In the heart of the Lavender Highlands, sheltered by towering cliffs, lies the piecefull village of Riverstead.
Upon the mountain stands Starfall Keep. A fortress that has watched over the land for generations.
Hidden beneath the keep lies the Powderworks, the only source of gunpowder in the entire region. The methods used to produce this precious rescource are only known to the royal family and the trusted workers who maintain it.
The keep is rules by King Aldric Thornwall, a wise ans honorable sovereign. Unlike many rulers, King Aldric does not govern through fear. He believes that prosperity is built through trust, cooperation and fair trade.
The people of Riverstead tend to the roads leading to the keep, repairing it’s walls and maintain the Powderworks. In return, king Aldric ensures they are protected, well-fed and fairly rewarded for their labor.
Through carefully negotiated trade agreements with distant settlements, the precious gunpowder is exchanged for good, timber, iron and other valuable goods that allow the Lavender Highlands to flourish.
According to local legend. Starfall Peak earned it’s name when a brilliant star fell from the sky and struck the summit centuries ago. Whether the tale is true or not, many believe this is the reason the Powderworks can produce what no other place can.
Many have sought to claim the mountain’s secrets. Believing it’s riches should belong to them.
None have succeded.
As long as Starfall keep stands strong, the people of the Lavender Highlands will continue to prosper.
“A kingdom built not upon gold, but upon trust, trade and the powder beneath the mountain”
Building the keep
I was playing Minecraft and i had already gotten myself an Elytra. But like most players, i ran out of rockets quickly flying around my world. When i was thinking about the spot i should build my creeper farm, i had the idea to place it on top of a mountain. I had to flatten a little bit of the mountain first.
After i flattened it i hopped into a creative copy of my world and used Axiom for some designing. I am still new to Axiom and designing big builds in general.
My brain automatically went to a castle on a hill idea. It look me a little while to find a design of the outer walls i was happy with. I did not want it to look to symmetrical. But i also did not want it to be all wonky and crooked.
When i had build the walls i looked at the walls and thought they were very empty. I added some detail on the actuall walls and decided the build needed some height.
I don’t have any pictures of me making the tower bit. But i needed it to go kinda high in the air, so that my creeper farm AFK spot would be inside the building. The walls of the tower were suuper bland, so i added the window frames with black concrete behind it. To match the tower with the walls i also added the detail bits on there.
Looking at the tower from a distance it felt a little off. Like something was missing. I decided on adding some simple flags to make it feel more alive and not so one sided.
The interior
Sheesh, the interior of the keep was very difficult for me.
I knew i wanted a throne room, i knew the gunpowder farm had to be hidden and decorated around it. But to actually design the rooms the way i had in mind proved quite the challenge.
The trouble i had, was designing the bedrooms for the king and his family. The courtyard also gave me doubts as to what to build into it. Considering the castle is not meant for fighting but for trading..
I am very happy with how the dining room and the library came together! The living quarters of the citizens are also fine, i did build 4 of the same room, but that is fiiiine 😛
More interior pictures to come!
The highlands
Decorating the outside was kinda fun! Considering the zone is called the Lavender Highlands, i could not do my usual decorating style. But i think this is also what has made it so fun.
Placing well over 8000 flowers and about the same amount of tall grass was well worth the effort. Turning a relatively boring area into a calm but pretty sight.
Eventhough The build is not entirely done, i still need to do some decorating, i did want to make a post about it already. I am very happy with what it all looks like and excited to build more!
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