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Post by korakhos on Oct 26, 2018 16:31:37 GMT
CHAPTER 8 The breaking point Their first Sentinel encounter was seven hours after their journey began. It was a dragon, and it had seen the two travelers wandering the desert, immediately plunging towards them. Darios had readied his bow, but Aylin shook her head dismissively and cracked her knuckles. She had this. She extended both arms, raising two rocky spears from the ground, which floated towards her hands. She shot them at her winged enemy one after the other. They flew towards their target, who dodged them gracefully and opened its mouth to breathe a torrent of fire that shot towards them. The two partners scuttled in different directions to avoid the flames. Aylin buried her hands in the soil, pulling out a gigantic boulder she lunged in at the dragon. A few meters before it hit its target, the geomancer clenched her right fist and the rock shattered into pieces that spread all around, catching the creature by surprise and making it impossible for it to dodge the attack. The dragon was hit by a few dozen stone shards and lost its equilibrium, plummeting to the ground. The creature shook the dirt of its body and began sprinting ferociously towards Aylin, who had both arms extended. The beast opened its maw to swallow her but she grabbed its mouth as it closed around her, forcing it open with her uncanny strength. They struggled for a few seconds, and the planeswalker was slowly losing her grip on the dragon. The Sentinel realized she wouldn’t last much longer and began shaking its head to destabilize her. It violently raised its head, and the movement was too sudden for Aylin to do anything about it. She was sent flying upwards as the dragon attempted a liftoff. But for some reason it couldn’t lift its feet off the ground. Startled, it looked down and saw that the ground itself had swallowed them, immobilizing it. As Aylin fell, she smiled, extending her arms and focusing her energy in shaping the earth into an arch that surrounded the creature’s neck and dragged it to the ground. As the planeswalker descended, sand and rocks began floating from the ground and gathering around her closed fist, making it three times its size. By the time her fist hit the dragon’s head, the impact’s momentum was high enough to crack the creature’s skull and smash its brain, killing it. She dissolved the corpse’s earthen bonds and shook the hand that had delivered the final blow. As she stared at her work she noticed a couple of arrows stuck on the side of the creature’s abdomen and saw Darios had his bow in his hands. “What’s this?” she asked amused. “I was trying to help you” She couldn’t help but laugh at this. “First of all, I don’t need your help, you need mine. Second of all, if what you want is to help people, make sure what you do is actually relevant…” Darios looked away blushing. He was used to a society who supported any form of effort and help, and this girl’s blunt words hurt him. As he turned back to look at her, he saw she was extracting one of the dragon’s teeth, one of the smallest ones, which had the size of her fist. “What are you doing?” “Just a little souvenir from this place” she replied as she put the prize away in a pouch. They kept on walking for a few more hours without speaking. Darios was still offended by her comment and didn’t dare bring up the subject, while Aylin wasn’t interested enough in him to actually start any form of conversation. As they reached the ruins of the Desyk castle (the capital of Desarrea before the Descent), they saw two more Sentinels flying their way. They braced for battle but, for some reason, the creatures seemed to notice them, yet flew past them, heading towards the south. Both travelers of them were intrigued by this behavior. Darios attempted to keep moving but suddenly realized his partner was following the Sentinels and trying to catch their attention. “What are you doing?” he exclaimed frantically “They’re not going to fight us and they’re headed in the opposite direction, why are you trying to provoke them?” “I don’t care where we’re going; all I care about is fighting. Those two Sentinels look like a nice match, and I’m facing them off!” “That was not a part of the deal!” “I don’t care, this is boring, so I have the right to some fun, don’t I?!” she answered annoyed, as she turned around and tried to follow the Sentinels. Without thinking, Darios grabbed her violently by the wrist and pulled her towards him, forcing her to stare him in the eye so he could sway her from her madness. He’d expected her to stare at him in rage, but what he saw when he stared into her face was so unexpected he felt a cold shiver traverse his spine from top to bottom. She was staring at him in shock, and her eyes were watery, as if she was about to cry. She seemed utterly terrified, and she suddenly glanced at his hand, still grabbing her wrist. Before he could begin to apologize, he felt a huge wave of pain spread through his face as her fist landed, sending him flying backwards and violently hitting the floor. He could feel the metallic taste of blood accumulating in his mouth as his nose and lips bled into it. Aylin seemed to be more impulse than rationale. She raised a stone twice his size and sent it flying his way. Darios couldn’t move; all he could do was see the giant boulder fall on him, ready to kill him on impact. But before that happened the geomancer changed her mind and clapped her hands. The stone disintegrated midair into hundreds of smaller rock chunks that hailed over Darios, bruising him in multiple spots but sparing his life. The planeswalker stared at the scene with nothing but shock filling her face. She took a step backwards, then another, then turned around and began running, achieving to move only a few steps before collapsing on her knees in tears and beginning to punch the ground repeatedly until a small crater formed. What did you expect? You’re weak, you have always been, that’s why it happened to you. Why would you deserve to be free from the memory? Why should anyone care for you? Why would anyone love you? You’re broken, and nobody cares for a broken person. You deserve this, you deserve all the bad things that happen to you.
The voices in her head were relentless, and she hid her face in her arms, crying desperately. “Aylin” she heard Darios whisper behind her as he slowly and painfully approached her “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry… are you ok?” She quickly dried her tears and tried to regain her composure. She’d sworn she’d never be vulnerable in front of anybody else ever again. “I’m fine” she lied, her tone blunt and emotionless. She turned around, a fake smile filling her face. “You, on the other hand are a complete mess. I don’t think we can continue any further today, so I suggest we spend the night in the castle ruins. This is so typical of you, slowing me down…” Darios was smart enough not to contradict her. Whatever his action had triggered inside her, she was extremely fragile right now, and he didn’t want to poke the bear. He sheepishly agreed to her statement and they both headed towards the ruins. Maybe someday he’d know what had happened to Aylin, but it would be up to her to tell him. |
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Post by korakhos on Oct 28, 2018 17:47:04 GMT
BONUS UPDATE: THE VELKIANTomorrow we'll have the one and only chapter on the Velkian, so I decided to show some of their cards now since otherwise there wouldn't be much to show about them. Hope you enjoy:
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Post by ThatDamnPipsqueak on Oct 28, 2018 20:04:55 GMT
One image didn't display, weird.
Eternal Shamen doesn't feel blue, but it certainly is balanced.
Man, I wish I could put into words why I love this set so much, but I can't. It just is really hitting all my buttons. The mechanics work and are evocative of the feeling of the world, the flavor is really epic, and The Kora Touch™ is shining through. This is the first Kora spoiler season I've been along for and I'm really loving it.
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Post by korakhos on Oct 29, 2018 2:38:12 GMT
ThatDamnPipsqueakThe skeleton I used for this set was egg's for the commons and Shadows Over Innistrad for the rest, so I based it off of Stitchwing Skaab, probably not the best idea, but that comment did inspire me to try something new. Awwwwww, thank you so much for the support, I like that I seem to have a "Kora Touch" I didn't even know existed  Here's the missing card, I deleted the original because I'd forgotten the artist credit, so here's the reupload:
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Post by korakhos on Oct 29, 2018 22:05:11 GMT
CHAPTER 9 Steelhoof’s dilemma Velk was the southernmost region in all of Korrinayru. A small island separated from the main countries, what used to be an abundant forest was now reduced to a fraction of what it was. Surprisingly, however, the island had barely been affected by the Descent.
Before the war on the Titans, Velkian humans lived in the island’s periphery, and that was the area that had gotten the worst out of the Descent. The rest of it was populated by giants and, most important, centaurs.
The centaur tribes had been the only sentient race who had refused to follow Erkred, Salagol and Multhratos into Millikas, and for that they had been spared… at least from the apocalypse and the Sentinels. Unfortunately, they still had to wage wars, but against the survivors.
    (the idea for Hunting Party was suggested by shiftyhomunculus)
They surrounded him in a circle of spears and Steelhoof approached him.
“Who are you and what are you doing here?” he asked the stranger.
“I don’t know who I am, unfortunately” replied the man in a hollow yet deep voice “As for what I am doing here, I have faint memories. I know I’m supposed to stop something or someone, but I cannot remember the details. I believe I’m here to help, but I could also be here to destroy. Hopefully it’ll be the former…”
Steelhoof did not tolerate that answer, and immediately started galloping towards him, his black hair and beard (which contrasted with his brown fur) quickly blown away by the speed the centaur was moving at. In a blink he was in front of the stranger, twin blades drawn and pressed against the intruder’s neck, ready to sever the head.
“I’ll ask you once again. What have you come to do?”
The man stared into the centaur’s eyes and smiled bitterly.
“I know the look in your eyes” he said “You’re struggling, you are in turmoil. I remember that feeling, the desperation, the impotence. You need help, and I believe I can provide it to you. This is a gift, from me to you, and you alone.”
As he said this he proceeded to remove a green ring he had in his right index finger. Next to it were a black and a blue one.
“The first gem is Allure. It is drawn to power and power is drawn to it. Being able to recognize the strong and drive them to you can give you all the advantage you need when used wisely” he said mysteriously “Cherish this, and don’t let it fall in anybody else’s hands.”
He softly grabbed the blades and shoved them aside, presenting the ring to Steelhoof. The centaur saw the jewel and felt a strange attraction towards it, mindlessly grabbing it. He knew exactly what he’d do with it. When he looked back up, the stranger was gone.
Now was the moment of truth. Ever since the Descent, Velkian humans had gone feral and began raiding their turf. Not only that, they’d joined forces with the giants (the natural enemies of the centaurs) forming an alliance that, though unstable and lacking in any form of strategy, was powerful enough to be reckoned with.
Steelhoof knew there was a way to bring them down, but he could put his own people at risk: If he managed to have Sentinels in Velk, they’d wipe out the remaining humans and leave the island free of those pests. But what if the Sentinels attacked them? Could they survive a mass onslaught? This ring he’d been given seemed to be capable of bringing them to him, and in the past few days he’d studied it and found a way to channel its power in particular areas.
“It is now or never” he said as he placed the ring on one of his fingers “Velkian humans will not live past this week.”
He selected an escort and began a trip to the enemy’s territory, ready to bring demise to them.
But what Steelhoof didn’t know was that the Velkian had recently gained an ally. He was just a young man, and not particularly threatening-looking, but he’d been a part of one of the most brutal clans in the Multiverse: the Gruul.
Domri Rade had always enjoyed savagery, and after he’d caught a glimpse of Naya, he’d attempted to return to that heaven of gargantuan gods. However, he’d been to that place for a small amount of time, and he wasn’t particularly proficient in planeswalking, so he hadn’t had any luck finding it.
Fortunately, he’d arrived at Velk, and for now it was what he needed: a place where he could let his own internal savagery free and fight alongside brutal humans and giants. Ever since some of these Velkian saw him arrive out of nowhere, they seemed to be afraid of him, as if he were an angry deity who’d come to punish them. But once they saw he meant no harm (at least to them) they began worshipping him.
They barely spoke any comprehensible language, and what little they said was mostly spoken in guttural grunts and blurred bellows, fortunately, it was still more understandable than the average Gruul dialect. What Domri got to understand was that there were evil creatures that roamed outside the island, which was why they could never leave it, and that centaurs seemed to tyrannize most of it, leaving only the forest’s periphery to human and giant tribes. Domri didn’t need to know any more. His clan had been subjected to humiliation and slavery by the rest of Ravnica; he knew what oppression was and he knew he’d stop it at any cost.
Freedom for the Velkian was his new objective. In searching for divinities he’d accidentally become one, and he would ensure his new allies would live free from the shackles of whatever was going on in this plane.
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Post by fluffydeathbringer on Oct 30, 2018 13:31:23 GMT
IT'S YA BOY, FINALLY GETTING SOME RESPECT
oh and also that one guy from MSEM that I don't think sees play but is still pretty good. he's also pretty good here. if I played stompy worth a damn he'd be a strong contender
I was gonna say that he's an idiot for summoning the sentinels on his turf but then I reread the spoiler and now I think he's an idiot for hesitating. you're dealing with an army of enemies that could potentially eradicate your tribe. you have the ability to summon a herd of fuck off powerful hellbeasts that you know for a fact hate all life in your world, including this army, and excluding your tribe. I'm glad you put two and two together m'dude but come on, this (at least from the perspective of a no-stakes-having outsider) is a no-brainer
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Post by korakhos on Oct 31, 2018 13:27:36 GMT
CHAPTER 10 Revolution in Mauras
In the center of Ragantiar’s tribe stood a giant shack. If anybody else had seen it, they would’ve never guesses it belonged to someone important, for it was frail-looking and built out of rotting wood and mold, but the fact it was more than twice as big as any other Maurassi hut revealed it belonged to the Tribelord. Lahrotar couldn’t be happier with his position: he could sit in his hut all day feasting on what others put effort into collecting, barely having to leave the place. Yes, he’d occasionally have to fight a gator or and Ammbradu, but for most of the day he could do as he pleased. It was the easiest job in the world, and he could secure it until he died of natural causes since he was far stronger than the rest. He knew his tribe, and nobody was a match for him, even with weapons. His skin was as dark as the swamp he lived in, and his muscles bulged to the point where they looked about to explode. He could snap arms by merely clenching his fists around them. To all intents and purposes, he was invincible… He displaced the many items spread on the floor (he always claimed more loot than he needed from his subjects to show them he was superior to them) and stared out the window. Even though the Hollon in the atmosphere and the trees surrounding the bog made everything darker, Maurassi eyes were trained to see past the silhouettes other Korrinary would see, and by looking at the sky he knew the day was almost over. “Time for my daily rations” he exclaimed with glee as he exited his house. His subjects were already in line in front of him, their leather pouches wide open ready for rummaging. One by one, he began taking away from his protégées, until he came across a particularly small and skinny one. Before he could begin studying what that minion had brought him, he’d closed his pouch.
“What’s the meaning of this?” asked Lahrotar annoyed. “I’m keeping my rations, I will not give you anything I’ve recollected today” replied Ragantiar defiantly. Any other person would’ve given Ragantiar the chance to repent for his stupidity and punished him for his insolence by taking all his rations away, but Lahrotar wasn’t a man of second chances. He fist immediately shot towards the scavenger’s face, and his target was sent flying across the murky terrain. “Anybody else imbecile enough to-?” began the Tribelord, but he was interrupted by an unfamiliar sight. Ragantiar had stood up as if nothing had happened. No heavy-breathing, no painful moans, no sign of the beating he’d just received. Lahrotar had packed enough strength into his punch to pulverize the skull of a man twice Ragantiar’s size, but the Maurassi seemed to be intact, and the Tribelord couldn’t be more outraged. I was smart thought Ragantiar as he saw his leader quickly run towards him. He’d drained three Ammbradu in the marshes and used their strength to confront and drain a Sentinel before returning to his tribe. The energy he had in his body had been enough to endure the hit without dying, but he didn’t know how many more assaults he could take. He needed to drain Lahrotar before the effect wore off or he’d be dead. And if the Tribelord got a hold of the ring, who knew what he could do? Lahrotar threw two consecutive punches at him, and he dodged them swiftly. The gem’s draining properties not only granted him strength, but also enhanced his senses and reflexes. His vision and speed had improved considerably thanks to his previous victims. A third punch came straight towards his face and he grabbed it with his left hand (the one that didn’t have the ring). Both Maurassi struggled for a while, their might almost matched, and blind, murderous fury could be seen in Lahrotar’s eyes, since he couldn’t understand how someone who looked so frail could take him on. His right hand still in Ragantiar’s grip, the Tribelord threw a second punch at his opponent. The mutant attempted to grab it with his right hand, but he fell right into the trap. Lahrotar used the distraction to duck and tackle his foe, lifting him above his head and dropping him on his knee, a loud crack heard as it came into contact with his spine. Ragantiar did feel the pain he was supposed to. Of course he’d already be dead if he hadn’t had the ring, but its properties were fading. It was now or never. He saw Lahrotar’s foot descending over his head, ready to shatter it into a million pieces, but he threw some mud at his eyes. The Tribelord wiped it swiftly but before he could recover Ragantiar had already grabbed his throat with his right hand. Game over thought Ragantiar triumphantly. Lahrotar felt the ring’s effect immediately. He could feel a sickening sensation sucking the life right out of him. He grabbed his opponent’s wrist, first with one hand, then with another. But it appeared that the stronger he tried to hold on, the weaker he got, and the stronger his enemy got.
Ragantiar was merciless. Once he’d taken away enough energy from his foe he applied enough pressure on his neck to kill him. Everyone was astounded, Lahrotar, who had seemed invincible, had fallen to the weakest of them. “I am your new Tribelord, and any who dare defy me shall follow his fate” said Ragantiar solemnly as he pointed at the corpse, repeating what he’d heard Lahrotar said when he’d become the ruler. Everyone began cheering and, as they did, Ragantiar grabbed Lahrotar’s head and ripped it off the body, immediately skinning it until only the skull remained. This was his trophy, and he would keep it for as long as he should live. He looked around at his new minions, already drunk with greed and opened his mouth. “Lahrotar was lazy and tyrannical, he had no respect for us, and he deserved what he got. But why should we settle for this cycle to continue? For years we’ve accepted what other Maurassi imposed on us. I say things need to change. I say we must unite all tribes. I say I must defeat all other Tribelords and rise as the sole authority of Mauras!” he exclaimed triumphantly. “But, sir, I don’t think that’s-“ began one of his minions. “Excuse me, are you trying to contradict me?” he asked menacingly as he clenched his fists ominously. The Maurassi immediately looked down and shook his head sheepishly. “Just as I thought…” muttered Ragantiar, knowing that leadership suited him “It is settled then, tomorrow we will begin reshaping Mauras into a brand new society, one where Tribelords cannot oppress their people and, most importantly, one where I rule all!”
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Post by korakhos on Nov 2, 2018 14:25:30 GMT
CHAPTER 11 Millikas had been sacred ground before the Descent, for it was the place where the Gateway stood. The Gateway had been the link between the Titan Realm and the Mortal realm. In pre-Descent Korrinayru, people and creatures of all races had stood in front of the gigantic portal praying to the Creators, and their prayers had been answered in more than one occasion. The Gateway was tall as a mountain, and it could be seen from any point in Millikas, which was why Allagras was shocked when he couldn’t see it. Regardless of where he and his people looked, the Gateway could not be seen. Had the Titans removed it during the Descent? Had this journey been for nothing? He couldn’t afford this… On the way here they’d slain about thirty Sentinels, and it had proven him he’d been overconfident on his abilities. Yes, he could kill hundreds of krakens and octopi without any toil, but he hadn’t accounted for land and airborne Sentinels to need a whole new way of being fought. His tidal control had become useless when they’d lost sight of the sea, and his trident wasn’t as powerful against the thick scales of Corrignos’ dragons or the rugged hides of Luthiel’s beasts. Fortunately, Aritior and the Tizzanier had stood by his side regardless of the hardships, but would they still do it if all the pain and losses they’d endured to get here proved to be in vain? He had reconnected so much with his childhood friend, he didn’t want to lose him a second time… The only silver lining was that they were now close to the sea, so Allagras’ powers were at least useful against another Sentinel attack. “What’s that?” asked Aritior pointing at an approaching cloud of dust. The Tizzanier army immediately braced themselves. It wasn’t traveling fast, but it was definitely a large mass, probably one of Krodyos’ sentinels… Except it was a caravan, and it consisted in humans and their mounts! Leading the formation while sitting on her mount was a woman clad in purple robes, her skin completely blistered. When she noticed the army of sea-dwellers she signaled her group to stop, and the two men that walked by her side deposited an ark at her mount’s feet and opened the lid. Aritior and Allagras stared at each other and nodded, then approached the caravan. The woman descended her mount and waited for them to reach her. None spoke for a few seconds. “Greetings, as you must have realized, we are survivors from Lasyvria. I am Aritior, leader of the Tizzanier, and this is Allagras. Who are you and where do you come from?” The woman knelt beside the chest and grabbed what appeared to be a chalice, then faced the merfolk and raised it as if proposing a toast. “My name is Khierassa and we are the Scorched, inhabitants of the former Scoritas. We have been sent by the Titans to join us in worshipping them!”
“Worship the Titans?” spoke Allagras with evident bitterness “They’re the ones responsible for all of this! We are in this situation because of them! They deserve to be despised. They deserve to be slain!” “Don’t you see it, Allagras? This was a test!” spoke the priestess, her eyes wide open and her twisted grin showing the extent of her fervor “We survived because we’re worthy! These scars, these blisters, they represent we deserve the Titans’ grace! The reason Sentinels still roam this world is because of non-believers like yourself, but we can fix that, we can fix anything! “Once Korrinayru is free of these heretics, the Titans will recognize our devotion, and we will finally inherit this world! So let us baptize you. Become a Scorched, and join us in our righteous cause!” Both merfolk stared at each other warily. This woman, and presumably those who followed her, had clearly lost her mind. They needed to let her down gently if they wanted to avoid conflict. “I’m sorry, miss Khierassa, but I believe we’ll have to decline your offer” spoke Aritior carefully “Now let us each be on our way and-“ “Wrong answer” said the priestess, her face contorting in a mixture of disgust and anger as she lowered the chalice and threw its contents at Allagras.
The merfolk was caught by surprise and, before he could react, Aritior had already pushed him out of harm’s way and taken a hit from the fire on his face, screaming in agony as it burned his face. Tizzanier and Scorched reacted immediately and began running towards each other. “Wait!” screamed Aritior standing up with a hand covering his face, Khieressa raised a hand and her followers stood still, as did the Tizzanier “Listen, we both have our interests and we clearly can’t afford a brawl, so I suggest we forget this incident. I really believe you should take this offer, since we outnumber you and we are more powerful…” Khierassa laughed dismissively. “You may outnumber us, but you don’t outnumber them” she spoke as she snapped her fingers. A blue and white aura surrounded her and vanished almost immediately, as a high-pitched note could be heard, followed by tremors on the earth. She had dispelled all wards that concealed them from the Sentinels and sent a summoning signal.
Before the Tizzanier could realize what was happening, Sentinels of all shapes and sizes came to them, attracted by the spell, and began attacking every living being they saw. “You saved me…” whispered Allagras at Aritior awestruck. “You can thank me later, we have to stop her and these Sentinels before we’re left without forces!” “I’ll deal with her” replied the planeswalker, charging towards the High Priestess of the Scorched with her trident held high.
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Post by fluffydeathbringer on Nov 2, 2018 14:53:01 GMT
2X COMMENT COMBO
- “It is settled then, tomorrow we will begin reshaping Mauras into a brand new society, one where Tribelords cannot oppress their people and, most importantly, one where I rule all!” kora, I love you, but this is a really clunky and brute-force sentence. I get that you want to establish that Ragantiar really just wants to have supreme power under the guise of liberating the tribes from oppressive tribelords but to have him just. straightup. say that to the faces of the peope like this is awkward writing tbh. - I do like how Ragantiar doesn't just instantly oneshot the tribelord even with his new +5 Ring of Draining, makes for a more engaging scene even though the outcome can already be anticipated
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- I also like that Allagras, despite his auspicious beginnings, is still having difficulty in unfavourable environments - ooo cliffhanger
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Post by korakhos on Nov 2, 2018 15:48:40 GMT
Fair enough, that's what I get for trying to be pretentious (it's really hard for me to not end something either in a really over-the-top high note or a cliffhanger) Regarding a previous comment of yours I forgot to answer: actually, Steelhoof Battlechief is a battlechief of the Steelhoof tribe, which will be named after the events of this block! (I wonder what will Steelhoof do to have a tribe named after him...) |
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Post by korakhos on Nov 5, 2018 19:52:22 GMT
CHAPTER 12 Fire and Water Aritior’s face burned, and the vision on his right eye was blurry, yet he had no time to spare. A dragon had just landed next to him and was breathing fire on his kin, so he was forced to do something. Shaking off the multiple Scorched that approached him by sending pulsating waves with his trident, then once the coast was clear, he shot it at the dragon’s neck, having learned over the past few days that it was the best strategy. The weapon pierced the soft spot in the beast’s hide, severing one of its arteries and causing huge amounts of blood to fall like a cataract to the ground and its body to collapse. Aritior ran towards the creature’s corpse and removed the trident immediately turning around and shooting it at an approaching Scorched who had glowing hands ready for an incantation, missing him by a few centimeters. He realized his depth perception was compromised due to the nuisance in his eyes (the only reason he’d hit the dragon was probably because it was enormous) and figured out his only option was close combat. He approached his foe carefully avoiding the missiles of flame and light that the man was shooting his way, then quickly tackled him and pinned him to the ground, then punched him with enough strength to knock him out. Before he could stand back up, however, he felt a wave of searing pain spread through his back. He turned around to see a priestess with a red aura in her hands. He grabbed his trident from the ground and used it to deflect the incoming barrage of attacks. Orbs of multiple colors launched from the Scorched’s hand and burst against Aritior’s trident, who was trying to find an opening through which to attack. He was about to try an offensive maneuver when he heard a screech from above. He glanced up quickly and saw a gigantic eagle descending towards him. He ducked just in time as the Sentinel swooped past him and attacked the woman instead, tearing her head off with its fearsome claws. This is what they worship thought Aritior sadly as he fought off a few more Scorched, using the opportunity to figure out the degree of the distortion in his vision Can’t they see that Titans and Sentinels are not on their side? Don’t they realize they never will?
But he didn’t have any more time to ponder, since a beastly creature was trampling through Scorched and Tizzanier alike to make its way to him. Now that his vision was less blurry and after fighting a few more foes, he was pretty sure he could correct his lack of depth perception and use it to beat this Sentinel. He ran towards the oncoming threat carefully counting the steps he was taking and the velocity the creature seem to have, then at the right moment he stuck his trident in the ground blade-first and used it to launch into the air, describing an arc and landing on top of the beast only a few centimeters farther than expected. His leg got cut on a spike but he ignored the pain, grabbing two shortswords and stabbing the creature repeatedly, first breaking its tough hide, then its flesh. The beast began thrashing as pain took hold of it, and Aritior eventually got thrown away, landing close to his trident. The Sentinel recovered and pounced over him, albeit clumsily, leaving him only a few seconds to retrieve his trident and place it between his head and the creature’s maw, fighting with all his strength to keep both of them as far away from each other as possible. Another trident impaled itself on the beast’s side, causing it to howl in pain and giving Aritior the split second of distraction he needed to grab his weapon and pierce the mouth of his opponent to reach the brain. He got up, thanking the TIzzanier man that had helped him, and returned to the fight, hoping Allagras was doing better than him. * * * * * Allagras was having a harder time than he’d originally expected. For a skeletal-looking priestess with blistered skin, Khierassa was proving to be more than just a formidable opponent. Not only was she capable of summoning devastating spells of fire and piercing light, but Sentinels seemed to swoop right by her side completely ignoring her. Maybe she had kept some protective wards to herself, maybe the Titans actually had tested her and considered her worthy, or maybe they didn’t want to get rid of her since she was doing a great job of destroying the Korrinary herself. Whatever the cause, Allagras not only had to struggle against her, but also had to constantly fend off Sentinels, and even though his proximity to the sea made this a much easier task, he was still struggling. As he ducked to avoid a flying Sentinel, Khierassa shot a massive wave of fire in his direction. With barely any time to react, he summoned a wall of water in front of him, but it wasn’t strong enough to resist the full power of the blast, generating a wave of steam that scalded Allagras while sending him flying backwards. As he landed he made a quick swing with his trident, sending a jet of water towards Khierassa, who cast a defensive spell on herself to avoid being struck, buying Allagras enough time to get up and start channeling water through his trident as he relentlessly shot it towards his foe. He’d realized she had good enough reflexes to react to any assault he tried, so he had to take a new approach. This was all smoke and mirrors. As the seemingly endless stream shot towards Khierassa, who was shielding from it with no effort at all, he was actually charging his trident, and hoping that his assault was enough of a distraction from his actual plan. If he was to defeat her, he needed to attack her when she least expected it. He saw her charge her own spell (probably another fire stream, given the red glow in her hands) and knew his plan was working. A dragon’s corpse landed next to him, and he looked in that direction purposefully, pretending it to be instinctive. Khierassa took that apparent distraction as a chance and quickly released a pillar of flame in his direction. Allagras quickly reacted, shooting his trident through the fiery stream. The weapon had enough water coating it to cut through the heat while leaving an innocuous trail of steam in its wake. Caught completely by surprise, Khierasa was struck on her abdomen, the embedded trident protruding on the other side of her body, and fell to her knees. Panting heavily while blood fell from the wound to the ground, she somehow managed to stand up. She spat some blood and pointed a trembling hand at Allagras. “Y-y-you will pa… p… pay for th-th-thi-this” she stammered, then began screaming “ Reta-“ But before she could finish her spell, the earth shook violently and began splitting. A massive wurm emerged from the underground, swallowing Khierassa and tunneling its way back down immediately. Allagras looked around. The fight seemed to have stopped. All the Scorched had fallen to their knees in surrender. All Sentinels had been defeated. Only silence could be heard. |
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Post by fluffydeathbringer on Nov 6, 2018 14:07:33 GMT
well that was an anticlimactic death for khierassa. oh well at least she died knowing her beliefs were bullshit. or did she (dun dun dun). also I like how khierassa doesn't proc her own death card's additional ability and that the card that kills her in lore is actually an o-ring so she might be alive... (dun dun dun)
nice battle scene though, I like my main man allagras' thinking on the fly. underground ravager is weird though in that there's really no incentive to ever make it a creature. oh, I can make my o-ring vulnerable to more removal? I mean I guess chumping it in front of a big guy is preferable to just dying from lethal, but then you gotta either draw removal or you're fucked
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Post by korakhos on Nov 7, 2018 14:10:38 GMT
CHAPTER 13 A grim discovery
Aylin and Darios were sitting around an improvised bonfire in Millikas, where they’d arrived at that morning. Their altercation had taken place a few days ago.
Instead of lighting a fire, Aylin had actually proposed they used the still-scalding feathers of a phoenix she’d defeated earlier that day, which had proved to be quite an ordeal given how reluctant the thing was about dying, constantly respawning from the smallest flame left behind until the geomancer had snuffed out its last ember for good. Since they could have heat without a fire, Sentinels wouldn’t be prone to noticing them in the middle of the night, or at least Darios hoped so, since he’d never been outside of Desarrea and couldn’t predict what Sentinels would be like in Millikas.
They ate in silence as they had for the past few days. Save for a few indications from Darios while trekking or an order from Aylin every now and again during a fight against a Sentinel, they’d stopped having conversations.
Darios wanted to break this silence, but Aylin still looked unstable from the time he’d grabbed her, so he decided against it. What he didn’t know was that by this time it was all a façade, and the planeswalker was actually waiting for him to start talking again because she was stubborn enough not to do it herself. Despite his weakness and the fact he’d triggered the memories of her ascension, there was actually some fondness towards him growing inside her (not that she’d ever admit it). It was interesting, she’d participated in riots and wars, she’d helped both tyrants and oppressed people, yet she’d never had someone she’d taken under her care, and this was stirring some instincts and emotions she didn’t know she had inside.
A faint sound, one of rocks rubbing against each other, broke the immaculate silence. Someone, or rather something, was heading in their direction, and they both knew they couldn’t take chances on it being innocuous.
A creature approached in the shadows. It looked like a dog, it growled like a dog, yet it was definitely not a dog. The pale tone of flesh and the multiple eyes revealed it was a Sentinel… no, five Sentinels, for four identical creatures were following it close behind.
“Take cover” ordered Aylin extending both arms while pebbles rose from the floor to surround her arms and clenched fists “They’re not that big, so I will be able to dispose of them in a few minutes.”
“They’re not big because they’re trackers!” said Darios ominously.
“What do you mean?” asked Aylin as she punched the first hound that jumped at her with enough strength to impale it against the ground.
“There’s two type of Sentinels, at least as far as I know…” he said as he shot one of the hounds on the side, causing it to retreat warily “The ones we’ve faced so far are the ravagers, which are in charge of tearing the Korrinary apart, whereas trackers are swifter and more silent, they find survivors and call forth ravagers to finish the job!”
The hound he’d attacked jumped at him, and he quickly dropped his bow, unsheathing a shortsword and using it to slice its throat. The Sentinel howled in agony and fell on top of the Destori, trapping him under its weight.
“Help!”
“I’m a little busy here, give me a second!” replied the geomancer annoyed, taking on two hounds at once.
“We need to head out of here as soon as possible, before something worse comes!”
He still had to deal with the current situation, as he saw the last remaining hound running towards him. With his body immobilized and Aylin busy, he had no way of doing anything about it.
He closed his eyes as a reflex before hearing a dull thud and a howl. When he opened them again, the creature was on the floor, a stalactite impaled through its skull. Aylin pushed the corpse that was trapping him to set him free. He lay there for a few seconds expecting her to offer him a hand to help him get up but then remembered she wouldn’t let him touch her, and did it on his own.
They stared at each other with a satisfied smile. This had been the longest conversation they’d had in days, and it seemed the spark was being reignited between both of them, but before celebrating, they both felt dry pain spread through the back of their skulls. As everything went black, they could feel tentacle-like extremities grabbing them tightly. There was no doubt a Sentinel had caught them.
* * * * *
Darios was the first to wake up, and his scream woke his partner as well. They were alive, but how? There was nothing other than a Sentinel that could’ve grabbed them, and a Sentinel would kill them on the spot, so why were they not dead yet?
“We’re… alive” he said in surprise.
“Tell me something I don’t know” was Aylin’s blunt response, her tone betraying her annoyance at having been captured in the first place “Not only that, we seem to be tied up. Any other obvious thing you want to state right now, Darios?”
The man once against shut his mouth and stayed silent. Aylin could be so hurtful when she spoke…
“That thing that caught us was a Sentinel, yet here we are, alive and tied up with ropes, two things I never expected a Sentinel to ever do. Doesn’t that sound suspicious?!” he said in annoyance to end Aylin’s sassy responses.
“Let me answer that” said a brittle deep voice, one that seemed to belong to an old man.
The cave they seemed to be in was barely lit with a few torches with faint flames, yet now they’d heard the man speak they could distinguish his silhouette hiding in the shadows. He approached the light with slow steps, revealing a man of medium height, with graying dark hair and a few wrinkles. He seemed young at first glance, but upon further inspection he looked even older than he sounded. His gait was low not because he was trying to make an entrance but rather because he seemed too weak to walk any faster. He was taller than they’d guessed at first sight, but he seemed to crouch unnaturally, and, even though his face looked fine, his bloodshot eyes almost bulged out of his skull, giving his eyes a hollow and unnatural look.
His clothes were made of leather, and the intricate patterns and details revealed they were from a pre-Descent Millikan warrior. Who was this man?
“Your skin tone and accent reveal you to be Desarrean” spoke the stranger “although I remember them dressing better. Apparently the years have changed your people…
“You, on the other hand, look like a complete stranger, so I believe you’re not of this world. Am I right? I’ve been spying on you ever since you arrived at Millikas and I believe you two will be a fine addition to my cause…”
“Who are you?!” spat Darios in annoyance and desperation.
“Huh… this confirms my suspicions: you were born after the Descent… I’m not sure you even know my name, but in case you do… I am Multhratos.”
Darios’s heart skipped a beat, and he could feel himself getting dizzy.
“Impossible! You’re dead! You died during the Descent!” he said, trying to convince himself that if he said it out loud this would all prove to be false.
“Then how do you explain me being here right now, speaking to you?” replied Multhratos maliciously “I survived the Descent and I’ve been hiding for the past thirty years… Patiently waiting…”
“For what?” asked Aylin scoffing, she clearly didn’t care for the man’s identity of whether or not he was supposed to be alive.
“For a chance to finish what I started thirty years ago! I’m going to face the Titans once more, and this time I will defeat them!”
“Last time you had thousands of soldiers on your side and you still failed…” said Darios with sheer contempt “How will you do this if you have only yourself?”
“I don’t have just myself, I have this!” replied Multhratos.
He raised his left hand, which hadn’t stopped shaking since they’d seen him for the first time, which revealed a ring with a blue jewel engraved on it.
“The Third Gem is Obedience!” said Multhratos triumphantly “With this I can take control over the will of whatever being I want, all at the expense of my physical strength.
“I’m taking control of the Sentinels of this world, and using them to kill the Titans with their own weapons!”
 TO BE CONTINUED |
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Post by fluffydeathbringer on Nov 7, 2018 14:20:22 GMT
"then what did you need the two of us for" "do you have any idea how lonely I've been for the past thirty years? I've got a lot of vacation slides to show, so get comfortable"
jokes aside it's pretty neat how one of this society's Triumvirate of Megasatans is up to the same bullshit he was up to last time, only how he stands a chance of becoming the world's savior instead. and this mystery nameless chap sure does get around. perhaps due to an agenda of some sort
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Post by korakhos on Nov 9, 2018 14:13:05 GMT
Today we'll be looking at two things. First, the two remaining legendaries in the set:Faalastra Faalastra is an organism that lives deep inside the Maurassi Marsh. Between the radiation of the Descent and the corrosion of the Hollon, it has developed sentience and is a threat to Maurassi who approach her territory. She is a carnivorous predator who can secrete a perfume so powerful it is capable of attracting even Sentinels to her, only to be a small satifaction to her insatiable hunger.Inopass Before the Descent, Inopass was a dangerous criminal, and was imprisoned in Scoritas for his crimes. When the Titans descended, his prison collapsed, trapping him underground for months. He had to struggle to survive with what little rations he could gather. Eventually, a group of Scorched scavengers unearthed him, and he saw this as an opportunity for redemption. Seeing the devotion of the Scorched he gladly joined them, being baptized within the day. Now he is one of the most fervent Scorched, worshipping the Purifying Fire every waking hour.CyclesNow let's take a look at the cycles. First, the ones you already know:
{Common Deities and Legendary Lands}
There's also been a concealed cycle spoiled throughout the story. Five uncommon Deities, each with the effect of an already existing uncommon enchantment: Oblivion Ring, Favorable Winds, Vampiric Rites, Blood Mist and Elemental BondAt common, we have a cycle of lands that you can sacrifice for effects in order to allow you to have Wasteland in Limited:   
  Speaking of common lands, there are three common cycles of lands with basic land subtypes: Moving on to rare, we have the Vengeance cycle, a particular spell from each of the Titans. Not only are they in the file, they're part of the Catastrophes: Last but not least, we have the "Archetype rares". Archetypes in this set work in a way none of my previous sets have. They're wedge archetypes but they're meant to be playable with only two colors of the wedge, "pivoting" on the allied color to the main wedge color in the Khans block. Too confusing? Let me explain with an example: [/span][/div][/div][/div][/font][/div][/div][/div][/div][/div][/div]
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Post by korakhos on Nov 16, 2018 21:22:00 GMT
Since real life kept me from being able to update the archetypes this week, I'm moving it to next week and leaving the remaining mythics of the set as a consolation prize!
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Post by korakhos on Nov 19, 2018 12:42:35 GMT
ARCHETYPE WEEKJeskai EnchantmentsWe begin archetype week with Jeskai. This particular archetype will focus around enchantments in two different ways:WU Enchantment ControlThe WU archetype wants to control the board in order for you to develop your board with Deities, ready to strike when you have the mana available to beckon them!
(Immortal Presence was designed by fluffydeathbringer)RW Enchantment AggroRW, on the other side, cares more about getting an early board presence while using the enchantments and early costed Deities as an added bonus to casting certain spells. |
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Post by korakhos on Nov 20, 2018 21:51:23 GMT
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Post by korakhos on Nov 21, 2018 14:10:52 GMT
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Post by fluffydeathbringer on Nov 21, 2018 15:06:04 GMT
(Distant Thunder is a reprint from Mious and was designed by fluffydeathbringer) Kaleidoscope* Getting land cards into the grave early Relinquish works wonderfully well with Wasteland aggro, since pitching lands for profit is what you'll be wanting to do in low-curve aggro anyway. Guess I know what I'll be drafting. |
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Post by korakhos on Nov 21, 2018 18:26:56 GMT
(Distant Thunder is a reprint from Mious and was designed by fluffydeathbringer) Kaleidoscope* Getting land cards into the grave early Relinquish works wonderfully well with Wasteland aggro, since pitching lands for profit is what you'll be wanting to do in low-curve aggro anyway. Guess I know what I'll be drafting. You're right about Distant Thunder, sorry for the mixup. And yeah, relinquish and wasteland can lead to pretty strong cards quicky. |
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Post by korakhos on Nov 22, 2018 22:52:35 GMT
Archetype WeekSultai GraveyardUB Self-Mill
Wait, so the Sultai archetype revolves around the graveyard? What a shock! If there's something UB likes, it's a full graveyard. Who needs a library of unknown cards when you can have everything at your disposal from the graveyard? Whether you wish to scavenge or reanimate stuff, these cards will help you fill it as quickly as you can:
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Post by korakhos on Nov 23, 2018 15:30:13 GMT
Archetype WeekMardu HellbentBR Hellbent Aggro
With relinquish as a mechanic, it's only logical that you'll want some of your cards to actually care about having a small hand. Enter this archetype that pushes the violence on your opponents when you do!
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Post by korakhos on Nov 24, 2018 19:07:43 GMT
And now, without further ado, I give you guys the set file for Korrinayru!
I hope you enjoy the cards and, as always, I'm open to critique.
EDIT: So forgot to add the masterpieces to the main file... NOW it is the correct file!
Also, I'm taking this segue to announce that as of today Khaliz-Dorahn and Awakening have officially rotated out of Korakhos Standard. I will make a tournament of the format but first I'd like to invite you guys to try the sealed prerelease of Korrinayru!
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