[OL - FB] End of An Era

[Ross Fisher]

Archbishop François passed under François' Arc De Triumph. A massive edifice of marble and sandstone, surmounted by a Quadriga of Hades; it represented a monument to all he had worked towards. Ironic, then, that it was dedicated to his brother. 

Hades himself rarely presided over victory monuments like this. And yet, it was not entirely inappropriate. He recalled the old adage; "Count no man happy until he is dead".

With the Seawatch campaign happily brought to a conclusion, Hercule could rest secure in his victory. And for Jules? A celebration was in order.

It certainly would not hurt their family to have an edifice bearing their name standing on one of the main routes into Granoleon. Even now Celeste was making the rounds among the masqued revellers, introducing them to her nephew, the diminutive new Comte Hercule François the Younger.

But he would not come into his own for many years yet. Instead, it was time for someone else to carry the name forward. Who better than the Archbishop? He had, after all, been by his brother's side every step of the campaign; his Knights Treasurer were holding important territory among the colonies; and his people were working even now to develop Nola Mar into one of the premier trading ports in the Brick Seas. 

Perhaps now it was time to return home and trade all that for real power. Put a hand on the tiller of the nation? Few could deny him that.

He looked back, and beckoned his ward. She had, after all, been with him at many of the stages of this journey. In Fatu Hiva they had called her "Weasel". Among the Sisters of Artemis she was "Sister Phoebe". To the troops of the Oleonaise 3ieme Division she was known as "Phoebe Full-Draw". Tonight she was in disguise as a Hellequin. Who knew what she would be tomorrow? But she was grown now, and fully capable of taking care of herself. Even now she bridled against any restraint put in her path. Perhaps it was time to grant her her independence? He felt a pang. All these years, he had tried to protect her. But no-one could be protected indefinitely. Certainly not this child. 

He smiled at her.

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't dismember anyone too publicly this time. It is not considered ladylike."

"We'll see," she smiled, and skipped into the crowd. The world would have its hands full with that one. Oh well; her ship would sail with the morning tides. She couldn't do too much damage before then, right?

Edited June 12, 2024 by Ross Fisher

[evancelt]

Lovely! So many great masks - great atmosphere

[Khorne]

As I said on Flickr: very cool architecture! The quadriga is really well built and as Evancelt also said: great atmosphere and parts usage with the masks and everything. Outstanding build! Very fitting title as well.

I'm interested to see where this goes.

[Yperio_Bricks]

Impressive triumphal arch! The quadriga is build so well But the minifigs really steal the show here. So mayn great and flamboyant characters

[NOD]

A successful combination to unite the horse-drawn carriage from Brandenburg Gate and the Arc de Triomphe in one monument. It's fun to see the masked people celebrating. I am curious to see what happens next with Archbishop François and Phoebe.

Edited June 11, 2024 by NOD

[Jeff of Clubs]

@Ross Fisher, marvelous work! And you said you had no time to build. I love the use of odd heads as masks. Great figs and archway and a fine send off for the good general.

As such, it pains me to say it but this build exceeds the 20×20 size limit for this challenge and wouldn't be eligible for voting as it is. Sorry it's awesome.

[Ross Fisher]

29 minutes ago, Jeff of Clubs said:

it pains me to say it but this build exceeds the 20×20 size limit

Ah, that's my misreading. I saw "At least" and "20×20" and hit on this...

No biggie. I have other ideas.

Edited June 12, 2024 by Ross Fisher

[Jeff of Clubs]

3 hours ago, Ross Fisher said:

Ah, that's my misreading. I saw "At least" and "20×20" and hit on this...

No biggie. I have other ideas.

I'll clean the wording up on that. 

[Maxim I]

Stunning architecture you did here!

I love the statues you incorporated in the walls and the chariot with horses on top makes it shine.

Great job!

[Keymonus]

Impressive architecture, and an amazing display of odd minifigures! I like the idea of "fantasy" minifigures for the masquerade. The arch with the spectral chariot on it clearly steals the scene. I also love the use of the completely tan minifigs as statues. I'm really looking forward to seeing where the story will bring your characters!

[Captain Braunsfeld]

Congratulations 

This is an excellent build, filled with diligently designed minifigures - and it is also part of your overall story-telling. 

I like this very much and it was high time that I put this onto our frontpage! 

[Jeff of Clubs]

2 minutes ago, Captain Braunsfeld said:

Congratulations 

This is an excellent build, filled with diligently designed minifigures - and it is also part of your overall story-telling. 

I like this very much and it was high time that I put this onto our frontpage! 

Hear! Hear!

[LEGO Train 12 Volts]

You may have spent a fortune but it was worth it, you have a unique collection of masks! 

...and YES I love them!

[JopieK]

Very nice work indeed! Really nice both the arch with all it's details and all the great figs!

[Ross Fisher]

On 7/9/2024 at 8:11 PM, Captain Braunsfeld said:

it was high time that I put this onto our frontpage!

Thankyou very much! I didn't see this at the time but it's much appreciated. 

@LEGO Train 12 Volts Thankyou! I think the only thing I bought specifically for this build were the extra thestrals. Everything else will get multiple uses. I love the weirdness!

On 7/10/2024 at 11:20 AM, JopieK said:

Very nice work indeed! 

Much appreciated.