Khorne

Cool build with lots of life and details. I like how you're continuing the Salide Este colourful pastel look with the blue well and light-yellow accents throughout. I can imagine the inhabitants referring to this gate as the 'onion gate' .

Great idea. The way you made the poop is clever. Maybe the build could've used a tree for some extra greenery or some green tiles undergrowth to tie some of the bushes together? The rocks look kind of too barren to support such large bushes, but a barren windswept look was probably the point.

Kind of late to this, but thanks! Same from my side: best of wishes to all and a very good New Year soon!

Awesome tower! I like switching between topics and viewing your overgrown build and then seeing this one. Nice to see the transition between "dirty" tower and this clean one. The architecture is great and drips with Aztec-ness. I also prefer the lime green to the olive green in your Aztec builds. The colors pops more and gives the build a more alive and tropical feel, whereas olive green feels more "dead" or dry to me in this context.

Nice chinampa! Interesting to see the behind the scenes as well. That's a great way to pick up things from other builders. Even though the MOC is relatively small, there are lots of cool things packed in here, like the use of brown horns and wizard wand for the bow and the trans-clear cheese slopes to makes the waves around the boat. Neat .

What a lovely build! The color used here really pops out and gives a very Carribean architectural feel to this build. I love the way you did the columns, as well. Great building all around!

Yes, you did. In fact, the baseline was "Glory Amongst the Stars". I remember because I also made a logo way back then and used your baseline .

Namere's names feel more Italian like Mesabi said. I think Garvey is currently the most Scandinavian-inspired of all BoBS civilizations, according to Jameis Farstrider's Guide. An Imperial Russian would be awesome, though! Most of the current "main" civilizations are Western European. Something Eastern European would be interesting and Russia was definitely a power house and huge player in the European (and global) game of politics. Maybe The Great Alliance of States can be Imperial Russian inspired? They have the land mass to be "cliché" huge Russian and I don't think any background has been established for them thus far? On topic then: I like where this is heading. Even with limited backdrop and scenery you manage to paint the scene quite vividly. It only needs some burning trashcans and a rabid dog running away with some food . Can't wait to read other installments.

Sorry for the double-post, but I figured it'd be easier if I dumped all my Nord lore and what have you in a new post. Easier for the overview and easier to place the post somewhere else if this isn't the correct topic. Since this'll be a huge post, I'll split this up in different parts: Värtland: the Land of Chill - Home of the Nords Religion of the Nords Politics of the Nords Artwork 1. Värtland: the Land of Chill - Home of the Nords Right, just posting what the Wiki says about it: "Värtland is the northernmost continent in the world of Olegaia. It is the home of the Vikings, a warlike breed of Humans who prey upon the surrounding nations and themselves. Despite its large size, Värtland is only sparsely populated with most Vikings living along the southern shores. Some live deeper inland and to the even more barren regions to the north, but mostly those regions are left to the wilds. Värtland is a harsh land, where warmth is rare and sunlight a welcome everyday gift. It is a frigid land, ruled by coldness. Most of the north is covered by a permanent, thick layer of snow and only a handful of small tribes make their living there. The southern parts are home to thick forests and knows periods of thaw. Värtland is mountainous and its soil little fertile, which often leads to violent disputes and internal warfare amongst its inhabitants. The brutal reality of Värtland's nature is a main reason for the Nords' raiding lifestyle and bleak outlook on life. What they cannot grow or make, they simply take. As it is in nature, so it is in Viking culture: the strong survive at the cost of the weak." Obviously, the inspiration for Värtland was the same as the inspiration for GoH's Mitgardia or any other fantasy Viking trope land, namely Scandinavia (extended to Iceland, Greenland and Svalbard). In my mind, Värtland was definitely more Icelandic/Norwegian than Danmark. Mountains, deep foreboding forests ice, snow and tundra. Over the years, I made several maps of Värtland, some of which I've posted before. The most recent one I made dates from some years back and never really got finished: 2. Religion of the Nords Like the land itself, Nordic religion was also heavily influenced by real-world Norse and Germanic mythology, but suitably adapted to the LEGO universe and specifically tailored to Heroica. A lot of this information can be found on the Wiki already. I'm just putting it here again for completion's sake. Main pantheon Wartan - The central deity of the Norse pantheon. He is the All-Father and chief of all Norse gods. Other nicknames include the Blind God, the Giant-Slayer and Demonsbane The domains over which he presides are many and varied, but he is mainly attributed with being the god of War. He is always depicted as an old, yet strong and powerful man with a flowing beard. He is always accompanied by his two bats Forbi and Framtid (Past and Future) who tell him all the goings-on in the world. Bats are also his spirit animal, for like them too, Wartan is blind and has to depend on his surroundings and enlightened state to find his bearings. Wartan lost his eyesight when tried to see beyond the Great Dark into the Void. Instead of wisdom, he found only madness. Unable to ward off his gaze, he burned out his own eyes with a torch given by Helvetia to put an end to it. He then accepted the fact that darkness cannot be banished, but it can be mastered, harnessed and learned to live with. Helvetia - The Ice Mother. The second most important deity of the Nords and wife of the Wartan King. She takes care of the souls in the afterlife, which is a central part of Norse culture. Unlike the southern goddess, Helvetia is mostly seen as a benevolent, if fickle, deity in the North. The Vikings worship her as a motherly deity and invoke her name to protect them from the coldness of their homeland. Vampires are seen as being touched by Helvetia and gifted with the eternal life to feast and battle forever on. Therefore, Nords harbor no dislike of Vampires. On the contrary, Vampires garner great respect in Nordic communities and many chieftains rely on Household Vampires of millennia old relatives for their guidance and wisdom. Many prisoners taken on Norse raids serve as "food" for these Vampires. Torrik (or Thoric) - The son of Wartan and Helvetia and God of Thunder and Battle. In imitation of Helvetia, who created the Nôrn, Torrik created the Norse. Therefore, he is regarded as the Creator God. He is also associated with thunder and judgment, and thus strength, so Torrik is by-far the most widely worshipped and popular deity of the Nordic pantheon. Secondary pantheon Njordon - the God of the Seas and King-Dweller-of-the-Depths is the main Nordmaritime deity. He rules his oceanic fief from his great underwater hall, built from the bones of the Olegardsormr. He is the greatest ally of Wartan and protects the Vikings on their oceanic voyages. Once a Human, he was deified by Wartan after the godlike feat of slaying the Olegardsormr, the World-Serpent. So great is his standing with Wartan and Helvetia that Vikings who drown at sea are brought to his hall instead of being claimed by Helvetia. There they feast and serve Njordon instead, manning one of his many eternal longships. Njordon is usually depicted wielding Beringar, his Bear-Spear and bearing upon his head a crown made from the gilded teeth of the World Serpent. The Slaying of the World-Serpent is his most famous saga. Eric recounted this in Quest #42. Little known to outsiders of Nordic culture, Njordon has divine offspring with an unnamed Sea-Wife (while others claim their mother was the Storm Godess). These twins are commonly referred to as Njordon's Brood and reflect a darker facet of the great oceans. Norran is Njordon's daughter and is usually depicted as a beautiful, if somewhat sinister, young woman. She is responsible for collecting the drowned and bringing them to Njordon's Hall. However, at times she also lures men to death herself by singing and bewitching her victims. Unlike her father, she is not bound solely to the sea and has the ability to come to land one time per year. Donnar is the tempestuous son of Njordon. He is known for his temper and easy to anger, turning the oceans into storms as he does. He is responsible for crafting his father's longboats. Nordic depiction does not favour the young deity, as he is often shown as an amalgamation of sea creatures with a tentacled face and kraken-like lower body. Donnar is more feared than worshipped and offerings to him are generally done as a favor. Sasooti - the Nordic variant of Azazot and Zoot. He rules the Darkness and is Master of the Void. He is known as the Great Devourer or the Great Evil. Those who die unvaliantly are consumed by Sasooti and their souls are lost forever. During Winter Solstice the North is covered in perpetual darkness and many Nords light bonfires to ward away the evil. The Shaman King is the only true servant of Sasooti in the North. Sarfangr - the Wolf Who Eats the Moon or the Packmaster. Sarfangr is the God of the Hunt and patron god of the werefolk, specifically werewolves. He is a very neutral god and can hardly be classified as either good or evil. He is very loyal to Wartan and takes care of the King's hunting dogs on a Wild Hunt. Sindri - the Trickster God. 3. Politics of the Nords Nordic politics revolve around the power struggle between the Five Great Nordic Clans. These are most powerful clans who trace their lineage way back to times of myth and legend. Many of the lesser clans are either branches of the great clans or are affiliated to one in one way or another. Below are my ideas and my general outline for them as I would've portrayed them and how they fit into my general concept of the Norse. During the making of the potential Värtland Saga, other QM's came up with their own stories as well. The Great Clan Eldurling Colors: Black and red Sigil: Dragon Head: Elduwein Origin: claims descendance from the god Torrik through his mortal bastard son Eldur. According to legend, Eldur was the offspring of Torrik and the dragon Elstrid, which made Eldur some sort of were-dragon or Dragonborn. This trait runs through clan Eldurling and many of its members are either full were-dragon or have a great affinity for fire in a way. Unlike many other Nordic clans, Eldurling has no qualms with magic and they are very proficient pyromancers. They have an affinity for gold and gems. Their domain includes many hot springs and (dormant) volcanoes. Members of clan Eldurling are known to enjoy sauna much more than most of the other Nords. This, coupled with their love of gold, makes them a snobbish and arrogant in the eyes of some other rival clans. Trivia: The current elected ruling High King is Elduwein of Clan Eldurling However, their current power base is weakend by the kidnapping of Astrid, the High King's daughter This was a political maneuver by Clan Sindrung, one of its greatest rivals Astrid now sails the seas as a corsair after having escaped her situation. She appeard during my Polkung Quest as an enemy The High King entertains a small body of Orcish warriors to serve as his protection after his daughter was kidnapped The Great Clan Njorrling Colors: Sand-blue, copper and grey Sigil: World Serpent Head: Lokhir Kinslayer Origin: claims descendance from the god Njordon. When the Serpent-Slayer was deified and retreated to his ocean fief, he left behind his wife and daughters on land. Following in her father's footsteps, Ygritte Njordonsdottir traveled the world in order to find mythical monsters and beasts to slay. She was the true founder of the clan. Trivia: They rule the Howling Isles, which are a bleak set of isles on the eastern shore of Värtland. They contain little arable land so those of clan Njorrling mainly live off fishing, trading and raiding. Even tough their homeland is bleak and meager, they are a relatively rich clan because of raiding They sport the biggest fleet in Värtland and are able to mount the biggest raids Warriors of Clan Njorrling are legendary beast-slayers and often travel the world in search of legendary monsters. Sometimes they work as sellswords to a village or whoever pays in order to take care of "rodent problems". The propensity for beast-slaying often puts them at odds with Clan Eldurling, which has great respect for dragons Lokhir is nicknamed 'Kinslayer' because he killed Siggerd, the husband of his sister. Siggerd was an abusive man who often beat Liv. In a fury Lokhir slew him without paying respect to traditions. In order to reconcile both families, Lokhir's son Eric had to marry Amelina, Siggerd's daughter. Obviously, that didn't work out. Eric belongs to Clan Njorrling. His father is Lokhir Kinslayer. I even made a family tree in the beginning of Heroica to keep track of everything. The Great Clan Sindrung Colors: Green and yellow Sigil: Stag Head: Bran Origin: Sindri supposedly tricked the god Wartan into giving him a title, land and later a divine status during one of the King's Wild Hunts, through a game of riddles. Being a rather sore loser, Wartan "cursed" Sindri's lineage with raven-black hair so all would know they cannot be trusted. Trivia: Filthy rich clan due to owning most of the flat and arable land in the south of Värtland. They also control the lumber trade there and have several fishin fleets. They control the most populous lands and thus generate most tax income Most open-minded of all Viking Clans, but mainly because they gain an advantage through welcoming southern ways Arn, The Drowned, the priest of Njordon who appeared during my Polkung Quest is a banished member of this clan The Great Clan Isengrim Colors: Purple Sigil: Wolf Head: Fenrir Origin: They claim descendance from Valkia, the Bride of Sarfangr, through Ulf Iron-Arm. When she was a wee kid, Valkia was left to the wild as an offering to Sarfangr. She was found and subsequently raised by a pack of wolves. Later in life, she became the matriarch of the pack. During her lifetime, she was most likely bitten by a wolf or somehow caught a sleeper variant of lycanthropy. Valkia got possession of her hereditary land by rescuing a Vampiric nobleman who gifted her his land and title in return which marked the founding of Clan Valkung. Upon her death, Valkia was unable to favor one of her two sons from different fathers and gifted half her land to Ulf Iron-Arm, who founded Clan Isengrim. Ulf caught lycanthropy from his mother and was known to be a powerful werewolf and servant of Sarfangr. Trivia: Clan Isengrim is one of two "savage" clans. They are somewhat looked down upon by the other Great Clan for being barbarians, but are greatly respected as warriors and loyal Norsemen Clan Isengrim boasts a very high number of werewolves among its ranks Its clanlord is also often referred to as the Packmaster They all share strong bonds of loyalty and family Many warriors go bareskin into battle, or are clad in wolf pelts to instill fear in the enemy. The other great clans often include men from clan Isengrim on their raids to serve as shock troops to break enemy morale The Great Clan Hallbjorn Colors: Blue, light blue Sigil: Bear Head: Torfin Origin: They claim descendance from Valkia, the Bride of Sarfangr, through Bjorn Stoneskin. Bjorn was the brother of Ulf and son of Valkia. Like his brother, Bjorn was also werefolk but a werebear rather than a wolf. Trivia: "Culturally" Clan Hallbjorn is closest to Isengrim and thusly is often also viewed as inferior and backward Boast many berserkers in their ranks A high number of werebears can be found withing Clan Hallbjorn They are know to tame bears for usage in battle Phew, that was it for now. I will update this further tomorrow

Thanks! I never really had much of a backstory planned out for Eric, only his Norse heritage and being banned. Other than that, he mostly grew and reacted to the world around him. Looking back at Heroica, I'm glad with the parcours he's had. I am glad how the character turned out and how he was indeed slightly more "Chaotic Neutral" or whatever than most. I never wanted to go full antagonistic though, since that would kind of the ruin the experience for everybody. I always viewed Eric more like a cat or a kid. Playing around in the world, mostly caring about yourself and not paying heed to the consequences of your actions but not in a way to purposefully cause pain to others just for fun. I've said it several times before, but I have tons of background stuff I worked out for the Norse over the years on my computer. I should really really get to uploading or posting it here sometime . The Norse background just grew and grew to give Eric a sense of belonging and to RP consequently. I also wanted to do a full Nordic Quest at one point, but I could barely manage the small Quests I ran. Much respect to all QM's. I don't know how you pull stuff lik #159 off. Absolute madness . Hats off, truly. Eric is no-one right hand man! I did enjoy his friendship with Boomingham however and how it just grew over the course of having Quested together several times.

Thanks for the summary! Throlar has come a long way from raging beardless Dwarf to a somewhat sane voice of reason . Of course, there's no one there pushing his buttons . I never really saw the Bonapartes as more evil than the other Houses or even the most evil. Like WBD said in his reply. All Houses are kind of grey overall with some good and some bad accents. I always RP'ed as if I did find them to be despicable, but that's mostly Eric's POV and experience. OOC, I didn't really find 100% Sauron levels of evil. Not more than any of the other big players. Quelling nothern invasions does not make you the good guy! Nord lives matter!

Hi guys! Thought I'd drop in for a sec and congratulate WBD (and all of you) for the excellent finale. Sorry for dropping out all of the sudden. I just couldn't find the time for efficient participation and when I did have time the Quest had already gotten so deep I hardly knew what was going on. I've been reading along in the shadows and got the general jist of the finale. I did kind of miss all the goings-on of the ending. What happened to the Bonapartes? I get that the fortress got destroyed. But their fleet is waiting in the harbor or what? And why are the Heroes reluctant to involve Attina? From Eric's perspective that's a good thing, but as a spectator I'd like a small synopsis if possible . I'd loved to have been more active, especially with parts involving Bonapartes since that was Eric's schtick but I'm not sure if I would've added much to the level of the finale. All roleplaying was great from the bits I've read (and the sets/characters were phenomenal) . Time for Eric to close the Heroica door and get back the Merry Mermaid, I guess. Or North. Who knows what the future brings.

Glad to read my drawings served as an inspiration! The Légionnaires can be somewhat tricky to get together I think, since there aren't a lot of Collectible Minifig Revolutionary Soldiers' torsos going around on Ebay. Here's an example of one "in the flesh plastic". Like you, I was also inspired by the Middle-Eastern, maybe even Western African vibe of Guelph and I also made some indigenous troops, kind of like Ayrlego's sepoys. These are the Tirailleurs, sharpshooters recruited from desert dwelling tribesmen who excel in light infantry skirmish tactics. I featured them in a build I made last year. The soldier on the right in the picture hasn't been featured in any of my builds yet. On the left is a Dragoon. The Légionnaires would be excellent for the current BoBS challenge to investigate the interior of Fatu Hiva since they're not "true" Oléanders yet and thus somewhat expendable in the public opinion. Still, they're more dependable than mercs seeing they're part of the regular military and thus under royal control. I haven't had the time nor inspiration to incorporate them in a build yet though . Anyway, great figures! I always love seeing some diversity in the ranks whilst still keeping that uniform feel . That's why I also loved Ayrlego's sepoys: they are exotic enough to be different, but still look distinctly Corlander. I think people from New Oléon are 'Guelphians' .

"She was lovely, yes", Eric chimed in. He clicked his tongue at Boomingham's plan. "We're stronger if we stay together, but if it comes to that scenario I'll be sure to follow your advice and save my own skin first", he grinned. "That's an odd gate. Still, it can be that difficult to figure out if a novice arbomancer found out before. What if we try a reverse motion? Instead of trying to open the door, you pretend as if you're closing it?", Eric raised his shoulders.

OoC: So, we're still attacking even though the Tiger Balm isn't going to help our case much?

OoC: I don't think Eric should be KO'd, WBD. He still has 20 HP left. "I hate to run away from a fight, but we have to think economical here. We can take her, sure, but at what cost? The marketplace has run out of supplies and I'm guessing she won't be the only obstacle on our trail we have to deal with so it's risky spending too much of our inventory on her. Not having immunity from death is a bitch right now", Eric eyed the fallen members of the party, "we're already down some numbers. A tactical retreat and regroup is probable our best bet for now."

"My thoughts exactly", Eric echoes. "This thing can turn bad, real quick", he said, eyeing the unconscious Germ on the ground. "My riches don't have value to me if I'm dead." Eric attacks from the front row, using Conspirator.

Eric swears an Oath of Retribution against Lady Luck and uses a Mead on himself.

OoC: I don't know if we can take this. It's been a while playing Heroica and can't remember fighting an enemy like this before. But let's try anyway, we can still run if needed. Eric eyed Lady Luck, measuring up his opponent. She seemed incredibly light on her feet and there was something about her that belied incredible nimbleness. This wasn't going to be easy. The Nord cracked his neck and then attacked Lady Luck from the front row, using Conspirator.

"Ja, we all enjoy a little gardening in our free time. Especially during the dead of winter. And while we're being chased by the Town Watch. It's kind of a hobby of ours", Eric said dryly. "Or I don't know, maybe we're doing this because we're actually doing something useful for this city?" The Nord rolled his eyes at all the ignorance. "Listen, you seem interesting and all, but I'm not going anywhere with you." He grinned. "You didn't try asking it nicely." Shifting the topic of conversation, Eric tried to gain some more information on the roots again. "These white roots have anything to do with the whiteness of your hair?" D'oh, I posted at the same time you did Eric grunted and glared at the Demon Germ. He shook his head. "That guy needs to learn when to shut up sometimes". The Nord detested that it had come to this. Not that he disliked a good brawl, but the chance of gaining more information on this whole situation had gotten a whole lot slimmer once more. "So, how are we going to handle this? Anyone have any bright ideas? I doubt spewing tough-talk at her is going to bring her down."

"You're not the arbomancer we're looking for", Eric stated and then turned to people who actually knew Wally, "is she?" "We're known to be quite bold. I can't argue with that."

"My companion didn't turn anything into a monster. He simply released your pet and returned it to its natural state", Eric snarked. The Nord nodded in agreement. "We should definitely move. I say we try to follow the vines. Maybe they're related to the Arbomancer's whereabouts. He might've picked up on their trail and started investigating himself. I imagine these plants would be of great interest to someone studying wood magic" "Like I said, if we try to follow the roots, I have a feeling we might find the your friend as well" Eric turned to Wally's fiancee. "Does your guy have any place where he studies trees or plants or whatever it is arbomancers do? A place where he might've gotten so hooked on his studies he lost track of time and forgot to meet you here?"

"I do, actually. Thanks for understanding", Eric replied. "Well, safe travels then! I hope you don't encounter the monster me and my colleagues are currently investigating. It'd be a shame if you left this world so early."

"Dare I say the gardens have only improved now that they let characters such as myself in. I was just catching a fresh nose. Enjoy the view, " Eric said as his eyes locked with those of the noble woman for a brief moment. He shifted his attention to the dog. "What a lovely pooch you got there!", he complimented her dog, while in fact he rather detested the animals. "Do you walk it here often in the gardens?"

Eric looks around to see if if there's anything of interest to spot at the park. The Nord kicked up some snow, which reminded him of home. He really did like the cold. Noticing the aristocratic ladies walking their dogs, Eric decides to walk up to the sour looking blonde with the spotted dog. "Any way I can help to turn that frown upside down, miss?"