robuko

Again an awesome story and fabulous builds. You sir are a legend.

Warnlcarus, this is excellent for a first MOC and for a 15 hour build, great job. I thoroughly agree, Kaliphlin　needs talent like yours, we are recruiting mosque architects right now. Even if you can only build a few minifigs or small builds, you would be a very welcome guildmember. You should submit this as a free build in our challenges. Love the yellow swords btw I also really liked the spiky tree, the dark red and white tiling and the camel`s saddlebags. I just bought that very same head for a desert rider!

There are 2 good reference pictures of the swamp on the first page of the Nocturnus thread. Nocturnus is a relatively small guild whose members have done an excellent job of showing a diverse range of areas so far. All builds are posted on the front page, which shows that they do care, and go out of their way to make it easy for other guilds to see their styles. I am sure the swamp MOCs will be an equally high standard when we see them. Being first to depict an area is a huge opportunity. I am building in the so far unseen Nocturnus Capital of Abyssan, becaus I need an urban setting in Nocturnus and there ain`t many. I have tremendous freedom to define the style of my block, which is great. Intriguing. We hear rumours the damned wetlands are infested with sinister flamenco dancing doctors and teddy bears. Hurray for peace in our time! Vivat Rex! Free bread, mead and grammar for all!

Seafarers, Ninjas and Samurai are all very welcome in Kaliphlin. If you don`t ask us questions about why we want dragontooth and devil`s bone, we won`t ask you where you got it, capice?

Wow! Those waves are spectacular, and the way the hulls fit into them is mind-boggling. Love the sail too. The one thing I think would make this even more amazing would be to have some spray coming from the prow and some ripples at the stern, she looks to be under full sail. I hope the fleet never catches sharkmen by mistake! Amazing.

Thankyou for this, I like it and have used it for my Coat of Arms. I have no powerpoint skills, so this is perfect for me. Some suggestions for improvement from me - it would be great to have the better shield pictures, obviously, and it would be really nice to have the shields scaled to the standard lego unit (ie the stripes should represent a given height of plates). Thankyou for sharing

Any of the Free Cities of Kaliphlin would be greatly honoured by your embassy, my Lord. As a general rule, we Kaliphlins welcome all. City details on page 1 of the Kaliphlin Guild stream. Petraea is our Desert capital, Barqa our Western Port, Qarkyr in the Rakath Mountains). Queen`s Cross is a beautiful city with a great bridge and a rather dramatic backdrop of the Great Escarpment. We believe Queen`s Cross was first depicted by SkaForHire. From the Building Code of Kaliphlin　 - Anyone can build an MOC anywhere, without asking permission of anyone. Many people, if building in someone else's hometown, will want to inform the other person first, and ask for feedback, but that's not strictly necessary. If building in someone else's hometown, try to keep within the general outline of the 'look' of their existing MOCs and fit into their existing back-story. We don't carve out plots of land like some other guilds. You're welcome to settle in an area, build MOCs, and even exercise a certain degree of political influence and control on the area, but we're not carving up the Siccus into little fiefdoms with borders and so forth.

My Lords and Ladies, your Majesties, With your permission, our artists would like to depict the Kaliphlin embassy in Abyssan, with respectful best wishes always, Rasputin

I would like to depict the Kaliphlin embassy in Abyssan, if it please your Lordships.

I really like this. The use of the white wheelarch pieces on the bath-house is very effective, and the water feature is a great touch. Looking at pictures of many palaces and courts in India and Turkey, water fountains and pools and channels were very common features and often beautifully designed. The story is great too, that blacksmith should be disciplined severely! My take on Lost Vega is, it`s lost. The PGTC absolutely does not have secret warehouses there full of magical artefacts of terrible power.

This is a really nice build de Gothia. You have done a superb job on texturing the walls given the shape, and the wadi is very nicely detailed. I like this story too, and I am glad your emissaries have made good friends in Kaiphlin. The rains will be short but very intense when they come, and then the flowers will bloom. The activity in the figures is excellent too, like the loading of the cart. This is a really nice embassy, for me it highlights the challenge in this build is in the plot. I think being asked to build a fortified structure to 48x48 invites a square courtyard/castle shape like this one - but that then limits one`s ability to take effective shots of the inside, particularly if there are multiple heights. Maybe a hinged structure is the best solution? de Gothia, as you have completed your embassy, what were your thoughts when you considered the shape please?

Happy New Year to All! Thanks all for your suggestions. Actually, Aladdin was a brilliant idea. I have also been watching Cars and Dune, which feature lots of desert, and the simple conclusion is, deserts are difficult! So many colours, and it is hard to get the depth of contrast in bricks. The best inspiration for buildings I found was in travel guidebooks to India and Turkey. Lovely map again, Master Cartographer! I am not really a fan of the "this is my town" ethos, but I would like to ask for a plot on the Eastern Shore of Lake Arrakhen on the Qar-Akhen river for the Temple of the Mad Monks, a future build. Kcaj, your skills of invention are justly famous, this is a very nice piece of kit. Love the oasis too. Saladus al Juhtiv, welcome to you and your Nähtamatu friends. May you find peace and prosperity　in Kaliphlin. Your Dune Sea catamaran is a worthy transport, do you lose many to the Giant Sandworms? Or are the catamarans too fast? I have posted a new free build, the PGTC New Year Feast for the World`s End Caravan Company, in this post. C&C welcomed as always. Our Nocturnian Trade Representative, Duke Strange, is planning to host his annual ball at the Nocturnian embassy this spring. The 48x48 plot is a puzzle for me - if you include street and adjoining buildings, it shrinks fast, should I leave them out? Courtyard or town house?

In reply to the WECC visit to Kaiphlin "My Dear Hvar Icewind, how good to see you again! And Jorgen Kerrow, our good friend! Thankyou for making the long journey, I hope the seas were not too treacherous? And the road from Barqa was good? You know of course our Mitgardian trade representative, Ingvar Arnoldssen? Many thanks for the gems and Pikesteel blades. All this talk of assassination and war is deeply discomforting. We hope of course that nothing comes of it, but it is well to be prepared. And for the thoughtful cargo of furs, we thankyou. A lot of outlanders think we have only hot weather, and here in Petraea it`s true, we do have sunny skies. But spend a night on sentry duty at the watchtowers of the Rakath Mountains and you would be right glad of Northern fur! I see you admire our Festive Tree? Yes, it is a gift from Mitgardia, from our dear friend Mr la Flaga of the East Mitgardia Trading Company, to celebrate your Northern Midwinter traditions. We have granted him the Eastern Mitgardia rights for our unique double crystal glazing in exchange for his kindness. Perhaps we can interest you in the rights for your home of Western Mitgardia? To see the beauty of the winter snow, from the warmth and comfort of your own home, it`s quite a game changer, we like to think. But I`m talking too much, as usual, do tuck in. I see the girls, Astrid and Sally, are already gossiping over the desserts and cheese and grapes, well, that`s girls for you. The chefs have prepared our New Year specials for you tonight - shimmering trout from the Ras-el Akhan, roast ostrich properly served with stuffing and trimmings, and suckling wild boar in Avalonian Apple Sauce. Tonight we have Dwarven Mead on tap, a Nocturnian Bull`s blood for the red, and an Elven white icewine. Your very good health! Here`s to Profit and Free Trade between our two great Houses, and a very Happy and prosperous New Year to you!"

"My Dear Hvar Icewind, how good to see you again! And Jorgen Kerrow, our good friend! Thankyou for making the long journey, I hope the seas were not too treacherous? And the road from Barqa was good? You know of course our Mitgardian trade representative, Ingvar Arnoldssen? Many thanks for the gems and Pikesteel blades. All this talk of assassination and war is deeply discomforting. We hope of course that nothing comes of it, but it is well to be prepared. And for the thoughtful cargo of furs, we thankyou. A lot of outlanders think we have only hot weather, and here in Petraea it`s true, we do have sunny skies. But spend a night on sentry duty at the watchtowers of the Rakath Mountains and you would be right glad of Northern fur! I see you admire our Festive Tree? Yes, it is a gift from Mitgardia, from our dear friend Mr la Flaga of the East Mitgardia Trading Company, to celebrate your Northern Midwinter traditions. We have granted him the Eastern Mitgardia rights for our unique double crystal glazing in exchange for his kindness. Perhaps we can interest you in the rights for your home of Western Mitgardia? To see the beauty of the winter snow, from the warmth and comfort of your own home, it`s quite a game changer, we like to think. But I`m talking too much, as usual, do tuck in. I see the girls, Astrid and Sally, are already gossiping over the desserts and cheese and grapes, well, that`s girls for you. The chefs have prepared our New Year specials for you tonight - shimmering trout from the Ras-el Akhan, roast ostrich properly served with stuffing and trimmings, and suckling wild boar in Avalonian Apple Sauce. Tonight we have Dwarven Mead on tap, a Nocturnian Bull`s blood for the red, and an Elven white icewine. Your very good health! Here`s to Profit and Free Trade between our two great Houses, and a very Happy and prosperous New Year to you!"

This is a really nice build, lots to like. The temple with water effect is particularly good, and I love the snake charmer, horse trough, and ancient ruin. I agree the lack of roof is a bit of a challenge for travelers in these hot climes, though I understand how this makes it easier on your artists.

Thankyou very much Lord Arlindus, this is just what I was looking for. So many great builds in Mitgardia, you are a very talented guild.

This is a really impressive build, it's not only a really neat original idea, but it has nice techniques too. Great spikes. Well done!

Greetings, Noble Northmen is there anywhere an index of Mitgardia MOCs please?

Oh, what a beautiful Smaug Very nice techniques around the eyes. Hope this beast stays in its Cavern

Is anyone else watching movies for building design inspiration? I just saw Prince of Persia, the background visuals are really lovely. Next up - the Scorpion King, the Mummy, Casablanca, Lawrence of Arabia. Anyone got a good movie recommendation for Indian palace ideas (other than Octopussy )?

Welcome Rashad Nawfal,　Kaliphlin is very happy to welcome merchants and mages, merchant-mages doubly so. You have shown great efficiency and ingenuity in packing your caravan. May you find peace and prosperity here. yours aye, Rasputin

Welcome Vashti, welcome all! Your trades will add greatly to the wealth of Kaliphlin,　may you find peace and prosperity here. Please do not unleash locusts on the land! yours aye, Rasputin

Just to highlight, the Anubis magnet set 853168 and the mummy battle pack 853176 are both reduced to GBP 2.50 on the UK lego website. They are pretty hard to find, it`s not on the sales and deals page　 - but they are there! and on the US site, the Ramses pyramid which comes with a tan baseplate and lots of cute micro mummies, is under $4! Any friendly Americans in Kaliphlin, please pick one up for the PGTC! NeoKross, Peppermint, both of your caravans are awesome. I especially like the cargoes and the mages, respectively.

- Is Historica an everlasting project or is there a need to rush to complete the buildings asap? I think it is set to be 12 months. The current Embassy challenge ends Feb 15. .. Is there a building law in Kaliphlin that declares a minimum of 3 walls (topview: => |_| <=) or not? No. L shape is fine (by me anyway ) ... As I am looking for the buildings I don't have yet, I am considering which colours I would use best. So propositions are always welcome! The ones your imagination guides you too! Have a look at the first page in the thread to get a feel for what your Guild are using in different areas. ... Is there a law in Kaliphlin or Historica which states there may only be Lego elements in a MOC and no elements like paper? No, there have been some very good Avalonian flags made of paper, and some Kaliphlin builders, including our Guild Leader I believe, are using non-lego elements like helmets and shields. Happy Christmas and Happy building!

We are highly impressed with the level of detail in the planning of Eastgate and Mpya Stedor! Our cogratulations to Dugal and Lord Maximus! Lord Maximus, welcome! We must visit your beautiful town soon. Velethuil, your artists have a really nice way of capturing the shimmering heat of the desert, and they depict your characters very well. May I enquire what manner of brushes they are using? I guess some of the parts are not standard? Peppermint_M, we would be very honoured if you would join us! Yours Aye, Rasputin