Asca Duin Imlad: Challenge V Entry

[ZCerberus]

Asca Duin Imlad

Before Lord Rex and the Flight of Dragons saved Avalonia from its “Wild Period”, the House of Baine tortured and tormented the inhabitants of Avalonia’s Eastern Plains and Enchanted Forest. The Greenclove Elven tribe was unmercifully tormented by the marauders of the House of Baine. Under order of their head priestess, the Elves evacuated many of their homes, temples and fortresses to seek refuge in taller trees and behind stronger walls.

After the defeat of Baine at the battle for Eli’s Rock, when the fires subdued and peace returned, not every outpost, temple and city was reclaimed. For some Elves, the scars left by Baine simply cut too deep. One abandoned temple land was Asca Duin Imlad. Perched atop a rocky ravine with majestic waterfalls and lush forested lands all around, Asca Duin Imlad was said to be the most beautiful Elven temple in all of Historica.

With the abandonment of the Elves came a new opportunity for Avalonia’s northern neighbors. Dwarven miners from Mitgardia descended upon the ravine and quickly began chipping into the stone in search of precious jewels and treasures. The Dwarves knew the newly founded Avalonian guild would push westward to claim the land as their own. When the Flight of Dragons finally reached Asca Duin Imlad, the cliff had been hollowed and many treasures had been poached.

Today, Asca Duin Imlad is a fascinating mix of Dwarven, Elven, and Avalonian architecture. Its white Elven temple, statues and bridges mix with the brown wood and cold stone additions of the Dwarven miners and the makeshift camp of Avalonian refugees.

Once again Asca Duin Imlad is filled with the chatter of friendly voices as Mesodraconem empties into this mystic place for shelter from the Elemental storm. Trian Burress calls upon Mesodraconem’s greatest mage, Latne Mele, to strengthen the mystical powers emitted from the shrine at Asca Duin Imlad and keep the Elementals at bay while plans to defeat the Usurper can be made.

Top Side Details:

After hitting their marks on the scarecrows, Hand of Corruption soldiers are led in front of Avalonian archers for some live target practice.

A sword sits lodged in a stone, waiting for the new High King of the Elves to rightfully claim it and his throne.

Trian Buress meets with Huntsman Raman and Pack Master Lucian, allies from previous adventures, to discuss battle plans.

Three young students listen intently to the teachings of Latne.

The leader of the Greenriders, escorted by Rossen Manor Elite Guards, is tasked with delivering an important message to Lord Rex.

Refugees arrive from Avalonia with all the belongings strapped to their backs.

Avid fishermen and novices alike catch fish to feed the masses.

A brave Avalonian stands watch outside the Entrance to the dwarven caves.

Cave Details:

Avalonia’s Mesodraconem engineers and blacksmiths work the Dwarven forges.

A hairy-footed Avalonian finds a precious treasure in the caves.

Children under the watchful eye of their mother practice a warrior's craft

A Daikini mage with a magic acorn chases down a pig after it escaped during the “disappearing pig trick”.

A young Avalonian family finds a spot to call home.

Two Avalonian lovers enter the cave through the falls.

Another Avalonian hero recants a former war story to Avalonians in “hand-me-down” armor.

The cave gives a place for Avalonians to store their food and poultry

Some design notes:

The size restriction was 52 x 52 which = 2,704 studs. I knew I couldn’t achieve the look I wanted with a square base, so I made the base area 66 x 40 = 2,640 studs

I chose to go with a less “classic” vertical banding for the cliff side because when I thought about how a cliff would be formed through water erosion and the like, it occurred to me it would have vertical banding more so than the horizontal type formations we usually see in LEGO brick.

I also went with wooden supports inside the mine/cave as opposed to the lighter colored bley since I surmised the Dwarven miners were trying to get as much from the caves as possible before Avalonians or the Greenclove Elves returned. I also made the door into the mine smaller than a typical minifig door as dwarves are much smaller.

I also knew this thing was going to be difficult to move, so I made the base come apart in 5 sections. That way I could move the structure and also get some detailed photos of the interior. The seams for the separate sections can be found without a lot of difficulty from the backside, but I accepted that tradeoff for the mobility.

There are several light bricks in the build to allow for some light to be shed in the dark recesses of the caves. There is also a red light brick in the forge and a yellow light brick in the top of the Elven temple to shine light down on the sword in the stone err… the elf king sword…

I had problems with the photos. I got a few taken on Saturday with some natural light, then it started raining. I took the remainder in my garage today with as much lighting as I could muster, but it just isn't the same! Oh well. Maybe another day I will get another chance to take more of the pictures outside.

[Legonardo]

Brilliant entry! my internets all stuffy at the moment and only the first pic has loaded ( after about 3 minutes) so I'll comment again later when I can see all of it!

[MikeyB]

Great stuff and you set the bar high! I have to admit I have been stalking your flickr feed for a couple days waiting on this to show up! So much to see. The rocks, the waterfall, the temples, the bridges the landscaping, the humor. This will be another guild win if not GoH win me thinks!

Good job!

[PenPlays]

Wow that really is a beauty! I love how you scattered all those light bricks throughout (were you pressing them on while taking the picture? I would commend you for that because that is feat of its own ). I was wondering why you wanted all those roll calls for this challenge. Now its evident that you wanted them to seek refuge in your build. I was intending to use this one vote that has your name on it for something else, but I really couldn't scrub the name off...

[Torgar]

Excellent! I really like you rock work, and the temple is perfect. Well done!

[Kayne]

Great build Z! There are a ton of great details and techniques throughout here. I also really like all of the different mythologies(movies) that you referenced throughout. I got: LOTR, Willow, Harry Potter, Sword in the Stone....there's more I'm missing I'll bet

[Bob De Quatre]

Awesome build!

The cliff is really realistic, some brown plates would have been nice just between the rock and the grass.

The caves are large and full of fun little scene.

My bad english doesn't allow me to say all I wanted to say... And I don't trust Google translate

[Kai NRG]

Fantastic entry, again I really love that roof, and the caves are also looking spectacular! Love your reference to Willow, and from Kayne's comment apparently you've referneced other movies as well. Love the guy catching fishes and your stone work is fabulous! Surprising how many Challenge V entires have used water falls! I guess a multi-level creation is the perfect opportunity!

[soccerkid6]

Beautiful work The horizontal rocks work perfectly and I love the dwarven cave/elven architecture mix

The doors to the dwarven caves look familiar I'm sure you'll do quite well in the judging

[kabel]

I chose to go with a less “classic” vertical banding for the cliff side because when I thought about how a cliff would be formed through water erosion and the like, it occurred to me it would have vertical banding more so than the horizontal type formations we usually see in LEGO brick.

this is so true and I have actually thought about this too. However, now that you've tried it out on a larger scale I'll probably not go back to vertical banding. That said, I really love your moc. Everything is just really sweet. But as someone who took Geology classes in college I have to say that your banding is the best!

[monsinjor]

Amazing. Really amazing. My jaw just hit the ground when I saw the cliffs...

[TenorPenny]

Very impressive, with a strong sense of character there.

[Wedge09]

Wow, impressive MOC :thumbup:

I really like how you make the caves, the rocky slope :wub:

[Mike S]

There are so many excellent details here. Really like the scarecrow, and the sword in the stone as well as the elven temple.

[Niku]

This is absolutely great.

I think you might win again, the work is superb.

[Balthasar]

Beautiful. Those snot rockworks work perfectly in this moc. I also love that elvisch looking building with the thin pillars. It makes me think of rivendell after i just watched lord of the rings today. Great feel. The foilage is excellent as well. I guess there is just to much to like here :-s

[mrcp6d]

First, as others have noted, the horizontal 'banded' rock is a great idea and well executed.

Second, the facial expression on the fig with the soon-to-be-dead chicken cracked me up. Wish he was facing the camera a little more.

[Rogue Angel]

Beautiful entry as always Z! You've really taken advantage of the sizing restriction well, and the ravine is gorgeous! I love how the walls curve in and out. It looks much more interesting than the standard vertical format. The Elven temple is very nice as well, reminds me of a little wedding chapel. The waterfall is great, and I love all the things going on in this MOC, especially all the cameos, (except the hp kids - those are modern day fantasy characters - get them out of there!) Fantastic build!

[Ecclesiastes]

Absolutely stunning Z! I like the rockwork with the slopes used sideways. What I like even more is the amount of life you've put into it with all those minifigs doing so much different things!

[Infernum]

Whoa! So many great details! I don't know what to say so I'll say this: you're brilliant!

[badboytje88]

This should get frontpage! Love love love the dome roof tower!

[Erynlasgalen]

So many great details in this

I especially love the top of the elven building, you captured the essence of the architecture perfectly.

One day I am going to have to try out the horizontal rockwork, it looks so great here. The curve it makes is wonderful, and perfect for a ravine.

Excellent MOC!

[de Gothia]

I love it! This is just so perfect! The temple with it´s green roof and dome blends perefect into the lushy sorroundings! The caves with all the details have keep me busy for a long time now!

Great entry Z and I´m sure this will be in the top!

[ZCerberus]

Thanks everyone. I put a good amount of work into it, but it was very hard to photograph. There are some MOCs that look better in real life, and this is one of them. Great job to everyone who entered. Another very strong round.

[Rolli]

What should I write about that, Z? Brilliant as always? Great incorporation of new techniques? Lovely interiors? Everything has been said I guess.

Thank you for including my SigFig, I truly had to smile! And thanks for giving me a place to live ;)

The horizontal technique for cliffs is very well executed. I tried it once myself but I had way too many parts and forgot about it. Thanks for bringing it back, I might try it again. Next year. I don't know.

Two points of critique: I am missing daffodils. And there is something strange about the temple. The roof is great, nothing to say about that, but I find that the base somehow doesn't fit there. Just from a architectural or logical view. But: Its just a minor thing. You will win once again, I guess. (Hey! That would leave me 2nd place in winning challenges ;) )

I look forward to another build from you. It cherishes me every time when I see something from you, especially when I can't build. Something from Varlyrio maybe? (I am already collecting all conquistadors I can get here, so I am preparing and stacking up until I can build again.. ;) )

Kind regards from Ireland!

Edited November 19, 2012 by Rolli