Velnerius

I really like the idea of this type of 'learning challenge'! I was familiar with some techniques for round towers, but not with this exact one, and it looks very interesting to play around with! I hope to have the time (and pieces) to come up with something. Am I correct in assuming that it won't be necessary for our sigfigs to appear here (as mine has other business back in Varlyrio to attend to!), and that members from all guilds are welcome to join, as long as the build itself is in Avalonia?

I'm enjoying the pace of the preludes, having something to look forward to every week! I can't wait to get the first challenge of the new book, though!

The gatehouse looks impressive, and it's great to see all the Avalonian characters together! These get-togethers seem to fare a lot friendlier than the ones we organize in Varlyrio...

Federico Velnerio looks forward to the upcoming challenges, and pledges his allegiance to Varlyrio!

I only joined GoH a short while ago, so Federico Velnerio definitely continues to pledge allegiance to his native Varlyrio!

Very nice little scene! I can see the inspiration from the Battle of Lake Peipus in your story :)

This is really, really impressive! I love how organic it looks, with both the colors as well as all the curved pieces. Absolutley adore this moc!

Thank you for all the information, @TalusMoonbreaker, this will definitely help me get going in Varlyrio! Thank you! I don't have any WIP pictures, but I used a floor of 2x2 jumper plates and 1x1 plates underneath, that help create this pattern. If you google 'diagonal floor technique', you'll find some examples on which I based my idea! Thanks! As @T-86(swebrickLUG) already pointed out, it's a Harry Potter piece from a very long time ago. I believe it was in the very first potions class! Thank you, @W Navarre! I might get in touch! :) Thank you all so much for your kind words!!!

Thank you so much @TalusMoonbreaker! The carpet was, in fact, done by not pushing the tiles all the way down. I considered going for an elaborate technique using brackets sideways in the floor, but as this build will fit into the rest of a massive build of Rocca Velneria in its entirety, I had to keep the bottom simple. Thank you very much! I was quite proud of the chandelier, and the wizard hat is something I've seen before as a fountain, and I thought it would work well here! Thanks, @Gideon, for all your great comments, especially coming from a winner of the challenge! I'm really happy with the focus in the pictures, as I wanted to emphasize the characters, but I agree that another photo showing the whole scene a little clearer would've been a good idea. As for the vegetation, you'll eventually get to see the whole outside, as it will fit into a much bigger project! Thank you all so much for your nice words, guys! Thank you, @Kai NRG! It means a lot to me, as I've been lurking at many of your awesome builds for a long time now! I agree, the white helps a lot in the balance, while also saving some precious grey bricks for the rest of my builds! Thank you, @mrcp6d. The higher ring in the chandelier is actually a smaller version of the same type of wheel I used for the bottom ring!

Congratulations to @T-86(swebrickLUG) & @Gideon for winning the challenges! I had a lot of fun building for both categories, as my first builds in the Guilds. I can't wait for what comes next!

Unfortunately, I simply misunderstood how things work on Eurobricks, and to make sure I fit requirements, adjusted the resolution of all my photos to below 1MB when posting them on Flickr, to then link them to EB. Too bad, as I’ve been away from home and haven’t had time to upload the original photos (my wife actually took them with a good camera, so they were much higher resolution 😅)

Finished both my entries! If I may, I have what may be a bit of a stupid question; if I've understood correctly, there's a maximum quality for photos on Eurobricks. I've stuck with these limitations for my photos, but it's resulted in what I think to be subpar quality photos. Am I missing something?

Secrets of a Bard 'My compliments for your performance this evening, Asdrubale,' said Federico. 'You've brought some great new songs from your last trip to Illaryian.' 'Grazie mille, my lord,' said Asdrubale. 'But I take it, it's not my new songs you want me to teach you.' 'You know me well! Tell me, what secrets have you unveiled in the capital? What have the Rego and the ministers been up to? It's been too quiet lately, and if I want to further my ambitions, I will have to make some powerful allies soon, or at the very least, get rid of some... obstacles...' 'You'll find all my information in here, my lord,' handing him a sealed letter. 'Furthermore, I plan to travel along the entire bay of Illar, as we discussed before.' 'Good. If we want to establish a dominant position in Varlyrio, we will require a harbour on the bay. For now, take this, and be on your way!'

The Great Hall of Rocca Velneria Whereas the reign of his father Corrado had brought peace and prosperity to the town of Rocca Velneria, the halls of his home had been cold and gray. The old man didn't partake in the pleasures of life, preferring to read his endless manuscripts in his library, rather than enjoy the lively songs of a bard. When Corrado Velnerio had passed, his son and heir Federico took his place. Under his patronage, bards and minstrels were invited from all of Historica to sing their songs and play their instruments in his halls. The cold stone was warmed up with colorful banners and tapestries, the floors decorated with carpets and the windows replaced with glistering stained glass. Of all the bards, Asdrubale Silvestri had proved to be popular with Federico especially. After he had first appeared in Rocca Velneria, he had quickly become a recurring act. Soon after, he had acquired full patronage from Federico, who funded his travels far and wide, to learn more songs and stories, to perform when coming home again. Each time Asdrubale would make it back home from his travels, Federico would organize a banquet in his great hall, where the whole town was invited to enjoy food and wine, while listening to the great sagas, legends and histories that Asdrubale had learned on his travels. While everybody enjoyed the banquets, as well as Asdrubale's performances, some questioned his popularity with Federico. While he was undoubtedly a talented artist, both more attained, experienced bards, as well as younger, more promising minstrels had passed through these halls...

Finished my B challenge build today, only need to take the photos now! For my A challenge build, I’m still waiting for a bricklink order with some final pieces, and I’m praying it arrives in time!!!