The Hatchery

When the first knight took to the sky, the world changed.

And so the Pact was signed, knight and beast now reforged in a symbiotic relationship.

The animals would provide freedom of movement and speed that mere human can never obtain.

The Knight Order would provide food, shelter and a safe place to grow for the beasts' spawn.

And both would get loyal companions, their destiny forever intertwined.

The Hatchery is how we keep our side of the oath.

The Hatchery is a stable and nursing ground for flying mounts.

It is meant to be placed within the castle’s wall, normally close to the barracks, to ensure the safety of eggs and hatchlings.

Only the Knights that bonded with the flying mounts and a few servant has access the the interior of the tower; not even the King, unless bonded, would be allowed to disturb the nest.

The Grounds:

The outside grounds are bare dirt; the only exception is the base of the tower, where the used straw from the nest is thrown down during the cleaning process.

That makes the soil incredibly fertile, and wild herbs and flowers grow there all year.

The First Floor:

The first floor is a storage for all the animals needs: straw for the nests, food of all types, water and cleaning supplies. It’s also the only floor that has all four sides covered by walls.

The Second and Third Floors:

The second floor and third floors are similar in both design and function, as they are the living place of the animals. To allow the flying beasts to come and go as they want, the walls are open on three of their four sides; thought one of the three sides is half occupied by the nest.

The nests are enclosed in stone on three sides, creating a private den that can shelter a couple of animals each. They are cleaned every day, and the used straw is pushed out through the openings on the floor.

Those lower openings also help in keeping a good airflow in the nests, and some are also present in the upper level of each floor, where they cut the wind and act as decoration.

The Third Floor:

While each floor hosts its own family, any egg that's laid get immediately transferred to the third floor, where all four parents take turns in taking care of them. Placing them higher hinders predators and thieves, that will have to face two families instead of one.

From the castle, a scholar is tasked to daily check the health and safety of eggs and cubs. Only she and the bonded knights are allowed to the upper nest when there are eggs.

The Roof

On its roof a couple of birds built their nest. Strangely, the residents leave them alone; maybe they are impressed by their bravery.

On the top of the roof there’s a weathervane and a set of banners. They are primarily used by the bonded knights to help them flying and landing safely.

The Minifigures

The model includes three minifigure: two male stable boys and a female scholar and a winged horse.

The Mount

The model includes a winged horse to represents all flying mounts.

Dimensions:

Width/Length of the model (ground level): 32 x 32 studs, or 25,6 x 25,6 cm, or 10,1 inches.

Width/Length of the model (tower level): 20 x 20 studs, or 16 x 16 cm, or 6,3 inches.

Width/Length of the model (roof level): 22 x 22 studs, or 17,6 x 17,6 cm, or 6,9 inches.

Height: 68,4 studs, or 54,7 cm, or 21,5 inches.