SkaForHire

Was there a side in the battle that you wanted to sell these to? Looks cool, I think we will put in a rule that upon firing there is a % chance the thing explodes. hahaha. That should make for a good time, and show how unstable gunpowder is in Historica.

I may not be able to field him (I still want to get a Rancor, so this might prompt me to buy one) but he can definitely be entered in the Field Piece competition, even if he doesn't show up on the field. LOL, what if he is slain by the first arrow that hits him? (unlikely, because he would have beefed up stats being a sigfig) I don't think anyone has ever said "it is ok for my sigfig to die" before in one of these battles. I thought you said your guy would retreat? The former hand guys will be put against any current hand that show up. As for the Varlyrian, the picture is a little dark, what is his torso and legs?

+1 to all claims... Wow, just wow. I can't even figure out how you attached some of that together. Superb job. We just won the arms race.

I am not sure that all hand of corruption were part of that force, but I see what you mean.

No, I never picked up a Rancor unfortunately. Ha, well I never thought of it, but I suppose you could -- although I doubt the same sig fig would play both sides, well at least openly.

Well, I like what you are doing! The story is exciting too.

Absolutely, we will need members in each faction that are willing to step up and suggest ideas for mini-challenges, new ideas for goals for each faction, and even perhaps "campaign planning." That last one hasn't made it in yet, but we have talked about ways that people may be fighting wars. Additionally, most factions have already come up with some mid-level leadership positions that members can earn. (AC, I hope these extra spoilers were OK)

Things are heating up, indeed! (No pun intended) I wonder what will happen next? Your buildings are taking on a very uniform appearance, which is pretty cool, it shows that your neck of the woods has a distinct culture. I like the roof a lot,

Yes, I was wondering the same thing. I haven't participated over there in quite some time... by that link, it looks like a big change!

Very cool, good to see you back!

I think it looks pretty epic... it would do well in Nocturnus. I love the rail pieces, the arch effect itself is very nice.

I think it would depend on what it was... if it was like Chinese rockets from the Medieval period, I think they would be rare but doable. We could write those into the rules fairly easily.

Are you saying that all of the Black Spire is behind Petera, or was the Hand of Corruption and Black Spire one in the same? I might have missed that part.

We will see how it all works out. Spoiler: Petera has some pretty insane troops. We aren't bringing the T-rex back this battle, but it is something pretty scary. Also, if Petera is too outnumbered, I have a whole hand of corruption army that could join him.

Well, that is an army in itself Robuko!!! I hope you don't mind if some of the units fight in an unrepresented flank during the battle -- I am not sure if I can make all the figs (I know I can't do the goddess, at least the Hippogryf). As for balancing, it is looking like I will have to do a lot of it, since most people are picking the MacLean they know. I just ordered parts for Dugal's army, but they may have to fight for Petera in the coming battle(s) lol. I also don't know how long shipping from Germany takes, so they may not even make the battle. Since two of Petera's generals for this battle are Avalonian, I do have a lot of Avalonian looking figs that can oppose Dugal too. Your posting makes me think we should have a general armies "show off" thread for Kaliphlin, since two of the three other guilds has one too.

Carson, I think you are right, things like the cave troll would count as weapons of war. When I made the challenge I was thinking more artillery like, but massive war "machines" such as the troll rider and Mike's elephant would count towards the first part of the challenge, if you want to enter it as one of your entries.

I can rep ogres... but only like 2. Yetis, unless we are talking about the orient adventure kind or the CMF kind, would be harder / impossible. But I do have 5 CMFs I believe, and like 10 of the orient adventures yetis. On another note, I should say that this is mostly first come first serve for pieces! I have a pretty big collection, but for Queenscross, I was almost pushed to the end of the collection. pledges that come in early is more likely to look like they are supposed to.

This was supposed to cover that: "(Alternatively, a builder could photograph “instructions” to participate in this battle)." What I meant by this is that you could build the model, but photograph the major steps so that we could build it. ---- Great to see so many pledges so far... It gives me a chance replicate people more closely. And for those looking for the highest pay, we will flip a coin to see who offered more money -- after-all, the winner gets the treasury of GEAR Co... so they are being paid out of the same coffers! (Now that I think of it, that might mean you would not get paid if you chose the wrong side.) Currently Petera is in charge of the treasury if you want paid up front and have no allegiances, then I guess your mercenaries would pick him. Unless, of course, one of Dugal's friends were willing to pay the bills in advance for any mercenaries and receive payment after GEAR Co is back in his hands.

Yeah, I hoped to get the other scenes in, so that i could put it on a lazy susan and rotate the story. Each of the windows was designed to look into the next part of the story. Like I said, I am not sure if I am going to finish it. Yep, it is just pegged into a 1x1 with peg hole attached to a headlight brick. Although the thing likes to fall off because of its weight. Thanks!

I apologize, I should have clarified that this is for all members of GoH. In the past, I have ran two events like this, every time members from all guilds have joined. Both brothers would accept help from friends or mercenaries. Both have the money to pay. Since you are new and may not be familiar with the story that I and many others have been telling about Dugal and Petera, it might be easier to pledge based on mercenary contract. Those more seasoned to the story may pick a side based on loyalties or friendships. Or perhaps ideology? This is the first time we have taken pledges for both sides of the battle. Some people might sign up just to fight against others who sign up on the other side to settle old scores. A little more for those on the fence: In the story, it is pretty well known that Petera was an apprentice to Victor Revolword, the last big bad guy of Historica. This is one of the reasons Eastgate was never attacked by elementals during the first set of challenges. However, as explained in the story, Victor was part of the Valkarian Order at one point before he went rogue. The order strives to stabilize and bring glory to Historica through a strong ruling class (IE: replace the weak king with a stronger king). Dugal on the other hand is a supporter of making what they have in Historica better. He does not believe that a strong monarch is necessary. Victor, for what we know is out of the picture, but Petera is trying to utilize a small part of Victor's strategy (the capture of major cities) to institute the Valkarian Order's goal of a new strong king. For Petera, the struggle to bring a ruler to the throne is just beginning. For Dugal, peace only comes when the last of Victor's plans are laid to rest. As for naval battles, this battle will not include ship to ship combat. However, the Battle for Eastgate, later in the summer, will have a small naval component. Also, the siege engines portion of the LDD challenge is for Eastgate. Just the letters, but I would put it in some sort of bracket / parentheses --> () [] {} It is my effort to have the forums a little more organized! haha.

Two battles are brewing on the horizon -- Dugal needs his friends' help, (and so does Petera if you want to be on his side!) Also, there is an LDD contest in this thread. On another note, great to see all these builds coming in!

For the story, see the first thread about the War of the Brothers The call for arms and the challenge are open to ALL guilds. PART ONE: A CALL TO ARMS – The Battle of the Wither Woods The battle of the Wither woods is coming. Dugal and Petera both need help to defeat the other. Which side will you choose? These battles will be fought in the same manner as the Battle of Queens Cross and the Battle of Khordeem. Meaning, you sign up your hero or squad, and I try to replicate them and get them into the battle. This Call to Arms is only for the first battle, the Battle of the Wither Woods. When you sign up, state the men you are sending and which brother they are supporting. Remember, Dugal fights for the Historica of present, while Petera fights for the Valkarian Order’s desire for a new stronger Historica. How this works: Basically, the battle will be fought out as a wargame, using rules that my brother and I have been working on for a LONG time. (This is also a playtest for us.) It will take a few days to get all the way through, but should prove to be epic. The plan is simple. The call has gone out by raven , magic and other means to the far ends of Historica. Help is needed at the upcoming battle in the Wither Woods. If you wish to join the battle, send your small troop by mage, boat, or land to either North Avalonia (Petera) or Eastgate (Dugal). Some may make it for the start of the battle, and others might join in the thick of it as reinforcements. Anyone that signs up while the battle is still going, we will try to get into the battle. All we need is a pledge of men (1-10, although 10 may be hard to represent on the battlefield; the ideal number is squads of 5). I will try to represent your figures as closely as possible, but it might be hard to accurately represent some heroes or your actual men’s uniforms. (we can always chalk it up to artist’s interpretation) We will then give your men (or women!) stats and bring them into battle. They will then fight in the battle to see if they can help win it for their side. If your hero or your men are known for a certain weapon style or ability, include it in your pledge. We will try to accommodate this in your character’s stats. You may want to also show us a picture of who you are sending, if you want us to try and replicate them. WARNING: The soldiers you send may die – if you send a hero, you might want to tell us you would prefer they fell wounded or are likely to retreat. It is all luck of the dice (much like the tournaments that have been held) The battle won’t start until Later in May, but I will keep checking the forums for new recruits and can add people all the way until the battle is done. So if you don’t make it before the battle, sign up at any point during the battle. Anyway, I hope some of you will heed one of the brothers calls, and join them to defeat the other. Post below your men and who you are pledging to help. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The contest thread has been moved to here. The text is the same as below though. PART TWO: Bringing the pain We are going to try something new this time around; we are going to have other people “build” weapons of war that will be used in both battles. The builders will build LDD models that we can use the show construction mode on. (Alternatively, a builder could photograph “instructions” to participate in this battle). Then, we will build some of these models for the battles. This is what you have to do: Create a separate thread for your weapon of war, then link it in a post on the registry thread. The title tag for the LDD contest is {WotB} In your thread you should have a completed picture of the siege weapon. You should have the capability to email us the design or “print” it. (Links to this material in your thread are highly appreciated!) You can add story to your weapon (maybe what company / person built it, etc…) You can also tell us what side you hope will use your weapon (Petera or Dugal’s). Is it a one of a kind weapon that has special properties? Or could there be multiple on the battle field? There are two categories, and each builder can enter both up to three times. The first category is Field Pieces. These will be used at the Battle of the Wither Woods. This battle will most likely take place in a lightly wooded area, but overall very few fortifications will be present on the field. The weapons can range from catapult to ballista, from twirling death machine to cow crusher… the limits are endless, other than it really should not be a siege engine. The second category is Siege Engines. These should be the heavy duty battle machines that are designed to take down walls, assault fortresses, and get men in close to fight the enemy. The siege engines will be used later on in the year at the Battle for Eastgate. One caveat -- the portion of the battle portrayed at the end of summer will be an invasion from the sea... So, any siege weapons that fold up nicely, may have the upper hand in the judging. (MAY HAVE) Specifications: Since we are going to try and build these, we are going to set a 400 piece limit. You don’t have to use 400 pieces, you can use fewer. We just won’t be able to build anything larger than 400 pieces. The one thing I do not have in my collection is a lot of technic gears and pieces, staying away from these would increase the chances of seeing your weapon in built form during the battle. However, containing many technic pieces won’t hurt your chance of winning. Just like the call to arms, anybody in the Guilds of Historica can participate. Deadline: Field Pieces: May 15th Siege Engines: September 30th The winner of each category will be forever known as Artillery Captain of Eastgate or Siege Commander of Eastgate

The War of the Brothers (Call to Arms AND a LDD Contest See next topic) This is the story thread, the call to arms and challenge is in thread two. Backstory: In the New City district of Eastgate, Dugal’s entourage and one of DaMaximus’s generals Herondle meet to discuss how to bring the Siege of Eastgate to an end. Herondle had just come back from a mission to Ximus, so he was unfamiliar with history that led his master’s army to this point. Dugal explained it to him in brief: eastgate by skaforhire, on Flickr The Free City of Eastgate had been ruled by its first Lord Dugal MacLean for five years before it swore allegiance to Kaliphlin in 101 AH. Dugal had gone on a few adventures, leaving Petera, the Second Lord of Eastgate and Dugals first brother in charge of the city. Unbeknownst to most of the population of Historica, Petera , a powerful mage, had been apprenticed to Victor Revolword a few years before becoming the Second Lord of Eastgate. When the Revolword war broke out, Dugal, Petera, and Paulos (the third brother) fought in the resistance against the destroyer of Historica and his elemental forces. Dugal was preparing to lead one of Historica’s main defenses against Revolword’s men at Queens Cross, but was assassinated on a scouting mission. At the Battle of Queenscross, Paulos took charge and won a narrow victory. Meanwhile, back in Eastgate, Petera , now First Lord, had erected a magical dome to protect the city from elementals. However, rumors soon surfaced that Petera had been behind the death of his brother. Assassins also struck at Paulos, but he was able to avoid death. A secret message from Dugal arrived to the High Council of Kaliphlin, asking for their support beyond the grave. Lord DaMaximus was to siege Eastgate and put it back in the hands of the merchant council, while defeating Petera. Others, such as Masa and Ageven were to save Merith, Dugal’s Fiance, by secretly removing her from Eastgate. After Merith’s escape, Petera became openly hostile to Paulos, while still keeping the city open to trading with most of Historica. DaMaximus laid siege to Eastgate, taking the New City area (the portion of the city outside of the walls) and sieging the heavily fortified Old City. Still, Petera was able to supply the city through magical portals, despite Paulos’s agents trying to stop this resupply. At the same time, Masa led the effort to bring Dugal back from the dead. They succeeded, and after another attempt on Dugal’s life, they were now here, in the New City district planning a final assault on Petera and Old Eastgate. It would have to come down to an assault because all attempts to starve the enemy out had been thwarted by Petera’s ability to create magical gates to resupply points. -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* Dugal and Paulos Dugal looked to Paulos, and said “What about a diversion?” DSC_0928 by skaforhire, on Flickr All three men in the room knew that the last three attempts on the Old City walls were met with failure. Petera appeared on the parapets himself to fend off the attackers. He hurled lightning from his fists and turned the ground outside the city to molten lava in places. Many men had already died in the siege attempts, and now it was time to do something more clever. “What did you have in mind? “ Paulos asked. DSC_0938 by skaforhire, on Flickr “We split the forces up and try to siege the Inner Bastion (the portion of the old city across the Red River) and the main city from three different points. Then, we lead two strike forces into the heard of the Old City, one will take out the Mage Cabal that controls the Eastgate College of Magic and Navigation. The other will take out GEAR headquarters, and hopefully Petera. “ Dugal drew his plan up on the map. Herondle looked at the map before him, “that might just work.” He said. <iframe src="https://www.flickr.c...stream/player/" width="640" height="640" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen></iframe> “Well, unless we have a better plan I think this is our next…” Dugal was cut off by a messenger running into the room. “My Lords, grave news! Petera has reinforcements marching South from Avalonia on the Oil Road.” The man said, nearly out of breath. “We will have to put this plan on hold,” Dugal said. “We must meet these new troops in battle away from the city, as far as possible. I do not want to be sandwiched between Petera on a perch throwing down the elements and whatever this new army has.” “Agreed” Herondle said. “I will hold the bare minimum of a siege force here, and you lead your forces north to fight this battle.” “We will need to call for more allies around Historica.” -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* Petera Meanwhile… inside the Old City Walls of Eastgate DSC_0929 by skaforhire, on Flickr Petera looked to Elden Logan, the current Second Lord of Eastgate. The Logan family had been quick to ally with him once he revealed his plan. Elden’s family was guaranteed positions on the Merchant’s Council once Eastgate had been secured and his rule was recognized by the other Lords of Kaliphlin. “If Dugal is really back from the dead, do you not worry that the people of Eastgate that have chosen you will see him as the First Lord still?” Elden muttered. “I mean, you still have not proved that you can call the Golden Axe of Eastgate.” That had been the one thing that he could not do, it belonged to the rightful ruler of the city, and its enchantment had prevented him from calling it. Even when Dugal was dead, the axe never appeared to Petera. DSC_0934 by skaforhire, on Flickr “ I can call it just fine.” Petera said. “I have to wait until the right time, in front of my people.” He turned to the matter at hand. “I must use the rift circle to invite our Avalonian guests here. He turned and began to incant. Soon, the glyph on the floor glowed, and a portal to a wooded clearing appeared. A moment later a an Elf and two humans came through the portal. “Lord Baldwin, Duke Tyweld, and Lord Eldris, so good to you to have joined us. We may be the last of the Order left in this part of the globe.” Petera said. He was referring to the Valkarian Order, a group set up to bring Historica into a golden age. Petera had been initiated into the order by Victor Revolword before Victor went mad with power. The Valkarian Order had been created over 300 years ago, and was instrumental in establishing Historica about 104 years ago. Since then the order had gone dormant. That was until about ten years ago when powerful and just nobles began disappearing. This included Dugal and Petera’s own father. In fact, that is how his brother became First Lord of Eastgate to begin with. All over Historica nobles, including the second to last king, had disappeared without a trace. The power void caused by the missing leaders led to corruption in all of the guilds and a weak king in Cedrica. The order came back together and was determined to install real leaders in all of the guilds and the capital. There were even desires to take over Varlyio and other continents beyond for the glory of Historica. Then Victor went crazy. At first the Valkarian Order sided with him, his power play would bring order out of the chaos. But it had become evident that Victor desired power for himself over glory for Historica. Petera had supported Victor until the man finally went mad. Victor had supplied the Spear of Horris to Petera in order to kill and trap his brother. Petera knew that Dugal was part of the old regime, and could never accept what had to be done in Historica to bring glory and strength to the nation. Killing Dugal and taking over Eastgate may have been Victor’s idea, but Petera could see the sense in it. Petera never thought Dugal would return though. Now they had to do the job all over again. “What news of your brother?” asked Lord Baldwin. He was a minor border lord in Avalonia, but he had a lot of men. They were conveniently not fighting the dark elves at the moment. “Well, if he is out there, I am sure he wants the city back. That is why you all are bringing your army south. We will crush the siege against the walls of Eastgate and the war will be won.” Petera Said. “your war.” Eldris said dryly. “We have failed to turn the Revolword incident into a significant change for Historica.” It was odd having an elf there, Eldris’s clan were one of the few elf clans you intermarried with humans frequently, they also had been an important factor in regional politics for as long as Kaliphlin had existed. They were based on the plains between North Kaliphlin and East Avalonia. Eldris was a wizard also, but much less powerful than Petera, although he had ancient magic, which was always dangerous. “Once things are settled here, we can begin our plan to take the throne again. We will have to rebuild armies, and the Order will need Eastgate’s army and navy if we are to secure Kaliphlin in the New Historica.” Petera replied. Without a king, many in the Valkarian order wanted to march on Cedrica to claim a seat of power. Petera agreed, but knew that he must hold on to his city in order to have a position on the new Council of Cedrica. A new king would be crowned, and he would be one of the Kingmakers. First, to take care of Dugal. “I will meet you in two weeks’ time to open the portal for our Mitgardian and Nocturnan allies.” Petera said. “ Why not portal everyone to the woods outside of the city, they would have no warning.” Duke Tyweld said. Tyweld was a very wealthy Avalonian, wealthy enough to pay the Drow to fight for him in this most recent conflict in Avalonia. Schooled in strategy he was not… “We need to spread the men sieging this place thin. They will leave half of their army here, the other half will march north, and we will be able to crush each half one at a time.” Eldris answered. “The more powerful Alleenridders of Mpya Stedor will likely stay here, while the other MacLean leads an army north.” This should not be hard, these two armies were severely beat up during the Revolword War. “Sounds like a plan,” Baldwin chipped in. “Now is a good time to call those who may be willing to join the Valkarian Order to the field.” Petera said. The three men agreed. -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* And for that reason, there would be two battles on the horizon. ------------------------------------------------------ The build for this is a WIP that I probably will not finish. It was supposed to be four scenes, the two talking scenes above, and two scenes of Petera's history. Unfortunately, it has sat for a while and I need to get moving with other things. Plus, the battle for the Wither Woods is going to happen in a little over a month, so I had to introduce the Call to Arms and the LDD challenge sooner rather than later. DSC_0925 by skaforhire, on Flickr

Definitely a + 1 for each UoP credit. Great sharp shots, and some great action here!

Totally unexpected, but this is great! Very nice looking snail, awesome first entry for the mini contest!