Abu Dun

Well, from the beginning Nocturnus always did have the least number of members, in stark contrast to Avalonia. Among those, I think the majority lost interest somewhere inbetween the 2nd and 3rd challenge, just like it was the case with the three other guilds as well. The only real difference is that our already small number makes it harder to compensate the loss of active builders So yes, if Lord Ssilyrrlith (who, btw, has officially succeeded in stopping the plans of the Drow usurpation for the time being) agrees then your help would be most appreciated. Although we'll certainly keep an eye on it

An interesting concept that has a great diversity of people and regions. The vignet is really great, especially with it depicting all four main aspects of the guild on such a small scale. Good luck in the contest

A lovely build and an interesting guild that sure would add another facet to the entire story. The colourscheme and especially the combination of the white arms with the torsos of the Uruk-hai is really great From a strategical point, though, the location of the Bell Tower above a cliff isn't that great, as I imagine it being fairly vulnerable to attacks from the sea (when it isn't frozen over)

I have a couple MOCs in my mind that I'd like to build in the next weeks before University starts again. If everything goes as planned, I also intend to take part in Challenge V. Depending on how I get the other stuff done, I might get another at the scale of my first one ready in a few days.

As many have said already, this is a truly great build with lots of interesting and nice details. I agree that, had it entered the 4th challenge, it would have had high chances of succeeding, as it incorporates all that was required to an astounding degree. Your elementals are especially great, as is the backdrop with the small volcano (which I didn't notice until it was pointed out ) All in all, a great work

A lovely work indeed that captures most of the key locations present during the 111th birthday of Bilbo and Frodo's 33rd (which, sadly, never gets mentioned in the movies despite being of similar importance, as it's the year a hobbit officially counts as adult) Also congratulations on winning the 3rd price, you can be really proud of that creation

New additions: 9471 Uruk-hai Army (first copy that won't be parted out) 9440 Venomari Shrine (2nd copy) 7017 Viking Catapult vs. the Nidhogg Dragon (2nd copy) 9591 Weapons Pack NRG Kai vs. Chokun 6119 Roof Tiles

Indeed, less green and more shades of grey are a good pointer. Right now I'm rather limited in suitable parts, but I promise that next time there will be more lava and fire and overall madness and less green and fluffy stuff

Thanks a lot for the thumbs up @DaMaximus: If I had had all of the figs and accessoires at hand when GoH started, I would have joined right away and with pretty much the same background story as well. So it's indeed just a coincidence that my people and your Drakyadar have so much in common. But yes, you can use everything you like for your 5th guild. I can easily imagine that the subjects of Thror are but one small fraction of a much larger people that, as described, fled some unknown terror, whereas the majority either arrived at other places or staid at their original home. So feel free to go all out and maybe, if your idea gets chosen, possible future dealings between the two can take place Edit says that I should put a link to my first contribution in here: Enemies of the Past ... Allies of the Future!?

Long have the wars between Drow and Dragonlords lasted and both sides suffered triumphant victories and humiliating losses. After the last, decade-long war and knowing about the qualities and power of the opposing side, both realms decided to try to change history. With the rise of the elementals and them causing mayhem all over Historica, it became apparent that neither Drow nor Dragonlords could afford a bloody war against eachother. Much less now that they both call Lord Ssilyrrlith their liege. So, after months of preparing and diplomacy, a neutral place was decided upon to testify a document that will potentially change the future of an entire continent: Lord Thror III is meeting up with Veldrin, the emissary of the Drow, to sign the treaty. More pics on my Flickr Since this actually is my first real MOC since getting out of my Dark Age, C&C are most welcome

@Angeli: If you're going to build this city then I agree that doing it almost completely in white, trans-clear and maybe some medium blue will have the best affect at creating the illusion that it's even bigger than the already enormous size it'll already have Regarding 1x2 bricks, I just looked and according to Peeron I own 987, 130 of them being white. That aside, here are the troops that call the Dragonpeaks their home and which, from now on, will help Lord Ssilyrrlith to further the nocturnian cause: Lord Thror III surrounded by his loyal generals. From left to right: Brglobsn, General of the Monstersquad. Kirzigor, Masterspy and Assasin. Solubran, General of the Infantry. Mablung, Commander of the archery units. Lord Thror III himself, Head of all armed forces. Maluradek, Archmage and Leader of the Wizards. Thoragvil, eldest son of Thror III and General of the Dragonriders. Argavius, Flagbearer and General of the guards of the Palace. Lady Maya, eldest daughter of Lord Thror III and de-facto leader of the SoGaG. The pipsqueak in front is Thimeras, the fourth grandson of Thror III. The Assasin Squad, led by Kirzigor. Yes, not a single one of them is human and those yellow hands actually are gloves made out of the hands of their victims. Weapon of choice: a single large Katana The Dragonriders, led by Thoragvil, along with their squires. Weapons of choice: long lance and throwing spears if mounted, long sword and tower shield if on feet The Guard of the Palace, led by Argavius and his three younger brothers. Weapon of choice: Large halberd and tower shield Solubran with his commanders of the infantry units. From left to right: Northred, commander of the light infantry. Sekrim, commander of the armored knights. Threb, commander of the pike- and axemen. Jhargil, commander of the halberdiers. The heavily armored knights, being the largest uniform unit always under arms. Weapons of choice: Longsword or war axe with breastplates and round or triangular shields. The halberdiers, an auxilliary unit under the command of Jhargil. Weapons of choice: Large halberd as primary weapon, cutlass for close-quarters combat. Pike- and Axemen, led by Threb. Weapons of choice: Pike or double-headed greataxe, dagger for self-defense The light infantry, feared for their infamous bloodlust. Despite being a rather small unit, they regularely claim the award for the largest number of slain enemies. Bearing little to no armour, they usually are the first to enter combat, but being a member of this unit usually means that ones life won't be all that long. Weapons of choice: Broadsword and waraxe. The archery unit, commanded by Mablung and his two formerly avalonian rangers. Weapon of choice: Crossbow The order of arcane mages, led by Maluradek. Last but certainly not least, the Monstersquad led by Brglobsn. Notable for being the unit with the most diverse members, it includes all types of armed forces. Weapons of choice: Varying Not yet pictured are the artillery and the dragons themselves (because both first need to be built ) Counting the Sisterhood of Gloom and Glory as well, the armed forces number in at 142 men, women and monsters.

While I don't suppose that this is the entirety of the city, it's indeed an imposing castle worthy of being the home of our leader and more than worth the long wait Even then, none of the other capitals are finished, either, so all is well The details are great, especially all the hidden things that are easily overlooked when first glancing at the pictures. E.g. the reptrian soldiers going about their daily work or the different animals inhabitating the place. What I like the most, though, is the giant globe at the top of the left tower. It really gives off the image of a device capable of scrying even the farthest regions and most-protected sanctuaries - which I deem is of utmost importance considering the current situation.

Here's a little teaser as to how the army from the Dragonpeaks looks like: More to come when the batteries of my camera aren't all empty anymore (i.e. tomorrow)

Thanks for the fiery welcome My troops and a first small MOC will probably be up some time this week, so as to properly help the nocturnian way in the grand scheme of things @Skyrimguy: Thanks and duly noted. In retrospect, it might have been better to put the history in spoiler tags

Thanks, although it will take some time before actual dragons will be featured (since the ones I own are all disassembled and, together with the bulk of my bricks, stored at my parents' house) It's only the title he holds among his people, which itself is being called Dragonlords or Dragonmasters already. And really, the leader of a fairly large folk shouldn't be calling himself less than 'Lord' Sending emissaries would be the wiser choice, since spies may have a bad influence on the truce created after the war between these two (more about their relations can be found in the backstory)

Having watched the development of the Guilds from the very beginning, I always thought that I would one day join the nocturnian ranks. Now I've finally decided to go through with it (even though the eye-catcher of my people won't get featured that often :( ). I hereby present the High Dragonlord Thror III.: His realm is located in the southern Rakath Mountains, near the border to Kaliphlin and mainly consists of a complex of 154 enclosed and well-hidden valleys surrounded by the Dragonpeaks. In the east there's a small shore and in the West the Siccus Badlands already have a great influence on the climate of the adjactend valleys. The capital is called Câr Thrakartis and located in the centermost valley at the feet of the highest mountain - the Dragon's Crown. Other major cities are Câr Thror in the south, Câr Throtem in the east and Câr Thrafak in the north (who took the guarding duty over after Câr Thriril fell by the hands of the Drow). History: Long before the men of Avalalonia conquered the west of Historica, a group of few sturdy men have found their way to the south-eastern shore of this vast continent. Not much is known about their past and origins and what little they tell foreigners about themselves is always shrouded in mysteries, such as they themselves have become for those that now settle both far and near to their borders. Only one thing is commonly known amongst outsiders: That they, similar to many other people, have fled a great peril in the faraway east, in search of a place they can make their home. Years have they searched for a as-of-yet unclaimed region, but it wasn't until Dargiansol, their finest tracker, discovered a couple of connected valleys, deep in the heart of the southern Rakath Mountains, well-hidden from hostile eyes and only accessable over a long and perilous path, seemingly cut into the mountainside by giants. It can only be assumed that they have been living closeby mountains in their original home, since considering the danger of the path and the number of peoples trying it, surprisingly few fell victim to the environment, one of them being their previous king, Dorak. Once they arrived their, they held a large festival to honour the day they found a new home and at the same time, they meant to elect Dargiansol as their new leader. But before this, they had to overcome a last, final test: Unbeknownst to Dargiansol and everyone else, the valleys weren't uninhabitated by sentient life. In fact, by coincidence they stumbled upon one of the most sacred nests of one of the mightiest races that dwell in all of Historica: Dragons These very dragons already spotted the tracker when he first set foot into the valley, but they decided against killing him because, thanks in part to their great wisdom, their gift of foresight and an ancient profecy, they hoped that his arrival would allow their entire race to prosper once more until the end of days. Yet, their sudden appearance right when the festival was at its peak surprised many a man and woman and not few of them fled in terror, leading to several hundreds of them falling to their death or being eaten by other, less-sentient beings inhabitating this region. Dargiansol and his relatives, unfettered by the mighty beasts, chose to accept this turn of fate and change it into their favour. So he and the eldest dragon engaged in a ritual combat, to decide wether his people was the one destined to help the dragons return to new heights. Surprisingly, Thror managed to outwit his competitor by setting up a trap that appeared to be so easily detected that the dragon, who was called Thrakartis, fell for the one trap that was hidden in plain sight. With this victory, it was decided that both people should forge an alliance for all eternity and help eachother in any crisis that is yet to come. At the evening of the same day, Dargiansol changed his name to Thror, to symbolize the unity of both men and dragon in spirit and name. He then decreed that all his male descendants should be named in this pattern as long as the bond between their people is to break. After a rule of almost 60 years, Thror passed away and his line was set to rule over his people, while the descendants of Thrakartis were to govern over the dragons. Centuries passed and the existence of the Dragonlords, how they soon were called by foreigners due their seemingly unnatural bond to the gargantuan reptiles, slowly became a legend told in all of Historica. But while they themselves where considered only a myth, they always had the best information about the ongoings in the world outside. From the very beginning they knew about the wars fought before the foundation of Cedrica, the years that led to the four mighty guilds being founded and even the ascend, fall and new rise of Victor Revolword. They achieved this by always having several scouts flying all over the continent to gather information and provide knowledge for the people in nearly every science. Not many travellers found their way to these parts of the mountain range, as most prefer to stay near the cost where the landscape is less hostile and easier to travel and even the Drow, who have old exclaves located deep beneath the Dragon Peaks, usually steer clear as even they don't like to mess with Dragons when they can prevent it. There have, however, been occasional dragon hunts been done by them, which led to both people end up on less than friendly terms, and vengeance has always been swift and disastrous for the darkelves. Never again has the number of Drow outposts in the entire Rakath Mountains been so drastically reduced as when they thought it a good idea to include a raid of the nests of Thrakartis' descendants into their innitation rites! But the times have changed and the realm of Nocturnus had encircled their domain almost entirely, while at the same time the southern most parts that connect to the shore in the east and the Siccus Badlands in the west now create the border to Kaliphlin. This slow but continous expansion of both realms was what led Thror III., the 35th High Dragonlord, to finally consider a joint alliance with the Grand Ruler of the Eastern Darklands – Lord Ssilyrrith of Abyssan. Despite the Drow being his subjects, Thror III. and the council, which is being made up of members of all races living in the vicinity, thought this to be the best solution if they want to continue to prosper as they did in the past. Furthermore, no other guild matches the diversity of the Nocturnians and with their apparent lack of a truly airborne military division chances are remarkably high to secure themselves a spot among the leaders of the entire realm. So, accompanied by a division of every armed force (both to show their power and to be prepared for every circumstance) Thror III. made his way to Abyssan to personally discuss the alliance, himself riding Thrak, current ruler of the dragons and grandson of Thrakartis. The troops will follow soon (still have to build them ) and as hinted at in the description, I'd like to claim the southernmost part of Nocturnus if it's still unsettled. If I'm not mistaken, the nearest neighbouring realms should be Lith My'athar in the north and the Clawbreakers in the northeast, at the other side of the bay.

Abu Dun signing up for Nocturnus

So, after watching the world of Historica develop for several months now, I've finally decided to genuinely join in on the fun. And is there a better way to introduce onself than taking part in a contest where all that is beautiful in ones own realm has a place to shine? So, without further ado, I hereby present the Sisterhood of Gloom and Glory, an adventuring party eternally loyal to Lord Thror III (my soon-to-be presented sig-fig who's design will be quite similar to my current avatar): First there's the highest-born of them, Lady Maya of the Red Fan. Being the niece of Lord Thror III, she doesn't really need to go adventuring and certainly doesn't look like a seasoned mage specialized on divine spells. She's always accompanied by her bodyguard, 'Doubleedged' Karca. Rumour has it that her alias doesn't stem from her weapon but her forked tongue. Be wary, though, because everyone who spreads such a rumour is likely to be found dead within a week. From a mysterious folk from beneath the mountains, U'klogi of the Golden Flail serves both as close-combat fighter in the group and as ambassador at the court of Thror III. Because none other of the group really wants to take part in the contest, she decided to join it for the fun. Unsurprisingly, she often says that she counts as one of the most beautiful amongst her own people. Having been exiled from the Mystic Isles for speaking against Siercon and Coral, Dunya of the flying Arrow has found refuge at a place that seems unfit for elves to live at. But since then she has accustomated herself to the rough climate and her skill with bow and arrow is second to none. Sadly, news about the tournament held in Mpyea Stedor arrived too late for her to enter as well. Her looks may give it away that Rsitrem the Bladesingress actually is an articial being created long ago due to an experiment gone wrong. Gracia the Green Witch, intended to create a groom for herself decades ago. Some way or another, she got the spell and ingredients wrong which led to the birht of Rsitrem. Since then, Rsitrem has proven more loyal to her than any man can ever be. Given the unknown age (rumour has it she's one of the first apprentices of Victor Revolword) and, most importantly, violent temper of the witch, not many actually want to live nearby her. Together, they often go exploring beyond the boundaries of the Dragon Peaks and are reverred to as heroes in their homeland.

This is indeed a very impressive build and I love that it has a fairly unusual setting. You don't see castles set upon a cliff that often. The little details such as the fishermen hauling in their catch, the little skeleton inside the cave or the drawbridge being hidden between two towers are all really great and, together with the several minifigs inhabitating the place, give this the feeling of being a lively yet well-protected refuge for the king

At the bay I shot me a couple of CMFs: 2x Evil Knight 3x Evil Dwarf 3x Female Viking (to accompany my army of vikings 2x Mummy (I have now 4 of them) 1x Vampire (will be the ruler of my ever growing monster brigade ) 1x Poseidon (to rule over my 10 Manta Warriors and cause mayhem with the diving folks ) as well as 1x 6299 (Pirates Advent Calendar, MISB)

Wow, that's a very neat gatehouse and the technique you used to build the mechanism for raising and lowering the portcullis looks very intriguing. Having the banner of the king included in the bottom of the bridge, so that it's visible when raised, is a very clever detail not often seen. I'm looking forward to further progress of this work of yours and am suer that, once finished, this will be even more impressive than the, already great, single sections

With each new location that you create, you're advancing the beauty and complexity of those cities of yours I agree that this is, without question, one of your most beautiful builds to date If it weren't for the Drow Fire Angel being about to justify his name, I wouldn't believe that this is supposed to be under attack. The Elemental itself is outright gorgeous and probably only just appeared at the scene, without the chance to cause too much havoc - but I'm sure he'll get to that in no time The most impressive aspect probably is the tree and I won't be surprised if, right now, the prices for white leafs have jumped through the roof - thanks to you creating a new rise in demand As for the height of it, I'd estimate it to clock in at about 1.36m

Great work, as usual. What really makes this special is the wipping tower and the vines flinging back and forth to cause additional trauma to the poor defending soldiers. Not that they'd need any more, what with them not being able to even scratch the mighty and impressive elemental Could you post a picture of this, because I imagine this looking extremely great and it adding even more atmosphere to the scenario Also, I agree with Legonardo, a separate picture of the microbuild would certainly be appreciated.

Since they aren't avaiable at large, the only viable option seems to be ebay, e.g. here http://www.ebay.de/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p5197.m570.l1313&_nkw=lego+30201&_sacat=See-All-Categories Prices are rising, though, and finding them for 2,99€ is becoming harder

The closest to that would be Vikings, who had to battle some sort of dragon or other mythical creature from nordic legends. Ninjago also had quite a bit of focus placed on dragons only recently, so I don't think we'll see them soon again. I'd love to have a dragon-centered theme as well (Ofnir from Vikings and the Earth Dragon from Ninjago being my favourite official ones), a license of the upcoming expanded 'How to train your Dragon'-universe would make a lot of sense in economical regards. That the dragons of that story can be built has already been proven here. Other than that, I think that a re-imagination of 'Time Cruisers' has a lot of potential. Like Atlantis and Monster Fighters, they could have the theme revolve around having to collect a certain number of artifacts in order to safe/restore the flow of time, with the nefarious villains trying to manipulate said flow to their own advantage - making it a race through different different timelines, with the flagship set being the hideous lair of Prof. Twinkletoes, who just received the last artifact from his loyal, but somewhat dumb underling Mr. Sneezealot