trappedtexan wrote:

Anymore pics coming Patrick?

Sorry, LOL I've been quite over swamped lately, work and family and all. Additional pictures are definitely coming soon. Just need to sort out what I want to do next.

Take your time! They're well worth the wait.

Barely escaping from the Castle Amber ruins after defeating the three Evil Bosses and their Goblin minions, Deeth rejoins with her fellow adventurers and heads for the woods.

But alas, these are no ordinary woods. These are the dreadful Dark Woods. And before they could count a hundred steps in the depths of the forest, they are caught off guards by the terrible Tree Warrior, Guardian of the Dark Woods.

Will our adventurers be able to convince their foe that poor Mercion and the fearless Elkhorn are not as appetizing as they look?

Nice. What line is that tree from?

trappedtexan wrote:

Nice.  What line is that tree from?

It's from a Toys'R'Us exclusive line called "True Legends". They sold this thing 2-3 years ago along with other toys in the series of Orcs vs. Elves. The Red Dragon, the Terrible Troll, the 2-Headed Wolf and the Griffon are all part of this line. Honestly, it's nice stuff they produced, and although the figures themselves are a bit crude, muscular and with limited articulations (well, more than what the basic line of Star Wars figures now have), they make good complement to the AD&D figure line.

That is the same line as some of the previous pics. It certainly does fit and is a great supplement the d&d line.

Nice woodland setting pics    The Tree Warrior figure is great.
My Star Wars head couldn't help connecting your scene to the Rancor monster clutching a Gammy Guard in his claw and Luke attacking with the bone!

Artoo_Detour wrote:

Nice woodland setting pics    The Tree Warrior figure is great.
My Star Wars head couldn't help connecting your scene to the Rancor monster clutching a Gammy Guard in his claw and Luke attacking with the bone!

LOL Yeah, you're right! I can picture that Gammo being ripped in two by the Rancor's jaws. But I always wondered how did poor Oola die: cut in two or simply swallowed alive in one piece? Something tells me being digested in the beast's stomach wouldn't be the best way to die. So much stuff rotting in there. And the stomach acid certainly would be quite hurtful... yuck yuck...

I've been waiting for this continuation! Awesome! The tree warrior figure is cool!

Reminds me of the beginning of Final Fantasy 9 in the Evil Forest!

darthmatt22 wrote:

I've been waiting for this continuation! Awesome! The tree warrior figure is cool!

Reminds me of the beginning of Final Fantasy 9 in the Evil Forest!

Hey, thanks! Yes, this Tree Warrior does look like that creature from FF9 (which I never played... I think I stopped at 5 or 7... can't remember the one with Aerith dying and Tifa... those were very cool characters...)

Deeth is not your typical adventurer. Although she likes being in a party, especially when venturing into the wilderness where she knows creatures can attack when you least expect it, she does prefer to be left alone. Having friends around to watch your back is always useful, but she often longs for the solitude and what comes with it.

Yes, Deeth prefers being left alone. During these times she can ponder about her life, about the harsh decisions she had to take in her past, about what the future holds for her. In these times, the vast calm of water helps mend for what she has lost, and the many dreams her life as a knight forces her to abandon.

JediPatrick wrote:

darthmatt22 wrote:

I've been waiting for this continuation! Awesome! The tree warrior figure is cool!

Reminds me of the beginning of Final Fantasy 9 in the Evil Forest!

Hey, thanks! Yes, this Tree Warrior does look like that creature from FF9 (which I never played... I think I stopped at 5 or 7... can't remember the one with Aerith dying and Tifa... those were very cool characters...)

Spoiler alert!

Who is this mysterious "Deeth?"

And why does she remind me of Thor?!

darthmatt22 wrote:

Who is this mysterious "Deeth?"

And why does she remind me of Thor?!

Hey, sorry! Never saw your post!

Deeth is a simple Fighter with a "Good Alignment". Here's her cardback bio:

"Deeth is a powerful fighter who is capable of defeating any and all evil doers in combat. Since childhood, she has trained as a warrior with many weapons. She is feared by many because she uses her sword of light and battle mace with lightning speed and accuracy. Deeth usually travels alone, but will always join forces with other good fighters when it is neccessary."

Basically, she's most likely an object of desire for most fighters and knights around her.

But she's not a Goddess. And she has no link with Thor. Unless you wanna talk about her casual encounter with this God in a remote Inn, somewhere in the Badlands, a few years ago? But I'm afraid this forum is not the best place to discuss this torrid once-in-a-lifetime affair. Let's just say the many hurricanes of the last decade are mainly due to the short temper of the God of Thunder after being dissed by Deeth...

Okay, where were we?

Oh yes, now I remember. It's been a while and our adventurers have now reached a new castle. Castle Morilane is the name, if I remember correctly. They had reached the Castle by nightfall after a long walk through the plains. After so many days without any more rations and their strengths growing thin, they expected to be greeted by guards and citizens avid of hearing tales of adventure. And they long for a nice meal. However, the castle appeared to be empty. As always. Because it wouldn't be adventure if this was a simple visit to a remote land small king.

The Wizard Ringlerun always told them: "Be wary of the silence, it may mean there's nothing there, but it can also mean you are too deaf to hear." Usually, he says these words when he wants you to be cautious of the things you don't see, because your senses are too dull after surviving so many dangers. A strong advice, really, but do you think Deeth and her friends want to listen to wise words when their stomach are empty?

So Deeth and Mercion decided to venture through the castle corridors, in search of the kitchen. On their way, they stumble on the moving rotting horror that is the Shambling Mound, a putrid smelly creature probably born from the mould of the kitchen wastes.

There's no doubt the two can deal with this ugly creature. But will they be able to face Zorgar, the evil Barbarian, and his pal Drex, the lethal fighter?

(By the way, you'll find a picture of the diorama set up piece I made using cardboard, foamcore and paint. The stones on the floor were the hardest part, each of them uniquely cut and glued down on the floor before being painted. A lot of patient work, but I'm very glad with the overall results.

Nicely photographed and lighted... and lots of kudos for that diorama setting

Artoo_Detour wrote:

Nicely photographed and lighted... and lots of kudos for that diorama setting

Thanks! Making this diorama setting took a little longer than expected, but I had to do it. Even though it's somewhat limited in what I can do with it, I originally did it to take a few pictures, but I spent so much time I'll likely use it to display some of my figures on my shelves.

The Hell, even my 8yo daughter and my wife (who usually is more prone to complain about this hobby and the space it takes when I start building these diorama) both found it was among the best I've made in a while (although I didn't make that many... LOL). Anyway, my daughters already have an eye on it. I keep telling them it's way too small for their Ever After High Dolls, they won't hear a thing and they already have plans to put it to good use. Oh no they're not!!!

Hey, it's been a while since my last visit. So much happened to be quite frank...

First, my wife was diagnosed with cervix cancer late July. It took 1-1/2 months to get the full diagnosis to pinpoint the most suitable treatment protocol. So for the past 5 weeks, she went through radiotherapy and chemo therapy to get rid of this tumor. The tumor itself, only localized to the cervix and not spread, was successfully melted away with both chemo and radiotherapy, so chances are very good she'll get rid of this demon for good! Still one more week to go and she'll be free of it all! No more daily trips to the hospital!  

Second, I lost my job late September. I was the only income in the family, so it was quite a shock. When you think things can't be worse, don't say it too loud cause there could be worse. LOL    But I got a nice compensation package that'll help me go through the next few months. I'm now trying to get a new job. We'll see how things go, but I'm sure I'll find something good in the coming 1-2 months.

Then we'll be back on our feet. It'll be like a fresh new start. Never too late for that, right?  

Anyway, it's been a while. And I left our adventurers alone in Castle Morilane. Poor guys and gals. They have been striving to get out of there for the past 2 months. LOL

*****
And so Deeth, exploring the vast hallways alone (Alone again? Common! What is it with her? Will somebody feed her with some good sense never to venture alone in a foreign castle?) Anyway, there she is, walking alone in the silent corridor, when a distant and strange clinking sounds fills the air. Although everything tells her to step back and turn around, she still moves forward, raising her torch up to cast away the shadows that gloom ahead. At each step, the noises get louder and louder. She is no fool, she knows something terrifying lies ahead. She knows fears, but she still goes on. She knows that fear is in her mind. She will face what's coming at her with all her courage and might. She will not turn her back to the unknown; it would be more foolish to die not knowing what struck her than to die with her trusty sword in her hand.

"Welcome, milady," tells a deep voice in the dark ahead. "I've been expecting you."

She suddenly stops. As when she raises her arm furthermore, the orange light of the flame she carries reveals her enemy.

Warduke, the Evil Warlord, is facing her. Even standing at the end of the hallway twenty paces away, she can feel the red glowing gaze of the demon warrior looking right threw her, paralyzing her soul with terror. Warduke. The only one she never dared crossing sword with. As she knows she'd be no match.

Struck with fear, she barely notices the two Skeleton Soldiers of Sith standing guard. Nor the gigantic Skeleton Spider advancing towards her, hungry for her flesh. And as the gigantic creature is crawling on the floor in its clinking noise, she raises her sword, more by instinct than true bravery.

Not yet, she keeps telling herself. Not like that. Not alone. I'm not dying here. This will not be the end of me. It cannot be. It will not be.

Really sorry to hear all that's gone out in the last few months, but I'm also really happy to see it being resolved.

You're right, never too late for a fresh start. I hope all works out for you!

__

Love the continuation with Deeth. The picture does such a good job at creating a dungeon-esque feel.. but she looks outnumbered!

Very nice atmospheric pics as usual. So sorry to hear you and the wife have been going through it lately. Keep up the positive vibes. Sending best wishes for a speedy turnaround!

JediPatrick wrote:

New shots.

The adventure continues.

Where did you get the background stone walls? Are they plastic from a set, or did you make them?

calibos wrote:

JediPatrick wrote:

New shots.

The adventure continues.

Where did you get the background stone walls? Are they plastic from a set, or did you make them?

Hey! Sorry for the late response. These "stone walls" were built from existing gardening material from Dollorama, a local dollar store here in Canada. They come in single rows of length of approx. 2 ft, and you fix them in the ground to serve as borders for flowerbeds.

I just took a few of these, cut them, and glued them together to form walls. Then I painted them and put some plastic plants. Still would need to put some moss to improve realism and to fix some supports for torches, but it's a work in progress I'd say. Always room for improvement.

For the door frame, I simply cut some fake stones on foamcore board and glued them in place. As for the stone floor, I created it by cutting stones of different sizes in foamcore, then glued them on a board before painting it. Took most of my time to be honest, but I'm very pleased with the overall result.

Just wanted to post a picture of my latest additions: AD&D LJN mini figures.

I received an Elkhorn MOC minifigure and am still actively looking for the last one, the elusive Mercion. With this set complete, I'd say I would be pretty much done with my AD&D LJN collection. The only missing items would be the Cave Fisher and Pernicon wind-up creatures, but their prices are so high they're prohibitive, unless I win the lottery.

In another area of Castle Morilane, Northlord the mighty Barbarian is about to push back the fierce Dragonne in an attempt to reach the Magical Blue Skull.

The creature, a weird mix of a dragon and a giant lion, is something one encounters maybe only once in his life. Most say it's not because it's that rare, although they are not very common, but because the adventurer who crosses path with this fierce creature usually will not live long enough to tell stories about this encounter.

For the Dragonne not only has very sharp claws and fangs that can easily tear down the arms of the best fighters, but she also has a terrible weapon: its horrible roar can cause weakness to all who dare stand too close to this monster. Almost paralyzed, the creature's opponent will be an easy prey for its deadly attacks.

Nonetheless, Northlord is one of the best fighter of his clan and battling this type of creatures is a sport for him. He has sliced his axe and sword through so many creatures he'd forgot the exact count. That is, if Northlord was able to count at all. After all, numbers have never been his strongest asset. For numbers cannot be used to defeat a deadly monster in a dark labyrinth.

After defeating the Dragonne (is anyone surprised of the outcome of the last encounter?), Northlord the Barbarian will meet yet another deadly opponent: the Hook Horror!

This large, powerful humanoid feature a hard, mottled grey exoskeleton and vulture-like head. It also has sharp, hooked talons on the end of each arm and although it has very poor vision and can barely see, its acute hearing makes it difficult to surprise. This species communicate by making clacking noises with its beak and claws and the sounds produced can be an eerie and alarming noise to those exploring the deep underground caverns where they dwell.

Northlord is kind of caught be surprise by this monster, as usually the creature lives in groups. This one must have been lost in the Castle depths. Or maybe not. Maybe its brothers and sisters are not too far, waiting for him in the darkness of the alley.