The Stad

Wow. I love the steady change of colors to the top of the mountain, your clouds are excellent, and that tiny, huge dragon is awesome. Great job!

This is gorgeous! I love all the little details you've included to make it feel as lively as an official set, and the usual bits of information on flora and fauna are, as always, a wonderful extra dimension. I have to highlight that mirror: a perfectly dwarven vanity product and an excellent design. Well done!

It's always cool to see what other hobbies AFOLs pursue, but it's rare to see anyone integrate their hobbies so seamlessly. That SHIP is amazing, fits perfectly the rest of your fleet, and is all the more incredible for housing what seems like a pretty stout computer setup. I just wish I could see this thing in person!

Is this the lead-in build for you pitching an official GoH theme to the creative directors in Billund? They'll probably request one of Eryl's friends be included, plus stud shooters so they can have a snowball fight, but this is otherwise a perfect little scene!

I love that all of your builds have helped to expand on the culture of Mitgardia and add so much more dimension to our guild than our reputation as fur-covered, frostbitten, beer-swilling, ax-swinging, ungodly-smelling barbarians would suggest. Well done!

This is very lovely composition, and you guys have struck a perfect balance between colors, details, and activity, so that this feels rich and full of life without overwhelming the eyes. I love your stalls and their contents, your vegetation is very nice, and the crumbing facade on the inn is lovely, but I really appreciate how the crenelations on your walls act to frame the whole scene. Welcome back, and job well done!

I'll have to echo the praises of those who posted before me, this is wonderful. The only critique I could add is that your river makes a very sharp turn as it flows into the main channel. Otherwise, everything is beautifully done. Another terrific build!

This is a wonderful composition. I love how you've repeated several motifs throughout, and your color choices work very well. Nice job incorporating some "play features" with the various tombs, they add a great bit of interactivity and help show off even more detail. Well done all around, and can't wait to see what you have in store!

This is a great little scene. I like that there's enough going on in the background to keep it interesting, but not so much as to overwhelm the main focus of the build. Awesome job with the black minifig hand for hair, it's very effective.

Thank you, I'm glad you picked up on the contrast. I was trying to use that to demonstrate the different approaches to design of the different cultures doing the building. Thank you, those corner panels, combined with locking turntables, are the reason that tower sits against the landscape like it does. Many thanks, those were also some of my favorite (and most difficult) details to build. I would have loved to take this to a convention, but sadly, this has already been dismantled to feed the next project.

Thank you, that means a lot from someone who is renowned for his details! Thanks @Grover, I appreciate you taking the time to go back over the (very drawn-out) story! The lighting is exactly that, I put the lion's share of my lattice pieces in the window openings and waited for the right sunny morning to take the pictures. The only editing on them is the cropping. The map and the braziers were actually both a lot of fun, just a bit of tinkering here and there before arriving at these final products. The mosaics in the walls, though, were a fair amount more frustrating... Thanks! Thanks! Borrow away! Thank you, the arches are something I've been trying to use as a stylistic indicator based on the story origins of a build, but they have an added benefit of looking good from minifig-eye view.

Always nice to see something new from you, especially something so fun to look at. Great cart, and very nice job with the cobblestones, particularly the grass pieces poking through. Did you get that red horse harness in Billund, or did you bring it with you from your old collection?

Love everything about this, and I saw the hints of Luke Hutchinson style even before I read your description. I really like how you tied the little splashes of red slopes throughout the build, it really ties everything together.

Unsought but Welcome - The Stad - Mitgardia Out Through the Market - The Stad - Mitgardia Embarking - The Stad - Mitgardia

Previously: A New Post at Gammeltårn Party Supplies Perils Old and New They had spread themselves around the low stone table at the center of the chamber, contemplating the map that had been expertly tooled into its surface. Kjell, the restless second son of the Lord of Førstlys, had rarely spent time in this room as a boy, preferring to adventure around the city with his cousins rather than study charts in the keep. His role in the conflicts of the past few years had made him all-too-familiar with this room and its centerpiece, but this was the first time that the colored pieces on the table differentiated between the Mitgardian forces from the mainland and the local levies of the Burial Isle. "The garrison at Duergvenn is considerable," Kjell's father pointed at the piece nearest him. "Half of their number could be spared to march upon the Rigr's camp without leaving the city exposed. If they join with the men from Soldengang, their combined strength could be at the pass in eight days. Such a show of force should be enough to convince the mainlanders to stand down. The Rigr is haughty, abrasive, and now apparently treasonous, but he is no fool." "No," replied Kjell, "he is no fool indeed, and he has undoubtedly taken this time to strengthen his own position at the pass. From the north that way is unassailable. He could hold his camp against a force ten times his own. The western levies would be too little, and far too late. We have here at Førstlys by far our greatest strength of arms, but the Jarl's garrison is camped at our gate, and their loyalty remains unknown. I fear we cannot muster men enough for this task without recalling my brother from his adventures." "What of the pathway to the south of the pass?" asked the lord, not acknowledging the mention of his eldest son. "Is it so easily defended? Or, were he to be reinforced, could your cousin break this siege on his own?" "Makny is a cunning warrior and a hardy fighter. From his position he could handle the Rigr with merely another two-score men. But there is no way to get them to Gammeltårn, save for the path on which the Rigr is camped." "What of the harbor?" the lord asked, his eyes glancing to the golden-clad elves in the room. "Father," Kjell began skeptically, "the South Coast is naught but towering rocks and churning swells. Gammeltårn cannot even be seen from the sea, let alone reached by it." At this his father sighed and shook his head. "It seems I should have had more rigorous tutors for you in your youth. There are places on this island that do not yield their secrets to the unlearned, but the knowledge of which is your birthright, had you taken the time to know it." "My lord," spoke the dark-haired elf, "I see now that you have guessed at my history with this land, and I can guess why you have allowed my intrusion upon this council." The Lord of Førstlys remained silent, though a faint smile played at the corners of his mouth as the elf strode to the desk and picked up a block in the Førstlys livery. "Allow me to offer my knowledge of those same secrets, and my own strength of arms in this errand. To hear account of your situation, I suspect this task aligns with my larger duty on these shores. As such," he placed the block on the map to the south of the island, "we are yours to command." Kjell, utterly confused by the turn in conversation, took the offered hand. "My lord, we are grateful for whatever aid you can provide, though I fear I cannot yet guess at what that might be." "My young friend," smiled the elf, "All things shall be known in due time. But now make haste and prepare your retinue, for we sail at noon."

Ha. Same. This is a really cool scene, but now I’m really curious to know why you bought so many lightsabers in the first place...

This must have been a very tedious stacking process, but it certainly yielded a beautiful result. The bridge has a very graceful form, and I love your vegetation along the riverbanks!

So many awesome techniques on display at once can sometimes feel cluttered, but you’ve pulled these all together into a very cohesive, visually appealing display. And I always love your use of Altbricks leaves; they really bring a lot of life to your builds. Great work.

This is so cool! I love that you’re already sketching out ideas/details/color palettes and figuring out how you want it to come together. The not is an especially nice touch. Regarding size/scale, I think some important questions to ask yourself are, firstly, are you building your world in LEGO set scale, or more of a true model scale? Secondly, what separate spaces need to be present? Is this also the Jarl’s residence? Is there an attached kitchen and larder? How many figures does each space need to accommodate, and is it with real-world proxemics, or LEGOfied? You could have wildly different outcomes based on the scale alone. Can’t wait to see where this goes!

Love all the techniques on display here! I think your river takes a slightly-too-drastic turn, and would benefit from sloping one way or the other, but is otherwise handled very nicely. Really liking the weather vane too, that's a fun detail!

A very fun story, and I commend you on your writing; it's no easy task to put down this long of a story in one's first language, let alone their second (and English at that!). I love all the supporting builds, which are great continuations of your style, and I think you've done very well with you minifig posing and the way in which you photographed each build to show your story. Can't wait to see where this goes next!

Great work here! I love all the little details that make this such a rich series of scenes, and the books are a very clever way of framing the build and story. Your colors are well-handled, and I love that you've found a use for those useless little goblins. Nice job keeping Alnya relevant too!

I must, first and foremost, congratulate you two on your ability to work together; the only time my brothers wanted to build with me was if I let them do the demolition at the end of the project (they didn't always wait for the end). But secondly, and more importantly, you guys have once again knocked it out of the park. The level of detail and cohesive design is excellent, and your storytelling ability with minifig posing is top-notch. If I were to offer critique, it would be that some of your snow effects seem out of place deep underneath the overhanging buildings, and you have a sort of inconsistent section cut going on at the end of your bridge - you have a door there, but no landing, but the snow still wraps around below it. Otherwise, your technical execution is, as always, superlative.

These are terrific combinations, really well-integrated, and I like your little blurbs about each character. Nice job incorporating Norse influences and existing lore from GoH!

Thank you for all of your comments @Louis of Nutwood, I'm glad you enjoy the story and the moc!. I have to credit Ralf Langer (not sure if he's on here, but he is on flickr) for the tree technique. As for the history of the place, I have nothing specific to it, but there are other places like it spread around Historica... Thank you @Alfadas, hopefully I can improve in the next phase! Thanks @Kai NRG, glad you like the motif, it was fun to pull into the build. Thanks @Grover, I'm glad to hear that the build matches the story in your eyes. Thank you @W Navarre, I'll have to carve out time for a build or two there in the future. Thanks @Aurore, refined and elegant were definitely among the design objectives on this one! Thank you @zoth33, hopefully there will be more in the future...