Khorne

Thanks! I wanted to build a larger scene for once, but quickly ran out of trans-clear parts to create an icy feel so I settled with this. I'm not sure the icy river fully comes across as an icy river, but doing it full white made it look more like just a snow plain and more clear bricks made it look like a regular river.

Great! Like Ross said: any Faction in particular you are keen on? Don't worry about not being able to build big stuff in real bricks, like I said: all types of build are welcome. I'm usually also only able to build smaller stuff. If you want, you could still do an introduction build for Chapter I, even though the voting has ending. It's still a nice way to start of. A second Challenge will come early December.

Yeah sure, all types of builds are welcome!

While the Long War is mostly remembered as a conflict between Oléon and Corrington - with a later Mardierian Intervention - the Northern Kingdoms were not the only battlefields, as the war coalesced with other simmering ongoing conflicts. Many decades before the start of the Long War, knightly orders and agents of the Faith were already encroaching on Pontilla's territory, seeking to "civilize" the pagan lands and carve out their own monastic state, loyal to Oléon. Over time the small border skirmishes and taunts turned into a full-fledged war, with several crusades launched into the Grand Duchy - mostly headed by the Oléonder Ordo Poseidonis, the Knights of Poseidon. The Pontillans managed to hold their ground for a long time, thanks to the employment of inventive tactics and reliance on early gunpowder weaponry. In 347AE the infamous Battle of Ice River was fought, which is widely regarded as Grand Duke Basil's finest victory. Through clever maneuvering and usage of the terrain, the Pontillan host under the Grand Duke's command managed to lure the battle brothers of the Knights of Poseidon across a frozen-over river. When they realized the danger, many turned around and fled to a safe bank. Others dismounted and foolhardy pressed on under the barrage of ranged weaponry. The few that made it to Pontilla's side were swiftly cut down. However, retreat was becoming impossible as the ice started to give way under the weight of the soldiers and knights and was beginning to crack. Many men drowned or died of frostbite in the aftermath. The Grand Duke then ordered the heads of fallen enemies or prisoners cut off and mounted on pikes along the banks of the river as a warning and grim symbol of victory. The chronicles of the Knights bestowed him the moniker "the Mad Lord" for this action, which is sometimes erroneously copied as "the Bat Lord", assuming it mistakenly refers to Basil's personal coat of arms. Sadly for the Pontillans, the hubris of their victory was not to last as they were soundly defeated by Oléon in 349AE. With its army broken and Basil supposedly slain on the battlefield, the rest of the Grand Duchy was subdued and in 352AE officially annexed by Oléon. However, the Order's control over the country is fickle and Pontillans remain defiant. Remnants of loyalists have fled to the ghastly Darkwood where it is whispered they are regrouping and biding their time. Indeed, patrols have reported rumors of sightings of armed groups adorned with bat-like imagery or claims of dark rituals and others practices the Knights label as "witchcraft" and "heresy". ----- Just a general freebuild not really tied to my own Faction, but made to add some more background fluff to the setting. A follow-up to another small world-building MOC and a series of figures. Like I mentioned on Flickr, the background information for Pontilla in BOBS has sat close to being finished for some time now so we were able to draw upon that to create the Terra Pontilla subfaction for Oléon. The "crusade" aspect - or at least a defining war with Oléon, and subsequent occupation was also part of the background, so I wanted to create an event from that time frame. I should clean up the draft, cross the T's and dot the I's and upload a final version to Jameis' Guide, for completeness' sake.

I'll allow myself three votes, going to the following builds (in no particular order): @Professor Thaum, because I love the camel and just the overall build @evancelt; the characters are lovely + a behemoth build, on which I follow what Dutch said above @Ross Fisher; unique building type with the shape and roof and a fun read Honorable mentions from my part to @Ayrlego for the beautiful build with gorgeous architecture and vegetation. I was pondering on giving myself a fourth vote, but didn't want to break my self-imposed rule. Also kudos to @Dutch Thriceman for his build. A lot of details on a relatively small footprint. Overall I liked everyone's entries and stories. I'm happy with the participation and hopefully we can make it even bigger.

That's a neat angle; the idea of Elves living in the snow is kind of unique. Would be cool to see some architecture as well for example, to see how the Elves have adapted their typical architecture style to the cold.

Excellent MOC with beautiful architecture all around and plenty of cool details. It has that classic Ayrlego touch to it. Glad to see you building again!

Welcome aboard! Fun to see an entry for Terra Pontilla. I think it's a Sub Faction with a lot of promise. I was planning on making a small figbarf or little build myself to promote the relatively unknown Sub Faction to future players, so I'm glad this is your entry build. The story is intriguing! I liked how you fleshed out the situation and the character and I'm eager to see where this is going. The build is nice too. I'm always a sucker for redbrick medieval buildings. The integration of the woodwork and the reddish brown decoration is nicely done. I get the frustration with the parcel service. I had the same issue .

Thanks! I tried emulating the rounded shape of a birch tent gypsies and such used and lived in, before they started living in the more well-known wagons. I also like the ruins as they add a little bit extra to the scene and suggest a greater past, now long gone. Thanks, Nod! Glad you liked everything. We'll see where the story goes from here.

Ah yes, the first build for the Knights of Yeldo! Small build with plenty of character. I like the gabled sides and the old knight. I like how you also gave us some more information on how the Knights work with only a paragraph of text. Looking forward to see what else the Knights have in store.

Awesome bridge! The moment I saw the build, I immediately had to think of the Devil's Bridge in Saxony.

As the seasons started to shift and autumn in the Pale was slowly creeping closer to winter with the days growing increasingly darker, wetter and colder, the time was soon coming for Lorenzo to leave Riesmond and return home to the warmer, more pleasant and verdant climes of his ancestral home of Namere. Life, and therefore business, slowed down considerably during winter in the Carolean Pale - winters, which often could be very harsh, so there was no need for him to remain there as the work could be delegated to a local associate. Home is where the heart is, and despite spending most of his adult life in the Pale, Lorenzo's true home was the wild country of merchant princes. The white gravel roads lined with cypresses, the rolling hills and steep climbs, all bathing in a warm sun. He loved the country side, perhaps even more than the palatial estates of his family. Lorenzo was the runt of the Luppino family, but more than that he was also a bastard son born to Enzo Luppino after an extramarital elopement with a countryside girl living on Luppino owned land. Even though his father had always regarded Lorenzo as a trueborn son of his, this was less so the case with his stepmother and half-siblings. To them, Lorenzo was an outsider and as such he was mostly relegated to faraway business, jobs and shady dealings to keep away from the family. Hence the tenure in the Pale. So, when he goes home to Namere, before stepping a foot in the family's palaces in Gonda or Lucchese, little Lupito sets out to find his other family first. The family that cares less about the situation he was born in and that accepts him as one of their own. A task that is not always the easiest, as his mother was a stradiot woman. No one really knew who the stradioti truly were. They weren't native Namereen, they weren't Mardierian, they were just ... stradioti. They were Travelers and lived of the land, never staying too long in one place. That was also were they got their name from: 'strada', referring to the roads they traveled on. They adopted the exonym, but mostly called themselves Dromani, or 'wanderers' in their own tongue. Some claim they were originally Mogholay people who traveled throughout the continent and assimilated with the people they traveled through. Other say they are Varcosian, or perhaps even from the steppes beyond the Pyrite Empire. However, no one knows for sure and as such, they are always surrounded with an air of exoticness and mysticism: a deterrent to some and a lure to others. The stradiots live off the roads in tent camps which can be easily set up or broken down in case of need. While some seek employment as day laborers in vineyards or olive farms, the life of a brigand or thief is more lucrative - especially in a country as chaotic as Namere. Fleet of foot and hand, with great equestrian skill. They are often hired by wealthy merchant families as light cavalrymen in times of war. If you knew where to look, they weren't that hard to find. There were always signs left for others of their people to find kindred bands. Lorenzo knew the signs; he knew where to look. Soon he would be reunited with the clan of his mother and there would be bacchanalian feasts with drink and music. Wild dances that echoed the spinning motions of the dervishes of the far south. A moment to clear the mind and warm the heart, before returning to his father and siblings. ----- A small freebuild, where I tried my hand at an @Ayrlego styled base once more. I knew I had different "homes" in my mind for Lorenzo as I came up with the character, so this was my alternative entry for the first Chapter. I eventually went with the Carolean Pale build because I have more of a story to tell there, but still wanted to build and post this one as well to flesh out the character and the setting of BOBSTOO (and Namere).

A fine fortified manor! The introduction of Mortimer and the Vault Guard is an interesting read. I like how his how isn't just a regular castle, but a big homestead. As the others have pointed out, the roof window is a nice touch and I like the use of the tiles for its sides, instead of bricks. It adds to the thatch style of the roof. Is there also an interior? From the WIP photos I thought you were also planning on adding an interior.

Great character name and a fun build. Like Evan said, the ubiquitous vegetation looks very natural. Some of the figures looks a bit too modern for the setting (the guy with the redcoat torso) IMO, but the green tartan for clan Nash looks really cool. I also like how you did the decoration for the stuffed pig with the leaves.

That's a lot of stuff packed on a relatively small footprint, yet it still feels "airy" enough. Well done; it is definitely up to standard! I like the inclusion of the small green shutters on the side. The bird's nest is a nice touch as well. I also have a bunch of those brown flowers and didn't really know what to do with them, so the usage as a nest here is a good example. Plenty of fun textures and figures throughout. Story was good, too. A nice introduction of what's to come. Don't worry about the English, I'm not a native speaker myself and there are plenty of others of whom English also isn't their mother tongue.

Thanks, NOD! Will you be joining a Faction as well? There aren't any pirates explicitely, but I'm sure some of the Factions (such as the Corsair Taifas) are quite open to acts of piracy.

I always love the architecture on your builds. So smooth, so retro and instantly recognizable as art deco.

Thanks! I did Photoshop the digital model onto the paper backdrop I've been using for this series to make it blend in more with the rest. However, a real build would certainly feel more lively with minifigures and clutter and the like. I have tons of respect for digital builders like @NOD who have the patience to pose the figures in Studio and bring their creations to life. The story turned out a bit longer than I wanted, but I wanted to give a rough outline of the setting, the parties and their goals without going too much into detail. Glad you liked it! It was fun to create something that felt close to home, something you would be able to see in Bruges, Ghent, Mechelen or maybe even Utrecht or Amsterdam. Thanks! The lighting effect is actually a super simple one in Photoshop. I just color pick the brightest spot in the candle and with the most soft brush I put an orange dot over the fire, then set that layer to screen or soft light (can't remember exactly) and lower the opacity a bit. Then I add another layer on top and put a smaller dot there and set it screen again. Finally, it's a question of masking out stuff you might not want. Since my builds are usually quite small and mostly vignettes, I like to put in the extra effort in the presentation to compensate .

Sat on one of the many canals that ran through the Carolean city of Riesmond, was one of the Luppino's kontors abroad. While in the real estate portfolio of the extended merchant family, it was but one of many estates - an entry in a ledger, as it were; for Lorenzo it was almost a second home. Since Carolean wool and textile production was an essential part of the Luppino's business empire, Lorenzo spent the better part of the year in the Pale, brokering trade deals, overseeing production and shipping product to Namere for further processing. The kontor was but one of many such buildings in the bustling port city that was Riesmond. In fact, many Namereen merchant families had residences in the city, so much so that they had their own quarters in Riesmond: the Namereen Quarter. The Luppino's also had a large warehouse nearer to the docks. While the kontor was outfitted with a pulley to store things in the attic and had ample basement room, only a select stock of merchandise was kept here. Like nearly all buildings in Riesmond, and the western Pale in general, the kontor was built of typical red bricks, decorated with blazed or burned elements and topped with a stepped gable. Lot of the traffic in the inner city took place by small barges that made their way via the canals. "So, that concludes our business for today then?", Lorenzo queried his guest in broken Carolean as he poured himself a fine Namereen wine. He offered the black-clad man a second glass. The man passed politely. "Your offer is kind, signore, but I must decline. I try to abstain from the vice of drink myself", the man replied in equally butchered Namersi as a sign of respect to his host. "I try to keep a Pure and unclouded mind." Lorenzo chuckled, as the undertone of the statement had not passed him by, despite being uttered in Namersi spoken by a Carolean. "It'd be wiser to enjoy life a bit more during these troubled times. The Long War may be over, but it would seem dark clouds are packing on the horizon." The Namereen gesticulated at the outfit of his sombre guest. "You know exactly the type of dark clouds I'm referring to." He leaned in a bit closer and continued in a more hushed voice. "A Pure mind harbors nefarious thoughts, Rip. Let's not pretend as if the Ravenclaws have nothing to do with the disappearance of the rebellious priest Birger Jung. An outlaw sought by the King for treason." Lorenzo retracted his pose and sipped his wine. "Conflict is bad for business." "Good business is all we of the Great House of Ravenclaw and by extent the Riverlands Trade League want," Rip replied. "But there is also honor and unkept broken promises. We bled in the King's War. We shall have our reward." Lorenzo grunted. The meeting had taken long enough for his liking and the conversation had turned sour. He showed his guest out, but not before politely wishing that Rip gave his grandfather the best regards on behalf of the Luppinos. After all, Rembrand Ravenclaw was a powerful man best kept on your side, if you wished to prosper in the Pale. Young Lupito sank in his chair and stared at the fire that crackled in the fireplace. While Riesmond might be a home away from home, it'd never be his true home. He longed to be back in the warmer climes of Namere once more. He had had enough of the rain, mills, dykes and rolling flatlands of the Pale for a while. He longed for a good wine instead of the beer they drank here and something else to eat than mutton sausage and greens. He reflected on the meeting that had just finished and grimaced. Tensions were growing in the Pale, over the King's unpopular Temple Tax. Prominent Carolean families, especially those connected to the Riverlands Trade League, had taken to wearing all black in honor of the persecuted priest Birger Jung and his teachings, in silent opposition to King's opulence. Lorenzo chuckled at the idea. Some of these families were rumored to be more rich than the King himself, yet they chose a sumptuary life. He found the idea funny. The Caroleans of the Riverlands could not be more removed from a typical boastful and extravagant Namereen. Yet here he was. While not a pious person himself, he picked up some the local traditions and found it interesting how the Norns tended to weave and intertwine their threads and mix his fate with that of the dour Caroleans. ----- So here's my entry for the first Chapter of BOBSTOO! Like I said in the Flickr description: I was planning on building this IRL, but I was waiting a big Bricklink order for some time which finally turned out to have been lost in the mail... The digital build will have to suffice for now. I built the interior scene to match the proportions of the first floor of the building. I have another scene in mind, set in Namere, but I don't think I'll be able to finish it in time for the deadline, so I'll probably upload that one as a Freebuild then, for some added story telling . EDIT: I actually made a map for BOBS once, when I was working on Essian and Carnite lore in general which has some of the locations marked (Riesmond and Essen). Adding some RP'ed locations and capitals to the BOBSTOO maps is still on my to-do list.

Interesting addition to Corrington's roster and lore. I like how people are working with the material and that there are some impetuous Taemric characters, some Corlanders skeptical of the King and then those who'll still defend the King despite his weak rule. Personally for me, the helmets work better in a Slavic or (North-)Eastern European setting with the fur and everything and the distinct shape, but it certainly does help to make them stand out from the rank and file soldiers in the army; which is most likely the intended purpose. Background-wise they remind me of the Dai Li from Avatar, but perhaps the King's Own Guard is less sinister . Only time will tell. Also, a practical question: how did you remove the spade from the helmet? Since these aren't dual molded and dark tan is the plastic base color, how didn't the metallic print come of as well when you removed the spade? Edit: nice spears as well, where did you get those?

Lovely entry, Evan! And a very nice to introduce your main character and his family. The castle itself is definitely a behemoth and I like how you shared an extra picture of the roof, because is deserves the extra spotlight. Lovely angles on the roofwork with the integration of the tower and the door to the roof. The architecture itself is beautiful as well, with the simple flourishes above the windows. I like how the castle is non-symmetrical with one tower in the corner. Perhaps a bit of dark grey touches in between the light grey brickwork might've broken up the walls a bit? To sort of match the mottling on the prefab pieces the tower is built with. But like I said: lovely entry, very beautiful! The brickbuilt flag is a nice touch as well.

Welcome, welcome! The recent windmill you did is already a very fitting building for the Carolean Pale. As stated in the introduction and overview, the Carolean Pale is home to many guilds, free cities and trade leagues so definitely feel free to come up your own group! The more variety, the better. Looking forward to it! If you have any questions, shoot!

Another excellent entry to the first challenge! Great build and color palette throughout, with the turquoise and lavender accents. I also like the well you built and that brickbuilt camel is really clever! Really steals the show that one. Also very nice how you managed to take Thaum and his aides and transform them to a circa 300 years older version in a new culture, but still very recognizable as said characters.

Excellent entry to kick-off that first challenge. Like Jeff said, the hut look great. A unique shape and building, but with familiar features such as the sod roof. I also like the sharpness of the roof, contrasted with the round chimney at the end. The figures and posing are lovely as well, and even without the accompanying text, it's pretty clear what is going on. The story itself was a fun read. Always fun to read something from your hand.