Keymonus

In terms of diplomacy, major is likely when one of the nations gets its name erased from the map @KotZ nice little build! The bottles in the background are a fine touch!

Splendid collaboration! The new lighthouse, in particular, is great! The result is very nice, and the two builds are so similar in terms of size that I didn't immediately realize they were not built together... great job guys!

Brilliant build and funny story! The tiling work, in particular, is very well done! Nice minifig selection too.

I never commented on this project, but this is simply great! I never built in LDD, so I could not join, but I'm looking forward to seeing where the whole thing goes!

Nice series of vignettes! You included a lot of details and interesting techniques, and the rendering of your LDD is excellent: gold and silver usually look a little bit off, but in this case they are perfect!

Nice build! I think that raising a cavalry unit in the settlement with so many WTC marines around will be a problem for a long time!

Great build NOD! The roof and tiled walls are in particular very nice, but also the texture of the lower floor is brilliant. It's a pity LDD doesn't allow a proper interior unless you do it in a separate build.

King's Port, Terraversa, 15 February 621 "Disregarding losses, the city is ours to take!" That yellow flag was ugly, nothing more than an old piece of cloth put on a bent pole. And it could be the last thing Tristan would have ever seen... people definitely think strange things when they might be only a few seconds far from their own death. It was time to go. "Soldiers of Oleon, for King and Country... Charge!" The men launched a battle cry and turned the corner, leaving the protection of the stone wall. The enemies were waiting for them behind a barricade, just twenty meters forward... The sharp sound of shots immediately filled the air, and bullets started flying in every direction. The man right at his side fell with a yell, wounded or dying... but they had managed to close the gap, and the enemies had no more time to reload! Tristan raised his gun, aiming for the man in front of him, a veteran of Oldis' heavy cavalry... it would have been a fair game. The man did the same with his long wheellock pistol... they both knew that one of them would have dined in the Hades, together with many others. --------- Miguel Sanchez pushed with rage the ramrod in his musket as if he was stabbing an enemy. He had enough gunpowder for five shots, six at most, then he only had his knife. They couldn't resist for long, he knew, but he was ready to fight for his country until his last dying breath! Miguel had already fought for the independence of his nation... he was in Van Dhorne's militia during the civil war. Some called them fanatics, and some accused them of war crimes, but they did what they had to: they hit hard the Mardierians and their sympathizers, killing the enemies and leaving behind the fallen brothers. People of Terreversa had gained independence, and now Archduke Oldis was losing it, entering a power game too big for their young nation. But the people of Terraversa were not defeated yet and would have resisted, with or without the Archduke! "Stand up, coward! Take your musket, or I'll shoot you myself!" The man nodded, frightened, but remained where he was. The militias had recruited all the able men to fight against the invaders, sometimes even forcibly... if they weren't ready to die for freedom, they didn't deserve it! Some of the new recruits, however, completely lacked motivation... damned cowards! "Oleander dogs are arriving! They are the renegades of the Legion!" Miguel spat on the ground, disgusted. The Legion, traitors of their own country! The men ran to their battle positions, ready to open fire. Everyone hated those sellswords, who had sold themselves to a new master. The bluecoat officer started speaking in Mardierian, asking the defenders to drop their weapons... well, they would have dropped something! "Augusto, send them a cocktail!" ---------- "One last attempt, their last chance." Thought Captain Alvaro Ferrer. King's Port had almost fallen, only a few blocks of buildings stood between them and the palace of the tyrant: the impregnable Citadel only existed in Oldis' propaganda. Selfish and greedy as usual, Archduke Oldis was still sending his soldiers to die for him, even if the battle was clearly lost... probably he had to feed his self-esteem as a great general, resisting against superior forces -clearly from his own palace. Or more likely he was just gaining time to gather more gold, paintings, and Lotii porcelains in his coach before running away... maybe even something stolen from the Ferrer Manor, sacked by the militias during the civil war. "Drop your weapons! Oldis has already fled with your treasures! Do you want to die for a coward?" Yelled Alvaro in a megaphone. He used the Mardierian of Terraversa, his native language. "You fought well, but it is over!" Two men appeared on the upper floor of the building. One held an explosive bottle, the other, in civilian clothes, had a gun. They had wasted their opportunity. "Fire at will! Take the drunk down!" As usual, the one with the explosive bottle -the drunk- was the priority... even if sometimes those devices exploded before the Terraversans could throw them. The soldiers of the Mardierian Legion started a violent musket fire towards the windows, trying to take cover behind the low wall of a garden. On the nearby road, a company of soldiers launched an assault against a barricade. This was happening on his right, so they likely were General Rimbaud and his guys, the Astrapi Raiders, and the tirailleurs of the 5eme. ----------- On the other side of the road, Francisco Mendoza was waiting for the enemies behind a barricaded door. That build must have been a tavern, just a few months ago, but now it was their fort. He peeked across the planks blocking the windows. The enemies were advancing again, crossing what remained of the park of the Cordobas' Mansion. Those bluecoats were the traitors of the Mardierian Legion, mostly Terraversans exiled during the Glorious Revolution. But, apart from the official words, he knew that some of those men had their reasons... rumors said that some of the men who ended up on proscription lists were simply political rivals of Oldis or L'Olius, or were victims of personal revenge. However, Francisco Mendoza was a soldier, not a politician. Soldiers follow the orders, do not discuss political intrigues, and the orders he had received were quite simple: defend the Citadel, hold the line, if necessary die where you stand but do not retreat! For sure the Archduke had a plan to break the siege... soon he would have personally led the counterattack, but he needed time to reorganize the army. Or at least, this is what soldiers told each other, sharing a bottle of brandy in the pauses between the fights. The truth was that nobody really knew what was happening in the city... for what he knew, the things yelled by the damned traitors on the other side of the road could even be true. But Francisco Mendoza was a soldier, and he followed orders. He would have fought there with his comrades -soldiers from different units, militiamen, even some civilians- he would have held the position! Orders were shouted on the other side of the street, and muskets started firing again... soon the hellish concert of shots and yells seemed to arrive from every direction, oddly even from below... --------- The road to victory is always difficult and scattered with obstacles... nobody ever mentioned that it could also pass right through the sewers. Captain Antoine Dupont crawled through the breach, entering what seemed the cellar of a tavern. If he was right, the enemy stronghold was just a couple of meters above them... otherwise, they would have found a way, as usual. Antoine waved his torch twice: it was the right way, or at least he hoped so. With a few hits of pickaxe, the little breach became a real passage: it would have been their only way out, in case of troubles, so it was worth spending a little more time to widen it. He didn't have to explain that: his men knew perfectly what to do... it was their tenth mission together, and he trusted each of them as himself. However, it was their first time in a sewer...an unenviable task, the dandies of the infantry would have got lost in five minutes. But they were the Engineers of the 2eme, thought Antoine with pride, and they were the only ones who could complete the job! "Enemy patrol!" The yell reverberated in the tunnels, truncating Antoine's thoughts. He didn't expect to find enemies down in the sewers, but they were more than ready. Barely lighted by a dark lantern, the soldiers started shooting at the enemies... the torches of those idiots turned them into perfect targets! --------- Sergeant Guillermo Cortina was nervous. He had seen enough battles to know that they were losing... the Citadel could hold for a week at most, no matter how hard they fought. What he also knew was that someone was going to be left behind, to cover the retreat of the others... and, of course, the escape of the politicians: they were still continuing useless talk about the best defence strategies, even if the fights were now just a few blocks far from the Council Hall! Guillermo and his platoon were patrolling one of the many tunnels running below King’s Port... a labyrinth of catacombs, sewers, cellars and smugglers’ galleries. It was quite unlikely to find enemies down there, and at least they were safe from enemy cannons, but everybody knew that they could re-emerge in an area controlled by the enemies... not a great perspective! They crossed the umpteenth arch, stopping just a step before the slippery bank of a sewer canal. Guillermo raised its torch with a sigh of relief... then he noticed the figures forward in the tunnel. He had barely the time to realise his mistake, then he was hit by two musket shots. --------- Overall view: the whole build is 32x32 on three levels (in the evening I'll show you the third one). Back view: Front view: I completed this build in a very long time, and even more time passed before I could publish it (because I waited for the result of King's Port Battle, but also due to real-life stuff). I tried to depict different points of view, from my main character to a Mardierian expatriate personally hating Oldis, from a common Terraversan soldier to a fanatic of the militias. I hope you enjoy the build and the stories- I liked building and writing them!

Just to keep some order in my TER builds: The Mardierian Legion - Brethren of the Brick Seas - Eurobricks Forums [OL-FB] Trenches and barricades - Brethren of the Brick Seas - Eurobricks Forums [OL-MRCA] Cliffs of King’s Port - Brethren of the Brick Seas - Eurobricks Forums [OL-MRCA] The guns of Terraversa - Brethren of the Brick Seas - Eurobricks Forums [BTV1-OL] The bridge on the King's River - Brethren of the Brick Seas - Eurobricks Forums

I think it’s for MRCA turn, as the incomes for land-based properties, the upkeeps etc. I’m not sure about the licensing limit and the time required between prospect and mine establishment, but unfortunately I’m not in the condition of building too much!

Thank you guys! Water was definitely the best part Yes, some of them (especially the Indian/Oriental ones can be very useful! Excellent news (and thank you for the quick response)! I’ll surely build a mine as soon as possible (so in the next turn)!

OOC Thank you for the great write up! IC Victory is ours! Huzzah, huzzah, huzzah!

Somewhere near Fort Arltrees, February 621, El Oleonda A very few things attract people more than the smell of gold. And, when a new island is colonized, gold is the first thing people look for. On El Oleonda, some colonists are trying to find the traces of Monsieur le Filon, the large ore that any "earth scratcher" hopes to find. Many miners spend their whole life chasing this dream, finding just enough metal to carry on one more week - each time the last week before giving up, until the umpteenth tiny nugget makes them change their mind. But, for a few lucky ones, the good day arrives: they find a rich ore of gold or silver, they meet Monsieur le Filon, and their life changes. There are several days to look for an ore of gold (or silver, or anything valuable), some more effective than others... from making offers to Hades and following his signs to systematically collecting and smelting small samples of rocks. Here, one of the aspiring miners is washing some sand from a riverbank in a pan. When he finds a reasonable number of gold flakes (or something he mistook for them), his fellows start digging uphill: if they find nuggets, or if the dirt contains some gold bits, they mark the position with a wooden pole. Proceeding further uphill, if the prospectors are lucky, the poles will converge to a single point... the point where to start a mine! --------------------- A simple prospecting build for Fort Arltrees. The technique for finding the ore and the title of the thread are both vaguely inspired by an episode of the film The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, in which an old miner does something similar to find "Mr. Pocket", a rich gold vein.

Historically speaking, I prefer the early part of the Age of Sails, so 1500-1600. Most of my builds, however, are set definitely later, I would say about mid 1700. Lovely minifigs, btw!

Wooops, I didn’t di that for Fort Arltrees and Jiangkai, my fault! I’ll create the posts here as soon as possible!

Nice little vignette! Both the pieces of furniture and the minifig choice is very appropriate! My only doubt is the double use (recruitment/artisan) of the same build without changes

Nice build and very creative use of parts: I can spot 7 different uses and some of them are pure genius!

We are waiting for the second phase of the event (each phase requires a lot of difficult calculations and a voting phase of the leadership), then we’ll have phase 2. Currently Oleon troops have occup... ehm... set free from the tyranny 4 minor settlements and are still fighting for the capital, King’s Port. In the next turn there will likely be two possibilities: 1) Oleon wins in King’s Port, and the war proceeds on the island and in the archipelago 2) The siege continues, and all the major actions will likely take place in and around the capital Both sides will gladly accept help in form of mercenaries and corsairs, so there are a lot of opportunities for enterprising captains!

First of all, welcome to Eurobricks and BoBS! When I joined in 2016 (616 AE in the in-game calendar) it was the first time I started sharing my builds with others, and I was a little scared, also since I'm not a native English speaker... my suggestion is not to worry at all and to have fun, the others are not here to judge your work, but just to enjoy some pirate-themed builds and stories! I don't think we have an organized ship index, apart from the faction ships (that are usually large warships). Here you can see another example, my old Cormorant (now claimed by Davy Jones with its whole crew): The Cormorant - Brethren of the Brick Seas - Eurobricks Forums I think @Fraunces already provided you with most of the useful links... I can only add this (Jameis Farstrider's Guide to Halos - Brethren of the Brick Seas - Eurobricks Forums), some background about the NPC nations (it's very long but quite fun to read). To answer your question, there are basically three ways to interact with the other nations (or, for instance, also with the mainland of the three Empires): -The Challenges, that set some major turning points of the "history" (new sea regions discovered...) and grant prizes to the winners. Something big begins, often in an NPC nation (a revolution, a war, a push for exploration...), and you can take one side in the different "tasks". -The freebuilds: you want to simply build something in a different style? You can basically build anything you want in already explored areas (soldiers, everyday life scenes, things set in the past...). This will have no effect on the world, apart from fleshing out a little the world outside the Brick Seas borders. -The aMRCAs (Adventure Monthly Raiding and Commerce Activity). You organize an expedition to a foreign country (but also in the interior of an island, the open sea...), asking for feedback from the leadership when the effect of your actions depends on someone else: for instance, I started an expedition towards the Great North (currently blocked in Corrington, since I had to redirect my efforts to time-limited challenges); I will be free to visit ports, explore, meet foreign people, etc., but I will require approval and maybe the completion of specific tasks to, e.g., establish a trade agreement. In this case, your actions influence the World, but they will also require some more effort. I hope it was useful, and that your choice will be Oleon, the Empire of Light! In any case, welcome again!

Ooops... By cleaning up my Flickr I accidentally removed the King of Varcoast! I'll provide a new king (always King Friedrich, but maybe a little more Balkanic-looking) as soon as possible!

Lots of things have been built in Fort Arltrees during the last days, an unprecedented expansion boom... so it's quite difficult for me to find all the posts! It will take me some time to update the settlement thread!

Nice and very lively build! I like the idea and the story, as well as the excellent minifig choice and the pieces you used for the market wares. As for the licensing... the general rule is 1 build= 1 license, unless sufficient effort is shown (e.g., if I build two very detailed houses separated by a field, I should be able to license them independently)... so something rather arbitrary! If I were you I’d use one medium license for both, but this is only my opinion.

The ruins of Jiangkai, December 620, El Oleonda Wisps of smoke rose slowly in the sky, from right beyond the hill... they had almost arrived. The small party, led by the "governor" of Fort Arltrees Marcel Dubois, spurred the horses, and a desolate landscape appeared in front of them. It was even worse than they had imagined: the crops in front of them were a stretch of mud and ashes, turned into a marsh by the recent rains. Further beyond lay the ruins of the city: blackened walls, piles of rocks and burned beams, nothing more... the Corrish sacking had damaged the city, but the retreating Lotii army was far more scrupulous, blowing up the city fortifications and setting all the other buildings on fire. In spite of the devastation, several people had remained among the ruins, building a series of miserable shacks. Civilians frightened by the long march towards Luyang, stragglers who returned from the jungle just to find their barracks devastated, some deserters... all the people left behind by the Kingdom of the Lotus, now struggling to survive with the scarce food available. Technically they were still enemies of Oleon, but most of them would've not arrived to the following summer without help. This was the reason why Lieutenant Dubois was there, with a dozen of mules loaded with food and a small bodyguard. The organization of the rescue expedition was the last order left by Tristan Rimbaud before leaving for Terraversa. Marcel personally approved the plan, but he also knew that it could end very, very bad for himself: scared people can be dangerous, especially when they have weapons and poor discipline. As expected, the sight of armed horsemen set the nearest encampment into complete caos: some people started running towards the ruins, others grabbed weapons, tools and sticks to repel the "attackers". In spite of the immediate reaction, the signs of scurvy and denutrition were already clear on those men. Calming down the spirits required a lot of time, diplomacy and all the limited knowledge of the Lotii language Marcel had. Then, the distribution of food could finally begin. Lieutenant Marcel Dubois spent two of the following areas trying to understand who could represent the local heterogeneous community, and several more discussing the terms of a treaty: Jiangkai would have become part of the glorious Empire of Light, although with a certain degree of autonomy. In exchange, Oleon would have helped with the reconstruction, and would have provided military protection in the future, especially against Carno and the hated redcoats, but also against the Lotus Empire, which considered deserters and traitors the ones who had remained behind the retreat. Marcel didn't know if he, or -for what mattered- even Tristan Rimbaud actually had the authority to stipulate such an agreement, but it was the best thing to do. He signed the paper, frankly hoping that the Crown would have agreed. At least, this time he only risked a degradation, not his own head... following Tristan's orders, for sure, was quite far from a boring job in the colonial administration!

Name: Jiangkai Ownership: The Crown of Oleon (partially autonomous administration) Location: El Oleonda, New Haven Sea Map: Mayor: Who can own property in Jiangkai: Anyone. If you are from Corrington, however, the inhabitants may throw stones in your direction. Who can freebuild in Jiangkai: Anyone. It would be nice keeping an overall Lotii style. History and description: Jiangkai, together with Oryant and Luyang, was founded in early 619, during Lotii colonization of El Oleonda. The settlement is located in the middle of the Great Southern Bay, in a narrow but fertile strip of plains between the sea and the low hills of the interior. Fueled by new waves of colonies and sustained by agriculture and fishing activities, Jiangkai was already becoming a real city in 620, when the war put an end to the brief "golden age". Quite near to the Carnite colonies and relatively accessible by land, the settlement was soon involved in the hostilities: the crops were abandoned, and a series of violent skirmishes took place even on the outskirts of Jiangkai; in May 620, the city itself was sacked by a Corrish expedition. This was the end of Jiangkai: after the reconquest by the Lotii army, the city was abandoned and burnt to the ground. During the retreat, many of the civilians were left behind: some didn't want to leave, others couldn't simply endure the long march in the jungle. Miserable wooden shacks were built among the ruins, but the food soon started running low. In December 620, an Oleander expedition from Fort Arltrees reached the ruins of the city, bringing help and supplies. After a short negotiation, Jiangkai became part of the Empire of Oleon, although with a partially autonomous administration. The City of Jiangkai is still in ruins, so most of the first builds should be focused on reconstruction and re-establishment of the main services. Since most of the inhabitants are ethnically and culturally Lotii, this would be partially reflected by the building style. The True Faith might not be welcome, but particularly enterprising missionaries could accept this difficult challenge; therefore, temples of different cults are expected to be built soon by the inhabitants, and should be tolerated to maintain public order. More Information: El Oleonda is one of the four large islands of the New Haven sea region. It is currently one of the "hottest" areas of the New World, with the tension between Carnites and Lotii just concluded, but ready to turn again into open war at the tiniest spark. Halosian Empires had been involved in the hostilities too, with the Corrish settlement of Spudkirk recently raided by Lotii forces and Carnites hiring mercenaries and corsairs for their war. You can find more about the situation here. Garrison: Builds in Jiangkai: Please post a link to your build and specify if licensed or not. Properties: 15 Size for EGS purposes - Level 2 'Town' Required for Level 3: 26/31 (1/4 artisans, 12/4 residences, 3/4 commerce, 0/4 factories, 0/1 educational, 0/1 cultural) Notable Events: When a city dies - Re-founding of the settlement, in December 620 Show of resolve - Jiangkai fort is repaired after the Lotii raid, July 622 Far from glory - An attack against the Lotii troops is launched in Jiangkai area, March 623 Residence: 12 NPC residences Factory: Plantation: Mine: Ten million silver livres - silver mine Artisan: Dyers' district - Medium Commerce: Burnt Quay Market - Large Hoang's Coffee House - Small Military Quay - Large Education: Art & Culture: Forts: Great Southern Bay Fortress - Large Unlicensed Builds (similar to EGS properties): Eat in, or to go? Other Freebuilds (not similar to EGS properties): Roar of the Hydra - A demonstration of Essener artillery Something in the mud - Prospecting outside the city Needs More Cowbell (The End is Nigh) - A group of apocalyptic preachers visits the settlement

Welcome in the Brick Seas and in the best faction (completely unbiased opinion )... Your backstory is very nice and original, I’m looking forward to seeing Pierre in action! BTW Interesting surname, especially if given him by the monks of Hades! The first step you should make is to create a Flickr account (if you don’t have already) or something similar, so that you can load bigger photos in eurobricks -it’s very easy, you upload the photos there and copy the link here. After that, you can really start: I suggest you to upload a photo of your character and/or of your backstory first and then start with your buildings, ships etc. If you’ll need more detailed suggestions about something, you can ask here or send a PM (personal message) to me or other faction members!