Jareth

Toys R us is having a Online sale of 25% off select Lego....including Robber's Hideout http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=12133934&prodFindSrc=search Also a free impulse ninjago set and if you buy 2 sets you get free shipping. This might be the best time for US buyers to get lego bears.

They are all Nocturnus Spies

Yeah, Target is going through their summer clearance, but which sets are clearaance varies from store to store. I also think I was at that target. I managed to get the creator lighthouse for 35$

Greetings Fellow Nocturnans, Unfortunately The town of Scarbourough has been cut off from the rest of the mainland by a volcanic ash blizzard, and as such we are unable to partake in the commerce challenge. This is also why we have been unable to offer much help in the face of the Avalonian-drow conflict or the rocher challenge...or much communication of any sort. Rumors of our mayor being exhausted by his two jobs and now taking a vacacion on the beach are completely unfounded. After I get back from the Bea....uh....ash shoveling, I will attempt to make an Elemental challenge. As well as some other MOCs that I have been unable to complete.

I would be very likelly to buy this set/theme. I'm looking forward to other creations by you. Have you thought about posting it cuusoo?

If I had alien conquest figs I'd do this. How do they look with lime green arms?

You should get bored more often. I especially like the kimono snake, I bet she could win in a fight against samurai jack and usagi yojimbo

I really like how you made the bridge into a facade. It makes for a really economical use of parts & space. I may have to imitiate that. By the way, did that whiskey come from scarborough? We are a nocturnus distilling town after all.

Thanks Guys! @deGothica: Yeah, I really should have put them all in one post, but on the other hand, Mine was so long, I'm not sure the server would have handled it all in one posting. As it was I had trouble with a couple of postings. @nicemarmot: I did sort of run out of time. A lot of the photo quality problems in this are because I had to take pictures with artificial light. I thought it would be OK, because the setting is underground, But for some reason the colors made the pictures....grainy. I had to stick with it, but If I could do anything over, It would be to get daylight photos. @Gabe: I agree about the cars. The worst is chapter 2, so I now have a couple of posterboards to help. Photo editing would be better, but I don't own a computer. As it is one of my bottlenecks was using a work computer to resize the photos. Anyway, Aside from this chapter I thing my presentation skills have improved. Not as nice as most of you, but It's a step forward.

#10 1 #15 1 #19 1 #20 1 #33 1

First up, we have my Pollmen. Hey, something has to pollinate those giant flowers. The leader has carved bamboo vambraces and a hula-girl grass skirt. The rest have grass skirts made from construction paper. The we have my fish people. I call them Namazu after a legend of magical catfish. Not much to say about building them, just a good combination of parts. I imagine them to be aquatic martial artists. Then there are the Lensmen. After getting five of the atlantis magnet sets on clearance, I was disapointed to find them glued together. I pillaged them for claws and used the heads for flowers, but the bodies were a problem. I unglued them from the base, but the torso & hips are stuck together. Puting most heads just looked odd, but then I got the idea of putting an eye on top. So these are the first paint job I've ever done. I think they would look great in a 3vil ship (Or space skulls) If you decide to recreate these, My advice is to use a sealer of some sort on the paint and then glue them inside the helmet. The helmet sometimes smears the paint when I try and reposition them. I realized they would look great with my beholder (The Giant eyeball) and after a little research found that humanoid beholders are called Lensmen, even if mine look a bit different. Finally there are my Tieflings. I've wondered what to do with these monster4 heads for a while. Everything I did looked odd. But making them uniform troops seems to help. In D&D tieflings are people who are mostly human, but have a little demon or devil blood in them. Like if your great great grandfather was a demon. You can also become a teifling if you dabble to much in evil magic. These are purist. Hope you enjoy!

So, It's been noted that my chapters are too widely scattered to hunt down. So first of all, here are links to the various chapters. In order. http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=68208 http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=68632 http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=68984 http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=69509 http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=69512 http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=69518 http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=69550 Here's a link to my Brickshelf page http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=500825 Also, I hid at least one gem along every step of the journey. Some are easy to find, some are hard. Basically if you find one, you find them all. Here are pictures of every step.

Links to previous Chapters http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=68208 http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=68632 http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=68984 http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=69509 http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=69512 http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=69518 After unlocking the door and descending into the earth on lime encrusted stairs the five heroes became hotter and hotter. The jungle was stifling, and the desert was intense, but this combined the worst of both of them. Despite Mr. Tarnish's grumbling personality, he was silent. The time was to important, to tense for anything as mundane as comfort. A glow appeared ahead and the five entered the chamber. The floor was divided into a small terrace of stone and a vast field of Lava. Seperating the two were small rock fingers topped by skulls. Rising from the Inferno pool was a titanic collumn of blackened stone. Amidst the drips and hisses of water drops striking the magma the heroes could hear voices. The only voices they had heard since entering the caverns. To Quivver the sounded like the human bullies who taunted him as a child. To Belladonna, like her mother's brothers, the ones that all but exiled her from the tribe. To Hasan they were slavemasters. But to all of them, they said the same words. "Hunger" "Fire" "Murder" "Feast" "Flame" "Kill" "Devour" "Burn" "Slaughter" Quivver was the first so spot the crimson Bat-like forms crawling on the surface of the rock. "Imps!" He cried and the three demons swooped down from their perches to hover in front of the five. "Glottony" "Pyre" "Massacre" "Starvation" "Scorch" "Slay" Quivver drew the arrow allready nocked in his bow to his eat and took carefull aim at the imp that sounded like Alex, but The Tacomancer put a hand on his shoulder and whispered "Hold, don't aim at them, 'Donna and I will handle them if they get close. Shoot all of your arrows into Him." "Him, who?" "Him." The ebon form unfolded into limbs. Legs, a tail, Wings. The figure now turned around revealing a blood red sward that burst into flame as the horrible mouth screamed. One arm plunged into the lava and ripped it up into the air like a beserker with the heart of an enemy, and the spiral of flame hung in the air and spat bits of liquid fire down to the plaza. "ANTITAPICO!" Bellowed The Tacomancer, and a greenish glow repelled the droplets. They all ducked when an imp dove at them, but Belladonna stuck it with her staff and it split in a burst of heat and light. A snake and a monkey dropped from the miniature explosion, and a bat winged away. "How am I supposed to get up there?" Mr. Tarnish yelled in responce, only to have the Tacomancer shove him from behind with a shout of "FLY" and Mr. Tarnish rose into the air, past the chain of skulls, other trophies and the Gem of elemental flame up to the glowing coal like eyes. Tarnish struck and struck again, to no visible effect. The Titan tried to swat the dwarf once or twice, but then chucked like a thunderburst and threw a ball of the collumn of embers at his friends on the ground. He spun around in midair to see the Hasan Block the spell with his tower shield and the mage bolster it with a spare hand and some type of spell that turned the sheild glossy-white like ivory. "Tarnish!" Yelled quivver, "Move out of the way! I don't want to shoot you!" "I can't hurt it anyway!" The Tacomancer turned from Hasan and spoke in a voice that shouldn't have carried over the sounds of flame and mocking imps, but did anyway. "You have a pick, use it on the rocks, not the demon." Tarnish soared to rip apart the caldera wall and Quivvers hands started planting arrow after arrow inbetween the scales of the demon. Belladonna made a sound like a highlands wildcat and now quivvers hands moved like a blur. At the same time as Hasan impaled the last imp, he ran out of arrows. Again the Deep booming chuckle, and the scale-armored evil spoke. "Sticks? Sticks can not Hurt a Master of Hellfire! Even sticks that do not burn." Belladonna shouldered her way between the archer and the ranger. Her staff began to glow as she raised it in the air. "Warp Wood!" The arrows writhed like snakes, prying up the obsidian scales. Light and heat emanated from the holes, and again the pillar of diabolism screamed. Louder. The spiral of incandescence fell back to the lava field. "Never before have I felt such glorious pain. Let me share it with you. Forever." All but forgotten, Mr. Tarnish ripped a boulder from the ceiling and water, glorious, precious rainwater pushed it. Showering and cooling everone and everything. Through the steam, the heroes saw the white hot gaps in the armor cool through the spectrum of heat. Yellow, orange, red then black. Tarnish swooped down and plucked the gem from the horrid necklace and flew back to his companions. Later, back in the desert castle he showed the Gem that had led them so far. "Our lord will be pleased indeed." "With what?" "Daft mage. With This! The Gem of elemental fire of course!" "Thats it? Why didn't we get one of the other ones? That would be much simpler, and safer to boot!" Another pause settled over the five. Quivver was afraid of the answer, but he had to ask anyway. "What do you mean 'other ones.'" "Well, we've been passing by those thing ever since we started. In fact there's been at least one of those gems at every major step of our journey." "Well, this is the real one, the others must be fakes." "Are you sure? How do you know? Oh man, this means we have to retrace our steps to get them all, just to make sure we get the real one."

Yeah, the scattering is annoying, but After the final chapter I'm going to post highlight pictures and links to the chapters so it will be easier to navigate.

http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=68208 http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=68632 http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=68984 http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=69509 http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=69512 And so the four found themselves in the wastelands once again. This time with a new companion who knew the desert better. Instead of horses, Hasan recomended Ostriches. Mr. Tarnish looked a little disgruntled, but realized that this meant no one would ask him to ride a horse. Every few miles Belladonna would drop back to a rise on one of the dunes and the rest of them could hear a keening wail from her. Hasan seemed concerned, but a few words from Quivver convinced him, if not to worry, to at least not question the druid. The Rocky path seemed hard, but since they had all travelled in the wasteland before, they knew that the stones were better than the shifting dunes which would draw the energy out of them. The dunes were more dangerous then that, as they would soon find out. The Ostriches paniked, warning the party and they slipped the reins and readied their weapons. Several mosters emerged from the sand. Gaping mouths centered in the monsters' chest roared, while a single eye perched on top blinked in the sudden sunlight. To the side, another monster similar to a floating eye appeared as an invisibility spell melted away like ice in the desert sun. Tentacles tipped by smaller eyes writhed on top of the creature. Quiver looked at it in horror. "A Beholder! and Lensmen!" Both Belladonna and the Tacomancer aimed their staves at the huge creature and shouted arcane words, but no spells emerged. They looked at each other in a combination of surprise and frustration. The Group circled up as the lensmen kept attacking. Allthough some fell, the surviing monsters kept getting closer to them. One with a shield menaced Quivver, who couldn't harm him, and couldn't switch targets without letting it attack. Another with a glowing sword kept striking at Mr. Tarnish, wrecking his sheild. Hasan kept getting blasted with spell after spell from the beholder. He was clearly weakened and loosing. Without their spells the mage and the druid could only try to bludgeon the lensmen, and be bludgeoned in return. The circle tightned. "We're surrounded!" "No.....They are." A horde of desert wolves swarmed over the dunes. Most of the lensmen were kocked over from behind. But the most significant damage was done to the beholder. With a wolf hanging from each tentacle, it could no longer defend itself against Hasan, who sliced open the main eye with his axe. "It is done!" He yelled and Belladonna and the mage immediatelly opened up a barage of spells on their opponents. Mr. Tarnish began finishing the lensmen that the wolves were holding down. In a few seconds it was all over. The next day a castle appeared on the horizon. Allthough they had passed many ruins of the last age allready, this one was different. The others were ruins, brought low by the last war and the time, wind and sand of the desert herself. This one was taller, and because of that deception of perspective, it seemed to take longer to reach it. Eventually they could see it more clearly, and could see the figure pacing atop of it. As they made the final approach, a horde of red skinned warriors spilled out of the cracked and broken drawbrdige. Mr. Tarnish singled out the largest warrior and drew him away from the protection of numbers while Hasan spun his way amidst the horder spreading wounds with his axe, stunning blows and disarmed opponents with his situt and chaos with his dance like fighting style. Many times the red skinned Tieflings tried to surround him, but Quivver's arrows struck any who turned their backs on the party. The figure on the parapet hurled fiery spell after spell at the heroes, but The Tacomancer Kept dispelling them before they touched. In the end the tieflings couldn't withstand the attack. If the heroes had facced such an enemy outside of scarbourough, they would have been overwhelmed. Time had made them tougher and more aware of each other's strengths. Every time an opening appeared for their opponents it was quickly turned into a trap with a shield, an arrow or a well placed spell in the way. They gazed at the ruination before them. "So, we have the key, and the door is beneath the castle?" "Yep." "I don't want to spend the night here." "Me neither. I think these tieflings started off human." "Pardon me?" "If the door is locked, then why is it being guarded by part demons? I don't think they were born teiflings, I think the presence of the demon beneath us changed them over time." "So, how long will we have to stay here?" "Belladonna?" "I can heal us all tonight, and pray for new spells tomorrow morn." "Mr. Tarnish?" "I'll sharpen our weapons tonight, but I can't do anything for our armor without a forge." "I'll take care of that." replied the Tacomancer, "I'd like to fiddle with Quivver's arrows as well." "So, one night then. I'm still glad we dragged them all out here." "As am I, but the real reason is to see if any of their weapons are magical." "Are they?" "Just the sword and shield from the lensman, and the staff of course, but I'm not giving up mine." "I will keep my nature anointed staff as well." "I feel the same way about my pick and shield." "Hasan, you can have the shield. Your Situt will be burned if you use it tomorrow." "Very well, and the sword?" "Quivver, why don't you take it as a backup weapon." Quivver nodded. "Well then, only one thing remains. Belladonna, could you make it rain?" Belladonna blinked at the request. "I can, but I shouldn't. People always want me to change the weather, but changing the weather can change the land. Changing the land is what I am most opposed to." "Oh, please won't you Bella?" Cajolled the Mage, "It's not like I'm asking you to make it sunny for the big footie game. I want you to bring life and coolness back to this desert." "Hmph...it is no different. Perhaps nature wants this to remain a desert because of this evil. Rain brings more life, and that might mean for of Them," She gestured at the pile of bodies, "Or those lensmen." "I'm sure we'd all feel better if the rain cleaned this place of their smell, plus we could collect the rainwater." Belladonna was about to refuse again, but Quivver whispered sin her ear, "He always has a reason. Doesn't he?" That night the rains fell. A dwarf sharpened an axe and a pick. A mage twirled arrow after arrow in his hands. A former slave watched for danger. A druid chanted. An archer tried to sleep, but couldn't. And the rains soaked into the desert. http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=69550

Gah! I spent an hour and a half writing an entry yesterday, but I must have only previewed it instead of posting it! Oh well. My next two chapters, which focus on the Morouth Swamps have been posted, and I have built, photoed and brickshelved the last three chapters. Now I just have to write them. I hope I can do two more tonight, and probably one tomorrow. By the way, great entry Lisqr. That's great work. Not just the tower, but the walls, the lava-fall, everything is just stunning.

Links to previous chapters http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=68208 http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=68632 http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=68984 http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=69509 The five worked out a routene. Quivver was on constant watch for threats. So was Hasan bin Sarab, but he assited with the paddling. Belladonna, Tacomancer and Mr Tarnish all paddled along until yet another fork in the waterway appeared. The druid and the dwarf brought out maps and a sextant and compared notes, and after a few minutes pointed one direction or another, and the five went back to their labor. But today, things had changed. This time the maps were rechecked. The sextant handed to the dwarf. Other notes consulted. As one Mr. Cinder and Belladonna poke almost reverently. "It's here." Belladonna motioned Hasan over and touched her staff to his forehead. "This will help you see the magic of the key." "Many thanks wise one, but I am more worried about that crocodile than I am about the key." The Tacomancer snapped out of his lazy slouch. "No Problem. POLLO!" A feathery beam flew from the mage's staff to the reptilian behemoth on the banks. A quick snap of the jaws and the crocodile was contentedly snacking. Quivver shuddered at the sound of bones snapping. Without another word Hasan dropped his weapons on the deck and dove into the murky water. The others gripped weapons or staves and kept a lookout, knowing it was a hollow gesture. If Hasan ran into trouble, they probably wouldn't know until it was too late. They all jumped a little when Hasan rose to the surface, Raising the key like a trophy and breathing rapidly. "Friends! I have it! Let us rejoice! Let us celebrate! Let us....Leave! We are surrounded! Start Paddling!" The four automatically started to turn the rafts around as they looked around for the danger. Belladonna was the next to spot them. "Those are not plants! They are men!" "No wise woman. They are worse than either. I was hoping to avoid the Pol-men. Stop, Tarnish! Do not attack! The dust from these cursed ones is....cursed." "Meaning what?" "Striking them will force them to release a yellow dust that will make you like them!" Mr. Tanrish dug into the swamp with his pole with new vigor. "Green Vampires! I thought vampires hated sunlight!" "Not these ones. They need the sunlight as much as the plants they tend do. But fear not, they move slowly and will not leave the plants when they are in bloom like this." Links to following chapters http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=69518 http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=69550

Links to previous chapters http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=68208 http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=68632 http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=68984 Gradually the wasteland became less dry and between the desert and swamps lay a thin strip of farmland. Allthough still to barren and hostile to have anything approaching a town, small villages and caravanseai did exist. It was at one of these gatherings that Quivver traded the Minotaur provided mounts for a pair of Sargasso rafts. As usual, Mr. Tanish was less than pleased. "That's not a boat, that's a heap of seaweed and rotting wood!" "I'm sorry sir, it was the best I could do." "Well, I'm not riding on it, it's not safe." "It's more safe than a regular boat," Interupted Belladonna, "The salt in the seaweed keeps most swamp creatures away from us." "Yeah, well, it's keeping me away too! Look at that rotting wood." "They're very easy to maintain and repair." "Then why has't this one been repaired?" At this point the Tacomancer saundered over and ended the conversation. "Okay, you've made your point, we'll buy a real boat. Give quivver the gold and he'll find the best deal he can." Mr. Tarnish glared at the group, shouldered his backpack and jumped on the raft. Soon the four of them were alternating poling and rowing through a section of the swamp which showed signs of timber harvesting. Allthough many of the trees were tall and covered in tillandsia moss, there were also stumps, both new and old, and the new growth of small saplings that sprout whenever a forest giant falls. Unfortunatelly the sargasso rafts did not protect them from the mosquitos, but seeing how the grasses were quite short, the foursome decided that it was afe to concentrate on getting through the swamp as quickly as possible. With a splash, four creatures leapt out of the water. Two landed on the trolls' raft. Quivver was barelly able to defend himself from the flurry of blows with his archer's bracers and the other creature kicked Belladonna's staff to the bank. A third landed on the bank and threw a curved stick at the Tacomancer's staff. Unfortunatelly, the stick hit the mage's head instead. The creature that landed in front of Mr. Tarnish reminded him of half-tanned leather, all sickly blue and smelly. He grinned without humor and shifted the grip on his pole. The two fought to a standstill, Tarnish's quarterstaff was being parried most of the time, but it's length also kept the strange sticks from giving him more than a glancing blow. Unfortuatelly one of the glancing blows sent a strange cold tingleing numbness down his arm. In a flash a lithe muscular man swung down on a vine, kicking one of the swamp creatures back in the water. In a gracefull spin, he shouldered quivver out of the melee and started trading blows and parries with the reamining creature, double sticks agianst stick and axe. Quivver, no stranger to the chaos of battle, swept up his bow and fired at Tarnish's opponent. Allthough the arrow just glanced off the monster's slick hide, it was distracted long enough for tanish to land a solid blow with the hickory staff. The remaining creature on the bank shook it's stick threateningly and dove back in the water. An awkward post-battle silence filled the air. Belladonna began paddling over to her staff. Quivver cleared his throat. "Ahem, Thank you for your assistance. I am Quivver." "And I am the Tacomancer, would you like to join our quest?" "What!" Yelled Tarnish, "This could be a setup! We don't know this human's name and he uses the same weapon as thise slimy things." "Ah, allow me to explain, My name is Hasan bin Sarab, and I hunt the 'slimy' namazu when there are no trees to be cut." "And the sticks? Why do you use one of their sticks if you aren't friends with them?" "Do you not plunder your enemies? Besides, a situt is the best weapon to parry a situt." "Hmmph, but you still can't come with us. We are on important buisness for lord Ssilyrrlith, and we don't want anyone from Kaliphlin along." Hasan's face darkened. "It is true I was born in Kaliphlin. Born a slave. But I chose to run away and become a free man of Nocturnus. What makes your birth in this land better than my choice?" The Tacomancer stepped between them. "So, will you please help guide us through the swamp? It's obvious you're meant to join us." "grumble" "And you know the dangers of the swamp better than us." added Quivver. "Grumble." "We knew retreiving the key from the waters would be near impossible. His help will make it possible." "GRUMBLE!" "I would be honnored to help my adopted land in any...." "No Way! I don't trust him!" "Please Mr Tarnish, We can trust him. He's a ranger, a player character. And who better than a ranger to help us through the wilderness?" "No!" "And who's going to swim for the key? You'll get your armor all soggy." after a long pause Trarnish finally grunted in frustrated and began paddling downriver. "Fine, but I still get a quarter of the reward! You four can share the rest." Links to following chapters http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=69512 http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=69518 http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=69550

Hey there, I finally decided to shed a little more purist attitude and try and carve some legos. I decided to make Vambraces (forearm armor) from Lego Bamboo Pieces. (Vamboo? Bambraces?) Anyway, the results are pretty good, So I thought I'd share how I made them. First you'll need these pieces http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?P=30176 These pieces are made of a softer than normal plastic that makes it ideal for carving. You will also need... Exacto Knife with new blade Cutting Surface (I used a padded envelope from bricklink) Small Pot Metal Strainer Cooking Thermometer Water Bulldog Clip Minifig Painter's masking tape Band aids Antibiotic ointment First thing is to cut the top of the piece so it is level with the upper leaf. Then the bottom so it is level with the Bottom Leaf. Now carve a U Shape out of the bottom of the piece away from the leaves. After this step you will probably need to use the ointment and band aids. Next time I do this, I will use the bandaid first to protect my thumb before cutting it. Carving slowly will reduce the chance of injury. Now, testfit the vambraces by removing the minifig hand and slipping the vambrace over the arm and putting the hand back in. You may need to carve more, especially if you want the arms to move. Ok, Now take the vambraces off again. Put the water in the pot, and the strainer and thermometer in the top of the pot. There should be enough water so the piece can be submerged in the strainer. Like this, but don't put the legos in yet. Boil the water and wait for it to cool down about 20 degrees. Now put the vambrace in the bulldog clip and submerge the vambrace. (The Magnet Minifig is there for another reason) Wait about 5 minutes and take it out and immediatelly bend the leaves back and hold them. I could not get a picture of this step due to the use of both hands and the speed that I Needed to work. Now Tape the leaves together with the piece of the Painter's Tape. Wait about 24 hours and unwrap them. They should look like this. Now they can be placed back on your minifig of choice. I bet they would look good with the pumpkin head or on a Poison Ivy fig. Plant people Rule!

With this http://peeron.com/inv/parts/3317?img=9845 I stole the idea from someone else on eurobricks.

Is this a "Gridded Brick?" http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?P=2877

Please do! It's a brickforge wizard's staff with a brickforge glow in the dark sickle. The wizard's staff also works great with a lego scimitar and with a brickforge cleaver

Thanks for the complements guys! Here's a shot without the action. Boy I wish I had the pieces to make this with a more unified palatte, or to make an even bigger creation out of it. I guess int eh end I'd rather go with small and good than big and sloppy. Someday I'll have the brickage to do big and beautiful like you guys. Links to following chapters http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=69509 http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=69512 http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=69518 http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=69550

I agree. Those statues are great. I also like the snow patches and the way you topped the hall with a Heroica Axe. Where does the dwarven king's beard come from?

If you haven't been following along, here are chapters 1 & 2 of the third challenge. http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=68208 http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=68632 ...soon the travelers found the river to be too narrow and swift moving to reliably row the boats upstream. At the suggestion of Belladonna, they disembarked and with Belladonna and Mr. Tarnish on the left bank and the Tacomancer and Quiver on the right, led the boats by rope marcing though the cattails and startling red winged blackbirds until the caravanserai of Portage appeared from behind a turn in the river. To Quiver, the town looked like it was on the verge of sudden growth. All building looked to be engaged in at least one industry. Taverns, Liveries, Boatwrights and blacksmiths all crowded around the Great sawmill and its overshot wheel. Some families crowded multiple buisneses into their homes. This proved to be very usefull when Belladonna led them to a combination farrier and boatwright establishment which agreed to exchange their boats for horses. This was where the smoothness of their experience ended. "I'm not riding a horse." Declaired Mr. Tarnish. "There's nothing to be scared of." Replied Belladonna. Mr. Cinder glared, but seemed unwilling to confront a woman with too much rancor. "I'm not scared, I just don't like riding things." "I'll charm it." "Doesn't matter, I'm the one refusing to ride." The Tacomancer interupted at this point. "Actually, it's fine if one of us doesn't ride. We can put the majority of our equipment on one horse, and after endurance is factored in, one pedestrian can travel about as fast as a horse and rider. Horses are only really a benefit if you're travelling really fast for a short distance." Belladonna still seemed unhappy. "I just don't see what's wrong with animals. Besides, we will need to move fast if we are running away from..." "I'm not running away neither." "Great!" Excaliamed the Tacomancer "It's settled then!" The party agreed that since Belladonna was best with animals, she would ride in the lead, with Quiver, who was not very comfortable with his hose following behind. "Besides," said Quivver "If the horse follows belladonna's on it's own, I can keep both hands free to use my bow." Mr. Tarnish was of course striding beside his horse, grumbling about having to hold his Pick left handed. After a mile or so, The Tacomancer dismounted as well and walked beside his horse as well. When Mr. Tarnish Gave him a questioning glance the mage just smiled and Tarnish rewarded him with a rare nod and grunt of approval. The grumbling stopped. Soon however, it was the wizard who was slowing odwn the party. He had found some peculiar smelling white flowers growing allong the mountain trail and was picking as many of them as possible. When the delay became noticible, Belladonna halted the line and rode back. Like a young man in love, the Tacomancer handed a bouquet up to The Druid. Without a sound except the creaking of saddle leather, The Druid dismounted and also began picking the flowers while The Tacomancer wove them into thick ropes with deft hands. Quivver, being a troll, decided to follow the lead of Belladonna and soon Mr. Tarnish found himself in the lead and all four horses riderless. "Hey! What are you three doing!" "Picking flowers." "I thought we were travelling to the Labrynth." "We are." "No we're not, we're picking daisies!" "No, you're yelling, and three of us are picking Bullnip." "I don't care what you're picking, I just know it's a waste of time! Now stop it!" Demanded the Dwarf. At his tirade the trio slowly looked up and excahnged glances. Since Quivver was clearly just following the others lead and Belladonna seemed unlikelly to repond to hostility the Tacomancer replied. "How strange, i've never heard a dwarf say that saving gold was a waste of time." This manged to get Mr. Tarnish to listen. "Gold? Perhaps you should explain.....please" "Well, as you know, Belladonna said that using the Labrynth could asve us time." "Yes." "An the labrynth is run by minotaurs." "Yes." "As nocturnus citizens, we can use this to get a pass from them instead of using gold." After gathering the flowers they continued on the the Labrynth. Nothing seemed to phase the wizard and Belladonna had clearly been here before, perhaps many times, but for Quivver and Mr. Tarnish it was new experience. "Amazing work, simple amazing. I see Kaliphin sandstone, Avalonian granite, Mitgardian granite and Nocturnus Obsidian. "Isn't it a little, um, desolate?" "Nah, look, do you see any plants?" "No, that's what I mean, there's no sign of life." "Of course not, this place is well tended. The Mortar is mainly blood and volcanic ash paste. If it wasn't regularly tended it would be sprounting weeds like Mr. Cinders farm on decorking day." "So....if it's so well maintianed where are the custodians?" "Oh," Interupted the Tacomancer "They're right behind us." The other three froze and slowly turned around. There as predicted was a pair of minotaurs each with a sharkmouth lizardman on a leash. One of the minotaurs spoke with a voice so deep you could feel it in your chest. "How did you hear us? We had a silence spell active." "I didn't, I just knew that after that comment, it was an ironically good time for you to make yourselves known." The guards blinked in confusion. "Just pretend he said magic, it makes everything easier." "Very well, now what will you pay us to beat you up?" "Pardon?" "Yes, if you don't pay us we'll beat you up and kill you. So...." "Oh silence, you crop-horned fool." Interupted Belladonna. "We're not intruders, we're champions of Nocturnus, one and all, and I've been through here with my tribe enough times to recognize YOU Telgus, would it hurt so much to repay the favor?" "Belladonna! Are you looking for another stone?" "Of a sort, the triskadekalith is working, but this is a different mission. We'd like to travel to the south gate, the long way." "Ah, excellent. I assume the usual fee then?" "Actually, I was hoping that a gift of these herbs to your totem Menoetius would be sufficient" Soon the four were led into a chamber. Lizardmen prowled constantly like fish swimming around rocks, but the Minotaurs were more statelly. Dispite their stoic nature, more than a few looked with curiosity at the ceremony. A Minatour patricarch proceded into the open air chamber carying a vessel of a red liquid. Following him was a pair of young mintaurs carying an altar made from a table to which gilt tridents a lamp and a blackened statue. At belladonna's urging her companions left their weapons near the door. "Carefull lad." Murmured Tarnish to Quivver. "It's not natural." "What isn't?" "The statue, no one can carve obsidian like that." Quivver pondered the words as the ceremony continued. The Minotaur patriarch had annointed the horns of the totem with the red liquid and was now lighting the lamp. A gush of flame made heat waves in the air as the wizard approached with a rope of flowers. "Oh great Menoetius, we bring you this offering in hopes that you will allow your servants to aid us in our journey. May we travel in your labrynth unmolested?" Perhaps it was a trick of the light, or the way the heat made everything behind it dance. That was what Quivver told himself later that night. That was what made it appear as if the statue nodded. After the Tacomacer reverently placed the garland around the base of the table, the lead mintoar stepped forward and capped the flame with a phrase that could only be a prayer of sorts, "And may it stop growing." repeated the minotaur obsevrers. After a feast of Delicacies from a dozen siezed caravans, quivver was in a more friendly, inquisitive mood. Fortunatelly he found a young minotaur who was just as curious about the world outside as he was about the labrynth. "So, won't the labrynth slow is down? I mean time is an issue here, even with out mage talking about a two week extension." "Oh, no. Not the way you're travelling. You see, most caravans travel east-west. By travelling north-south you snubs can bypass most of the obstacles. Plus no one would dare attack you with a minotaur honor guard." "I see. And, I've also wondered, why don't intruders just walk on the tops of walls instead of risking the traps and lizardmen?" "Because of the crossbows and Ballista." "Ah, And what was that about "May it stop growing." His companion paused, and shuffled around a loose sandstone tile before continuing in a hushed tone "The Labrynth....it's growing." "Growing?" "Yes. A thousand years ago, it only took 500 Minotaurs to maintain and patrol the labrynth. Now we have over 2000 plus we have to use reptrians for tracking and we still can't keep up. It's growing all right. You used to be able to run from one end to the other in a day if you knew the right path. Now caravans spend weeks travelling. If this keeps up we will not be able to control it much longer." "I see." An awkward silence fell over them. Quivver suddenly felt just how large the labrynth really was. If there had been a roof he would have felt crushed. "So far away. Um, how long will it take a horse to go from the north to the south end?" "Oh, horses don't fit in the maintenence passages, I thought you knew. By taking the narrow north-south passages You'll be at the south end in no time. We'll take your horses here and give you fresh mounts at the south end. We do it for all of Nocturnus Messgengers." "And walking the direct passage will be faster than riding the indirect passages?" "No, but you won't be walking, you'll be travelling by Leper." "By Leper?" The Next day.... Wheeeeeeeeeee! Links to following chapters http://www.eurobrick...showtopic=69509 http://www.eurobrick...showtopic=69512 http://www.eurobrick...showtopic=69518 http://www.eurobrick...showtopic=69550