Grover

Thanks! The lighting turned out better than I had expected, actually. Thanks! I ran out of space since the build was only 16x16, but there is about 1-2 studs of water there. I wanted to show off the figures more than the water, so I went with that.

Thanks! Yeah, it turned out dark. It's hard to portray nighttime without making things to dark, I think. I wanted to do more with this build, but ran out of time, so I didn't write more of the story, just leaving it open-ended for fleshing out in the future. And yes, it was supposed to be happening at or after the concert near the concession stand, but I didn't have time to build something larger. Thanks for the comments!

Thanks! I had a lot of fun with this one, and thanks for letting me use the Storrars! Thanks for letting me use Henjin and Galaria, and thanks for the comments! Ha! Part of me wonders if he wasn't more there for the drink... :-) Thanks!

What a beautiful build! Your builds always remind me of the high medieval fantasy computer games, like the old Quest for Glory series. You use a lot of great texture and color in the buildings that look great. I especially love the dark blue roof contrasting with the dark read and black ones. The olive green imitating moss or mold growing on the bottom of the walls is especially nice. As for HSS, I get the inn and the tower... but where is the glass blower? I don't see that in the build, and I'd love to! Very nice work!

Very nice! Love the skeleton leg for a candle sconce on the wall! The dark green, brown, and gold really go together, and the stylized bricks for the walls are awesome. Lady Majastina seems very serious and also very capable. I think she would be a lot of fun to see on the throne! What piece is that candle sitting in on the desk? A crown? It really looks good for the candle holder. Great job!

Oh wow, these challenge builds are super-creative! I love the idea of a sort of vigilante superhero. You also hit some great parts with the build--in particular, I really like the use of those new plant pieces--very creative and it looks great. The color choices also look great together and make for a lively, if dark, scene, with the black background. In retrospect, I probably should have made my scene with a black background at night, too. The two level scene is great, too. I like the use of the hands clipped onto the string--I'll have to use that sometime! Great job!

Oooh, I really like the dark grey background and the reflective black base! I need to remember that for a lake. More than just the reflective properties, I get the feel of an old soldier who has seen dark days and still toils away in his fields, trying to move past the horrible things he has seen in war. It's a dark, serious, and yet resigned to the reality of life feel to the build. Very cool. That's a brilliant yoke on the horse, too. What piece is that? I can't quite tell. The overall color choices are great, too--the olive and dark brown look really good together with the dark green leaves. I also really like the bonus picture in full armor. The only part I'm unsure of is the hair. It appears to be tilled earth, but it seems maybe a little rasterized compared to the rest of the build. In any case, it's a wonderful build. As for the story, I really like the idea of a stalwart soldier of the people who rode with Artorious. It was a fun read, and well written!

My entry: I would like to thank HQ for organizing this challenge and his awesome recreation of the dragon throne, and also offer a congrats to everyone who entered. These entries are so creative and so good. Great job, everyone!

Soon after Artorious Rex had ascended the throne of Avalonia, something strange happened. Late one night, as he sat in his private study writing the charter and laws of the fledgling guild by candlelight, his study door swung open and a stooped over, wizened old elf with a cane entered. Artorious looked up, not with fear but curiosity. “Who are you and how did you come to be here, old one?” asked Artorious, wondering how this ancient elf had circumvented his guards. The old elf stood before Artorious’ desk. “Who I am is unimportant, but I am a seer, and what I have foreseen concerns you. This peace for which you have fought so hard shall not last. Dark forces are gathering in the realms of men and the realms below that will usurp all of this land and only the heir to the throne can save it.” Artorious took in this information. “I appreciate you bringing this to me, old one, but I have no intention of dying or letting my family be harmed in any way, regardless of the enemy.” The old elf shook his head. “You sit on the throne, but neither you nor your kin are the heirs I speak of. The next to sit on the throne shall be the heir of the ancient druids.” Artorious laughed. “Everyone knows that fairy tale: the fabled heir of the druids will possess the bluestone of the elements and the seal of the druids. The problem is that no one knows what this seal looks like or what the ‘bluestone’ is, and the druids have been gone for thousands of years.” The old elf moved to the desk and set down an ancient scroll, carefully unrolling it before Artorious. He moved the candle nearer for better light and Artorious studied it. “I have found an ancient scroll depicting the seal,” the old elf began, pointing to a circular seal drawn in charcoal on the parchment. “The form of the bluestone is still unknown, but it resides in the Enchanted Forest and is a source of magical power.” Artorious looked at the parchment, then the old elf, and shook his head. “Even if this document is authentic, what would you have me do? Search every inch of the Enchanted Forest for this ‘bluestone’? And what is this seal? Is it a stone carving? On some golden headdress? How could anyone ever find it?” The old elf held up a hand and stood up straighter. “I am only the messenger,” he replied, and turned for the door. He stopped and faced Artorious as he exited. “Good night,” he said simply, and walked out the door. Artorious got up and walked to the door, sticking his head out, thinking to talk to the stranger, but the elf was gone. Artorious walked out into the long hallway, looking up and down, but he was nowhere to be seen. Closing the door and returning to his study, he looked again at the parchment before rolling it up and storing it. Could any of this be true? It didn’t matter: there was nothing he could do about any of it, and right now he had a new country to hold together. He made a mental note to tell his advisors of the parchment and this encounter the following day, then returned to his writing. The old tower was buried in the tall forest trees, but could still be seen some distance off. Penelope stopped some 200 yards from the tower and hunkered down in some brush, waiting until nightfall to disguise her approach. As she waited, she reflected on her life that had brought her to this point. As an infant, Penelope had been found by an elven ranger in the Enchanted Forest, wrapped in a simple linen and stashed on a bed of moss in the crook of an old oak tree. Her crying had caught his attention, and, after making sure that this strange find was not a trap, picked Penelope up and comforted her, finding a bronze medallion wrapped in her linens. It was strange to find a human this far into the Enchanted Forest, let alone an abandoned babe. He searched for tracks from whomever dropped her off, but found none. Without any other options, he brought her home with him, where his wife and children helped feed and nurture her. For a week, the elves of the forest searched high and low for Penelope’s parents, but there were no humans in the forest that could have left her, so the ranger adopted her, and she grew up with elven siblings. Penelope and her brothers and sisters would play in the forest, and though she was never as quiet as her elven siblings, she learned to be quite stealthy for a human. Her adoptive father taught her about the animals of the forest and how to use a longbow, and she came to understand the environment around her, careful to respect nature’s gifts. Although the ranger and his wife were very kind to Penelope, many of the other elves of the community treated her differently, and she felt like an outsider growing up, playing mostly with her siblings and few of the other children. In large part it was this isolation that led her to study magic. She had grown into a young woman, with strange golden hair and fine features, when she began her studies with the elven mages. Her elven teachers were practiced in the magical arts and she learned quickly, but they were wary to teach her all the magic of the elves, so she eventually had to leave her home and travel to Albion. In Albion, she was appalled at the way food was wasted, animals treated, and the awful practices of the lumberjacks. She had thought she would fit in better here, but her unusual golden hair and her mannerisms from the elven society she grew up in left her again alone. She did, however, make a few friends. In particular, she fancied one of the soldiers who guarded the house of her wizard mentor, Halad. It took her a few tries to pluck up the courage, but she finally talked to him and they went out for a few drinks. Their relationship grew, and as it did, they spent more time together, sharing stories about the elves and about his time in the war against Raavage. Penelope learned how to handle a sword, and she taught him a few things about magic. As is often the case with young love, their relationship ended with heartache, when Penelope caught Halad in bed with another young woman. Mercifully, she had reached the end of her apprenticeship, so she bid her mentor farewell and set off for home, heartbroken and angry. Penelope had been gone several years, but the elves tend to take life slowly, so she had not expected very much to have changed. She had felt she didn’t belong with her adopted elven community, but after living in Albion, she realized she loved the forests and needed to return to see her family. All, however, was not the same when she returned. She walked the paths back home that should have been familiar, but were not. Where there were once well-tended yet neatly camouflaged paths, there were disused trails overgrown with thorns. She hurried quickly home, and found her community in ruins. Much of the village was gone—destroyed by powerful magic. The few townsfolk who remained told a terrible tale of woe, how elves, corrupted by evil magics, had taken many of the town prisoner and slaughtered the rest. Her father had fought back, but was slaughtered, along with the rest of her family. The magic had taken its toll on the forest, too—choking vines, weeds, and poisonous plants were taking over the once vibrant understory of the village, and some of the amazing ancient oaks and weirwoods were dying from blight. Distraught by the loss of her family, and still angry from her recent heartache, Penelope vowed to track down the evil elves who had done this. For months, she had searched. She learned that these elves had once been a clan of mages, but their thirst for more powerful magic had led them to seek out a wellspring of magic. This font of magic had been too much, and had corrupted the elves’ being, sustaining them without food or water, twisting their features and leaving only husks of their former selves. They had allied with whomever would help further their power-hungry ends, and were led by the evil enchantress of the wood. This enchantress had taken up residence at an old tower deep in the Enchanted Forest, and it was there Penelope now went. She knew that she would likely never return from her self-imposed mission to rid the forest of the evil spell, as the enchantress was powerful and her minions many, but it did not matter. Her family gone, her lover treasonous, she had only her love of the forest, yet that, too, was being taken away. Little else mattered to her but the thought of ending the rule of the enchantress or dying in the attempt. The sun now finally down, Penelope shook her head to clear it of the memories, and stretched her limbs, focusing on her task at hand. The tower itself was an old, stone, square tower. Despite its age, it had been well maintained and looked to be quite solid. Some of the older elves of the forest had been in the tower centuries before, and had told Penelope that there were two levels to the tower, aside from the roof, plus a basement, and that all the levels were joined by staircases. Penelope had reconnoitered the tower and had planned to approach this evening during a party to cover her movements. Penelope stole through the thorny undergrowth that had become thick in this part of the Enchanted Forest since she was last here. She used her understanding of how to move through the forest to be as quiet as she could, even if she was not as silent as her adoptive elven family. Her stealth was unnecessary, since her intelligence was correct: the party was in full swing by the time she arrived and there was enough noise coming from the ground floor to have covered any mistakes she could have made. Because she had no invitation, she couldn’t use a disguise to come in the front door. She had thought about a number of methods, but finally had discovered a small rodent den near the base of the tower. Shrinking herself to the size of a mouse with her magic, she crawled through the mouse den and into the basement of the tower. Carefully making her way down toward the floor, she popped back to her full size, startling the dog wrapped in chains. The poor animal, obviously abused, barked fearfully and backed away from Penelope in the darkness. She lit a torch on the wall and then fed the dog some bits of meat, talking gently to him in the way that her ranger father had taught her. Wary at first, the dog warmed up to Penelope, and then calmed down. She looked around the basement and found a baby dragon caged against the far wall, and an elf, near the point of consciousness, badly beaten and caged as well. A table sat in the middle of the floor, stained with blood, and containing implements of torture. On a hook on the edge of the table was a key. Taking the key, Penelope moved to the imprisoned elf, and whispered to him. He stirred and looked at her with disbelief. “My friend,” she began in the elven tongue. “I am here to destroy the enchantress, and you shall be free.” She unlocked the door and helped the weakened elf out of the prison cell. She offered him some water and food, helping him to eat and drink. “Who are you?” the elf asked in disbelief. “You are human, yet you speak elven as if it were native to you. Are you another magical illusion created to torture me?” he asked. Penelope smiled sadly at him. “No, I am no illusion.” She pressed his hand with hers, showing that she was quite real. “I am called Penelope, and I am of the Brightleaf clan a few days’ ride from here. I was raised by an elven ranger and his family, though I am not an elf.” The elf seemed puzzled, then an expression of knowing came across his face. “I recall hearing of such an adoptive family and know of your kin,” he said, sipping water as his strength returned to him. “I am glad to meet you, Penelope. I am Methir of the Willowstream clan. Blessed greetings to you, and praises be that you have found me. How did you get in here, and how are we to leave?” he asked. “I used magic to enter,” Penelope explained as she crouched beside the elf. “I cannot bring you out the same way, as my magic will not let me take anyone much larger than that dog there,”shesaid, pointing to the dog. “However, I can arm you, and you can make your way out the front door.” “I have no strength left in me,” Methir said. “How am I to fight my way to the front door? There are guards, the enchantress, and her disciples. I am no match for them, even were I in top condition.” Penelope shook her head. “My hope is that you will not have to fight anyone on the way out. There is a party upstairs right now, so there are many guests. Once I create my distraction, you will only have to simply slip in with the crowd to escape.” “A distraction?” Methir asked. “How do you know that the partygoers will want to leave?” Penelope smiled a wicked smile. “I am quite certain that once things start, not even the guards will want to stick around. I plan to kill the enchantress.” Methir raised his eyebrows. “Really? I suspect that will be more difficult than you have anticipated.” “Perhaps,” Penelope conceded. “Whether successful or not, I suspect that a battle with the enchantress of the tower will prove a worthy enough show to cause the partgoers to leave.” Methir nodded. “I would like to see that,” he smiled weakly. “I will do my best to escape. How will I know when the time has come?” “I would think when the screaming starts,” Penelope responded. “Tell me, what do you know of the enchantress and this tower?” “Upstairs is the receiving floor, where guests are entertained. At the back of the hall is a spiral staircase leading to a small hallway before the private chambers of the enchantress. Inside the private chambers are her laboratory and study where she corrupts the magic of the forest towards her evil purposes. You should know that there is some sort of blue gemstone that she uses as the source of her power. I think it is something ancient from the forest, but have only seen it once so I don’t know much about it. She keeps it on herself at all times, but with it, she is too powerful to defeat. Her disciples guard her private chambers, and the will fight to the death for her. She also keeps a dragon chained on the roof that does her bidding. If she can make it to the roof, expect to fight the dragon as well.” Penelope frowned at the thought of fighting a dragon. The enchantress seemed a tall order herself, but if she were able to take her by surprise, there might be a chance. With a dragon? This seemed impossible, but Penelope gritted her teeth and let her anger and hurt flow through her. If she could not defeat these evil creatures, she would injure them as severely as she could, hopefully buying a reprieve for the creatures of the surrounding forest. “I am going to free the dog and dragon,” Penelope said. “I will take them with me and free them when I can. My magical bag has an extra dimension of space and I can fit them inside,” she explained, pointing to her satchel. “You are too large, but take this dagger and my bow and arrows,” she said, handing him her weaponry. “Take this water and food as well, and rest near the door at the top of the stairs until you hear the excitement start. May Corellon guide your steps back to the freedom of the forest,” she said. “And may his blessing smile upon you this night,” he responded, taking the gifts offered him and slowly making his way up the stairs. Penelope unchained the dog first, scratching him behind the ears and feeding him some more bits of meat, before uncaging the dragon. That process was a bit more dangerous, but her father had taught her about magical creatures as well, and, with a few singed fingertips, she managed to feed the dragon some meat and water, starting to befriend her as well. She reached into her bag, pulling out her formal dress and stowing her ranger gear. She put on some makeup, changed into her dress, and made sure she looked proper. She then calmed both the dog and the baby dragon before stowing them in her extradimensional bag and walking up the stairs. She stopped on the landing before the door where Methir stood. He looked at her, now in a dress, with her golden hair let down. “I see you have come prepared. Good luck!” With that, Penelope opened the door, stepped into the hall, and quickly closed the door behind her. The light and sound from the party washed over her and she moved to the side of the room. Looking around, she noted the partygoers. There was a mixture of humans, elves, and elves twisted by magical power, easily noted by their malnourished, emaciated look. A servant moved around the room with drinks, and Penelope grabbed one from the tray. The food was obviously for the human and elven guests, as the evil mages derived all their sustenance from magic and had no need to eat. Occasionally they would enjoy a drink or some sweets, but these were purely for entertainment. The food looked good, though, and Penelope realized that the enchantress must be courting some of the local elves, trying to win them over or gain their support, making it easy to take over the forest. She recognized several representatives of local lords, including one lord himself. It disgusted her to see them entertaining the notion of selling out their own people, but she realized that the enchantress may have become too powerful and these politicians may be here trying to save what remained of their people. She could not see the enchantress after a few minutes of scanning the room, so she made a meandering path over to the staircase, setting her drink down along the way, and quickly ascending the stairs. She slowed as she made the top of the staircase where the second floor grew quieter. A shield hung on the end of the wall, and a set of windows overlooked the back of the tower grounds. To the right, there was a door. Penelope stole her way silently to the door and listened intently. She heard a discussion on the other side and recognized by the context that the enchantress must be there. Trying the door slowly, she found it locked. She pulled out her set of lockpicks, but it was to no avail—she was not nearly as good a thief as she would have liked, and this lock was expensive and high quality. As she toiled away, she heard the conversation abruptly end and she knew she was found out. She dropped her lockpicks, stepped back, and cast a spell of force with a shout, breaking the door down instantly. The door crashed to the ground in front of her, but the enchantress and one of her disciples were ready, and Penelope narrowly dodged a bolt of magic that soared past her. Penelope’s eyes glowed as she spoke the arcane words of power and hurled a flaming bolt at the enchantress. The enchantress’ eyes widened as she understood that this was no mere disgruntled elf that stood before her, but a determined attacker that would take some attention to deal with, so she barked an order for her disciple to kill the intruder as she climbed the ladder behind her to the roof. Penelope knew she was going to set herself up from her greatest position of power on the rooftop with her dragon, but there was another mage to defeat first. The disciple, clad in blue with a black hood and a black cloak, threw a lightning bolt at Penelope. Penelope countered with a jet of flame, deflecting the bolt, and then burning the evil mage to death. The crash of the door and the roar of flames had been heard below. The dragon on the roof began shrieking, and that was enough for the partygoers. Screaming and panic ensued below and Penelope heard the crowd flee out the door. She hoped Methir was with them. Penelope wiped some soot from her face and prepared for her last battle. She ripped the skirt off from around her waist, leaving her hardened olive green breeches beneath. She reached into her bag and grabbed her forest green armor, fastening it over the top portion of her dress. She pulled out her longsword and traveling cloak, donning these as well. She cradled the impossibly small dog and pulled him out, watching as he re-expanded from the magic. She scratched behind his ears and wished him luck as she shooed him out of the tower. He sat for a minute, then turned and slowly walked out of the room. The last item she pulled out of the bag was her bronze medallion that she had been found with as an infant. She held it, looking at the strange symbols on its surface, wondering what they meant, and would become of the medallion when she was dead. She clasped its long chain behind her neck, deciding to wear it proudly in her last moments. Her preparations done, she laid a hand on the baby dragon in her magical bag, determined to release it as soon as she was on the roof, then climbed the ladder to meet her fate. She popped open the hatch and was hit with a stinging magical stunning bolt. It was all she could do to roll herself out onto the roof to avoid falling back down the ladder. The enchantress stood across the roof from her in a long black dress, her black cape blowing in the strong wind, her white hair done up in a braid about the top of her head. To her left stood a green dragon, chained to the rooftop. “Who are you that dares to come here and attack me?” the enchantress asked. “I have command of the elements,” she began, holding up a large blue gemstone. “I have command of dragons,” she gestured to the dragon beside her. “I control this entire forest. Speak. Who has sent you here to try to destroy me?” Penelope struggled to catch her breath as the stinging magical shock slowly subsided from her body. Her one thought was to free the baby dragon before she was killed so it could fly away. “No one sent me,” she said as she grabbed the baby dragon and threw it out into the wind. “Lies!” The enchantress roared, and sent another stinging bolt at Penelope. The next events unfolded in the space of only a few seconds, but to Penelope everything seemed to move in slow motion. As the enchantress sent her bolt into Penelope, the baby dragon unfurled its wings and began to fly in the strong wind. The adult dragon saw it and roared, straining against its chains. The enchantress looked over at the baby dragon and then her eyes went wide as it circled toward the larger dragon and landed at its feet. Despite the pain coursing through her body, Penelope saw this scene and realized that the baby dragon she had freed was this dragon’s baby. The enchantress didn’t have some incredible power over dragons, and wasn’t controlling this one with a spell: she had been holding its offspring hostage to make it carry out her desires. Now that Penelope had unwittingly freed its child, the dragon turned on the enchantress and attacked. Penelope saw her opportunity and summoned her remaining strength. She pushed herself up from the ground and drew her sword. The first couple steps were painful, but she fought through, and walking became easier. The enchantress was throwing all her magic at the dragon to keep herself from being eaten, and Penelope moved in behind her, slicing her sword through her neck and beheading her. Penelope roared with pain and excitement as she held the enchantress’ head aloft. A moment later, she dropped the head and began searching the body. On it she found a few coins and random spell components, and in her hand was the large blue gem she had seen before. Penelope picked it up, feeling the magical power contained within, and pocketed it. She then moved to free the dragon from its chains. A bit of magic and some bashing with the hilt of her sword and the chains came loose. The dragon looked at Penelope gratefully as it flew off into the night with its daughter. Penelope climbed back down the ladder into the study to find the dog waiting for her, wagging its tail. She petted him, still shaking from the adrenaline, and looked around the room. She quickly went through the books, stowing the spellbooks and useful arcane tomes in her magical bag, then headed downstairs. As she had suspected, the place had cleared out, and the door to the basement was open. She hoped that meant that Methir had escaped. Grabbing an apple and and a bottle of wine on the way out the door, Penelope and her new canine companion walked briskly out the front door and into the night. That evening she camped in the woods. The next day she got up and began to boil some water for tea as she stoked the coals from the night before. As she sat drinking tea, wrapped in her cloak with a dog beside her, she wondered what she would do next. She hadn’t really considered what would happen if she managed to kill the enchantress. Her hand went to her pocket, finding the blue gem. She studied the large, cut stone that was about the size of an unshelled hickory nut. Assuming that it would likely fetch quite a price at market, she decided to sell it and use the proceeds to help rebuild her home community as best she knew how. To do that, she would need to go to the large Albion market, and to get there, she would need more supplies. She walked the trail to the nearest village, intent to buying supplies for her journey, and found it all abuzz with activity. The villagers were very excited about something. She walked up to the well in the center of town and asked one of the girls collecting water there what was going on. “Haven’t you heard?” the young elf maiden began. “The enchantress is dead! The news has been going around all morning. There was a great ruckus at the tower last night, and this morning all her disciples were fled and her body found atop the great tower!” Penelope thanked the girl and began to fill her waterskins from the well while looking for a farmer willing to part with some food for her journey. As she finished filling her skins, and the townsfolk bustled excitedly about, an old elf stopped in his tracks and stared at her. She looked at him, seeing that he was not just old, but positively ancient. He had almost no hair left, and was hobbled over, holding himself up with a staff, and wore simple brown robes with a hood that was down. He raised a crooked finger at Penelope and said: “You!” Penelope straightened up, fastening her waterskins to her belt to make a quick getaway, thinking maybe this old elf was some friend of the enchantress and was upset that Penelope had killed her. She started to turn to flee, but the townsfolk had already gathered around her. Her new dog companion tensed at her side. Seeing that she was trapped, Penelope faced the old elf. “I don’t know you and have no quarrel with you, friend,” she said in elven. The old elf smiled and hobbled closer. “No, you do not know us, and we do not know you, but we have been waiting many years for you.” Penelope was stunned. “Ummm…. How are you waiting for me if you don’t know me?” she asked, confused. “An ancient prophecy tells of one who will arise to cleanse the forest of a great darkness. This champion will be the heir of the druids of old and rule the land.” Penelope looked around. “And you think that’s me?” She laughed. “Do I look like a ruler to you?” The old man pointed to her medallion. “You wear the seal of the ancient druids. That medallion is older than this forest, my dear. I forsaw this event decades ago and am pleased that I have lived long enough to witness it. Tell me, do you also possess a large, magical blue gemstone?” At this, Penelope was a little taken aback. How did this old elf know she had stolen the blue gem from the enchantress? She wondered if this was some sort of scam to steal the gem from her, but then realized it would be difficult to have the whole village in on it, and the whole village was watching now by the looks of it. She slowly reached into her pocket and produced the blue gem, holding it in her outstretched hand for the old elf to see. He took a long, slow breath. “I see I am not mistaken.” He turned to the crowd. “This is the heir of the ancient druids, bearing their seal, and the bluestone of the elements. She has defeated the evil enchantress and returned the forest to its people. She is the rightful queen of this forest, and this land.” The old elf turned and bowed as low as he was still able. The villagers kneeled before her. Penelope did not know what to do. A moment later, she recovered and reached forward to the old elf and helped him stand upright. “Please, don’t kneel,” she said to the villagers. “I was raised in a village not far from here, just like you.” The villagers looked at each other and seemed unsure of what to do. The old elf spoke again. “It may well be that you were raised in a village near here, but you are not just another one of us. You are descended from the ancient druids and it Is your responsibility to lead us all now.” Penelope looked around at the villagers in stunned silence, unsure of what to do. “Come, we shall ride together to Albion.” The old elf bid one of the others to bring two horses, and he led Penelope on horseback down some trails while her new (as of yet unnamed) dog followed alongside. Penelope found herself wondering why she was following this old elf, not believing for a second that she was the heir to anything but bad luck. She thought about bolting on the horse, but the horse wasn’t hers, and she had a feeling the elf or some villagers would come looking for her after the big scene at the well, so she resigned herself to travel with him to Albion. She smiled, thinking of the politics and chaos of Albion, the big city that she had lived in for so many years. This old elf was crazy if he thought that he was going to ride into the capital from some small village with a freshly minted mage and have her crowned. They’d be laughed out of the city. She sighed as she listened to the old elf ramble on about druids, the enchantress, his home village and a host of other things. It took several days to get to Albion, so she had plenty of time to listen. Finally they arrived at the gates of the city and rode through. This old elf was determined, and rode straight into town, through the inner sanctum and straight up to the great keep. Penelope had never been there and was more than a little intimidated, now under the scrutiny of the guards. “OK, I rode all the way here with you, listened to your stories, tried to humor you… but I don’t think we should bother the regent. I’d rather go home than go to prison.” The old elf dismounted his horse and waved his hand. “Nonsense. These are honorable men and we have committed no crimes.” He helped Penelope off her horse and then grabbed her arm and gently pulled her into the great keep with him. Penelope’s new dog followed them both. Entering the great keep, they found that they had arrived on a grievance day, where any Avalonian could wait in line to beseech the king, or in this case the regent (due to Artorious’ absence), for a remedy to their problems. The regent looked bored, sitting on his throne, listening to locals’ disputes over water rights, chickens, and other mundane issues. Finally, their turn in line came, and the herald greeted them. “Who comes before the king regent?” the herald asked. “I am Aoer Darkmoss, and this is Penelope Brightleaf,” the old elf replied, and the scribed copied down their names into the ledger. “And what grievance have you brought before the king regent?” the herald asked. The regent, slumped to the side in his chair and holding his head up with his hand, yawned. “We have no grievance for the king regent.” Aoer began. “I present to you the heir to the throne, Penelope Brightleaf.” The scribe quit writing for a second, and the regent looked up in surprise. The rest of the hall went silent as the townsfolk present waited to hear what came next. “His majesty King Artorious Rex has not been shown dead,” the herald began, “and as the rightful king of Avalonia, cannot be replaced at this time. Thank you,” the herald said dismissively, and waved the next petitioner forward. “I am not speaking of King Artorious or his line,” Aoer replied, stopping the advancement of the line. “This is the last descendant of the druids that stands before you, and as such, is the rightful heir to the throne.” The herald looked to the regent, who was now fully engaged. “What proof do you have of such an outlandish claim?” the regent asked. “Penelope has killed the evil enchantress of the Enchanted Forest,” Aoer stated, resulting in a gasp from the audience. “And she possesses both the bluestone of the elements and the seal of the druids,” he finished, pointing to the medallion on Penelope’s chest. “Show them the bluestone,” he whispered to Penelope. Feeling all eyes on her, Penelope slowly and reluctantly pulled the bluestone from her pocket and heard another collective gasp. “Come here, my dear,” the regent said to Penelope, and she obeyed. He examined the bluestone first, and then the medallion. It seemed that a glimmer of recognition passed over his face, and he called a page over to him, whispering in his ear. “Where did you come by this medallion and this stone?” he asked Penelope. “I was found with the medallion as an infant, abandoned in the Enchanted Forest,” Penelope replied. “The stone I retrieved from the enchantress after I defeated her.” “If what you say is true, we owe you a debt of gratitude for ridding the forest of the evil enchantress at the least,” he said. The scribe returned with a scroll, and the regent unfurled it, looking at the design. He held the scroll next to the medallion and stared in disbelief. Penelope peeked over the edge of the ancient scroll and saw a drawing of her medallion on it. She was confused and not a little scared. The regent called his advisors over, and they all discussed the medallion and the scroll. The regent then called the court wizard over, talked for a moment in a low voice, and the wizard then retreated to a side room. A minute later, he came back and nodded to the regent. “I am pleased to announce to everyone that the evil enchantress of the forest is dead. It has been confirmed that she is slain by a woman matching Penelope’s description. For that, we are grateful. I must adjourn the rest of the grievances today for a council meeting.” He turned to the herald. “Summon the entire council, at once.” He moved with his advisors and attendants to the council chambers. The guards moved to usher the townsfolk out of the hall, but the herald held Aoer and Penelope back. Within a few minutes, they were left alone in the hall with the guards. “So, what just happened?” Penelope asked Aoer. “They are starting to believe,” Aoer smiled. “They have seen the ancient prophecy that predicts the return of the line of the druids, just as I have, and with confirmation of the enchantress’ death, they now must decide the fate of the country. Shall we remain leaderless with an absent ruler, or shall we embrace the prophecy and restore the line of the druids?” Penelope swallowed hard and looked around the great keep. Was this really happening? Could she really be crowned? It seemed too much to take in. And now, it is up to you, the reader, to decide: is Penelope Brightleaf the rightful heir to the druids and the Avalonian throne? Or is this just a fanciful dream of a young Avalonian child?

Well, it doesn't look good. If you recused yourself, then none of this would matter, but from an outside perspective, one could argue that you have an advantage in having made the brackets, having known what the challenge was long before others (and thus more time to think about the builds, actually build, and order parts off Bricklink), and as the administrator you have the power to decide what is and is not acceptable for things like overhang. The last one is easy: if a question comes up about overhang, what is or is not allowed, etc., you just defer to one of the other guild leaders and let them make the call so you can't be accused of bias. The bracket looked to me to have been assigned based on entry date, although I don't know everyone's entry dates to GoH either. Since there are no prizes on the line and the rolebuilding guild is just for fun, plus I think that most of us feel that you had only good intentions here and have tried to be fair, I don't know how much this matters, but I at least did want to mention it so that you were aware of how it appeared so there would be no hard feelings over future contests.

This is a great build. The desolation of the desert comes across, and not from a lack of detail. I really like the story that goes with it. I think that the distaste for dealing with the undead and the concern for his horse comes across. Your descriptions draw in the reader. Outstanding!

What a beautiful build! I like the use of the magenta colors--they look great with the elven build, and the elven architecture is superb. Beautiful work!

I agree, you can definitely make unusual things in a fantasy world. @Faladrin just made a spectacular elven build with some fantasy foliage. It seems to work best when you can clearly define the entity as fantasy, since we are otherwise left to assume our baseline, which is the real world. HQ is right, too, it's hard to define something unusual in the 16x16 vig. As for the flowers, I think they look very natural, and the varied colors are fine.

Whoops! That was a typo on my part. I wrote that on my phone. The brothel is pretty funny, though! And yes,you can use a brothel for hospitality or entertainment (take your pick). There have been some writings on that before. Also, if you want a single piece, the gate from the Rancor pit is about the best portcullis I've seen: https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=11216&idColor=120#T=C&C=120

Very nice work! I enjoy seeing the progress as you build your castle and get back into Lego after a long time. I was in my dark ages for probably some 15 years, but am now back into it again myself. It's a fun process of rediscovery! Also, I believe the English word for Huren is "Hoardings", assuming that you mean the wooden structures built over the crenelations that extended over the walls: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoarding_(castle) As for your minis, I wouldn't sell them either: you never know when they will come in handy for a large Historican army!

I just noticed you are on the bracket, HQ. Are you participating? And if so, just to be sure, you originated the idea, organized the event, and wrote the bracket as well?

Oh how delightful! I love the overall colors and festive nature of the scene. The tower is great, and I love the bright color choices. The dark blue roof is really outstanding, too. I love how the townsfolk are carrying the half elven lords on shields. I love the writeup and get a very joyous feel out of the build. Great job!

Very nice! Love the niffler in its little cave. The vines on the tree look good, and the red tree in the corner looks great, although it may be a little unusual to see fall foliage next to the greens of summer. I like the little spring from the rocks and the water corner of the build. The stone path looks good too. I think it's difficult to incorporate a lot into a 16x16 scene, but you did a very nice job. I also like how you tied your story in with Artorious. Great work!

Nice work! The tree looks really good, and I especially like the statue with the scales of justice. It's a very nice touch for the scene. The skeleton on the side of the build is hilarious too. I like the idea of the Avalonian colors on the side, but as others have mentioned, it's kind of busy. Not bad, but a little busy. I do like the book down in the front. I'm a little confused by the brown tiles... is the area supposed to be paved? I ask because it's hard to tell in a 16x16 build if it's part of a larger paved area or it's supposed to be packed earth. The story is really good up until it takes a dark turn at the end, which is a little odd for modern times, but is probably quite realistic for the medieval day, so it works! Great job!

Oh man! I almost don't want to post my build now. De Gothia would be such an awesome king! Ah well. Love the build, too! The clean lines are great, the brick facade for the floor looks really good, and the rafters are very nice looking. I like the color choices as well--very Avalonian! The furniture is outstanding: there's a lot of little detail from the statue and the gold dragon on top, the bottles, and the ornate gold trim, and yet it's not cluttered with too much detail. I think it's hard to strike a good balance with that, and you did a fantastic job. The last picture with the light coming in the window is awesome. Very nice work, and best of luck!

Welcome @BardDandelion! Love the sigfig. It's the knight's torso and legs from the CMF, the caveman hair/beard, and what's the head? I like the story as well and look forward to reading more! If the pics on Flickr are anything like what you build for GoH, we are in for a treat! @TheLordOfBricks, I think your sigfig pic is broken again, just FYI.

Welcome, BardDandelion! I see you have chosen the best guild (*ahem* our guild)! Look forward to seeing your builds!

All the tight shots are great! I love the mini posing, and the all-lego pics are well done--not just a small build either, but it's obvious by the depth of the background it's a part of a larger build. The waves on the ocean are great, too. The only thing I'm not entirely convinced of is the rain, but that's a difficult thing to convey with Lego. Great work!

I have no idea how I missed this the first time around, but what a spectacular build! The color choices are outstanding--the golds, sand greens, tan, white, dark red... it all works well to give a great feel of a thriving administrative building. I like seeing it being built and then finished with business going on. The ostriches in the street are both hilarious and great. The traffic in the street is wonderful, and I really like the fountain being the centerpiece of the building, as it probably would be in a water-poor area. Great job!

Thanks, and thanks for your idea of the ice skate pick! The bar isn't actually broken--it's a black Friends lipstick piece that just came out in the Ninjago City Docks set: https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=93094c03&idColor=11#T=C&C=11 They're ridiculously expensive on BL right now for what they are and Pick a Brick was worse for a while, but they make great chisels!