Keymonus

Honestly I wouldn't like to be in the governor's shoes... even in seeing the doctor I probably should say shoe! Great foretress and excellent forced perspective!!! I'd love to see the whole building

Nice building!!! The (not so ) forced perspective is very well done and the last scene is very funny and completely unexpected

The King's shilling | Keymonus | Oleon

Wonderful fighting scene, Ayrlego! The battery is simply great, and the custom uniforms are very nice... Not to mention the texture of the beach!

Thank you! In truth I've been offline for a while and this is a little Free Build to introduce my character again I'll be on the deck waiting for you!!!

"Once you take the King's shilling, your first pay, you become a soldier. For at least three years you'll serve our country aganist our enemies, whoever they will be. Honour your vow and you'll be rewarded with glory, respect and regular wages; defect and you'll be court-martialled. I'm not an officer of that kind always calling for salute and impeccable uniform, but I require absolute loyalty towards me and towards your comrades. I personally selected you among those who wanted to enlist... I know that you are a good sailor and a good fighter, and also that in the past you were on board the Fantome, a ship "slightly" suspected of piracy. I think you are the kind of man we need to defend our colonies and our interests in the New World... Am I mistaken? Today you are considered a pickpocket and a loser... Are you ready to become a respected defender of our Motherland?" "You are not mistaken, sir! I'll do my best to clear my name and serve Oleon aganist our enemies!" "A fine speech, some money and the promise of a fresh start... - thought Tristan, looking at the new recruit- That's enough to turn a group of lowlives and beggars into a formidable fighting force". He led into battle men of this kind, when he was a young officer garrisoned on the troubled Western Border: scoundrels with a bad reputation and a past full of mistakes, but with their heart at the right place and surely more guts than the average regular soldier. "Yes- he thought while the recruit took without hesitation the King's shilling- these are exactly the men I need". Soldiers and sutlers storing supplies A cavalryman leaving the camp Soon the military unit will be trained and equipped. Until then, probably I should choose an appropriate name for it!

Wonderful battle scene! It's quite sad to see a brave Eslandolan commander killed by Marderian rabble, but their battle line and the charge are both great, not to mention the minifigures you chose... Great job Capt Wolf!!!

Thank you for your feedback! To be honest I'm quite proud of my photographs since most of my previous pics were completely out of focus Thank you!!! I'm actually building a powder mill powered by water, but it'still a work in progress... I'll post it as soon as possible!

Brimstone extraction outside Astrapi - Small Factory - License active

Sulfur has been used for centuries in several sectors: while alchemists consider it (together with mercury and salt) one of the "primordial essences" constituing matter, physicians use sulfur in skin treatment and to prevent the spreading of contagious diseases (i.e. disinfecting a room by fumigation); modern science, additionally, is discovering more and more possible uses of this element in industrial processes. What makes brimstone extraction a real paramount, however, is gunpowder production; coal and saltpeter can be produced (even if the latter requires long and complex procedures), but sulfur can be obtained only digging it in volcanic areas: for this reason large deposits represent one of the most precious and fiercely disputed mineral resources; up until now, in the New World, no real brimstone lore has already been discovered and most of the gunpowder is still imported from the motherland. In the uninhabited interior of Île de Zeus, in a rocky area near to Astrapi, an explorative expedition recently found a volcanic cliff with deep cracks and fumaroles: some of them developed wide sulfur encrustations that can be exploited (even if on a limited scale). Hammering sulfur concrections on a rickety footbridge, clinging to the rocks among suffocating fumes, is probably one of the most dangerous occupations, significantly more than working in the mines but, since the pay is relatively good, it's not hard to find someone mad enough to take this job. Rock scraps are later lifted (using a rudimental crane) to the top of the cliff, where they are put in barrels ready to be sent to Astrapi: there sulfur will be grinded, refined and converted into "the finest gunpowder of the New World", as the manufacturers say. The largest and purest sulfur crystals are accurately selected and packed directly in the extraction site: bought at a high price by chemists and alchemists, they ensure an additional (and considerable) profit margin. To be licensed as a small factory; this building is freely based on Cortes expedition to Popocatepetl crater (conquistadores needed gunpowder for their cannons). C&C are obviously welcome

As I announced, a pic of the whole building

Thanks you for your suggestions... I'll try to follow them with my nest building!!! I'll post a photo in this topic as soon as possible

The building is absolutely great! The fort and the rocks are extremely realistic and the scene itself is very lively. My only concern is... How should we consider this building? Does it represent the official position of Eslandola (an unmotivated assault aganist a friendly nation) or is only an end in itself building (and in this case doesn't it violate rules about relationships between nations?)?

Perhaps your Mardierians look a little weird, but your building is wonderful! The pic with soldiers holding torches, in particular, is great!

Thank you for your comments! Actually some of my pics, in particular some of which I took using natural light seem quite faded but others taken in the same way are OK... I surely need to get some practice!

This is my entry for category B Cat B: A fraud in a fraud | Keymonus | Oleon

It was a quiet morning of October and the Eslandolan port was slowly waking up: busy people and layabouts crowded the coastal road, the most early rising storekeepers were opening their shops and soon the fishing boats would have returned to the port. The sea was calm, the seagulls swooped over the sea, everithing was as usual, but Commodore Esteban Gutierrez could not calm himself down (and empting another bottle of rum did not help his nerves): he was waiting for an emissary from the king himself to discuss the most important task of his whole career, the organisation of the First Treasure Fleet leaving the island. A servant announced the arrival of Admiral Francisco Montales (the man he was waiting for) and he pulled himself together, but the arrival of that high officer probably meant serious troubles for him. "Due to a mixture of spying, treason and... how can I say... incompetence -told the Admiral staring at the empty bottles- the secret has been discovered and our enemies know about the enormous wealth we are going to send home. Obviously we have to avoid that!" "That's terrible! -cried Esteban, imagining his career sinking... he was responsible for a part of the fleet and he risked the military court- we have to cancel the departure!" "Our enemies would burn our colonies to the ground to plunder our gold, so this is the most stupid thing we could do. A fleet must leave and the treasure must be delivered to our mother country without any disturbance. This letter, written by the king himself, explains our plan; be sure that the secret is well kept, because we won't have another chance." "In the fortified warehouse your men will fill barrels and chests with stones and cannonballs. This "treasure" will be boarded on your ships and everybody (spies included), will see it: three or four gold coins "casually lost" will help people's imagination." "Meanwhile my soldiers will bring the real treasure to the northern shore, where some ships are waiting for us. We will use little carts for the transport and we will avoid inhabited areas. We will follow an unusual route and in less than one week we will be out of our enemies' range." "That's a perfect plan, Senor: your cleverness and bravery will surely..." "Don't flatter me, Commodore: it's a waste of time. I've important things to do. For king and wealth! Farewell!" "For king and wealth! Good luck Senor!" One week before... "Hi, scribbler! I've read that you are again pleased by the hanging of another infamous pirate, pillager and highwayman... I need a letter written by the Eslandolan king himself and I know that you can write it and, if you want to survive and earn a considerable amount of gold, you should meet my expectations..."

Thank you again... And may Hades welcome our enemies!

Thank you mates!!!

Captain Tristan Rimbaud Tristan is a member of the ancient Rimbaud family, part of Oleander aristocracy since the Great War of Separation. Born in a manor house near to the northern coast, when he was twenty years old Tristan entered Royal Army and was garrisoned in Western Oleon, near to the border with Pontilla. There he soon showed his military skills: fighting aganist bandits and plunderers who occasionally crossed the border Tristan soon earned his soldiers' respect and admiration. He continued his military career as naval infantry officer, patroling the routes between Oleon and New Oleon and soon reaching the military rank of captain. After the discovery of the New World Tristan is ready to sail East, for the glory of Oleon and, why not, for his own name.

Your MOC is simply great!!! It is certainly the best pirate diorama I have ever seen!!! The detail of your building that I like most is the fort (wonderful explosion!), but also the little cameos you built on the smaller islands are very nice... and everything is completed by two or three kilos of crystal clear Caribbean sea! Congratulations!!!

In my opinion Brickbeard's Bounty is the better version, even if I prefer some details of the other ship (in particular the position of the figurehead and the windows of the capitain's cabin)