Penada - Clash of the Tribes [Archive]

{} The following is an eyewitness report of an unknown squire, talking about the fateful sixth day of the battle for Luhur in 336 S.T. (109 years ago):

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Maram Woods
The smallest of Penada's three big forests, located right in the southwest of the Malaikal Mountains at the sea. The forest is dominated by huge conifers with no big variety of creatures. Long time ago, it was carefully searched through and decided to be more or less unimportant. With no particular resources to be found, no especially fertile ground there was literally no reason for any bigger villages let alone cities to be founded at the border let alone deeper inside the woods. Therefore Skranxyth's tomb was hidden deep inside in 338 S.T. by the Circle of Nilandon. However around ten years ago, the hidden village Pales is said to have been founded somewhere inside.



Forest of Nimn
When talking about the Forest of Nimn, most people refer to it as old. Dominated by deciduous trees, swamps and abandoned ruins, it isn't known as the most life-friendly place on Penada, yet this is were around 800 years ago Keoa was found at the border of the Kilitar, the center of the shamanistic Circle of Nilandon.




Jungle of Antara
The Jungle of Antara is by far the largest, wildest and mostly unexplored forest Penada's. Only small excursions were dared till around 330 S.T. citizens of the whole world decided to withdraw from the forecasting war and ventured deep inside the jungle. Four years later, they discover the Sea of Katal, the biggest sea Penada's, which cannot be reached till today by ship following the not navigable Kilitar upstream. Ne'vid is founded at its northern shore, today capital of the Telo Clan. In 375 S.T., Borena is founded by the Santuaren Empire despite protests of the Telo and since then more or less open fought over. Bordering to the S'alen Desert in the south, an eastern end of the Jungle of Antara has jet to be found. While some excursions of the Telo Clan were sent out, no results have been made – or at least been proclaimed.




Malaikal Mountains
Sometimes referred to as the northern end of the world. With Burdin at the southern and Tayur at the eastern border, two of the big cities lie inside these mountains that grow higher and higher the more you turn north. Rumors say some of the dragons the Order of Belur was able to tame would be able to still fly over them, if that is true however, all findings are kept secret.



S'alen Desert
Sometimes referred to as the souther boarder of the world. S'alen Desert reaches the southern border of the Forest of Nimn just as much as the Jungle of Antara's, but nobody knows how far it reaches. A very few oases have been found close to the forests, but expeditions deeper inside the desert have all been fruitless.



The Flats
The regions south of Lake Siros, limited by the Forest of Nimn and the Jungle of Antara is mostly known as the Flats. With no big forests, no big mountains, the fertile land is dominated by small villages and sheer endless fields.



Ilusera Island
A volcanic island located west of Hadia. If not scorched by the active volcano, the land is known to be extremely fertile, leading to several thoughtless games of cultivating the island. However because of the fertile flats south of Lake Siros, all thoughts were discarded in the end – till today. Rumors say the Telo Clan has build a small village at the shore, to learn from the unique ecosystem.

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Borena
In 375 S.T., a hundreds of miles long path is cut through the Jungle of Antara by the Santuaren Empire, with Borena to be founded at its end. Massive walls and defence systems get build to protect the city, which is more or less openly fought over since the first day because it is considered a violation of the Telo Clan's philosophy of life. While life inside of the city today is actually rather safe, the path connecting it to the outer world is not and attacks on the caravans happen every week.



Burdin
Once nothing more than a small mountain village close to the Cara's source, Burdin gets annexed by the Santuaren Empire in 255 S.T. For its surrounding rich ore deposits. Today it has become a big city, with nearly no building of the sourface however. Nearly the whole town is build deep into the Malaikal Mountains, with mines leading even deeper underground. Yet, it's known for it's high halls and gorgeously decorated columns which support those.



Hadia
The foundation of the Santuaren Empire in Hadia marks the beginning of the new calendar. Located right in the delta created by the Kilitar and the Cara, Hadia is surrounded by very fertile land, yet has to fight severe floods every few years. To save the city from the water, higher and higher foundations were build. Today Hadia, still the center of the Empire, is said to look like it was build on a mountain, even though the land below was in fact absolutely flat instead.




Keoa
Founded around - 400 S.T., Keoa is by far the oldest the eight important cities, located at the northern border of the Forest of Nimn. Since then, it has always been the center of the Circle of Nilandon, a shamanistic group worshipping the cycle of death and rebirth. Even the city reflects their believes, you can find new buildings and temples right besides overgrown ruins. Mostly covered by the canopy of leaves it's a rather gloomy, yet filled with new life place.



Luhur
In - 75 S.T., the Order of Belur's mage's Counsel firstly meets in Luhur, a city located on a giant promontary. Luhur quickly becomes famous for its high, slim and shimmering towers, that can be seen from far away on the sea. During the great war, Luhur becomes detached from the mainland in 336 S.T. on the faithful sixth day of the final battle.




Ne'vid
Ne'vid, the invisible city, is founded in 334 S.T. by war refugees at the nothern shore of the Sea of Katal, who shall found the Telo Clan sixteen years later. The Telo have shaped their environment fitting their needs to hide their buildings inside the giant trees, plants and even inside the lake. A story about an Santuaren excursion from Borena, camping a whole night right in the middle of the city without noticing is famous, though propably just an exaggeration.



Pales
Founded only ten years ago, Pales located somewhere inside the Maram Woods is the youngest of the eight important cities not even close. It's often called the hidden village, many actually only take its existence as a mere rumor. All inhabitants are members of the Brotherhood, a union of several thief and robber guilds under Vargis, their sole leader. Some parts of the city are hidden in big caves underground, however the majority can be found high in the trees on wodden platforms, connected by rope bridges. Hollow trees are used to connect the parts below with those above the surface, so that its citizens nearly never walk on the ground unless they want to. Several routes below as well as above the ground even lead far outside the city into the woods, so groupes can leave the city and pop out of nowhere without exposing Pales' location.




Tayur
At the eastern end of the Malaikal Mountains located on a cliff over the Jungle of Atarna, close to the Kilitar's source, Tayur is founded in 237 S.T. by the Order of Belur. Like Luhur, it's known for it's high and shimmering towers, some of which are made out of pure ice, others are build off the cliff, hovering by magic and only reachable by bridges. Since 427 S.T. Tayur secretly trades with the Talo Clan, using the upper course of the Kilitar.

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The central point of the Circle of Nilandon's believes is reincarnation. Each life you live will be followed by a next one. This means death in particular shouldn't be feared but rather celebrated as the beginning of your new life instead.



However this doesn't mean you should devalue your current life and discard it frivolously, but shouldn't cramp onto it just as well. Live your life prepared for it to end one day and don't be sad about your friends deaths, because you'll most likely meet again some day within one of your next lives.



Any form of violation of this cycle of live however needs to be fought at any costs. Even if the last remains of Skranxyth's army were formally wiped out in 339 S.T., a few undeads were still said to be roaming the streets at remoted locations and hunted down by the shamans. The Order of Belur is always kept under close watch to make sure, no magical research is done to mess with the cycle of live, no matter the intentions.



The shamanistic Circle of Nilandon was already founded around -400 S.T. inside of the Forest of Nimn and is therefore by far the oldest of Penada's big powers. Since then, Keoa has stayed its only big city, however members of the Circle are known to live everywhere in Penada in smaller groups.



The Circle tries its best to maintain peace with the other powers as well as between them. As the golden period ended, the Circle even unsuccessfully negotiated between the Santuaren Empire and the Order of Belur, trying to prevent the forecasting war.

The Circle refused to participate in the war however, at least till the fateful day in 336 S.T., when Setheret showed his true colors and the shamans faced his dark troups. After the war was finally won and Setheret captured, the Circle spells the final curse upon him to prevent him from ever threatening Penada again.



Today, the Circle of Nilandon notices alarming violations of the cycle of live, as sightings of undeads start to pile up all over Penada for unknown reasons. As the relationships between the Santuaren Empire and the Order of Belur once again worsen, the Circle again tries to negotiate. Nobody wants to repeat the old war, especially considering the growing dark threat. Even within the Circle however, there are members agreeing with the Empire in the dangerousness of the female mage that showed up in Luhur, believing her being the cause of the spreading undeads.





Around 850 years ago, the Circle of Nilandon was founded by five powerful shamans, each sharing (mostly) the same beliefs and philosphies. Till today, technically those five are still in lead of the circle. Whenever one of the five members dies, the remaining ones track down his soul and search for his reincarnated body. Once they find the reincarnated leader, he or she is introduced to the circle as new leader at the age of 10, being granted the "original" name of his or her ancestor as well as the number of reincarnations since the founding as title. The current leaders are:

Eleira, 15th Milu
Milu's reincarnations are always known for their kind, peaceful behavior – and Eleira is no exception of that rule.



Laris, 5th Salvanour
Salvanour is known to always reincarnate in the body of a dryad, the race known for its longest natural life spawn on Penada, and therefore has lived through the lowest number of reincarnations of all members.

Kelrath, 14th Naam
During Penada's great war, four of the five leaders of the circle of Nilandon died in battle against Setheret's dark troups, leaving only Halour, 12th Naam alive. Some say, the research for the reincarnations of the four died leaders has happend in a big hurry back then – a rumor that survived till today, even if nobody dares to say it aloud, obviously.



Auril, 17th Turis
In comparison to Salvanour, who alrays reincarnates as dryad, Turis doesn't seem to care much about the race she reincarnates within, however all of her reincarnations have been women.

Panros, 14th Syria
Syria has never ever been reincarnated as member of the same race twice in a row. Some think of this as pure coincidence, while others believe this to be way too much coincidence.

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{} This fateful event took place in 425 S.T. (twenty years ago):



Vargis had lost track of the time he had spent down here, it sure felt like weeks or maybe even months since he fled to the Maram Woods and then stumbled upon this cave by pure accident. But no, it was no accident: Destiny was the better term, he was sure about that. After all, how big were the chances of finding a treasure in such a place? And a treasure this must be, what else would be locked up this thightly?

After all, he was Vargis, the “Master Thief”. There was nothing he couldn't steal, no building he couldn't enter, no lock he couldn't open – not even magical ones could stand a chance against him. And yet, here he was, spending weeks trying to open this one lock on this massive chest. It had to contain a massive treasure, there simply was no other possibility.

Sometimes he had to leave the cave, searching for some old wood for the small fire offering him light and of course hunting something to eat – but he always felt the urge to return as soon as possible. He had to make sure no-one else found the cave after all. This was his task, this was his treasure.



But finally, he was really close to open the lock. He knew the feeling, it had always been there in the past right before he would pull of an awesome coup. And this time, he would make so much money, he'd be able to return to Hadia easily. Bribing the right people to get rid of the Empire's bloodhounds and use the rest showing it to the group..

With a twitch, his movements came to a halt. No, that was wrong. The group was no more, there would be no turning back. Nether again. Not after what they did. Slowly his hands started moving again and suddenly, a loud snap reverberated inside the cave.

For a second, Vargis was baffled. Not able to relate the sound to his work, he looked around inside of the cave until his gaze once more fell onto the lock. It was open. This was it. With shaking hands, he grapped the cover and slowly pulled it up. Then he stood still, silently looking inside the chest. For a minute he stood there, before letting go of the open cover and sitting down in front of his discovery, his back leaning against it.

An urge suddenly building up inside of him, he let out a humorless laugh, echoing over and over again inside these muddy walls. It was all for naught. A body. Who the hell would bury a dead body, locked in chains inside a cave in a no man's land? All this time, spent for nothing. All this hope, wasted within an instant.



The cold yet slightly amused sounding voice hits him like a hammer, making him jump up and looking around fiercely. But he was alone with no one else around. Except.. Slowly he turned until his gaze finally fell into the chest, no coffin, again. The corpse might not have had any eyes left, but he still felt the stare. It looked right though him, understanding everything, knowing everything, making it nearly impossible to breathe, let alone answer. Not that he needed to.



For the second time this day, a laughter echoed through the room. This time however, it sounded so stertorous and eerie, literally every hair on his body stood up. His entire body screamed at him, every muscle tense and ready to flee at any second, yet his mind wasn't able to give the command. Didn't want to give the command.



Absolute silence once again fell upon the cave as Vargis stared at the body lying in front of him. Deep down inside, he knew this would be the most important choice he'd ever make. But then again, there really was no choice to be made in the first place, right? He slowly hunkered down to pick up his tools, not for even a single second averting his gaze from the body.

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The Order of Belur is known to have a vast type of followers, yet they all share one common ideal: The mind is more powerful than the body. Various kinds of magic are practiced and every day something new is created.



To make sure these experiments don't get out of hand and the Order basically destroys itself from within, its leading Council of archmages started creating a gigantic number of rules and guidelines from day one. Nowadays, the Order's rules are famous or rather infamous for to their insane complexity. The section forbidding members from making fun of those rules consists of forty-two paragraphs, btw.



Mages violating these rules can expect various punishments depending on the graveness of their crime. Some rules are only supposed to ensure good relations to the other powers; most importantly the laws against reanimation magic are crucial for any cooperation with the Circle of Nilandon. Everyone violating these rules is punished hard, all acquired results (officially?) destroyed.





The Order of Belur is founded in -75 S.T. . Luhur, it's first big city and capital till this day, becomes home of the Counsil, regulating the mage's community with its exuberant laws. It takes all the way to 237 S.T. till Tayur's foundation and the Counsil's enlargement to its current size.



Outside its two cities, the Order never cares much about reigning over large areas and so peace between Penada's three powers lasts for more than 300 years. Only few mages leave the cities to seclude themselves in mostly uninhabited areas.



In 314 S.T. however, Penada's history is about to change forever. Out of thin air, a man named Setheret suddenly appears in Luhur; claiming to be from another world. Due to his knowledge and obvious power, the Order welcomes him warmly and just one year later Setheret is granted a seat in the Council after another member named Kematian dies in a tragic accident.

In the next few years, the relations of the Order and the Santuaren Empire deteriorate dramatically, until in 332 S.T. a mage's attack on a knight's konvoi marks the beginning of the great war. Till this day, the Council denies having ordered that attack.

The war rages for four years until the final battle for Luhur starts. At the morning of the sixth day, without approval of the Council, Setheret channels the energy of nearly fifty followers through a ritual – with a single strike nearly whiping out both armies completely and detaching Luhur from the mainland.



Shocked about what happened, the Order of Belur declares unconditional defeat on the very same day and outcasts Setheret. The mages then join in the fight against his sinister army, until the three powers finally achieve victory.

Since the war ended, relationships between the Order of Belur and the Santuaren Empire begin to relax slowly, but they shall never again reach their old depth. And then, just as restlessness once more starts spreading in Penada, suddenly a woman appears in Luhur out of nowhere..





The Order of Belur is reigned by the Counsil, a group of powerful mages. Originally consisting of fifty members, it's size was increased after Tayur's foundation to the hundred members in contains till this day. The members are referred to as archmages and keep their seat until death or their resignation by their own free will. The only member to ever have been excluded against his will was Setheret back in 336 S.T. . Technically every mage showing potential can hope to someday gain the title of an archmage, in most cases new members begin their career as a member's apprentice.

Officially, all archmages are completely equal, each one having the same rights and just a single vote in each election. In reality however, there have always been some individuals with greater influence sometimes leading whole factions inside the Council. The most important archmages of this day are:

Samus
Samus is a male elf knowing for his kindness and respected by many for his efforts in establishing a warm-hearted peace between the three powers once again, even though recent events kind of ruined most of his past work. He's known for being very close to Eleira, 15th Milu, with many speculating the two of them being in a relationship.



Tricia
Tricia is a human woman of around forty years (her exact age is a secret), famous for her theoretical researches. She has written multiple books and is said to be a wonderful teacher, yet at the same time is known to calculating and weighing up every move. If she decideds for a path, she'll follow it through even if it might cause troubles to others.



Lintai
Lintai grew up as one of Tricia's first apprentices. The younger woman shares her master's interest in exploring new theoretical theories, yet one day decided to put all this theory into practical use. From one day to the next she left Tricia's school and build her first own laboratory; and many more would follow. Lintai is known for her wacky experiments, often resulting in more or less dangerous failures, but always improving after each flop. Due to this she became the youngest current archmage, even though she tends to miss Council meatings quite often.



Aras
Aras is known as Penadas current most powerful firemage. He tends to react to opposition by challenging his adversary to a duel and then burn him to a crisp. Then again he's known to be extremely loyal to the Council as well. His cousinship with Imperator Zalaros is a well-known secret, just as their hatred for each other.



Ralus
With his real age being unknown, some claim Ralus' birthday being the last day of the great war. Even if this most likely isn't true, there's no point denying his old age. He rarely uses his magical powers nowadays, yet many still consider him the most powerful mage of the current era. Likewise in Council meetings Ralus is known to mostly listening in silence; yet when he does speak up, everyone listens to his low and calm voice.

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Living in the most dangerous environment known on Penada, members of the Telo Clan decided to embrace the threats surrounding them rather than fighting them. Nature is a judge, a teacher but also a comrade at the same time – and as it's able to change and adapt, so does the Telo Clan.



From a very young age, clan members learn how to change their body and shape it according to their will, mimicing all the power nature showcases them. Trying to achieve something by forcing it where flexibility would succeed is considered a display of weakness and harshly frowned upon.





In the last years before 332 S.T., as the upcoming war between the Santuaren Empire and the Order of Belur becomes more and more obvious, citizen from all over Penada look for a place to shelter from the looming conflict. In the end, they decide to flee inside the unexplored Jungle of Antara – well aware they're basically walking into their death as well, as the jungle is considered too dangerous for anyone to survive for a longer period of time.



In 334 S.T. however, the surviving refugees discover the hidden Sea of Katal, Penada's biggest lake. At it's northern shore, the city of Ne'vid is founded. In the next few years, its citizen adapt more and more to their menacing surroundings as they learn not to fight but to become part of it instead. In 350 S.T., the Telo Clan is officially founded.



First contact of the Clan with the outside world eleven years later encounters skeptism. Especially in the Santuaren Empire the denizens of Ne'vid are considered deserteurs whom could use their new found power to hide in the “normal” population. Although the deep in the Jungle of Atarna found goods and resources are considered interesting, dialogues concerning trade agreements fail. Instead, the Empire sends more and more own excursions inside the jungle until in 375 S.T. the city of Borena is founded deep inside of it. As the Clan considers it being a massive violation to its own philosophy as well as its territory, the city is more or less open fought for from day one.



While the conflict with the Empire still continues, the Telo Clan finally manages to reach a secret trading agreement with the archmage Marlis, younger Tricia's master, in 427 S.T. . Exchange of goods between Ne'vid and Tayur using the upper course of the Kilitar begins.





The Telo Clan is divided into three smaller clans based on the individuals shapeshifting abilities. Clan membership often yet not always follows blood relations and marrying outside of one's own clan to this day is till considered awkward at least. Each of the smaller clans has its own Elder, the three of them choosing the entire Telo Clan's leader among them every few years. The three clans are:

The Trosh Clan
The Trosh Clan is specialized in mimicing Penada's fauna – its animals, beasts and monsters. It's often considered being a rather agressive clan. Ayissa is the current Trosh Elder, and she is no exception to this rule.



The Olinus Clan
Basically as the Trosh Clan's counterpart, the Olinus Clan models itself on Penada's flora instead.As such, its clan members are often considered being rather defensive. However, as the current Olinus Elder Malano has proven multiple times, when they do finally get into action, his clan members stand behind no one.



The Pratia Clan
The Pratia Clan finally consists of all those members sticking out for their ability not to mimic the jungle's other inhabitants but rather other citizens instead. For a long time, the Pratia Clan would be more or less open taunted by the other two clans, yet the longer the conflict with the Empire continues, the more important this clan gets. Therefore Sarabo currently fulfills the role not only of this clan's Elder but as the entire Telo Clan's leader. Sarabo's mimicing powers are so great, basically no one is known to have seen his true face for more than two decades now. From time to time he leaves the jungle or sometimes even wanders right through Borena completely undiscovered.

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The Empire and the Order must pay for their countless wrongdoings. The Brotherhood is a conglomerated, young group of people, but most of its members would agree with this statement. At its core, the Brotherhood is a group of thieves, robbers and murderers; but to them all of this is just a response to how they were treated by the two great powers in the past. Vargis, the urban legend, has offered every citizen their place within the Brotherhood as long as they listen to his comands. He promises a community where no-one willing to do whatever he or she can will be left behind and everyone treated fairly as well as revenge – and his people love him and will follow him to death if needed.





The history of the brotherhood is the history of a single man: Vargis. Born in the Empire's capital, Vargis grew up on the streets as an orphan alongside his two friends Landos and Elion. Together, the trio lived from one day to another by stealing; and as they grew older, they became more and more successful at doing so. When they were around fourteen years old however, their success angered a local guild of thieves. Without a given warning, the guild attacked the three boys, with Landos dying during the pursuit.

The loss of their friend, who was more like a brother to them, changed Vargis as well as Elion. While the former polished his thieving skills to unknown heights, Elion got more and more ruthless in his methods. A few years later Vargis was close to becoming an urban legend. The "master thief", as he was called, stole from rich merchants, the Empire's knights and even a wizard's tower. No lock be it made from iron or magic could ever stop him.



But then came the day that would change everything. As Vargis broke into a storehouse in 425 S.T., a group of knights already awaited him inside and arrested the young man. To settle the dispute with the guild once responsible for Landos' death and take a leading position within it, Elion had betrayed his closest friend and sold him of to the Empire. Within a few hours, Vargis was condemned to be executed in public the very next day; but the master thief managed to break out of his cell and flee the capital. Chased by a group of knights, Vargis fled from one village to another, until his trace was lost deep inside of the Maram Woods.

For a few years, the living legend vanished from sight. In the meantime, Elion became leader of the guild of thieves by literally killing of the competition one after another until there was no-one left to oppose him. But when the other guild members rose with the sun on the day exactly five years after the failed execution, Vargis suddenly sat in the guild leader's chair. Not a single trace of Elion would ever be found. Taking control of the guild easily, Vargis lead its members out of Hadia and into the Maram Woods and together, they founded the city of Pales. Many more thieves, robbers, murderers would follow alongside many unsatisfied with the Empire or the Order as well as all of their families. The Brotherhood was born.





Since then, a mere fifteen years have passed. The Brotherhood has grown at an insane pace and its power grew with it. Originally only attacking some small villages within te Flats, nowadays the rogues don't even fear attacking greater caravans transporting weapons from Burding to Hadia. Also many members have returned into the other cities wrecking havoc whereever they can. Recently, Vargis has tried to get in contact with the Telo Clan; but so far all negotiations of a partnership have failed.





Vargis is the founder and one and only ruler of the Brotherhood. While sometimes he might dispatch a group to fulfill a task and appoint one of its members as leader, all of these posts are merely temporary. Every member of the Brotherhood, every citizen of Pales follows his orders and lives by its laws. And while they are rather loose as far as outsiders are concerned (as long as a group fulfills its given task, what happens to outsiders getting caught in the crossfire rarely matters), Vargis' rules concerning other Brotherhood members are known to be very strict. Those harming another member get one warning at best, before they simply vanish without a trace; just like Elion did in the past.

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As all of you most likely know, MSE Modern 2.0 is out and it actually had some interesting implications for Penada. First of all, as member of its Counsil, my work there put these spoilers on hiatus again once more – but this isn't really what I wanted to talk about today As I want to submit this set to the new format, I need to follow the format's rules (obviously), and this led to one big issue as well as a nice opportunity.




Until recently, Penada contained a card named Desperate Ritual. Don't bother remembering that name though, as the card doesn't exist anymore. It was my attempt at a rare burn spell, obviously inspired by Lightning Storm – and I didn't like it much. Still, it remained in the file all the time as I didn't really have a better design to use instead.

But then WindyDelcarlo brought his Ultima supertype Empower mechanic into the format, a mechanic which by its nature makes sence to use within my own set even on merely a single card – which is exactly what I have done:






As much as one of Windy's mechanics helped me out one the one hand, one of his other mechanics caused me some headaches. Which one you ask? Well, take a look:



Two mechanics with similar names and similar mechanical approaches? The MSEM2.0 Name Policy really wouldn't be happy about this.. I pondered about this for a while and then remembered some common-only playtesting from the past and how Battle experience could indeed sometimes get out of hand back then – and while the set has changed a lot since then, this kind of was the last drop to make me reach a conclusion: After I received Windy's approval, I replaced all instences of Battle experience with Experience (even though this required a redesign for one card which featured Defender) and slightly rebalanced my cards:




Sadly there was no card to reprint directly as none of the original designs were knights, yet I'm still quite pleased with the final results. Want to see more of them? Then you'll have to wait and see till tomorrow!

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One could describe the Empire as a direct counterpart to the Order of Belur. Where the Order believes in the power of one's mind, pure physical might is all that counts for the Santuaren knights. If you have enough strength, you can reach all of your goals.



"With great power comes great responsibility" is a common phrase within the Empire as well, even though outsiders would sometimes argue about the knight's definition of "responsibility". For them, this includes the responsibility to lead those whom are weaker as they won't be able to make decisions for themselves – or won't be able to bear the resulting consequences.



This is why the Santuaren Empire has grown quickly and reached by far the greatest area of influence. Violating any rules made by the Empire or disobeying any given order however is strictly punished. The end justifies the means after all.





The foundation of the Satuaren Empire and its capital Hadia marks the birth of a new calendar, which is still used to this day. For more than two centuries, the Empire grows expanding its territory while still keeping close relations with the other two powers of the time. In 255 S.T., the small mountain village Burdin gets annexed to provide a steady source of weapons and armor which still lasts to this day.



After Setheret's arrival on Penada, the Empire's relations with the Order of Belur start changing for the worst, smaller conflicts start occoring, until after a mage's attack on one of its supply konvois, the Empire officially declares war to the Order. The war goes on for four years, when at the morning of the fifth day of what was supposed to be the final battle for Luhur Setheret finally makes a stand, nearly wiping out both armies at once. Only due to the Circle of Nilandon's contribution, Penada's citizen finally emerge victorious against Setheret's sinister hordes.



With the knights providing unbreakable chains to bind Setheret's body, the Empire afterwards tries to return to its former glory. Its relationships to the Order, while settling down a bit, never returns to how it was before the war. Around two decades later however, suddenly a group calling themselves the Telo Clan – the decendants of war fugitives who found a new home inside of the Jungle of Atarna – appears and tries to establish contact with the three old powers. In the eyes of the Empire however, they are nothing but the decendants of cowards who developed dangerous new abilities to undermine its power, so negotiations fail quickly.

Still, with life being proven possible even within the Jungle and them being tempted by possible new and unknown resources, the Santuaren knights start their own expeditions; only to fail miserably at first. In 375 S.T. however, Imperator Ezerntus forces the foundation of Borena with the Empire's concentrated might. A path, several hundreds of miles long, is cut straight through the Jungle and the city build at its end. Basically from the very first day, Borena is more or less openly fought for as the Clan sees it as a violation of its philosophies as well as an invasion of their territory.

In recent years, a group of robbers and thieves apparently hiding in the Maram Woods starts terrorizing the Flats and playing hide and seek with the Empire's troups. While originally they seemd more of a nuisance than a threat, the Brotherhoods influence and power seems to increase quickly to a level, the knights are not willing to ignore any more. Meanwhile their attention gets drawn towards Luhur though, where recently a powerful fire mage named Chandra has appeared in the same way Setheret did more than a century ago..





The Santuaren Empire is led by its Imperator, residing in its capital Hadia. Burdin and Borena are governed by a Protector each, the only two persons allowed to give advice to the Imperator. Still, even they are not forbidden to ignore any direct orders given to them. The Imperator as well as the two Protectors carry their titles as long as they live or until they are beaten by a competator – what in most cases is just the same anyway. These are the current Empire's leader:

Imperator Zalaros:
Zaralos took the crown thirty years ago by the age of twenty and has defended his position multiple times. He is feared as much as loved by his devoted followers. He and Aras from the Order of Belur are cousins, but this doesn't change their burning hatred for one another.



Jadar, Protector of Burdin:
As traditionally all of Burdin's Protectors, Jadar is a dwarf. Compared to his two companions, he's known to be the most gentle of the current leaders, yet he's known to show no merci to those opposing the Empire and its citizens.

Caris, Protector of Borena:
Caris is an elf and obtained his title just a few years ago after winning a famous duel with his predecessor. With his city being constantly on the brink of war, he's shown absolute ruthlessness and no mercy towards the Telo clan.



To obtain the title of a knight, the Empire's children are granted a chance once each year from their fifteenth to their twentieth birthday to prove themselves in a duel against a full-fledged knight. This chance is given to all citizens no matter their heritage or heritage, however the more influencial the competitor, the more lenient the decision seems to be made in the end.



Once his or her twentieth birthday is passed however, a citizen never receives a chance to reach the ranks of knighthood ever again. Those passing the tests on the other hand begin a new life with new responsibilities as well as opportunities. Regular tournaments among knights are held to increase one's fame and obtain higher ranks. Only when a competator's rank and fame have reached a certain level, they receive the right to aim for one of the three leading positions.

{} Two days ago..

As the clarions blow, the few whispers in the croud disappear instantly. All gazes wander to the balcony above, where the imperator treads forward to the balustrade. His armor shimmering in the sunbeams coming through the archways, his white cape slowly dancing in the wind, his gaze wanders across the crowd.



His words echo though the giant hall, his loud and powerful voice reaching even the last corners.









With a swift gesture, Zaralos unsheathes his sword, holding it highly into the air to the roaring applaus and battle cries of the knights below.

{}

{} Changes made in version 1.1:

• The Track ability now says „Track <foo>“ rather than „Track down <foo>“.
• Shielding Sphere has received a wording update, now using „as“ rather than „when“.
• Slaying the Beast now is restricted to creatures with power 4 or more to better fit into white. To compensate, its cost was reduced by .
• Antara Stronghold's now says „Choose a basic land type. Creatures you control get +1/-1 or -1/+1 until end of turn for each land you control of the chosen type.“
• Fixed art cropping on Tempting Siren,Dragon-Shaped Brushwood, Reborn Guardian and Mystical Mage.
• Bloodthirsty Knight has received a wording update, now using „during“ rather than „in“.
• Chandra’s Teachings's wording was updated to fit the new Ultima standards.
• Added a nonland clause to Forced Burial.
• Chandra, Mistress of Fire and Setheret, Awoken are now a Legendary Planeswalkers according to WotC rule changes. Also both cards now use Cajun's Mainframe Planeswalker template.
• Fortress is changed from a card type to Planeswalker subtype. This means there are no attack restrictions to the controller anymore. City of Burdin, Antara Stronghold, Keoa Temple, Filigree Tower and Underground Hideout therefore now feature the typeline „Legendary Planeswalker – Fortress“. Also all five cards now use Cajun's Mainframe Planeswalker template.
• As it's now a subtype, Fortress is capitalized on Castle Invaders and Search for the Hidden.

Changes made in version 1.2:

• Track now is limited to permanents entering under an opponent’s control as the cards featuring it were originally costed. Also polished up the wording by removing the unnecessary flash-clause.
• To prepare for the upcoming Dominaria wording changes, Mind Diffusion, Tempting Siren, Cruel Extinguisher, Enter Your Mind, Dangerous Psyche, Grim Demand, Market Robber, Raven’s Cloak, Underwater Guardian, Vargis, Master Thief & Mindcutting Scythe now use the new „they/their“ wording.
• The three Story Spotlight cards Radiant Extinction, Setheret, Awoken & Grim Demand now have the Story Spotlight tag on the cards themselves.
• To prepare for the upcoming Dominaria wording changes, Eleira’s Rites, Giant Redwood Telo, Natural Grace, Reborn Mox & Weekly Market, as well as the Codex cycle and the uncommon as well as the rare land cycle now don't say „to your mana pool“ anymore.
• Dragonslayer Knight is now called Adamant Dragonslayer.
• Sacrificial Knight is now called Devoted Protector.
• Mirror-Shield Knigh is now called Mirror-Shield Bearer.
• Prison Mage has received a wording update to prevent permanent exiling by using flicker effects.
• Santuaren Air Knight is now called Santuaren Griffin Rider.
• Army of Knights is now called Zalaros ’ Army.
• Complete Clarity has been reworked. It now searches your library for up to X instant and/or sorcery cards with different names, with its cost being changed from to .
• Flow Weaver's Spellcraft trigger now requires a cost of to use.
• Illusion Shaper's Spellcraft trigger now requires a cost of to use.
• Vanish in Time now returns to the top of your library rather than your hand.
• Blackleaf Shaman's casting cost changed from to .
• Cruel Extinguisher's casting cost changed from to and its Track cost from to .
• Gruesome Abnormality's casting cost changed from to .
• Nilandon Outcast is now called Jaundiced Outcast.
• The cost to activate Next Life Emissary's ability increased from to , also it now requires tapping.
• Nilanodon Prophet is now called Prophet of Panros and has been reworked. Its base power and toughness were increased from 1/1 to 2/2, instead it only has Reincarnate 1. The ETB Infest trigger was changed to an activated ability: , Remove a +1/+1 counter from ~: Creatures you don’t control get -1/-1 until end of turn. Finally dropped flavor text to prevent text cramming.
• Chandra, Mistress of Fire's now doesn't cast the tutored spell for free anymore but rather exiles it and allows casting it this turn. The ability can now search for spells with CMC X or less, also X can now be 0.
• Chandra’s Teachings now is a Legendary Sorcery fitting the upcoming Dominaria type changes. Because of this, it's now uncounterable and its damage can't be prevented in general. (Its template will be updated in the future.)
• Agressive Knigh is now called Executor of Caris and has received flavor text.
• Filigree Tower is now called Lintai’s Tower. Its triggered ability is now limited to combat damage to prevent confusion.
• Rain Igniter's Spellcraft trigger cannot target creatures anymore. Its toughness was buffed from 2 to 3.
• Underground Hideout is now called Pales’ Foundations.
• Poison Bolt Hunter is now an Archer in addition to its types. Its toughness was reduced from 2 to 1 and its Track cost increased by to compensate for the downgrades of removal spells since Cradle to Grave saw print.
• Relict Crusher's casting cost was increased from to , its Track cost from to .
• Spreading Ooze has been reworked. It's ability now doesn't create copies of itself but rather a number of 1/1 green Ooze creature tokens equal to the number of Ooze you control. Its casting cost was changed from to , and it has received new artwork with the original art being used for the new Ooze token.
• Belur War Dragon's Spellcraft trigger now requires a cost of to use.
• Nilandon’s Orders is now called Kelrath’s Orders.
• Telo’s Orders is now called Malano’s Orders.
• Flail-Wielding Knight is now called Santuaren Flail Bearer.
• Belur’s Orders is now called Tricia’s Orders.
• Underwater Guardian's ability now has a restriction of only exiling nonland cards with CMC3 or less.
• Brotherhood’s Order is now called Vargis’ Orders.
• Dragonfly Telo is now called Wasp Telo to reflect its new artwork.
• Santuaren’s Orders is now called Zalaros’ Orders.
• Reborn Mox is now legendary.
• Forest Hideout has been updated to the new Flash wording.
• Knights’ Fortress is now called Impenetrable Fortress.
• Mage’s Tower's Spellcraft trigger now allows you to sacrifice the land to make the cast spell uncounterable.
• To prepare for the upcoming Dominaria wording changes, Chandra’s Teachings & Belur War Dragon now refer to „any target“, Stonesplint Blast now refers to „target player or planeswalker“.
• Bloodthirsty Knight has received no wording update against the upcoming Dominaria wording changes, so it's not able to deal damage to planeswalkers anymore.

Changes made in version 1.3:

• Chandra’s Teachings, Jadar, Protector of Burdin, Kelrath, 14th Naam, Ralus, Archmage, Sarabo, Pratia Elder, Vargis, Master Thief and Reborn Mox now all use the Mainframe Template to receive the legendary frame.
• Setheret, Awoken was added back his fourth ability, which apparently was lost sometime in the past while changing to Mainframe Template.