Derfel Cadarn

Chapter 2? That will be a while yet. I've still got another 4 builds for chapter 1 to do yet! :)

Thanks guys!!! I figured that a lot of people were doing stories set in current times so I thought it would be good to flush out a bit of history. Hopefully other guilds will do this as well, it all adds to making Historica more in-depth. I'm not lost to the fleshie side, I love my classic figs! I do however have quite a few fleshies that never get used and I have chosen them for this saga as the color tones in with the look I'm trying to achieve. I'm sure i'll sneak some classic figs in there somewhere. Go on, do a story It gets you thinking more about mocs and the different ideas you can explore. Im sure Circardia has a rich history waiting to be written. The Dark Isle was just a random Island in the Mystic Isles that I picked so I could turn it into whatever I wanted. You could do the same, just pick an island and create your own back story and history to it. While I wouldn't stop anyone wanting to write about adventures on that island, I really think its best if you create your own area and build and write its history. One of the reasons we allow people to choose an area of land for themselves is so they can do just that, and create their own world within a world with its own style and stories. Like Mikey B with his area Circardia, de Gothia with Benoic etc. You can create what you wish. If you want a dark and gloomy area then just create one Its really upto you, you're in charge of your own area, so make it what you want. I would very much look forward to seeing what you come up with, you have the skills Thanks mate. Now wheres that Zombie story?????????? Thankyou Vice Captain Susan, when are we going to see more of your characters back story that you hinted at?

The Dark Isle Saga Chapter 1: Welcome to Grim Hollow Parts 1 & 2 We start in the village of Grim Hollow, an ancient settlement supposedly founded by a half-demon who worshipped the Blood Religion. A dark history that still hangs over the heads of its current inhabitants, people of Grim Hollow life in fear, the lack of life and soul has taken its toll on the village and add to its twisted appearence. Not all folk succumb to this feeling however. Cobblecrook Cottage - Home of Taryn Ellefson and his father Kendel. Taryn was born and raised in this cottage by his father. He never knew his mother, only that she disapeared soon after his birth and his father never speaks of it. Taryn knows deep down there is a lot more to this story but he never presses his father on the subject as he knows it is too painful for him. His father, Kendel, was once a warrior of the resistance and had fought many battles against the dark and lawless forces that run riot across Avalonia. However, without a true and just Lord to guide them, the resistance disbanded and in the end, Kendel headed deeper into Avalonia to the Dark Isle, to raise his son. Taryn was different. He never felt the same fear as Grim Hollow's other inhabitants, he felt the place had a certain charm to it, and would quite happily go hunting and explore, getting into allsorts of trouble, as a young man does! He was a keen hunter and skilled with the bow. He could split a twig at fifty paces, but often wished he could put his skill to better use. Taryn had been out hunting in the early morning which he often liked to do. Not having much luck he returned to find his father readying to go out. Kendel: "Ah, there you are son. I was hoping to catch you before I left." Taryn: "Well i'm back now father, where is it that you are headed?" he asked. Kendel: "Nowhere" he paused..."At least nowhere important. Just to see an old friend on the outskirts of the village, matters to discuss, that sort of thing" he smiled. Taryn nodded then grinned, "Matters to discuss with a few barrels of mead thrown in for good measure eh?" Kendel: "Maybe" he winked. "Anyway, I won't be back till nightfall so remember to lock up if you go out." Taryn: "Always" he smiled. "Safe journey father." Taryn watched as his father strode down the path and on through the village. "I wonder what he's really upto" he thought to himself, then turned his gaze towards the sky. It was a dull morning, and he was already feeling low after his uneventful hunt. The wind whipped around him and he suddenly felt cold and alone. Life can be strange. Sometimes you feel as if you're part of a bigger picture, other times you feel the helplessness that maybe this is really all there is. Taryn chose not to dwell on that thought and so decided to and see the one person who could always cheer him up, Sarlina. And so he walked through the village and made his way to Grim Hollow graveyard, to Haldur's Crypt. Haldur's Crypt was the resting place of the famous warrior king. Haldur had been Avalonia's first and only ruler, blessed by the druids and undefeated in battle, his rule had been a golden time for Avalonia and with his passing the people lost heart. Haldur had left no heir and so began the downfall of Avalonia into the wild place it has become. The crypt itself is deep below ground, and there Haldur rests surrounded by his warriors. It is said that the iron fencing surrounding the crypt is made from the weapons of his enemys but if they were, most have been plundered over the years. Now the crypt stands decaying, the tower crumbles and sucumbs to nature. A rusty bell hangs sad and lonely at the top of the tower, never to be heard except on stormy nights. Its sad to think that in this gloomy forgotten place lies Avalonia's greatest hero and last hope. However, it is a commen meeting place for Taryn and Sarlina. Taryn knows Sarlina has a fondness for this spot and he can always be sure to find her here. Taryn approached the crypt to find Sarlina sitting on a large flat stone. Her head was down and she looked deep in thought. Taryn: "Thought I'd find you here" he smiled, "I was on my to your house but figured it was best to check here on the way." Sarlina lifted her head and turned to look at him. "Its cold" she spoke in a soft voice, then frowned, "so, where were you?" Taryn: "Er..where was I?....well....what do you mean?" he asked puzzled. Sarlina: "You said you would meet me here when the sun rises....Remember?" she jumped up. "I've been here all morning waiting for you, cold, lonely and feeling like an idiot!" Taryn: "Ah yes, well, technically its still morning right?" he smilled shyly. "Sorry...I'm here now though, and I've brought you a gift." Sarlina: "Sorry?... I'd say so" she relaxed and grinned, then walked towards him. "Soooo, what have you bought me." she smiled. Taryn: "A lightning stone" he said triumphantly. "I found it while I was out hunting this morning." He lent forward and placed the stone in her open hand, her eyes widened as she gazed upon it. Lightning stones were small pebbles that were laced with white lines that resembled a lightning strike. They were believed to fall from the sky during a storm and were imbued with mystical qualities. Sarlina: " Its beautiful" she gasped. She rubbed her hand over the smooth polished stone. "I've never seen one as pronounced as this before." She placed the stone in her pouch then turned to give him an ammused glance. "So thats what you were doing this morning then was it? Hunting? I might of known." Taryn looked sheepish, "I truely am sorry" he sighed. Sarlina laughed. "Evidently, and you even brought me a gift as a guilty sweetener" she joked. "You know a thing or two about women and gifts at least!" she laughed again, then smiled. "Anyway, I've got lots to tell you" she said excitedly, " so lets go!" Taryn looked puzzled. "Lots?...Go where?" he asked confused. Sarlina put her arms around him and winked. "You do trust me don't you Taryn?" she spoke seductivly. She had a mischievious fire in her eyes, Taryn wondered what trouble she was about to get him into but nodded. "Of course I trust you." Sarlina: "Good" she smiled "I'll explain everything on the way." she put her arm through his and together they walked out of the crypt and through the graveyard. Life can be strange and fate is inexorable, is there a set path for all of us or do we tread our own? One things for sure, when a beautiful girl asks, she usually gets what she wants, and so it starts...... To be continued...

A real beauty of a house with great style and colorscheme. Lots of nice details on display as well as the unique shape of the building. Your base design is awesome as always! I did think that you would have had more of a large fortified manor for a house, perhaps this is just a weekend getaway

Great build Cap, I've always liked your figs and the little effects you add to the pics. Great scene!

Great moc! That's a very impressive tower, the done roof is a nice touch. I like that fact that you have managed to make it look sinister but still keep it 'kaliphlin'. I also like the flat surrounding dessert scrubland as it makes the tower stand out more imposing and lonely. You can't beat a good tower in a lake, it's one of those classic fantasy images and I never get bored of them. Great build sir!

A very detailed build, full of character. I see you have tryed out that panelling idea and you have pulled it off wonderfully. I have only used it once and that was for the guide, so you can pretty much run with it all you want as its very uncommon. The colors are very gritty and work well. I know all to well about the problems with using dark brown, lets hope Lego hurry up and release 1x1, 1x2 and 1x4 plates in that color, things would be so much easier!!! I also think you should still push forward with your cheese wedge walls as well. I thought that was a great original idea and gave you a 'style'. Keep up the great work!

This is a really great build and it made me think of Skyrim which is a great game for inspiration! Lovely textures and great photo! Looking forward to seeing more like this.

Some interesting builds appearing! Good to see Beerbeard back again, and that a good poin about black plates. I used black on my first mocs, mainly because I didn't have any brown back then. I thought the result actually looked ok. I havn't used black since, mainly because dark brown came along. I think black has its place for landscaping but it needs to be the right sort of environment for it to work. Perhaps some old volcanic mountains or a more darker fantasy style rock work. I think I may try some black on some future builds. You should give it a go Captain, I'm sure you can make it work.

Hey guys, I trust you all had a good Xmas, with some new Lego additions! So, does anyone have any building plans for next year, any projects or stories you hope to build? I have been planning a rather epic storyline that will start in the next few weeks. It's going to be set in the time leading up to when Artorius and his men first came to power. I will flush out a lot of backstory to his character as well as Owain and the Shadow Knight, plus introduce new characters and throw in lots of cameos from your own characters. I really want to make the story interesting and try to give enough dialog so people can actually get attached to the characters. Not easy, but I will give it a go. Look forward to seeing what you guys have inshore for the new year! DC Rex

The sets may yet turn out to be pretty good, it's just that there is nothing that really stands out that's different to what we have been getting for the past 10 years. I enjoyed Kingdoms as it brought back civilian sets and had some great color schemes and pieces. I think TLG need to change things now though. Every wave always has the good guys with a king and a big castle, why not have the good guys as forestmen with a large forest\castle ruin hideout??? The black falcons were awesome and a lot of that comes down to the fact that they worked so well as both good guys and bad. Some new updated Black Falcons in dark blue would be epic! I understand that kids naturally think of Kings and castles when it comes to medieval themes, so I can see why TLG keeps doing it, but I'm sure that most kids also know and can get their head roun the idea of Robin Hood/freedom fighters. Why not give it a go? Maybe one day TLG will finally release a Water Mill forestmen hideout with some civilian figs!

Like I said, the standard basic rehash. Large good guy castle..check. Gatehouse/wall..check. Small bad guy tower/hideout..etc etc. Same old sets rehashed. I didn't think they would do anything super special. The Hobbit sets are a lot better IMO. Still, we can't complain, more castle parts to build mocs is never a bad thing! I'm pleased to see more castle sets, just wish they would try something a little different like a huge bad guy castle for a change.

A new castle line will not be too different to what's come before. Lego still has LOTR, so it will not put out a spectacular new castle line that would dent its LOTR sets. Expect another Kingdoms type theme with the same old usual set types and new factions. Lego could create a fantastic new line, but that could result in being more popular and killing off LOTR before its run its course. So expect more of the same basic castle theme. Personally I think it's about time they bring back a new forestmen theme, it's been too long!

Awesome map LD, looks perfect!

Well basically, I'm thinking of something to do after challenge 6 has finished. As you all know, challenge 6 will end up the storyline that has been running and will mean an end of the first era of GOH. I thought this could be an interesting idea to do once the main challenges have finished and it would be for all GOH guilds. Obviously members will also still be building free builds while this is going on. Doing this will mean that everyone gets to add their own twist to a story. It would probably take a long time to complete a story if everyone built a scene, so we could maybe set up 2 or 3 stories. Basically 3 people will build a moc and so start off 3 stories, then whoever is up next for each story can then build their scene and set up the next. This will give a good challenge as builders will be building an idea created by the previous builder and so on. That's just the basic idea but if anyone wants to add to it then fire away and say what you think. Once everyone is happy we can then kick this off once the main challenges are finished.

Well, I got the chance to have a good look through all the recent builds last night, very impressive! Avalonia is a 'machine'! I was wondering weather we could all build some short adventures with lots of members taking part and seething up each next scene for someone else. For example: Say I was to build a moc showing some characters in a cottage looking at a map they have found. Then I write a brief description of the scene and say that they must head to a swamp. Then another builder will build the next scene with them at the swamp and they could write that the characters found a hidden passage to a cave. Then another builder builds the scene with the cave and then comes up with the next scene which will be built by the next builder etc. Make sense? It could be fun and allow builders to come up with some really tricky devious builds for the next builders scene and so on. Just an idea. What do you guys think, worth doing?

Hey guys, This is my first entry for CCC X - Medieval Life In the far North of Avalonia, on the border of Mitgardia, a forge can be found. Owned by Balig the Blacksmith whose fame spreads throughout the land. Throughout the harsh bitter cold climate, Balig works hard at his trade and produces only the most finest of weapons, highly respected and truely dedicated to his work! This is my attempt to try and better my 'Ye Olde Forge' moc. The setting is obviously different this time around and a lot more work went into this model, however, I think this moc would have benefitted more by being in a countryside setting rather than snow. Either way, im pleased with the result.

As we travel further into Avalonia's 'Dark Isle', we come across an ancient tower. The origins of the tower are a mystery, however, it is widely believed that it is one of the 13 Tower's of the Elder Gods. The 13 Towers were said to be where the ancient Druids could talk to the gods and gain knowledge and power. Legend says that each tower has some sort of mystical artifact hidden inside that allows one to contact the Gods and call for their aid. There were originally 12 towers located all throughout Historica, each tower had its own unique treasure and each treasure could be used to summon its own power. Its not known as to what all these powers were, but a few old manuscripts still remain that mention some information on the subject. It is said that one tower could summon the power of Dragons - The Dragon Tower, one could summon the powers of the dead - The Nightmare Tower, one had the power to plunge the land into darkness - The Twilight Tower, and one could summon the powers of Giants - The Giant's Tower. The powers of the other towers are still unknown, some say they have the power to summon the sea monsters of the deep or even turn back time itself! It is known however, that a 13th tower was built. It is said that if all 12 treasures were brought to the 13th tower and combined together, it would summon an unspeakable power!!! All just legends however, probably nonsense. Still, it is this tower in the Dark Isle, that is believed to be 'The Twilight Tower'. Located half a days walk inland from the Sanctuary Of The Damned. Surrounded by a strange mystical lake and rising up towards the heavens, it casts a magnificent site for those you pass by, and it is not hard to see why folk claim it is one of the famous mythical towers. One day, Historica may embark on a quest to find these towers and unlease their power, but that an adventure for another day.... Most of you will have allready seen this moc, as I posted it online a while back, but here it is anyway. Unfortunately due to the rush of getting this built, my photos' were not as good as i'd have liked, so I have also included some clearer photos that were taken at the early morning show set-up. Some of these pictures were taken by EB member SilentMode. I also have a new model which I hope to post later on which is a new version of one of my old mocs 'Ye Olde Forge'. I think i've finally managed to better it!!!!!

A lush forest scene! Very Avalonia and full of wonderful details. You have captured the essence of a 'camp' well, and your photo's are nice and clear too. Nice to see you constantly improving, I think you have become very adept at these countryside scenes. Nice work.

Z has his nice shiny Regulator badge, so his efforts did not go unnoticed. Like Z said, this guild has some serious building talent. Virtually everyone here can put out very impressive mocs and even those who are newer to building are already learning pretty quick, thanks to the great help and inspiration from everyone else. How is everyone feeling about GOH? Anyone burned out? I know a lot of you have been here since day one and have built non-stop - that's a feat in itself!

Hey guys! I've been gone for what seems like an age, life has been extremely busy, one thing after the other and then straight back into competitions. I do apologize for my absence, but life has a way of making things difficult at times. I'm sure you will all agree that Z has done a great job keeping things running smoothly (cheers mate!) Even though I am supposed to be Guild Leader, it's really just a name, as Avalonia belongs to you guys. You build the mocs and create the stories that bring this land to life, so I fully believe that you are all in charge and responsible for this guild, you all do a great job! I'm quite glad I've had a break from GOH, as I do hope to keep it running with new stories and competitions after the main story line had finished. I think now, looking back, I would have preferred to be just a participant rather then help run GOH with all the behind the scene stuff. I am a builder at heart and would always rather be building and taking part, rather than all the organizing. All of us guild leaders feel that way, we are all 'builders' rather than 'readers' and 'commenters'. The quality and improvements everyone here has made is amazing. I can always tell a moc by a GOH member on Flickr, they are always such good quality! I hope to start being more active now, as I am also building at lot of new mocs. Keep up the good work everyone, the end rewards shall be worth it!

Exactly, as always, LOTR provides great parts for moccers. The sets are never going to be movie accurate unless they release huge expensive sets where they have room to cram it all in.

Only 2 Dark Red Leaf pieces????? Great, I fear Bricklink prices will be extremely high till they start showing up in other sets. Damn it, need hundreds of these!!!! Oh, and the sets are kinda cool too, lots of useful pieces and more olive green tree pieces!!!!! All hail the tree pieces!!!!..........and the other useful parts.

Beautiful work Ralph, Your planes are always a joy to see. I really appreciate the lengths you go to when designing these, to always get the details just right. All I can say is stunning! Please tell me you are bringing this to STEAM next month!