To preface this post, I would like to thank the people who made it possible.
@Forty-Eight Thank you for creating Shale Reef in the first place. I couldn’t have possibly asked for a better foundation for a build like this! It was perfect for everything I wanted to do, and I had an absolute blast working with it. I’m super hyped to see what islands you’re gonna bring us in Full Release 
@Tobi Thank you for designing the keeps, walls, towers, gates, and anything else I may be missing. They look phenomenal, making me feel like I have a real kingdom on par with the canon ones! (Or it would be, if Vetex added houses, lol.) Seriously they’re so cool. Well-worth all the time I spent waiting for my farmers to produce enough galleons to cover the costs. You cooked 
But without any further ado, let me introduce my kingdom’s island capital…
Silver Roost!
I hit the limit on decorations, terraforming, and civilization, so you can imagine it was quite a lengthy endeavor to reach this point. I can’t understate how relieved I am that it’s finished and I can share it now.
There is no artillery like culverins and mortars, because I built the base with the intent of it being explored, and I don’t want innocent players to get caught in the crossfire. Plus, I’m confident that it’s hard enough to capture as is.
It’s saved to the Clan slot, of course. I wouldn’t put this much time into something for only me to enjoy.
I have this showcase video that will provide you more angles of the build, but if you don’t feel like watching it, I’ve also compiled an album of photos within this very post!
And no, I wasn’t joking when I said this thing had 704 hand-placed structures.
The Blackout Nest
Let me begin with my personal favorite area! Hidden within the largest of the island’s three hills is a place sometimes affectionately referred to as “A dim tavern for the dimwitted.”
Most citizens congregate here after a long day’s work, for the dark yet cozy candlelit atmosphere easy on the eyes, the friends, the good food, the banter and the beverages.
Aside from keeping morale high, it also serves as a last bastion of defense in the case of a siege. The cave has only two entrances, and both are sealed off by sturdy gates.
But the people don’t come here to think about that possibility, or to wonder why there are so many more weapons than drinks in all those boxes and barrels. They’re just here to have a good time.
You may notice that one of the outhouses is completely impossible to open due to a stalactite blocking the door. It’s quite the inside joke among the tavern’s regulars. Whenever a poor drunkard tries to force it open and falls flat on their back, the whole cave dies laughing.
The Shale Citadel
The small and medium-sized hills are surrounded by a twisty array of walls that preserve the land’s natural silhouette. Towers are spaced throughout, keeping close watch of any threat, be it a mutant animal or a ship on the horizon. There are a total of four gates to get in and out. A tight-knit community lives comfortably within the citadel.
There are shops within the walls, for the average citizen’s convenience…
And shops outside the walls, for the sake of the farmers and any visiting explorers.
Many of the structures within the Shale Citadel are named after the native insects that glimmer at night like powdered gold drifting in the air.
Fort Firefly
The main keep, located at the center of the three hills. The king, his closest companions, and anyone in need gets to live here. It has an elevated foundation, requiring ladders to reach the gates.
On the inside are a lot of tables for feasting, and thrones for seating. Not to mention piles and piles of gold. Although, rumor has it that this is only a portion of their riches, and there is another treasury to be found elsewhere.
Glowbug Barracks
The barracks for our soldiers and guards, located atop the island’s smallest hill, which we’ve terraformed for our purposes.
(This picture is outdated, but I’m sadly unable to recreate it and I don’t have any others that come close to matching its aura.)
The high elevation isn’t just to look cool and imposing, it’s also very convenient for players spawning in, as they can quickly get a sense of their surroundings and use their Dodge Reflex to get over the walls without having to gain any additional height.
On the inside are various utilities. Bounty boards, a pot and cauldron, jewelcrafting equipment, meeting tables, storage, etc.
Admittedly, it can get a little stuffy in there, so every now and then the soldiers head down to camp out in the open air, right below their proud bastion.
The Apollyon Eyes
Earning their namesake from the dead God who saw the future, the Apollyon Eyes are a set of eleven towers that reach to the heavens, or so the architects like to boast.
Not much goes on around these parts of the Nimbus Sea without the watchtowers catching a glimpse of it.
The tallest tower is so high up, if you stand on the roof then the game thinks you’re in the Nimbus Lands.
The tower itself is situated atop an artificial pillar connected by a bridge to the tallest natural spire of Shale Reef, the one with a hole in its crown. Jump inside, and you’ll find our full treasury. We cannot show any pictures, for the sheer scale of the riches within would melt your envious mind. (Actually it’s really hard to build inside of and I hit the limit on both decorations and terraforming so I added absolutely nothing within)
Farmlands
Wheat farms and sugarcane farms are at maximum capacity, and not a single one falls outside the farmers’ harvestable radius. Harvests can give up to 18,000 galleons. We grow Saint Lily’s Flowers, too! 3 at a time.
Northern
The northern farmland is certainly the least interesting of the two. It produces half of our wheat, and that’s it.
It is overlooked by a pretty sick tower, though…
Southern
The southern farmland produces half of our wheat, all of our Saint Lily’s Flowers, and all of our sugarcane.
There’s a small camp here, where the farmers like to gather on warm nights and share scary stories.
Cane Keep
Also known as the Farmers’ Fortress, because that’s what it is. Their very own castle, welcome to any and all workers from both the northern and southern farms! Because on this island, we respect our employees. They funded us and built us up, so they may as well own some pretty cool land.
Within its fortified walls, they hold great feasts for all their friends and family as they share tales from across the Warring Seas. It also doubles as a pretty great storage unit.
Located at the very edge of the island, it has a rather serene view of the seas. As you take in the sugary scent of the cane and ocean breeze, you swear you can feel the whole world at once. It feels… a lot smaller than you thought. Does that comfort you?
Docks
Where sailors meet land and trade their goods, carried and loaded by heavy cranes. The east and west are virtually identical, but there are very minor differences.
Eastern
A shipwright, builder, and fishmonger sit atop artificially elevated land, which you can climb up to with the ladder, or go the long way around by scaling the hill and going across the bridge.
Western
Connecting to the Shaded Citadel’s main gate, the western docks are where most visitors are expected from.
And that’s it! Thank you so much for checking out the product of my labor. I’ll end this post off with some bonus info. Feel free to ask any questions, as well!
Could you build something this big yourself?
Yes! This was entirely a solo project, self-funded and self-built. Although, you will need to be a high enough rank to access your clan’s treasury.
How long did it take? Well, I began in October of 2024, I believe on the first day of the month. By the 24th day, I had finished pretty much everything. The last thing to do was decorate the inside of Cane Keep and make any final adjustments. I ended up putting that off until now, even though it only took a couple hours, lol.
So yeah, a build of this scale only takes about a month to finish. I think the time and effort is worth having such a cool island that you can load in anytime for the rest of the game’s lifespan (years and years!)
Also, this is how many Saint Lily’s Flowers I harvested while building. I think that speaks for itself. I could brew 140 max-tier healing potions, lol.
How much did it cost? Well, this is how many galleons I earned, and I used pretty much all of it. But I did waste several hundred thousand on a misplaced tower and redoing most of the walls. And some of those galleons were used on my previous build at Thrylos Crossing. So I’d estimate that it took between 4.5 and 5.0 million galleons.
What am I gonna build next?
I don’t know yet. I have a lot of stories I want to finish writing, and I recently got back into drawing art after years of thinking I couldn’t do it or I wouldn’t enjoy it (I was dead wrong), so I’m not sure when I’ll start another building project. When I do, I’ll probably build on Drakos Arch or Blackreach Island, or perhaps I’ll return to finish my Thrylos Crossing build. It’s the only other build I’ve made so far, and you can check it out in the Better Base Building Thread:
BY THE WAY, PLEASE USE THAT THREAD MORE!!! I really miss seeing everyone’s creations, they were so cool 
I would’ve posted this there but it was much too big and needed its own topic. So I’m gonna need you guys to keep it relevant. If you haven’t gone through it before, I highly recommend it, there are so many talented builders who have shared some really awesome stuff.
I’d love to see you guys cook up some Shale Reef bases. It’s such a fun island to work with, in a way it feels like it was made to be built on. A huge portion of flat land, grassy hills of varying sizes, tall stone pillars, and many caves (I LOVE CAVES!!! I LOVE DECORATING CAVES RAHHH!!! I’M GONNA GO FERAL PLEASE MAKE MORE ISLANDS WITH CAVES!!!). The wide variety of areas and elevations, from the sky to sea to underground, makes for a very high-potential island. Lots of cool things you can do with it! Really, give it a try.
Thanks again for reading this far! I’m not sure what else to say, but I hope you have a great day. See ya!
your descriptions make everything feels lived in
