Henjin_Quilones

Thanks, dG! Thanks, zoth! I try to make microbuilds interesting at the top, with different heights of towers and rocks, since it makes it more visually compelling. Thanks! I deliberately keep the rocks simple with the shapes, because it gets too busy with the buildings otherwise. Glad you like the rest! Thanks, Grover! The grey piece is this one, which I find very useful, and I wish I had as many Basiliscus does! I am glad you like the picture with the details, as I thought that was a good idea myself. I know your prejudice against trans-light blue, but it is my personal favorite water color, but I am also happy that you like it here with the other colors.

You are more advanced in the art of photography than I am, clearly, Gideon! What is raw, and what benefit does it give? Also, what difference will it make if I lower the ISO? I will try it for my next build, but I am just curious what change in the final product I will see. Thanks, Grover! I like the coat of arms, too. It is meant to generically be Avalonian, with our Flight of Dragons. Thanks, SK! I hope to show more of the family soon. I might have borrowed the chair design from you, but at this point I am not sure... SHHH! You're not supposed to be paying attention...

Very nice little build, LJ! The variety of colors in the spice stall is very vibrant, and the awnings are nicely done. I am a bit puzzled by the inclusion of a tree when you had no intention of showing the canopy - in the cropped version it looks like a strange column without the larger context. I love that you used the broken brown bits as spice (I have too much broken reddish brown, myself; pity LEGO can't get that formula correct). Thanks for sharing this small slice of Kali life with us!

I love the all-LEGO scene! It is a kick that I am on lately for interior builds, myself, and I am glad to see others trying it, too. I enjoyed the zoom-out picture on your blog, because when you do so the whole illusion disappears, but that makes the shots you show here all the better. The vibrancy of the vegetation contrasts so well against the muted tan of the background/foreground. There are some nice part uses in there, too. I especially like the small toolbox with the bucket handle in the bottom of the 1x2, the pale light green nipples as flowers, and do I espy an upside-down dark brown Minecraft head used as a flower pot in the back? My one critique is one that I think you gave to me on my interior scene - put something behind the wall to prevent unwanted colors and light from showing through; the 1x1 round plates in the wall allow bits of green and blue from somewhere else to peek through. It's not that noticeable, but it is something to look out for. But again, great job on the immersive scene. Looking forward to more!

Thanks, Garm! I got a little bit of pink from a PAB wall, and immediately wished that I had filled a full cup with it. Oh well. Thanks, Kai! The secret to the water is to...well, I don't know. This one has a layer of 1x1 round plates in trans-light blue under the trans-light blue tiles, so perhaps that adds to the depth somewhat, but it seems like whenever I use the trans-light blue tiles, even with other things underneath, it still comes out bright and vibrant. But I wanted especially to hide on this one that there are both green and blue baseplates under this build. My idea for what this part of the Mystic Isles looks like involves a bunch of "Friends-and-Elves colors" foliage-wise, so I love the pink myself - it creates a fantastic, otherworldly, and magical feel, I think. Thanks! The SJ entry was the seed that inspired me to expand to the whole island, to see if I could pull off the vision for what I hoped it could be. Thanks! I wanted it to be very tied to the rock of the island, integrally so, so I am glad the effect works! And I love Mont-Saint-Michel. Thanks! I hoped to make the scale consistent throughout, and to somewhat correlate with what I end up building at minifig scale, too. Thanks! The picture with the annotations was a last-second thought I had, because I was looking through a DK SW book that was explaining all the little details. It made me think of how I love to get the idea of what the different parts of something do, and when I build some of these buildings later people can refer back to this and see how it all fits together. Thanks, en_zoo! I only started to fall in love with micros myself. I think it was @soccerkid6's Rivendell that really made me change my mind a while ago, and then this past summer I started to try my hand at them. I love them now, but I think I need to devote some more time to minifig scale stuff for a bit here. And I haven't done task 1 or 2 yet, so they are nowhere to be found... You can do them in any order, whatever suits your building schedule. Thanks, Windusky! Practice, I guess, and steal (er, borrow) ideas from other builders whose micro creations you like. That's what I did.

This is really neat! I love the idea of aqueduct-aided farming for you desert folks, and this shows a nice simple one. I hope one of you all builds a giant one with lots of sweet arches some day, but this will do for now. More than the aqueduct or even the small plot of land, I like the house. It is simple, but the lack of windows is perfect for a simple house somewhere with lots of heat, to keep the interior as cool as possible. The walls look thick, too, which would be a further asset in the climate. The awning on the roof makes that a place to be used for living in the morning and evening when it cools enough to not die; I would expect the cooking fire to be outside somewhere, too, either on the roof or on the ground. Perhaps that is what you have hinted at with the large kettle outside by the door? A nice build all told. I look forward to seeing what else Kaliphlin can build when they choose to do some work!

That makes more sense than my guess!

As RA said, if they were, you would be correct. However, they are the same scoring period. It is, admittedly, a bit confusing, but to clarify: all non-Challenge I builds posted to the Guilds since October 1st belong in the second freebuild scoring period, which is the current one. It should be ending January 15th, if my memory serves me correctly. Thus, anything posted between October 1st and January 15th should share the same post in this thread. If something was posted before Oct. 1st, but not posted to this thread, it can still be added (and should be added to the current freebuild period), but there is the possibility that one of the Guild Leaders already added it to the list to be scored without it being posted here, since we do try to keep tabs on things. Does that help? Edit by RA: Jan 15th deadline for period 2

Edit your earlier post to include this one, rather than creating a new post for every build. Create a new post once each freebuild scoring period, but include all of your builds from that period in that one post, editing it each time you have something new to add.

The thread itself does not specify... I always just assumed it was intended to give it a three-letter acronym like the other ongoing challenges and tasks (UoP, AoM, etc). My own two cents is that it stands for Historican SettlementS, though nothing is explicitly specified.

Nice vignette, and I love the letters. I have no love for the DK (although I do enjoy the Mystic Isles, his unintentional gift to Avalonia) but this is a good attempt to try to get Kali on the same page. The walls are a bit too tan when combined with the floor for my taste, but the furniture is certainly nice. The book storage rack is unique, as most people would opt for a simple shelf rather than a cupboard or whatever the technical term for that piece of furniture is. Good luck uniting the clans!

Really neat build here, FP! The roof is obviously the star of the show, justly so, but the landscape it all sits in is also quite lush and clever in its part usage. The one part I don't really like is the plant with the 1x2 plates and 1x1 square flowers, as it does not feel as organic as the rest. It is a clever way to diversify the foliage, but I don't like the result. The rest of the build is great, and I am thrilled to see you back building for Avalonia!

Nice introductions! I like the terrain you have made to serve as a background. Simple, yet effective. I look forward to seeing some more to the story of Neville. Don't forget to post it to the freebuild registration thread, too!

I have a 3 year old, a 1 year old, and another on the way; a locked LEGO room (or in my case, basement) is essential. Congrats, @narbilu!

@Grover, As far as freebuild scoring goes, we take all of the free builds for the Challenge period, and give them credit based on their size. Some builds from each Guild also get additional points for quality of build (we take into account story and photography to a lesser degree). This way we can account for both the quantity and quality of the builds from each Guild. Note: Every Guild will have the same number of free builds scored for quality each period (generally 10), unless a Guild has an especially low number of free builds during that free build period. For Challenge build scoring, it is similar to the above, except that ALL builds get scored by both size and quality.

Another freebuild here:

The Isle of Druidham | Henjin_Quilones | Avalonia Of Dragons and Druids, Ch. 2: The Library of Druidham | Henjin_Quilones | Avalonia Prelude: The Queen's Council | Henjin_Quilones | Avalonia Prelude: The Long Discussion | Henjin_Quilones | Avalonia Lady Galaria, Mistress of Dragons, and Daeara the Earth Dragon | Henjin_Quilones | Avalonia

The Isle of Druidham A freebuild for Avalonia Also a build for Avalonia Task III Deep in the midst of the Mystic Isles, beyond the routes normally taken by traders and travelers crossing the mist-shrouded network of islands and channels, lies a small rocky island pocked with caves. When Henjin Quilones and his wife Galaria returned to Avalonia after visiting the land of Mwamba, they needed a place to settle down, as they had been exiled by Galaria's father, King Fingolë the Golden, from the western High Elf kingdom of Hesperia and could not return thither. Also, during their travels they had had two children, Gahlen and Emmalie, and they needed somewhere to raise them and keep them safe. A life spent on the road was not an option for their family. In addition to their children, Henjin and Galaria had companions who had traveled with them, many of them fellow exiles from Hesperia, but others had been picked up along their travels: an orc, named Grisshak, who had been found half-dead in a ditch after a battle; a family of dwarves who had caught wind of a potential job working with stone; a couple of gnomes from Bandari, including the mad genius Injini; a forest Grent who aspired to be a Druid; a family of Werecoons; and a veritable army of others. They needed a place to settle and build, and Henjin had had the idea to search out the ancient Druid shrine that was located, according to legend, somewhere in the center of the Mystic Isles. So to the Mystic Isles the whole crew went, and Henjin had selected this particular island, unsettled by anyone, but bearing the marks of having once been home to Druids in some bygone age. And so they named the island Druidham. Now, there was one other group that was with the various races who made up the new inhabitants of Druidham: the dragons. During their years in Bandari and greater Mwamba, Galaria and several of her elf companions had been privileged to form soul-bonds with freshly hatched dragons. Some of the dragons, including Galaria's own Daeara, had even had hatchlings of their own since then, which was how Gahlen and their youngest daughter, Lycaria, had managed to also form soul-bonds with their very own dragons. It helps if your mother is the Mistress of the Dragons, and your father is the Master of the Druidi Order. For on the island of Druidham, there are two main groups: the nascent Druidi Order, resurrected from the ashes of the old Druids when Henjin appeared from the stars, and the Dragonriders of Avalonia, dedicated to training elves and dragons in the defense of the realm. A third group, no less important, provides the support the other groups need, as farmers, herders, smiths, cooks, housekeepers, stewards, and everything else necessary for sustaining a full settlement. There is no way to the island save by water or air, but for those who visit there is a guesthouse that is always ready to receive visitors of any race or creed. A few of the surrounding islands are used to pasture large herds of sheep and goats, mostly to serve as food for hungry dragons. Oddly, the sheep do not like to live on the island where the dragons themselves live. __________________________________________ .................................................................................... Another micro build from me, slightly less polished than Ovenntrie Castle, perhaps, but more intricate in many ways, with all of the different angles in the rockwork to make the dragon caves. It started as a small vignette-size build for the Summer Joust that I decided to expand into a 48x48 build. I plan to flesh out the island one building at a time, or one section at a time, since most of the "buildings" are in caves hollowed out of the mountain itself. Expect a bunch of interior builds! C&C welcome.

Oh, and I forgot to announce that @Wineyard's entry was the Avalonian winner! Congrats are in store for his excellent entry and the glory he has given the guild!

Results are in, folks! Great work Avalonians! Challenge entries earned gold for each guild: Avalonia - 79 gold Kaliphlin - 47 gold Mitgardia - 29 gold Varlyrio - 22 gold And here are the gold earnings for the first free build period. Avalonia - 134 gold Varlyrio - 110 gold Mitgardia - 94 gold Kaliphlin - 62 gold Giving the current standings of the guilds: Avalonia - 213 gold Varlyrio - 132 gold Mitgardia - 123 gold Kaliphlin - 109 gold We have a sizable lead, but let's not get comfortable and let it go away! This puts a target on our backs as the bearded ladies, backstabbers, and mummy's boys try to beat us. Keep up the good work!

The only thing custom about them is the placement of the sticker where it was not meant to go... The shield itself is this one, and the rest is one of these with this sticker. Purist!

Me? Go to Varlyrio? Not a chance! I became the Guild Leader of Avalonia while you were away, so I am sticking with the green fields and verdant forests for the forseeable future. Not that the Varlyrio wasn't tempting -- I will likely have my characters go to visit for a while -- but Henjin Quilones is solidly Avalonian.

I love your full interiors, SK! This one is no exception. The stonework of the exterior is also great, parts intensive but very satisfying in its effect. I like you kept the rest pretty simple, nothing too fancy on the roof or the timbered section, since the focus is really on the stones. My favorite detail is the bed and the table with the pie. It gives it a more lived-in feel. As always, I look forward to seeing your next build!

A few have completed Task 1, though not many have. Zilmrud completed his here, Ailhbe completed it here, Niku's is on the 4th page of the Avalonian thread, and I think that is everyone who has completed it so far. I've been meaning to get mine posted soon (I took the pics and posted them to Flickr, but have never made a post for them over here) but so far we have not been too active on that front. People understandably placed some priority on their Challenge 1 builds, I suspect. Vignettes count as freebuilds, for sure! We have a category for 16x16 or less in the scoring rubric. It doesn't count as much as a 48x48, or something like that, but they are worth something to the guild, so post it to the registration! Technical stuff aside, I love how the vignette fits so well into the aesthetic you have established for Laelariel. I like the use of the old UFO armor on the swordsman! I also appreciate how you have not simply made an army for the realm, but instead applied creative license to your particular story and realm and made an "army" that depicts the situation on the ground. It's lovely. Good work! ,

Welcome to Avalonia, @The_Nev! We're glad to have you! I'll get you added to the first page soon, and I look forward to seeing some builds from you as well!