Choosing a Guild: It's your decision

[PenPlays]

"The bard’s song tells a tale of a world long forgotten..."

It's no doubt that those words were the first thing we knew about Historica, but this "world long forgotten" was born in such a way that has only recently become familiar to us...

"Race against race, clan against clan, shields clashed with swords..."

...civil war.

But what were we before? Four powerful lands united as one, underneath a King who, even though ruthless, had the will and know-how to keep us all together. And now? We continue with the legacy he left behind, and those who abandon us will pay the price, but that legacy doesn't mean that we'll all have to stay put in our Guilds. We have been offered the chance to change where we stand for the same greater good that our former King strived for. Because of this, I was offered the same choice, and like many others I had to evaluate what would be the best for me, and I would like to share my evaluations...

Nocturnus:Guild of Wastes

Yes, nearly everything is dead here, well regarding plant life and animal life that is. It still does not lack an ecosystem, however. Many trees grow here and are eventually withered into water sapped husks, and grass patches that had little chance of thriving are a pale shade of gold. Those conditions, however, give the guild a unified beauty as a blank canvas for life to thrive with the aid of its other Guilds. Animals are few, but those that survived are strong and tough, and have a majesty about them that is unrivaled. The Rakath Mountains etch along the horizon, and on either side? The wildest collection of civilized races teaming and working with and against each other for the title of superiority among the Guild. A community that would be unrivaled if all of their peoples would join as one. I was considering that I could be the one that would strive for that, but an ex-Avalonian calling the shots? If this journey is in my future, now is not the time to fulfill it.

My allies(from front to back) from Nocturnus, Sensei Sakuseisha* (Sensei Saku for short) and his followers Yama* and Shiro* are quite fond of the Guild, and will remain as the representatives of Nocturnus for The Ring.

Kaliphlin:Guild of Sands

The amount of plant and animal life here is near to that of Nocturnus' situation. However, Winter never truly comes here, allowing tropical paradises to grow wildly in its southern regions, and near oases in the Siccus Badlands, the Dune Sea, and the Parched Lands. Desert creatures also thrive here, many as dangerous as Dragons. Nearly all civilizations here are situated cautiously next to a body of water, and have a wild amount of goods to sell from all over the Guilds. Kaliphlin can be considered the oldest of the Guilds considering how well the history of Kaligem was written into history. What's also interesting about the Guild is that it is currently ruled by a Council of High Lords that meet regularly to discuss matters of the Guild, and to improve upon what has already been established. Kaliphlin is also a learning hub, being that the Petraea University is the only college available among the entirety of Historica. Having studied there, the Guilds are in no better hands to learn of the world. It's just that, miraculously, I seemed to have already been well informed on the subject matter that was being taught. Kaliphlin probably understands its people the best, and one day, hypothetically speaking, I would move my family there in a heartbeat, but I feel as if I'm needed elsewhere at the moment.

My ally, Tristain, is a marksman that has strived to be an archer for Mpya Stedor, but some misunderstanding has crushed that dream, and he lies with The Ring as Kaliphlin's representative.

Mitgardia:Guild of Snow

Life expands and recedes as the snow melts and returns between seasons, but one thing us for sure, fur and hide trade is massive here. The game that roams the mountains is by far unperalelled among the Guilds. There are also creatures among the thick of the Rakath Mountains that are true forces of nature, including the Guild's citizens. They are bred for survival and are known to carry very heavy garbs, garbs worn even in the warmth of Kaliphlin. The citizens here are also very gentle with people and are helpful to others new to the harsh conditions their mountains have to offer... unless they have wrong intentions. Ignoring the fact that I don't like the cold, Mitgardia does sound fun to explore in the Summertime, but I have no real wish of ever living there.

The Mitgardian representative in The Ring goes by the name of Nordoric. He is a berzerker, originally trained as a bodyguard for the currently missing Jarl Nibelung. He too was demoted of his destiny by misunderstandings, which have made both he and Tristain far better friends then they thought they would.

Which leaves me with...

Avalonia:Guild of Forests

Yes. I have chosen to stay with Avalonia. Avalonia is a sprawling Metropolis of mythical creatures and animals to the west and a land of towns and kingdoms to its east. Its trees offer variation to the plains that stretch left and right, and the area has a very balanced weather system that offers seasons that never reach extremes. The amount of farmland is also preposterous, and most crops come from this Guild. Some people here are a bit stuck up however, thinking that they are superior for sitting in the lap of luxury that is Avalonia. They couldn't be more wrong. Each Guild has so much to offer that it sickens me of how much smack is spoken about the other Guilds. Yes, I find myself chiming in, but for what? My reason for staying in Avalonia isn't because I feel that Avalonia is perfect. I choose to remain here, because it was the Guild of Historica that I was born into theoretically. All of my closest friends are here, and all of the basic comodities are at my disposal. A place to live, food, and a makeshift family.

Drinnian may be the only reason why that family is established. He founded The Ring (named after the Giant's ring on his rist that he cherishes) as his own Guild of colleagues from all over the land. Only recently has he achieved his goal of having a member from every Guild join him, and he is no where near to stop aquireing more members.

Malivan is always at his side, being both Drinnian's and my voice of reason. He is Drinnian's "secretary" and personal bodyguard. For that, he is never far from Drinnians side unless commanded. His loyalty knows no bounds, and he is well informed on the situation at hand. Many would kill for an ally like him.

I just pray that evil won't divide us in the end.

Having made my decision, I hope to offer my opinion of each Guild to those who are still skeptical on their decision. And I hope dear reader that with this letter, I helped you confirm your decision as well, dear reader.

-Owlan of Avalonia

This is my proclamation for my Guild choice for Book 2, as well as an introduction to the rest of the main characters of my story, Dawn of Ages. The MOC itself was something I always wanted to do, combining a bunch of vignettes into what I would call a mush MOC.

(Two separate images)

Comments and criticism is welcome!

*Pronounced "Saw-koo-say-shoo" or "Saw-koo," "Yaw-muh," and "Shee-row."

Edited September 22, 2013 by Penkid11

[Gideon]

Wonderful idea of a multi-vignette build, I had no idea until the last pictures that it was all the same MOC

Good job with the photography as well!

Edited September 22, 2013 by Gideon

[ZCerberus]

So you picked the wrong guild. How sad.

Also, I'm going to have to change the title to this MOC as "Historica United" has already been used in a MOC. What would you like the title to be?

[Lord Vladivus]

This is great! Nice figs, and great way to represent all of the varying guilds in one MOC!

[Torgar]

You should call it "The Decision", great idea and execution! You picked the wrong guild though...

[Derfel Cadarn]

Great idea to mix the different lands into one moc. Nicely done and interestingly written. I'm not going to say weather you have made a good choice or a bad one, you know that already

[HammerBro]

Nice job, I also didn't notice that it was all one mod until the end of the post. Well done with the different guild portrayals.

[PenPlays]

Thank you all for the positive comments.

Also, I'm going to have to change the title to this MOC as "Historica United" has already been used in a MOC. What would you like the title to be?

You should call it "The Decision", great idea and execution! You picked the wrong guild though...

This title fits the description well, but I was thinking of expanding it to Choosing a Guild: It's your decision.

[Mike S]

Great build and description of the guilds! The Ring sounds cool and Masa plans to investigate the possibility of an alliance with the organization.

[Captain BeerBeard]

I like how you did this. Sweet figs too.

[Infernum]

Nice figs and I love how they're all on one base! Is that Victor in the second-to-last picture?

[PenPlays]

Is that Victor in the second-to-last picture?

That was meant to throw people off. No, this is someone different, and far, far worse. If I'm assigned to the Spire sometime during Book 2, you will have a chance to see from his perspective.

Edited September 23, 2013 by Penkid11

[Legonardo]

i think i recognise the black mage... cornovaria?...

well done

[PenPlays]

i think i recognise the black mage... cornovaria?...

well done

Yes... which I will finish as I intended to do so long ago.

And thank you.

[soccerkid6]

Pretty good descriptions of each guild Having all the vignettes on one base worked pretty well here. The Avalonian section is my favorite vignette because of the cool tree

[Niku]

Nice moc in delivering the four guilds in one vignette, I think it really depicts the basics of each guild.

And good to have you with us Penkid.

[Gabe]

Great idea to show vignettes from all the guilds in the one build - you certainly packed a lot in! The black mage in his underground lair (an ice cavern?) is my fav part of the build, looking appropriately foreboding!

Yama and Shiro look like they have a few issues to sort out with each other - a microcosm of your view of Nocturnus relations perhaps?

The only criticism i have is with the railing in the Kaliphlin vig - that 1x4 tile sticking up is a bit jarring.

Anyway, it's nice to see some respect been paid between the guilds! Trash talk is all very well, but it gets a little wearisome sometimes.

[PenPlays]

Thanks again to everyone for the positive comments!

Yama and Shiro look like they have a few issues to sort out with each other - a microcosm of your view of Nocturnus relations perhaps?

The only criticism i have is with the railing in the Kaliphlin vig - that 1x4 tile sticking up is a bit jarring.

You expect a couple of highly trained assassins to have happy toothy grins as they look at each other?

I understand about the railing. I had envisioned a rope rail, but I simply couldn't find the thread I needed, so this was my ramshackle compromise.

Edited September 25, 2013 by Penkid11

[Gabe]

You expect a couple of highly trained assassins to have happy toothy grins as they look at each other? :P

Maaaaybe? No-one would ever suspect them of being highly trained assasians, which could play to thier advantage!

[de Gothia]

Great way to let us know which guild you choosed (and you choosed the right one of course!)

[Faron]

Whhaaa, I cant decide.. errr

[PenPlays]

Join whichever Guild suits the kinds of parts you have. It can be a little challenging if you don't!

[Gideon]

Join whichever Guild suits the kinds of parts you have. It can be a little challenging if you don't!

It can also be great fun to expand the collection to fit your guild! I for example did not have a lot of tan/dark tan before joining Kaliphlin but half a year into GoH and some BL orders later it was enough to build a fair chunk of Petraean city wall.

Of course Kaliphlin was not the best choice for my wallet however...

Important to remember is that it is not necessarily the size of a MOC and number of parts which matters. Small but well built and detailed MOCs, presented with good photography can get you a long way (especially with the new challenge rules with different classes).

[Maxim I]

I really like the idea of this MOC! Great job Penkid