Keymonus

Thank you guys! The story is now complete, so what’s going on is a little more defined! For El Oleonda natives, I tried to merge my storyline with the ones of other people, even if the stranded Lotii part is not “canon” at all. Therefore, “my” Tyree’De warriors wear the red scarf introduced by @Khorne and share some Polynesian details (the house style, the war club…) with @Ross Fisher’s ones.

Sacred Tyree'De grounds, El Oleonda, December 622 The sacred House of the Ancestors, one of the holiest sites for the tribes of El Oleonda, was located somewhere between Fort Arltrees and Seawatch. Like most of the temples and the villages of the Tyree'De, it was built among the ruins of the ancient civilization that inhabited the island: majestic cities and temples laid in the jungle and on the heights, mysteriously abandoned centuries before. It was surprising how fast the Tyree'De (a blend of indigenous people and stranded Lotii sailors) had developed their own culture, religion, and myths, and how fast that small group had become one of the most important tribes of the New Haven islands. That day, however, Tristan was not there to talk with the Tyree'De about their fascinating culture: he was there to win the native tribes to the cause of Oleon, and help the Empire to win the incoming war. The Tyree'De had always been friendly, and many warriors had joined the army as scouts and auxiliaries, but other tribes had remained neutral or openly hostile. The Tamaco people, in particular, had sided with the Monomonto since their arrival on the island. While the Lotii forces were encircling Seawatch, the Tamaco warriors had intercepted all the Carnite messengers before they could reach Fort Arltrees, and had forced Tristan's scouts to maintain a certain distance from the Lotii positions. As Tristan discovered, however, the relations of the Tamaco with their new lords had deteriorated quickly. In the highly hierarchical Monomonto army, the natives were not considered as allies, but as “ashigaru”, that is subordinated peasant soldiers. After a Tamaco chief was beheaded by a “samurai” for insubordination, most of the native warriors deserted in mass. With the mediation of the Tyree’De chief, Tristan met the leader of the Tamaco. The sacred grounds, where no weapons were allowed, were the ideal location for the difficult talks: decades of rivalry with the Tyree’De were difficult to forget, but at the same time an alliance with Oleon was probably the best defence against a Lotii reprisal. The Tamaco leader proved to be a reasonable man: for sure he was a though warrior and a proud man, but he listened carefully the proposals of the Olee’Ion war chief… and, in spite of the warnings (clearly impartial and prejudice free) that Tristan had received from the Tyree’De, he didn’t even try to eat his liver! Outside the walls of the sacred land, the blue warriors were fraternising with the natives, exchanging gifts and showing them their mighty thunder spears. Armed warriors secured the area: the meeting, with the war chiefs of the main tribes of El Oleonda (Tamaco, Tyree’De, and the newly arrived Olee’Ion), represented an inviting target for the Lotii warlords. The situation, however, seemed completely calm, and no incident had occurred among the different groups. As the discussions went on, a large banquet was prepared, as the sacred traditions required: if the talks had been successful, all the warriors- the ones with the blue coats, the Tyree’De with their red bandanas, the Tamaco with the painted faces, and all the others- would have eaten together. Otherwise, all the food would have been burnt for the gods of war, and the two chiefs would have fought to the death on the sacred ground, or they would have been considered coward and blasphemous. Despite the sacred traditions, however, everyone hoped for the success: together, the tribes were stronger and, despite the rust between Tyree’De and Tamaco, nobody really wanted a bloodbath. Moreover, that food looked so inviting… ———— While Tristan was discussing with Atanak (the Tamaco chief), Lieutenant Marcel Dubois (the major of Fort Arltrees) took the chance to visit the fascinating House of the Ancestors. In the Tyree’De culture, that building represented all the members of the tribe who had gone to the World of the Spirits: in that place, the tribe remembered them, and the shamans tried to receive their wisdom in times of need. Food offerings were deposed on the central table, while objects of the Ancestors themselves were lined along the walls: weapons, masks and amulet, but also glass bottles, Lotii coin and old maps, memories of the sailors stranded decades before. Discovering the mysterious Tyree’De culture, however, didn’t seem to be Marcel’s only interest… and the beautiful daughter of the tribe chief, apparently, reciprocated him! ——— Overall view: ------------------- Many fantastic builds have been published in the last weeks, and I'm far from keeping up with everything. With this, I'm trying to progress my story, show the effort of Oleon to befriend most of the natives of El Oleonda (not only the Tyree'De) and answer at least some of the last development on the island.

A scientific expedition in the interior, licensed as small art and culture

December 622, Somewhere outside Nouveau Oleandia, Ile Dionysus As the winds of war started blowing again on the New Haven Seas, the exploration of the newly discovered lands was largely stalled. Knowing if the enemies had a foothold on an island was more important than studying the plants or animals living on them; discovering if Lotii agents had tried to make an alliance with a warrior tribe seemed more important than understanding the new languages and cultures. However, a few brave men still decided to try their luck, "for the progress of mankind, the glory of the Nation, and their own name". Expeditions of botanists, zoologists, and cartographers, part of the Oleander Royal Society of Science, arrived on the newly discovered lands alongside the soldiers. After a brief stop in Fort Arltrees, Jiangkai, or Nouveau Oleandia, the expeditions leave for the unknown: an uncontacted tribe, a coral reef, or the mysterious, unexplored jungle. Local guides, laborers and a few marines complete the teams, which will be alone and completely self-sufficient for several months. Among the various expeditions, a group of archaeologists arrived on Ile Dionysus (also known as Crocodile Island) to investigate some old bones discovered in the local copper mine. Some mysterious ancient bones had already emerged from the ground of Avestia, but the skeleton was too incomplete to determine the appearance of the animal. The mud of Ile Dionysus, instead, proved to be a real vault of ancient treasures: skulls, rows of vertebrae, complete and perfectly preserved skeletons... most were -unsurprisingly- crocodiles and alligators, but other remains belonged to animals never seen before. The most surprising discovery was made in a wet, cold morning of December: the skeleton of a monstrous snake was dug out of the mud, bone after bone. The animal must have been terrifying. From head to tail, the skeleton was at least 15 metres long, larger than any known reptile. If it had been similar to the other large snakes of the New World, this meant that it could have swallowed a horse, an ox or a large crocodile. Apart from the scientific value of the discovery, everyone was a little concerned… that skeleton could be just a trace of an ancient past, but nobody could exclude that snakes like that still crawled in the swamps of Ile Dionysus! A group portrait of the scientific expedition. The measuring rope was too short for the whole skeleton. Overall view ————————— Just a little MOC, to experiment with vegetation, mini figures and, obviously, the skeleton. Tilting a little bit the connections between the studs and the 1x1 plates gave a nice curved effect. I will license it as a small art and culture for Nouveau Oleandia (32x32 plot size, but too simple to become a medium property). I hope you like it!

A warm welcome on board, @AlexanderDuval! If you need any help with the rules ask whenever you want, but my suggestion is to simple start building and then learning on the way!

A copper mine, licensed in the settlement

Somewhere in the bayou, Ile Dyonisus, November 622 Copper is not exactly what a miner hopes to find, when he first hits the rock with his pickaxe. However, it is what the prospectors found in the swamps of Ile Dyonisus: the weird minerals surfacing from the mud turned out to be azurite, a valuable copper ore. Despite the initial delusion of the prospectors, the city government was enthusiastic about the discovery. Copper doesn’t immediately fill your purse, this is true, but with copper you can make bronze, and with bronze you can make the cannons that your navy needs… or, if you feel particularly pious, the bells for the new temple. Digging tunnels in the soft ground of Ile Dyonisus was out of question. The slow flow of the water, however, had already made most of the job, century after century: in some areas the copper minerals were already exposed, and damming the river was sufficient to create a sort of open mine. The mud was removed, and the valuable minerals were shattered and brought away, piece after piece. When all the available ores will be collected, the dam will simply be moved of one hundred metres, and the hard work of the miners will start again. The environment of Ile Dyonisus is particularly harsh for the miners: humidity, mosquitoes and the ever-present mud are only the most immediate problems of the workers. Moreover, drinkable water has to be brought from a nearby river, as the swamp water would probably poison the miners. Then, obviously, there are the alligators: the dam and a fence of wooden spikes are usually enough to keep them out, but on Ile Dyonisus you can never really know… As a good precaution, a few armed men are always present: if an alligator could find his way into the governor’s house (some say with a little help), a fence is definitely not safe enough! Copper will soon leave the swamps of Ile Dyonisus and reach the whole Empire, as cannons, bells, statues, boilers to make sugar or whisky, or maybe the sheathing of a ship hull! To be licensed as a copper mine on Ile Dyonisus, the swamp island. Overall view: --------------- I didn't realize how long it had been since I last built something of this scale... but, as my brave prospectors explore the bayou of Ile Dyonisus, and my soldiers march on the hills of El Oleonda, real life tends to happen! I hope I'll be able to continue soon with my storylines!

Nice minifigs and very original tree! The classic coat and the new dark blue hats fit very well together! Soon our forces will actually move and crush the Lotii besiegers! Yes, it is the Gran Military Encyclopedia… and it is a few months older than the compendium! The index is not super updated, my fault

Welcome to BoBS and to our glorious faction! Have fun and help destroying the enemies of the Empire! BTW, nice minifigure

Hi! Usually double posting is not encouraged, unless some changes are made (for instance the same tavern in a medieval or pirate setting), but it is not forbidden (only building contests require previously unpublished builds). In BoBS, however, you can post whatever you want even if you can’t own it yet. I suggest you to post your builds in the forum (and get the 10 doubloon bonus) and “license” them only in a second time: we often do that, especially in the first periods, as the yield of properties doesn’t immediately cover the cost of new licenses.

Thanks! The soldiers are actually provincial troops from Western Oleon, I wanted to include also some border units from Varcoast but I had run out of ideas… possibly some castle torsos in blue (as I did in a quite far past) could fit well! I’m also very happy about the bandits, I think they look just modern enough to fit with our era, but at the same time antiquated enough: my fear was that they could look too “medievalish”

Varcosian Border, Spring 608 The Juniper war was raging on, far on the East. According to the latest news, the Empire of Light was winning: the troops of Corrington had been routed, and were retreating towards the chief town of the Juniper Province, but everyone knew that they couldn’t keep it for long. The war was almost over. There were little celebrations in the westernmost provinces, as people had more urgent issues. Varcosian brigands had plagued the area for centuries, in a deadly hide and seek game with the local lords and their soldiers. However, as the Juniper War called too many dragoon regiments back to the East, those rascals soon stopped being an annoyance and became a real problem: it was no longer matter of a few stolen cows, but of farms set on fire and border hamlets sacked. At the time, Tristan Rimbaud was a young lieutenant at his first command. He had received the task of repelling “Bogdan” (the Varcosian brigands) beyond the border, but he soon realised that the mission was completely pointless: Bogdan moved back and forth the border as he pleased, escaping capture every time. After the first skirmishes, therefore, Tristan gathered all the available men and attacked the brigands directly in their bases. The campaign was successful, and “Bogdan” remained out of the lands of Oleon for several years. Crossing the border, however, was not without consequences: after the protests of the Varcosian ambassador, Tristan was relieved of his duties and transferred to New Oleon… a punishment only on paper, since he received a medal an important command in the Marines. Apparently, bands of Salleeki pirates were creating troubles, but Oleander response was complicated by international borders… From left to right: -Front 1) Armoured guard: some rural areas of the Eranos province had remained behind in the military innovations. The guards of some noble lords, therefore, are equipped as they were 100 years before: swordsmen wearing morion and heavy armour are not an uncommon view. 2-4) Eranos chasseurs: regular line infantry is stationed in the large Western Forts along the Varcosian border. Most of the fights against brigands and overambitious Varcoast boyards, however, are fought in the woods by light infantry units. 3) Lieutenant Tristan Rimbaud: second son of an ancient but relatively irrelevant noble family of Western Oleon; he could either choose the clergy or the army, as his elder brother will inherit title and estates. He choose the latter and, after attending the military academy, he was assigned to the Varcosian Border, near to his native lands. 5) Arbalétrier: while antiquated and difficult to maintain, a crossbow can be as powerful as a musket. Almost disappeared from the regular army, this weapon is still used by militias in some rural areas. -Back 1) Chasseur à cheval: light cavalry, equipped with sabre and carabine. Chasseurs a cheval can fight both on horse or dismounted but, differently from dragoons, they are essentially cavalry soldiers. In the western provinces, where border skirmishes are more common than real battles, those soldiers are trained to fire from horseback, something quite unusual in the Madrician kingdoms. 2) Garde-chasse: the role of game wardens is usually non military, mainly patrolling public woods and noblemen’s hunting grounds against poachers and brigands. These men, however, are skilled horsemen and excellent marksmen, who know the Western Forests as their own pockets; therefore, during wartime, they are enlisted as scouts and explorers. From left to right: 1-2) Varcosian brigands: brigands wear traditional costumes, often including peculiar cloth hoods and long moustaches. While most of the loot consists of livestock, on lucky days they can steal a statuette or a golden goblet from a temple. 3) Brigand chief: each band gathers around a charismatic leader, sometimes a lesser nobleman, a village chief or even a priest. He usually wears more elegantly than his men, with colourful clothes, silver buckles and plumed hats. 4) Varcosian brigand: most bandits have antiquated firearms and little gunpowder to waste. Therefore, they always have a wide array of knives and axes. 5) Armed peasant: not all the bandits are full-time brigands. Many of them are simple peasant who join the brigands for a while, hoping to steal enough to repay a debt or to cope with a bad harvest season. 6) Bowman: a bow costs less than a musket, and can be built by any craftsman with minimal tools. Bows are therefore often seen along the Varcosian border, in the hands of both hunters, bandits and even irregular soldiers. ——————— As most of my bricks are still in the form of Breshaun port, I built a small figbarf and expanded a little bit the past of my main character. “Bogdan” for Varcoast brigands should be something like nickname “Charlie” for the Viet Cong or “Fritz” for German soldiers.

Apparently, I removed by mistake the picture of old King Friedrick of Varcoast… I’ll load a new one on Flickr as soon as possible, but then it should be re-inserted in the Varcoast page

Thank you all guys! This was one of my first attempts with a very bad terrain and minifigures on it Thanks! This is the main advantage of close up photos… the main disadvantage, instead, is the appearance of all the dust grains you didn’t see before, little dents in your bricks, etc. Thanks! The weight of the cannon was a point I had to think about a lot. I wanted something heavier than the 6-pounder mountain gun, that I previously depicted as disassemblable (so there would be no good reason to drag it), but IRL the 8-p would be probably too heavy (about 600kg, instead of the 400kg of a 6-p and the 300kg of a 4-p, considering only the barrel). I edited the text, making the gun 6-pounder field cannon.

Thank you all, guys! This was an ideas I had a long time ago, but I could never turn it into bricks before! The 2x1 trans clear bricks, in particular, did their job quite well! Thank you! Yes, my ice trade is loosely based on Tudor’s activities. In our world, without an “American” continent discovered (yet?), ice comes from our equivalent of Northern Europe. Thanks… and never say never! BTW, if you want to do it yourself, the trade route is open and Nellissa is not that far! I think I will license the whole scene as large commerce build.

Breshaun, Le Bellan, August 622 Imagine you are an Oleander nobleman in Breshaun or a rich Eslandolan merchant in Weelond. You are having breakfast, and you would like a croissant or some butter on a slice of bread... but cows don't fare well in the tropical weather of the colonies, and the little imported butter is often almost rancid. You have lunch, and your servants couldn't find anywhere the seafood you wanted; still better than a few weeks before, when the Count's buffet ended up in a massive food poisoning. Soon it will be dinner time, but drinking anything colder than the temperature of your wine cellar is out of the question. Life in the colonies can be so unfair! But now, thanks to Rimbaud Shipping Enterprises, things are going to change! Fresh butter every time you want it, fish as good as in the moment it was caught, cold drinks in front of the tropical Sea of Storms are just a few doubloons far! Initially, the idea was considered halfway between clever, and absolutely foolish. Ice in Altonia is almost worthless, especially in winter; instead, there is no ice in the New World, so a seller could set any price. On paper, it would make sense, apart from the thousands of miles between Altonia and Breshaun. However, if you are brave enough to fill a ship with blocks of Altonian ice, pack them with sawdust, and sail South as fast as you can, you would arrive in Breshaun with almost two-thirds of the initial cargo. A ship used to transport ice requires more maintenance, and sailing during winter in the rough Altonian sea can be extremely dangerous, but the reward of a successful voyage is high. What in Altonia is worth a few silver guldens -the pay of the cutters and the cost of the transport- in Breshaun can easily be converted into a little chest of golden doubloons! The captains of the winter ships soon discovered that they could also make a fine extra profit by transporting perishable goods in the hold: deer meat, barrels of butter, or cheese would, in fact, arrive in Breashaun almost as they left the port of Ulrich. A little amount of ice is not unloaded from the ship: it will keep the hold cold enough to deliver some fresh products- mainly tropical fruit- to the motherland. Pineapples and bananas started to appear more often on the tables of Oleander nobles, even if they are still considered expensive luxury foods. The Ice Queen has just arrived in the port of Breshaun. With several tons of ice and a dozen barrels of butter, her voyage could be considered a success… provided that the goods didn’t melt in a few hours! The precious ice cargo melting on the piers would be a terrible sight for the captain! A few icehouses were therefore built in Breshaun harbor. These warehouses are built below the ground level and allow safe storage of ice and imported goods. At the same time, they offer the opportunity to preserve fresh fish, meat, and seafood for a longer time. —————————————————— The ice trade from Ulrich to Breshaun is organized and controlled by the Rimbaud Shipping Enterprises. The Rimbauds, as several minor families of the little Oleander nobility, invested their money in the New World, while the most important families remained more focused on their crops and estates in the motherland. The flow of gold and silver arriving from the colonies is now shifting the balance of power among the Oleander noblemen, with the most conservative families remaining behind. On the ground floor of Breshaun offices, the representatives of Rimbaud Shipping Company organize all the steps of the ice trade, from the cutting on Altonian lakes to the maintenance of the icehouses. Ice, however, is only one of the activities of the Company: gunpowder and silver on Ile de Zeus, gold on El Oleonda, and soon copper on Ile Dionysus... all these activities require supplies, workers, armed guards, transport ships, and even the building of infrastructures. Stacks of letters and accounting books are therefore required to organize the net of activities and trade routes. Here, a captain and a representative of the Company have just concluded a transport agreement for the next cargo of ice, that would be harvested in Altonia in a few months. This deserves a toast! On the upper floor, the director's office is far more comfortable. The most important agreements are discussed there, and the most important letters are written there. The destiny of whole fleets, and of hundreds of doubloons, is decided in this office. However, at this very moment, the director is relaxing for a while, enjoying a cold dessert prepared with fruit, sugar, and, obviously ice... one of the advantages of his position! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The other building dominating that area of the port is one of Breshaun commodity markets. Sometimes cargoes are delivered on commission but, more often, they are simply transported to the settlement and sold to the highest bidder. This process practically defines the price of any commodity in Breshaun and, as a consequence, in the whole Empire: wood and copper, silver and wine, fruit and spices... any good can be bought or sold in the largest settlement of the New World! The cargoes are sold with an auction system. The merchants should theoretically sit on the planks and place their bids with calm and order, but this is rarely the case. More often the buyers stand immediately in front of the auctioneer -where some of the goods are exposed- and yell their offers. Dozens of pieces of paper, where the merchants scribble numbers and calculations, must be collected every day from the mosaic floor! Upstairs, additional agreements are signed between merchants and captains. Not all of them are completely legal... in some cases, they involve trading with Lotii merchants, smuggling in Terraversan settlements, or delivering goods to pirate settlements. However, as an ancient proverb says, gold never stinks! Additional pictures: A fortune teller, reading cards in an alley. Overall view: Without the ship: The Ice Queen: -------------------------------------------- Writing the story took longer than expected, but I didn't want to lose the selected pictures. I had planned something similar years ago when I launched a (completely unsuccessful) minichallenge on the ice trade (The Ice King). I'm very happy with the result, even if some parts of the ship are still a little too blocky; I wanted to add sails too, but the masts are not stable enough. I tried to depict Breshaun as more "civilized" than other settlements I built into, with people wearing modern clothes (including servants wearing a livery), elegant musketeers instead of the usual bluecoats, and decorated buildings. About ice trade: I introduced it in a rich and important settlement, but I don't want to expand it too much. I think that ice as an expensive commodity for the richest, some expensive tropical fruit for the motherland, and similar things are perfectly fine in our time frame, while an era of refrigerated food and massive transoceanic trade of fresh goods is not. I hope you like the result!

Previously: Where a goat can go, a man can go, and where a man can go, he can drag a cannon. Somewhere on the hills, El Oleonda, August 622 The siege of Seawatch had already lasted several months, but the defenders were carrying on, in one way or the other. A small group of agents of Le Service Secret, who had infiltrated the settlement a couple of weeks before the siege, was coordinating the defenders' efforts. The garrison was small, but well-trained, and could rely on a few batteries of powerful Essian howitzers to keep the Lotii artillery at bay. Moreover, while the siege was completed in the first weeks, the blockade was constantly defied by small sloops: brave captains used the cover of the storms to outmaneuver the large Lotii junks, delivering food and gunpowder to the defenders. Without external help, however, Seawatch was clearly doomed, and a final Lotii assault seemed only a matter of time... and, after Seawatch, Fort Arltrees was the next in the line. This seemed a good reason to drag those cannons under the tropical sun of El Oleonda. In preparation for a large-scale assault, a column of soldiers left Fort Arltrees for the interior: the plan is to open a road across the hills, so that the incoming attack could arrive from a completely unexpected direction. The Corrish attack to Aurelia had taught an important lesson to Oleander strategists, and now it was the turn of the Lotii to receive an unpleasant surprise! Even if the mission was mainly opening the way and establishing and advanced stronghold, the column is equipped with a few 6-pounder field cannons. The carriage was lightened as much as possible, but a cannon is not exactly a lightweight, especially on a mountain trail! The soldiers, volunteers drawn from various light infantry units, know that their efforts would be rewarded in case of unpleasant encounters with Lotii outposts: a cannon is always a strong argument in a skirmish! Now the soldiers of the Empire were marching up the hill, panting and cursing, but always going forward. They had no luggage carts or ammunition carriages: to move faster and remain unnoticed, every soldier carried some supplies, a bag of gunpowder or, for the most unfortunate, a few cannonballs. General Tristan Rimbaud, the commander of the detachment, looked proudly at his men. During his childhood, he had always read a lot about the soldiers of the ancient Empire, the legendary legionaries: according to the chronicles, they often won by marching for weeks with armour, supplies and even the poles to fortify the camps, attacking the enemies where nobody expected. But he didn’t need the soldiers from remote times, he had something better: chasseurs and marsouines, the elite of the Empire… or, at least, the best troops available! He didn’t trust at all, instead, the man at his side. He didn’t know his name or rank, but he was the liaison officer with the secret services. For what Tristan knew, he had sent without hesitation the group of agents in Seawatch to a certain death. The Services were known to have little scruples, and to sacrifice whatever they considered necessary for the Nation… and Tristan was not particularly willing to become a martyr of Empire! Additional pictures: Note: while EGS troops have not moved yet, this build should pave the ground for the offensive towards Seawatch. The design of the troupes de marine, the marsouines, was first introduced by @Khorne (as several other great units) during the Terraversa campaign.

Thank you guys! It was just a small vignette, but I’m glad you liked my minifigs and the little details I added (the water puddle, the can…). Thank you… and very nice! More bells for the gods, more cannons for the King! BTW, this could be a nice title for my future mine! About crocodile… I never tasted it, it’s quite far from my habitat range! I trust you, but I think I’ll never know!

Thank you guys! This was also the first time I could use some of my nice fleshie minifigures! I’m glad you noticed the little crown in the flag, it was actually an additional statement!

Thank you! This was just a little vignette to introduce the 2nd company of Astrapi Chasseurs, who will soon fight side by side with my first company (the Rimbaud Raiders). Soon they will appear also in the Encyclopedia!

Nice little scene, simple but effective! The use of the paintbrush and lipsticks for your furniture is very original! I'm looking forward to seeing the developments of your story!

Nice vignette and great minifigs! The Count has got some supporters, apparently… Where do the custom printings come from?

Nice build and hilarious story! Although not super elaborate, the line of buildings works very well for shaping the city. I’m looking forward to seeing the developments… will we finally understand the aims of this mysterious organisation?

Nice build! The color choice is quite unusual but works well, the terrain is very well textured, and the building itself is full of interesting details. It would be nice if your build also had an interior, but this is mostly a personal bias of mine! Well done!

I didn’t comment before, but it was a pity! The whole scene is impressive, your ship is very realistic in spite of the brick-built sails, you even managed to add strings and crew in LDD! The amount of details (both in the ship and in the coastline scene) is stunning, and the round tower is very original in design! Keep it up!