MassEditor Posted May 11, 2014 Posted May 11, 2014 (edited) Greetings! Here, finally, is my Nocturnian entry for the Greater Naval Arms Race. Because I've spent all my Lego money on orange, 1x1 round plates, I wanted build this entirely out of pieces I already had, which required some sacrifices here and there (including the odd shape of the swamp water, which was the best I could do with the pieces I had. I would have liked to extend the swamp a little further, but again, I had a lot fewer dark green bricks than I had thought.) Anways, enough apologizing, here is the entry and a very small story to go with it! Nocturnian Patrol Boats serve numerous roles for the rulers of these dark lands, from infiltrating assassins and privateer work to transporting entire field armies for amphibious assaults. Because the stale air of Nocturnian swamps limits the usefulness of sails - and because it is doubtful many orcs could be trained to properly tack through the strange winds that do happen to blow - these boats are entirely oar-powered. Their shallow draft allows them to glide over the stagnant swamp waters where other, larger ships would find themselves grounded. However, the lack of sails and the shallow draft of these vessels makes them almost useless - and at the very least completely unsafe - for use in the open ocean. These boats carry no integral weaponry because their main task is not to face warships in open battle. Instead, Nocturnian admirals prefer to send these patrol boats en masse to surprise and then overwhelm larger ships. Each patrol boat is equipped with numerous grappling hooks to aide in the boarding process. After attaching to another vessel, the oarsmen then pick up their weapons and equipment and enter battle. The boats are equipped with rams in case the goal is to sink, not capture, enemy vessels. Nocturnian patrol boats are also efficient raiding and commerce interdiction platforms. They are nearly silent, and Nocturnian captains have learned to use heavy fog to mask the vessel's movement. Often, by the time one of these ships is seen, it is too late to prepare a defense. The patrol boats have ample storage room for loot and equipment in a compartment below the top deck and on the top deck itself. Anfauglir enjoys a nice day of boating as much as any other. This day he has joined his sailors in a patrol of the outer stretches of the Nocturnian swamps, in hope of catching a Mitgardian trader or patrol boat brave (rather, foolish) enough to enter these waters. Fortunately, Anfauglir has much better company than the dimwitted orcs manning the vessel. Korrak has lent his eagle-like vision to today's patrol - a sure sign any trespassers will be caught completely unaware. "This fog is thicker than the skulls of these cursed orcs, thank you for lending a hand today, Korrak," Anfauglir said, pulling out a flask and handing it to the hooded, raven-eyed figure standing next to him. "Even the light of my staff will not cut through this blanket." Korrak took a swig of the black liquor and handed the flask back. "These are dark times for a dark land. Perhaps a better understanding of our two tribes will give us benefit in the future. Still, I would not like to leave this river float without some trophy for our effort." Anfauglier peered into the fog but nothing was visible beyond the bow. He glanced at Korrak, who stared ahead as if he could look straight through the misty veil. "If there's something out there, I'm sure you'll see it." "There is much I see, more than I can say now," said Korrak, turning his eyes from the fog to Anfauglir. "There is a role you will play - for all of us to play." He looked forward again, this time noticing two small lights through the fog. "But we will have time to discuss that later. For now, we have found prey." After several moments the lights became visible to Anfauglir, and he could notice a flag emblazoned in blue and red. The ship was obviously a merchant vessel, with crew members lazily sprawled out around the deck. "Kaliphlin, eh? Long way from home, and from reinforcements. Many years it has been since I remembered the taste of the strange spices from those lands. Perhaps they will have some to spare!" Thanks for checking it out and any C&C is much appreciated! Oh and Torgar, I hope you didn't mind me adding your fig to the scene! I know he's not perfect (where is that awesome torso from?!?) but you're the only fellow Nocturnian I thought I could get close to with the parts I have on hand. No offense to our guild brothers and sisters, they are with us in spirit I'm sure! Edited May 11, 2014 by MassEditor Quote
Kayne Posted May 11, 2014 Posted May 11, 2014 this looks fantastic! I really love the first pic with the fog Quote
Kai NRG Posted May 11, 2014 Posted May 11, 2014 (edited) Excellent job masseditor, the landscaping of the swamp is really beautiful, great shaping on the ship too! Really like your stylish borders as well! Edited May 11, 2014 by Kai NRG Quote
Garmadon Posted May 11, 2014 Posted May 11, 2014 (edited) Awesome build, MassEditor! The swamp's landscape is great, and the dark green works excellently as water Nice job with the ship as well, the pics with the fog are especially awesome Edited May 11, 2014 by Garmadon Quote
Hammerhand Posted May 11, 2014 Posted May 11, 2014 Nice ship, and cool photos ME! Neat shape and design with the ram. And the marsh is quite nice too. Quote
Torgar Posted May 11, 2014 Posted May 11, 2014 Awesome build! I really like the ship design and the smoke. I don't mind at all, excellent use of Korrak (the torso is from a Moria goblin). Quote
robuko Posted May 11, 2014 Posted May 11, 2014 Very nice build and beautiful editing. I worry about what will happen to your crew though. Those Kaliphlin boats are a lot tougher than they look. Quote
igacreative Posted May 11, 2014 Posted May 11, 2014 This is fantastic, artistic even! Love the whole atmosphere create! Quote
Lord Vladivus Posted May 11, 2014 Posted May 11, 2014 Damn, that's awesome! Glad to have you in Nocty! Love the build, and the first shot is brilliant- so much atmosphere! Quote
Bregir Posted May 11, 2014 Posted May 11, 2014 Great build, and great backstory to go with it! I am loving the brickbuilt hull and the swamp! :) Brick on! Quote
MKJoshA Posted May 11, 2014 Posted May 11, 2014 As everyone else has said, this build is fantastic! I especially love the swamp you've put the boat in and the cheese-slopes on the ram in front. Great work! Quote
Scaevola Posted May 11, 2014 Posted May 11, 2014 (edited) Nice work MassEditor.The overall shaping is very sleek, and the texture compliments it flawlessly.The swampy landscape is also a nice touch (though I might suggest adding more leaves to the back of the trees), as is the ram. Kaliphlin won't react kindly to you attacking one of our merchant ships however! Edit: Congratulations on the (second!) frontpaging. From my recollection, you've only posted three builds on EB too Edited May 13, 2014 by Scaevola Quote
Gunman Posted May 11, 2014 Posted May 11, 2014 Lovely ship man.. The fog effect a the photos is perfect also! Quote
HammerBro Posted May 11, 2014 Posted May 11, 2014 Wonderful job! I love that the ship is rounded. Quote
krono111 Posted May 11, 2014 Posted May 11, 2014 (edited) Amazing boat and I love how you made the trees. 1 or 2 plants in the swamp would be even more realistic. Edited May 11, 2014 by krono111 Quote
MassEditor Posted May 11, 2014 Author Posted May 11, 2014 (edited) Thanks everyone for the comments and suggestions! Awesome build, MassEditor! The swamp's landscape is great, and the dark green works excellently as water Nice job with the ship as well, the pics with the fog are especially awesome Thanks Garmadon! I was a little unsure about using dark green for water, it never really looked right until the rest of the scene was built, and then the dark green really highlighted the scene I think. Very nice build and beautiful editing. I worry about what will happen to your crew though. Those Kaliphlin boats are a lot tougher than they look. Nice work MassEditor.The overall shaping is very sleek, and the texture compliments it flawlessly.The swampy landscape is also a nice touch (though I might suggest adding more leaves to the back of the trees), as is the ram. Kaliphlin won't react kindly to you attacking one of our merchant ships however! Who said anything about attacking? We are simply inspecting the ship (rather, trespasser!) for any contraband. :D Edited May 11, 2014 by MassEditor Quote
kabel Posted May 11, 2014 Posted May 11, 2014 This is really cool, I like the ship, the swamp and of course the fog. Great to see Nocturnus is back once again! Quote
TheUtilityBelt Posted May 11, 2014 Posted May 11, 2014 The fog makes it look even more amazing! How did you acheive it? The front ram looks a little strange to me. Quote
Hyler Talliwell Posted May 11, 2014 Posted May 11, 2014 This really rocks. The boat is awesome, and the landscape fits it perfectly, like they're going viking. Love it. Quote
mrcp6d Posted May 12, 2014 Posted May 12, 2014 Awesome build! The boat has a really nice Greco-Roman feel to it, and looks appropriately twisted to work very well in Nocty. Is the fog real (dry ice, smoke, etc.) or edited in? Either way well done on the photography and editing! Quote
Gabe Posted May 12, 2014 Posted May 12, 2014 Beautiful boat MassEditor, really nice shaping on the hull and i love all the details like the grappling hooks and decorative prow etc. I'm also impressed that you managed to make your main colour dark brown! It looks great. Wonderful presentation too, from the swamp build to the spooky dry ice shots! Quote
MassEditor Posted May 12, 2014 Author Posted May 12, 2014 (edited) This is really cool, I like the ship, the swamp and of course the fog. Great to see Nocturnus is back once again! The fog makes it look even more amazing! How did you acheive it? The front ram looks a little strange to me. This really rocks. The boat is awesome, and the landscape fits it perfectly, like they're going viking. Love it. This is beautiful! Especially the prow. Beautiful build and amazing photography! Awesome build! The boat has a really nice Greco-Roman feel to it, and looks appropriately twisted to work very well in Nocty. Is the fog real (dry ice, smoke, etc.) or edited in? Either way well done on the photography and editing! Thanks a lot everyone! I used a fog machine to get that effect. Unfortunately the store was out of the special solution and wasn't sure if it would ever get any again, so I had to use water whose effect is no where near as dramatic. In any case, the thing still produced enough smoke for the neighbors to think the house had caught fire! Beautiful boat MassEditor, really nice shaping on the hull and i love all the details like the grappling hooks and decorative prow etc. I'm also impressed that you managed to make your main colour dark brown! It looks great. Wonderful presentation too, from the swamp build to the spooky dry ice shots! I appreciate that Gabe! The most challenging part of the build was definitely the boat's color. How I would love a few more pieces in dark brown... Edited May 12, 2014 by MassEditor Quote
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