Within the swamps, terror and fear grow

For lack of a better term, I find the “evil castle” subtheme to be the most under-represented among historical LEGO builders. I certainly love the sight of a LEGO castle situated upon a hill, surrounded by green trees and happy-looking peasants as much as anybody. But there is a special character to builds which take a darker and more fantasy-inspired direction, such as this ominous creation by ZCerberus:

WWS2

A master of big, evil castles (such as these twin towers we covered a while ago), the builder brings us this wonderfully eerie scene that takes many turns from the usual castle build. Particular highlights are the battered castle walls, the exposed wooden structures and the keep, which looms high above as if to impose its master’s will upon all below. The choice of lime green for the swamp works really well, and I can’t help but wonder what foul creatures live within it. The black, gnarled trees and the circling wyverns evoke further mystery and trepidation. Overall, the color scheme portrays very well the darker tones the builder chose to express here.

WWS1

This delightfully creepy castle is part of a collaboration between the builder and myself to launch the next chapter of the Guilds of Historica collaborative roleplaying project on Eurobricks, which is sure to promote some fantastic building and storytelling in the coming weeks. If you’re interested, check out this list of our other collaborative castle builds, including stories and additional pictures, made for the new chapter.