Grey Magistrate

Thanks to you both! Yeah, "vampirates" is my name for 'em...but now that the theme is cancelled, I feel entitled to rename them whatever I want! Besides, seeing as Nexo is a Space-Castle mash-up, I want to see a Space-Pirates combo. The Pandora gate is sealed for now, but I sure hope nothing happens to unseal it now that it's stored in the castle... The gunmetal-colored armor is from the Knighton Castle set -- it was on the shelf in the armory. It fits so perfectly on high priestess Pola that I don't know why it wasn't included in the original set.

I loved the QfG series -- this is a great scene from a great game! (I see from the red cape that you are using the VGA remake rather than the black cape from the original -- nice detail.)

Knighton is in freefall. Ava is hiding behind stone walls and stone friends; Lance is trusting to his store of illicit wealth; and Princess Macy is liquidating the royal treasury to pay for her ruinously expensive rearmament program. As the kingdom descends into disorder, rumor reaches King Halbert and Prime Minister Jestro that the vampirates are building some kind of terrible structure somewhere hidden in the swamplands. At a time of such risk and ruin, why would King Halbert appoint a known war criminal, Jestro, to be his prime minister? Well, King Halbert ain't dumb. He conditioned Jestro's political rehabilitation on the jester's agreement to undertake a highly risky operation to infiltrate the vampirates' spider cult and identify their plot. Jestro's criminal reputation is more than enough to win entree to the vampirates' ranks and the friendship of the vampirate chief, Captain Frederic, who naively thinks that he has won over Knighton's highest-ranking official. Jestro cleverly worms his way into an invitation to see the vampirates' sinister project in the swamp, but the high priestess, Pola, is very suspicious of the newcomer. But at Frederic's urging, she eventually reveals the horrifying truth: the spider cult has constructed a Pandora gate, and will soon use it to unleash a terrifying and unstoppable force from the buckets beyond, a power beyond description or comprehension. Nameless and volatile, this sentient pile of brick and bone seethes with the souls and spoils of countless forgotten Lego sets. It has long slumbered in its buckets, but the premature demise of the Nexo Knights theme has awoken its baleful awareness, and even now the fearsome pile lurches and writhes with a hunger as insatiable as it is inexplicable. ...or anyway, that's what the priestess says, but maybe she has been reading too much H. P. Legocraft. Jestro knows his time is short. He persuades Captain Frederic to give him a tour of the Pandora gate. For security purposes, of course, Frederic takes him under cover of darkness so that Jestro will not be able to identify the route and location. Jestro anticipated this and, waiting for Frederic to turn his back, discreetly sinks a homing beacon into the swamp. Then Jestro exploits his position of trust to pass new patrol schedules to the gate guards, so that there will be a brief three-hour window when there will be no one guarding the Pandora gate. It's now or never! Jestro calls in Robin's elite strike team for an assault on the Pandora gate, guided by Jestro's beacon and timed to coincide with the three hours when the guards are gone. The soldiers wield giant laser saws to hack the Pandora gate to the ground. Then Jestro makes the fateful decision to carry the Pandora gate back to King Halbert, rather than destroy it. There is one last detail: Axl has long sought live specimens of the vampirates' spiders for a "special research project". What could Axl be planning? 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 really like this one -- and you're right, that's a clever use of that piece to represent lion paws. I also like the rocky exterior and bumpy ground just outside the entrance.

Coolness! I really like how you make the floor -- I've never seen a rock patchwork using that technique. The weeds growing out among the cracks is a great touch.

I really like the rockwork beneath the balcony and the cobblestone on the balcony itself. Matches your countertop!

Hey, thanks! Yup, that's Mia's hair, although I didn't realize that 'til your question prompted me to check -- I'd just searched on Bricklink for hair in dark red and piece 4621315 looked the closest. Works better than I'd expected! Glad you like the story, BrickJagger. I love the Nexo theme but can't be bothered with the TV show or game, so I'm happy to fill in a new storyline now that the official story is over and done. The next building in the queue (no idea how many months 'til it'll be done) is for Axl, and yeah, the vampirates will be the antagonists for his structure. The vampires deserved more time in the spotlight than the half-year that they got.

Knighton faces disarray and disaster as the kingdom struggles with the fallout from the theme's cancellation. Some, like Ava, have made peace with former enemies; others, like Lance, are pursuing reckless strategies to buy political support. In this time of social upheaval, Queen Halbert decides that what the kingdom really needs is a little ideological reinforcement. King Halbert has entrusted more and more power to Jestro, recently promoting him to be his Prime Minister and openly speculating that he may let the people decide who should be the next ruler. (There are poisonous rumors that PM Jestro has conspired with the Vampirates to destabilize the kingdom and take the throne himself, but this is mere gossip, I'm sure!) Queen Halbert is deeply unhappy with Jestro's ascendance and all this idle talk about "voting" and "democracy". King Halbert already has an heir -- Princess Macy. Unfortunately, the princess is, to be blunt, a little rough around the edges -- more interested in combat than politics. So Queen Halbert commissions the construction of an enormous chapel, dedicated to the royal family, to remind the people (and more importantly, the troops) that their loyalty is to the royal line in general, and to Princess Macy specifically. The chapel's blue steel structure and shatterproof stained glass are further protected by a powercharged roof and electrical shielding. The interior, at taxpayer expense, has been lined with fine tile work and gold leaf, decorated with the dragon symbol of Queen Halbert and Princess Macy. (The king's lion symbol is mysteriously absent.) Macy is enraptured by the new structure, but she is shocked by her mother's suggestion that Macy ought to use the site for a political marriage to a powerbroker who can rescue Knighton from its turmoil. To the great disappointment of Queen Halbert (and fanfic writers everywhere), Macy has no interest in a crossover marriage with a more popular theme. Macy knows her mother means well, and the princess wants to do right by her mother's expectations. But what Queen Halbert doesn't realize is that her daughter Macy isn't interested in using religion for political purposes... ...because she is a true believer. She fervently holds to her ancestral faith, and to her mother's dismay, Princess Macy begins spending all of her time in the chapel, deep in prayer and meditation. Macy spends hours, or even days at a time, at the great stone table (modelled in the Narnian style)... ...and after many nights of prayer and fasting, her devotion is rewarded with a series of apocalyptic visions of the coming Dissolution, when all Nexo sets will be reduced to their original bricks. But this disaster can be forestalled with the calling of a glorious crusade to push back the enemies of Knighton. Consumed with zeal, she takes the two sacred maces in hand... ...and at last finds her calling: to wield her royal authority to launch one final crusade to stave off the end of all things. 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 agree, brilliant is the right word for it -- thanks for the link! Now he needs to turn his talents to recasting the original Space Police in the Nexo mold.

I like the unexpected laundry bit at the end!

Whoah, that Nexo dinosaur is amazing!

I like it! -- simple, compact, and clever how the head is an upside-down build.

Hilarious review! -- and I especially like the alternate builds that you present.

Coolness!

Thanks for linking that, Digger of Bricks -- I hadn't seen that video, and it's fantastic! Clay's sword-ship is the best on the table, but the whole layout is marvelous.

Oh yeah, agreed, there's way too much dust -- I could pretend that it's meant to look like the place is littered in sand, but really, it's just been on the shelf too long!

Thanks! Yeah, as the lights go out across Knighton, I'm trying to keep a flicker of life burning in the Nexo Knights universe. Macy is next in the queue, though it'll take awhile to finish her building.

This is fantastic work! I love water scenes and the pirate theme, and your waterfall is amazing. I really like how you set up the underwater section. Great work!

Things fall apart and the centre cannot hold in Knighton (in the wake of the cancellation of Nexo Knights' third year sets), forcing ambitious commoners such as Ava and bold knights such as Lance to scramble for power. Lance may be the richest knight in the kingdom, but he needs more resources and allies if he hopes to play kingmaker -- leading him to forge a risky alliance with the lava monsters to operate an illegal lava mine. Here Lance arrives for his latest visit to speak with General Magmar -- now General Manager Magmar. Lance is only accompanied by his loyal bots on these missions, who are programmed for utmost discretion. If word were to leak out that Lance is employing lava monsters, the scandal would be disastrous. There used to be bad blood between Magmar and Lance's family, but now the two are on the best of terms and toast their business arrangement. "The quality of money is not strained," as Shakespeare put it. Magmar escorts Lance to the mine, walking past a shrine dedicated to the lava monsters' former leader, Jestro. An honor guard maintains the shrine, although both Lance and Magmar know that Jestro has become a fierce loyalist to King Halbert and will never return to the lava monsters. (In fact, Jestro has found that though he may be a terrible jester, he has a real talent for middle management, and King Halbert has been entrusting more and more authority to his forgiven subject.) Magmar finds it useful to maintain the illusion of Jestro's memory to motivate the troops, and Lavaria spends many a sad hour in meditation on her lost Jestro. Magmar shows off the latest haul from the lava mine. These lava crystals are vital to rebuilding Lance's bank account and rearming the lava monster army. This pile of gold will help Lance bribe supporters in the palace and buy the loyalty of the army. The mine is powered partly by this ramshackle, dangerous device... ...and partly by raw physical labor. Alas, it seems that Lance is turning a blind eye to the use of child labor in the mine. Magmar has increasingly been pushing Lance for more high explosives to facilitate the mine expansion -- and, incidentally, to rearm his troops. Such weapons proliferation is highly illegal, but the bots are completely trustworthy and would never reveal the truth to the Knighton authorities. Yes, the secret is completely safe with the bots. Nothing could possibly go wrong with Lance's plan, so long as the bots... ...uh, wait a minute... 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

These are great! I like these three later rebuilds better than the one for Magmar's vehicle that you have at the top. I agree, your second tank is better than the first, but the first is pretty good too. And for the dragster, I especially like how you have the stoplight built out of shields.

Thanks, everyone! I sometimes feel like the only AFOL out there who likes the stone monsters, so I tried to make a worthy home for 'em. It's just too bad that stone monsters can't swim...although maybe that's part of the reason that Ava picked this site for the Embassy. Oh, and Lordofdragonss -- I am not sure what happened to the krakenbeast, but I hope its fate is better than what happened to Ruina's pets. Ava declawed them to make the docking bars for the pier.

Ava was pretty miffed about getting left out of the third-year sets, so she left Knighton and took up with the rocky remnants of Jestro's stone army. Desperate for leadership, the surviving stone monsters threw in their lot with Ava. Styling herself the Ambassador, she has holed up in a waterlogged fortress she calls the Stone Embassy, where she now leads and protects what few stone monsters remain. A flooded Embassy complex provides great security advantages, but there are some inherent risks, too. Ambassador Ava is trying to present a friendlier image, but the approach to the Embassy, accessible only by boat, is still a little intimidating. Today, Ambassador Ava has received Clay in the hope of arranging a formal treaty with Knighton. First, the Ambassador escorts Clay past the barracks, stopping only long enough to chat with a couple of chess players. Next she takes him to the lecture hall, where the Ambassador has engaged her troops in a crash course on literacy. The results are promising! Clay seems taken aback by the bell tower and its faceless occupant. The Ambassador assures him that everything is all right and quickly hurries the tour along. Clay is curious to know what is in the infinity room guarded by Ava's personal heligoyle transport. Ava invites him to see for himself... ...but at the sight of Ruina, Clay decides to skip that part of the tour. (All he missed was Krakenskull crackin' away at the piano.) Ava is quite happy to show off her luxurious accommodations, constructed to her exacting specifications -- a greenhouse, living room, and bathroom. Her most prized possession is this big-screen TV... ...and her collection of videogames and portable consoles. The Ambassador invites Clay to take a drink, but he wisely declines, preferring to start the treaty negotiations right away. He has reason for haste; it seems that the vampirates are lurking outside at this very moment. 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

It's going to take me a bit of time, but my next project is to make a vampire ship -- "vampirates", I guess you could call them -- using the third-year colors (translucent green, black, white, and light green) and the Virus Vampires as the crew.

First-time poster here to mourn the passing of Nexo Knights. I was that rare AFOL who adored the theme and loved the second-year stone monsters best of all -- many found the purple-grey-blue color scheme off-putting, but I thought it was fantastic. I really admire the courage and creativity of the theme (even if some of the sets didn't click), and I don't see anything else in Lego's catalog at the moment that draws my interest in the same way. (But though I collected the sets, I couldn't be bothered to watch the TV show or play the game, so I clearly was not the target audience!) I could read the writing on the wall -- the raft of discounts, the lack of advertising, the limited shelf space -- and knew that the theme's days were numbered, but I'm still unhappy that it had to end. Farewell, NK!