Basiliscus

Thanks! The stonework was a bit of a pain and took some thought! Glad you liked the dwarven architecture, the bits either side of the door as supposed to be like stylised versions of dwarven helmets with beards. The green rams shield is a Brickforge special, unfortunately they are no longer in stock. Thanks! See my reply above about the shield. Glad you're enjoying the story, I'm enjoying sharing it. Cheers! Yeah those new tiles are great as they allow for texture and patterns in a small space. See my comment above about he shield!

Thank you. I wondered if the base was a little monotone being entirely olive green? I wanted to mix in some sand green but it made it seem too cold for the warm Varlyrio climate. Yes, the cart beside the storage but uses droid arms and 1x1 clips to represent hay. It's supposed to be there for horses that work the nearby fields. Thank you! I'll post some close ups of the wagon on Flickr as there's a harness around the ox which I think is worth sharing. Cheers! Thanks for the kind words! The vines were inspired by this scene and glad I managed to capture the Varlyrian aesthetic well. I primarily joined this guild because it needed fleshed out, it was less intimidating to do this than in a more established guild. I'm definitely enjoying writing Mychel and Meiyo's story and I hope to continue it in freebuilds and future challenges. Thanks for all the kind words! It's hard to tell from this shot (but it's kinda the point) but the roof is main up of headlight bricks irregular spaced using plates and filled in with 1x1 tiles.

I actually laughed out loud reading this one, a hilarious story! You've given Master Birblenic the perfect personality for a mad scientist type! As for the MOC itself I like the integration of the Bionicle (?) part and the use of valve controls everywhere definitely highlights it's steam power source. It's also a great idea. My only nitpick is that, given the small size of the base, I wish it had a little.more detail - maybe some dark tan patches for example - to make it less bland. Overall it's a great challenge entry! And one for Varlyrio too!

Really enjoying the wide variety of characters in this one! I especially like that you made it collaborative and included a bunch of sigfigs. Thanks for including Gisela Conzaga in it - given the family's recent troubles in Varlyrio I might request that she can extend her stay with Lady Gwenllian for a bit long if it works for you (I might even build a scene in Prenmor if it was acceptable to you?). Love the punny band names, they work perfectly with the Nocturnus origins of a few of them. Great brick build instruments too, especially the drums and bass guitar. Once again, like your other entries, the darkened lighting helps set the scene. Great job!

Lovely lighting on this one! Enjoyed the story too.

A lovely little scene! Really liking the dark lighting and simple story. Great job!

Great job on this one. Love the close up, character centred photos, it really adds to the immersion. You also used printed bricks really effectively here to add more pattern. The story is great and as @mccoyed already said I like the discontent against the Queen. Hopefully this will begin to manifest itself in the challenges soon.

It looks like a lively scene - a great variety of minifigs and activities. Great work on the maypole, those new leaf pieces are incredibly useful. I agree that more close up shots would be really helpful to see the details.

This is a lovely little scene. The star of the show for me is those lovely trees, they look perfect for the environment. I liked the story too, especially about the jealousy of the council and them doing the right thing but for the wrong reasons. That's a lot of goats! From memory they cost a fortune on Bricklink! My only complaint is they are all angled identically - I appreciate they are being herded the same way but goats are notoriously independent minded and I would have liked to have seen a few wandering off or whatever. Great work!

I second that sentiment! A great variety of entries across all the guilds!

Yep, it sure did! The bad news is that the Category B entry I wanted to create with your sigfig in it didn't get completed before the deadline. I'll be continuing Mychel and Meiyo's journey in the wastelands through freebuilds anyway, so it will get used. I did manage to get a Category A entry finished though: It seems as though we might be running out of time for more entries but I thought that Varlyrio did a stellar job across all three categories in this challenge! Well done gentlemen and I'm sure this will be reflected in the scores.

Another Varlyrian entry for Category A:

Previously The lush green of the eastern grasslands was a distant memory by the time Meiyo had reached the top of the high ridge mountains. The air had grown colder and the landscape starker with almost every step. With the soldiers having to occasionally push the cart up the steeper hills as the ox began to falter, eventually they had to slaughter the beast which provided a welcome meal for everyone after the hard climb. The two younger crossbowmen had to carry the remainder of the supplies between them, and even Meiyo was lumbered with a barrel of ale which she half carried half dragged. Even Mychel's horse lost its footing a couple of times, and eventually he had to dismount and lead it by the reins in case he fell. As the path narrowed even further, the tops of the famous dwarven walls came into sight. "At last!", Mychel exclaimed, and the small group surged forward with the last of their strength knowing the climb was almost at an end. Mychel stopped his horse up within sight of the gate. "I'd suggest we leave the soldiers here and you and I ascend to the gate together lord. That way, the dwarves are less likely to see us as an invasion force.", Meiyo opened. Mychel placed the reins in her hand. "No, Meiyo, it's better I go alone.", he said, and raised his hand to ward off the inevitable protest. "As you say, the fewer armed soldiers they see the more likely they are to grant us passage. No doubt they will drive a hard bargain, and swords rarely help." Meiyo did not protest. This was the less defended side of the mountain, the dwarves concentrating their strongest men and stoutest walls on the western approach which led down the wastelands. Surely Mychel would be safe? She tied up the horse and climbed atop a small rock so she could keep an eye on him at all times. Mychel climbed the final steps slowly and calmly and hammered the wooden door beneath the arched gate. After a pause the door opened and out slinked a bearded dwarf. He looked Mychel up and down yet said nothing. "We wish to travel to the wastelands and require safe passage through your lands my friend.", Mychel said with as much confidence as he could muster. "Mmmhmm.", came the reply. "I can assure you that my men and I wish you no ill will and will adhere to whatever demands you require of us.", Mychel continued. Another mmmhmm. Clearly the bond between the eastern Varlyrians and their dwarven neighbours was weaker than they thought. We could rush the gatekeeper, kill him even, thought Meiyo, but without siege equipment they had no hope of breaching the gate. They could try to find an alternate route but that could add days or weeks onto their journey. There had to be a way. Meiyo could see Mychel carefully considering his options. "We have bread and ale and a little beef we could share..." The dwarf's eyes suddenly lit up. "Well why didn't you say so?!", he said with a cheerfulness that took the travellers by surprise. "Thrain, open her up!" "Consider it a gift...from the queen.", said Mychel nervously. He gestured down to Meiyo. The crossbowmen lifted the crate of bread up the steps under the watchful eye of their new owner. This would make their journey in the wastelands much harder thought Meiyo, but there was no real choice. Without the passage provided by the dwarves the wastelands would only be a dream anyway.

This is one of the best Category B entries and it's a delight to see it coming from Varlyrio! So many beautiful architectural details all round, every building fits the Varlyrian style perfectly. Great fig posing and love the variety of faces and actions. The photos are a little dark and I wish we had higher resolution versions to pore over the details.

What a great collection of different forms of entertainment in the one MOC! Love the jester and minstrel, bread oven and market stalls. The chairs and benches are lovely too, certainly adds to the atmosphere. A few nitpicks though: you've done well with colour blocking the landscape, with brown mud around the axe throwing, tan and the bleys for the path and green grass. However, the latter could be improved by adding a little more variation in either colour (mixing in olive, sand or dark green) or height (by using 1x1 and 1x2 plates to give it natural undulation) to make it more realistic. Also the photography isn't very consistent - some shots are bright and clear whereas some are dark which make it difficult to see the detail. Perhaps using your own lighting might help? Anyway, lovely stuff!

Fantastic archway and colour choice in the foreground part, I don't think I'll ever get tired of tan, medium flesh and orange being combined. You did a great job of making the alleyway seem compact and busy, the buildings in the background to most would be centre stage but they are just filler to you, such is your talent! Love the sagging street too, adds to the worn city feel. Oh and also the all LEGO shot is a winner! Another epic MOC!

Lovely work! Really like the overall shape of the pavilion at the back, I like the arches and wooden palisade. Great use of all the different minifigs, there's a fantastic variety, I only wish you'd angled some so they weren't all facing exactly the same way. The idea of a tug-of-war and caber toss is a great idea and fits in well with the Avalonian lore. Oh, and as a Scotsman, the caber toss is more refined then it looks! I've never taken part in one but I've seen them and it's quite a fascinating sport.

A lovely little build! Love the figs, especially the use of that unusual headdress. The base is a little odd, I'm not a huge fan of the 1x4 dark bley tile sitting on the top like that. I do like the pavilion and the grey window, although I'm not exactly sure what the latter is supposed to be? Hope we find out what they were discussing!

A great showing in Challenge II from Varlyrio, proud of you all. Here's a freebuild from me so that when I post my category A entry tomorrow the story makes sense:

Third freebuild period: The Road West | Varlyrio | Basiliscus

Previously The regular squeak of the cart's axle had plagued them the entire way, and yet the driver seemed entirely oblivious. Meiyo thought it would be wise to stop off and get some fat to lubricate it before they got to the harder part of their journey, but she knew that'd be unlikely. Even though they were in friendly territory on the east side of the high ridge mountains the further west they went the less populated the land became. Her mind wandered back over the events of the past few days. After his father's orders to head west a few days ago, Mychel had wanted to take a strong force of 20 men with him to ensure their safety but Staffen would have none of it. Meiyo listened as Staffen told Mychel that he needed the men of the Conzaga private militia with him in case his enemies struck again, and he offhandedly remarked that "the bird" would keep him safe. Meiyo would miss the safety and comfort of the eastern lands, but getting some respite from Staffen's sharp tongue would be welcome. In the end Meiyo had gone to the barracks and asked for volunteers. There had been few hands raised, but when an old veteran came forward and declared he would accompany them some of the younger soldiers wanted to come along too. "What is your name soldier?" "It's Gineto. I served with Nestur in the wars against Ravaage." Meiyo examined him closely - he had a neatly trimmed goatee in the Varlyrian style and a well kept but well used chain mail shirt. But his eyes were dark and hard, just the kind of man they would need in the wastelands. "Very well Gineto, you are coming of your own free will mind." Meiyo didn't want anyone to abandon them when the going got tough. Gineto nodded. Meiyo continued, "Pick two of those who have volunteered and meet us at dusk." Travelling with a smaller escort had a number of advantages. For one, the cart and driver that Staffen had supplied his son was not large, and food would be hard to come by once they'd crossed the mountains. Carts would slow them down and become a liability if they were attacked. Additionally, the fewer men in their group meant easier access through the dwarven lands who, being wary of the humans inhabiting the eastern side of Varlyrio, might refuse them passage if they felt threatened. Once the soldiers were gathered and the cart loaded with ale, bread and a few of Mychel's essentials (he expected to travel in a certain manner) the group set off west. They travelled through the rolling green fields and since bandits were rare here the mood was light and conversation flowed. Gineto had an attentive audience for his war stories. The cart's squeak began to slow meaning the convoy was coming to a stop, and Meiyo's thoughts drifted back to the present. A small group of peasants were out picking grapes near the road side. They were using a small storage barn to store their produce before it was transported for sale. Mychel began to veer off the road to engage them in conversation and Meiyo stuck close by, just in case. After a brief chat, the group returned to the road and continued on their way. Meiyo realised she had forgotten to ask for fat for the cart axle, and it's renewed squeak reminded her of how far they still had to go.

Given your comments about the landscaping I actually think you did a really good job of making this look natural. I like that the path is lower than the surrounding grass (footpath erosion in action!) and the you did well with the layering in the quarry itself. The grass stalks are well scattered and I like you've kept the same types together. The photo is a little grainy though, I think because the ISO is set too high. I tried to look up the EXIF information on Flickr but it's not there, so maybe check to see how your camera is set up. Regardless, it's a lovely little freebuild!

Love the sled and the harness for the cow (I have a finished build with a similar harness believe it or not!). I like the way the snow is layered and the cow's feet are sinking in to it, looks very natural. I'm not such a big fan of the overpowering base, I think it's too big for the size of the MOC. Great entry!

Really nice use of the bag piece for pouring in the hops into the barrel, very clever! I really like the irregular ceiling and the fig placement. The first photo is a little blurry, I think you could have benefited from a tripod to keep the camera steady. Lovely entry to the challenge!

Ah, I see, it's actually these parts. Hope that helps!