Exetrius

Sofia (with the cages!!) and Gorki are great! Creative use of the printed tiles as fancy invitation envelops, and the cloth part on Aliạria really works wonders for the whole combo. Flix is pretty wild, reminds me a lot these figs by Vince Toulouse. Jealous of those arms btw, I wish LEGO would re-use and recolour those sometime. A word of criticism: Duned’in could be much more convincing, imo. For example, give him the bottle you describe, and choose whether he'd be holding the axe, or the banjo (or neither). He's feeling drunk and miserable, right? Lastly, I think Đoris is an okay fig, but in my eyes offers nothing that Marija doesn't offer. Maybe a (more) different profession would have helped.

Entry done! https://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?/forums/topic/187621-cdc2-cmf-homecoming/

Guilds of Historica Collectible Minfigures: Homecoming Yes, I remember now... I don't know why, or if this is common, but I tend to forget where it all started. How I ended up doing what I do. But as I set out to write this topic, it came back to me. I think it was around 2014 that Guilds of Historica caught my eye. I'm sure it must have been one of the many awesome castle builds that guided me to this forum. I went over the New Member Guide, the Guild topics one by one, and saw the maps. And then I saw minifigures, unlike any I had seen before. Custom factions, armies, fantasy races, built from official lego pieces! Up to that point, my (teenage) creations were based on official LEGO themes, built to be populated by official LEGO minifigs. With Guilds of Historica, it all started to change. A new world opened up for me, a journey, and a place to belong. I started building custom figures myself, eventually a sigfig and his family, friends and foes, and joined the Guilds a year later. So looking back at it, the figures have always been there, sparking new builds and stories. Perhaps that's why I have this feeling of homecoming. Introduction by Exetrius Welcome to Historica, fellow adventurer! On my travels through this land, this mighty continent, I have seen many wonderful people, creatures and other beings. Of course I can't tell you about all of them, that would take days, weeks, months probably! But, don't worry: I have made a selection. Let me introduce you to some of those I have met, or heard about. From the cold North to the hot South, from the tumultuous East to the calm West, from the world above to the world below, and from places within to places outside the continent. Let's start with the four guilds on the continent, and Varlyrio. Mitgardia Magnus, Lord of Spróggefjell Keep "Staring at my armour isn't going to help you get through the winter, get to work!" Yffreya, wilderness hunter "A mercenary job? Sorry, but I don't hate humans that much. Do I look like I do?" Kaliphlin Madame Quarrat, mine owner "This deep pink sapphire came from the latest expansion. Work for me, and you might find one too..." Norri, badlands nomad "This is Bërtah, my favourite of the herd. She's a little shy around strangers, though." Avalonia Fiona, Mystic Isles messenger "It's mostly good news from Albion this time around, so I can afford to take the scenic route. You can join me for a while, if you like." Jerome, salvager-carpenter "You are leaving your old wagon in good hands, sir. And, on behalf of the trees in our forests, I thank you!" Nocturnus Pandemonium, 6th wizard of Zotharith "Yes I burned the town, got a problem with that? There wasn't a good soul in the whole rotten place anyway..." Umdurin, Vacunani scholar "If I'm not mistaken Volume 467 of the Recorin Orbi makes mention of such a tunnel exit. I'll check with the archives." Varlyrio Don Giullio, art dealer "100% genuine, for certain. This is a one-time offer: 13 silvers and it's yours." Rebecca, maid and assistant-chef "I'd love to chat, but the market will be closing soon. Later!" Outside of the Guilds, there is also plenty of interesting folk. Some of them I never met in person, for better or for worse... Ghost Islands of Yureishima Yoshintamaru Sasekageojima, Master swordsman "I see your spirit is fierce, but you lack technique. And away with those runes, they ruin the flow between you and the blade!" Miyuko of the Dawn, folk legend It is said that those who meet Miyuko die on the spot, and depending on her judgement either get sent straight to the realm of the dead, or are reborn from their former bodies. The Underworld Zugal defector and Demorian informant "The war really changed the Clan, you know. I tell you: flying up and down the Underworld is better than serving Raavage." K'sirtllhisqr, Drow mage "Where do you think you're going, surface critter? Trespassing this area is strictly forbidden, even for Drow..." Cedrica Sabrina, spoiled brat "Say hi to Marco, I got him for my half-year birthday! Hey, I'm not spoiled, you're just too poor to understand!" Lunarius the Formidable, archmage "A City of Magic, you say? Sounds like something I need to keep my eye on..." ---- And there you have it: 16 figures! I wasn't feeling very inspired from the beginning, but I had said I'd participate so I didn't go back on my word. I found a way to produce solid figures nonetheless. There are a number of little hints to previous builds or other references baked into the figs and their bios, tell which ones you like! I could do a breakdown later. Thanks for looking! Criticism welcome, hit me with all you got. @Henjin_Quilones I'm not going to keep this from you: Fiona with nougat skin and white elven hair looked glorious. For example as a Hesperian dragon rider. However, it just looked wrong next to the carpenter... Maybe a fleshie figbarf isn't all that unlikely anymore.

My apologies for this bit, Henjin. I have been working on my own entry this weekend, and I now realise I've been unreasonably harsh here. Yes, it is possible to make figs with say, their guild's colours, but that's both a very tough and a very unrealistic contraint, because people simply wear an array of colours, in any place or guild.

Warning: feedback ahead! I want to like these, but I have some issues here and there. Let's start with what I like (and mild criticism). Dworthi; the appearance, the name, the lines you wrote; perfection! I like the olive foliage around Quickroots head, though the other add-ons are a bit too much, imo. Jairus is a good-looking and creative figure and Bautor de Sange is good all around. I like Laeon an his mushrooms, the idea of a pig companion is great, but I don't like it's colour (personal thing). Same goes for the lila hobgoblin: solid combo, but personally dislike the colour. Finally, Hai Sairuk is a beautiful figure and reminds me of your CMF series for Bandari/land of Mwamba, which is a very good thing in my book. Okay, there's one main issue that I have: I'm kind of missing the Guilds of Historica feel. Looking at the main image I'm struggling to tell the guilds apart. There are some individual figs that imo really miss the mark with regards to their guild: Benjamin Stenlund (I swear, it's not personal! I would place him in Nocturnus), Thom Mayne (Mitgardia, maybe?), Jelsa (Kali, if given a regular skin tone) and Noim Venqi (Kaliplin, I guess). Aditionally, many of your figures across the board are in the tan-brown spectrum, while the conventional guild flag colour codes are mostly absent. Overall, this results in a low contrast between the guilds. To conclude, most of your figures are solid combo's but it could have been better as a GoH entry. Of course, now I am obliged to prove I can do better.

Goodness, what a build! I'll echo what mrcp6d said: exceptional mastery of colour! And I'm drooling over the use of prints and special items, wow! The Ninjago mask with the added horns, and of course the suspended alligator, both stand out, but the headwear rack shouldn't be overlooked either. Lovely sign with the special bread loaf, top-notch figures, particularly Alrune and the peddler and his wares, too! Little bit of criticism: I feel like the stone paving for the smaller build is a tad too cluttered in combination with the busy minifigure hustle and bustle. Maybe more heavy use of one of the colours (and make the rest more as accents) would be easier on the eye. Anyway, keep it up!

I had procrastinated commenting for when I had a good amount of time to absorb each and every minifig. But now that I have done that... I don't know where to start! Your main visual, the presentation, is more than stunning! The choice to use your desk (or floor?) as backdrop, instead the of conventional paper, worked out very well because of the stark contrast between it's colour, light reflection and material pattern, against your colourful minifigs on colourful bases. Beautiful photography, there! And then the figs... oh, they are superb! It is figs like these that make me question whether I actually still have a preference for yellow figs. Like others, I'm having difficulty to pick a favourite; Derwen; Torvi; Fridtjof; A'angis; Niccolo and Raina are all amazing! Looking forward to your next build!

Dude, this is brilliant , all of it! The whole scene is packed and stacked with detail, the architecture is compelling (I like that the bookshelves are carved into the rock) and the concept is fantastic! Also, books that massive really shouldn't work in a minifigure setting, but you've integrated them so smoothly, as if it's completely normal, and your canonical justification is hilarious! But the addional layer, the 4th wall element of those books... well played man, well played!

Has anyone had any luck ordering the golden Ninjago torsos over the phone recently, aside from @Alex THELEGOFAN?

Thanks, Dan! Don't blame it on yourself though, Abyssian's fate is new information! Though the Civil War ended (both in-universe and in actual written/built lore), the fate of many important Nocty settlements and characters were never really clarified. I've made it my mission to do this myself, so that Nocturnus can again move forward in the overall Historica lore. I've had to read up on a lot of stuff and wrap my head all of it, but I want to spare others (particularly those looking to join or re-join) the trouble of that, hence the recap. So, consider yourself just about up-to-date! You're welcome! Thanks for your compliments! Thank you, Navarre! The explosion design is actually an unused shot from the stopmotion. This is my first explosion that I built, glad to hear you like it!! Thanks! Haha, yes.

May I present to you an important piece of Nocturnian history! And it is not just for Guildies! I've taken extra care with this one, so that anyone should be able to jump in and get a taste of Historica's lore, without needing to rely upon extensive knowledge of the Guilds at all. If you're new here, welcome! Abyssian's DemiseA new dawn was on its way for Nocturnus, and it was about time. This dark province of Historica had seen ample bloodshed throughout most of its history, but the seemingly everlasting Nocturnus Civil War was beyond any comparison. The struggle for dominance over all of Nocturnus had pitted father against son; brother against brother, and had torn society (as far as that could be considered thing in this savage land) to shreds. One man - or rather, beast - was at the center of it all: Lord Raavage. Through his army of undead and powerful alliances, he had gained control of nearly all of Nocturnus. Only three major strongholds still stood up to his reign: Shadowmere (City of Vampires), The Reach (City of Goblins), and administrative Capital of Nocturnus: Abyssian Castle. Despite the enormous control he had, and though backed by his allies (the Zugal, Drow and Varlyrians), Lord Raavage had been unable to overpower the remaining resistance strongholds. He needed more force. Raavage knew of one thing in Nocturnus that could bring total domination: the Orion Sphere. This immensely powerful crystal artifact, held in Abyssian, was said to hold the power to raise an army of millions of undead! If it fell into his hands, the rest of Nocturnus would soon follow, but until then it would take at least one additional ally to breach Abyssian's defences. Even more so after the Drow and Varlyrians turned on him, and definitely more so after his subsequent (dubious) attempt at getting the Dragon Masters to his side not only failed, but backfired... However, though abandoned by his former allies and with the forces of resistance starting to unite, Lord Raavage was heading for victory. Against unfavourable odds, he had managed to establish an alliance with the Algus - an ancient, faraway race of icy warriors from the Frozen Beyond. Truth be told, having to rely on agreements made with nation half a continent away; with unproven strength; born from a minimum of correspondence, surely worked out better than it could have. In early summer, exactly as agreed upon, an elite division of the Algus landed on Nocty shores. A mere month later they stood in front of Abyssian, ready for their infiltration. The objective was straightforward: take control of the Orion Sphere and harness its power to fight the castle's defenders from within. Raavage was cautiously optimistic about the outcome of the operation. Unlike previous sieges and assaults on Abyssian, which much relied on strength in numbers, this operation was carried out by a powerful few. Moreover, the Algus had natural advantages over their enemy, too: as elementals, they carried the frost with them. Abyssian's population consisted mostly of reptilians, who have a high vulnerability to lower temperatures, and the high humidity of a swamp in summer meant that they were permanently surrounded by a thick mist; ideal for an unseen approach. There were still numerous challenges to overcome, but there was a chance... Of course, Raavage himself would not be participating in the operation, much too risky! Approach successful. Assault team - ready. Ascent team - ready! Decoys - ready. Commence infiltration. Expected losses in Assault team. Critical losses in Ascent team, backup! Touchdown at Orion Tower! Deploying arcane specialist. Commence system takeov-~~~----~----~----- And so the alliance between the Algus and Lord Raavage was terminated, although neither side knew that immediately. From one moment to the next, the swamps and forests around Abyssian, as far as the eye could reach, were frozen solid. In Shadowmere it started started snowing, in the summer... Raavage had somehow managed to evade the blast, and resilient as ever, later started his quest for the Necromancer Helm, which would ultimately become his demise. In the aftermath of what became known as The Orion Incident, several attempts were made to scout the now-defunct Capital; to recover the remains of late former leader Lord Ssilyrrlith, the Orion Sphere, and anything else valuable, but the cold remained too fierce. Abyssian, the mighty fortress at the heart of Nocturnus, was no more. --- Well, I had a blast! As you may tell, time nor effort were spared in the creation of this whole article. The two micro builds, one modeled after @I Scream Clone's original Abyssian Castle (still as awesome today as it was in 2012), the other a transformation of it, were a kind of a new experience to me, as was the stopmotion! I'm so excited to hear your thoughts on it; I think this is the first time anything GoH has been animated? I'd gladly be proven wrong though, haha! Cheers!

This is not a problem or limitation though, as they've drastically changed the size of an idea before. Steamboat Willie, for example.

Awesome rockwork, especially the dark tan parts! The part with the vertical stripes is very effective for it's humble size, and I also spot old dark grey for smoother transition, very nice! I like the upper sections of the monastery, very architecturally pleasing, with a nice stairway corridor in the back. Also, modern square lattices in decades old window frames!! Aren't the panes glued in though ? Frankly I'm less fond of the middle section of the building, it's a bit messy where it 'turns around the corner' so to say. Other than that, great addition to the Kali Rakath range.

Nice little nanoscale build! The top render makes the pass seem a little broad relative to the mountains, but looking on Mecabricks it's not too noticeable. Good use of wedge plates, and satisfying that it indeed goes up and down; not just up. Great bit of story, and fitting sunset background!

I could see one of the cabins happen. Yes, they do them through Creator, but not at a high level of detail. Tensegrity still has appeal, so indeed depending on if they can get it to meet the quality standards I think it has a shot. Also I can imagine Jaws or the A-Team getting through, those licenses seem popular and don't rely on a huge build for a change.

Thanks for the compliments! Glad to hear the scene and story speaks to you as a non-chess lover! Thanks, Grover! Remember the castle fantasy chess sets of old? Nostalgia...

Nice! I don't think you were in the Guilds back then, but five years (for GoH's 5th anniversary) ago there was the Safe Haven Contest in which we were challenged to make a new foreign land, and that's when @mccoyed invented Yureishima. It would indeed be interesting to see the Toro Nagashi done for different guilds or tribes! For sure, and that's one reason why the Guilds is such an amazing place! Kanpai, Louis!

Thanks, Spader! Thank you! The black rook is favorite; it looks good and plays well in the hand. Yeah, better luck next time?

I've already told you twice about how much I like it, but I haven't told you exactly what I like about it. Well, it's hard to break down because the whole architecture is so detailed and massive and fascinating, but I will try. One thing that definitely sets it apart from the 'typical east asian' creations is the array of colours used. Not only red-black-white-gold, but also green tones, yellow tones, tan, blue tones, even pink! And yet it feels so natural. I love the Tibetan flair, with the brown and white horizontal bands and the heavy gate with the sloping walls, and the colourful mosaic going all around the base is brilliant! And lastly: somewhere between microscale and nanofig scale; awesome! There you have it, mate! Keep rocking! (Also, there are indeed great pictures in the Kali thread )

For me there's no doubt: this is your best build yet! Your architecture has matured: there is not a thing too much or to little in this build, for the level of detail and the textures you have chosen. And all the components (building, gate, tree, rockwork) are well-placed and well-proportioned; in harmony with one another. In those regards, I see many improvements over, say, Valnötsträd. Oh, and it is cool that the build splits, and the torii it still works out. Also: better photography! Keep it up, mate! I do have some points of criticism for story and lore, but I will say it mostly boils down to personal taste. Your writing is incredibly poetic! However, to my personal taste, it is also a bit long-winded and cryptic. ^This line is a good example of this. I'm just not really sure what is happening. Is she chasing a red smoke trail, or is this a floating lantern (or are those one and the same thing?)? I'm not a native speaker, so getting through literary English can still prove challenging, despite years of English education and practice. Also, I would have put everything that happens before reaching the Tōrō above the first picture, for better understanding of the story. Lastly: the lore; this is set in Mitgardia? I think it doesn't rhyme with the Scandinavian/Viking/Dwarven aesthetic for Mitgardia, so I would need some kind context to have that make sense. In Historica, east Asian architecture is concentrated in and around the Southern Rakath Mountains (including Ulandus, Quarkyr in Kaliphlin, and Zotharith in Nocturnus), and off the continent there is a collection of islands called Yureishima, which is essentially fantasy Japan. I think your build would fit into those places well without much explanation. Did you have a specific reason for locating it in Mitgardia? Lore aside, all the physical stuff here is outstanding, and I am really interested in your next builds!

Thanks!

Kingdom of Demoria, somewhere in the depths of the Nocty Underworld... The Underworld is a hazardous and hostile place, where living means surviving. But beyond the struggle for survival, there's really not much to keep you occupied. Not the relaxing forest walks that you have in Avalonia, for example, or the breathtaking views of snow-capped mountains as in Mitgardia. One might say the place is boring as hell... However, it's not all doom and gloom. For you see, demons have an exceptional love for games. Card games; board games; dice games; riddle games; hunting games, gambling games... anything can and will be turned into a game! Today the Queen and King of Demoria are having a public chess match, to decide whether to get a hellcat (his idea) or a hellhound (her idea). Demons... Queen Satania "Jester, d4." Jester "As you wish, m'queen." King Pyroclaides "d5." Jester "Of course, m'king!". Queen Satania "I will play.. c4." King Pyroclaides "Oh, excellent choice, darling." The crowd (cheering and chanting) "QUEEN'S GAMBIT!!! QU-EEN'S GAM-BIT !! Q-U-E-E-N'S G-A-M-B-I-T !!" The opening continued and a few pawns were exchanged. White was at a developing advantage, but as the game progressed black gained the upper hand. The heavy pieces remained on the board, and the endgame became fierce and tactical. Satania ended up loosing all her pawns, which left her king (the chess piece) almost completely exposed. Black's troops were closing in, forcing white's king into a stranglehold. The only way to avoid the impending final blow was a risky counterattack... Blinded by his own victory plan, the king (the demon) was cunningly tricked into a death trap. Queen Satania "It's about time I put an end to this game. Jester, move that rook too h2, will you?" Jester "At once, your excellency!" And so it was decided that they would get a hellhound. --- Additional pics: A brief break from the NCW builds. This was going to be my High Fantasy entry for Summer Joust 2021, but I couldn't finish in time. The idea came last minute, and though I got close to entering I do not regret taking an extra week to finish it. I really enjoyed this build. I've played chess for more than 10 years, I've been member at multiple chess club and participated in a few hundred tournements across Belgium, the Netherlands and even France. And for the connaisseurs, this is my Fide rating. A few years ago I decided to stop playing though, partly because of lack of motivation to learn new openings (to change up my games), but largely to have more time to build. That said, I haven't lost my affinity with the game, so this build is a happy marriage of Lego and chess. I hope you like it too, and who knows we can play a game if we happen to meet! Btw, anyone else not seeing anything in the preview mode?

Thank you! Yes, indeed. I'm building now what I couldn't back then. I've seen and read a lot the past years as research for this NCW series, and I every time I did so it made me realize just how bloody good the builds and stories of now inactive Nocties (and other Guildies) were. Not something to be taken for granted, and also worth upholding that legacy.

Giving a theme to a figbarf that already has a a defined theme and suggested format, now that's out-of-the-box thinking! Some of them look a little less polished than others, but on the whole you have added loads of depth to the lore! I think my favourites are "Punisment Shaves" (just hilarious!), "Mask of Shame" (interesting concept) and "Witch Burning" (great execution, no pun intended ). "Boiling Point" stands out as the absolute sickest, to me. Some general criticism: sometimes your builds are under-lit, and if you correct that with a photo-editor programme (I use Fastone Image Viewer), which is quite easy, I think that could make your builds come out better. And with the overview shot: try to space them out more. With figures/builds varying as wildly as these, I think it's important to make sure that the way of presentation is as orderly as possible. Overall, great work man!

Pardon my tardiness; it has been a great but busy few days! Yes, I love realism! And fantasy! The popularity of the ship is exceeding my expectations, and I'm glad you like the story! Thanks! Thank you, zoth! There's always an excuse to bring back the Algus, right? Thanks for the compliments, mate! (btw, "Valyrio in GoT" tripped me up for a moment, haha!)