The Unsanctioned History of the Guilds of Historica

[Mike S]

Part 1: The Rise of Two Nations

To better understand the present state of the Guilds of Historica, it is necessary to know its history and so I have decided to make an account of my own research. I must note however that my account may differ a bit from that of other prominent scholars of the present time.

Before the lands of Historica were named as we know them now, before the land was divided up into the four territories that exist today, there were many Houses. The Houses competed with each other for prominence. The first notable House that rose to power was the House of Crown.

The House of Crown established itself near what I surmise must now be present day Cedrica and built the first recorded castle in minifig history- Yellow Castle.

But the power of the House of Crown did not last long for there were many Houses all competing for prominence.

Although the House of Crown had the support of a few other Houses, the House of Crown soon was overshadowed by several clans invading from the north and the south.

The invaders from the north became known as the Black Falcon clan from whom most Mitgardian citizens are descended from.

The invaders from the south became known as the Crusaders from whom most Kaliphlin citizens are descended from.

It was not long before the two invading armies clashed and all the Houses were forced to chose between the opposing factions.

The clashes between the Crusaders and the Black Falcons continued for many years with neither side making any notable gains over the other.

Realizing that the war against the Crusaders was going nowhere, the Black Falcons decided to begin fortifying there homeland in the north. It was not long before they had completed construction on Black Falcon Fortress which overlooked the narrow mountain pass to the northern lands.

The Black Falcons also began construction of a number of walls at strategic locations for fortification against Crusader attacks. These were nearly always under constant attack by the Crusaders.

It seems about this time that the Crusaders began taking to the sea, exploring areas not easily accessed by foot. When the Black Falcons learned of this, they negotiated a truce with the Crusaders. It is not known what the exact terms were, but as it is most likely both sides were tired of the war, it is probable that the Crusaders did not press for any advantage in the terms of the truce.

It seems that after the truce, many of the Crusader sea expeditions were sponsored by the Black Falcons until they had acquired the knowledge to build ships themselves.

One can only speculate why it took so long for the Black Falcons to build ships of their own but perhaps due to their familiarity with heavy fortification, it took them time to develop a ship that was light enough to float.

Edited August 11, 2014 by Mike S

[SkaForHire]

Taking the known historical documents into account, as you have kindly attached a copy of their murals here, this seems to be a reasonable telling of the early Iron Age, long ago.

[Mike S]

Part 2: Expansion to the East and West

With expeditions venturing farther into uncharted lands, it was not long until the Crusaders encountered other clans previously unheard of. The first new encounter of the Crusaders was a clan of forest dwellers who became known as Forestmen. This clan lived in the part of Avalonia now known as the Mistic Isles.

Out of the eastern badlands now known as Nocturnus, a new nation was unveiled as the formidable Black Knights entered the famous Tournament of Retribution held by the Crusaders each year.

They were rumored to have a formidable fortress where their leader resided. The legendary Black Monarch was rumored to be a ghost but as only a select few of the Black Monarch's knights were allowed in his presence, the truth remains a mystery.

A rumor soon started thereafter that the Black Monarch himself had spoken great insults against the Black Falcon nation. The Black Falcons in response thought to defend their honor and declared war on the Black Knights.

It was at this time that the Black Falcons built their first ship.

Also around this time, it was rumored that a solitary Black Knight encountered a the Black Monarch's ghost who warned him of an impending Black Falcon attack. The knight was able to warn his comrades and they successfully defended against the Black Falcon attack.

Meanwhile the Crusaders accused the Forestmen of stealing their gold.

To the furtherance of the chaotic events of this time, a group of Forestmen kidnapped a Crusader princess from the Crusader King's Mountain Fortress in revenge for one of their clansmen having been imprisoned. Like the Black Monarch, little is known of the Crusader King as no records survived of him other than the a fore mentioned reference of his fortress.

Other notable exploits of this time was the building of the Black Knights' warship- The Sea Serpent. It was the largest ship of its time. It sailed north to the Black Falcons homeland and laid waste to their lands. After this, there is little surving records of the Black Falcons.

Also another threat emerged from the north after the defeat of the Black Falcons. A rebel group calling themselves Wolfpack began raiding Black Knight territories.

In response to this new threat, the Black Knights built the Black Knight's Castle.

Edited August 11, 2014 by Mike S

[Mike S]

Part 3: The Age of Magic and Dragons

As I am sure you have noticed by now, the earliest records of Historican history are rather devoid of any non-human creatures and magic. In fact it seems that the earliest nations of Historica had no knowledge of magic but relied solely on brute strength for their accomplishments.

I have thought about this for some time and have concluded that magic must be the source of the wide variety of life we see in Historica today. The origin of this magic has eluded me but I continue to search. If I was to give a general area of magic's origination, I would have to say it first originated in what we now know as Nocturnus. It is my theory that magic essence lies buried deep beneath the surface of Historica and escapes through fissures that open up and perhaps Nocturnus' surface is the thinnest in Historica hence the major concentration of magic essence.

At the start of the Age of Magic and Dragons, the four Guilds still have not been established but we can begin to see the framework from which the Guilds will later be formed. The Black Knights dominated Historica for some time, but their reign was soon abruptly ended by a force from within their own ranks. A man named Majisto became the first recorded human to harness magic becoming the first Wizard of Historica.

It was not long until Majisto had usurped the throne of the Black Knights and had replaced their banners with the banners of his newly formed order- Dragon Masters.

It is at this time that we first see dragons appear in the records of Historica. Whether Majisto created them or summoned them, it is unknown. Majisto however did attempt to control them but whether he was successful at this remains unknown as well.

Meanwhile in the west, the nations of the Black Falcon, Crusaders, and remnants of the Black Knights that had refused to acknowledge Majistos reign all mingled peacefully together, merging cultures. A new unnamed Crusader king rose to the throne who decided that the Crusader name no longer fit his Kingdom as the last crusade had ended many years before he was born. He sent forth a royal decree throughout his realm declaring his kingdom the land of the Royal Knights. It is rumored that this king could trace his lineage back to the House of Crown.

One can tell the varying cultural influences of the time in the architectural style of this unnamed King's castle which appears to have influences from the Black Falcon, Black Knight, and Dragon Masters as well as the native Crusader style.

While this age was a relatively peaceful one, skirmishes did occasionally break out between the Dragon Masters and the Royal knights along the border of the two realms.

Skirmishes also broke out between the thriving Forestmen settlements of the Mistic Isles and the two realms as well.

Edited August 11, 2014 by Mike S

[mccoyed]

Cool idea for a thread!

[Mike S]

Part 4: Historica's Age of Darkness and the Samurai Wars

Majisto's reign just like the rulers before him abruptly ended as well. It appears that a massive volcano erupted and that magic essence saturated the area now known as Nocturnus. This further confirms my suspicions that a great magic well must lay deep beneath the surface of Historica. The ash from this eruption covered the sky above many of the populated areas of Historica creating an artificial darkness that lasted for years. Many of Historica's inhabitants became crazed during this time, even the king of the Royal Knights succumbed to madness.

One of Majisto's female students of magic whose name was Willa, also became crazed and manipulated her lover Basil, who had become insane as well taking the title of Bat Lord, to take over all of Historica. I suspect that being exposed to too much magic was the cause for their insanity as it seems to be the cause for many magicians going mad, the latest case in point would be Viktor Revolword.

All sorts of weird contraptions were seen during this time and it was a time of terror for those who had kept their sanity. Two of the most notable devices seen was Basil's flying platform and Willa's flying Dragon ship.

Any of the formerly majestic buildings that Willa and Basil took up residence in began to decay and became desolated ruins unrecognizable of their former beauty and filled with deadly traps set up for Willa and Basil's unsavory amusement.

While Willa and Basil rained terror down on Historica, a few areas were isolated enough to escape their insanity. One of these areas was what is now known as the southern Rakath mountains. Here a couple of samurai warlords fought a series of wars that came to be known as the Samurai Wars.

In the end, the wealthy Shogun Gi-Dan triumphed over the inferior and ill equipped army of Chief Kendo, thereafter declaring himself emperor.

Edited August 11, 2014 by Mike S

[Jorrith]

Two thumbs up for this thread! :thumbup:

[Gideon]

Great idea using old official sets for Historica's mythical past

Edited August 11, 2014 by Gideon

[gedren_y]

Wonderful idea.

The Nestlands Clans have long been aware that there had been other peoples living in the area they now inhabit.

[Bregir]

Brilliant!

[de Gothia]

I just love your imagination to come up with this! Great work!

[SarahJoy]

Brilliant concept!

[Mike S]

Part 5: The Age of Restoration

As the magic essence was dispersed by the wind, Willa began losing her power. With her power weakened she began to lose her hold on Basil. It was not long before the two were at each other's throats and their realm forgotten from their minds. One of Basil's generals, Cedric the Bull, stepped in to fill the void and being trained for war, he set his eyes on the realm of the Royal Knights.

A new king sat on the throne of the Royal Knights, Leo the Strong. This is the first surviving detailed account of the King and his family. King Leo's wife was Queen Leonora and they had two children- Prince Edward and Princess Storm.

Cedric the Bull set up his base camp on the site that Cedrica stands today. At that time however there was nothing there but part of a sprawling dark forest that stretched as far as the eye could see.

King Leo's Castle was located several days march to the south, in the city of Kaligem.

After seeing Cedric's bravery and strength on the battlefield as Cedric attempted to lay seige to Kaligem, King Leo invited him to participate in the annual Tournament of Retribution. Cedric bested all King Leo's knights and was crowned the champion. As a reward, King Leo offered to give Cedric the land where his camp stood, giving him a title, and building him a castle if he swore fealty to him.

Cedric was in good spirits for winning the tournament, so he accepted King Leo's offer and in the years following, the two became close friends. Cedric named his castle Cedrica and from that time on the town that grew up around the castle grew into the great city it is today.

It was around this time that the Black Falcon's began rebuilding their holdings in the north that the Black Knights had destroyed so many years before. The Black Falcons had changed over the years and now they kept to themselves nearly forgotten by the rest of Historica as they made their lives again in the rugged northlands.

[Hobbythom]

Awesome stuff!

[Maxim I]

Absolutely great job!

[Yzalirk]

Interesting, so these sets are supposed to represent old Historica?

[mccoyed]

I love the inclusion of the Samurai sets to Rakath since it seems to be the unofficial "Far East" region of Historica. Anytime I get an idea for an Eastern-themed group, like the Yukar Orcs, I think Rakath.

[soccerkid6]

Very interesting idea to use the official LEGO castle sets as the history of Historica

Glad to see Mitgardia represented by the Black Falcons

[Lord Vladivus]

Awesome! Great idea!

[Mike S]

Thanks for the comments guys! I tried getting another part up last night but was too busy. I think there are 3 or 4 more parts left to this... we will see.

[Maxim I]

When is the next part coming? :p

I can't sleep without knowing how the story goes further :(

[Mike S]

Part 6: The age of Heroes

As the history becomes more and more recent, the account also becomes more and more detailed. For many generations after King Leo's death, Historica enjoyed a lasting peace. The kings of the Royal Knights continued to expand their kingdom building castles and cities from the east to the west and the north to the south. One new castle that was built was Morcia where Albion, the capitol city of Avalonia now stands. During his reign, King Mathias made the Castle of Morcia his home as he sought to deal with insurgents nearby that were unhappy with the expansion of the Royal Knights kingdom into their homeland.

The insurgents were led by a knight named Sir Vladek. In the beginning, Sir Vladek had the support of four other knights that were natives of the region. The four knights were- Sir Kentis of the House Unicorn, Sir Adric a descendent of Lord Cedric of the House Bull, Sir Karzon of the House Serpent, and Sir Dracus of the House Dragon.

King Mathias had the support of four knights as well- Sir Jayko of the Black Falcon Kingdom, Sir Danju of the Wolfpack, Sir Santis of the House Bear, and Sir Rascus of the House Monkey (or as Sir Rascus pronounced it “Minkey”). All but one of these four knights were from the northern lands, with the exception being Sir Rascus who was from the farthest south.

Before any skirmishes had occurred between the two camps, Sir Vladek attempted to obtain concessions from King Mathias by winning the annual Tournament of Retribution but he was bested by Sir Jayco of the Black Falcon Kingdom.

With little recourse and the odds overwhelmingly in King Mathias favor, Sir Vladek decided to travel to the Citadel of Orlan to obtain the Golden Heart of the Shield of Ages from the Guardian. The Golden Heart was rumored to convey the power of invincibility to whomever wore it. However King Mathias was one step ahead and had sent Sir Santis and Sir Rascal to recover the Golden Heart as well. Working together using Sir Santis' strength and Sir Rascal's idiocy, the two managed to wrest control of the Golden Heart from the Guardian and Sir Vladek was forced to flee back to his fortress.

In desperation, Sir Vladek consulted with the druids who instructed him to steal the Book of Morcia from the Library in Morcia. Sir Karzon crept unnoticed into Morcia and stole the Book of Morcia for Sir Vladek. After the druids held the Book of Morcia in their hands, they cast a spell over it giving its' words power. With the enchantmented Book of Morcia, the skills of Sir Vladek and the knights that supported him became greatly enhanced. After gathering all the forces they could muster, they marched to Morcia and laid siege to it.

Because King Mathias held the Golden Heart, the enhanced abilities of who now came to be known as Lord Vladek and his knights were of no use because the Morcia was shielded. As the siege drew on to months, the armies of the four knights that supported King Mathias arrived and attacked Lord Vladek and his knights' flank. Trapped between the Morcia and the four armies, Lord Vladic and his allies were decimated.

Sir Kentis and Sir Adric surrendered with guarantee of amnesty while Lord Vladek, Sir Karzon, and Sir Dracus were able to escape the battlefield and return to Vladek's fortress. But King Matias gave Lord Vladek no time to rest and recoup his losses as he and his four knights pursued right on his heels. Lord Vladek's various watchtowers and defenses on the road to Lord Vladek's fortress were easily captured or destroyed by King Mathias' siege machines.

The siege of Lord Vladek's Dark Fortress lasted nearly two years during which time King Mathias fell ill to a mysterious disease. When the fortress did finally fall, the Lord Vladek was able to trap and capture Sir Danju and use him as a hostage to escape to his Prison Cave on the coast.

While Sir Santis and Sir Rascus attacked from the sea, Sir Jayco assaulted the prison defenses by land. The three knights were successful in freeing Sir Danju who felt quite embarrassed having to be rescued. Lord Vladek and his two remaining allies, Sir Karzon, and Sir Dracus fled to northern borderlands.

The four knights did not pursue however as word reached them that King Mathias had succumbed to his fever and died. A grand funeral was held for him in Morcia the likes of which had never been seen. King Mathias' death was a temporary respite for Lord Vladek as King Mathias had no heir and the Kingdom soon was divided over who was the rightful claimant to the throne. In the end the Kingdom was split in two. One of King Mathias's nephews, having the backing of Sir Rascus and the rest of Royal Knights, took the southern half of the kingdom making Kaligem his capitol while King Jayco, having the backing of Sir Santis, Sir Danju, took the throne of the northern half of the kingdom, making Morcia his capitol.

As a test of loyalty, King Jayco tasked Sir Kentis, and Sir Adric, whose lands were restored to them by the new king, with seeking out and capturing Lord Vladek. To succeed at this task, the two knights set up fortifications and checkpoints at strategic locations along the roads of the northern kingdom, capturing many of Lord Vladek's bandits and hindering his movement. In response Lord Vladek began attacking these checkpoints and harassing the coast with rogue ships.

This went on for many years until in his old age, King Jayco decided to reforge the Golden Heart into the Shield of Ages. He traveled with Sir Adric and only a light guard to the Mistlands Tower rumored to be the only known location to have enough magic power for the reforging. Lord Vladek learning of this along with Sir Karzon attacked the tower. In the midst of battle, King Jayco and Lord Vladek confronted each other and entered into a duel that lasted for six hours. King Jayco finally gained the upper hand and delivered to Lord Vladek a mortal wound. With his dying breath, Lord Vladek swore that he would return.

Fearing that Lord Vladek's vengeful spirit would haunt the area, King Jayco sent a secret contingent to take Lord Vladek's body far to the south into the kingdom of the Royal Knights where they burned it and dropped the ashes into a deep crevice. And so the rebellion of Sir Vladek came to an end. As for his allies, it is said that Sir Darcus built a tower on a Dark Isle and dabbled in the dark arts while Sir Karzon fled to the far east to what is presently known as Nocturnus. King Jayco did not pursue either one but lived out the rest of his years in peace.

[Tomsche]

Such a fantastic thread, and I love all those old sets like the Ghost and such I *know* is lingering in my collection *somewhere*