Henjin_Quilones

Very nice, I like the various action scenes that you have shown here. The ground could use a bit more texturing, I think, as it is rather flat and monochrome, but other than that I think it looks great. The ballista is good, but the upper story of the house steals the show in my opinion.

And a Spire build, hastily built in the waning moments:

The Hand of Corruption Catapult Wheel A build for the Spire in Book II, Challenge V, Category B At a Hand of Corruption camp near the edge of the Moruth Swamplands, where the Spire forces were congregating for an attack on the Resistance capital of Abyssian, work was underway on a new type of siege weapon, a multiple-shot catapult wheel, capable of firing six shots per minute with an experienced crew manning her. The uruks of the Hand were just now putting the finishing touches on the masterpiece of destructive engineering. The blacksmiths get no rest, beating out nails and pieces of the frame with skillful blows of their hammers. Guards keep anyone unwanted away. The machine itself: ________________________________________________________________ ................................................................................................................................ Wow, barely got this together... of course I did not start until after supper on the 19th, though my main focus was on my Alliance build. C&C welcome. I did not realize until editing that a pile of wheels had fallen into the swamp, but oh well. The Spire needed some love.

Nice entry, Legofin, especially for something last minute like you said! I like the rough yet sturdy nature of the wagon, befitting wolves like you have here. The ballista design is great. The rockwork is nice, too.

Another challenge build, set in Hesperia, at the gates of the city of Istolia:

Category B build is up, for the Alliance: I might see if I can crank out a Spire build tonight, but I have grading to get done too, so we'll see. Can I lobby again for a Category C extension?

The Armored Bears of Hesperia A Build for Challenge V, Category B, on behalf of the Alliance. In the land of Hesperia, an elven kingdom in the far west of Avalonia, nestled in the depths of the Enchanted Forest, there are many beasts of great size, from giant eagles to mighty dragons. Among the fearsome creatures one might encounter under the shade of the magical trees, typically in the upper regions of the highlands, are enormous brown bears. Fiercely territorial and aggressive when provoked, nevertheless the elves have managed to recruit their aid in times of need to serve as mighty beasts of war. Blacksmiths work long hours to create custom armor to protect the mighty frames of the great bears from enemy projectiles while not seriously impacting the mobility of the noble creatures. Here, at Rogobel's blacksmith shop just outside the walls of Istolia, a major Hesperian settlement, Rogobel and his assistants are working around the clock to turn out armor for the bears. Urgaalikku, a proud Ursine chieftain, is receiving his armor. To keep the bears from leaving as the heavy metal is pounded and riveted around them, the bears are fed a steady supply of fruit and vegetables. "Rogobel!" shouted Haladrian. "We are going to need more fruit here pretty soon! Chief Urgaalikku is hungry today." "You've been working at the forge all day, Rogobel," said Tirian, his lead assistant. "Let me take a turn at the anvil." "Grab your own from the corner, Tirian," grunted Rogobel, "and make yourself useful rather than standing around like a maiden in a daisy field." "Feladrim, I'm glad you are here," said Drogo. "Did you grab the case of rivets from the shelf like I asked? I have to add the next row of plates above this one or Rogobel will be on my case." "Um, no, I grabbed the forward-mounted crossbow, like I thought you asked." ________________________________________________________________________ ................................................................................................................................................ Thanks for looking! C&C welcome. This thing was rather difficult to photograph, but I think it turned out alright in the end.

Thanks, Windusky! The story is developing along. Thank you, Maestro! I thought that perhaps the dark blue should have been in the middle and the light blue along the shore, but the relative quantities dictated this. Glad you like all of the colors! Thanks, Titus! I find that I can take good pictures of small scenes, but larger builds are hard for me and my setup! Thanks, Legofin! I am glad you like the colors. I hope I can get the Cat. C entry completed in time, but I look forward to seeing yours, too.

I like the Grond-like battering ram! The room itself is nice, though a bit cluttered (though what workshop isn't, I guess). Good work showing different phases of construction going on with all of the different workers. I do feel bad for Charlemagne, though.

Nice little build, the sense of age is well conveyed. I look forward to the rest of this, especially with the anniversary contest with seafaring challenges coming up.

Another chapter of the Chronicles of Hesperia is up: I'll have my Category B build up this weekend, and then on to Category C!

The Chronicles of Hesperia Volume 1: The Sky Man Chapter 3: The Return of the Druids The Previous Chapters: Henjin Quilones and Galaria, daughter of King Fingolë the Golden, walked a little away from the campsite of the others. It had been a long day for everyone: Henjin and his brother, Bu'kanjin, along with his companions, had endured a crash landing and an unexpected transformation; Galaria had ridden far on wolfback to reach the impact site, and then suffered the loss of one of her elf warriors when she was shot by Bu'kanjin. They all needed rest, badly, but first there were some questions that needed to be asked, and answers that needed to be heard. Henjin was the first to speak, as they reached the shores of a small lake. "Princess Galaria," he began. "Just Galaria, please," interjected the elf. "Galaria, then," continued the man. "Can you tell me more about the druids of your world? I read some of the inscriptions on the stones back at Stangraf, and they told me some things, but there are other things I would like to know." "Well, to begin, the druids left many, many years ago, after their race began to die out, and they left behind a powerful magic spell, hidden, never found, somewhere to the east of here among the islands. Then...they just vanished...turned to dust, the old stories say. Whether that is true, I do not know, since I was born here in Hesperia many centuries after the elves moved west, and even my father has no personal knowledge of the druids. Why do you ask, Henjin?" "Curiosity, I guess. Where I came from--and the memories get fainter every moment, so that I am not sure where that was--there was an ancient mystical order dedicated to preserving peace and justice, using the deep powers of the universe, the Living Soul of All Being, you could say; we could do incredible things, impossible things, even, except save people from death. Though some tried. Some were seduced to use those powers for selfish ends and became evil, but most of us used them for good. I think that your druids here in Historica might be the same as, or at least very similar to, the Druidi Order of which I was, or perhaps still am, a member. When a member of the Druidi Order died, typically he would be cremated, but some learned how to just...disappear, become one with the Soul of Being, just like your druids did long ago." Galaria turned to Henjin. "So...are you saying that you are a druid?" "I think so," said Henjin. "I am, and my brother is, too. That is how we have such quick reflexes to catch arrows, and do other impossible things." "But you could not save Ankeria after your brother shot her." "No, sadly, her soul had already gone to the Halls of Waiting, and I have not the power to recall anyone thence." "I see." A moment of silence passed as they looked out at the wind rustling the reeds on the shore of the lake. Somewhere far off a bird sang a song of evening. Galaria looked up, her eyes narrowing as she gazed at a dark speck just above the horizon, moving quickly across the setting sun. "Come quickly now, Henjin Quilones, Knight of Stangraf and the first of the New Druidi Order of Historica; we must make haste. I have seen one of the Great Eagles of Hesperia winging his way swiftly through the heavens, and it was unmistakably Aeriglaaac and his rider, Celdrian, my father's most trusted messengers, whom he sent to the far east to learn of the tidings of war. That he flies so swift and sure to Istolia, where my father is visiting, is a sure sign that something is afoot. We must go thither more quickly than I had planned. We go tonight! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ........................................................................................................................ Thanks for looking! C&C welcome. It's not much to look at, but I needed a build to move the story forward a bit, as well as explain a few things. A few more small builds will be forthcoming in order to set up a Category C story arc.

Nice job creating something on this scale, SK! I did not expect an 8x8 entry into a 32x32 category, certainly, but this looks great. You have done an excellent job of making it look functional and practical, just as one would expect from dwarves. My favorite details are the levers as cranes and the ridgelines of the roofs.

Excellent build, LJ! I love the architecture here, as it is very Kaliphlinian and Arabian. The bustling atmosphere is great, and the colors are superb. You have a great eye for contrast and composition. The only thing I do not really like is the figures themselves; the red and yellow next to dark red and tan and all of the earth tones is a bit visually jarring (fleshies, however verboten they may be in your eyes, would improve the scene, I think). Besides that, though, I like everything else. Some people near me were singing "Arabian Nights" from Aladdin as I was looking at this, completing the experience...

Yes, that is possible. Welcome! Any faction's shield is found anywhere, generally, though certain shields are more proper to certain areas, like lions to Kaliphlin, the green dragon to Avalonia, and the red dragon to Nocturnus. I look forward to seeing your builds!

@ZCerberus Any chance of an extension on Category C? I should have B up soon, as I just need to take pics, but C is such a large and daunting task (creating a series of builds, not just one, at a quality sufficient to be made into GoH canon!) that I know that I, for one, would greatly appreciate some extra time. It does not help that I have stacks and stacks of papers and other assignments to grade with the end of the quarter coming up here in Real Life, along with everything else (and my spring break is Easter week, the week after the deadline, so that's no help...). You can of course say no, and I won't be offended, but I know it won't get extended without someone asking. I'll get something posted either way. Thanks for considering!

I think that a bit more consistency in color choices would strengthen the whole build; the tree has at least three colors of leaves, and the ground is at least four or five colors, without a sense that certain areas are dirt and others rock by their textures. I agree with SK that some smaller plates and more tiles would help break up the larger plates and cause the problem of the colors to be at least diminished. The stone columns are nice, a feature I personally like, but even there consistency would help you, since you have two column styles and two colors on them. Your figs are great, though, and are my favorite part. I particularly like the hammer-wielding orc.

While this build is excellently executed, there is something about it that just seems a bit off, to me. I think it might be what others have said, that it has a classic-castle vibe with modern pieces, which just does not quite work for me. Others like it, and it is certainly well-done (a given from you). I guess I am used to seeing builds with more complex textures on the walls, but this is just so clean and spare, seeming almost plain in comparison. Maybe it's the shutters and the old windows. I don't know. I hope this makes some sense. On the other hand, it is good to see your bellows make another appearance here, as I loved it the first time I saw it in the dwarven mountain in your large collab with SK.

Excellent ballista, Maestro! I like the shaping of the wood parts, and the tree in the background, as Gideon said, is impressive in its own right. I think the dragon head looks a bit more like a wolf, but that could be because it is grey; even still, it is epic. Perhaps my favorite part of the build, however, is the action you have created. This is a weapon actively under construction, with piles of wood being carried and pieces being fastened on as we watch. Very nice!

The arches and roof of this building make it look splendid, Gideon! The cobblestone courtyard, too, adds to the excellent appearance. I like the way you irregularly ended the woodwork, implying that the building continues over a bit further. The blacklight effect is impressive, allowing the fire to actually glow, and the machinery is simple, yet realistic-looking. And your photography, as usual, is par excellence. A great entry from you!

I feel kind of bad for the striped-shirt guy; he has to make all sorts of bricks and then start farming, too, while the other guy just supervises him. Nice little SNOT landscape!

The table seems about right for Spire supporters, uneven and coarse... And the figs look appropriately evil, too.

The hole is very nice, but my favorite part is the window in the building. The slopes and arches look great there. Well done!

I like that tower, very dark and mysteriously magical. The use of all those horn/claw pieces is great, and the trans-blue elements give it a great magical vibe. I think the ground could use a bit more detailing, though, perhaps some sort of more profound elevation change to give it more visual interest. That being said, I like it. It is reminiscent, on a smaller scale, of Orthanc or Barad-dur.

Great job, En_zoo! The landscaping is quite nice, and I love all of the trees. You did a good job varying all of the different colors enough to prevent an overload of one particular hue, but did not mix them up so much that they got jumbled up and blah. The rickety and abandoned nature of the woodwork around the property looks appropriate, and the random wagon wheel in the background really helped. Good action, good build, fun story. My main complain is that it bothered me that Helga has fleshie legs and cleavage (with the Wonder Woman torso backwards, too--which does not look bad, actually, except for the breasts on her back) with yellow face and arms. I found it distracting the whole time I was looking at the pictures.