Grey Magistrate

Thanks to you both! Yeah, after getting to the end of this episode, I realized that I needed one more story to explain what happens to the vampirates now that their two leaders (Pola and Frederic) are out of the picture. Speaking of pictures, here's how my kid thought that final scene with Pola and Frederic should have gone -- a ninja fight scene!

When the vampirates first threatened Knighton, King Halbert prepared a two-pronged response: first, sending Jestro on a covert mission to subvert the vampirates from within; and second, ordering his bravest knight, Aaron Fox, to construct a forward operating base deep in vampirate territory in preparation for a future Nexo assault. The collapse of Knighton meant that assault never came, but the fearless Aaron refused to retreat from his exposed position. Aaron has transformed his fortress into what he calls Club Absinthe, or what the locals have nicknamed Casablanca...or rather, Casaverde. Used to a life on the metaphorical edge, Aaron is now on the literal edge of a warzone daily contested by High Priestess Pola's spider cult and Princess Macy's crusader army. It is a shelter for refugees fleeing the warzone and seeking letters of passage to get through vampirate checkpoints and reach territory controlled by Princess Macy. Even bots fleeing from Knighton's collapse have found their way to the Club Absinthe, including Chef Eclair... ...and Fancypants, who has a real talent for jazz. High Priestess Pola is searching for one particular refugee: Queen Halbert, who went missing shortly before the brickpile shredded Knighton's war materiel and computer networks. King Halbert foiled Pola's plans by sacrificing himself to redirect the brickpile to the sea, but Pola has a sinister idea: if she can capture Queen Halbert and use her as bait, perhaps the brickpile can be induced to halt its mad rush to the ocean. Pola had ordered Captain Frederic to shut down Club Absinthe, but it turns out that Frederic is a corrupt bon vivant with a taste for absinthe. In exchange for a daily bottle and an hour of good conversation, Captain Frederic agrees to let Aaron's refugee operation continue. Aaron sustained his oasis for some time, harboring a steady stream of refugees fleeing the war. But there was always the threat that one day the vampirates would crack down. That day had arrived -- the day that Queen Halbert arrived. Of all the absinthe joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into Aaron's. Robin had used the Pandora Gate to teleport Queen Halbert to a random location, and by unfortunate chance she teleported to vampirate territory. Jestro and Lavaria had infiltrated behind vampirate lines to rescue her. Now they needed to get her letters of transit to reunite the queen with her daughter, Princess Macy. But her arrival did not go unwitnessed. Queen Halbert recognizes Fancypants and asks him to play her song, "As Bricks Go By", one last time. Fancypants stops as soon as Aaron walks by, but he insists, "You played it for her, you can play it for me!" The four of them -- Aaron, Queen Halbert, Jestro, and Lavaria -- sit down for an impromptu conference. Jestro and Lavaria insist that Aaron help her escape as soon as possible. But the queen is exhausted from constant flight, shellshocked from the loss of her husband, and unsure if she can face her daughter again. Perhaps...perhaps the queen could stay here, with Aaron, helping the refugees. Her kingdom is lost; everything is lost. Aaron saved her twice, once from Infernox and once from Ruina; perhaps she could return the favor, and remain. But Aaron insists she go. "Inside of us, we both know you belong with Macy," he says. "You're part of her work, the thing that keeps her going. If that hoverhorse leaves the ground and you're not on it, you'll regret it. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon -- and for the rest of your life." Aaron turns away. "We'll always have Knighton," he says. There is no time to lose. Aaron takes his guests outside and gives them the letters of transit, as well as his two personal hoverhorses. But it is too late. High Priestess Pola has already arrived, with Captain Frederic in tow. She orders him to shoot. He does. Captain Frederic turns to the vampirate soldier and says, "Round up the usual suspects!" And with that, the queen is off, guided by Jestro and Lavaria. Aaron waves goodbye one final time -- "Here's looking at you, Queen." As they watch the hoverhorses disappear into the horizon, Aaron says, "Frederic, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship." The Fall of Knighton: #1 -- Ava's Stone Embassy #2 -- Lance's Lava Mine #3 -- Macy's Fortified Chapel #4 -- Jestro's Pandora Gate #5 -- Axl's Spider Foundry #6 -- King Halbert's Last Stand #7 -- Aaron's Club Absinthe #8 -- Robin's Vampirate Ship #9 -- Clay's Chapterhouse Vigil Spellbreaker: #1 -- Lance's Lava Train #2 -- Ava's Summer Home #3 -- Macy's Campaign Headquarters #4 -- Axl's Audience Chamber #5 -- Jestro's Final Chapter

Welcome back to the land of Lego! Good use of treads, and I agree that the lasers are a nice touch!

Whoah, that's an amazing model -- so much detail! I especially like how you've made the scene of Mal and Inara overlooking the cows after the episode with the duel.

Axl has two heads -- his first two years he had a smile on one side and a frown on the other, but his third-year set gives him an outraged expression on one side. Which inspired this little episode! And you're right, Clay has three heads -- the one with the two standard expressions, plus the half-stone version in the collector's book and the full-stone, yellow-eyed version that came with the Colossus. Robin has two heads, too -- his standard half-smile for the first two years, and then in his third year he got a head with an angry expression on one side and an orange tint on the other. No extra faces for Aaron, Lance, or Macy, unfortunately. Ava only gets one face, too. Even Merlok got two different orange panels!

I like this sword-ship even better than the crossbow!

Yup, light grey fits much better with the first-year Nexo color scheme. Good change!

This is cool! I love how you take the base crossbow look of the original and make it look like something out of a sci-fi movie. The little side-ships are great too. I'm looking forward to seeing the others!

They have the final two episodes!

Stupendous! The crystal tank in the back looks excellent.

I really like the gate idea that you settled on -- looks very much like how a Nexo gate should be!

Both kingdom and kingship in Knighton are in peril after Axl carries out an accidental coup against King Halbert. Princess Macy is leading her crusader army against the vampirates and has no idea that her parents, along with Jestro and Robin, have been separated and placed in "protective custody" in the secure depths of the castle. Fortunately the cells have no guards at the moment, because Axl is cementing his new authority by giving each guard a choice: accept the spider treatment and join Axl's side, or leave the service of the castle. It is not much of a choice. No lock can stop an electronics expert like Robin, and he quickly hacks himself and the others free. But the four are still trapped in the basement -- how can they escape the castle and alert Princess Macy? Robin confesses that he, like Axl, has been secretly experimenting with vampirate technology -- by running tests on the highly unstable Pandora gate that Jestro had seized in a brilliant covert operation. The vampirates had planned to use the Pandora gate to unleash the unholy pile from the buckets beyond... ...but, Robin has reverse-engineered it to transport small objects or people over long distances. Robin argues that if the four of them teleport to four different places, surely one of them will be able to contact Princess Macy and direct her back to the palace to unseat Axl. The plan is highly risky, but time is short -- Axl could return at any moment. The quartet agree that Queen Halbert will be the first to escape. The royal couple say their goodbyes... ...and then she is through the gate. Robin can't be sure where she has ended up, but hopefully it will be somewhere safe, and she will be able to contact her daughter. But before anyone else can enter the Pandora gate, Axl arrives! He immediately rushes to Robin to snatch the controller from his hand. King Halbert yells, Axl lunges, Robin dodges, Jestro pushes -- and in the confined chaos both Axl and Robin are caught up in the pull of the Pandora gate and teleported away. An enraged guard seizes Robin's controller and starts pounding buttons rapidly, desperate to bring Axl back. A deathly silence stifles the air. The dread Pandora gate begins to vibrate and choke. Everyone runs. And then: BOOM. As prophesied, the dread and terrible brickpile pours forth from the Pandora gate, consuming all before it! With the sickening crunch of plastic on plastic, the insatiable pile bursts out of the castle basement and shreds to pieces all of Knighton's once-vaunted military hardware. Even the Fortrex is no match for the horrifying deluge that rushes through the castle grounds, devouring all in its wake. King Halbert and Jestro watch in horror as the unstoppable flood courses through the castle, realizing that at any moment the brick-soaked terror could consume the residential neighborhoods. At this most terrible moment, Jestro proposes a desperate plan. His research into the vampirates' spider cult revealed that if someone of unusually strong willpower were to enter the pile, then for a short time -- days? hours? -- that mind could exercise some limited control over the churning madness, and redirect the pile away from the populated core of the city. But that mind would soon be subsumed beneath the thousands of other victims imprisoned within the pile. Jestro volunteers to sacrifice himself. After all, he led the lava monsters and stone army against Knighton, and it was his decision to bring the Pandora gate to Knighton in the first place. But King Halbert refuses. Any king who sends his troops into battle must be willing to face doom himself. King Halbert makes Jestro swear to find Queen Halbert and deliver her to safety. And then, looking into the swirling abyss, he speaks his final words: "I have always wanted to see the ocean." And he jumps. The muddy murmur of hundreds of whispers echo and overlap: "I have always wanted." "I have always wanted to see." "Always wanted to see." "Wanted to see the ocean." "The ocean." "THE OCEAN." With a groan, the brickpile lurches and seethes and whispers and chokes. "The ocean." "See the ocean." "THE OCEAN." And the unstoppable pile stops and turns away from the city and begins its long, fateful dredge to the sea. The Fall of Knighton: #1 -- Ava's Stone Embassy #2 -- Lance's Lava Mine #3 -- Macy's Fortified Chapel #4 -- Jestro's Pandora Gate #5 -- Axl's Spider Foundry #6 -- King Halbert's Last Stand #7 -- Aaron's Club Absinthe #8 -- Robin's Vampirate Ship #9 -- Clay's Chapterhouse Vigil Spellbreaker: #1 -- Lance's Lava Train #2 -- Ava's Summer Home #3 -- Macy's Campaign Headquarters #4 -- Axl's Audience Chamber #5 -- Jestro's Final Chapter

I would've loved to see Ava Valkyrie or a purple panel with Ava's silhouette -- she's my favorite Nexo character. Not to be, alas. But I'd be curious to see if anyone has ideas to mix-and-match parts to make an Ava Valkyrie.

Oh, sorry, you didn't miss anything...I don't think they were ever given official names, so I've called them the "vampirates". Now that NK is officially dead, we can call 'em anything we like!

Yeah, I loved the stone monsters! Something about that grey-purple-blue combo really grabbed me, and I liked all the different character types -- winged harpies, cold roguls, even the plain ol' stone stompers. Maybe Nexo Knights would've survived longer if the second season had run with the vampirates instead, but I'm thankful that we got a full year for the stone army.

The rust effect is great, as is the mixed panelling on the deck. Really nice!

The five dragon shields from the first wave look best, I think, but the new gold ones (featuring the knights' weapons) are spiffy too. You can't go wrong by dragons and gold!

I really like how you use the treads for the engines -- very clever!

Hey, thanks, Aethersprite! I think this MOC series will be a one-and-done (or eight-and-done) -- I feel morally obliged to give the Nexo theme the farewell it deserves, on account of its too-soon cancellation, but who knows what'll come after that.

I like this better than the original -- great work! I especially like how the shield serves as an oversized hood ornament.

These are dark times for Knighton. The vampirates grow increasingly aggressive, and Princess Macy's crusader army is bleeding the royal treasury dry. Desperate people are turning to desperate measures, and in a foundry in the old quarter of the original castle, Axl is seeking answers -- and power. Soon he will find both. Prime Minister Jestro has been leading a double life -- by day he serves as a faithful steward to King Halbert, but by night he masquerades as a vampirate. Only King Halbert and Robin are aware of his covert activity. Not even Princess Macy knows his secret, so when Jestro reveals that the vampirates have split their forces and she has a chance to deal them a devastating blow, she is initially doubtful -- but then decides to trust him, and leaves to direct the whole of her crusader army to ambush the vampirate detachment. Axl also has no idea that Jestro was responsible for capturing the vampirates' Pandora Gate, but Axl is happy to accept a delivery of spiders from Robin, no questions asked. This was exactly what Axl needed for his experiments. Such research is highly expensive, but Lance has agreed to foot the bill, using the proceeds from his illegal lava mine. A little reprogramming here, a little resoldering there, and then into the flames! Before long, the spiders have been transformed -- but into what? And why are they multiplying? Well, there is no need to worry, so long as the spiders stay safe within their cage... ...uh oh... The orange spiders have rendered a dramatic transformation upon the royal guard. But besides his giant size, he seems no worse for the wear. Axl knows he should take the guard to the infirmary to reverse the condition, but... ...maybe this is exactly the breakthrough technology Axl needs to fight off the vampirates. The orange spiders grant super strength -- and unquestioning loyalty. Robin is horrified when he discovers what Axl has done and carries an order, under the authority of Prime Minister Jestro, that Axl immediately cease his research. Axl is enraged at this threat to scientific progress and marches off to confront PM Jestro. Axl barges in just as Jestro is returning from his latest infiltration of the vampirates, in the middle of telling King Halbert what he has discovered. Axl is shocked. There had been rumors that Jestro was a vampirate traitor, and this proves it! Axl turns to his loyal shock troops and orders the Prime Minister's immediate arrest. King Halbert and Robin try in vain to explain that Jestro was only pretending to be with the vampirates. Queen Halbert rushes in to defend her husband, too. But Axl refuses to listen. Axl is sure that Jestro has put all of them under his evil sway. Everyone needs to be taken into custody -- for their own protection. The accidental coup unfolds so quickly that it only gradually dawns on Axl what he has done... ...and that now the capital is his alone. The Fall of Knighton: #1 -- Ava's Stone Embassy #2 -- Lance's Lava Mine #3 -- Macy's Fortified Chapel #4 -- Jestro's Pandora Gate #5 -- Axl's Spider Foundry #6 -- King Halbert's Last Stand #7 -- Aaron's Club Absinthe #8 -- Robin's Vampirate Ship #9 -- Clay's Chapterhouse Vigil Spellbreaker: #1 -- Lance's Lava Train #2 -- Ava's Summer Home #3 -- Macy's Campaign Headquarters #4 -- Axl's Audience Chamber #5 -- Jestro's Final Chapter

Really cool! I like the steps and water best of all, and I like the details in the mini-dungeon.

Hey, at least Robin got a new figure and face. I'm still bitter that Ava didn't get an upgrade!

FFX-2 is the best Final Fantasy, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise! Great work on this!

Looks like I guessed right with that hairpiece! Now if only we had something for Aaron...