the best fishing grounds in the seas, and are sailed in yearly cycle around the oceans. Since the islands are mostly kept in tropical waters, plants grow lushly, although agriculture is mostly limited to fruits and vegetables, with minimal livestock (fowl mostly), although the larger islands grow much rice. Exports consist mostly of dried fish, spices, tea, and fine pottery. There is also a burgeoning trade in the hides of the besargigi, an enormous crocodilian creature found on many of the islands. Imports consist mostly of metal and stone goods, as there is little rock and ore on the islands. Trade with Historica is a bit difficult, as the islands are constantly on the move and thus there cannot be fixed trade routes. However the general pattern of the islands' travel is well known (south in the winter, and north in summer), and a flurry of trade does take place whenever the islands near other land masses. Most trade with the islands is conducted by Kelasituan traders, as only they really know where the islands will be at any particular time. Religion The Kelasituan worship a god they call the Navigator, who is said to steer the world and all things in it through the challenging waters of life. Their worship rituals are primarily focused on getting the Navigator's help with steering their islands to the best fishing grounds. Each constellation in their sky is named, as are most of the major stars, and there is a myth associated with each one. Similarly there is a creation myth associated with most of the major species of fish. Good catches are ensured by many festivals involving ritual dancing in which the dancers move together imitating schools of fish. Recent History The perennial problem with islands is of course, population growth. Namely, given fixed land area and food resources, how do you prevent population growth in good times from getting out of hand and causing famine? The inhabitants of Terapulau resorted to more intensive agriculture and better fishing techniques, but eventually began to face overpopulation and famine. The rulers of the islands shifted to a military strategy, focusing on conquering other lands and peoples. When they were successful, they could seize resources to feed their people, as well as demand continuing tribute. When they failed, well, the resulting casualties served to alleviate population pressure. Thus the kings of Terapulau ruled the waves for a millenium, striking terror into all land-dwellers of the world. In the spring, all Historica prayed for winds out of the north, to prevent the islands from sailing north and launching their yearly raids. Finally, in the eighth year of the Red Dolphin, Historica banded together with several other lands, and launched a huge counter-attack against the islands. After an enormous battle, the islanders' fleet was destroyed and the mighty power of Terapulau broken forever. Dwarven smiths from Mitgardia labored all summer, chaining the islands together, and mooring them off the south coast of Gorr. The entire population was enslaved, and subsisted as slave fishermen and sailors for twenty years. In the fifth year of the Slimy Urchin, a huge typhoon broke several of the massive mooring chains. Seizing their opportunity, the islanders rose up in rebellion, cut the remaining chains, and drifted free into raging storm. The Historican fleet set out to chase them, but abandoned the pursuit after losing a third of their ships in the tempest. The people of Terapulau then renounced their old militaristic royalty, and formed the Guild of the Kelasituan to rule the islands. Returning to fishing and sailing, they focused on the old ways, living in harmony with the sea and the wind. Gradually, trade relations resumed with Historica and other lands, increasing the wealth of the islanders. Several hundred years ago, in the fourth year of the Warbling Tree Frog, Sultan Warg'altaz launched an invasion force from the Siccus Badlands of Historica, hoping to intercept the Terapulau islands as they drifted northwards in the spring. After several weeks of searching, they found a group of the islands about a thousand miles southwest of Historica. After several hard-fought battles, the invaders conquered six large islands. However, the Kelasituan inhabitants, nearly all of whom are experienced sailors and have boats, sailed away as defeat became inevitable. The invaders were left with an empty land. While proceeding to ransack the islands and enjoy the fruits of their victory, they failed to notice that before they had fled, the Kelasitaun had set the islands' sails on a course for the Polar Current. The islands were swept up in the current, and floated northwards to the Frozen Beyond. The invaders, having no knowledge of how to sail the islands, or even where they were, were lost, tired, hungry, and cold. They abandoned the islands in a panic in a snowstorm, sailing south. The Kelasituan warriors, waiting just over the horizon in their boats, fell on the fleeing invaders and routed them. Only a few survived to reach Historica. Needless to say, Terapulau has not been subject to a serious invasion attempt since. Note: I meant to add two more vignettes to this, one showing a typical Kelasituan fishing proa, and another showing typical architecture (wooden, southeast asian / polynesian style). The proa is almost done. But well, I ran out of time. Will hopefully add them sometime next week.

My God, at the rate you're pumping these out, you're like a one-man guild all to yourself! Are you locked in a room with tons of LEGO? Seriously, I'm having a hard time keeping up with just reading your posts! Really great stuff here; nice job on the mill.

Sorry to hear this. Not knowing what you're up against is the worst feeling. Hope her health improves, and hope you don't go nuts trying to run the household. We'll all be pulling for you all. I suppose we'd better get busy building the University of Petraea Medical School and Hospital.

Oh yeah! Party! Sending my enrollment application in right away! Great little MOC.

Looking good so far. Here's some feedback: The water looks really good The rock banks of the river look good too Good start on the temple ruins, although I think they need to be a bit more architecturally interesting. Not sure what I mean there, but the ruins aren't totally compelling yet. Maybe a bit more detailing, and some ruined pieces lying on the ground will help. I find black to be a very difficult color to photograph. Details get lost. You might want to consider having the temple ruins mostly black with some details in another color. The foliage on the bank and the tall tree look good. Hard to tell about the rest. My rule on foliage is - when in doubt, add more. How do you get across the river to the temple? Those rock banks look too steep for the horse to go up. Maybe there will be a more approachable way up in the area you haven't built yet. Post more WIP shots as you make more progress. Good luck!

Really cool. You're really building at a high level now, and turning out some great stuff. And congrats on getting it front-paged on Toys N Bricks!

In general I love it! Here are a few small suggestions: Narrow the upper balcony like you suggested Change the colors on both balconies to something like reddish brown and/or brown. Tan and dark-tan don't say Japanese/SE-Asian/Pacific Islander to me. Maybe brown and dark-red would work? Try to get the roof to overhang the structure farther, perhaps even with a bit of a tilt up towards horizontal for the last few studs. That will look more Asian. I think the upper balcony might look better if the railing was not solid, or if it had a simple roof / canopy on it. Not sure, but worth trying. Can't believe you got all that into 20x20! Great job; looking forward to the finished product!

Great story! And really nice job on the map. Looking forward to the build.

Just wanted to chime in and say how awesome this is. When I peeked at it a bit last week, I was overwhelmed and didn't really have time to check it out in depth, so this morning I set aside some time to give it its due.

I like the botanical garden idea! Perhaps you could try to include examples of all sorts of different plants and trees, even making some really unusual brick-built ones. Since this is in Petraea (I think), perhaps a cactus garden would be appropriate? As others have suggested, it might be too big or spread out. If you have a fair amount of landscaping pieces, then it won't look too spread out. Since you don't have any more flowers, I'd suggest making some trees and/or bushes. You could also put down brown or tan plates to make paths. Since it's Petraea, in the middle of the desert, a large expanse of grass might be a bit unlikely, so some of it could definitely be "paved" with stone or something. You also might want to put down some green plates of varying sizes to give the grass a bit of texture and slope. If you're looking for another structure to fill up space, you could put in a small hut for the gardener/landscaper.

Hang on to that one! Sounds like you've got a real keeper there.

Very nice! Wait until you see a Kaliphlin fashion show. Let's just say that those full length, boxy brown dresses aren't exactly the style on the beaches of the Spice Islands these days.

Welcome! Good to see you all! Somewhere on the coast across from Stone Town would be an excellent location. Maybe you can pick a spot on this map, preferably by adding a note to the Flickr page (under Actions > Add Note)? Then I'll get it on the next version of this map, which I was hoping to put out this week.

You should consider Legonardo Dangerous Dave, or LDD - for maximum confusion!

Yes, I submitted three entries for Challenge 1. (Those were the days! Where did I find the time to build all those?) I think unless otherwise stated, multiple entries are acceptable. Unfortunately, they will not add up the scores of each one and declare you the top builder in the guild!

Actually I find San Mateo to be a bit better. The Valley Fair/San Jose/Santa Clara store is always so crowded. Plus they rarely will look in the back for additional PAB inventory for me, and if they do, it's a cursory glance followed by "Nope, we don't have any of those." In San Mateo they'll often wheel out a cart with all the PAB boxes stacked on them so you can look through the inventory! I'll let you know if I stumble across any good Walmart/Target deals. I did buy a few Naboo Starfighter Planet and Endor Planet AT-ST sets for $5 at the Mt View Wally a week or so ago. They had those two on sale but the other SW Planet sets were full price. Do you go to Bricks by the Bay? I haven't been, but talked to some people who really enjoyed it last March, so I'm planning on attending this year. Yes, I've been eyeing the Grand Emporium for a while now. It never seems to go on sale, even on Amazon. (Although even at full price, the price per piece is pretty good) Was thinking about buying it before Amazon starts charging California sales tax on Sept 15; might still pull the trigger on it. Or wait for it to go on sale? Thanks! And see below. As Gabe says. Our border is probably the most amorphous, being lost in the untracked wastes of the deserts and the deepest glades of the Wither Woods... That said, it is generally accepted run through the Wither Woods (about where the "The" is on the map), then roughly due east until it hits the Great Escarpment, then northeast along the bottom of the escarpment to the Rakath Mountains, and then roughly east again to the sea. Although if you want to stake a claim and push the borders out a bit, I'm sure that can be arranged. Agreed. The southern coast from Berigora to Stone Town has a Mediterranean climate (except for the bit around the Akhenaten Delta). The coast from Hawkshead (across from Stone Town) to Barqa is thought to be a bit more jungly, but could support this architecture too. A lot of the coast (and Gorr) is pretty much open for someone to come along and build and develop a story. (Heck, so is most of the interior too)

That's one good looking monster! Can't find that one on BrickLink however

We should do some swaps. Our stores occasionally have 1x4 tans and 1x2 tans (but more often 2x4 tans), and rarely have 2x2 tan or 2x3 tan. We also tend to get 1x4 LBG a lot. I was just there (San Mateo) yesterday to get some Series 8 CMFs, and there were only 2x4 tan bricks and 1x4 tan plates. They also had: 1x8 white tiles, 2x2 red tiles, 1x1 trans-red round bricks, clear cheese slopes, clear 1x2 plates, clear 1x2 bricks, red and white little flowers, and the usual assortment of 2x4s and other stuff I can't remember. The other store is Santa Clara; last week I updated some of its Brickbuildr inventory with what I could remember. Let me know if you're interested in anything, and/or tell me what to keep an eye out for. As for Wal-mart, I live near the world's worst Wal-mart when it comes to LEGO sales. While everyone else is picking up dozens of Black Pearls at 70% off, I'm looking at an ancient Scorpion Pyramid at full price, wondering if they're ever going to put it on clearance. I've pretty much given up all hope. Instead, I just try to stop by random, rural Walmarts when I'm out of town.

No, go for it. It's more Avalonian, and I've got a bunch of other Kaliphlin-style ideas I'm trying to sort out.

32x32 is the standard baseplate size, which I find is actually fairly small. Note that there's nothing in the challenge that says it has to be a 32x32 building. It could be an empty 32x32 field with a few big standing stones (a la Stonehenge) and the shacks and shanties of the camp around them. Or a few trees, and a clearing in the middle of them with the camp. Or a bare, windswept mountaintop with a sacred shrine on top. It might be kind of interesting to see how good an entry you could make with minimal bricks. If someone comes up with something innovative and minimalist, I'd probably give them more points than yet another big dark-bluish-gray gothic temple-y looking building...

Phenomenal build, Gabe! Really outstanding. I love the stormclouds and the micro volcano on the horizon. Looking forward to more pics so I can examine the destruction in detail. And by the way, I don't think destroying the land-bridge will save Peregrinus; there are air and water elementals roaming the lands too, and they won't be thusly held back. I'm lucky; living reasonably near two LEGO stores has helped keep me well supplied with tan bricks from the PAB wall. Unfortunately there are a lot of AFOLs in the area, so LEGO sales at the store and other retailers tend to get cleaned out pretty quickly. Plus those darned AFOLs grab all the best collectible minifigures and leave me with ones like the skier and the banker! Congratulations on your knighthood, Sir Kai!

Perfect! Really nicely done.