Louis of Nutwood

Previously: Chapter 10. Don't look back Chapter 11. Wash away The sun had long set behind the mountains, so we rode by the dim silvery light cast by the full moon. Shadows formed between the branches and trunks, and made my mind see images that I could only hope were not there. We left the road and entered the woods, only to trust the moon and the stars and the echoes and the cries to guide our paths. Hours had passed and the horses kept their slow pace, careful not to trick or fall on the stones and broken branches hidden in the dark. The forest once coated with white snow gave way to dripping icicles hanging from the trees and slippery pools formed under their trunks. Lifeless leaves held ponds of ice that fell to the ground as we passed, melting in the dirt. Slow and steady. The earthy smell of grass and moss grew stronger as the sound of a flowing river grew louder. We are heading south. Dazed with the throttle and lost in the whistling sound of the wind and tinkling of our coins, I only came to my senses when a shout echoed between the trees. - Hold on, boys. – Hob had walked to the shore and stood next to the frigid green waters of the river, staring at the water. What is he looking at? It started with one splash. Tap. Then another. Tap. And then another. Tap, tap, tap. Soon, the whole pond was splashing with falling waterdrops, poking our heads from the sky, and wetting our cloaks on their way to the ground. A light tapping sound suddenly became a thunderous ovation among the trees. And then, the sky sunk on our heads. A huge lighting crossed the clouds and suddenly it was day again, but only for a second. The light was followed by a deafening roar that made my chest tremble and the trees shake off their dead leaves. A forewarning. Hob opened his arms, leaned his head facing the sky, so that the raindrops would hit him in the face. And he laughed. He laughed louder than the roars of the rain. Louder than the waterflows of the creaks. Louder than the blowing wind and crackling of leaves. - Freyr! We thank you for your kindness! We thank you for your gift! Soon we shall dine and drink in Odin’s Hall! – Hob shouted at the grey skies, saluted the gods and laughed, laughed, laughed. - It seems the god of rain wishes to take our lives, brother. – Shouted the man with a fuzzy hair. - No, my friend! Freyr is on our side. And he just made sure no one is to follow us here. – Hob stared at the trail behind us, where once were the markings of our footprints, now washed away and faded among the dirt. Hob laughed again. Only this time, he was not laughing alone. ________ Louis of Nutwood This is an entry for Age of Mitgardia: Stables - Phase I. It is also a little break from such cold and snowy environments. So we are heading to warmer lands in the south for a little bit. For the first time I adventured myself in using this fully SNOT technique for the tan rocks (which I think looks super cool!) and transparent studs as ice and rain (that I'm not that sure about). I hope you like this chapter. Please, let me know what you think. Skål! ________

Astonishing work, Pantelis. I love the color choice. The whole MOC is very clean eventhough part of it contains ruins or raw stone. I really like how the minifigures are in motion and the golden details are spot on. Beautiful work, man. Keep it up!

Aurore, I'm loving all these little builds. The pastry stall is fantastic. I do recall running across those famous bagels in a northern market. The bretzel stand is also amazing! They remind me of simpler, warmer times. Very heart-warming to see everyday a bit of the Mitgardian daily life in festivities. Keep up the great work!

Kai, what an exemplary contribution. Just as a few others among us, I'm not a native English speaker, and I really wish to improve my writing. GoH proves to be an outstanding way to do so and to enhance creative thinking. Your guidelines came in truly handy, and I'll make sure to come back to them every so often. As always, your tips both for building and writing are essential for all of us to grow as builders and storytellers. Thanks, Kai!

Thanks, Aine! I’m particularly proud of this build. And I’m glad you liked it as well.

Coming from the creator of StormHolm Castle, one of the castles I admired the most in my life, I am incredibly happy to read your comment, MassEditor. To have your compliments on the architecture, photography, and specially the writing means SO much. When starting a building I constantly say “nah, I’m going to put less effort in this one”, and end up debating myself wether this 1x1 plate should go on this stud or that one. And to have your feedback makes it all worth the (much enjoyable) struggle. Thanks, MassEditor. I hope one day to build something as marvelous as StormHolm. Hey, Aine! Thank you for the comment. I’m glad you enjoyed the build, and I’m happy to share some of the process. The back of the horse has an open space of 1 brick + 1 plate, right? I find it best to include the bags (or backpacks) on top of the 1 brick. The hole on the backpack (supposed for the minifig neck) will not take the entire stud, so you will still be able to use a tile on top of the backpack. It will not be equally sturdy, but should fit just fine. The tile, I recommend should be the color of the backpack (and the backpack should be a different color than the horse, to avoid being too monochromatic). Finally, I think that adding the cloth roll on the back is a nice touch. I tied mine with a string, but it can be mainly placed and it will still look nice. That’s basically what I did, Aine. I hope this was helpful. Let me know!

Nothing thrills me more than the holidays spirit painting the roads of Mitgardia. What an incredible idea, lady Aurore! Can’t wait to see all the little Mitgardian gems that will show up in the following days. Excellent initiative!

Fellow Knight Grover. Always a delight to read your detailed analysis, never missing a corner or stud un-commented. It means a lot you've appreciated both the story and the build. I did try to maintain the architecture of the Keep into the stables, as you noticed. And the cat on the railing is actually looking for the mouse up in the lining of the roof. I feel that snow falls constantly in certain parts of Mitgardia, but I'm figuring my characters are walking south, just as an excuse to build something less chilly. I only hope the factions bordering Avalonia will receive me warmly. You know what? I love your idea. I even mentioned icicles in the storyline, so I totally agree: some transparent tiles handing from the roofs could have added something interesting to the build. As I'm always around these 'moderate climate' environments, I'm sure there will be more opportunities to definitely implement this welcomed suggestion. Thanks again, sir Grover! Your observations are always much appreciated. Cheers! Heey, Basiliscus! Thank you a lot, fellow Knight. I'm glad you appreciate the snow, even in only regular slopes and the rudimentary Mitgardian architecture -- they say less is more, and minimalism is de facto in all design trends. And I'm thrilled that the story is being welcomed. Thanks for the support, man!

Thanks, Kai, for all your building knowledge. Really, these are golden tips, man. And it makes so much sense! While finishing the MOC, although I really liked the final result, I felt something odd when adding slopes (already used as snow) on the tree. And finally, while taking the final pictures, the similar pattern in both the roofs and the dirt felt, indeed, sort of conflicting. Truly appreciate your suggestions, mate. Thanks! Thanks, fellow wanderer Eoin! I see what you mean and recognize it might have been wiser to cut a couple colors in the interior. I was going for some torn, weary and old forgotten place, but understand how it can be distracting. I feel that when the final result is mainly built in dark tones, I look harder for opportunities to enter splashes of color. I'm glad you are appreciating the story so far! I'm about to post another part, so keep tuned, fellow Mitgardian. That's certainly something I'll implement in my following buildings, sir Lucky Luke. I do have some tan parts that need being put to use. Thanks for your comment, mate! Thank you, sire! I wanted the snow to pile up, here. But it was a challenge to use only regular slopes rather than the rounded ones - they are currently in use. But I'm happy you liked it, man! Thanks a lot for your comment.

Thank you, fellow builder Zoth33! I'm happy you are fond of the snow and the texturing. I had some challenge with the snow - I used only regular slopes, while the rounded ones make the snow look more natural. But as currently, all my rounded ones are in another ongoing build, I had to go for it. I'm surprisingly satisfied with the result, and I'm glad you enjoyed it as well. Yeah, I went for the shabby look and feeling. Super happy it was transmitted. And every time I can, I'll try to add a detailed interior, as it makes the build even more immersive, in my opinion. Thanks again, man! Milady Aurore! Such a pleasure to receive your constructive comment. It warms my cold Mitgardian heart to know you liked the writing, as I much admire your writing skills. As I said above, I do think the rounded slopes would be a wiser, more natural choice for the snow, but we have to work with what we got. Still, I'm very pleased with the final take and I'm glad you liked it too. Adding the mouse and the cat was a last-minute insight, and I believe they add more warmth and life to this mostly cold and melancholic environment. And, oooh, my new horse. Love him. I was going to come up with a name for him, but since it was.. uh.. stolen, I'm not sure if I should get much attached. Thanks again, Lady Aurore! Thank you, Indecisive Clutch! Happy to have you.

Thank you, GeoBrick! I’m very happy with the result and I’m glad you liked it.

Chapter 10. The large oaken gates of the keep opened to a cleansing wind that pierced through my leather jerkin and made my guts stop twisting. My cloak pulled and flapped behind my back, giving farewells to the nauseating stench inside those thick stoned walls. - The Lions will be here soon enough. We must leave this place. – said one of the prisoners, running towards the stables. His messy hair flowing over his grey eyes. The sky was painted in pink as the sun rested among the trees. Delicate white specks fell from the sky, adding layers on top of the snow covering the ground. The stable’s wooden roof was torn and rotten, and barely protected the horses from the falling snow. Hob ran his hand across the long nose of a chestnut-colored mare, to calm her down. Frozen icicles fell from her humid mane. I approached the brown stallion and patted him on the neck. He neighed and a cloud of frozen air came out of his nose. There, there. I fastened the bag of coins to the saddle and jumped up on his back. Hob’s companions entered the tower that neared the stalls – looking for more lion guards, or just food, I could not say – but both left with chunks of frozen apple and carrots, horse provisions, inside their mouths and sacks. I figured they hadn’t eaten for the past days. - Where we headed? – I asked and they exchanged wary looks. - The boy can be trusted, Balduin. If it wasn’t for him, you wouldn’t be out of that stinking cell – said Hob. I didn’t have much choice, but I guess it was true. Balduin fastened the saddle on a velvet-black Appaloosa and pulled himself up. - Follow me. We won’t stop until we get there. It is best that we ride through the night. – He pulled his hood up, covering his face, tucking his ponytail and shielding himself from the cold. The horses moved one after the other, into the forest. Behind us, a red trail of blood tainted the snow and the leaves and the air, though apparently the only one who could see it was I. ... and the gods. I turned my head and glanced at the keep. Its walls sinking behind the trees; its lanterns fading into a distant glow, smaller and smaller with the gallop. The sun set on our backs, so we rode in the shadows, listening to the blowing wind between the branches of the trees, singing in our cold ears. The keep was left behind, but I could hear the desperate screams loud and clear. ________ The stables lean on the walls of Svalg Keep, situated on the lower part of the Bay of Storms, in the cold lands of Mitgardia. This is a continuation from the previous chapter 9.2 Payback. Hope you all like the story and the build. This is the first time I actually used GIMP to treat the photos as a recurring recommendation. Please, let me know what you think. Your feedback is always much appreciated. Entry for Age of Mitgardia - Stables Phase II. Thank you! Sir Louis of Nutwood.

Fellow builder AV_Guy, welcome to this beautiful world of talented MOCers. I’m certain you will find plenty of constructive opinions and suggestions to improve your building craft. I must say I’m impressed. To travel through 10 32x32 plates is not an easy task. As for the current building, I like what you’ve built so far, and I do think is has much personality. As others have said above, there is kind of a classic feel to your rockwork that might fit with the sets you plan on displaying. If you are happy with what you have (and if you have the bricks to do so), keep on building! But having built a few rock walls over the past years, I’ve stumbled across some tips that might help adding some texture, depth and reality to the rockwork. I understand why you’ve tried to include different colors, but me, I’d prefer to stick with a max 2-3 different colors. Some shades (I see some blue, some dark red and black in your MOC) might look a bit too odd. Brown, Dark tan and greys are excellent choices. And let the scarce greenery of leafs and plants paint the colorful parts of it. Another thing that helped me a lot in rockwork was to vary between techniques. Keep using brick over brick and, if possible, try to add some SNOT (studs not on top, that consists of using bricks sideways), showing some of their studs. This will add a lot more texture and depth to a rather stiff and slender wall. Of course, this technique demands a lot (A LOT) of the headlight pieces, which may be a struggle to find - but they totally pay out in the end. You can never have enough of them. Perhaps you might even use those ugly big rock pieces (I believe people call them BURPS), and add some slopes to them. They can really help when adventuring in some larger projects. Final thing, I would try to avoid open ended bricks on your wall (like that dark grey 1x2 slope to the right on the higher row). I see how they can add some variety and texture, but to me it just looks a bit sloppy if the whole brick is not connected. That same slope brick would look sweet using the SNOT I mentioned above, however. But, hey.. that’s just my opinion and if you are pleased with what you’ve got, just go for it. Hope it helped and can’t wait to see the final 10x 32x32 result. Cheers!

Gorgeous gates, Fellow Mitgardian Eoin! The rockwork is greatly done. The snow looks beautiful, especially including the transparent pieces representing ice. I really like the small pine tree by the right and the bits of iron detail on the wooden doors. The way you positioned the minifigs is good too, as it really feels like they are in motion. Somehow, the small light reflections (mainly on the rockwork) seem like snowflakes falling from the sky - and it looks magical! The perspective picture showing Eoin is perfect. I understand how a MOC like this can be difficult to photograph, but I think the angle in the first (main) picture could be an inch or to lower, to get a bit more sense of depth. But I’d say it’s a minor detail that might even not make a difference at all. Beautiful work, sire. Even if it didn’t make it to the challenge, still a great addition to the Mitgardian Encyclopedia.

Thank you, sire Basiliscus. I truly appreciate your constructive evaluation. I always try to see the person behind the minifig. With all the flaws, uncertainties, mixed feelings and emotions. I believe this is the first time I tried coming up with a ruin, and I'm very happy with the result. I was a little skeptical about the waves, though, but I reckon too that the final effect pays off. As for the close-ups, they truly add some feeling to the visual storytelling, right? Thanks again for the feedback, mate! Much appreciated.

Hahah. Awesome addition! I read "category C" and was soo confused! Tiding is certainly not as satisfying as building, but yeah.. we gotta do what we gotta do.

Thanks, fellow builder MarvelBoy. The black vignette with the spill-our effect is something I really enjoy building. You’ll see that most of my recent buildings include this feature, and I agree that it kind of makes the whole thing pop up. I’m putting some effort in bettering my storytelling, so I appreciate all your constructive feedbacks. Keep tuned as I’ll try to post the following chapters more frequently. Thanks for the support, mate!

I’m happy you liked them, Pantelis, and I’m particularly proud of the 8th chapter as well. I hope the next ones will step up. Thanks again for the support, man.

Thank you for the support, fellow builder! I do believe that ALL the MOCs we post here already DO have a story behind them. Even though there might not be a written topic, there is always a story behind every build. I do encourage every MOCer to put the story on paper (or topic), as I believe they bring their creations (even more) to life. It is something I enjoy working on, and it makes me happy to see other people like it too. Cheers!

Thank you, fellow Pantelis! I'm glad you enjoyed reading through the story and liked the builds. I'll make sure to add the links to the previous and following chapter in each topic, in no time. In the meantime, I'll send you below a couple of the recent scenes, if you'd like to read along. Bounty (Chapter 9.1) The Keeper (Chapter 9) Svälg Keep (Chapter 8) Thanks for the support, mate! Cheers.

The Keeper - Louis of Nutwood - Mitgardia Bounty - Louis of Nutwood - Mitgardia Payback - Louis of Nutwood - Mitgardia

Chapter 9.2 - Payback I ran up the stairs as fast as my legs would go, leaning on the stone walls. The closer I got to the upper floor, more I could hear the mumbling of voices, but I could not tell whose. The arched doorway appeared over the stone steps, as I reached the upper floor. Leaning closer, I focused, trying to recognize the chatting, and heard a muffled dripping sound below me. Tap, tap, tap. A viscous red liquid was dripping from the steps, drifting through the stone and tainting a burgundy trail behind it. Whose blood is this? I gripped the pommel of my sword once more, praying I would not have to use it. The red pool grew larger as I walked my way into the room. Glowing on the dim candlelight, I saw the general splattered on the floor. His once red and white vests were now only red. From what little I could see in that ill lit room, his face was pale and purple from the cold. I sighed. The room turned even colder than before. The smell was wet and rotten. Atop of the lifeless body of the Lion guard, stood a man covered in furs, with a red blade in his hand, and a goatee beard, soaked in sweat. His breathing was long and paused. - Thank the gods, you are alive. – I greeted Hob with relief. - Where in hell were you, kid?! - Hob shouted and the walls appeared to lean with the echo. I lifted my bag and the sound of clinking metal washed his blood covered face, making him smile. But I couldn’t take my eyes from the red pool forming underneath our feet. __________ Louis of Nutwood. Hope you all like it. My story has been growing week by week and I'd love to hear what you think of it. Make sure to check the previous chapters. (I'll add the links as soon as I learn how).

Chapter 9.1 - Bounty I didn’t know what I was hoping to find, but I went through each cell, each little room, one by one, growing more anxious at each rusty old door. But it didn’t matter. They were all empty, anyway. To the end of the hallway, only one cell stood remaining. Unlocked. On the inside was a pile of straw that served as a bed and a bucket on the side. Nothing. Except for a little mouse that looked at me startled and wrinkled. Poor mice. Even them are as thin as twigs. The mouse squeaked and ran through the straw bed, pinching a hole in the middle of the pile. Is he hiding? I kicked the pile away, and amid the falling spread straw, a trap door leading to a lower level was revealed. I pulled the wooden door open. The hole on the floor revealed a ladder that disappeared into the darkness. From an endless dark pit, a rusty breath puffed to my face and an empty sound echoed. The mist was thick and made it hard to discern what was ahead. The walls got tighter after each descending step until a point where it felt impossible to squeeze through. Then, the walls closing around me disappeared. It felt like a clearing as the echo of my breathing vibrated loudly in that open space. The weak light of my torch reflected on what appeared to be stars shining on a black canvas, blinking with the flame, just to realize those stars were just what I was looking for. Golden coins. Every corner of the room was filled with sacks, barrels, containers and crates pilled at each other. All of them filled with pieces of silver, golden jewelry, precious gemstones, trinkets and fine ornaments that should have been collected for years. Loot. Taxation. Years of bribery and extortion. Work of the same men who swore to protect the realm but, instead, were corrupted by greed and the illusion of power over. I emptied my lungs. Finally. I reached for a bag filled with golden coins - I could swear they were all smiling back at me. A paralyzing shock struck me from within. My throat shut and my arms weakened. What am I doing? I told myself the same story over and over. These coins will return to the folk. They were stolen and I’m bringing them back. But something about the weight of that sack made my guts turn upside down. A scream suddenly echoed and exploded in my ears, bringing me back to my senses, and I realized whose it was. Hob. I hurried and filled my bag. This should be more than enough, I thought running back to the corridor, as all those golden stars faded away. __________ Louis of Nutwood. This was posted a few weeks back on my Flickr. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the build and specially on the story. Make sure to check the previous chapters, too, if you like what you read so far. Cheers!

That's a lovely tidy house in the middle of the forest. The rockwork mixing dark tan, dark and light bluish grey is beautiful! The house has a very unique design, especially for the roof and the centralized chimney. It looks great! This wizard apparently has a thing for tidiness. The interior and the dungeon also look phenomenal. I really like the checkered floor pattern and the fireplace - and that chair looks comfy! Excellent work, mate. Cheers!

Beautiful MOC with a very nostalgic feel to it. The building really reminds me of those classic castle sets. The fact that it has a playable interior is fantastic. Adding the stone patch and water really brings it alive, and the minifig posing is perfect! Excellent work, fellow builder.