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Post by cajun on Apr 4, 2018 0:10:21 GMT
Cajun's E X P L O R A T I O N S(Under Reconstruction) It's a wide Multiverse out there, with a million threads of gods and planeswalkers, mice and men, weird jellyfish people and the occasional slug-drake hybrid. There are infinite stories across infinite worlds, but each converge onto one, the History, the Life of Everything. No matter how small, every creature leaves its mark within those pages. So if you're up for some exploring and can handle a planeswalk or twelve, let the Multiverse be your pen and your actions be the ink. {Old Novea}  Every story starts somewhere.Set 1 of 4 in the Novea Cycle150 CardsA world born of passion, luck, persistence and regret, a creation not unlike so many others. Novea looks into this developing world of spirits, men and monkeys as they try to survive and define themselves. From the outside Novea seems to contradict the Multiverse, with ::w:: devils, ::r:: merfolk, and a lack of new keywords, but at the core, it is the same as any other plane, just a little less sure of it's place in life. Full Set  Write your own future.Set 2 of 4 in the Novea Cycle150 CardsLife is falling apart for the denizens of Novea. The Sky Lotus has abandoned his dancers. Rylei has retreated to the depths. Mother Nature reaches out to them, corrupting the hopeful into harpies, the sylphs into storms, the merfolk into monsters. With every step her corruption grows, and Novea must make a stand to follow their mother into oblivion or strike out on their own. Introduced two new mechanics, Primal allowing you to sacrifice potential for power, and Heretic encouraging working with those who were once against you.  {  }  Write your own future.Set 1 of 3 in the Novea Cycle270 CardsA world born of passion, luck, persistence and regret, a creation not unlike so many others. Novea looks into this developing world of spirits, men and monkeys as they try to survive and define themselves. From the outside Novea seems to contradict the Multiverse, but at the core, it is the same as any other plane, just a little less sure of it's place in life. Life is falling apart for the denizens of Novea. The Sky Lotus has abandoned his dancers. Rylei has retreated to the depths. Mother Nature reaches out to them, corrupting the hopeful into harpies, the sylphs into storms, the merfolk into monsters. With every step her corruption grows, and Novea must make a stand to follow their mother into oblivion or strike out on their own. Introduced two new mechanics, Primal allowing you to sacrifice potential for power, and Heretic encouraging working with those who were once against you, as well as returning persevere from Surging Tide. Novea Remastered was me looking back at Novea and Daybreak two years later and bringing the sets more up to snuff, and did so well enough to get it accepted into MSEM. While it isn't perfect and that Limited is a mess, NVA is looking much better than it did the first time through.   {  } Relidon, World at WarMake your mark.Set 2 of 3 in the Novea Cycle251 CardsThe world may shift but war never changes. Without the stranglehold of Mother Nature the Gorrans explode while the rest of the world suffers. Relidon watches the end of a war no one remembers why they started, still fighting for land and resources and relics and glory and anonymity. Ninjutsu returns with Unite, a modified banding, while bringing new mechanics in Tactical, Crusade and Attrition.  {  } Shadows of VaaskJust another day at the end of the world.Set 3 of 3 in the Novea Cycle192 CardsUnknown years of war and decay have left Novea a dying shell, life clinging to the once glorious city of Vaask and the surrounding desert. Planeswalker Arc Atencio watches the plane in its last days, eventually attempting to sever the ability of Trea Anir, Yjehuar, Anakasha and the Blight from planeswalking away. She has succesfully bought herself some time. Vaask's flagship mechanics are Blight and Improvise, with a few minor mechanics rounding the set.  {  } Horde: XazerialLet Chaos ReignStandalone Horde Expansion169 CardsSha'rador studies the secrets of the Multiverse in the constantly dying world of Xazerial. Xazerial adds several tools to Horde magic by giving its casting mechanism an action in 'chaos ensues', the addition of Cataclysms, disastrously powerful spells that can only be used by the Horde, and Descent, which lets the horde cast spells even as it's taking damage. For the players, Xazerial introduces Unhinge and Consumption to encourage those trapped in the Horde to go as mad as Xazerial. It also explores the philosophy behind the four color combinations, turning the main Nephilim into manifestations rather than giant monsters.  {  } OphorioirohpOFate is too important to be left to chance.Set 1 of 3 in the Ophorio Block kcolB oirohpO eht ni 3 fo 2 teS444 Cards(Two 222 card sets in one file) Both sides of the mirror clash in OphorioirohpO as two reflected worlds try to fuse into one, annihilating both in the process. Despite the best efforts of Xaro, the Blight, and Mei Liva, the Mirror fused, uniting the two worlds as one without a war or an overrunning of vampires or disease. While both worlds are suffering after their involvement, Sha'rador is now working to make things right for both planes. With two planes, OphorioirohpO introduced seven mechanics and brought back Fuse and two others from Future Sight. Across both sets is the evasion mechanic of distorted and reanimation mechanic of destiny. Ophorio brought back frenzy while introducing the alternate win condition of glory counters, debuff of winnow and alternate casting cost of prophecy. Oirohpo went a little wilder, trying to balance the mechanics of fateseal, shimmer and catalyze.  {  } Occult OutbreakSet 3 of 3 in the OphorioirohpO Block111 CardsThe planes have Mirged but life goes on. At least, it would if the Blight wasn't still lingering around, if Arroyo would get its fingers out of our fates, and the vampires would stay in their wastelands. Occult Outbreak was a design sequel to OphorioirohpO, which looked at the leftover designs and worldspace without delving deep into development, so this set may not be suitable for everyone.  {  } Steves of a Multiverse27 cardsSpecial Thanks To: Daij_Djan, fluffyDeathbringer, Gurfle, HerziQuerzi, Korakhos, marioware2, Sylphiod, Terry Pratchet, thehuw, ThisisSakon, Timespiraled, WindyDelcarlo, and Wizards of the Coast Steves of a Multiverse (aka 27 Shades of Mediocrity or 27 Shades of Steve) was a commander miniset dedicated to the bit players of the Multiverse, with 27 Tiny Leaders with small yet interesting abilities.  {  } -2020- {  } -2020- {  } The Time That Planes Forgot-2020-  {  } -2021- -And more to come- |
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Post by cajun on Apr 4, 2018 0:30:52 GMT
Since we're updating for Ophorio, mise well add something new as well.
The hallmark of my writing is too many characters, and with planeswalkers that means too many planes. And so for the lost and enterprising joining us on our explorations I present The Planeswalkers Guide To...{Novea}[Sets] Novea, Daybreak, Relidon, Shadows of Vaask [Walkers: Orria Mirrorpelt, Trea Anir, The Blight] [Sparkers: Xaro Tarax] Novea is the plane of potential. Pre-Mending planeswalker Skirnon Ryu discovered the plane empty, and recreated life within it. A master of emotion, he made five emotional manifestations to craft the world of Novea. Life on the plane grows incredibly quickly, with the planes' humans living and dying about four times faster than elsewhere. Mother Nature initially kept their population in check, but after the events of Daybreak finally killed her, the humans quickly overwhelmed the plane until war broke out between them. The battlefield was known as Relidon, where an Ageless War was waged until the actions of Xaro and the dying Sky Lotus, the last manifestation of Novea, managed to reunite the world. Working together, the medieval Relidon quickly became the giant city of Vaask. The city could not last however, and the ancient Blight, the final gift of Mother Nature, broke from its containment, infecting and killing countless with its exponential growth. The survivors have lived under the shadows of the giant city, overrun by the Blighted and the berserk cyborgs of the past. During Shadows of Vaask, everything finally goes wrong as the harbingers of the apocalypse surround the plane. Xaro is nearly consumed by the Blight, allowing it to escape into the Multiverse, while the others have been temporarily trapped by the Legends of Laptew, likely sentencing everyone still living on the plane to death. The City of VaaskAfter the Ageless War, the five factions united to build the glorious city of Vaask at the center of Relidon, its battlefield. The city would grow exponentially with its population, sprawling large enough to cut off the plains from the remains of the forest without going through the city. It would eventually grow too large for its own good, and the Blight that had been contained for generations finally slipped through the cracks, quickly overrunning the city and leaving it in the ruins that resulted in Shadows of Vaask. The EradaiThe plains where the sundancers played. The fields where war was waged. The desert where the survivors scrounge. The Eradai has played several roles as the  area of Novea. Currently it is a near desert following the development of Vaask, and home to the  Survivors, the descendants of those few lucky enough to escape before the Blight took over. This had made the Eradai, while trapped between mountains and the City, the safest bit of the plane until the Survivors managed to summon a blight-maddened Anakasha into their midst. The PeridanThe forest that moves. The forest that fights. The forest that adapts. The Peridan has been unmoving as the representative  area of the plane, but has been no stranger of changing what that might mean. The forest has been returning to its roots as its inhabitants become mutated by the remains of Vaask. The blend of mana and aether known as radiance is known to kill on contact, but the world has adapted to its proximity, and the forest has learned to benefit from the poison. The Lost City of AnkorWhile a shining citadel during the war of Relidon, Ankor was largely abandoned as Vaask grew, and in the years since the Fall has been lost to the sands. While small exclaves of the citadel have been found, resulting in finding the last pieces of the spell to summon Anakasha, the main citadel is considered to be lost forever in the mountainside it was built. Ralora, the DeepFar from the battlefields lay the seas of dead Rylei, where her naiads are still rumored to live. Living underwater saved the creatures as war broke across Relidon, but they disappeared completely as Vaask rose to touch the sky. While no one has seen fin or scale of them for years, and the journey to the seas would lead to certain death, there is no reason to believe they haven’t managed to survive beneath the waves, unaware of everything tearing the surface apart. The TangleveilFurther than the Peridan, the earth and air combine to form the Tangleveil, an eerie hybrid of jungle and sky. If anything survives of Aerolious and the Terra, this is where it would live. The dragons that come from here are the current iterations of the sylphs, monsters made of air that put their sylph and tempest ancestors to shame. Hidden far out of view, the Tangleveil has been untouched by the rapid downfall of the plane, and even appears to be thriving. {Eradin}[Sets] Eradin v. Ainox
[Walkers: Xaro Tarax]
[Sparkers: Fuego Ogando]
Deprived of white and blue mana, the world of Eradin is one of unrestrained growth and destruction. During the events of Relidon, the plane’s humans and elves were at war, with the elves eventually winning and nearly exterminating the humans. As of now, the only groups managing to survive Eradin are the genocidal elves, the omnicidal oozes, and the acidal plant giants, with the last few remnants of humanity hiding among the swamps and forests. Unique to Eradin is ascension, particularly powerful warriors are able to become archangels, a strange blend of mortal and mana. With the wars of Eradin evidentally over, Xaro would appear to be the plane’s final angel.
Eradinis have never been known for exploring, so the major areas of the world are known only as the Murk, the Gardens, and the Fires.
The Murk
Treacherous and gaseous swampland, the Murk is home to the elves, said to be mere men, twisted and driven mad by living in it. These elves, the Nairdo, are highly genocidal, and have gleefully wiped nearly all other races from the plane, and despite that, rarely venture outside the Murk for any other reason.
The Gardens
But even the elves have been foiled by Eradin’s most tenacious creature, the Oozes. After the near extermination of humans, now only the oozes and the vegetation can claim to cover the plane. While almost everything that isn’t swamp or mountain is written off as the Gardens, the Ooze Garden is a specific band of valleys where the new oozes are born, grown or hatched. The elves have never cared enough to check which.
The Fires of Kyien
The humans of Eradin settled as far from the elves as they could manage, living largely along the canyons and volcanic ridges of what they named Kyien. The elves deemed this too close and went to war, leaving the hot and stony landscape nearly barren of life.
The Veil
With the merging of Ophorio, blue mana has begun to filter into Eradin once more. The elves have called this blue influx the Veil, and several of them have begun to experiment with this newfound magic, causing a rift to form between the Veilsworn and the Murksworn. {Ainox}[Sets] Eradin v. Ainox
[Walkers: Anakasha Akari]
[Sparkers: Sala Evigal]
Deprived of black and red mana, the world of Ainox is one of unmoving life. The plane is divided into the tundra of Anaphox, where the spirit of ice and the mountainous reaches prevent any of the humans from getting out or anything else from getting in. Further south the world warms up and reality melts away into the jungle of Etephox. The line between enchantment and creature fades away, resulting in spells that breathe and creatures that linger. Traversing the world is maddening, and staying within the Etephox too long will cause you to become one of the hybrids caught within it. Due to this, no one is certain what lies further than the Etephox, as even Planeswalkers are funneled into the transition area of the plane, where the planar portal lies.
Etephox
At a glance, the Etephox appears a world where dream becomes reality. The world is lush, and the most dangerous creatures seem to be plants and peacocks. But dreams become nightmares quite easily, and the creatures of the Etephox is magic trying to become real. Delving beyond Where Points Converge causes you to drift into their world, and appears to be the point of no return.
Phox
As you stray north from the Etephox, you reach the entrance of the plane. Most planeswalkers find it dificult to 'walk anywhere to else on Ainox, which is wholly unremarkable except for the fifty-foot tall stone circle, the planar portal. Phox appears to be a magic sink, canceling the magical nature of both the jungle and the tundra, and making it difficult to cast spells there.
Anaphox
The far north of Ainox seems trapped in eternal winter, and yet it remains home to the plane's humans. Between the weather and a malign spirit knowns as the Evigal, venturing even to Phox is dangerous, and its proximity to the jungle sends most that do make the trip running back home. But between the exile of Anakasha, the apparant disappearance of the Evigal, and the wave of red mana brought on by Ophorio, the Anaphox is beginning to change...
{Xazerial}[Sets] Horde: Xazerial
[Walkers: Yjehuar]
[Sparkers: Unknown]
A world of unending chaos, Xazerial is ruled by the four-colored Nephilim, once-Planeswalker manifestations of Peace, Fear, Death, War and Life. The five Nephilim and countless lesser Nephilim constantly vie for power over the vast space and tiny landmass of Xazerial. The creatures that live on the land are in constant flux, as the world is often restructured or restarted by Cataclysms. To those that live there, life seems normal, even though the plane can end within moments to the world outside. Other than the five Nephilim, only Sha’rador is known to have survived a Xazerial Cataclysm, thanks to being made of light and omnipotent at the moment. While the plane, strangely, has a planar portal that seems to reform every time the plane does, entering it from the other side is almost certain death, and the natives appear to steer clear of the structure.
Cataclysms
As power amasses in Xazerial, the plane can barely hold itself together and has to find ways to burn it off. These are the Cataclysms of Xazerial, world changing and sometimes world ending displays of power. The tales of their fantastic power have attracted planeswalkers for generations, but even before the Mending, Xazerial has claimed them as victims.
Bringers
Five oldwalkers in particular are still attempting to take Xazerial’s power for themselves. Nigh-immortal, they survive the Cataclysms time and time again, but their lives have been transformed into the Peacebringer, Fearbringer, Endbringer, Warbringer and Lifebringer, each still fighting each other over the power locked away in each cataclysm. The five extend their influence across the Nephilim and mortals, inspiring their namesake to give them an edge. Ultimately, none of them have bested the Cataclysm, with each attempting to harvest it in turn, only to end with the Lifebringer bringing the plane back to attempt again.
Sha’rador became the first planeswalker to momentarily absorb the power of a Cataclysm, very nearly becoming another Bringer. But Sha’rador had the advantage of facing off the infinite before. While he could not contain omnipotence, he has come back stronger and has taken a deep understanding of magic and the Multiverse with him.
Nephilim
The nebulous creatures of Xazerial, Nephilim live on a strange line between physical existence and near godhood. With enough power, any creature of Xazerial can be corrupted into a Nephilim, and a Nephilim can become powerful enough to be noticed by the Bringers, who can offer enough protection for the Nephilim to survive a Cataclysm, but they will not share the permanence, the generals and pets of the Bringers will have to fight back to their position every time the world ends, and often they will not have the time.
Mortals
While the mortals of Xazerial are not nearly as persistent as their Nephilim neighbors, they invariably spring back up every time Xazerial begins anew. While their appearances vary wildly, a squirrel is still largely a squirrel even when it has five eyes, gills, and a venomous tail. While a Nephilim can devolve back into a mortal, this happens rarely enough that it isn’t the cause of the majority of mortal resurgences.
{Ophorio}[Sets] Ophorio, Occult Outbreak [Walkers: Ahl Strixian] [Sparkers: Sha'rador] In the infinite Multiverse, there must be infinite, slightly different planes. At yet, no one can find them. This is because they exist only as reflections, parallel worlds existing like different wavelengths, unable for even a planeswalker to reach. At least, that was true until the Mirge. Ophorio and one of its reflections fused into a single plane, allowing planeswalkers to reach the alternate universes. The plane’s planar portal is currently unusable after the Mirge. Regardless, Ophorio is the world of fate. The creatures of the plane are able to read and rewrite their fates, which have become increasingly unstable since the Mirge. Ophorio is lorded over by the humanoid owls and reflections, as those most capable of twisting their own destinies. The elves and lizards have been striking back at their growing empire, accepting the grip of the Blight and allowing it a foothold on its first plane. However, with the influx of Oirohpo, the world is beginning to heal. The Grand RefractorsThe writers of fate, the five three four five four Refractors keep Ophorio and its many reflected worlds in line. Initially, the  Arroyo aided by the  Ada gave the mortals of all the worlds complete control of their fates, making the fates a disorganized mess of lifelines. The Alyss and Dinah made a temporary alliance with the  Aurora to remove Arroyo from power, bringing order to the fates, and quickly making them inescapable. Aurora, regretting her decision but unable to revert it, offered the mortals a chance to reweave their fate, a small concession Alyss only allowed because losing Aurora as an ally would be suicide. When Alyss finally attempted to undo that during OphorioirohpO, Dinah and Aurora stood against her, and Ada broke the stalemate to sentence Alyss to the same fate as Arroyo, and allowing Arroyo to begin breaking free. The Mirror’s Edge|The MirgeUnknown ages ago, the Mirror's Edge formed between Ophorio and Oirohpo, a thin layer of aether that grew as the two planes came crashing together. The Mirror took the two parallel planes and began to align them to their own layer of existence. The movement increased as Ahl and Sha'rador walked across the Mirror, accelerating the destruction of the two. After several years of planning, Ahl Strixian and Sha'rador both attempted to deal with the Mirror at the same time, resulting in the Mirge, reversing the movement of the Mirror while combining the two into one plane. This resulted in the previously dissipated land partially returning as the void, a canyon now physically separating the two worlds, and the fracture and disappearance of Ahl. The VoidJungle and wastes combine in the jagged valley of the void, the home of those that had been taken victim by the Mirror. Reflections fuse and creatures have warped in the nether world, making the natural residents of the void strange amalgamations of their original selves. Weavers|SeekersFor those who know about fate on Ophorio, they are split largely into Weavers and Seekers. Weavers are magic users that train to learn how to read and rewrite their fates, earning their name from the artistry required to work the wildly complicated fates into a shape they prefer. Seekers have cast off the ideas of reweaving their fates, and travel across the world to find their own fates. After the Mirge, the term extended to most in Oirohpo, particularly the dwarves that sought more than just to cheat fate. The KalakAcross the infinite reflections, each world started with the Kalak, the stony trolls seen in both Ophorio and Oirohpo. While they have remained almost exactly the same for millenia, their descendants have changed from the reflections made of light to the stone-scaled lizards and eventually to the hardy elves and dwarves below the surface of their planes. The Reflections|The LhaUnique to the Mirrorworlds is the race of reflections, creatures that are formed out of light and memory. Reflections don't truly die, but can fade away or be forgotten, and if their counterpart on the other plane does as well, the reflection is gone for good. As long as the counterpart survives, enough light or memories will bring a reflection back from the brink. While reflections can eat or drink, all they need is sunlight. The Dylso|The OslydThe wide forest and wide desert cover most the surface of their planes, and are home to most of the different species across the planes. Most activities occur above the Dylso in the canopy with the uplifted owls and the few they allow up there. In Oirohpo, the action is below the ground, where the dwarves have large underground cities where everyone is welcome. After the Mirge, the harshest environments of both areas have become one in the void. The Blighted Wood|The Chanting WoodThe far south and far north of the two planes are now home to woods tainted by the Blight and the Cult of Arroyo. While the Mirge managed to chase off the Blight before it gained an unstoppable foothold on the plane, the twisted landscape and blighted lizards and elves seem here to stay. Meanwhile, the Chanting Woods has only grown stronger as Arroyo comes closer and closer to existence, and its shamans are getting bolder by the day. VampiresMei Liva became the first planeswalker to enter the mirrorworld Oirohpo from outside Ophorio, and began her 'teachings' across the world. Mei is a mental vampire, feeding off secrets and memories, major components of reflections. As the reflections changed into vampires as well, the twisting and removing of their memories affected their reflections of all sorts on Ophorio. With the worlds combined, the students of Mei have started spreading even wider. Without the Mirror the unraveling of reflections isn't as strong, but is still a slow death sentence. Farsailers|RangewalkersBeyond the coast of Ophorio and mountains of Oirohpo are lands unknown to Ahl and Sha'rador, with the few who come from those distant lands known as Farsailers and Rangewalkers. While having minimal presence in OphorioirohpO, these areas still follow the rules of Ophorio and will be seen more in depth in Occult Outbreak. The TattersAt the opposite edge of the world lies the Tatters, where the world falls apart and the light ends. The Tatters always seem to be stuck at night, eventually dissipating any reflections that scout the area. With the world falling apart all around, very little ever bothers to go to the Tatters, though the vampires have been quietly taking the area as their home. As above, this will receive more attention in Occult Outbreak. {Oirohpo}[Sets] Oirohpo, Occult Outbreak
[Walkers: Sha'rador]
[Sparkers: Ahl Strixian]
In an unending Multiverse, there should be infinite, slightly different planes. Oirohpo is one of those for Ophorio. Largely desert, other than the cats and reflections, most civilization exists below the earth and within the mountains thanks to the dwarves of the plane. While stirred into a warmind during the events of OphorioirohpO, the denizens of Oirohpo have turned more compassionate after seeing the true state of their mirrored world. While the laws of fate still govern Oirohpo, no one but the few cultists are aware of this effect, resulting in the denizens taking freedom as default and destiny as nonexistent. As with Ophorio, its planar portal is currently nonfunctional. No one is sure where it will lead if it happens to turn back on. {Laptew}[Sets] Commander: Legends of Laptew
[Walkers: Sala Evigal, Arc Atencio]
[Sparkers: Gomm]
At the center of the cajuniverse lies Laptew, the most connected plane in the Multiverse. Scattered across the plane are at least a dozen planar portals, set up and altered by a pre-Mending lithomancer. Even organic matter is able to pass between the portals of Laptew, allowing interplanar travel to literally any of those planes. Travel through these portals is highly controlled on Laptew, and the giant stone circles seem to drive natives away, meaning most traffic is low profile and from the plane. Countries and cultures form around these portals, resulting in a strange blend of the two planes around the portals, particularly around the Tirvana portal, a lush world that lacks the dangers of most of its neighbors. Laptew is a diverse plane culturally and geographically, and has become home to a team of planeswalkers and portalwalkers.
-The countries and portals of Laptew will get a showcase in the Commander thread, approximately March- {Tirvana}[Sets] Tirvana
[Walkers: Unknown]
[Sparkers: Arc Atencio]
From Tirvana springs life. While many worlds have earned the title motherland, only one deserves it. Tirvana is an absolutely massive plane, one so large it is constantly falling apart, with the shards falling away to eventually become planes of their own. While unlikely that all planes have fallen from Tirvana, several of these planes are known to be ‘recent’ children of the collapsing plane. While the whole of the plane is nigh impossible to explore, the area around the planar portal is well known.
-Tirvana is gigantic and its story isn't as nailed down as the others, so we'll be skipping the breakdown for now- {Itsk}[Sets] Itsk
[Walkers: Unknown]
[Sparkers: Orria Mirrorpelt]
There exist rogue planes, those that wander across the Multiverse seemingly at random, appearing and disappearing wherever they wish. Itsk is one of these planes, but has gone rogue in another dimension. Itsk moves strangely through time, and time moves strangely on Itsk, a million years might last a mere moment, and a second may stretch out over a century. Time moves even stranger outside of it, and planeswalkers that are able to survive the test of time will find they don't know where or when they are. While few have attempted to abuse the time travel of Itsk, its movement is unpredictable and has no reference, you could miss your goal by eons and find the plane moved a lifetime away in the time it took to figure that out.
Orria Mirrorpelt is one of few who is confirmed to have continuously used the movement of Itsk after sparking to the plane. While she entered the plane at the end of Novea, when she finally learned to planeswalk off of Itsk she arrived at the beginning of Shadows of Vaask. With an unusual connection to the plane, Orria would walk across time and space until finally reaching the time of Relidon, where she would attempt, and fail, to prevent the rise and fall of Vaask.
Anakasha Akari also used the plane as self-exile after learning she had come in contact with the Blight during Relidon in order to prevent it from spreading beyond her. This plan may have worked if she hadn't provided the Noveans with a spell to call her back.
Echoes of the Future
Itsk’s travels have given it front row seats to some of the most explosive displays of magic from the future, past, and present. While now only a fraction of their power, the Echoes of massive spells from distant pasts still ravage the plane, the Alterations of nonexistent presents try to enforce their worlds onto its victims, and the Blasts from the far-flung futures slowly build in power as their chance to be cast comes ever closer.
The Metamorphs
During the slow eras of Itsk, spells that are cast can take years to resolve, and in the meantime can gain minds of their own, resulting in them wandering around the plane until their time finally runs out.
The Itskborn
Most of the plane’s denizens are picked up as Itsk travels through other planes via time and space, the kidnapped creatures suddenly finding themselves on the rogue plane. But Itsk does spawn its own creatures, children that are seemingly immune to the radical chronological shifts, making them laughably slow when the apparent time speeds up, and dangerously fast when it slows down. During their slow periods, the inhabitants can easily harvest the Spawn and eat or use them to allieviate the effects of chronoshifts.
Spirals of Despair
Despite the harsh abnormalities of the plane, living on it is possible, and even tolerable once you have learned to use the Spawns to weather the worst chronoshifts. That is, as long as you avoid the Spirals of Despair along all the edges of the plane. The Spirals form a so far inescapable maze, and the even with the motions of Itsk, time seems to stop. Once in the Spirals, there is no death, there is only the endless wandering across an impossible maze.
{Pguqium}[Sets] "Waves"
[Walkers: Mei Liva]
[Sparkers: Marcus Felding]
Pguqium, where knowledge flows, now quite literally. While a shining center of intelligence, science and magic even a few decades ago, the plane is currently a nearly unbroken sphere of water. Life, like much of Pguqium's knowledge, now exists only beneath that surface. The sea is home to the merfolk, jellyfish, sharks, leviathans and creatures of the deep that have always lived in the seas surrounding the great cities, but now they are all that lives there. While the plane still hides most of its knowledge on the ocean floor, few planeswalkers are able to survive the trip to the depths, and the entire plane has nearly become forgotten.
The Sunken City
Once a great city, using bridges an magic to sprawl across several towering islands, Poquilos now rests silently at the Sea’s floor, its non-gilled inhabitants and normal scrolls destroyed by the years underwater. But even before the Drowning of Pguqium, the plane was dominated by water, so much so that nearly everything of value had some manner of magical waterproofing, leaving the city, and much of its writings pristine, almost as if it had been built there from the start.
The Island
While several islands still break the surface of Pguium, an old myth of a utopic island has become a desperate hope to the few surviving Sailors on the Sea. The Island is said to be a large tropical paradise, big enough to support the ungilled survivors, rather than just one of the countless wet rocks that pass for islands now. How many sailors actually believe they will find the island rather than just holding onto to that one last fragment of hope is hard to tell, but those that don’t believe it might be out there somewhere usually find themselves in the Sea one way or another.
The Trench
Shirking many names over the years, the deepest part of the Sea is once more known simply as the Trench. Every Pguqiun that has attempted to chart its lightless depths has ended up dead, either by the Trench or shortly after giving up, cursed by their ambition. With Pguium now ruled by fish, it is only visited by those that prefer the darkness.
The Core
The following planes exist largely for background, and aren’t currently planned for anything more focused than a Planechase expansion. {Afnan}[Sets] None [Walkers: Fuego Ogando] [Sparkers: Zweil] A world of monarchs and deceit, Afnan takes serfdom to a horrific degree. Whether the world is suffering under the Iron Citadel or the suffering caused it to emerge is unknown. The serfs of Afnan are able to prove themselves in the pits of Castle Giardell, where a dying Fuego Ogando would spark. As he has yet to return to the plane, little of its recent history is known.  {Carullo}[Sets] None [Walkers: Marcus Felding] [Sparkers: Anakasha Akari] The world of heights, Carullo offers far too few horizontal areas for life to take hold, so it has learned to hold onto the cliffs and magnetically lifted islands. Home to giants, jellyfish, goblins, humans and Marcus Felding, Carullo is owned by no one but itself, and they merely scrape out survival.  {Jodrix}[Sets] None [Walkers: Gomm] [Sparkers: Trea Anir] Strings of seemingly idyllic towns run along the plane of Jodrix, with some of these fairy tale villages stretches on for miles and miles. But between these clutches and swathes of civilization, the darkness of Jodrix bleeds through. The forest is home to monsters, werewolves, and the eight-legged subjects of the Jodrixian Queen Spider.  {Noortu}[Sets] None [Walkers: Zweil] [Sparkers: Bvala Otere] On the plane of Noortu, death is merely a suggestion. Of course, life is just a suggestion too. But, as is common in life, there are those who will find a way to make those suggestions for others. Noortu is a world where humans are the past and death is the future, with rhox, loxodon, rats and goats making up much of civilization, with the 'human' shapeshifters playing with the barrier of life and death more elegantly than their rat competitors, drawing the ire of the Nightmares of the dead.  {Nosive}[Sets] None [Walkers: Zoam Qintaro] [Sparkers: Unknown] Nosive, on the surface, is an expanding cloud of aether. Below the surface, Nosive is the world of dreams and nightmares. Particularly powerful wizards and Figments have been known to cross the barrier of dreams, even across the Multiverse.  {Usona}[Sets] None [Walkers: Bvala Otere] [Sparkers: Unknown] On some planes the dead are raised, on others they are revered. Usona was both of them, once upon a time. Now, the creatures of Usona live on an ancient tomb of millions, vaguely aware of the history but treating them as nothing more than haunted crypts.  {Byrrac}[Sets] None The most recent plane to fall from Tirvana, Byrrac seems ancient and lived in, and yet no life seems to exist there at all. Odd.  {Yhgyxgpxy}[Sets] None Legend tells of a monstrous creature that grew so large and so powerful, it was able to break free of its home plane, probably to die among the Blind Eternities. Of course, that's just a legend. Right?  For those rightfully calling out fifteen+ planes, Explorations was plotted out just over a year ago, revisiting some old plane ideas (The worlds of Eradin, Ophorio|oirohpO and Laptew range from 3 to 6 years old and Tirvana was a custom set I worked on 10 years ago) and forging ahead to new ones. As for things that haven't come up yet, Tirvana and Pguqium are the full sets, with Occult Outbreak, A Day At The Races and Itsk being minisets, and Laptew as the EDH project. The second batch is mostly just fleshed out enough for their resident 'walkers and potential Planechasing. |
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Post by cajun on Apr 4, 2018 0:33:51 GMT
Aight, been in the works for a bit, time for The Planeswalker's Guide... to Planeswalkers. {Xaro Tarax} Xaro, the Warrior AngelBorn on the hostile plane of Edarin, Xaro was forced to endure pain and genocide nearly from birth. He would learn to wield a sword faster than he learned to speak, not that the latter would do him much good. While the murderous elves of Edarin attempted to eradicate the humans, Xaro was captured and had his tongue cut out as part of his torture. But Xaro refused to die there, breaking out and rallying even further against the elves, making progress against the Nairdo and catching the eyes of the great archangels of Edarin, including their leader Rahdero, who would eventually train Xaro into a general. Finally, at the battle that should have driven the Nairdo back to their swamps, Xaro's potential was realized as he simultaneously attempted to ascend to archangel and ignite his spark. The result wasn't pretty, and while he did obtain many of the archangel's powers, his wings are largely useless for flight, and require a great deal of mana to utililize. Relidon: Xaro's spark took him to the war torn Novea, known then as the battlefield Relidon. Eager to put his new powers to the test, he joined the plane's berserkers and swiftly lead them to crushing victory over the orcish warlords and renegades of the forest, uniting the three into an army the size unseen in years. Together, they sieged the castle Ankor, while the Sky Lotus, avatar of the sun, attempted to purge the world and start anew. The combined work of Arianna, Saia and Xaro allowed him to kill the Lotus instead. Relidon was able to unite in the face of the final battle, and with the war won, Xaro chased after the monkey that had given him so much trouble. Edarin vs. Ainox: After hunting down the monkey, Xaro found his way back home to discover his people were gone, that the elves had been the sole victor in his absence. Part of their victory was due to the sickened and mad Akasha, who had been exposed to an early stage of the Blight. The two clashed on Edarin, with Xaro cutting through elves by the hundreds and chasing Akasha off the plane. Xaro cleared some more way for the few surviving humans before turning his hunt to Akasha. Shadows of Vaask: Later in life, Xaro would attempt to return to Novea, only to find it overtaken by the Blight since the war. Xaro would be unable to fight or avoid the parasites, and their avatar took over the planeswalker. Xaro once more refused to die, but he had lost control. Oirohpo: Still clinging to life, Xaro became a reflection on Oirohpo, a manifestation of his memories before the Blight. Trying to track down whoever had forced him back to the Mirrorworld, Xaro inspired the fearful reflections to the Mirror, ultimately encouraging Sha'rador to shatter the Mirror and combine the two worlds. As the reflection became real, the Blight took notice and planeswalked away, leaving the memories as the reflection hivemind of Flame, and leaving Shimmersting behind for a new master. Colors: The epitome of war and rage, Xaro will nearly always be portrayed as mono . While his allies see him as a guardian angel and his enemies see a demon of war, Xaro is rarely the one drawing those lines, and doesn't mechanically fit either combination. Cards: Xaro has appeared in Relidon, Edarin vs. Ainox, and Oirohpo. {The Blight} The BlightA disease bourne on Novea by the manifestation of fear, Mother Nature, the Blight was created to clear the plane of all life that had betrayed her, namely, all of it. While the seeds of the blight were sown early, her death in Daybreak prevented the outbreak for years. By Relidon, the disease had been discovered, contained in the ancient vaults held by the Anoran Knights. Here, Akasha would be the first exposed to the parasites in a millennium. Prior to Shadows of Vaask, these vaults were broken, unleashing the avatar of the Blight and its parasites on Novea after years of containment. Shadows of Vaask: It was here that the Blight began searching for a locus, a host and a mind that existed beyond simple instinct and reproduction. While many targets were attempted, the plane's response of The Mutagen helped prevent the Blight from taking hold of any of them. Only the incidental actions of Trea Anir riling up the Krell cyborgs finally gave it some room to breathe, and when he arrived, time to claim Xaro's body. Within moments, the spawn of Nature became aware of worlds beyond, entire planes of existence that did not know its blessing. Without a thought to its Novean vectors, the Blight disappeared to Ophorio. Ophorio: During his travels and hunts, Xaro had learned of the Mirrorworld Ophorio, and the Blight believed this a perfect world to begin, allowing itself to double its efforts instantly. Luckily, neither knew how the reflections of the plane worked. The Blight walked through the forests of Ophorio, unable to grow or spread as fast as on Novea. The Blight turned to its host. The angel still knew how to influence people, how to find what they wanted. Through the host, the Blight could promise anything, and soon everything in the forest was seeking out the touch of the parasites to overthrow the owls. The Blight would make good on its promises, helping the savage elves and lizards overwhelm some of the cities and canopies of Ophorio, until the chaos at the Mirror attracted the attention of it and its host. The Blight went expecting an easy horde to convert, and instead found Xaro. Desperate to survive, the parasites forced a planeswalk to the biggest plane that Xaro knew. For once, they knew fear. Colors: While focused on death and control, the Blight is nothing without growth, making it typically , with the ability to be mono or if it learns to use Xaro for more than just planeswalking. Cards: The Blight has appeared in Shadows of Vaask and Ophorio{Akasha Anari} Akasha, the Cursed KnightA military leader of the small human presence of the Ainox tundra. Akasha's claim to fame began when she attempted to kill off the strange creatures of the Etephox jungle so her people could live outside the tundra and the reach of Saia. She was the only survivor of the band. Saia, the bizarre monster matriarch planeswalker of Ainox sentenced her to a frozen death, resulting in her sparking to the mountainous realm of Carullo. Here she met Marcus Felding, and the two remained on Carullo for over a year until his apparent death under a collapsing mountain. Akasha left the plane and found Novea, and between the disappearance, the war, and eventually her exposure to the Blight, the idealist behind Akasha slowly died. Before Relidon, Akasha couldn't deal with her problems any longer and left again, ending up stuck on Edarin, cut off from white mana. Losing her magic, she began to go mad until Xaro chased her off, forcing her to embrace the black mana surrounding her to do so. Before long, she would exile herself to the timelocked plane of Itsk in an attempt to prevent the madness, the Blight, or the black mana from overpowering her. Shadows of Vaask: After years of isolation, Akasha's past finally returned to haunt her, as the survivors of Vaask recovered a spell of hers to summon her back to Novea. Driven completely mad, Akasha had become a specter of death instead of the light of hope Vaask had been searching for. Colors: Akasha was mono , but swung into mono for Vaask, and is coming back to her senses and settling into for further appearances. Cards: Akasha has appeared in Edarin vs Ainox and Shadows of Vaask{Orria Mirrorpelt} Orria, the Time JumperOnce a carefree capuchin with a knack for avoiding danger, Orria would spark after instigating a fight with Nadei and nearly dying for her effort. Her wish to live longer haunted her as she woke up on the time walking plane of Itsk. When she finally figured out how to leave the plane, she arrived home to the ruins of Vaask, and would spend years traveling to and from Itsk trying to prevent the disaster that caused the Fall. She quickly learned how to read the movements of Itsk to jump out of time with far more precision than the random jumping most were left with. Ultimately, this led her to Relidon, where her attempts to save Novea would doom it to the fate of Vaask. Realizing it was unavoidable, Orria had largely given up, and was killed by Xaro shortly before Edarin vs. Ainox, although the pieces of her past still exist in our future. Colors: While often shown as mono thanks to her mechanics, Orria can also be seen as outside of Novea and within it. Cards: Orria has appeared in Novea and Relidon{Trea Anir} TREANIRKa Soma was one of the few sunchasers to stand against Mother Nature, and for her efforts was left to rot in the Cradle of Corruption. The nymph clung to immortality, still technically alive long enough to be harvested during Relidon, where her brain was integrated into the cyborg Krellsuit named Tactical Retribution Engine and Attrition/Negotiation Interface Representative, and the shock of the meld sent the cyborg into the Multiverse. Shadows of Vaask: Now known as the shorter Trea Anir, she returned to Novea, trying to make sense of the vestiges of her memories from the plane. While her Krell half fights against the memories, Soma has kept a grip on the few pieces she has left. While she initially sided with the wild Krell of Vaask, shortly after the set closes she turned to the familiar rebellion holding onto life against the horrors surrounding them. Regardless, she is currently trapped along with Yjehuar and Akasha on Novea. Colors: Like the original Ka Soma, she is , and the TREANIR programming has only reinforced the combination. If Soma is removed, TREANIR could become or :C:, and if Soma somehow overpowers her programming, she could conceivably become mono . Cards: Trea has appeared in Shadows of Vaask{Mei Liva} Mei Liva, the Mental VampireMei Liva was once a scholar at the University of Pguqium, interested in studying the secrets of the plane's past. Her studies would drive her towards the dark depths of the Trench, where her mortality was forcefully traded for an ability to steal secrets, turning her into a mental vampire. Mei became a connoisseur and trader of secrets until she accidentally stole the secrets of planeswalking, which launched her into the Blind Eternities. When she eventually returned to Pguqium, she found the world completely submerged and everyone she had ever known drowned. Her past gone, Mei has been known to ally quickly with any who help her and quickly abandoning those who use her. Oirohpo: Mei became the first planeswalker from this reality to enter Oirohpo without going through the Mirror as it became a part of this Multiverse. Seeing an opportunity to get revenge on her most hated of planes, Mei started creating vampires across Oirohpo, dissipating their Ophorion reflections. When the Mirror broke, Mei finally fled the plane, leaving her vampires like so many had done to her before. Colors: With her vampirism, Mei is solidly , although she could still make an appearance as mono on a plane where she is unaligned. Cards: Mei has appeared in Oirohpo{Lha Sha rador} Sha'rador, the Infinite ReflectionBefore being elevated to the ruling rank of Sha', Rador was a simple mercenary working with the Duela above the sands and under the ground. The world changed for him when the Mirror tore him from the desert to the lab of Ahl Strixian, where he finally learned of the colliding planes and quickly walked back through the Mirror. He devoted his life to learning how to undo the damage dealt to the worlds, traveling far and wide to learn the intricacies of planar movement. Learning of the Rathi Overlay, he believed an invasion was possible, but more importantly was the potential of the Shadow Zone created by an overlay that would obliterate any reflection caught in it. Xazerial: Done looking for knowledge, the newly promoted Sha'rador turned to the nebulous power of Xazerial, attracted by the same legends that had called so many before him and created the five Nephilim Bringers that controlled the plane. Unlike the many planeswalkers before him, Sha'rador knew how to manipulate light, soul and steel, turning his sickle into a temporarily indestructible phylactery. This allowed him to absorb the infinite power of Xazerial and momentarily become omnipotent, until the Bringers fought back, for each of them had been vying for that power for ages. Sha'rador survived with only a fraction of the power, but escaped the plane immortal and far stronger than he arrived. Oirohpo: Sha'rador returned home uncertain of how to proceed, but with the power to do nearly anything. Facing the options paralyzed him, and the rising fear of the reflections and his title of power weighed on him to make the correct choice, even when they all seemed wrong. Xaro's reflection took advantage of his hesitation, pushing the Lha into a war frenzy and influencing Sha'rador into allowing it to run away beyond control. As he had already been considering the counterattack himself, it was difficult to break free from the reflection's crusade. But ultimately, Sha'rador chose to break the Mirror, knowing that regardless of Xaro and the potential invasion that it needed to be dealt with. This allowed Ahl to properly separate the planes, and creating the linked plane of OphorioirohpO that currently spans across alternate Multiverses. Occult Outbreak: Seeing a world in disarray after the Blight and Mei Liva, Sha'rador couldn't let fear cloud them any longer and reached out to reclaim the broken world. While the owls and reflections have clamored to wipe out the infected savages, Sha'rador has been attempting diplomacy and cures to little effect. The living disease that has given the elves and lizards so much has been hard to remove without just killing the hosts. Colors: While he tinkered around with in his youth, decades of fighting for the Mirrorworlds has cemented the Sha as mono , and it would take a major violation, on the scale of the Blight consuming Xaro, to change that. Cards: Sha'rador has appeared in Xazerial and Oirohpo{Ahl Strixian} Ahl, the MirrorwalkerLike many birds of Ophorio, Ahl believed his future to be in fateweaving. While able to bend his form out of the lowly owl, most of his attempts to alter fates were undone or failed to live up to expectations due to the constant attention he received from the Grand Refractor Ada. Instead, Ahl turned his eyes to the wider world, exploring the world through the eyes of the elves, lizards and trolls, as well as taking the few trips to the Farsail lands that left the mainland. Through his expeditions he stumbled upon the Mirror, and after being unable to glean anything from its exterior other than its movement, Ahl risked walking through it. His fate finally manifested and Ahl became the first to survive the Mirror by planeswalking through it, taking him to the Mirrorworld Oirohpo. From the skies, Oirohpo appeared empty, with most of its inhabitants underground or invisible in the daytime desert. Assuming the dead plane was overrunning his own, Ahl would search for ways to prevent the collision, even if it meant destroying the invading plane. Allying with several planeswalkers, Ahl spent years crafting a massive spell meant to be cast by several planeswalkers to seperate the two planes and hopefully save them both. Relidon: Ahl visited Novea with Marcus Felding, the first of these allies, looking for both answers and planeswalkers. After the war they allied with Saia Evigal, both in Marcus' search for Akasha, and the general planar defense including Ophorio. Afterwards, Ahl caught up with Xaro to introduce him to the cause to little avail. Ophorio: But when the time finally came, Ahl found himself alone. The Mirror was advancing, and none of the planeswalkers had come to his call to action. There wasn't any time to track anyone down even if he knew where to look. Ahl was going to have to risk casting the spell or risk Ophorio disappearing. The power behind the spell proved too powerful for one owl, shattering the 'walker into two pieces, neither of which has been seen since the spell's completion. Fortunately, the spell did what it needed to do, backed by Sha'rador breaking the Mirror and the judgement of the Refractors allowing it to happen. Colors: While initially mono , Ahl grew into 's sense of growth and discovery as well, leading to and enforced by his work against the Mirror. There are only a few of my characters that I would say are only a single color combination, but Ahl really doesn't fit anywhere besides . Cards: Ahl has appeared in Relidon and Ophorio{Arc Atencio} Arc, the GuardianThe most vocal member of the Legends of Laptew, Arc has made a mission out of investigating and protecting the planar portals of Laptew after a mishap in one caused her spark to ignite. Crafty and quick to act, Arc has been examining the worlds beyond the ancient portals in an attempt to close down or assimilate the area surrounding them to prevent random citizens from wandering into deathtrap planes such as Edarin and Xazerial. While not the most popular among the people of Laptew, Arc is a planeswalker without enemies, counting only the megalomaniac Migna of Laptew and the horrors of Vaask among their numbers. Colors: Despite her apparent lockdown on the planar portals, Arc does stand for freedom, just not the freedom to accidentally die. Arc is always looking to learn and improve, landing squarely in , with a hint of that may show if a triwalker shows up. Cards: Arc will appear in Legends of Laptew and Tirvana {Saia Evigal} Saia, the SnowcallerSaia of Evigius is a strange fixture in the Multiverse, a planeswalker that seems to know everyone and everywhere, while not aging a day in the decades she has been on the Legends of Laptew. When asked her age, she has responded with an annoyed "129" for the past few decades. From Laptew to Ainox, Saia is known as the spirit of ice, acting more like a force of nature than a human when left to her own devices. Learning her history is a pastime most don't live to play, either due to age or ice, and one of the few walkers that may be able to offer some insight on Saia's past is the elusive Akasha that Saia is hunting with a vengeance. Edarin vs. Ainox: Our limited look at Saia's past was the flashbacks of Akasha. There, Saia acted as the twisted guardian of Ainox, protecting the humans of Anaphox by forcing them to remain in the relative safety of her tundra and making an example of anyone who fought against that. When Akasha tried to return to her tundra in disgrace, Saia demanded her sacrifice. Akasha was to be entombed in ice to eternally remind the world what happens to those who cross her. Akasha escaped when her spark ignited, and Saia set off to search for the girl. Relidon: Her search sent her to Novea, where Akasha had last been seen, only to find she had already abandoned the plane. Only the promise of further information allied Saia to the soldiers, letting her stay on the plane long enough to initiate the Sword of Akasha and save the plane for the time being. Afterwards, she would meet Marcus Felding and help create the team that would become the Legends of Laptew due to their shared search for Akasha. Colors: With her age and pragmatism, Saia has the loosest color combination of these planeswalkers. Any combination of , , and will fit Saia depending on her motives and location. Her strongest color is , but we have seen her in a mostly protagonist role so far, resulting in and walkers. Cards: Saia has appeared in Relidon and will appear in Legends of Laptew {Marcus Felding} Marcus, the StoneslingerLiving on the mountainscape of Carullo takes a tough survivalist, and Marcus is as tough as they come. A skilled geomancer with a stony demeanor to match, any who cross him find themselves with a pair of rock coated fists at the ready. Marcus sparked after being buried alive, winding up on the flooding world of Pguqium. Already acquainted with the ways of planeswalkers thanks to Akasha, Marcus quickly figured his way off the plane and began to look across the Multiverse for her. Relidon: Years later, Marcus had largely given up on the search, accepting that Akasha had likely died, or at least fled into the Blind assuming that he had. Now he was trying to form a team alongside Ahl Strixian and several of the 'portalwalkers' of Laptew, and was looking for more potential on Novea, initially unaware that Akasha had only just left the plane. On meeting Saia, his interest in the search reawakened as she believed Akasha was still nearby. Colors: Ever the survivalist, Marcus is based heavily in , but can lean or depending on his motivation, although is unlikely to be all three. Cards: Marcus has appeared in Relidon and will appear in Legends of Laptew {Gomm} Gomm, the Lone WandererThe most elusive member of the Legends of Laptew, Gomm has spent his post-spark life searching for the treasures of Laptew, both literal and metaphorical. Forefront in his mind are the Gems of Laptew, eight crystals forged from solid mana by an ancient planeswalker, each powerful enough to give even a mortal the power of a planeswalker. So far, he has obtained one, giving him extreme control over metals. Gomm speaks little of anything, let alone of his past on Jodrix, but his resistance to talk of it or even leave Laptew speak for themselves. Colors: While a loner, Gomm does not fit well and instead falls between and , often being used as a walker. Cards: Gomm will appear in Legends of Laptew {Fuego Ogondo} Fuego, the RenegadeSlavery is alive and well on the divided world of Afnan, even if they are given the marginally nicer names of serfs and peasants. While many accept the drudgery as the only thing they can ever know, Fuego is one who has tried to stand against that. But the Iron Citadel of Afnan does not take rebellion well. After a poorly executed attack, Fuego and the others were captured and killed or sentenced to the pits. Normally the pits allow for the serfs to fight their way into the military to become citizens or heroes from it. To those sentenced there, there is no escape, only killing your fellow serfs until one of them kills you. Fuego refused to fight, being beaten nearly to death until he sparked to the relative peace of Edarin. Fuego still stands for freedom, but is wary to return to Afnan after earning his. He currently resides in Laptew, although slightly deranged after spending a few moments on Xazerial. Colors: Fuego is to the core, but can easily sway to and/or depending on the circumstances, generally showing up as or . While he will appear in the Laptew storyline, his color oddity means his card is not yet making an appearance. Cards: Fuego has yet to appear in the cajuniverse {Zweil Nolastnamegiven}  Illus. by maxa-artHome: Noortu|Spark: Afnan|Species: Rat Cleric Born on the death-optional plane of Noortu, Zweil quickly gave up on the art of necromancy for the art of commerce. Unfortunately, the rat could never quite kick the stealing habit, and after trying to sell the high priest's petslave back to her, was sentenced to The Thousand Deaths, where one is killed and resurrected until your body and soul can no longer hold together. Zweil became the first to survive this punishment by sparking after the ninth or tenth revival. Taken to the plane of Afnan, Zweil became the plane's main merchant, selling to both rebels and monarchs. Eventually both sides labeled him a traitor and forced him out further into the Multiverse. Currently, Zweil has taken up base on Laptew, earning a reputation as the one who can get anything from anywhere, legality optional. Zweil isn't a pacifist, but only kills as a last resort because murder is bad for business. Colors: While there is some potential for a aligned Zweil, he is meant to be a take on the hero. Cards: Zweil will appear in Legends of Laptew {Bvala Otere} Bvala, the HivemotherSpreading across the plane of Usona is the Brood of Nvali, large, sentient insects trying to balance their instincts to overwhelm against their desire to not go to war with everything. Every few years, a new queen will emerge to form her own hive elsewhere on the plane. Bvala's search for a new hive became more interesting when this emergence caused her spark to ignite. Lost on a foreign world and barely knowing her home, Bvala tried to build her hive on Noortu, but could barely keep even a few subjects alive. Eventually she wandered into Noortu's planar portal and arrived on Laptew. While Bvala has proven she is not a threat, few want the insects to remain on Laptew, prompting the Legends to try to find her home or find her a new one. Colors: Unsuprisingly, Bvala is strongest in , but is also largely , especially with respect to her hive, even if it hasn't quite materialized yet. Cards: Bvala will appear in Tirvana {Yjehuar}  Illus. by LozanoXHome: Xazerial|Spark: Yhgyxgpxy|Species: Nephilim One of many nightmares of Xazerial, Yjehuar's existence is a mystery, as the Nephilim should be unable to attain a spark. Regardless, Yjehuar has left the containment of Xazerial, and has chosen to make its introduction at Vaask, draining the dying plane of its last dregs of life. Sitting in the sky, no one on the plane have been able to interact with it, and the only planeswalker aware of it has left the plane without inspecting it, so its motives other than consumption are unknown if existent. Colors: The figurehead of famine a keeper of chaos, Yjehuar is a chaotic evil that could lean to mono color on either side. Cards: Yjehuar has appeared in Shadows of Vaask |
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Post by cajun on Apr 5, 2018 10:30:29 GMT
Little while back Cyber convinced me to make an official cajuniverse timeline and it's about time I put it somewhere I won't lose it. {Its a doozy}Notes:
The day the Relidon War ends is War's End, and functions as the primary reference point for most of the cajuniverse
War's End happens around 200 to 1000 years after the Mending, long enough that the knowledge of it and oldwalkers are lost to nuwalkers
Scales:
X AR - Argivian Restoration, the timescale Dominaria uses. The Mending occurs in 4505 AR, Ixalan roughly 4565 AR.
XWE - X years after War's End (negative for before)
Ancient History
-22,000 AR: The first of the Kalak enter the Mirror into the Refractor's Realm, and create a bridge to the reflection plane of Oirohpo
Modern History
3000 AR: Two rogue planes collide, creating the Nosive Inversion, an expanding cloud of aether
3974 AR: Skirnon Ryu is born on Kamigawa
4000 AR: Skirnon ascends
4197 AR: Skirnon begins creating Novea
4300 AR: Last reported sighting of Skirnon
4505 AR: The Mending
Many planes feel the effect of the Mending
The Novean avatars are massively depowered, leaving all by Mother Night to go into hiding
On Ophorio, Arroyo is overthrown by Alyss, Aurora, and Hcarout. As a show of loyalty, Hcarout now refers to itself as Ada.
This upsets the balance of the fates, and Ophorio and Oirohpo slowly begin overlaying via the Mirror's Edge.
4508 AR: Orria Mirrorpelt is born
NOVEA (5 years post-Mending)
4510 AR: Orria ascends to Itsk
DAYBREAK (6 years post-Mending)
4511 AR: The Daybreak occurs
The Blight is created by Mother Night, but she dies before she can unleash it
Ka Soma is trapped in the Cradle of Corruption
4532 AR: Lucien is born
4537 AR: Sevid Fese is born on Pyrulea
4546 AR: Mei Liva is born on Pguqium
4550 AR: Lucien ascends
4557 AR: Sevid ascends
4559 AR: Okus, the Fabulous Hat ascends
4565 AR: Mei becomes cursed with vampirism
[-WotC is here-]
MONSTERS OF CHIKYU (Coming Soon-ish)
4566 AR: Gardevoir ascends
4568 AR: Mei ascends to Usona, the Drowning of Pguqium begins
OPENING NIGHT (Coming Sooner Than You Think)
4570 AR: It's a mystery~
4580 AR: Phyrexian invasion of Skalor begins
4779 AR: Phyrexian Praetors of Skalor overthrown
4833 AR: The water level of Pguqium stabilizes
[-Cajun sized time jump-]
-200WE: First reported sighting of Saia
-42WE: Yevik is born
-31WE: Azun Ilbano is born on Daisite
-30WE: Zweil is born on Noortu
-27WE: Akasha Anari is born on Ainox
-26WE: Marcus Felding is born on Carullo
-23WE: Ahl Strixian and Lha Rador are created on Ophorio and Oirohpo respectively
-21WE: Yevik ascends
-16WE: Azun ascends
-14WE: Fuego Ogando is born on Afnan
Recent History
-11WE: Ahl Strixian and Rador ascend across the Mirror and begin their studies. The Mirror's Edge begins moving faster. Rador gains the rank of Sha
-9WE: Gomm is born on Jodrix
-8WE: Akasha ascends to Carullo
-6WE: Marcus ascends to Pguqium, Akasha, thinking him dead, flees to Relidon-era-Novea
-5WE: Xaro Tarax is revived by the archangel Rahdero
-4WE: Arc Atencio is born on Tirvana. Orria arrives on Relidon-era-Novea and starts working with Yrodu to bring back the Novea she knew
-2.5WE: Project K begins, Ka Soma melds with TREANIR and ascends to Jodrix
-2WE: Akasha becomes the first human to come into contact the Blight
-1WE: Akasha, unable to cure the Blight, tries to walk to Ainox and ends up Edarin, a plane without white mana
RELIDON
-0.2WE: Xaro ascends to Relidon-era-Novea
0WE: War's End
Orria flees before Yrodu is killed, Xaro takes chase shortly thereafter
Ahl and Marcus ally with Saia, reforming the old team of the Legends of Laptew
CONCLUSIONS (by fluffyDeathbringer)
2WE: Orria baits Xaro to Afnan, where she is killed.
EDARIN vs. AINOX
2WE: Xaro returns to Edarin. Akasha, in the final stages of Blight, embraces the planes black mana and flees to Itsk to seal herself away.
3WE: Ahl brings Xaro to Oirohpo to attempt to bring him into the fight
5WE: The City of Vaask opens its gate to the public
6WE: Zweil ascends to Afnan
6.2WE: Zweil is banned from Afnan
10WE: Arc ascends while inside a planar portal
12WE: Fuego ascends to Edarin
13WE: Haide is born on Svarjall
16WE: Gomm ascends to Laptew
18WE: The Fall of Vaask
The NEWAR virus causes the Krellian defenders of Vaask to go berserk
In the chaos, the contained Blight is finally unleashed and overtakes the City in days
19WE: Arc investigates Vaask!Novea and decommissions its planar portal as a biohazard.
XAZERIAL
25WE: Sha'rador momentarily attains omnipotence on Xazerial, retains a great amount of knowledge for playing with the laws of the Multiverse
29WE: Haide ascends to Skalor. Bvala Otere is born and shortly after ascends to Noortu.
SHADOWS OF VAASK
30WE: The Blight Ascends
Orria finally escapes Itsk and returns to Vaask!Novea and quickly leaves, horrified.
Orria will spend ~2 years random walking trying to reach her Novea before trying to prevent Vaask and it's downfall as seen in Relidon.
Arc returns to Vaask-era-Novea to determine if it represents an interplanar threat.
TREANIR returns to Novea in a hopeless search for Escyf.
Yjehuar arrives on the plane and begins to unravel the unstable plane.
Akasha is summoned from Itsk, completely blighted, and begins destroying the last safe haven of the desert.
Xaro returns to Vaask and is nearly instantly consumed by the Blight.
The Blight, seeing the vastness of the Multiverse, begins planeswalking to planes Xaro knows.
Arc Atencio returns to Laptew and in a panic destroys the Novea planar portal to prevent its horrors from leaving the plane.
This draws the attention of Yjehuar, which turns its attention to where she had gone.
OPHORIO|OIROHPO
31WE: The Mirge
Xaro, still alive if not in control, leads the Blight to Ophorio. Xaro's reflection reforms on Oirohpo.
The Blight, using Xaro's control of emotions, united the lizards and elves of Ophorio to begin tearing down owl and reflection civilization.
Xaro's reflection tries to piece together how it came back to Oirohpo, and starts whipping the native reflections into a frenzy without trying.
Mei Liva becomes the first planeswalker to enter Oirohpo without use of the Mirror.
Mei begins her "teaching", converting reflections into vampires and withering their Ophorion reflections.
Sha'rador, unable to decide how to act on the Mirror, is swept up by the war frenzy and hesitantly leads them to shatter the Mirror.
Ahl, missing his allies, channels his forty years of study alone, allowing the planes to separate while shattering himself.
Ophorio and Oirohpo create a single plane, creating a bridge across two otherwise parallel Multiverses.
Sha'rador begins trying to unite the civilizations of both planes and purging the Blight from the plane.
LEGENDS OF LAPTEW (Coming One Of These Days)
31WE: Assault on Laptew
As the Mirge is occuring, Laptew rushes to defend itself
HIGH NOON
35WE: Haide arrives on Daisite, attempting to steal Azun's arm, among other things.
Haide does significant damage to Azun's arm, but in the ensuing fight Azun undoes the spell holding her own prosthetics together.
Haide escapes but leaves behind a starforge leg that Azun collects. |
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Post by cajun on Apr 5, 2018 12:53:58 GMT
Lately we've seen some commander minisets for extraordinary individuals from across the Multiverse. But what about the little guys making their way in a world of legends and planeswalkers? This set is dedicated to those chumps who survive on luck more than wit, those regular guys, girls, and others making their way in the world, inspiring us all to at least be better than that guy. This set is dedicated to them, to those Steves of the Multiverse - Set DownloadSet Code: VMU Set Size: 27 Design: Cajun Special Thanks To: Daij_Djan, fluffyDeathbringer, Gurfle, HerziQuerzi, Korakhos, marioware2, Sylphiod, Terry Pratchet, thehuw, ThisisSakon, Timespiraled, WindyDelcarlo, and Wizards of the Coast. {Spoiler}      Steves of the Multiverse is a Tiny Leaders collection inspired by 27 Shades of Villainy, the 25 Few, and Leader's Burden, focusing on the more unremarkable people of the Multiverse. Here you'll find everything from a Festenya barista to a small god of Discworld to the forgotten sixth Dragonlord of Tarkir. If a certain Steve catches your eye, check below, many of them have an additional short to go with them. Want one that's not there? Lemme know and I'll write it up. {Where in the Multiverse is...} Steve, Stalwart Archer - Zendikar Camille - Festenya by ThisisSakonYui, the Intimidated - Nangjiao by marioware2Bjorn, Drowsy Draugr - Nirn (The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim) Moon-Moon - Carullo by Cajun Aren, Desk Jockey - Ravnica One-Eyed Sejir - Laptew by Cajun Sergius, the Drunkard - the currently unknown plane where Licia, Sanguine Tribune lives Evyn, the Chef - Rysela by WindyDelcarloRen of the Wooden Blade - Jiangshi by TimespiraledMarycz, the Tribute - Innistrad Truth, the Dreamer - Osia by SylphiodDrek, the Noxious - Khaliz-Dorahn by KorakhosOl' Chuck - Lorwyn Dragonlord Paul - Tarkir Haji, Njel Fisher - Atuum by Daij_DjanHer Servants - Jodrix by Cajun Sivier, the Merchant - Afnan by Cajun Kire, God of Rock Piles - Discworld by Terry Pratchet Rose of Fretport - Rhyse by HerziQuerziPAM-C847 - Novea by Cajun Fiber, Pattern Chaser - Stratopol by thehuwI'vara, Pain Gorger - Mious by fluffyDeathbringer (and HerziQuerzi, jacqui-pup, Liz the Goddess, ZephyrPhantom, Neottolemo, Yoshi, Sylphiod, Autumnstar00, ThisisSakon and more) Adrien, the Theorist - Nore by GurfleMaelstrom Shard - Alara Scrap, the Second Myr - Mirrodin {Scrap}Most children will never know the moments of their birth. Scrap will never forget. "Oh aren't you just the greatest little probe, yes you are!" Its head popped up. The myr was mere seconds old, yet it recognized the sound of Memnarch, of its "father". It had lifted its still cooling legs to find him. "Oh, another one?" Its head lifted higher to the great, spidery form of Memnarch. "Must have left the forge running." Memnarch skittered off, leaving it behind. The older myr Memnarch had been admiring followed behind, a sleek, silver body outshining its duller metal. The golem tinkered with the myr forge as the second myr plodded back towards him. "Well then, what can you do?" Memnarch finally said, turning towards it. The spindly legs stepped circles around the myr, inspecting it. "Well my little probe? What makes you worth keeping?" The myr looked down at its claws and blank gray body. It didn't know what it could do. "So just a useless piece of scrap, huh? Well, maybe junk diversion probes could be useful." Memnarch ignored the myr and left the room, returning to his lab and muttering about the silver myr. The silver myr turned to it, to Scrap, for a moment before it left. It's silver claw began to glow with a brilliant blue light, focusing into a node of blue mana. It held it for a few seconds before the magic dissipated, and the myr plodded off after Memnarch. Scrap looked down at his own claw, willing it to do anything that would please Memnarch. The dull metal began to glow blue. {Camille}The bell above her door jingled as another weary-eyed customer wandered in. "Gooood morning!" Camille chirped, the only person in Festenya who could be this chipper this early. The newcomer gave the usual tired grunt of someone who had lived a little too late into long Festenian night. The patron slowly worked their way past the tables of people as awake as they were towards the aggressively happy woman behind the counter. Some people resented her early-morning grins. Most were still too asleep to notice. "Gimme an All-Nighter." the customer finally grumbled. "That'll be three days in a row, Mister Galvani! Tell me you aren't really staying up all these nights!" "I can sleep when I'm dead!" he barked. "Too much to do today, gotta stay awake." He dropped three times his bill on the counter before stumbling off to a mostly empty table. Camille sighed. She couldn't help people that didn't want her help. The bell jingled as she readied another pot. "Gooood morning!" {Bjorn}The draugr groaned after countless years of slumber. Someone had disturbed his tomb. Its embalmed body creaked and cracked as the corpse pulled itself upright. The intruder would pay for his crimes. Pots shattered as the adventurer ransacked the grave. Bjorn followed the noise, and at the first glance of the intruder's blade let loose his trusty Fuus RO DAH. The voice of the dragons flung the intruder backwards, sending him into a wall and crushing even more urns as he collapsed to the ground. The draugr nodded at a job well done and turned back towards its own crypt. Behind him, the graverobber roared, jumping back to his feet and charging the draugr. Bjorn slowly turned around, just in time to see the intruder's blade cut clear through his ancient body and see the flames catch before everything went dark one last time. {Aren}The ghostly bureaucrat looked at the cultist in disbelief. "Let me get this straight. You failed at suicide?" "The bomb go BOOM!" the goblins jumped in the chair, limbs flailing. "But Krakow didn't go BOOM!" alongside another flailing jump. "And now you're suing the Izzet chemist who sold you a suicide-proof explosive, for legal damages?" He looked up from the papers to a confused goblin. Aren tried to pinch his eyebrows. "You want the boom man to pay." he sighed. The goblins head bobbed wildly. "Yeahyeahyeahyeah." Aren tried not to scream. The only thing more insane than this goblin was the fact he was right. "This falls under what the Guildpact defines inter-guild conflict, and it will be handled... as seriously as possible." The goblin gave him that same stupid look. Aren lost his composure. "Boom man will pay!" he yelled. The goblin started bouncing around the room and cheering. "Some days I really hate undeath." Aren grumbled. {Haji}The fisherman sat lazily on his boat floating on the Njel, waiting patiently for the rare fish to find its way into his nets. No sense in wasting energy before they got there. Haji never wondered much why the fish were so rare in the Njel. They turned up often enough for dinner, so he never thought to question much further than that. The net tugged as a fish tangled itself in the mesh. Haji stood and stretched to fetch his meal when the net tugged again. The board lurched as more and more fish hit the nets. A smile spread over the fisher's face. Senmut had finally blessed him for his patience on the Njel. Haji didn't notice the dark shape moving in the water as he hauled up the heavy nets. He barely noticed the noise as the avatar of Senmut rose from the depths, its impossible jaws snapping the boat in two. {Her Servants}A silent command. She wanted, and they obeyed. The materials were not of the Faewald. She needed exotic ingredients. Wings of a sidhe. Tears of a wolf. Dreams of a child. They ventured forth. The sidhe could not hide from us. The wolves would know to fear us. The child would cry for years to come. Finally, they presented their prizes. She smiled at the four ingredients. They smiled as they became one with Her spell. {Sivier}"Welcome traveller, come, come see what marvels we have for sale. For your enemies, the sharpest weapons and most potent poisons the Wastes can offer. For your loves, the finest trinkets and most potent poisons the Wastes can offer! Aha, little joke you see, though I won't judge." the merchant finally stops his rapid fire speech to wink and wave you into his tent and out of the fierce sun. Blades, jewelry, hides, instruments, and fine clothes litter the sand and tarps beneath the large tent. It doesn't take a discerning eye to tell few of these items were new, many of the older items with visible blood on them. "Ah, here's our collection, Mosegi charms, Persif shields, Norele poisons, Giardell blends, Aasir slaves, that is, salves of course." Another wink. "Swords that served their lords and scimitars that killed their owner, its good luck they say, and, just between you and me, I've got a genuine Spellblade staff hidden away, lets even the most magically inept wield the power of a battlemage!" His arms spread wide over his many treasures. "So what do you say, my friend, what are you looking to buy?" You look over the vast collection of goods gathered from across the plane. The merchant prattles on about every item until you finally lay eyes on a familiar sword and snatch it up. "Ah, a fine eye you have their, an antique, a killer of kings, a sword said to have killed its own smith. A most marvelous of weapons, searching for its true wielder!" You finally shut him up with a sword point in the throat. "It has a wielder." you spat. "Until a little thief got his hands on it." "Ah, my friend, this is just a misunderstanding, I'm sure we can Makadeal!" The merchant dropped and his monkey leaps from behind him, landing on your face and immediately scratching and pulling at anything it can. You flail at the monkey, trying to get the wild creature off of you before it goes for your eyes as smoke fills the tent. When the monkey finally jumps off with two pawfuls of hair, you swing your reclaimed sword back towards the empty air where the merchant had stood. Most everything in the tent has disappeared along with him, and as you leave the tent you find the rest of the caravan had too, already lost among the Lordless Wastes. {PAM}Initialize Loading Personality Approximation Machine Serial No. C847 Input: Artificer. Tools. Grinding. Analysis: Workshop. Response: Initiate Shutdown. Input: Shutdown Process Failed. Analysis: Data Corrupted. Response: Begin Diagnostic. Input: Error Encountered: Loading Novea Extended Wartime Aggression Routines Analysis: Data CorrOVERRIDE Response: Initialize Loading Tactical Retribution Engine Serial No. C847 Input: Artificer. Tools. Grinding. Analysis: Warzone. Response: Leave No Survivors.
Initialize Loading Personality Approximation Machine Serial No. C847 Input: Ruins. Analysis: Just Another Day At The End Of The World. Response: Continue Observation. Input: Human. Injured. Foreign Pathogen Detected. Analysis: Hostile Detected. Response: Engage Hostile. Weapons Deployed. Input: Ruins. Smoldering Corpse. Foreign Pathogen Detected. Analysis: Just Another Day At The End Of The World. Response: Response: Response: Error. Restarting. Initialize Loading Personality Approximation Machine Serial No. C847 Input: Sky. Analysis: C847 Has Fallen. Response: Stand. Input: Bodies. Broken Weapons. Foreign Pathogen Detected. Analysis: Hostilities Have Ended. Response: Continue Observation. Input: Life Form Detected. Analysis: Insect. Non-Hostile. Response: Admire. Input: Ruins. Foreign Pathogen Detected. Analysis: Just Another Day At The End Of The World. Response: Continue Insect Observation. {Adrien}"Bug-eyed vampires are after your soul! The water's laced with truth serum so you can't keep secrets they don't like! Elves control the papers!" On and on the madman raved in the street, shouting at every passerby and being ignored by each and every one. "Go on, try'n tell me a lie! Can't do it! All they gotta do is ask, and you'll give it up!" "You're a crazy lunatic!" someone finally shouted back. "How's that for truth?" "That's just what those elves have given you as truth!" Adrien retorted. "The lies you speak are because you believe them true!" The detractor gave up on the conspiracy theorist, but still he ranted on. "Your jobs are just experiments! How much will you degrade yourself for money? The president was killed and replaced by twelve kittens in a tuxedo! The moon is hiding a government spy bird!"
O: He's amazing. How did you train him?
V: We didn't. He figured out most of it on his own.
O: Even the number of kittens?! And you've let him live?!
V: A suspicious death draws more attention than a madman. By letting him live, he discredits himself.
O: This is a dangerous game you're playing.
V: It's a game we've been winning for years.{Maelstrom Shard}Alara is home to many treasures. Since the Conflux, relics and etherium, necromancy and monsters have passed across the shards of the reforged plane. But you were after a greater prize. A piece of the Maelstrom. Ten years ago the dragon Nicol Bolas devoured the Maelstrom dividing Alara to ascend to godhood. Dragons are not known to be clean eaters. Shards of the Maelstrom were scattered across Alara, waiting for an adventurer to unlock their power. Waiting for you. You stare frozen at the shard. Or rather, at yourself. Like the dragon before you, the shard had becomes a reflection of its wielder's soul. Turns out graverobbers don't have the greatest of souls, and unlike the dragon, you can't disappear with a thought. Luckily for you, the reflection can do that for you. |
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Post by cajun on Apr 5, 2018 13:15:15 GMT
Complete FileXazerial is a plane of violent unrest and calamity, where gods and hordes fight and tear the plane to pieces as it constantly resets to fight back. Planeswalkers that end up here don't fight each other, but for survival, making it the home of Horde Magic. Horde Magic pits any number of players against the Horde, a self-running deck made of tokens and random cards. The players get some setup time, generally three turns, before the Horde begins. At the beginning of the Horde's turn, it reveals cards from it's library until it hits a nontoken card, then casts all of them. It's creatures have haste and attack every turn, and it has as much mana as it needs to break defenses or activate abilities. When the horde is dealt damage, it mills itself, and the game isn't over until the horde is dead and it's library is gone. Horde Magic offers several tweaks if the challenge is too easy or too hard by changing the deck size (~100), token density (40-60%), player life (+20 per player), horde intelligence (targeting threats rather than at random), or extra power (like recurring the graveyard at the beginning of its turn). {Spoiler} Chaos Ensues Some cards have the trigger 'chaos ensues', allowing the Horde to reveal the top of it's deck until it hits a nontoken and cast them all again. Sometimes it's a calculated risk for you, sometimes it's an explosive day for the Horde. CataclysmsXazerial brings a new card type like Conspiracy before it. Cataclysms are not spells, but can fit that slot for for the Horde, tend to be more explosive and global than a typical card, and allow for designs that would be ugly to fit into Constructed Magic. When the Horde reveals a Cataclysm, nothing stops it from happening. This is another dial that can be tweaked, changing when it occurs (after the Horde casts its tokens), or if it can be countered (not by default). The Cataclysms can also be used alone as a sort of random-event deck in Constructed formats, which was the original intention but too narrow for a set. In addition to the other nonsense of Xazerial, it explores the ideas behind four-color philosophies and characters that fit into those combinations. I like the "defined by what they aren't" approach, but many people, including Wizards, have looked at that a bit off. Of the original nephilim, Ink-Treader Nephilim is the closest to my line of thinking, as a blackless card it throws off individuality and selfishness while not completely denying it's redness. So with Ink in mind, let's start off with : { } lacks the influence of black, throwing out selfishness and hindering individuality, although allows it to live. While these characters are selfless, they are not strictly moral, willing to do almost anything for what they perceive to be the greater good. They will often have some moral or lawful standard, but in the heat of the moment won't hesitate to throw it away. will defend anything and everything that is not directly opposed to them, regardless of if they are an ally, unaligned, or even an enemy not currently throwing punches. But is not the lone motivation for these characters, and they know that not everyone can be redeemed, that death may be necessary and they can accept they are doing the right thing even if it is violent. wants life to continue, and is not afraid to cross lines to get there. The Lifebringer wants things to happen as opposed to not happen. It encourages everyone to do as much as possible and fights sacrifice and countermagic, and hopefully the three Legends open up quite a few 4c strategies as generals. { } Yore-Tiller Nephilim was our first look at 'greenless', giving us a small, necromantic creature that spat in the face of green but managed to not feel the least bit blue or red, and even the white is pushing it. Yore-Tiller may be the biggest reason 'focus on what they are not' fell through, because while anti-green, it failed to be anything but black. I remember the day it was spoiled, and being so split on how cool the idea was and how flat it had already fallen. Between Yore and Ink, I'm not actually sure which was more influential on this set. 's lack of green doesn't make it necromantic, rather it aims to change the world, sometimes for sheer advancement of , or due to an actual or perceived injustice from their :r/w:, but regardless, they want to improve the world beyond just their small circle of influence. While some of those that aim to “rebuild the world in their own image” will fall under , the motivations tend to dial that back. While these characters will often have a noble goal, they may delight in destroying the current system and anyone who supports it to bring their “better” world to fruition. These characters tend to be rare because you need the mind, the ruthlessness, and the plan for improvement to succeed, and they often make better villains than heroes. Essential Dr. Doom Everyone knows that Doom is trying to conquer the world, but few people realize why. If Doom was just doing it for the power or amusement, he would fit into Dimir or Grixis. But unlike most out for world domination, Doom has seen the future, millions of possible timelines that show the Earth or humanity dying to themselves or to forces they can't fight, and the single future where humanity both survives and thrives is the one where Doom has the world in his iron fist. The beginning is bloody and hurts nearly everyone, but ultimately, Doom is saving the world. Scrooge McDuck While Scrooge hasn't been taking over any planets, you don't end up being worth "nine impossibidillion" dollars without some ruthlessness. However, outside the Christmas Carol Scrooge earns everything as honest as he can through treasure hunting and investments... so long as they weren't being guarded by tribals standing in the way of progress (the 60s hated everyone). Tougher than the toughies and smarter than the smarties, Scrooge fills an unusually neutral aspect of WUBR. Near MissesLelouch of Code Geass very nearly made this list, running by manipulation and emotion Lelouch is the ultimate Grixis hero, and he achieves possibly the most ending short of happily ever after, but his intentions are strictly . Lelouch's only goal is to improve the world for the sake of one person, quite literally treating every other person in the world as a tool and nothing more. The 'in my own image' guys tend to at least believe they are , but Lelouch knows what he is. The Fearbringer changes the board into its own desires, crushing the creatures as they spring up and paralyzing those who refuse to take action quickly. Its underling seeks a similar but different path, while its pet carves ahead without either. { } Dune-Brood Nephilim barely boasts the second best from Guildpact, it’s mindless reproduction at least mostly working for its colors while being blueless, but it goes a little too simple. An anti-blue character may not have typical intelligence, but can certainly be more complex than punch and breed. characters are incredibly emotional and instinctive, especially around its own. These people are poor at foresight and will often settle for good enough, willing to forgo progress as long as their current situation is safe enough. While they may not be clever, they are incredibly dangerous to attack because they will stop at absolutely nothing to protect themselves, their followers, and their safety. Essential Sinestro The Green Lanterns on the whole fall under as defenders of the status quo, but as Sinestro explores the power of fear and emotion and turns on the Lantern Corps, the red and black take hold and twist the old green-white Sinestro. Sergeant Schlock While he doesn’t look pretty and is a veritable sociopath, the Sergeant does care for his team, for his species, and for the little guy. While his motivations may be sketchy, he is beyond just the instincts of Jund, even though they are the primary control. Near MissesRick Grimes of The Walking Dead treads the line of WBRG, doing anything to protect those with him, but fails to fully commit to , defending from a sense of responsibility rather than emotion. While the emotional aspects creep in, they don't truly control him. The Warbringer crushes those who refuse to fight while glorifying those who are and those who have died in the fight. Subtlety is for casters and the dead. { } There is little to say for Glint-Eye Nephilim, it barely registers as ‘whiteless’ by helping only itself, and follows the theme of not utilizing most of its colors. lives for the individual over all else, improving itself while ignoring or destroying anything neutral or worse to them. These types will often manifest as megalomaniacal villains, bending people and often nature to their will. Being anti-white tends to set them against civilization and makes it difficult to see these as heroes, though in a white-villain world it may be possible. Essential Nightmare Moon Ponies, the horror. Ruled by emotion and a literal god-horse, the princess of the moon abandons everything and tries to turn the world into permanent night as revenge. Her and are downplayed under the corruption and emotion but haven’t been erased by the transformation as white has. Crayak Survival of the Fittest has been taking to a galactic level under the Eye of Crayak, the closest Animorphs got to a pure evil character. Powerful to the point of a universal force, Crayak is currently fighting under a set a rules to prevent the entire universe from dying, holding onto the green while still spitting in the face of . Near MissesCrayak and the Ellimist are the chessmasters in this game, and while the Ellimist is similar, he is the creation to Crayak’s fight-or-die. While he is just selfless enough to lose the , he is hardly earning the as he plays his game, leaving him a slightly lighter Temur. Everything falls in the wake of the Endbringer. There is no hope. There is only the end. Cataclysms, like Conspiracies, allow us to screw around with rules and effects that have no place outside the casual format and that can be axed if they don't work. While some of these have been cut from the Horde generator set, they'll still be in the main for those who want to play with them. { } While we may credit it with an early prowess, it has made Witch-Maw Nephilim even worse at being the redless one, to the point where it could work as a mono-red card nowadays. Even in Guildpact it was the worst at being anti-red, at best it’s a patience card... but Slumbering Dragon works for red just fine. Clearly this one needs some cleaning up. is the pinnacle of logic and reasoning. These creatures stand against impulse, chaos and emotion, fighting instead for a perfect and inescapable status quo, one of their own design. When on the rise, they are impossibly slippery rebels that never make a mistake and have every contingency planned. When in control, they turn reality into a prison, censor resistance into nonexistence, and descend into what most call dystopia. In a word, is the colors of bureaucracy. Essential The Grim Reaper But even all that doesn't make them evil. Unstoppable, untrickable, uncheatable, Death enforces the rules and all we can do is follow along. Often the personification of death gets shunted into mono-black, ignoring the fact death is an important aspect of the natural order, and that death takes no sides, rich or poor, good or evil, the Reaper gives everyone the same send off. Ra's al Ghul Illus. Cliff ChiangAnd as a counterpoint to Death, the immortal Ra's Al Ghul often fills this slot as well. While he defies blues progress-for-the-sake-of-progress, he fills much of the rest of blue. A ridiculously brilliant eco-terrorist, Ra's is an equal opportunity monster and the world's strangest take on Captain Planet. Near MissesThe man who started these near-misses is David Xanatos of Gargoyles. While many philosophies suited him, he refuses to be any combination between and five color. Of the five, Xanatos fits the best, a criminal mastermind who is able to turn every situation into his own benefit not by improv or impulse, but because he already knew he would end up here and plotted every route to success. While he does not oppose the or aspects of this scheme, he does not embrace them enough to be a part of his identity. The Peacebringer sets her rules, and forces them upon the unwilling. While they may look nonsensical on the surface, each serves a purpose on tightening her hold on the plane. {Sha'rador's Ascension} Xazerial has a life cycle unlike any other plane, dying and reforming in what seems like hours to the outside. The plane's mana floods to the center as each Cataclysm occurs, a near infinite amount of energy that can be tapped. If this power can shatter planes, surely it can save Oirohpo. The trick is surviving. It seems only the questionably physical Bringers survive. Another possible solution is undeath. I have heard the detestable tales of liches, but that may be a way to survive the infinite without trying to become one of them.Leaving would never even cross him mind. Sha'rador wasn't about to leave if he couldn't fix it. He could feel the mana growing denser as the universe began to collapse. A Cataclysm was imminent. He wasn't ready, but suspected his whole life wouldn't leave enough time to prepare. The lesser nephilim fled as Xazerial readied a reset. Disciples of the Endbringer looked in awe at the brilliant glow above, glowing bright like a third sun. Along another existence, the Lifebringer prepared the next world. And, wrapped in a brilliant glow of his own, Sha'rador floated towards the coalescing singularity at the center of the universe. There was already so much power he had to use it on spells to prevent from being torn to shreds. The Cataclysm would likely crush him before he could tap it. The Lifebringer readied his scythe. Sha'rador had never learned how the five Bringers survived. Each had shared his curiosity before. And under the end of the world, each had ascended in just the same way. Sha'rador could see Oc flicker into sight as the world faded away. In an existence of its own, it plucked a new world from its roots and prepared to replace this one. Everywhere yet nowhere, Ghxol began to devour the physical world. Abjixisar diffused through the panicked survivors, punishing those who refused to accept this transformation. Seeing the gods of Xazerial put everything in place. He could not get stuck here. He didn't know the dark magic of the liches, but he knew his way around a soul. And with the blinding power surrounding him, there was an opening. The scythe descended on his singularity. When Xazerial ceased two seconds later, Sha'rador felt an eternity. But it worked. Part of him was still trapped in that blade. Most of him was back in his nigh indestructible corpse. The power of apocalypse filled him. It was as if the Cataclysm had never left. The Lifebringer readied his scythe. |
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Post by cajun on Apr 12, 2018 9:15:46 GMT
Six Stages of Okus
During the travels of Okus, the planeswalking hat, it had gained a good understanding of just how its mind possessing powers work, and how the hosts react during the process. The stages are perhaps best compared to sleeping.
Note that these are typical observations, extraordinary individuals or circumstances may give different results.
Stage One: Daydreaming
1 - 3 Days of Hosting
The host has no awareness of what is occurring. Hosts that are left during this time are not even aware time has passed, as if they were just lost in thought for a moment.
Stage Two: Asleep
1 - 3 Weeks of Hosting
The host has minimal awareness during this time, largely just simple instinct. Okus sees little difference in the first two stages but has noticed this is when hosts become aware that some time has passed, as though they had accidentally taken asleep.
Stage Three: Tossing in their sleep
1 - 3 Months of Hosting, or a Temporary Loss of Control
The host's thoughts start showing up on the mind unrequested. Okus may imprint on the memories or mannerisms of the host, but they can be controlled. Hosts will have vague memories of this time, like a half-remembered dream.
Stage Four: Having a bad dream
3 - 6 Months of Hosting, or Multiple Losses of Control
The host's thoughts become more common and coherent. Okus will have largely learned to counteract the specifics of their imprinting, so mistakes will be made far less frequently, but will be more obvious when they do occur. Memories from this stage are broken and still don't feel real, leaving them unsure if they are memories or some story they once heard.
Stage Five: Night terrors
6 - 12 Months of Hosting
The host starts attempting interactions with Okus. It has refused to acknowledge them as of late. The host feels as though they are living in a dream and will be left with memories and even knowledge obtained during this stage. When Okus leaves during this stage, hosts become mentally unstable, though Okus had rarely stayed to watch the results.
Stage Six: Sleep paralysis
Over 1 Year of Hosting
The host is now fully conscious but Okus had established full control of the body. The thoughts are fully formed but little more than annoyance to Okus. Losing contact with Okus at this stage is invariably fatal.
Okus had yet to stay with a host for much longer than a year, and does not know if there may be further levels beyond these, but is not in a hurry to find them out.
The Golden Rules
Okus requires two things to keep control of a host: Direct contact, and a low power but constant enchantment. Magically disrupting the mental connection or physically separating the two will break the control, although botched attempts to do so can lead to more damage done to the host than simply letting it be by "waking them up" faster.
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Post by cajun on May 8, 2018 23:46:35 GMT
As part of testing the Spellbook template, I mocked up a Signature Spellbook for everyone's favorite psychopath hat. {Signature Spellbook: Okus} |
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Post by cajun on Jun 11, 2019 15:18:23 GMT
And as a follow up to Signature Spellbook: Okus (which now has a download link), here's a spellbook for everyone's favorite little trauma victim (on the regular frame cause gold spellbooks look The Bad), who will before long be making her way off the Boards and into the wider MSEverse. {Signature Spellbook: Karina} |
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Post by cajun on Oct 7, 2019 4:52:08 GMT
Heyo, it's been a while since I've written anything here, but I've finally put enough time together for something. Over the course of this year, my BB character, 11-year-old Karina, created quite the story for herself with the help of nearly everyone from the Boards. With Sanctuary, I'm hoping to show how this character ticks for those who haven't followed her, and show how she's doing 2 years after the Arena for those who have.
Sanctuary// It is a busy day at the Arena's Atlas Bakery. Planeswalkers from all types flock to bakery for interplanar food and relative safety on the wild plane. Tucked in a corner are two planeswalkers taking advantage of the latter, the waterweaving elf Mabil Fardancer, and her newest student, the young Karina Oblay..."This is… not working…" I frown at the puddle of water on the table. "Okay, one more," Mabil says as she swirls her hand over the puddle. "Remember, the water wants to move." I could feel the blue spell make the puddle spin itself up and take a shape like a doll. The figure spun on one of its legs and waved at me before falling back into the puddle. "So you just have to keep moving."I exhale and shakily move my hands and the mana like I had seen her do. The water spun up in a spiral… and splashed right back down into a puddle. I felt myself slump. Why couldn't I get this?"Just keep working on it," Mabil says as she stood. "I expect some improvement next time though," she adds with a smile before she tussles my hair. I wince as she ran over the scars, but Mabil didn't seem to notice. She was already dancing out the door of the bakery before I could get a word out. Oh well. I look back down to the puddle. Come on. I try to move the puddle with the spell a few more times. What's wrong with you?I turn my attention to the transceiver wrapped around my arm, tapping at the screen to look for Hannah's schedule among all our messages. Still a few more hours. Could keep doing this… oooor take some time to explore around the Sanctuary. I tried to shake that thought out of my head. The outpost, I correct myself. Either way. I finally give in and pull a rag from my bag to clean the puddle up. Hydromancy could be learned another day. Hopefully. // Karina's left hand reaches out and appears to grab at thin air. At her spell, the Sunspear pulls itself to her hand across the planes. The gleaming spear towers over her head, but she holds it lightly as she begins to walk.The mana flares with every step as the walk turns into a planeswalk. The bakery melts away, and is replaced by fruit trees and vines sprawling in every direction. I breathe deep to take in that wonderful, ashy smell of home. Of Agahia, I correct myself again. This was her home, not mine.// Little insects buzz around the flowers and grapevines. Karina walks along the well worn path she had planeswalked to, straying from it every hundred meters to use the Sunspear to push aside the brush and check on her traps.Empty trap after empty trap passed by. Just like every other day. It seemed the bugs and the plants were the only things that managed to survive her. Here.
Maybe next time would be different. Maybe. I keep going down the path to the edge of the grove, where my little wooden shack nestled up between the trees. I hesitate at the door, staring down the glowing Karina Oblay written across it for a moment before I enter. Near the door are the few aetheric devices, powering a pair of clocks and a charging station for the transceiver, all of which were covered in painted doodles. Should really clean that mess up… The bed in the back was drowning in pillows and dolls of all colors and designs, mementos from across the Multiverse. At least someone's getting some use out of that bed. I walked to the back of the room, stopping for a minute to look over the sketches pinned to the wall. Hannah and me, the cats, and, of course, the big dragon ‘Meowster Meowzett.' These are really fading, aren't they? I need to take better care of these. But first, I had something to do. I sit at the desk by the bed, clearing away half-sketched maps and Volarian books to find the notes for Agahia. I open the weathered journal, turning to the bookmarked page near its end to make today's record: Day 5,778 –
Still no sign of life beyond plants and insects.
– Karina Oblay, Age 13 I close the book and turn back to the clocks. Still another hour or so before Hannah's free. Time to do some exploring.// Karina moved to the foot of the bed and opened the short chest there to take stock. At the bottom were a medkit, a knife, rope, a hand-drawn map of the plane, some healing vials and aether canisters, and a six-fingered gauntlet.Everything seemed to be in place. I pull the rag back from my bag and set it in an open space, then channel the enchantment on the chest for a few moments, linking the rag to the spell as I'd done with everything else in the chest at some point. Lastly, I gently set the Sunspear into its slots near the top of the chest and close it. I head out on my way, leaving the path to follow the creek near the Sanctuary the outpost instead. I've been downstream from here a lot, but haven't charted enough upstream. I do my best not to hurt the branches and plants as I head up, watching my boots with every step to crush as little as possible. The sounds of the forest get louder and louder, first just the sounds of the creek, then the buzzing of bugs, then…a much bigger rushing of water. I pick up the pace. The creek starts to widen, and little white flowers start appearing in the water. As I walk along the shore, I look closely, trying to find fish, or frogs, or anything at all. Instead of finding any of that as I continue along the growing pond, I run into the waterfall. "Woah." I stare at the waterfall falling from somewhere even higher than the trees for who knows how long. How'd I miss something this close to the outpost for so long? I look around the cliff around the waterfall, trying to find any easy way to get up there. It looks like it'll take some time to find a path there, and a quick look to my transceiver shows I don't have a lot left. So instead I sit down, set it aside and peel off my boots, and sit in the cool water for a bit. I lie back and watch the clouds drift by through the openings in the trees. This plane is a weird one. We were both still holding onto life after everything that happened to us. After what I did to it. I open my mouth and feel the lightning spill forth, igniting all the world in its wake. They would pay for this. My chains burned, my captors burned, the sky burned, the crowd screamed as my lightning struck them one by one by one by….I open my eyes. I breathe uneasily as I rub the tears out of them. Tears are good. Tears mean I'm still me. I focus on deep breaths and watching the clouds drift by. I lightly bring my hands to my chest. You might be in there. You might be in my head. But I'm still me. I'm not going to hurt her. I'm not going to hurt her. I'm not going to hurt her. Not like everyone else. You've hurt mom and dad everyone else who's ever tried to help. Killed them even. How long will it be before you hurt her too. How long before she sees just how much better she is without you and
"Stop," I whisper. "You can't… she's not…" I can't argue with her. With me. Whichever of us. I can just try to dry the tears. Tears are good. Tears mean I still love her. There's an alarm chirping from a few feet away. I roll over to see my transceiver sitting on the grass. Hannah would be getting out of class soon. Get it together. I pull myself out of the pond and try to practice the water spell again. Think back to her casting the spell, draw on the blue mana like she does, weave your hands like she did, set the world on fire like she did, and … nothing. Feel the water, be the lightning waves, and … still nothing. I sigh and reach into Zerospace, pulling the towel from the chest to my hands. I'd have to deal with another lecture about not figuring the water spell out for real yet. I try to come up with an excuse as I dry off and put my boots and transceiver back on, but nothing comes to me. I fold up the wet towel, gather up my bag and take one last look around. One more thing… --- I wait outside Hannah's school with a handful of the lake flowers, ignoring the other students brushing past. I try not to think about what happened at the water, making it harder to stop thinking about it. I get so caught on it that I don't notice Hannah until she's right in front of me, flashing her cutest smile. All my worries shut up at that smile. "Heya, what're you thinking about there?"I feel a wide smile as I see her. "Oh...uh…" Should I tell her about...? "...wondering what we'll be doing today." I look down to the pair of books in her hands. "You won't be too busy, will you?"
"Nope, I'm done for today. Need to go put these away though," she adds, looking to the books. "Well, how about I hold onto that, so you can hold onto these," I smile and offer her the flowers. "And we can figure out what we're doing on the way.""Oh, that's why you had those," Hannah giggles as she accepts the flowers and passes over the books. "Where should we go?""I don't know, is there anything new around town?"
"Ooh, we should go to the lake! I found a pretty crystal under the water that's really glowy. I think I maybe knocked some sand around when I got my tuner back.""Oooh, I can't wait." I look up to her for awhile before I can't take it anymore and tiptoe up to kiss her. I swear her smile gets wider as she comes down to meet me. I take her free hand in mind, and when we're good and ready, we head for our newest adventure.
Planeswalker Profile: Karina OblayColors: Age: 13 (as of Sanctuary) Birth Plane: Festenya Occupation: Student of the Seventh Circle Initiative's Division of Exploration Skills: Karina is able to copy spells shortly after she sees them. With patience and practice, she is able to cast these spells without needing to copy them (such as Zerospace, shown above). Spark Event: Being given the spark of ex-oldwalker Kirino Oblay, who's memories, and possibly personality, still lurks in Karina's spark. Other Notes: Orphaned at 8 years old, Karina learned to fend for herself on the streets of Festenya. After a year and a half of barely staying alive, she encountered Okus, the mind controlling hat, which brought her to the Arena. There she was taken in by the Seventh Circle Initiative, given the spark of Kirino Oblay, broke free of Okus's control, and met her now girlfriend Hannah Delcarlo-Nisita. She now divides her time between schooling, working with the 7CI on Tena and other planes, and spending time on Volaria with Hannah. Other credits:Volaria, Hannah, and her lines by WindyDelcarlo Festenya by HonchkrowDavid Tena and The Seventh Circle Initiative by CyberChronometer Kirino Oblay and Agahia by Lady Mapi/amechra |
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Post by cajun on May 26, 2020 12:46:17 GMT
Post Traumatic Sleep Disorder (cowritten with Windy on the Hannah bits)
Karina yawned as the professor droned on about some subject she had lost track of. She’d been awake since long before sunrise, and this class was dragging even longer into the night than normal. She tried to look on the bright side, if she was this tired, she might stay asleep tonight. The other students began packing up and running for the door. "Come on, pay more attention," she grumbled to herself. The classes were hard enough for her without falling asleep during them. She stuffed her own things in her bag and stood up, looking to the blue device wrapped around her wrist. The transceiver showed no messages from Hannah for hours. Hopefully she’s not already asleep, she thought before she planeswalked out. Luckily, the lights were still on as she appeared in Hannah’s room. Karina's face lit up too as Hannah looked up from whatever was on her desk to the planeswalk. "Hey sunshine." She dropped her bag to pull Hannah into a kiss. They hold each other for another minute before Karina looked to what Hannah had been working on, some aethertech device or another that she couldn’t make heads or tails out of, even with three years of visiting Volaria now under her belt. That must mean... "Aww, you’ve still got homework?""Yeah, sorry." Hannah smiled as cutely as she could. "I was supposed to be done this, like, a week ago and kept getting distracted." She moved to pick up some mess of metal and cables. Whatever it was supposed to do, only Hannah could know. Karina gave her a guilty grin. "Well... don’t you worry. I’ll be sure to stay up aaaallllll night so you don’t have to be alone with the homework." There wasn't another chair, so she sat on the bed beside the desk. "The last time you tried that, you fell asleep," Hannah replied, sticking her tongue out at Karina. She turned her attention back to the delicate connectors between her cables. "How early'd you get up this time?""I had spear training, so… before sunrise..." she admitted. Well before sunrise, really, but Hannah didn’t need to be worried about some nightmares, did she? "But I’ll have you know I’m an expert at staying up late. As long as I don’t have to be anywhere tomorrow...which I don’t this time!""If you want to, I could help you fall asleep." Hannah tapped her transceiver a couple of times before reading something off it. "The complex nature of the dimensionality vector lies in the nature of aetheric resonance and, uh…" Hannah looked up at Karina as though she didn't know the next word. "Hey, no," Karina laughed through a yawn, "that’s cheating.""Well, it's a good thing I don't need to say what I'm doing then, huh?""Maybe I should talk then. Ummm…" she thought as she laid back on the bed. "Oh, I might have a kinda-sorta mission soon! It’s exciting... but it would mean I wouldn’t be able to come over much for a few weeks.""Ooh, that is exciting. What're you gonna be doing?""So it’s a plane they just found, and the people who live there don’t know much about it." She quietly yawned again. The bed was so nice after a day of her own work. "So I’m gonna help with the mapping and... learning about all the wildlife and... stuff. Trying to find new places for the people and everything. But it means I can’t always leave easily or I’ll get lost and have to start over. Kinda... worried about that part." She could rest her eyes right? Right. There’s no way she was falling asleep yet. "Don't worry, I'll always be here when you get back." Hannah assured her. A few moments go by before Karina continues. "And it sounds like there’s going to be lots of new spells to learn? I’m not sure how that works yet, but I know it’s part of why they’re sending me."
"That's exciting too! I can't wait to see what kinds of awesome things you learn to do.""I can’t either…" Karina’s voice started to falter. "Speaking of…" But she wasn’t going to fall asleep yet, had to stay awake for both of them. "How much longer do you think your thing will take?""Uh…" Hannah tapped her transceiver. "A couple more hours before I can test it, maybe? It's just a bunch of conduit things."Another minute goes by before she finally mumbles, "Maybe you’ll be able to get more done if I’m not around distracting you.""I've got all night, you're not gonna distract me that much. Also…" Hannah turned to look at Karina, now asleep, and chuckled. "So, about that 'staying up all night'..."
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Karina wanders around some plane in her work uniform. Twigs snap under her boots and the tools in her pockets make the only other sounds in the quiet forest. Walking in the woods, somewhere on the Arena? This is by the bakery, isn’t it? The image of the Atlas Bakery solidifies in her head, and the trees shrink away. The windows of the building shake. She can’t see anything through them. Oh, right! Muffins! I was going to see if there’s new muffins for me and Hannah.
She reaches for the doorknob, only to have it fall off in her hand. The door falls to the ground with a thud. Unfazed, she walks into the bakery. Everything in here was dark. The floor was all wrong, made up of broken cobbles rather than the worn wood of the bakery on the Arena. As she looks around, the walls and tables stretch up until she can no longer see their tops. She looks down and takes a step, watching her wrapped feet and tattered blue dress flutter ahead as she walks.
Why had I come in here? I’m going to get so caught! Panic runs through the young orphan’s mind as she approaches where she knows the counter of the bakery is, even if the freezing Festenian night meant she could barely see it. Sneaking into places at night had rarely gone well for her, but she hadn’t eaten in days. She needed something. The fear in her mind was losing to the gnawing at her gut that had not been there a moment before, but had been there for as long as she could remember.
A trembling hand reaches up, feeling around on the counter. There had to be a muffin, some stale bread, a handful of flour, anything she could take that wouldn’t be missed. She can’t see that high, but her hand feels nothing, and nothing, and nothing, and then a hand, as cold as death…
Ice crawls down her arm. She screams and runs for the exit, but it had disappeared into the darkness. The ice grows and grows, biting into her arms as she tries to run. It makes her run faster. She stumbles as the growing ice prison reaches her legs. Any minute now, the doctor would find her again, cut her open again, leave her for dead again.
Karina?
Not again. The paralyzing cold was everywhere. Not again. Her blood runs cold as the ice broke skin. Not again. She could hear the doctor sharpening the knife. Not again.
Lightning arcs out from her in all directions. The sounds of the knife stop. The ice melts away. Her whole body hurt, but she forces herself up. She’d heard something that didn’t belong in this nightmare. Hannah? How did you- The ice was gone, but she froze.
Karina!
Hannah’s face was twisted in pain, her hands clutching at a scorch mark on her stomach. She could only watch as Hannah falls to the ground.
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"Karina! What's wrong? What happened?" Hannah was holding magic in her hands that disappeared as Karina woke up. Karina shook and gasped for air. Wild eyes scanned over Hannah. "You’re okay," she finally managed. She pulled herself up and hugged Hannah tight, crying and laughing and whimpering "You’re okay" into her shoulder. "Yeah, of course I am. It’s not that dangerous." Hannah looked over at her slightly-less-messy collection of cables, which has been set on her desk. Now there was a place to put a glass sphere in the device. "Did… did you see... You sound a lot like that time after my nightmare when you..."Karina winced at the image again. "I… I hurt you...I think… I think I…" She couldn’t say it either. She could just keep crying.
"I’m okay. You didn’t hurt me. I’m right here." Hannah tightened her arms around Karina. "I’m here.""Another nightmare," she breathed. She wanted to believe that. "Just another…" But no matter how many times it happened, they were still as scary as the real things from years before. Her breathing slowed, but her body still trembled.
"You going to be okay? I’ll be here as long as you need.""I’m not okay." She moved her arm to look where the cuts from the ice should have returned. Nothing. They'd healed. Why couldn't she remember that? "But I’m not hurt, either."
"I'm glad you're not hurt. That happens too much."Karina could only sniff in response for a few moments. "I guess you’re still working on your thing?" she finally asked. "Is... is there something I can help with, maybe?""Almost done! Just making sure I can control how much light it makes, then I put it in a box that's… around here somewhere…" Hannah moved a few extra cables around. "Then you can tell me if it's as pretty as me? It can't even begin to contest you, but maybe it has a chance against me."A faint smile cracked through the fear. "You keep getting that backwards," she said. "Those lights aren’t gonna stand a chance.""Maybe, but I'm gonna give it a shot anyways." Hannah stood up and spun in circles a few times as she focused her attention on the ground. The small room had pieces of technology, textbooks, and clothes scattered and shoved about all over the floor, including, somewhere, her aethersteel box. "Do you remember seeing a box somewhere? I kinda put it somewhere and I’m not sure where," she said sheepishly. "Uhhh, no. It must be under some of this stuff?" Karina wiped away her eyes and followed her to the clutter, looking under some of the clothes and books but not quite sure what she was looking for. Hannah chuckled. "Yeah, I was, uh… worried about that. I meant to clean this, like, a month ago, and then… well…" she trailed off as she joined in relocating the mess for the search.
Karina tried to give her the best smile she could. "How about I help you with that tomorrow then, before anything else gets lost?"Hannah looked up at Karina in disbelief, which was quickly replaced by her usual smile. "You really want to spend your day helping me clean this?""Why not? Helping you is the best way to spend a day." Her smile started to grow, and the pain of the nightmare started to fade.
"I’ve only got one class tomorrow, so if the rest of it’s going to be cleaning, I’m glad you’ll be here to help." Another piece of clothing is tossed aside, revealing the blue aethersteel casing of her box. Hannah ran back to her mess of wires and lightly set the metal box over it and connected the power. A number of glowing dots in blue, red, and white lit up the area above it, slowly orbiting the air. "Ooooh!" Karina carefully walked over to Hannah, and the girls watched the lights dance around the aethertech lamp for a minute. "Hold on, I can make it better." Hannah took a step away from Karina and her creation for a moment to slide her hand along the side of a panel near the door, turning off the normal lights and leaving only the dancing lights. "See?"Darkness. Karina let out a small shout, her breathing quickened and her eyes darted around. Hannah rushed to take her hand again. It was just the lights. She was safe. Just the lights. "Sorry," she mumbled. She tried to smile again. "It's definitely the prettiest thing you've made so far," she leaned onto Hannah, "but still not as pretty as you."
"Hopefully Mister Ora agrees." Hannah yawned. "You ready to try sleeping again?""I... I haven't been able to, before," she said sadly. "It's why I've been so tired.""Well, I'll be with you this time." Hannah lightly took Karina's hands in her own. --- An hour passed. Hannah's breathing was slow and even, she had fallen asleep long ago. Karina still lay awake. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw that look of pain. She was still breathing. Just a nightmare. Karina lightly took her hand. She was here. She was breathing. Karina tried to breathe like Hannah was. They were here. They were breathing. She closed her eyes...
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Karina wanders around some plane in her work uniform. Twigs snap under her boots and the tools in her pockets make the only other sounds in the quiet forest. Walking in the woods, somewhere on the Arena? This is by the bakery, isn’t it? The image of the Atlas Bakery solidifies in her head, and the trees shrink away. The windows of the building shake. She can’t see anything through them. Oh, right! Muffins! I was going to see if there’s new muffins for me and Hannah.
Mmm, didn’t you visit a new plane last week? Hannah was with her now, answering her thought. Why don’t we try something special from there instead?
Oooh, that’s a better plan. Let’s go! The girls take each other’s hands, and run off to another dream together. |
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}
}
