Update

Ah, another deadline has come and gone! How like to the seasons of life!

Enough poetry.

So here is the status of the pieces of Aduialtham:

     The Wing: Complete. This was a major undertaking, though it started out as a diversion.
     Summer Hall: 90% complete. That is assuming, I don't have another creative burst... Edit: Always a dangerous assumption!
     Winter Hall: Only the bare bones, but given that it is a variation of the Summer Hall, I do
      not anticipate too many problems. Famous last words. Edit: New inspiration that will make it fantastic -- though hopefully not take too long.
     The Promenade:  complete.
      The Watchtower: complete. I've learned some new techniques that made me rethink the whole thing. But it's done.
     Terrace and Terrain: Neither of these has really even been started, primarily because they are easy. I've played with some scratch models.

I hope your summer is going well!

"Grindor, poking the dragon with a stick to see if it is dead is an exceptionally bad idea..."

-levallon

Aduialtham and Tyrmond

Greetings all,

An update on my progress. I had hoped that my progress n Aduialtham would give the momentum to complete it. I really should know me better by now.

So here is the status of the pieces of Aduialtham:
 
     The Wing: Complete. This was a major undertaking, though it started out as a diversion.
     Summer Hall: 85-90% complete. That is assuming, I don't have another creative burst...
     Winter Hall: Only the bare bones, but given that it is a variation of the Summer Hall, I do
      not anticipate too many problems. Famous last words.
     The Promenade: 90% complete. I have only to correct some structures that didn't
     quite meet up. I'm not sure how to proceed as yet.
     The Watchtower: about 50% complete. I'm finding that my vision of this was incomplete, and I'm  having to try different things.
     Terrace and Terrain: Neither of these has really even been started, primarily because they are easy. I've played with some scratch models.

So it all may take longer than projected.

Also, as diversions there remains the unnamed project, and something new. The new project is an exteriors only model of Upper Tyrmond, which should be lots of fun. It started as part of a development of an underused area of the campaign, a sort of frontier dominated by competing, but not (as yet) hostile irenoni (clans). The oldsters cleared and settled (well, enough for crops) the land, but now the next generation is coming to power, split by allegiance to rival religious cults. The youngest generation has come of age ("grown full"), and is choosing sides...I just now realized how timely this may be. Think Boomers, GenXers and Millenials fighting over territory in a fantasy setting instead of school prayer and transgender bathrooms! Throw the PC's in the middle, in which they must fight to stop a clan war. There is a nearby encounter area that could provide info that could turn the tide...Considering the discussion of it nearly half this post, perhaps you can understand how diverting it is!

I am determined to post new work as soon as I am able. Until then!
levallon

IX NINANNYR

I have decided to be finished, for now, with Ninannyr. I may come back to it at a later date, and add some detail. I never added the outer curtain wall, so you'll have to imagine it. Unlike the model presented here, it is not symmetrical and the gate is to the left of the front of the main castle. It is here where you would find the stables, blacksmith, workshops and storehouses. I might also add in the topography. It is on a slight elevation.

The model is not perfect, but I suspect only I will notice.

Some In-Character Facts

Ix Ninannyr is the property of the Duke of Ninannyr, and lends it's name to the town nearby as well as the province. It is not his primary residence, but he insists that it remain fully staffed and operational, as it is the center of military power in the region. This is pretty unnecessary as we'll see, but none have the power to question him.

Ninannyr is a very old fortification that has been rebuilt several times, as will be noted in the difference in masonry. The current form is about 100 years old. The main building is the hall and keep. The hall was built onto the former keep, which was renovated and expanded. The buildings in front of it are a bakery and a brewery of sorts. Each includes a room for consumption of the products, and accommodations on the floor above. The top floors are largely open spaces for storage and servants.

 Front view

Ninannyr, aside from being distastefully symmetrical (to my tastes), is an example of older human design. Newer designs are larger and less symmetrical. The castle is well kept, but considered small and cramped by those who visit it. It is something of a cross between a fortification and a palace.
                                                                                                                  Ground View

The fountain is fed from a cistern behind it, which in turn is fed from channels on the walls. (A castle in Poland did much the same thing, but I don't remember the name of it.) The walls and towers supply the accommodations for the guards and watch.

The Ditinni clan (“irenon,” in the tongue of the land) has grown quite rich, by exploiting both the arable lands of the region and the trade routes which pass through it. Astute observers will note that the bakery and brewery buildings obscure the courtyard from the walls. When engineers pointed this out, the duchess at the time, a feisty and demanding woman, is rumored to have said, “What force of men or orcs could fight its way so far inland and enter into the inner courtyard only to be defeated by an arrow shot from the walls? Build as you are ordered.”

The lady was referring to the fact the duchy of Ninannyr is landlocked, nearer to the middle of the kingdom. An invading army of such force as to fight its way to Ix Ninannyr would be unlikely to be stopped by its defenses, and there would be little hope of survival.


Tower

This is the hall that was built onto the original keep. The stairs to the left leads to the kitchens, pantry and well. There is another very small and very rudimentary kitchen in the keep itself. The curtain leads to the stairs and keep. The arms are the actual arms of the Ditinni irenon.


The rest of the hall. More modern castles and fortifications have larger halls. The banners are, again, actual arms used in my campaign.





This corridor runs from the solar to the central stairs. There are rooms for the castellan and chamberlain, as well as a very small shrine.




Here is the solar -- I didn't fill it. There would normally be a chair for knitting and embroidery and some small toys for the Duke's children.





A really unimpressive view of the kitchens. The pantry is the first opening on the left, the cellar and storage is the second. The firepit and baking hearth are to the right. Most meals are prepared here, though baked goods are generally done in the bakery itself.

Here we have the "small hall." It is very tiny and meant to be used during times of siege when the main hall has been taken and the keep sealed. It has never had occasion to be used that way.




One of the stairwells within the keep itself. This one actually gave me shivers when I was modelling it because it reminded me of geomorphs and old dungeons.



The Duke's bedchamber, with several wardrobes. Then as now, most of them are for his wife's clothes.





Another view of the bedchamber, from beside the bed. That's a nice mirror. I wonder what might be behind it?





The Bakery. Other simple meals can be prepared here as well, and often are for guests.





The Bakery dining hall. Simple meals are served here for guests, and sometimes the middle common staff when there are no lords about. The stairs up to the rooms can just be seen on the right.



The brewery. Sacks of grains, barrels for storing, and great copper pots for the mash.






OOC:
The pictures are clickable jpgs. If you click one it should set up a slideshow of all of them. If there is something that you would like to see that isn't pictured here, ask. I can easily post a jpeg of it.

This entire model was created in Sketchup, a free 3D modelling program (or app, if you choose). You can download and run Sketchup and make your own models, or download mine and twist them up to suit your fancy, or go to the Sketchup 3D Warehouse and download the models there. The Tomb of Horrors Walkthrough is pretty cool ( https://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/search.html?q=tomb+of+horrors&backendClass=both ) but there are over 290 models there as well. That includes ever evolving version of The Keep on the Borderlands.

Sketchup is easy to learn, very intuitive, unlike other programs. I think it can be tricky to master (I'll let you know for sure when I get there). I started this project in July of 2015, according to the file data. Most of it was finished within about six months before I needed to step away and work on something else. I often overlap projects, and let's face it, I'm obnoxious about detail. You could probably knock out a less detailed version in a day or less, depending on your desired level of detail.

Ninannyr ("Nih-NAHN-nyur") is small, symmetrical and linear. It is an example of both early fortifications in Slyr Dorom, and of Mannish architecture. Next up is Aduialtham ("Ahd-WHEEL-tham"), the stronghold of an elf lord. The difference between the two should be striking.

So. Now that I've teased it, I should set about finishing it.

Listen at doors,
levallon