The Stad

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...

This is so much fun to watch! I especially love the last two days' builds. That bonfire is very clever, and the tree looks amazing (though it's definitely bigger than the standard Lego advent mini-build)!

Tower Phase 2:

Herfin Telosuren - The Stad - Mitgardia

On the northern slopes of Pikesteel Mountain, nestled among the trees that blanket its basalt crags and sandy gullies, a complex of ancient structures lay. Seemingly untouched by time, and well hidden from prying eyes, its pure white walls had sheltered generations of Great Elk clansmen when their forest homes were menaced by immeasurable threats, then sat unoccupied in times of peace. But in the wake of the devastation wrought in their lands by the Algus, the elves sought to keep a permanent presence in this haven. The Pikesteel dwarves, for their part, had never been able to find the stronghold on the borders of their domain. Thus, they regarded it as a rumor or legend, and were surprised when the elves requested it, and even more surprised when the elves showed it to them. Some among the dwarves argued that they should claim the fortress for their own, given its situation upon their own domain, yet when scouts were sent to find it without elven guides, the hapless dwarves searched the forest fruitlessly for several weeks before stumbling back through the gates of the mountain, perplexed and looking rather worse for wear. Still, the Pikesteel dwarves were eager to have an ally to shelter their northern flank, and so they ceded the land and even committed to aid the largely nomadic elves with settling into their new, well-fortified home. The expert dwarven craftsmen, guided by elven design sensibilities, seamlessly integrated the elves' improvements with the existing structures. In little time the numbers of the tribe swelled, their kinfolk flocking eagerly to the flourishing citadel, which they called Herfin Telosuren in their tongue, or the Haven of the Great Elk. Travelers pays their respects at an ancient shrine to a god whose name has long since been forgotten to these lands. Admiring the tribe's motif, newly affixed to the Great Tower. The elven chieftain thanks the leader of the dwarven craftsmen for his efforts. The fountain tower looks out over the forested slopes that descend to the great lakes and flat lands to the north.

I’m really enjoying watching your story unfold, and the progress shown in both your builds and your writing is very evident. The only critique I would offer is that your ground is a little too monochromatic for my taste, and would benefit from having some dark tan or brown mixed in, since those show up in and around the path. Otherwise, this is great, and I look forward to the next chapter!

Thanks, I thought it’d be a fun way to make use of a part that is otherwise sort of useless! Thank you, the shaping of the landscape to fit on the base was tougher than I expected but I’m pretty happy with the result. And thank you for your feedback on the lighting! I like to think that wild game is the ultimate in free-range meat, and it got to live a very happy, unwitting life before it abruptly became food. Thank you, the leaves were a lot of fun to play with, especially when it came to layering the white over the green. Many thanks! The owl might have a hard time with such a beast of a rodent! Thank you for your comments. Thank you, the use of shadow as camouflage was one of my main intents with the lighting, so I’m glad you noted that in particular! Thank you! I may or may not have several more of those rabbits that will also need dealt with in future story installments...

Excellent use of the new poop elements in the background. Great scene in general, really. It’s important to remember all the people that do the dirty work in our fantasy world, and you’ve accomplished that nicely.

Nice job on the irregular base, and I love how you got the roof to look like the snow was sliding off of it. I like the lighting of your interior shots as well; it looks like everything is being lit from the candles alone and really sells the mood.

This is a great, lively scene, with tons of really nice vegetation (love those pine trees especially), and you’ve done well with the snot border on the base. I love how you tie all your creations back into your micro scale map too, it makes them feel so much like a part of a larger world!

You’ve done a great job of packing a somewhat small scene with tons of detail, really bringing it to life. I love your floor tile design, but I’m curious what the units might look like with 1x1 tiles, rather than plates, to continue that masonry texture a little further.

I love both of these MOCs, but I also really love how you’ve incorporated them into the current story several years after they were built!

I love how you tend to work on such a grand scale, yet don’t skip over the finer details. This is a very impressive MOC, with some really cool colors and nice variegation of oversized, subterranean flora. Nice work on the story too, most intriguing.

Love the rock work here; it seems like we rarely see much variation from the jumble-o-slopes technique, so this is a cool, novel approach that looks very realistic. You’ve done a great job with the vegetation and the ocean backdrop (love how the trans-blue plates transition to tiles between “middle ground” and “background”), and your dragon, as usual, is really, really cool.

Surviving the Winter | The Stad | Mitgardia

Previously: A New Post at Gammeltårn Party Supplies Perils Old and New In the weeks following the Rigr's visit, supplies arriving at Gammeltårn had slowed from a steady trickle to essentially nothing. When it became evident that his garrison was entirely cut off, Makny ordered his men to return to Førstlys and offer no resistance to the Rigr's men on their way. Several men volunteered to stay and continue with their work, and Makny gladly accepted their company, but as Winter settled upon the Burial Isle foraging became increasingly difficult. Makny preferred hunting to fishing in the harbor, and each morning would take a short bow into the narrow glens above the city in search of game. Today he had the good fortune of coming across the tracks of an Avalonian Giant Hare, which he'd followed through the frost-covered brush until he found the creature. Brought by refugees from Avalonia during the Elemental Crisis, the hares were kept for their flavorful meat and supple pelts. Several years ago, four of the five breeding pairs on the island had been set loose during a violent storm, and now herds of the docile, dog-sized rodents could be found menacing crops around the island. As he crept towards his quarry, Makny remarked to himself that if such a specimen had spread this far from the farms he would have to redouble the population control efforts upon returning home. For now though, he was glad for the infestation; he and his men would eat well tonight. Experimenting with some new lighting and background options on this, I'd love to hear what you think of the result!

Inn Phase 1:

I love all the activity in this scene, and your windmill is very clever. I do think you could have put a little more effort into the palisade (standing logs on end on top of the ground isn't a very stable way to build a wall), but I appreciate all the laborers at work on various tasks around the job site. And as a whole, it's a very visually appealing build. Well done!

Great job on the colors and the shapes of your foliage, it looks very organic. I think I speak for everyone when I say we're all excited to have you back and building!

Welcome @Aurore and @ForTheGreaterGood, you've chosen an excellent outlet for your spare time! Speaking of time: did anyone else come frustratingly close to finishing an entry for this round that they couldn't quite complete by the drop-dead date? Here is a progress photo of my would-be Category A entry as it was on deadline day: I guess this means that I now have as much time as necessary to polish it up as a freebuild...

This is amazing! I love everything being off-axis, I think that was a great decision that allowed you to fit so much more into each scene, and you’ve executed it really, really well. There’s so much going on, I don’t know where to start, but your story is terrific and your creation is outstanding. And it definitely looks very Mitgardian!

Category A entry:

Previously: A New Post at Gammeltårn Party Supplies The elves had arrived in the harbor of Forstlys as the first light of dawn warmed the horizon. Hastening forth from their ship, they had immediately requested an audience with the lord of the isle. Now they stood in the hall as Kjell and his father strode in, several guards of the Stromvakt following closely behind. One elf wearing armor trimmed in green stepped forward and bowed low as the men approached. "My lord," he began,"I wish that my return to these shores were in happier times and on business less urgent, but I fear that I bear word of trials and troubles yet to befall your lands." Kjell felt his father bristle beside him, weighing his answer to a greeting that some might consider a veiled threat. "Friends," the wizened lord replied,"your arrival here is quite unexpected, and your news, it seems, unwelcome. We have seen much trouble already of late, and had hoped that the worst was put behind us. You must tell us more of this new threat. From whence does it come? What are we to expect? Why does it come now?" "Alas, my lord, to describe the origins of this evil would be to tell a tale that spans millennia, for it is tied to the fate of the same people who built these very halls three ages ago," the elf explained, gesturing at the ancient stones around them. Kjell struggled to hide his shock at hearing this, but if his father were surprised he concealed it quite well. "I would know all I can of the trials we are to face," contested the lord. "The day is yet young. Come, tell us all you can, ere your errand carries you onward, as I'm sure you've many more to tell this news." The emissary then related to them the tale of the Pinnothen, who had come to great power in the north of Historica - long before it was known as such - until they fled internal strife and untold disasters and followed their Chosen Prince into the east. There they found vast lands, called the Great Wings, in the grip of countless slavers and the many dark elf kingdoms who employed them. The Pinnothen hosts freed and embraced every slave they found, and drove the elves before them relentlessly. The cunning and cruelty of the Eastern Drow could not withstand the righteous fury of the Chosen People and the vengeance of former subjects let loose upon their old masters. In their new home, the Pinnothen created a mighty new empire that far surpassed the power they had known in the west, and which still stood unrivaled. With their armies crushed and their once-vast holdings reduced to a handful of remote, barren islands, the Drow turned to dark sorcery as a means to regain their strength. For years uncounted they labored and practiced, perfecting the art of swaying the mind and enhancing the body. Eventually they perfected their rituals, and began to grow their ranks once more with a fierce creation spawned from their hapless prisoners and few remaining slaves. The creatures they created took their name from the mark left by the unholy magic that had made them: the Hand of Corruption. Slowly, the Drow explored their new strength of arms, lending their beasts in small number to various warlords and despots, sowing chaos wherever possible and testing the potency of their creations until, finally, they found an enticing target. While the Pinnothen remained unchallenged and unassailable in the Great Wings, an insolent would-be ruler named Raavage had found great success with a relatively small contingent of the Hand of Corruption in the old homeland of the Pinnothen. Though he may have ultimately been defeated, Raavage's efforts had taken a heavy toll on the people and the land, and Historica was now ripe for conquest by a greater force. The Drow finally had their opportunity, and would hold nothing in reserve now. "My presence here is as a warning," the emissary finished. "You must prepare yourselves, and guard your alliances cautiously. The Drow will sow seeds of discord among you to ease their advance. I fear they have already begun to infiltrate the ranks of those who would oppose them. My people have already captured many of their spies upon the seas east of here, and I am certain many more have eluded us." Kjell immediately thought of the strange exchange with the Rigr that had recently brought him here to Forstlys. "My lord," Kjell interjected, "before our guests take leave of us, there is more I must ask of them..."

Excellent work! The scale and detail are impressive, and the reflections in the floor help add to the feeling of luxury and power on display in the space. Nice story too, looking forward to seeing where it goes...