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On behalf of the Resistance in Nocturnus: Deep beneath the Rakath Mountains, hidden from those uninitiated into the Cult of Kanohau, the god of Fire and Volcanoes, lies the holy temple of Kanohau. Even most Nocturnians are unaware of its existence, or of the race that tends it, for it has but newly made contact with the dwellers of the upperlands. There, in the heart of an active volcano, the lava-born gather each summer solstice, when the sky-fire burns the longest, and offer their gifts to their powerful god. The offerings of food and wine are intended to feed the hunger of the fire-god, who could starve otherwise without the added fuel, and ensure that the flames continue to warm the people of the lava and that the rivers of lava continue to visit their towns and homes. The food and wine offered are taken from the upperlands, plunder from raids to the surface, proof of the power of the lava-born. The entrance to the temple is carved from the surrounding bedrock. The fiery face of Kanohau greets the acolyte daring enough to approach, glowing in its wall-shrine. A bridge connects another part of the cavern to the temple itself, arching over a river of molten lava pouring out of the temple. Here Magmarthan, a queen in her land to the west, beneath a newly-risen volcano, pays tribute to Kanohau, accompanied by her minions. Kanohau especially likes turkey legs and sausages, but fish and sometimes even vegetables are also acceptable tribute. And wine. Kanohau loves wine, but only the dry red varieties, like a nice Cabernet Sauvignon. White wine is for sissy deities, and beer is for horses. Queen Magmarthan is well-aware of Kanohau's preferences and has chosen an excellent vintage of CabSauv stolen from the finest vintner in Avalonia. Within the temple are three shrines. The main, central shrine is to Kanohau himself, while the other two are shrines to Gem of Eternal Fire, said by the lava-born to be the source of all fire in the world, and to Kilahau, Kanohau's semi-divine son, the first king of the lava-born, who was conceived when Kanohau laid with a river of lava. .............................................................................................................................. _______________________________________________________________ This is my entry to the second Nocturnus minichallenge. It was rather difficult to photograph as I designed it with too much enclosed space, preventing light from getting to the middle of it. However, the shrines are easy to remove to provide access to the interior space. I still find myself wishing for a better camera and better photography "studio", as the pictures hardly do it justice in my opinion, but they are the best I can do with my current budget and resources. C&C is welcome. *I have edited the post to include an affiliation; I chose the Resistance for this post because I imagine the lava-born do not like the Drow, being competition for underground space, and they reside in the western portion of Nocturnus under the Rakath Mountains. -
Lord Alric Returns to the swamps of Nocturnus to do battle in the upcoming civil war. This one is for the Resistance My entry for the challenge. Thanks for looking and happy building!
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The Exetrius Saga (9): Festival of the Ranks (part 1)
Exetrius posted a topic in Guilds of Historica
Exetrius Saga 1: Fallen leaf 2: Message in Kyrrath 3: Equipment upgrade 4: Subjection of a legend 5: Family Dinner 6: Attack of the Hunters 7: Taking the Runestone 8: Supplies Arrive! Episode 9: Festival of the Ranks (part 1) The announcement was made. The word spread quicker than wildfire: within an hour, all of Zotharith was bursting with life again! Warriors, mages, kids, trainers; everyone was trembling with excitement for the start of the festival. Large crowds were heading towards the public arena to sign up for the event and to meet other participants to form teams. There was only one day to sign up this time around, but luckily, Exetrius and Yukino (his sister) found their names on the list of participants the next day. A guide to the festival It's the first day of the festival. The cheering crowd in the arena went silent as soon as Zeruko Urima, first ranked user of magic in the Order of Zotharith, entered the arena. He silently walked along the edges of the rectangular battlefield, taking in the public carefully. After he had made his round, he stood still and started his introduction speech. Zeruko "Welcome to the seventh annual Festival of the Ranks [...] The arena provides all the arcane energy you need, as well as the materials for alchemists. [...] Most important rules: Killing of your opponent, inflicting permanent damage on your opponent and the use of soul magic on your opponent are strictly forbidden. This festival serves as a way of pushing your own limits, not those of others. We, as Zotharians, will use this internal conflict in order to emerge as greater force in the end! Therefore, I ask you: defeat your comrades, so we will all become stronger!" The crowd roared and applauded after these words. And then, the first duels started. Generally, the fights between lower-ranked fighters are the first to take place. After twenty-something battles, it was Yukino's turn. She was up against one of the sabre-tooth tigre assassins that her brother encountered in the forest, while training. She completely outmatched him, easily blocking the sword attack with her massive club and knocking him down with a decisive three-hit combination. Somewhat later, yet-to-be-ranked Enzan Armafur had his first duel. Soon, it became clear that his opponent was quite new to magic. The way he smiled at his (supposedly new) staff, and the overexcited expression already made Enzan suspect something like that. He wielded a simple energy magic staff. His technique was seated upon the "aim - fire - did I hit anything?" principle. Enzan wasn't very impressed. He dodged a few beams.. .. and effortlessly deflected the next. He charged forward, but then the referee declared that the match was over. Easy win. To be continued.... in part 2 Hi guys, there it is, finally! The Festival of the Ranks has kicked off! I would like to invite you to create a little battle scene (duel/team fight, magic/regular, it's up to you) for this festival, if you feel like it. Of course you can tell me below or PM me about it! Anyway, more to come. Btw, the wall of text under the spoiler tag is kind of essential, I put it there to not scare you away directly. Also, I renamed Exetrius sister to Yukino (previously 'Rozi'), sorry about that, I will try to avoid such thing in the future. -
The Den Mother, is a guardian spirit. The first recorded encounter with this spirit was centuries ago, when a child went missing. The residents of the village, searched the wilderness for days, but didn't found the child. Befor they gave up the searching, one of the villagers saw a big black wolf with glowing red eyes. They thought, the beast took the child, they wanted revenge. The hunt begined, after a long pursuit, the beast returned to her den, the hunters went after her, but didin't found the wolf. Just the missing child. This event not yet started the Cult of the Den Mother. But after a dozen, similar events, Den Mother shrines, across Noctornus were builded. There is two common representation, of the spirit. One is a woman with res eyes, holding a child, the other is a black wolf, with the same red eye. The representation of the following pictures are unique. The statue bears both aspects, from the women, and the wolf. In this troubled times, many residents of Noctornus visits these shrines, Praying for protection. Edit: Although, the shrines are open for everyone, for praying, for the recent events, the priestesses don't welcome any member from the Black Spire.
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Build for the Black Spire. In the darklands in the land of undead lies the Temple of Blood and where Angonran the greatest vampire, leader of undead and his army performs rituals with blood magic, pray for darkness and call the chaos god to protect all undead for the Black Spire victory. It's been a long time since I build something so I'm glad that I'm back and, of course I like the idea of this challenge.
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Exetrius Saga 1: Fallen leaf 2: Message in Kyrrath 3: Equipment upgrade 4: Subjection of a legend 5: Family Dinner 6: Attack of the Hunters 7: Taking the Runestone Episode 8: Supplies arrive! Onicius was worn down by the negative energy that had suppressed his spirit for past weeks. For more than a month, the city had been growing more gloomy with every day that passed. The ongoing suspense for the announcement of the postponed Festival of the Ranks was getting people on edge; sparking fights in the pubs and streets with increasing frequency, as well as a growing aggression towards the Zotharith elite. Nobody knew why the festival was postponed in the first place, let alone if it was still going to happen. Meanwhile, only very few tasks were handed out, hinting that the festival could be imminent... The big problem was: the city management was pending the arrival of supplies. The silent starting point of the troublesome events was last winter, when the Algus invaded the Mitgardia. Onicius decided upon an expedition to the North, joined by three other members of the Zotharith elite. In the end, due to rushed calculations and inefficient stocktaking, a lot of supplies were wasted during the expedition. In addition, a third of Zotharith's entire magic energy supply was depleted within seconds during the big fight in which Garufust was defeated. However, the problems arose some time after Onicius returned. While he and others were preoccupied with housing, observing and feeding the newly acquired dragon Fulminante - which was a stock-draining operation in itself - the city was slowly starting to run low on food for it's citizens. To make matters worse, the cargo carriages that had been sent to Kaliphlin to get goods in order to fix this problem turned out to have been plundered on their way back to Nocturnus, leaving Onicius as leader of Zotharith with empty hands and a head full of worries. And because all of this happened under the surface, the city was enthusiastically training for the Festival of the Ranks, thereby accelerating the consumption of food and magic energy... Actions were required to keep the city from hitting a major crisis, within a very short time. Therefor, Onicius scaled up the operation: bigger carriages, stronger guards and the mission to acquire all goods at any price needed to revitalize the city stocks and citizens! And so, he deployed a vessel that had brought Nocturnus a tasteful meal once before, when it was part of the Touring Dragon Buffet. After he sent this second caravan to Kaliphlin, another long and anxious wait began. At dawn, after yet another sleepless night, the third day after the expected day of return, Onicius' sorrowful stare directed once more to the valley in the west. But then, when his eyes had adjusted to the distance, he saw it: the caravan, loaded with goods, had finally returned!! The heaviest cargo vessel of the caravan, previously used to transport a dragon during the Touring Dragon Buffet. Loaded with grains, berries, whines, beers, salted meat, cheese, carrots and tons of other surprising goods... ... of which a secret stash of high-capacity mana crystals! I should give the one that picked all these goods a promotion, Onicius thought. He found out that, to his great surprise, the person responsible for that was Enzan Armafur, son of late Rambar Armafur (who was involved in the Carakath operation). The young man seemed like a strong, cunning chap, who wished to become a wizard pupil in the Order of Zotharith. Onicius did not hesitate to grant Enzan admission to the Order. As soon as the caravan had unloaded, the administration was done and the stocks had been replenished, Onicius let out a breath of relief. Now, it was finally time, to officially announce the seventh edition of the annual Festival of the Ranks! To be continued.... in the next episode: Festival of the Ranks (part 1) Edit: additional pictures: Hello folks, here's a new episode, I hope you enjoyed! It was harder than I thought to fill up an old build with new stuff, but it was a nice building exercise. Higher quality pictures can be found on my Flickr. C&C appreciated, as always!
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Lord Alric and Gal Turok had been traveling for a few days now in the deep woods of the Rakath. To say their journey was perilous was an understatement. They had to avoid several Drow patrols, and a few other unwelcomed denizens that were thrown along their path. However their journey was nearing it's end. "You know it's something else in these lands. It's nearly high noon and yet this forest looks like it's always sunset. It's a quite stunning in an eerie sort of way." Alric spoke to his new ally. Gal Turok chuckled underneath his helm and replied. " It may not be the beauty you are used to Avalonian, but these lands have their own ways and charm about them." Just as he finished his sentence, Alric noticed a tower rising out of the distance. "We are here" Gal Turok, spoke. "Where is here?" Alric replied as his horse inched closer to the castle walls. "This is Evenfall Castle. We are near the borders of The Reach and it is here that you will meet with a member of the Goblin Council, to discuss the exact terms of our new pact." So here is my latest build. I hope you guys enjoy it..as this was very fun building it. More shots on my flickr link if you guys are interested. Happy Building and thanks for stopping by.
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Since departing from Baron Lonnidas, night had fell, and Remington wandered through the lamplit streets almost aimlessly. "You can't miss it; they say all paths in Rockwail lead there." Remington was dubious as to wether Lonnidas's statement was true, as he had been walking for several hours and the only thing he'd found that even resembled the mausoleum was a small undertaker's shop, the owner of which was convinced that Remington must try out one of his coffins. He also noted another peculiar thing about Rockwail; while there were quite a few people out and about during the day, it was nowhere near the amount of people on the streets at night. It seemed the entire city was nocturnal- even cold-blooded creatures like snake and frog people. Somebody around must have known how to get to the mausoleum, but asking for directions was more than difficult with no voice... If he could curse under his breath, he would have. Eventually, the bard came to a cross in the roads. He looked down the pathways and saw that they all seemed to diverge out into more and more roads, all expanding outwards from his point. So where was the mausoleum? Suddenly, Remington was distracted by the sounds of a struggle, and peered down the unlit path where the noise came from. Out of the darkness ran a snakeman, clutching something in his hand. Under the light of the lamp beside him, Rot could make out that it was some sort of yellow gemstone. Then another figure burst out of the shadows, wearing a leather cuirass, and a large helmet. "Stop that man! My diamond!" cried the figure. Remington shrugged. What was the worst that could happen? As the snakeman passed him, he swung his loot into his nose, knocking him down onto the ground. The other figure caught up quickly and stumbled to a stop, panting heavily. Once he regained his composure, he picked up and pocketed the gemstone, then turned to Remington. "Good sir, that was a mighty swing for a bard! I do hope your lute is undamaged." He spoke loudly and with a regal accent. Remington looked over his lute and ran his gloved fingers across it. Other than a small blood stain, it seemed to be ok. He raised his thumb to the man. "Excellent! That is good news. My name is Sir... Sir Knight... Ahem, Sir Knightington!" The bard raised an eyebrow. "Sir... Crownknight?" "Fine," he sighed, dropping the accent to reveal the ragged, hissing voice of an orc, "it's Keel. That diamond is a family heirloom. Listen; I owe you, big time. If there's anything you need, I'll do it." With a smile, Remington pulled the letter out of his pocket, wiped a droplet of blood from the snakeman's nose, and scrawled 'mausoleum' on the back of the paper. "The mausoleum? It's right there... How did you not notice it? Anyway, if you're going in there, I can help you out. It's pretty dangerous, but I've been before," Keel responded. "So... What are you waiting for? Let's go!" --- Sorry about the poor quality of some of these photos, I didn't notice until after I'd taken them. Some more pictures of the moc: I'm not as happy with this as I was with my last moc, because when I built it I was pretty low on parts from being too lazy to break down my previous builds. I'm probably going to build some more Rockwail stuff in the future, but this should be one of the last builds of the Rockwail streets for a while. The next build you can expect from me will be of the catacombs beneath the city... C&C are welcome, have a great day!
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Remington Rot knew from the moment he entered Moruth that it was going to be uncomfortable, but he never guessed that I would be quite as bad as it was. The air in the swamp was so thick you could cut it, and the strong, stale smell of the moat water (if the oozing, green mass could even be called that any more) lingered in the back of the dead man's throat like an unwanted guest. Out of the ground before him rose the looming outer walls of Rockwail- the safest place in Moruth. Unlike many of the swamp villages, Rockwail was built on a bed of rock; in fact, the whole fortress was believed to be carved out of one huge boulder by dwarves hundreds of years prior. The place was surrounded by a field of smaller boulders, floating in the stagnant waters of the swamps, giving the local area the name 'the Boulderbogs'. At the gates of the stronghold, Remington handed the guard on duty a letter. The man looked Rot up and down scrutinisingly, before scanning over the letter and handing it back to him. "Hmm. Sounds believable to me. I'll take you to the Baron." Remington nodded. The guard inserted a large key into one of the doors and twisted it. With an audible thunk, the door unlocked, and he hauled it open. "Come on in. I'm gonna guess Theophraster told you how to get here?" Remington nodded once more. "Figures. Him and the Baron were close. Y'know, you're lucky to be here. Not many people outside these walls know that this place exists. That's why they call it the secret city." The two passed through the gates and walked briskly down a long, twisting, cobblestone road. Being inside the walls showed the place to be less of a stronghold and more of a small city- crooked, towering buildings lined the streets and dark shadows were cast over the ground by the makeshift wooden walkways above them. Rockwail was a sprawling, squalid maze of narrow pathways and haphazardly constructed dwellings that leaned into one another like drunkards. The style of architecture seemed to change from building to building, and Remington recognised several different species and ethnicities as he and the guard wandered through the town. "You didn't see all this from the outside, huh? Yeah, not many can see through the magic shield Theophraster put up when he and Baron Lonnidas started to put Rockwail together. Takes a very powerful mage to see through it. They say people don't even see the walls of this place unless they're expecting to." As they began to reach the north-easterly corner of the city, the houses seemed to thin out and the paths got thicker. The very corner of the wall was in sight. Remington recognised the dwarven stylings in the wall; they reminded him of the lavish guild halls he used to sing in. The ground was no longer cobbled- instead, it was simply rough stone, and they walked down a gravel path. Wooden scaffolding was put up in the corner, where it seemed the last of the dwarven tiles lay. The beaten, crumbling walls really showed the age of the place. "There used to be a shrine to some dwarven god here, hence the fancy tiles, but it collapsed in an earthquake. It was a long time ago, though- before any of us, or anybody else alive for that matter. Before they even built the walls. They reckon this spot was what Rockwail started from," the guard told Remington. He wasn't sure how long the guard had been talking, as he was too busy taking everything in, but he got the gist of what he was saying; Rockwail was old. Remington spotted a tall man standing at the bottom of the scaffolds, and guessed by the epaulettes that he was the baron. He was a heavyset man, wearing worn scale-mail, a thick, grey cloak and the beige sleeves signature to the guards Remington had seen around the city (and, indeed, beside him). The Baron carried a longsword and a slightly rusted shield from the Ssilyrrlith era. A black eyepatch covered one of his eyes, and Remington could see the pink end of a ragged scar poking out beneath it, running down his cheek. "Baron! I have a man here to see you, name of Remington Rot. He can't speak, and has a letter for you to read- it says he knows Theophraster," the guard spoke up to the baron, then handed him the letter. Baron Lonnidas nodded as he read through it, his long hair bobbing slightly, and when he spoke, his moustache wriggled like a caterpillar. "Hmm, very good, Petir. You can leave now, I'll talk to the boy." The guard, Petir, then left hurriedly. "So, boy, you know Theophraster? He's an old friend of mine, a good man. I understand you're looking for your voice?" Remington nodded enthusiastically. "Well, you're in luck. I know how to help you out; one of the guards, Gawyne, had a similar problem, and he found his voice in a place in Avalonia, called the Hall of Songs. i don't know the way there, but he said he was guided by a traveller named The Weaver, and I do know where to find them. In the middle of the city is an ancient dwarven mausoleum known as the gauntlet. You can't miss it; they say all paths in Rockwail lead there. The mausoleum leads to a series of catacombs, where The Weaver trains. But, by the looks of you, you won't make it through easily on your own. I'd look for a mercenary to help take you to The Weaver." Remington processed the information slowly, then finally nodded and smiled. "Glad to be of assistance. Any friend of Theophraster is a friend of mine. Good luck, Remington Rot." --- So, that's part deux of Remington's story. Now time for some extra pictures of the moc. The whole moc! The back is super ugly, and I sorta forgot to make battlements for the rear of the wall (y'know, where they're most needed... :| ). The scaffolding, and a closer look at the dwarven architecture. Well, I think that's all. C&C is welcome!
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Exetrius Saga 1: Fallen leaf 2: Message in Kyrrath 3: Equipment upgrade 4: Subjection of a legend 5: Family Dinner 6: Attack of the Hunters Episode 7: Taking the Runestone Exetrius looked down at the clouds that obscured the valley beneath him. Up here, on the barren mountain ridge, it was a quiet and sunny day and the view was absolutely breathtaking. He didn't come here at leisure, though. He was on his way to a special mana collector, on top of an isolated peak. The last time he came to this place, the air filled with snow and a howling, freezing wind. The device was installed there almost twenty years ago, by one of the wizards of Zotharith. It passively converts the power of the strong winds into arcane energy, which is then stored in the runestone. It took several years to charge this rune crystal up to its full capacity, so it holds a vast amount of power. It's protected by a magic seal, so only those that have the complementary spell have access to this source. The protection is needed because mana is a scarce commodity; vital to all users of magic, but few of them have the skills to obtain it themselves. Zotharith holds a valuable share in the market of runes and mana crystals, but most of its wizards are free to use sources like this one to replenish their mana crystals or to forge runes. That's what Exetrius did last time, on that cold winter day. However, today was different. He had been given an important job by the taskmaster this time: taking the runestone back to headquarters. He had been instructed to avoid a fracture or scattering at all costs, since that could release all the trapped energy in one huge explosion... The reason why it had to be returned was, as usual, not stated. But, since the Festival of the Ranks had been postponed for an unknown period of time due to "insufficient supplies", there was probably a shortage of arcane energy. He stood right under the peak, the easy, carefree part of his trip was over. Now it was up to Exetrius to unlock the runestone from the installation and bring it home safely, without getting blown to smithereens... To be continued.... in the next episode: Supplies arrive! Hi everyone, thanks for looking at this new episode! The build was intended to be the scene of my character introduction when I joined GoH early June last year, but I never used it as such and had to break it down soon after I built it. You can find an overview picture here, on my Flickr. Nonetheless, C&C is greatly appreciated!
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So you've never tried Nocturnus Enchanted Pumpkin Pie? Well maybe you should! Or maybe you should let it try you! You see, the pumpkin pies in Nocturnus are known to eat people as often as people eat it. How is such a dangerous desert created you might ask? Well, let me show you: OoC: This was built for The Summer Joust contest on flickr and in response to the idea Z had at one point of running a Pie Contest. I hope he still runs the contest eventually, but my imagination got a hold of me and I couldn't wait!
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Exetrius Saga 1: Fallen leaf 2: Message in Kyrrath 3: Equipment upgrade 4: Subjection of a legend 5: Family Dinner Episode 6: Attack of the Hunters Exetrius was about to head home after a day of intensive magic skill training and physical activities in the hills near Carakath. Suddenly, they appeared out of nowhere, three of them, all dressed in camouflaged robes, their arms and faces wrapped in strips of grey cloth. Ice blue eyes and blinkering teeth, sharp claws and roars like those of big cats; unmistakably sabre-tooth tigre half-bloods. Fear struck him as he realized that his mana crystal was no more than a grain after his training! He fiercely hoped they were not up to something bad... Without a call of warning, one of them charged. He dodged and ran, it was his only option. Sure thing that he would loose in close combat against three wildcats! He regretted not having studied the principles of energy flow magic thoroughly. There were enough powerful spells engraved in his staff, if only he could find a source of energy... He kept running, but his muscles were starting to feel sore, they were trying to outrun his stamina. But then, a shard of energy magic theory popped up into his mind! He used the last bit of mana to activate the writer spell on his staff. (The writer spell enables the user to create another spell via hand gestures or speech, as opposed to physical writing) He uttered a very long sentence, after which the sharp edge of his staff started glowing faintly. Now he had to hold on a little longer... He could hear they were catching up to him, but it wasn't ready yet. To make matters worse, there was a dead end up ahead! They had driven him into a corner! He stopped and quickly turned around. The swing of this staff sent one of the rapiers, wielded by the front attacker, flying, into the bushes. Exetrius used the moment of confusion to prepare for the next attack. He spotted the archer just in time... He dodged the arrows and did a few steps backwards, onto the pile of rock debris that lay in front of a rock face. The front one got up and the archer switched to close combat. But were did the the third one go, and the fourth? Wait.. which fourth, his mind was fooling him! Yet, for an instant it felt like there was a fourth... He was finally ready to strike! One blow would be sufficient to activate his spell. He also localized the third enemy to his left, who had tried to sneak up on him from a vantage point. Just in time, a seat at the front row.. for the light show! Three.. two... one! The moment he charged, a female voice, coming from above, roared: "Brace yourself, it's coming!" The fourth was none other than Deliora Asagrim! However, the impact that followed was inescapable. Deliora "It's enough, Exetrius, don't harm 'em any further!" Exetrius "M'lady! What's the meaning of this!?" Deliora "Calm down, I'll explain." "I was just a little curious about the son of the incredibly powerful leader of Zotharith, the great Onicius. I've heard quite a lot of talk about you in the pubs, about your strenght.. your looks.. Purrrr. Anyway, I thought I should check you out myself. Therefore, I brought a few of my newest assassins in training to keep you entertained." Exetrius "Entertained?! Uhm, I mean, I knocked them out in the end, but.. By the way, how did you know the exact moment at which I cast my spell?" Deliora "I'm an expert in arcane magic flows, I can sense the energy levels and concentrations in my surroundings, naturally! Just as you can feel soul presences in your surroundings, isn't that right?" Exetrius "Uh, yes.. how..?" Deliora "Ha! Good luck with your training, just ask if you need my help! Let's head back, men. See you around, purrr.. Exetrius!" Exetrius "Uh.. bye, Miss Asagrim!" Was she being nice, or just mocking him? Ah heck, what was he thinking? She's probably older, certainly out of his league and, most of all, from a different species! He could use some help, though... To be continued.... in the next episode: Taking the Runestone Edit: Additional pictures: Hi everyone, I'm back! This was a challenging build due to all the odd angles. I had to revise it a couple of times, but I'm happy with the result. I put greater emphasis on action shots, story writing and character development this time. I hope you enjoyed, C&C always appreciated!
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Remington Red was once the greatest and most famous bard in all of Historica. He was well known for his talent across all instruments, but he favoured the classic lute when he sung his songs. His talent was so great, that it is said he could beat any challenger in a musical duel; however, this turned out to be more of a gift than a curse, and many other bards from across the country grew to despise him. Red's ego grew and grew until he started to get noticed by forces greater than himself. A great and powerful demon, Zoroaster Bombaster, challenged Red to a battle of the bards and, using his demonic talents and trickery, managed to beat the bard at his own game. The price for losing was his soul, and Red died soon after. However, in Nocturnus, death is only temporary. Theophraster Bombaster, the half-brother of Zoroaster, brought the bard back to life as Remington Rot, in hopes that he would defeat Zoroaster so that Theophraster could take his throne. Upon death, one generally finds that they lose their ability to talk- and despite no longer being under the ground, Remington Rot had no voice. Thus, he found himself in the swamps of Moruth in search of Baron Lonnidas, one of the few people he knew would be able to get him his voice back. After all, how could Rot once again become the greatest bard in Historica without being able to sing? --- This is the start of the adventures of my sigfig, Remington Rot, and my first set of mocs for GoH! C&C is appreciated :)
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Across Avalonia, disagreements are traditionally solved in duels if words do not prove enough. In Mitgardia, the equivalent is usually drinking contests, and in Kaliphlin they often use the strategic board game Jeddar to settle disputes. However, in the wild lands of Nocturnus, it is not uncommon to see arguments solved the old fashioned way. No finesse, no wit, and certainly no rules are involved; in Nocturnus, they prefer to brawl. Of course, brawling is more than just a way to settle arguments nowadays. In fact, many consider it a sport (of course, many innkeepers who have to break up the brawls would argue otherwise). Drunken or otherwise, brawling is a part of Nocturnian life in many areas. In Rockwail, they do it differently. Across the sprawling city exist several buildings marked with red rings above the doors, telling those in the know that the building is home to silent brawlers. One such building is the Black Rat Inn. Silent brawlers do it differently to most- instead of stopping when the opponent submits, the fight stops and the winner is decided when someone makes a noise. Most claim to fight for pride and glory, but it does help that winning a silent brawl can yield a good deal of prize money. Red ringed buildings- usually taverns- also feel the benefits of hosting the brawls, as many customers flock to watch and bet on the fights; and, of course, drink. Two fighters stood on a raised wooden section of floor by the bar. One was a snarling red orc with tied back hair and fists wrapped in bloodied rags. He was huge by human standards (though terribly average amongst orcs), and covered in muscle. Broader than the door to the inn, his opponent wondered how he even got into the place. The red skin on his bare chest seemed to be scarred and mottled, in some places discoloured, due to a skin condition. His opponent was a heavily tattooed Kaliphlinian man of medium height with wide shoulders and toned body. Though he looked strong, he was not nearly as fearsome as the orc. His hand wraps were crisp white- they had not yet seen a fight on that day, whereas the orc was on a long winning streak. "Go on," one of the onlookers hollered, "hit him!" "Alright, silence now!" yelled the barkeep, and quickly the audience's murmuring died down until the Black Rat was silent. "Begin!" The orc moved fast despite his size, but the man had been watching his previous fights and knew to expect it. Smoothly, the underdog feinted to the left then strafed to the right, avoiding the huge, scarlet fist of his opponent, then swiftly jabbed at his stomach with his fist. The orc smirked ravenously, and the underdog knew this would not be easy. He swung again, but all his fist hit was air as the Kaliphlinian ducked under his punch. The only way to beat someone bigger than you is to be faster, this the Kaliphlinian knew, but it was proving difficult to dodge the swinging hammer arms of the orc. As he swung again, he scraped the face of his opponent, who glided towards him and landed a strike on the orc's shoulder. Without so much as a grimace, the orc shrugged off the hit and used his newfound nearness to his adversary to his advantage, forcing his arms under the human's shoulders and clamping his hands onto his head, then lifting him from the ground. The Kaliphlinian winced, but knew better than to make a noise, and drew his legs upwards, then kicked back into the orcs knees. The titan's legs buckled and he fell backwards, releasing the human from his grasp. With a slam he hit the floor, and the Kaliphlinian grinned broadly. He raised his leg above the orc's head, preparing to stomp him, but the orc grabbed hold of his foot. The man kicked back against the crushing grip, hitting the orc in the face with his own hand. With a snarl, he then fell onto the bloody-faced orc, landing elbow-first onto his heaving, scarred ribcage, which let out a dreadful crack and caused the orc to grunt in pain. "That's a noise! The challenger has won," the barkeep announced, to the roaring cheers of many amongst the crowd.
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Deep in one of the many caverns of the Rakath mountains, an ancient Demon warlord has awoken. Now he prepares to venture forth into the world once more, and wreak destruction with his fearsome might and his burning magics on any who dare threaten Nocturnus! This started as a little figbarf, but then i decided to make a scene for him. I hope you enjoy! C and C appreciated.
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A Return to Kailphin Arcturin felt a slight sense of disappointment mixed with his excitment. He'd spent several months as part of the Desert King's army in Kaliphin, and he was almost as much of an enigma as he was now. The Tribunal of Vacuinani had heard his reports many a time, summoning him repeatedly from the depths of the Great Archives, yet they still remained adamant that the Remna Comet had to pass through the Red Sword. This was their position. No more inani would return to the surface until the ancient comet was seen once again by the eyes of an Inani. The comet had last been seen at the end of the Era of Light and Fire, by the last scions of the Royal family. It's exact schedule had been lost, but a single phrase scrawled across a small piece of Parchment was among the few things which made it to the new city. It read, "When The Sword Rises, Remna is Near" "The sword appeared almost a year and a half ago." Acturin mumbled to himself. "It's why I was granted permission to explore the upper world. The sword shines, yet still the comet does not appear" He sighed, "So, to the Desert King, I return alone" My DK Crusade entry! Hope you enjoyed the story! C&C Welcome!
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Okay this is another free build, I've made, my second actually, so I hope you all like it! Here it is: Deep in the swamplands of Nocturnus, was a treehouse built from two trees. The treehouse over looked small road used only by a few merchants who wished to shave time off their trade route. Inside were two croc warriors. Suddenly running up the road was a third croc warrior. He ran over to the tree house and scrambled up the ladder. “What is it?” Demanded the leader of the croc warriors. “A merchant wagon is coming! Two guards! They’ll be here ANY minute!” “Finally! Get to your posts!” barked the leader. The other two warriors scrambled down the ladder and concealed themselves in the swamp. The crocs watched silently as the wagon came nearer. Just as it passed the tree house the leader croc dropped a log held by who chains, it swung through the hole in the tree house floor and slammed into the wagon knocking it and the guard walking next to it into the swamp. The crocs in the swamp leapt out and attacked! The leader scrambled down the ladder and attacked the last guard, quickly killing him. Soon all the merchants were dead, and the crocs set about looting the half submerged wagon. Okay that's it hope you all liked it! Please feel free to leave any compliments and/or criticism.
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Exetrius Saga 1: Fallen leaf 2: Message in Kyrrath 3: Equipment upgrade 4: Subjection of a legend Episode 5: Family Dinner While testing new magic spells against opponents that actually rival your own strength is fun, it can’t compare to the pleasure of coming home after the job has been done, Onicius thought. The North of Mitgardia had been horribly cold and the way back wasn’t any better. Four days of almost continuous flight, through freezing winds, on the back of the reborn and therefore unpredictable dragon Fulminante. At the end of the journey, they descended from the clouds and were embraced by cushion of warm air. Swooshing through the valleys that lead to Zotharith; what a fantastic feeling… Katara Musei-Centario (mother) "Can I offer you the best of wine of the house, my dear?" The Centarios celebrate the reunion of the family with a festive dinner. Onicius reveals to his children the mysterious business adventure he had in the North, a story that took their breath away. Or maybe it's just the delicious rice meal that keeps them quiet... Exetrius reports his visit to aunt Alicia in the beautiful city of Kyrrath, and some other things he saw along the road. Onicius Centario "... Rambar Armafur, you say!? Are you absolutely sure that's what it read, my son? ..." Yukino, Exetrius' sister, chats with her mother about the martial arts training she had and gets updated about the latest news that has been carried to Zotharith from all across Nocturnus in the course of the last couple of months. Onicius Centario "Who wants a slice of mother's olive bread?" And the feast went on for several hours. However, the days of relaxation would be over quickly, since the Festival of the Ranks kicks off in only two weeks. Exetrius is determined to climb at least five places on the boards this year, but therefore he should start training shortly! To be continued.... in the next episode: Attack of the Hunters Yay for filler episodes! A fun build to do and this time I had some sort of infinity backdrop, which made editing a lot more pleasant. More colour corrections then usual, due to bad lighting. Character previews of the next episodes can be found on my Flickr, feel free to have a look. Thanks for reading/viewing, C&C much appreciated, as always!
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In the GOH timeline, these events happened mere hours after the events in Nestlands Clans Embassy in Nocturnus: Lord Vladivus' Visit, part 1. -------------------------------------------------- Ambassador Bloodmane: It took quite some work to clear the blood fountain of what the Drow had done to it. I'm told it is one of Danag's original fountains. Lord Vladivus: Is that what I think it is? Ambassador Bloodmane: Aye, but I must caution you with its use. Once summoned it will only do your bidding once, and then it will escape back to its own realm. This war of yours will be a hard one, and you will incur some losses. You should keep this in reserve until your need is greatest. Lord Vladivus: I will keep that in mind. This has been a pleasant and fruitful trip, but Shadowmere and the war beckon. Ambassador Bloodmane: Well then, I'll have my people carry these to your zombies. Lord Vladivus: Kasalia, I will be leaving now. Librarian Kasalia mutters an unintelligible reply without even looking up from the scroll she is examining. Lord Vladivus shrugs. Lord Vladivus: Take care of her. Ambassador Bloodmane: She'll be safe here. ----------------------------------------------------------- Upstairs in the study area before the Nestlands Embassy Grand Library: Twali: Mistress, do we stay? Librarian Kasalia: We stay. You guard. She gives a sidelong glance at the Avalonian mage to her left, sniffing the air to get a sense of his power. Nolan Baar, a minor mage from central Avalonia, is here to study the raising of phantasms and specters. His aim is to use these to patrol the remaining Drow tunnels in Avalonia. Nolan Baar: Such bounty in this place. Food and knowledge. Nolan needs to be a bit more careful, as his sword is about to knock over the game board. It is an odd conquest game that Nolan hopes the Ambassador will teach him. Kasalia has pulled Nolan's trencher over to hold the scroll she is reading. The scroll details the construction of the first temple to the Armored Eagle Goddess, built by the Sky Elves. ------------------------------------------------------------- Above the study area are the symbols of Ambassador Bloodmane's faith, a statue of the humanoid version of the Armored Eagle Goddess and a representation of the Staff of Winged Grace. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Here's a shot of the build sans character figs and loose items. More detail shots can be found in this Flickr album. ---------------------------------------------------- CCC -
Send in the Pies! The Algus are spreading into Nocturnus. At the first snowfall one Orc baker begins mixing a strange cauldron. By the time the Algus got close enough, it was time to Send in the PIE! My final Frozen Beyond Entry! C&C Welcome! For a Closer look check out both models on mecabricks.
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Fenrir had travelled for days from Port Wrath to reach this point. What he was about to do could easily see him killed. He laughed to himself under his breath. A smallholding in the Trifork. A peaceful place. Not the warriors death he would hope for. The soldiers at the house had directed him behind the house. After he had laid down his arms whilst he was several hundred metres away. The staff he kept; "You would not deny an old wolf his staff to lean upon?" he had called. Behind the house, he had found Beorthan, Mayor of the Trifork hard at work planning battles in a small clearing. Beorthan: "You are a traitor Fenrir. I am sure Shadowmere would pay greatly for your head. No doubt your betrayal lead to Vladivus' death. Submit to me, and I promise I will see you to Shadowmere to stand trial." Fenrir's nostrils flared: "A welcome no frostier than I expected. I have not come to surrender, but to rather ask your aid." Beorthan: "Aid? you shall have none from me." Fenrir spoke then at length, imparting many secrets to the Mayor, and outlining his plan. Beorthan was almost swayed, but he knew his people must come first. Beorthan: "The Trifork has an alliance now with Shadowmere, and even as we speak, my friends are confirming that alliance once again. If I support you, I would be breaking my word to Shadowmere. My people would not be forgiving- they look to me to lead them in a time of peril." Fenrir: "Rarrrgh, I should've known better than to seek aid from you damnable tight wearers." He turned to stride away. Beorthan: "Fenrir! Wait! I did not say I would not aid you. Whilst I cannot give you the men you ask for, I can suggest that you seek out Alric of Dronds Feelds. He may be willing to ally with you." With this new plan, Fenrir travelled to Dronds Feelds. The wolf found Alric at the town of Tonfeld [roughly translated, this mean walled field in Saxon]. Tonfeld was a heavily fortified town in the south of Dronds Feelds, but inside the walls, it was a bustling hub of activity. Fenrir entered through the main gates, and was met by Alric. "Greetings, wolf! What does a Nocturnian want with an Avalonian? It is not often that we entertain traitors!" Fenrir growled at this. "I am no traitor! I fight for the one true ruler of Nocturnus. Let us speak more of this in private." With that, they moved to a tower top, away from the ears of spies. Fenrir's words spoke to the young warrior, and Alric readily agreed to lend Fenrir soldiers for his cause- providing that Shadowmere would count itself an ally of Dronds Feelds and would continue it's current alliance with the Trifork. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- What's going on!?! I can barely follow myself and I know all the secrets Fenrir knows! Keep a look out for the final build to wrap this story up! C+C welcome!
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Pitfall Immobilization In the infernal abyss the Algus are still a rare sight, but they sometimes fall from the sky. Certain people are throwing them into the abyssal pits from the surface. "So, according to my calculations, when the lava is this hot, the pit is that deep and the cooling capacity per hourglass reversal of the Algus creature is like this..." *pushes the Algus over the edge* "... it will exactly dive with it's head into the lava!" "Sir, we have confirmation from down below! The creature is immobilized with it's head into solidified rock." "Excellent, I think they can handle it from here!" So, my this is my first challenge entry for the Frozen Beyond contest and also my first lava-themed build. The photography did not really turn out as good as I want it to be for the overview, in real life the lava has a nicer glow to it, but anyway, it was fun. I do intend on doing another build for the contest today, I hope I can manage that! As usual, C&C very appreciated!
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When the Algus beset their home, the Rats of Skavenport faced the menace like they always face black magic; with their engineering and a good portion of insanity. The war wagon rumbled and clattered down the hill, its heavy weight pressing the wheels into the ground. And with formidable speed the whole construct crashed into the enemy. The rats handling the bellows clung to the rope and pulled. And the dragon shaped potbelly stove did his work. I'm glad I could finish my entry in time. Instead of the Algus, idleness and inappetence where my true enemy. So I had the Incinerator lying around for a good month before I eventually started the diorama. But I hope it was worthwhile and you enjoy it. Thanks for having a look!
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A wretched hive of scum and villainy. A more apt description of Port Wrath had yet to be uttered, at least if you weren't Orcish. The Orc quarter was particularly wretched. Dark figures came and went, and in a land such as Nocturnus, where lawlessness was the norm, not the exception, these figures represented the most reprehensible outlaws. The orcs simply didn't care. If you wanted to shift body parts, or deal with the Drow then this was the place. Even the Black Spire stayed away. For the most part. The docks planted their feet in a sea of blood, the water cursed in ancient times. In these waters lurked horrors unspeakable. A ratman from Skavenport padded softly towards an orc and a gorilla tracker making an illicit deal in the Alley of Chains. An orc chieftain strides towards the tavern next to his storehouse; the Flayed Avalonian. Inside the tavern, a wolf and a witch converse. Mhyrra: "The skull firsssst pup. The staff comes after." The wolf swallowed. It wasn't often that he felt nervous. The past months had involved preparing for this moment. Hunting a rarity. Claiming the kill. Not an easy task. The staff was formerly owned by the eminent, but now dead, Necromancer of Shadowmere, Krell. The skull had to be worth it. He spoke, the soft menacing growl gliding across the table: "Fenrir Bloodcloak keeps his word. The skull is yours." He placed the grinning skull on the table. "Is the staff mine?" Mhyrra hissed, fingers stretching out. "Aye, the staff is yours." Her fingers brushed the jawline of the skull. "At last, My Lord." Her head rose; "Fenrir, you are forever an ally of the Symbeline Coven. I never thought I would hold his skull in my hand. But your hunt has given me the skull of Vladivus, Lord of Shadowmere." ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A freebuild to further my story. Hope you enjoy the story! C+C welcome!
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Recently three GoH members (Myself, I Scream Clone and Frumpy) collaborated together on a build for a local Sydney show. Shadow Woods 06 by Dr. Rod, on Flickr The left side is by I Scream Clone, the forest by myself and the right side by Frumpy. The diorama shows a Nocturnus and Avalonian castle, separated by the "Shadowpath Forest". Location is the North west corner of Nocturnus, in the foothills of the Rakath Mountains. Will link to more detailed photos when available. Shadow Woods 03 by Dr. Rod, on Flickr Dr Rod
