Khorne

Thanks, @NOD! The cloth may be a reference, but it wasn't 100% meant to be a literal one. More of a symbolic link to show the arrested man had revolutionary or at least anti-royal sympathies. Glad you caught up on that! I like the diagonal house as well. The first iteration of the build was more "standard" and just plain frontal. I didn't really like it, so I reworked it so that the house was now diagonally placed. It adds an interesting visual dynamic.

Thanks! An easy edit, but it helps add atmosphere. I wanted to make the rock/cliff bigger, but apparently this is the extent of my dark grey slope pieces . Could've sworn I had more. Probably tied up in another build somewhere, I guess. Thanks! There is less action as of yet, compared to the start of the Secret War which had a clearer narrative from the beginning. I'm setting the scene first before we get to the juicy bits . It's Phantom Menace-esque politics and economics first, haha. On to the next! Chapter III. - Underground Following a series of tunnels, some man-made while others were created by the course of ancient underground streams that had since dried up, Celeste and Joseph caught up with another of the smugglers also using the tunnels on his way back to the city. The local knew the underground network like the back of his hand and together the party inched closer towards the city, finally leaving the damp tunnels for the more civilized yet more pungent sewers. Joseph was gagging at the stench and tried to cover his face with his sleeve. "We should've tried our luck above ground, I reckon." The smuggler was quick to turn down that idea. "Non, amic. Marrida idéa - bad idea. The city is in turmoil since the governor announced they'd be raising the salt tax and levy more men for the wars in the colonies." He turned to his accidental companions, to underscore the gravity of the situation. "The situation is bad, cresètz-me. Yesterday, they arrested père Verlaine. He's a popular fella 'round these parts. A Ferryman." Celeste looked inquisitively at Joseph, in want of clarification. While Joseph was from around, Celeste used to live in the northern parts of Oléon and she had a hard time keeping up with both the dialect and the local idioms. Jacques - the smuggler, noticed the glance and briefly explained. "A Ferryman is a member of the Stygian Poor Order. Traveling mendicant priests of Hades who help those who can't afford proper funerary services or live too far off in the wilderness to be serviced by the regular priests. There's many such communities here. Père Verlaine helped many people. He's a trusted fella and wanted to use his voice to appeal to the authorities." The smuggler continued to drudge through the muck. "The bastards locked him up, though. No one knows what has happened to him since. Today, the Gendarmerie was out and about to arrest suspects of incitement of anti-royal sentiment." "Not much further now. We're near to where the Forger lives. He'll fix you up with proper papers and documents to travel the country. You'll be model citizens again.", Jacques stated and slowed his pace. "He's already dead.", Celeste said bluntly as she stared ahead into nothingness. She shook her head. "I have seen it." Now it was Jacques who looked suspiciously at Celeste and then Joseph. "Your amigueta, she okay? Who is she talking about? The Forger?" "Non. Père Verlaine. He is dead." Jacques scoffed in disbelief. "How would you know? You barely got here. The garrison wouldn't do that. Especially now. I mean, they're not the brightest lot, but it would be like lighting the fuse to the bomb beneath their own position themselves." Joseph's face turned white. "She... she just knows things...She sees things. It'd be safe to assume the worst. We need to leave the city."

Chapter II. - Salty Business See spoiler below for a clearer, non-edited picture. The Rocinante floated off the shores for some time, staying hidden between the rocky outcrops and coves until night had come. It would be safer to row ashore under the cover of darkness. Thankfully for Celeste and the rest of her party, rain had started to fall during the twilight hours, further diminishing the visibility. Celeste didn't know the area at all and peered out into the darkness to spot anything at all to help her get a lay of the land. Only in the distance could she make out the faint light of a lantern. The crew made it to shore without incidents, where they quickly jumped off the rowboat with the remaining gear and packs that had survived their escape from El Oleonda. From the darkness, several figures emerged - their faces masked by neckerchiefs pulled up high. Joseph nodded as a way of greeting them and turned to Celeste. "Smugglers", he explained. "Don't mind them, they're merely here to make use of the captain's ferrying service, as we did. We're getting off and they'll load their goods on the Rocinante, which'll then ship them to another port." "What are they smuggling?", Celeste queried. "Salt. It's the prime product of this region and source of most of Salinas-de-Sant'Arrys' income. They smuggle it from here to regions in Oléon or beyond where the tax rate on salt is higher. We have it in abundance here, so it's relatively easy to turn a profit. If you know what you're doing and willing to break the law, obviously. Punishments are hard." Joseph pointed his lantern forward, towards a crevice or crack between the cliffs before them. If one didn't know what to look for, it was easy to miss. It looked like a natural crack later expanded by human hands. He gestured Celeste to follow him. "Come, madonna. We'll use the same tunnel network as the smugglers. We'll be able to get into Sant'Arrys unnoticed this way." "Oi, amic!", one of the smugglers shouted softly in a muffled voice. "Be careful in the city. The garrison is on high alert and the populace is restless. The governor is planning on raising the taxes and increasing the levy of men to bolster the army in El Oleonda. Needless to say, the people are having a hard time with those ideas. Last I heard, a priest got incarcerated during protests, further raising the tensions. Far mèfi." Joseph nodded in acknowledgment. "Farà." Then the party entered the darkness of the caves.

Wow, thanks! I'm honored! Thanks!

Thanks @Keymonus, glad you liked the short read so far. I'm looking forward to expand the story and hopefully have some free time soon to finish up some other MOCs for the next parts. The rough times in BOBS will surely get referenced in the story!

Thanks! I'm glad with how the build and the photography came out, as well. No, the eyes are printed on the head. You can see a non-edited version in the spoiler tag. I bought the head off Bricklink, but I think it's originally a Jawa head. I like how the eyes added a touch of humanity over a completely black head piece.

Instantly recognizable for any Belgian, I reckon! The digital build is already looking quite impressive. A build with actual bricks will be a titanic endeavor indeed! Did you try contacting the Gravensteen already, or Ghent Tourist Service? Perhaps they might be interested in some sort of team-up/sponsorship in exchange for displaying the model at the castle for a while? I was in Ypres last summer and they also had a Lego version of the Lakenhalle there. Will you add the infamous elevator pavilion as well ? (j/k)

Chapter I. - Rocinante Celeste jolted up from her hammock, nearly falling out in doing so. She woke from a deep slumber and felt as if crawling her way up from a dark chasm. There were trickles of sweat on her forehead - she was burning up and grasped her neck, taking in deep chugs of fresh air. It took her a moment to return to her senses and become aware of her surroundings: the hold of the ship Rocinante, together with other survivors of El Oleonda who were able to flee the island. "So you finally awake, madonna", a young man remarked as he slurped his soup. "I wasn't sure if you wanted me to wake you up. We're nearly at the coast." "A bad dream?", he queried, then looked up, wiped his mouth and asked in a more serious manner: "or a vision?" "It's nothing of importance, Joseph", Celeste quickly replied and waved away his interest. She rubbed her eyes. "When are we disembarking?" "Tonight. The captain says it'll be safer if we use the rowing boats to make our way up to the smuggling caverns off the shore, instead of using the port to dock. The army has been put on high alert after our escape from El Oleonda. We need to lay low." Celeste raised an eyebrow. "There are no smuggling caverns off the Granoleon coast, as far as I'm aware." "We're not going to Granoleon, madonna. That's too dangerous now. We sailed south to Salinas-de-Sant'Arrys instead." "But I need to go to Granoleon," Celeste protested. She let her hand slide over the scar on her cheek, a grim reminder of past events on El Oleonda. "Oc, I understand. Don't worry. Me and the others, we're all with you. To the end, madonna. You saved us all. If it wasn't for you, we'd have never made it off that island. We'd never have made it through the patrols on the high seas. We owe you our lives." Joseph paused for a second and then continued to lay out the plan. "From Sant'Arrys we'll slip into the Champs Fauves. I know some folks there. They'll help us out. We'll find a way to Granoleon." ----- Since this chapter is closely connected to the prologue, I decided to post it today in a quick follow-up. Also, I won't have a lot of time the coming weeks and wanted to start the story already with a least a bit of character introduction and not just a vague prologue.

Do you have a behind the scenes look perhaps, to see your setup and equipment? I'm always very interested in this kind of stuff . I like a good presentation almost as much as a good MOC. Three point light setup?

Similar to the story I did last year (The Secret War), the tale of La Revenante will also be divided into different chapters with a corresponding build. For ease of navigation, I will once a again add a table of contents to the first post, with links to all chapters and builds: Prologue - Fire and Brimstone Chapter I. - Rocinante Chapter II. - Salty Business Chapter III. - Underground Prologue - Fire and Brimstone The flames wrapped around the woman's body and clawed their way up, spurred on by the fresh air. The chains which held her to the stake rattled as her body contorted in a deadly struggle against the heat and fumes. Yet still, she hardly made a sound. Annoyed, the priest of Zeus continued to spat out the sentence of condemnation. The crowd was ecstatic at the sight of such a spectacle. It had been a while since they had a good burning. "For defying the King's Royal and Absolute Authority: Death", the priest exclaimed as the crowd started to roar. The soldiers were vigilant as to not let any peasant come too close, every now and then violently shoving one away with a hard butt of the musket. "For standing up to a tyrant", the woman transformed the priest's words in her mind. It took most of her remaining life energy and vestige of sanity to form any thoughts in the face of immolation. Defiant to the end, as the flames licked her clothes and hair and burned her skin. The cleric waved his hand to calm down the crowd. He grinned sadistically as he continued the follow-up of his plea. "For challenging the base principles of the Faith and its representative here in the Realm: Lord Calida, for this Heresy", the priest made sure to accentuate the last word, "death by burning at the stake!" Her mind crawled up from the abyss once more: "For showing the people the Truth." "In Death, punishment. An end to your miserable short-lived life, rat," the priest looked at his victim. The flames reflected in his black beady hate-filled eyes. The smoke filled her lungs. Coughing violently and through excruciating pain, the end had come. "In Death, Absolution and equality. Death is the beginning. Ideas are immortal." A chilling scream. And then total darkness. ----- The start of a new story series. Could be handy if you read the Secret War, but not completely necessary. I think in terms of length, it might be somewhat similar. I'll try to make the builds bigger this time (12x12). I hope you all come along for the ride and will enjoy the story. As always, comments and criticism are welcome. And for those who know where this is headed: no spoilers Extra pictures (with unedited one):

An adventurous conclusion to the story arc! We will see what Tristan's future brings and what new places he will discover. The backdrop might be simple, but conveys the feeling of a hold very well. It's fittingly repurposed here. I will come back to check this out once I need to make a backdrop of a ship's hold myself . I like the raised parts of the floor. That's a detail I would've forgotten if I made something similar.

Beautiful MOC! The style is "simple" enough to feel Lego-y and fit in with official sets somewhat, but still intricate enough with plenty of cool details to look at. The way you did the ropes is a great example of nice piece usage. Minifigs are all top notch as well and make the whole stand out. Like NOD said, the barrels are a nice touch. Also, I have to commend the photography here. Really excellent! Everything is so crisp and perfectly lit - the bright orange and blue sea really pops. It's so clean, it almost looks like a render. Truly magnificent shot.

Haha, I love how cliché evil von Undingen looks here. A dark hood and cloak and a pointy hook, combined with a mustache perfectly suited for twirling when explaining your evil plans. Some great details all-around. I chuckled when I saw the chamber pot .

Just like most of the other buildings I made for the market street, this one is based on Southeast Asian shophouses as well. I find the blending of east and west interesting and befitting Jiangkai, so I wanted to try it out. Glad you like it! The bright orange was a pain to build with though. While a lot of basic bricks are available in that color, many special bricks, such as headlight bricks an the like, are not. Luckily I like building in a mottled and "dirty" style, so I could easily swap in some secondary colors. Thanks! I love that you spotted the star, even though I hadn't pointed it out. Good eye! The star is the symbol I use for (Oléon's) police forces.

As Jiangkai slowly but surely started to grow again, royal authorities had decided it was time to open a small police station in the city to ensure the King’s justice and provide the stability and peace Oléon had promised the people there, when they joined the Empire. An added advantage was that the soldiers stationed there, could be relieved of their sentry duties and sent to the frontlines to mop up remaining Lotii resistance and bring an end to the drawn-out conflict on El Oleonda. Because of Jiangkai special semi-autonomous statute within the larger realm of Oléon, it was allowed to raise its own policing unit called the Garde Municipale, or Municipal Guard - their own petite equivalent of Oléon’s Force Publique. Members of this token police force were mostly drawn from Monomontachi commoners, with the handful of officers coming from a higher class. While the personnel was locally recruited, the police station was headed by an Oléonder officer sent from the Old Country, in this case Armand DeWitt. A veteran of Guelphian conflicts and a catalyst in the transformation and organization of the Gendarmerie Royale, he was the ideal candidate to bring the King’s Law to the outskirts of the Empire and train a local police force, under trying circumstances. As a representative of Royal Justice and as officer in the Gendarmerie, Lysandre saw it fitting to visit his old acquaintance in Jiangkai and discuss the situation on the island, before departing once again. “Seems like there’s just no end to this war”, Armand sighed. He watched the bustling street below them and eyed how his freshly recruited police officers patrolled the nascent city. “I’ll be glad to do my part here and help rebuild the city in the name of Oléon. For too long these people spent their lives in darkness. It is high time they can bathe in the King’s Light.” “What word can you share about the frontlines, Lysandre?” Lysandre mulled his thoughts for some time before answering. It was a difficult question with no clear answer, as the fog of war was thick and muddled things, even for him. “It seems like Lotii resistance has largely broken down. There are still pockets of resistance, though. They’re a stubborn bunch, largely loyal to a fault.” “And what of the rebels I heard were fighting on their side?”, DeWitt queried inquisitively. Lysandre’s face lightened up and he smirked. “We broke that pack of flea-ridden red dogs. They started falling apart once the Lotii’s lines started crumbling. Their leadership is gone and according to rumors, there is internal dissent. The bastards are eating themselves up from the inside.” DeWitt nodded acknowledgingly. “Good riddance. Speaking of internal dissent, a wounded Brigade Rouge prisoner passed through my prison cell and had quite an interesting tale to tell. My chief officer is compiling the report as we speak. I had preferred to have been able to sent it sooner, but the bureaucracy is still rather slow here. Most of my men are still learning Oléonese, so I have to triple-check everything.” Lysandre eyed his compatriot and raised a curious eyebrow. “Do go on. Something I don’t know yet?” “I wouldn’t dare claim you don’t know anything yet. Given your connections to the more … darker agencies of our Royal administration. Still, I found it compelling. It might corroborate other musings you heard already.” “Like you already said, most of the Brigade Rouge has been destroyed or captured on El Oleonda. Others have fled and formed their own sub factions. This prisoner vehemently claimed he had witnessed a miracle on the island and that apparently a number of mercenaries was able to flee the island, back to home.” “Do go on”, the Captain urged his friend. “According to the prisoner, one of their own was shot. Mortally so. Apparently a rather young girl. A plebe from the Eranos region that joined the Heraclians out of youthful spite and rebellious spirit. She volunteered to fight here, but like I said: she was killed. Or at least it seems that way. Here’s where the tale gets interesting. The prisoner claims the girl was dead - stone-cold dead -, but as they brought her back to camp in order to bury her, she mysteriously came back to life.” Lysandre laughed. “Hah, this dog was just playing you. A fool’s tale. A heretic thought in the very least.” “Believe what you will, it all seemed very real to this prisoner. He said her soul was returned to this world by Hades himself. Brought back to right the wrongs. She claimed to have received visions and instructions to cleanse the world of its sins. To stop the coming Apocalypse. She prophesied that the Brigade Rouge was about to be ended and fled with a large group of believers. Apparently, she was able to guide the party through all of over patrols, as if guided by forces unknown. From what I gathered, they fled back to Oléon to strengthen their numbers there.” While Bernadotte was still laughing a minute ago, his face had gotten more stern now. “While the story in itself seems very implausible, but if there is truly a large group of enemies that was able to make its way out of here, I will have to check into that.” “Put some haste into that report and be sure to directly send lieutenant-colonel Andromeda a copy. She’ll want to hear of this.” Another addition to my Jiangkai Market Street. I have another one built and photographed, ready to be posted. I was waiting until I could make a picture with all buildings combined, but my lightbox is too small and the weather has turned bad and winter-y (YUCK), so it's difficult to use real daylight to light the full scene. More images here: