Flower Courtyards, Moon Gates and Tree Tunnels + minor changes

Since I've shown both the Grapevine Veranda above and the Waterfall Fountain+Heaven's Gate below. It seemed only right that I next go over the courtyards. There is a mirror of the design on either side, so going over one side will be enough. Ironically while getting this screenshot ready, I noticed a lightning bolt had taken out part of one of the trees... 😅 After rebuilding the tree, this is how one of the Flower Courtyards looks:

Flower Courtyards

The player can see the walkway from the Waterfall Fountain there in the back. I really enjoyed putting together the brickwork around the center fountain. The walk paths are a mix of the brickwork patio and gravel-esque texture dirt in cozy warm colors. The fountain is so basic there really isn't much to cover. Given water limitations in Minecraft, I did what I could to give the impression of a working fountain. The flower beds consist of birch trees with mossy trunks and bushes encompassing each different type of flowers:

Close-up of the flower beds with a couple butterflies

Flower beds along the walls to the sides of the Waterfall Fountain

Heading outward on the other side of the fountain, we then have our Moon Gate, leading into the Tree Tunnel. Ever since I saw pictures of moon gates, I knew I wanted to include them in my build:

A Moon Gate leading to a Tunnel of Trees

Nice and shady! Currently the Tree Tunnels only lead to an open path on the other side, but I have some ideas in mind to encourage the player to explore.

Looking through the Moon Gate

Looking from the Tree Tunnel, through the Moon Gate

So, that wraps up the next bit of the tour. Let me know what you think in the comments. Any suggestions you have, may become part of the structure! 😀

Now to the changes. While I did not do a close up of the "grate work" above the arches previously, they had been made of the polished andesite pillars and capitals that come with the Conquest Reforged Mod. I was always at odds with this but had decided to leave everything be. However, upon combining the iron pillars from the Corail Pillar Mod and the Iron Capitals from the Conquest Reforged Mod, there is now a bit more flare and texture. This is how the design looks now:

A change to the arch tops along the path to the Waterfall Fountain

The other change I had made was to the tilework in the bottom of the waterfall fountain. I had changed the design many times in the past, and again was not satisfied. I hope this is how I choose to keep the design going forward, but if not, at least I am happy with the layout currently. I added redstone lamps to the corners and gave the tilework in the bottom a more roman pool-shaped pattern:

A change to the tilework at the bottom of the the Waterfall Fountain

This is nothing too complex, but I did want to keep a record of the difference. I would like to see more different tile options available in the future.

All of this was done in Conquest Reforged 1.12.2, with the Corail Pillars Mod. I can recommend both for anyone looking for more freedom to build.

https://conquestreforged.com/
https://www.curseforge.com/minecraft/mc-mods/corail-pillar