This is the mighty Toll Bridge Fortress of the Lion Knights!

The river Myst runs through the Brickwood Forest, where it forms the border between two counties; Bricklestone and the Highlands. It is a large and dangerous river, with few opportunities to pass safely. As a service to all the lands, the Lion Kings of old have instructed for a bridge to be built for safe passage across. For centuries now, this bridge has stood tall over the river, always protected by its noble guards.

It is the safest way to cross the river, but at a reasonable price of course. Under the supervision of the Viscount, The Lion Knights are in charge of collecting the toll. They have to be diligent, because there are always smugglers around, trying to move their goods across without detection. Such as the Forestmen present in the area. A very suspicious and nervous looking Forestman is trying to cross the bridge with his cart. He hopes that the guards don’t find out about the precious cargo hidden within! In the meantime, another one tries to sneak into the fortress via a secret passage in an attempt at mischief.

During a siege, the knights managed to capture a Black Falcon soldier. His beard suggests he has been in captivity for quite some time. Did they forget to release him after the battle? His buddy is trying to sneak into the fortress to bust him out of prison.

The latest siege also caused some damage to the bridge. A large rock, thrown down by the defenders, punched a hole in the bridge deck. A carpenter is currently hard at work in order to fix the damage done. The fortress also occupies a maid, tasked with keeping the castle clean and the armor polished. Everything has to look its best for those crossing the bridge; like the noblewoman who traveled here from exotic lands, or even the herdsman with his sheep.

This set is a throwback to the drawbridge sets that were part of some of the Castle series in the past. Like the Royal Drawbridge and the Drawbridge Defense.

Given the number of bricks included, the build contains 13 minifigures and some animals:

- 5x Lion Knights, including two archers, a guard, an armored knight and the Lord of the bridge.

- 2x Black Falcons. One Black Falcon prisoner and a Black Falcon rogue.

- 2x Forestmen, an archer and one smuggler.

- 4x Civilians. A carpenter, sheepherder, exotic noblewoman and a maid.

- 2x Horses, a sheep and a number of other small animals.

The model contains a number of rooms, which include:

- A working drawbridge and gates that can be locked.

- An armory/ treasury with a toll booth where travelers pay their fees.

- Luxurious barracks for the Knights.

- A prison for trespassers and other ill-doers.

- Stable, various battlements, a tower with a spiral staircase and of course a secret passage.

The focus of this build is on both playability and displayability. All areas within the model are accessible for minifigures. The build can also be separated into different sections, making it more easily accessible for (AFOL) fingers. The set can be displayed as a whole, but it also looks nice when separated. Or attach one of the sections to another castle as an extra gate.

It has been fun to build this model, I hope you all enjoy it!