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"The present state of Kaliphlin is in flux. It takes money, men, and will to wage a war; all of which have been spent over the last year." [skaForHire] Kolhamin of Petrea, as he now called himself, had lost a lot during the war. Not money. Actually, he was still rich. But power and influence. Which is what his life is about. He didn't like living in Petrea, nor did his wife or his brother, who spent most of his time on the roof terrace under the shade of the lemon tree nowadays. Pretending to be a cloth merchant was far from ideal. But Kolhamin knew that sacrifices had to be made, for the greater good of his people, and himself. Kolhamin turned on the balcony and went back inside his Petrea mansion. Maybe really not all was in vain, yet, at least. The ambassador of the Black Legion of Ulandus had just held an amazing speech. Of course, the listeners in the streets didn't even know that the man who had just talked to them was one of Ulandus most brilliant warlords. None of the listeners even realised that he talked against the Desert King and the High Councial. But he had. It would take time to prepare the people, to slowly undermine their thoughts and plant the seed of uproar against the Councilmen or the ancient King in the Desert. But it would be worth... Back inside Kolhamin waited for some minutes, until his wife in her beautiful white-and-red dress joined him. A quick smile, an elusive kiss, and they both desceded the cold staircase into their large basement. He looked around at all the slaves doing their work, as he had ordered. "Three more are ready, my lord. We are making good progress", the overseer told him. Kolhamin nodded. That was good. War needed preparation. And preparation was made. Even within the heart of Kaliphlin, where they least expected it. Petrea_House_01 by Stefan G, auf Flickr Petrea_House_02 by Stefan G, auf Flickr -------------------------------- Petrea_House_03 by Stefan G, auf Flickr Petrea_House_04 by Stefan G, auf Flickr ----------------------------------------------- Petrea_House_05 by Stefan G, auf Flickr -
[WZ17: Ulandus] Defending the Important... Something!
Garmadon posted a topic in Guilds of Historica
The Ulandians beat back the invading Desert King troops for the important thing-a-ma-bob which supplies the first Centurion's power - or something like that! Nobody really knows how it works or what it does, but they sure are making a huge racket throughout Xersia because of them! The all-important whats-his-name!! My entry to WZ17... I thought an interior would look pretty nice for this one. Thanks for viewing, C&C are welcome! -
Things got a little hectic as everyone and their dog tried to get a hand on the "Thing". But as usual, Ulandus came out on top! "This was NOT what I signed up for!" "I can reach... I can almost reach!" This was pretty fun, much easier to do the second time around - I remember having all kinds of trouble last time I tried this sort of balancing act. To be sure, it was only on one stud then, which I dare say made it even more complicated. Anyhow, the end result of this made me happy! Comments are appreciated!
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After winning their way into the city of Sultan's Gate with an impressive performance, the minstrels quickly found the point at which the great victory parade was to begin. Striking up their noisy tune, the minstrels began to livened up the parade, with the crowd gathered in the streets and rooftops cheering wildly - so much so, in fact, that the guard who had let them in was even starting to hope that he might get a raise! The Minstrels: Part one of the guerrilla. Credit goes to Marcu for the window and street design... to whom I now turn this over for the final part Thanks for viewing, C&C are welcome!
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"So here we are," one minstrel hissed to another. "Look at it! Are we in Nocturnus, or Kaliphlin?" "I know - two Nocturnian flags to every one Kaliphlinian!" Then the second speaker continued in a louder tone, "Here we are boys! The city of cities, capitol for the majestic, the glorious, Desert King!" The rest of the gang broke out in confused murmurs of admiration. "How well the citizens around here fare!" one of the minstrels continued, in a show voice. "Without a doubt, the city of the Desert King is the city to be in!" The small crowd that had gathered around the band nodded their approval. Behind them, however, a Desert King guard pushed is way over with a scowling face. "Hold it there," he growled. "We don't need none of your flattery. Get back to whatever place you came from. We have our own victory parade and don't need any help!" The minstrel who was evidently the leader ignored the guard and turned towards his comrades. "You hear that! A victory parade! Boy are we in luck! Just in time to sing the praises of the glorious Desert King all throughout town! Man, I hate to think what the parade might have been like if we had gotten here too late! This is just perfect!" "Hold it right there, I say again! You're not getting in no parade. You're not getting in no city!" "What?!" the head minstrel exclaimed in fake astonishment. "You refuse our beautiful music? Straight from the halls of Petraea University, I assure you. Here boys, lets give 'em a line," he added, nodding toward the growing crowd. And without further ado, the entire band struck up with an impressive cacophony that could be heard for miles! At the end of their brief performance, the crowd cheered wildly. Reluctantly, the guard yielded to the people's wishes and let the minstrels through. Another close-up: A view around the back: Comments are welcome! Thanks for checking it out! -
A mysterious stranger had appeared in Ulandus one day and had started to hand out bread from his cart to anyone who wanted it. When the soldiers arrived, having been informed by the people of the treacherous stranger who had been handing out rotten bread and picking the pockets of those to whom he gave it, all they found was a bunch of scarlet magnolias. The bold stranger - who came to be known as the Scarlet Magnolia - continued to appear in town, while the sides of his cart first changed to silver, then to gold, as he grew rich by robbing its inhabitants. That is, until the famed thirteenth legion arrived in town. Being told where the Scarlet Magnolia had last set up his cart, they headed off to pay him a visit, and once again they found nothing but flowers and the cart. But this time, the clever soldiers peeped under the cart and - voilá! - there was the Scarlet Magnolia, trembling in his boots!! And yes, some people have still not discovered that the bread he hands out is rotten! My counter to MKJ's guerrilla build. Thanks for viewing, C&C are welcome!
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The serpent wanted a sacrifice. So the Ulandians decided to have a barbecue. A giant barbecue. A serpent barbecue. Would you like a cut? Of course, with all the active men off soaking the land with Desert King blood (or whatever flows through mummies veins), it was a bit of a challenge to cook it all with only older men and boys. Still, they managed somehow. At least there won't be any shortage of meat for a long time to come! Just the fire pit. C&C welcome! I would have liked to build something that really looked like robuko's monster, but unfortunately I don't have any of those eyes with me!
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A Failed Insurgency After the Ulandians occupied the Nestlands, insurgencies began popping up in an attempt by the locals to regain their land. After the Ulandians blocked an essential trade road in a dense forest in the region, a small group of cloaked local fighters attempted to retake the road. Unfortunately for them, the Ulandian fighting force guarding the route was prepared, and after a quick and one-sided battle, the guards were able to drive off the attackers. The Ulandians hold off the Nestlanders. An overhead shot of the skirmish.
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Aymeri and his men take back the supplies, that were stolen by the Ulandian advance guards: Figless: More pictures here: Link C&C welcome
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{Cue: Thomas Bergensen Music} CRUNCH! The sound of bones snapping beneath his mace gave Nasr a sense of grim satisfaction bordering upon delight. The sniveling Ulandan's arm seemed to snap downward as Nasr's mace hit it's shoulder and it opened it's mouth to cry out in pain only to have it's head smashed in from the side as Nasr brought his mace back in an underhand blow, sending the Ulandan flying several yards before he hit the ground with a delightful snapping sound that could only be it's spine. That's what it was anyway, an It. These Ulandan scum, traitorous backstabbers that they were, should not be addressed as human beings. Their place was in Sheol. And that was why Nasr was here, to kill the lot of them and send the cowardly “High Council” soldiers whining back to their crumbling cities of sand, in the name of the Desert King. There was a shout from his right and Nasr turned to see a Barqaian knight charging toward him. A smirk spread over his masked face and he raised his mace, swinging a diagonal blow, the hardest to dodge, at the man's torso. The man surprised him by leaping back nimbly, just out of reach of Nasr's mace, and then leaping back in again, landing a thrust right under Nasr's arm-guards. Not a fatal wound, but painful none-the-less. Nasr swung at the man again, forcing him to leap back out of range, and giving Nasr a slight rest-bit. Nasr studied the man just as he knew the man was studying. Clearly he was a prize fighter, and a good swordsman. But it was his athletic ability that worried Nasr the most. Nasr's own armor would only hinder him in a fight like this, so apparently the only way to defeat him was to somehow catch him off guard, get him within range and keeping him there the seconds it would require for Nasr to swing his mace in the fatal stroke. Nasr lowered his shield slightly, as if weary from battle. In reality his muscles were taught, in preparation for the move the knight was bound to take. He took it. Leaping forward, the knight sliced at Nasr's exposed neck. Nasr sidestepped ever so slightly and brought his shield up just enough to deflect the knight's sword toward the ground, throwing him off balance. Nasr's mace was already in motion. The knight saw his mistake immediately and also saw that it was too late. Unable to change his position fast enough, the knight raised his sword and sliced toward Nasr's exposed neck, trying to bring his enemy down with him. Nasr merely changed the direction of his blow to compensate for the blow. The blow struck. The knights armor snapped and cracked beneath Nasr's mace like so many nut-shells, and Nasr felt more then heard the knights bones crack beneath his armor. Without so much as a death cry the knight fell. He was dead before he even hit the ground. Nasr roared out his wordless battle-cry of victory, raising his bloodied mace above his head. Around him knights and foot-soldiers alike quailed, their faces white as they saw his huge black form over the bloodstained form of their hero. A blood-red film started to cover Nasr's vision as the blood-lust began to take hold of him. This was the day the Desert King would win the Erexhi! And he would be a leading force behind the conquest! Suddenly Nasr felt an bolt of pain from his left leg which, without warning, gave way beneath him. There was an echoing thud as he hit the ground. The red film before his eyes turned to red mists of pain as his leg twisted beneath him. He let out a howl that fairly shook the ground around him and shook leaves off of the tree above him. Out of the corner of his eye he caught sight of a Barqaian archer hastily retreating from where she had shot from, a smug expression spread across her face. Anger rippled through Nasr and he angrily ripped the barbed shaft from his leg. Immediately a pool of blood started to form underneath him. As he stared at it Nasr's brain started to clear, partly do to the pain. If he didn't get this bound soon then he would most assuredly bleed to death ad then what use would he be to the Desert King? But on the other hand, who would respect him if he returned wounded defeated? By a crossbow-man no less! A new shot of pain came from his leg and instinct immediately took effect in Nasr's brain, subjugating all of his honor to it's will. Nasr rose to his feet and started a limping run toward the boundary-lines, ignoring all other warriors, even as they parted before him like the sea before the prow of a ship. Even as he ran he could see the outcome of the battle. The Council's men had taken advantage of the momentary distraction and were pushing back the disheartened Desert King soldiers and the few Ulandans left on the field. The battle had been lost to the High Council. The build. I tried to make it look barren, like rock formed of molten lava, and a layer of sand over that. The rockwork is a variation of the type you saw in my Character Intro, along with the tree. Strangely, this is my first attempt at this style of base, and I think it turned out pretty well! As for it's elliptic shape... let's just say I consolidated all of the limited overhang on two ends. Would this qualify for desert landscaping in UoP points? If so, I'll apply for that... Soli Deo Gloria & Sola Gracia! Snap. Forgot to add the H9 to my title.
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My build for WZ1. While patrolling along the banks of the Arkbri River, two of Aymeri's men find some rather lost Ulandians, that they quickly take prisoner: Figless: I'll wait until I've coordinated with my faction before choosing the next warzone (should I win). All C&C welcome
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Vengeance at Knightsbridge (Challenge IV Prelude, Chapter 19) Chapters so far: Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 (ALSO: War of the Brothers Part II Chapter 1a HERE for more on that) Siegeofknightsbridge by skaforhire, on Flickr Vengeance at Knightsbridge Kaliphlin-north-east-0 by skaforhire, on Flickr Ulik’Boar, a Desert King scout, walked through the carnage at Knightsbridge. Severed heads, cauterized body parts, blood (but this build is PG because I am taking it to a show for kids this weekend. ), men with terror still frozen on their face. His fellow Kaliphlinites all of them, but many on this side of the bridge belonged to his side of the civil war. They had tried to take the town early in the morning, but their men had been repelled before even getting across the bridge into the heavier fortifications of Knightsbridge. aDSC_1943 by skaforhire, on Flickr The Desert King’s Mountain Eagle Division had a firm grip on another strategic town to the North, Needletop, this position was where the Peak Road broke off back towards Sultan’s Gate and also in the direction of the Sea. Knightsbridge was an important position because it controlled any movement to the south through the Rakath Mountain. It was for this reason that their commander, Ellan Boen, had decided to take the fortified mountain town. Knightbridge was mostly underground, it was an old dwarf stronghold, most people said. Upon realizing that the town and the fortifications were one in the same, Boen had made sure that the holdout High Councilor Lord Folston knew that they were coming. Ulik’Boar had personally counted the numbers of women and children that were sent down the mountain into Needletop for protection. The Desert King promised their safety, even if the men of the town chose to continue fighting. This would be the first full attack on the High Council, but the king did not want any negotiations hampered by an unnecessary slaughter of innocents. It was a hard fought battle from what the few Desert King survivors of the attack said, however, they were unsuccessful in dislodging Lord Folston. Two of the Desert King’s high guard had perished on the mountain, nad now Ulik’Boar could see one of their bodies. His hair on the back of his neck was still standing straight up. He couldn’t believe that he snuck into the town so easily, until he got to the first crest. All he heard was the rushing water of the river beneath the bridge, and all he could see were bodies. Desert King pledges, High Council troops, and Ulandians… He tried to piece together what had happened here. He covered Lord Folston’s body, after the high guard of course. aDSC_1944 by skaforhire, on Flickr As he moved across the bridge now, he was careful, just in case there were any survivors. aDSC_1947 by skaforhire, on Flickr The other side of the town was just as terrible. There was a siege ladder, up, but not one survivor. He made his way down the other side of the Peak Road now, about a mile, and found no signs of any living soul. He smiled for the first time that day. Looks like the Mountain Eagle Division had won Knightsbridge by default. +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-++-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-++-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-++-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-++-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- A few hours earlier. Lord Folston had dreaded Lord Petera’s letter. He touched the amulet that came with it – the amulet was supposed to give Folston renewed vigor during a fight, but right now, the icy cold pendent just made him more nervous. A Desert King Army had taken Needlepoint, and the Ulandians were spotted only a few miles down the other direction on the Peak Rode. Things could not be worse. There was no place to even go if they wanted to retreat. He could not surrender, as both the High Council and Petera had given him direct orders to hold the ground at all cost – hold the ground so the Desert King and the Ulandians could not fight one another! Rumors had already made it to him that they were fighting elsewhere! He wanted to just camp high in his four towers and let both sides use the bridge. Let them fight it out right on the blasted thing. He would do his duty though. aDSC_1850 by skaforhire, on Flickr He didn’t have much time to fret. As the early morning mountain air just started to warm up, a century saw the Desert King’s men making it up the West face of the mountain. He was shorthanded… very shorthanded. He had less than 25 men left, a squad of archers and crossbowmen, and a squad of swordsmen. Even his personal fool was given a weapon. Knightsbridge was a chokepoint; this gave them a slight advantage, forcing the enemy to come nearly single file up the long windy Peak Road, that at points was no wider than a horse. The only problem was, if the Ulandians arrived at the same time, no one would be able to be on the East side of the river to defend the town. aDSC_1862 by skaforhire, on Flickr The Desert King’s Mountain Eagle division charged up the road, past the unmanned murder holes within the underground and up to the first switchback at the top of the mountain. Folston commanded his men personally, lending his own sword. His sergeant of Arms Macbarker Swane, his loyal companion for many years, took the vanguard position. The fight was on. aDSC_1855 by skaforhire, on Flickr aDSC_1848 by skaforhire, on Flickr The Mountain Mummies pushed hard, but by the time they made it to the final switchback, the plateau as it was called, the forces of the Desert King were exhausted and surrounded. aDSC_1863 by skaforhire, on Flickr Folston’s men forced the remaining enemy back down the mountain. And Victory was theirs. aDSC_1871 by skaforhire, on Flickr aDSC_1868 by skaforhire, on Flickr Until a shout came from the east side of the river. “The Ulandians are here!” Folston shouted to his men, the ones who had survived. “Quick, we must cross and hold the Calling Grounds!” His men, led again by Macbarker, ran across the bridge and down into the Calling Grounds, the open space between the road and the fortifications on the east side of town. aDSC_1876 by skaforhire, on Flickr To their dismay, the Ulandians had brought siege ladders up the mountain side. He could see the first few blue-clad Sand Wolves (the 3rd Legion he had learned) climbing the first ladder. “Knock’em down boys!” Growled Macbarker. SandWolves by skaforhire, on Flickr Folston had actually met with this company’s one armed leader, a grizzly old veteran named Shan’Feng. He had offered terms of surrender last week, but said that they would not offer again. Folston didn’t like the terms, which included a trip for his men to an Ulandus prisoner camp. Folston thought it odd that this was the company sent against his town. From what he had learned, the 3rd legion was mostly a reconnaissance organization. He had asked Shan’Feng about this, and the one-armed man laughed. He replied “Even the Third Legion has teeth, we are part wolf after all.” aDSC_1890 by skaforhire, on Flickr As this point, more and more Ulandians were pouring into the Calling Grounds. The Sand Wolves pushed Folston’s Men back, while getting into the small tower. Folston knew that if just one tower fell, they would use the secret passages between all of the towers to quickly kill his archers. Things were not looking good, and he fell back across the bridge. aDSC_1893 by skaforhire, on Flickr The bridge was wooden for this very reason. As he crossed he looked for a torch to light the bridge. It was a last ditch effort, but it should preserve half of his city. He turned to find his last guard fell by a Ulandian Drow warrior. Folston had always found it odd that the Ulandians had somehow broken their drow and made them normal citizens… His mind came back to the problem at hand. He looked up at his towers. aDSC_1899 by skaforhire, on Flickr aDSC_1911 by skaforhire, on Flickr It was only a matter of minutes before they would all fall. Folston made the decision to take out as many of these Ulandian scum as possible. “FOR EASTGATE, AND A WHOLE KALIPHLIN FOREVER!” He cried as he stepped into a pile of pursuers. aDSC_1906 by skaforhire, on Flickr As he fought, he felt the renewed energy… and the only other thought he had besides stab, parry, thrust, was that of his dear old friend. He hoped Macbarker found as honorable a death as he was about to have. aDSC_1908 by skaforhire, on Flickr +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-++-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-++-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-++-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-++-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- Petera’s body went cold. He turned to Avona, his fiancé, and Wind-mistress of Historica, “Hold the Protective Shield. Keep Eastgate Safe. My good friend Folston is dead.” Before she could reply, he had teleported away. The necklace he had sent Folston was enchanted to give the wearer strength, but it was also attuned to Petera so that he could track the wearer. If a wearer was injured it would send a signal to Petera, but if the wearer was killed, Petera would feel it in the core of his being. Folston had been a good friend, a true friend. And when Petera blinked into existence at Knightsbridge, the carnage he saw near Folston’s body confirmed that the man was loyal and courageous to the end. Petera’s emotion raged, but he turned his anger into a hand in his mind, and the hand swept away his emotion and reached into to the magical void where all his energy came from. In a instant, he let the raw power take him into the depths of destruction and he was leviathan. aDSC_1916 by skaforhire, on Flickr He had ported onto the bridge, and immediately opened up fire on a Drow Ulandian. Executing him with a firebeam. Simultaneously he constructed a wall of power behind him to cut off the east side of the river, and a lightening shield crackled into existence on his left arm. aDSC_1917 by skaforhire, on Flickr He saw a rush of Ulandians coming from the West, and blinked into the middle of them. They raised their weapons to attack, but he was already dealing killing blows all around him. peterasveng by skaforhire, on Flickr They fell and he teleported to the top of the tallest tower, and executed three more. aDSC_1923 by skaforhire, on Flickr He could see their commander, and that would have been his next stop, but the commander’s mage teleported the two of them far away when they saw who exactly had shown up to finish this battle. Instead he teleported down to the Calling Grounds. This time using his wall of power to keep Ulandians from running away from him. aDSC_1931 by skaforhire, on Flickr Archers attacked him from the rear, and he could hear more soldiers running at him. He leapt up a wall and incinerated the closet Ulandian in midair. aDSC_1927 by skaforhire, on Flickr aDSC_1934 by skaforhire, on Flickr He threw his lightening shield and took out an archer. ADSC_1935 by skaforhire, on Flickr He landed and finished off another guard above him with a fireblast. takingcare by skaforhire, on Flickr Minutes went by… there were no more left. No more. For a moment he thought about going to Needletop and destroy the other enemy army, but as his rage began to subside, grief began to wash over him. He was tired. He had used too much of his power too quickly. He was vulnerable. He had just enough to get back home to Avona, where he spent the night in her arms, aching for lost friends -
The Golden Partisans - The new 13th Legion of Ulandus? Somewhere in the deserts of Kaliphin, a small group of soldiers has setup their camp. Hidden from the eyes of their foes these warriors are taking a quick rest from the past struggles, looking forward to heroic deeds in the future. Will first Centurio hear about their doings for Ulandus? Colours: Gold (secondary: "sand" / light yellow) Mission: Guerilla Missions, particulary in the desert Name: Golden Partisans Overview of the small camp. Backside of the camp. The group's elven leader is drinking some refreshment, while her guard is trying to take a nap. "The boy" is filling a bucket at the small hidden well they found in the desert. Well, actually it's hardly more than a hole in the ground, but water is what you need to survive under the sun! Some supplies of the warriors. The whole squad of the "Golden Partisans" as CMFs. Full Album with three more photos can be found here. I plan on adding the following over the next couple of days: * the camp at night * some facts about the squad (colour, history, races, mission, equipment) * single characters with some proper background stories * two more scenes about their heroic deeds after leaving the camp
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Ok, so this is my character Intro, as well as the G15 Nestlands challenge. EDIT: I'm sorry I forgot to add which faction I am for in the Title! I'm for the High Council. Since this is my character Intro I will tell you just one thing about myself. I got to the semi-finals in the Middle Earth MOC Olympics on Mocpages. Now, on to the story! And I would ask you to read the story, if only to get a basic grasp of who my character is. The writing won't be quite as good, seeing as this scene is mostly action, but if you would bear with me... A small breath of air passed over Adira's face, and she almost felt ten degrees cooler. This stifling jungle atmosphere was going to suffocate her sometime soon, or maybe just drive her to defy her orders and bring her squadron down south toward the open, mountainous land around the Kaliphlin city of Berigora, her home. Or maybe should would just try and drown in the stream just off of the path to her left. But only after she had whipped the snot out of the remains of those totalitarian, greedy, sea-faring brigands called the Sea People. The very thought of such a victory is what had given her the endurance she needed to keep her on her feet, or on the path, for the extent of the few weeks she had been stationed here along with her squadron, by the High Council. Mission: help the natives overthrow these Ulandan invaders, by any means possible. Motive: revenge. “Captain Magdeburg, they approach.” Adira turned to see her lieutenant, a tall, masked man, barely older then her, with tousled black hair and wearing his usual sour expression. Lieutenant Sirhan was an able, if disagreeable, soldier. His knowledge of Guerrilla tactics was why he had been chosen, though personally Adira would have preferred a slightly less subversive individual. Moving back under the cover of a road-side tree, and out of sight of the road, Adira's hand moved to the curved short-sword she carried, a fine blade of Avalonian steel, though that was not why she carried it. If all went well, she wouldn't have to do much fighting, being only a diversion. “What are their numbers?” Lieutenant Sirhan allowed a cruel smile. “What does it matter? On this path, trapped between the rocks and the stream, they won't stand a chance against our archers and Guerillas.” Adira suppressed a frustrated sigh. “I am well aware of the effectiveness of your plan, what I want is the number.” Sirhan immediately soured but gave in, if grudgingly. “Approximately ten score. If we allow them through this pass then our camp won't have a chance.” Adira was about to make a cutting reply when one of her lower lieutenants appeared out of the under-brush behind Sirhan. “Captain, they are within a hundred yards.” Adira nodded and hastily removed a black hood from where it had been hanging on her belt. Of the thinnest material possible, naturally. Drawing her blade, she stepped out onto the path, right in front of a line of Ulandan infantry stretching out past her range of view. Their leader sat upon a huge white wolf. Following him was one of those strange cat creatures Ulandus had enslaved. Maybe a possible ally? The leader halted and raised his hand. Slowly the whole column ground to a halt, and there was silence along the gorge except for the occasional clink of armor and weapons and the gurgling of the stream. The commander studied her from his vantage point on the back of the wolf, who sniffed at her menacingly. For a few seconds both remained motionless, as if in a silent battle of wills. Then Adira raised her weapon, the signal. Immediately a hail of arrows and lances flew from the lip of the gorge followed by more then a few large boulders. Together these missiles plummeted down on the surprised soldiers below, killing many and, in the case of the boulders, plowing whole squads of the edge of the path. Chaos ensued. Sirhan leaped up onto a boulder overlooking the Commander and his growling steed, slicing at the commander's neck with his long, thin blade. The man reacted quickly, drawing his thick, curved blade and bringing it up just in time to block the incoming blow. Behind them, an orc leaped out from behind another boulder and cut down a stunned soldier, and engaging the one next to him. Adira charged forward toward the Commander, hoping to kill him while he was engaged with Sirhan. His mount sow her and turned toward her, temporarily pausing the frenzied duel above. Adira didn't slow her pace and brought her blade down with all her might on the wolf's head. It just bounced right off, leaving her surprised and off balance. The wolf charged, right toward Adira's neck. She fell backward and desperately thrust upward her blade upward, toward the snapping jaws. Her blade missed, moving underneath, and she felt it slide easily through the matted fur of the animal's neck. The jaws stopped a mere few inches from her neck, and the creature made a gurgling sound in it's throat. Saliva dribbled down onto her neck, but she dared not move. Finally, with a fiendish shriek, the wolf fell sideways and off the path, tumbling toward the fast-moving waters below. Adira stood and noticed the Commander sprawled on the ground, apparently stunned. He must have managed to throw himself from his mount's back. Adira started towards it, as did Sirhan, but Nayyir, one of the natives, and one of the few that had traveled past the confines of their homeland to get an education, beat them to it. Running forward he raised his sword above the Commander's prone body. Then something happened that Adira never would have seen coming. The cat creature, who thus far had stood motionless in the fray, silently drew a dagger and stabbed Nayyir in the side, sending the lad sprawling in the dust of the road, and clutching his wound. The Commander scrambled to his feet and backed away from the wounded rebel. A quick glance behind him told him the battle was lost, and he turned, anger etched on his face. “Don't think this is over, you followers of the rebel Council members! I will destroy you yet!” With that he turned and limped back down the path, followed by his traitorous servant. For a few minutes Adira watched the Ulandans retreat down the path, amid falling stones and other projectiles. The orc was now crouching by Nayyir's side, feeling for a pulse. His face was grim. Finally Adira turned, and started back down the path. “Tell the rear guard to watch them in case they attempt the pass again, have the rest of the men return to camp and get some rest. I draft the report to Berigora.” “But mustn't we follow them and prey on them as they retreat?” Sirhan asked forcefully. Adira turned and whipped off her hood. “You forget, Lieutenant, we have only two score trained men. And weary men at that. They need rest, and we can not afford to lose any more at the moment. Recall the troops.” Adira turned back toward the road and continued on her way. Mission successful. But that wasn't what she was worried about. She didn't like the look in the eyes of Sirhan as she relayed her orders to him. They looked... she didn't know. But she did know that she would keep a closer eye on him in the future. To be continued... The build. Not very large, but hopefully the landscaping makes up for it. I don't think I can get UoP recognition for the rock-work, seeing as panel rock-work isn't on the list that I saw, but if I missed it, I would like recognition for that. Well, I hope you enjoyed the read, and I hope no one posts a very effort-filled build for the Nestlands challenge. Soli Deo Gloria & Sola Gracia! And that pretty much sums up my faith and theological beliefs, along with my knowledge of Latin. -
Amir Navabi was at war. The estranged son of one of the powerhouse families of Kaliphlin was angry, and he was showing it. His parents, for whom he had precious little respect, had sided with the High Council. Determined to defy the people he felt betrayed by, Amir had sided with Ulandus. And he was a more than capable fighter. He, along with some other Ulandian soldiers, had decided to take the aqueducts, as many as possible. Using his superior ability, Amir forced the swordsman to jump into the river. The battle had been won, at least at this aqueduct. Now is where I come in. "Good Pastnoon," I called. "What are Vikings doing so far inland?" Amir questioned, looking curiously at the three of us. "We were shipwrecked. We need a guide to take us north," I replied, curtly. The ship had encountered one of the worst storms I had ever known. We were lucky to be alive. "Very well," Amir replied. "But it might be dangerous." "Why," Rollo asked. "No one has informed you. Kaliphlin is in Civil War," He told us. "Gorlog's breath," I murmured. "Of all the times to be in Kaliphlin Builder's notes: This build was a throw together, but I wanted to contribute SOMETHING to my side in the civil war. I would build more, but some unforeseen circumstances have stopped me. Sorry. Author's notes: Same. The story was rushed, really just an excuse to explain why my Vikings are stuck in Kaliphlin. For the Praise of His Glory! ~Andrew
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Now that Ageven is an apprentice, he's been temporarily given his own little squad! Anxious to impress, he's decided to take on Ras-el-akhen! Ready! Aim! Fire! Overview of just the crossbow. Actually works! As this is a two pointer, Garmadon will be helping out with a build that actually can go along with this one. Comments are welcome! For purposes of response, I'd say this should be taken as a 20x16, if the respondent wishes to include a base.
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(Early one morning in the middle of Kaliphlin. The Ulander advanced guard patrols the area.) Soldier 1: This is the most boring job ever... they could have at least positioned us closer to the river. These reeds are pesky enough to drive one mad! Captain: Ahem! What's that? Would you quit maltreating the reeds and keep a better look out already! Soldier 1: Alright, but there seems to be nothing to look at but reeds and- Soldier 2: I spy... another coconut! Captain: Would you stop that already!? You've been doing nothing else for the last ten minutes! Soldier 2: By the way, captain, do you have any idea what that gigantic coco- Captain: Arrgggg! If you mention a coconut again I'll- Soldier 2: No, seriously, check it out for yourself. (points toward to palm tree) Captain: Hmm! That does look odd, let me see (pulls out telescope and looks at the tree. After focusing it he jumps nearly his own height into the air and then rolls over laughing) Soldier 1: Well? What is it? Captain: (still laughing very hard, hands over the telescope) look at that for a second! (A little later, creeping up to the tree) Captain: Shh! Sounds like he's talking to himself. Mummy: (sipping his coconut juice, enjoying the swaying motion of the tree) Ahh! This's the best spy mission I've been on for a long time! Slurp! Quite a nice vantage point as well, ha! I would like to recieve UoP credit for: Landscape Design - trees (3) Geography - grasslands If I win I would pick L8 as the next battlefield. Thanks for viewing, C&C are welcome!
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Many of the Kaliphlinians have tired of serving the Desert King, and now come in great numbers to sign up for the Ulandian army, who they found had been far better masters! A closeup shot: Figless (and structure-less as well! ): A guerrilla against the DK from me. Although it is not red on the map, I14 was claimed by the DK for an overwhelming victory - or something like that! Thanks for viewing, C&C are welcome!
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The High Council soldiers had been travelling for a while already on their nifty little movable fortresses, highly hopeful of a successful - and hopefully undisturbed - trip to the sea. However, before long they found out that they had been discovered by a party of Ulanders and made ready for an attack. To their disappointment and dismay, however, they found out too late that they had put it together backwards! They were quickly finished off by the Ulanders. (The way it should have been! ) Here is a picture of the trebuchet by itself (I hope the protruding leg can be called reasonable overhang!) My entry to WZ13, I choose H5 as the next warzone if I win. I would like to receive UoP credit for: History - 1 Thanks for viewing, C&C are welcome!
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Ageven and a band of Ulandians blockade the oil road, stopping the High Council's supply train. "Here they come!" one of the men exclaimed. And indeed, they came. As far as the eye could see, transport upon transport! The Ulandians rubbed their hands in gleeful anticipation. A shot of just the road... I tried to give it a bit of a forced perspective vibe. Overview of the entire 16x32, sans figs and wagons as those require a specific angle otherwise the FP ends up all messed up! And last but not least, the three miniature wagons! Comments are welcome, I had a good deal of fun with this build, especially with all the little wagons! Thanks for taking a look! If I were to happen to win, I choose H6.
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The mighty Ulandian army advances into the center of Desert King territory. Although they have quickly constructed an important coastal stronghold, the mummified - and other - followers of the false Desert King stand no chance against the Ulandian host! From the front: A very fun experiment with mirrors! Although I would certainly like to use a mirror with a build again I don't think I'll try two again for a while! Here's a picture of the setup I used, and the build is actually a total of 6x20 studs. Thanks for viewing, C&C are welcome! And yes, there should be another Ulandian guerrilla to help mine out pretty soon!
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The Desert king mummies took it into their heads that handing out money to the civilians would be a good idea... it certainly boosted the recruiting business! many of those who had received the monetary support went off and promptly bought themselves uniforms to sign up for the Ulandian army! Figless: The original and more atmospheric shot My counter to robuko's guerrilla. I hope to revisit the photography part on Monday... though I rather liked the yellow light for this one! This was a very fun little build, I've always wanted to try out these wall and roof techniques (and yes, the roof technique is upside-down! ) Thanks for viewing, C&C are always welcome!
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Edit: My first title mistake this challenge! It should be H14. Sorry about that! In a low, musical voice Lady Sarai began her story, looking earnestly into the faces around her. "Once, back in my native village, a new blacksmith set up shop. He was a very generous blacksmith, often shoeing horses and repairing plows for free! Often, he would compare his work to the work of the other blacksmiths in the village, pointing out the cracks in their horseshoes and the dents in the weapons. The other blacksmiths claimed that they were being slandered, but the village didn't believe them. The new guy was just too nice! Not too surprisingly, he soon ran the other blacksmiths out of business. One by one, they left town. Then the new blacksmith came out in his true colors! No more cheap fixes and quick repairs! He suddenly became very punctual about claiming his pay and the prices seemed to rise all the time! Not only that, but the plows he had built started to crack and the horses he had shod cast their shoes. Even the swords and weapons he had made showed their true worth and snapped in battle like pack-thread! The people were furious! The came thundering on the blacksmith's door one windy night. 'You are a cheat and a liar!' one called. 'You have slandered the men that were better than you,' cried another. 'Your work is worthless!' exclaimed a third. But the blacksmith calmly stuck his head out the window. 'All that you say may be true, my friends. But you did not have to believe me. You did not have to come to me for your swords and spears. You did not have to ask me to fix your plows and shoe your horses. You did not have to run the other blacksmiths out of town. But you did. Now what you are left with is your own doing!'" For a second Sarai paused, scanning the upturned faces around her. "My friends, do you know who this blacksmith is? He is the Desert King! He has made himself out to be a wonderful guy, pointing out the cracks and flaws in the others and making himself look generous. But you do not have to believe him! Be wary! Be careful! Otherwise the day will come when you will come knocking at the Desert King's door and he will say to you that it is all your own doing! And you will remember this warning, and your days will be spent in vain regrets that you did not say in time, 'Away with the cheats, away with the liars, away with the false Desert King!'" Stirred to it's depths, the crowd raised it's voice in one mighty shout, "Away with the false Desert King!" The original post ran as follows:
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"Why did you bring me here, Grandpa? It's dark, and gloomy, and cold, and hard!" "I brought you here to teach you something, son. Not too long ago, a group of Desert King men were giving away 'free money,' they claimed, to all the people in this city." "Why on earth would they do that, Grandpa?" "Because they wanted the people to believe that the Desert King was very nice and generous. But we knew better. We knew that there is no such thing as a free lunch. There had to be strings somewhere. Our wise councilors disguised one of themselves as a common person and managed to get a hold of a bag of money. They discovered that it was all counterfeit! Even the gold wasn't the real stuff, it was diluted and fake!" "So what happened to the mummies, Grandpa?" "Well, they were caught, and, see! There they are! Let that be a lesson to you, youngster! Never try to pass out counterfeit money! Crime doesn't pay!" "It sure doesn't, Grandpa. They look pretty miserable!" Overview: Any comments are appreciated! Edit: Grand Duke!
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HC Solider #1: Boy, these movable fortress things are neat-o! Remind me to give Ameri a big thank you once we reach the coast! #2: I'm with you there! It's the best thing since the wheel... in fact, it has a lot to do with the wheel! No more marching for me. #3: Goodbye, left left right right! Driver: Stop the chatter for a moment recruits. What's that dust cloud over there? #3: Gulp. It might be Desert King soldiers! #1: You're afraid of a bunch of mummies? My Mommy isn't scared of mummies! Driver: Look again, empty heads! #2: Uh-oh! They're Ulanders! Quick, do your transforming thing, driver! Driver: I'm on it! Wait... where's the instruction manual?! #3: Was it this? Sorry, I may have used it to light my pipe. Driver: Grrrrr! Well, get up you...! Help me figure out how to switch this around! #2: Wait. You don't know how this works? Driver: Of course I don't know! #1: They're coming closer! Hurry! Driver: Okay, just throw all the boxes out, quickly now! You two, unhitch the horses. ...Never mind, we can catch them later! Help me attach these! Two... three... lift! #2: Augh! Get off your lazy... help me lift this side already! #3: I can't! I'm supposed to put the leg down! #1: Hurry, I'm going to drop it soon! Driver: Okay, were clear! #3: No! No! We're not clea..owwwwwch! #1: Sorry about that. It was slipping. #2: Hurry! They're almost here! Ulandian Commander: What on earth are they doing?! Ulandian Soldier N.1: Looks like they're trying to build some sort of fortress! N.2: It's pretty cool, actually. N.1: You can have it when we capture it! Commander: Alright boys! Attack! Well, the High Council soldiers weren't quite done putting their fortress up, and certainly weren't ready to fight. So it was no surprise that the Ulanders soon got the better of them, poor things! Overview: Without the base: Just the fortress in moving mode: In upright mode - the necessary changes are minimal: And the Flick-firepult... a High Council experiment! An experiment that actually works, by the way. Link=video! C&C appreciated as always!
