Contest: Fill the Arboretum

Comments

• Gryphon11114

  October 2016 edited October 2016

  
  
  This coffin was found in the darkest part of the Arboretum Archives, the closest place to hell. Two adventurers found this coffin, and were surprised that of all the deaths before the Guildpact, they were here. They soon realized that this coffin was heavily enchanted to keep all of the slain, which were soon about to rise again.
• zizick123

  October 2016

  Here: http://mtgcardsmith.com/view/entrance-to-eternities
  
  The Entrance to eternities is a type of portal found in the Arboretum, that seemed too be a useless piece of gold, until Jace Beleren touched it. When activated it creates a portal, that allows anyone to plansewalk. It is a mystery why or who created it, But it worries Jace.
• Mnemosyne

  October 2016 edited October 2016

  
  
  Known as the Astral Seer's Sextant, this artefact was found drifting in the space between planes, caught in vortices of floating debris. Its purpose was unknown to the planeswalker who discovered it. Though seemingly mundane in appearance, the sextant was able to resist the gravitational flux found in the blind eternities, an ability that only planeswalkers possessed. It radiated no discernible aura, but it did seem to attune itself to the mana of those who possessed it.
  After some years of research into its material properties, it was discovered that it could help direct a planeswalker to a plane which possessed similar mana. The implications were astounding. If this could be achieved, then it was possible to focus the sextant's ability to find anything which possessed that mana. A powerful tool to be used by a single person. Eventually, it was archived and lost to time, buried beneath a vast subterranean crypt of other miscellaneous artefacts.
• pewnd

  October 2016

  I'm blown away by the responses so far @zizick123 I believe your link is broken.
• serpentail

  October 2016

  http://mtgcardsmith.com/view/monolith-of-evolution
  
  Artifacts similar to this are sometimes found on wild unevlolved planes and people near them will start questioning their life and find themselves smarter than before.
  
  Any limit on entrances for this?
• Lujikul

  October 2016 edited October 2016

  In one chamber of the Arboretum, there was nothing but darkness. No amount of torches, fire, or lightning could illuminate it. And deep within, there's only one thing of any importance. Among the dead trees, the stones, and the cold ground below, there is a flower. A flower consisting of pure light, it was locked away in utter darkness, before it could be altered by the very flow of light any further. It is a flower possessing near unlimited energy, and a daring planeswalker who possessed it could have travelled almost anywhere if they so wanted. It's planar counterparts include the lotuses of Dominaria.
  http://mtgcardsmith.com/view/bloom-of-light?list=user
• Lujikul

  October 2016

  In a surprisingly exposed room in the Arboretum, there is a large, dark cube consisting of an unidentified material. First impressions suggest it is simply a large pure deposit of some magical material, but cast any magic near it, and one will quickly discover that this is not the case. It's almost as if the cube takes control of any magic, twisting it, and having unexpected effects. The cube has proven to be quite a fickle wielder, redirecting magic and altering its very identity at its core. It is unknown why it occurs, and attempts to approach it for further study have resulted in several deceased animals, including toads, wolves, and, on one occasion, a baloth.
  http://mtgcardsmith.com/view/the-anomaly?list=user
• pewnd

  October 2016

  @serpentail no limit, as with most of my contests
• serpentail

  October 2016

  http://mtgcardsmith.com/view/eternal-hourglass
  
  This strange hourglass is found tucked away on an unassuming shelf within the arboretum. When picked up for examination the beholder will realize the sand is still falling from whenever the hourglass was first tucked away on the shelf. The sand seems to be falling at a constant rate but the balance between top and bottom never changes. A skill wizard or planeswalker would be able to sense a subtle but powerful aura emanating from the object but the hourglass doesn't seem to have any special characteristic aside from it's eternal nature.
• cgannon

  October 2016

  This simple looking guillotine ended many short reigns of kings all vying for power in the vacuum that was created once the last heir-less monarch passed away. Some ended after a year, some as little as a fortnight, but they all ended. Soon, it became clear that a king was not meant for this place, no one could truly rule here. The people wondered how they ever let anyone rule them. As a reminder, and a warning to any would-be monarchs, the people put the simple guillotine right in front of the entrance to the capital city. Long after this civilization became history, this guillotine was found, with its story inscribed on the base, and was taken into the Arboretum.
  
  
• MaverickGV

  October 2016

  
  
  This mysterious set of armour is able to protect it's wearer from nearly anything. It is said that the armour is powered by the energy of a collapsed plane and if it's core is disturbed it will cause a complete planar collapse. A maniacal planeswalker believed the end of the multiverse was near so he designed this armour in order to survive in the blind eternities. It took several planeswalkers and a large amount of collateral damage in order to get this armour safely stored in a stasis chamber within the Arboretum Archives.
• Mnemosyne

  October 2016

  A quick question @Pewnd. I've noticed that you've liked some of the entries, and not others. Is it safe to assume the ones you have not liked are the ones you don't like? Should I redo them, if so?
• pewnd

  October 2016

  @Mnemosyne Nope! I love all entries, I just forgotten to like some of them :P I'll go through and like all entries eventually, I'm just a bit swamped at the moment
• MaverickGV

  October 2016

  
  
  This elusive creature has lurked in the Arboretum for as long as anyone can remember. It's origins are unknown and all efforts to confront it have failed. It appears to have the ability to shift from reality and could be potentially dangerous. However, it appears to be mostly non-aggressive. It is unknown if this creature is possible of inter-planar travel but it is highly likely due to it's advanced manipulation of aether and physical existence. it is perhaps the least known item found within the Arboretum as even sightings of it are extremely rare and interaction with it is largely impossible.
• Lujikul

  October 2016 edited October 2016

  There was one old-walker, whose name is largely lost to memory, who was particularly fascinated with everything that was kept in the Aboretum. He was greatly disorganized, and all research he conducted was not neat, except in one regard: It was well recorded. His notes were hidden away in a vast library of tomes, just an obscurity among others. Only with literally years of searching does one have any hope of locating his notes. The final entry, number 674, reads thus:
  
  "Even if the Multiverse Armilary Sphere contains all current accessible realms, it is my theory that there exist a limitless amount of other realms, that we have yet to find. The Flux Shifter and the Eternal Hourglass stand as a testament to this, as their energies and mechanisms are clearly not of any known plane of existence. I believe that with the compiled energy of enough living things, particularly the beasts from nowhere stashed away in a heavily barricaded room, that we can find all planes of existence, and discover the power unknown to us from elsewhere, and preserve it through eternity. If these are my final words, regardless of whatever happens, I have left this plane, and am elsewhere."
  
  The last sentence is hastily scribbled, and the ink trails off. The corners of the page, and the blank pages following it, are dry and brittle, as if all the energy inside them had been drained away, consumed. The door of a nearby chamber is smashed and mutilated, as if something had forced its way out.
  http://mtgcardsmith.com/view/engahs-research-notes
• Mnemosyne

  October 2016 edited October 2016

  @Pwend cool~ Was worried it wasn't good enough.
  Lukikul seems to have caught onto an idea I had, but was faster haha.
  Here it is: Grimoire of the Void
  
  
  
  This artefact was archived as the Grimoire of the Void. It's true name and purpose remain a mystery. Pre-mending planeswalkers located the tome on a sojourn to plane of Shadowmoor. They discovered, much to their alarm that proximity to the artefact caused their physical state to deteriorate, their mana and vitality drained. In an effort to further understand the nature of the miasma, they removed the tome from Shadowmoor and transferred it to its current location. Several accidents, however, prematurely concluded the research and the records were purposely removed.
  
• pewnd

  October 2016 edited October 2016

  These make me so giddy! I love all the amazing entries so far For anyone interested, some names of Oldwalkers that could have participated are listed below. Whether or not you choose to mention them is unrelated to your chances of winning.
  
  -Yajaki, Armillary Magus
  -Vaun, Lance of Kyneth
  -Cedro Morg, Incarnation Caller
• Kinojitsu_Asahi

  October 2016 edited October 2016

  First entry
  
  
  This mysterious golem was originally discovered in Ravnica, although Arboretum Scholars are quick to point out that it is not from this plane. During the construction of a new laboratory, Izzet engineers and scientists accidentally unearthed this golem and through a series of mechanical and electrical accident it was activated. The Infinite Consortium was the first organization that successfully contained this item (and miraculously without alerting Niv-Mizzet) after it caused tremendous destruction to the infrastructures around the District it was found. Then through a series of interactions and bargains, this item, which identifies itself as Genesia but refuses to provide further information according to the Consortium, was now in the Archive's collection.
  
  The origin of this mysterious golem remains unknown, although documents about this archive provided several speculations. Some scholars believed that it was the creation of an unknown Zendikari merfolk planeswalker, in the panicked belief that the sealing of Eldrazis in this universe would mean the end to his people. This means that the golem was intended to be a protector or a living relic of the civilization he believed would be perished by the disasters. This explained its almost sentinel like nature and certain parts of the golem's physique resembles the merfolk population of Zendikar. However, other scholars questioned that the materials used for this golem are pure silver, which is rarely used in any Zendikari culture or crafts, not to mention the merfolks. This leads to another popular theory that this golem is the creation of Memnarch, the reclusive ruler of an artificial universe called Mirrodin. They researched the materials and the mechanism involved in it and claimed that it is almost like a lesser recreation of Memnarch's own master, Karn the Golem. They speculated that this project is part of Memnarch's plan of ascending into the multiverse.
• KJMartin

  October 2016 edited October 2016

  http://mtgcardsmith.com/view/the-ursatz-mirror
  
  Hundreds of years ago, when the Arboretum was a school for planeswalkers, a man sought refuge there. He was, he said, a planeswalker, who had been hunted down across the multiverse for thousands of years. He only had time to present them his one possession: a mirror, before he died. As showed them it and one of the planeswalkers went to store it in an old attic.
  
  It was after that, however that, slowly, slowly, the residents of the place began to disappear. One by one, until none remained. The Arboretum was shut off shortly afterwards.
  
  When it was opened, however, a strange and eerie sight greeted the keepers who had broken in. Thirty people in all were just knelt there, their pupils white as milk. No sooner had the gate been opened that the figures strode out, never to be seen again. Scholars soon discovered who these people were: they were the planeswalkers who had lived there thousands of years ago. Yet how they had survived was unclear, as is where they are now.
  ___________________________________________________________________________________
  
  Although, in Ravnica, no-one knows it, the Ursatz Mirror, which had been placed in the hall of mirrors, was the cause of this. As soon as you look into it, your reflection climbs out, and takes your place. Thus you are banished, to spend all eternity in the nameless void beyond the mirror.
  
  It is unclear what the reflection's do after that - but it is believed they simply inhabit another mirror, and turn more people into nameless, soulless deities like themselves. Anybody you know could be a Reflection. So, particularly in the Arboretum, it's good to watch your back, and never, NEVER, under any circumstance, enter the Hall of Mirrors...
  
  
  
  
• Damnation

  October 2016 edited October 2016

  Oblivion Gate
  http://mtgcardsmith.com/view/oblivion-gate-1
  
  The mysterious, so-called Oblivion Gate was found wandering an unknown plane by an Arboretum scholar travelling the Multiverse, who saw the Gate pull all manner of material towards it. He realized that it would slowly eat away the plane, like the Eldrazi, but not with hunger in mind.
  Upon discovering this, he acquired the assistance of several other Arboretum members, many who lost their lives, to move the Gate to a specialized chamber that negated its effects. The chamber containing the Gate was always to be locked, but upon the Arboretum's rediscovery was found too similar to the Eldrazi and given the strictest security.
  
  It is unclear what the Gate is made of, but there is a single warning that rests outside the chamber entrance : "Do not touch."
• zizick123

  October 2016

  need to reload mine!
  http://mtgcardsmith.com/view/entrance-to-enternities?list=user
• RohanDragoon

  October 2016 edited October 2016

  
  
  Long ago, in a secluded glade deep within the Vale, rested an ancient tablet from a long lost civilization. Its engravings were intricate, and withing, a specific series of gems refracted and reflected the sunlight into a brilliant spectrum of light. But its light drew darker things and curious adventurers.
  A demon named Fetherius possessed the Tablet, and imbued his own body with the refracted light. Whenever an adventurer would touch the Tablet, Fetherius stole their soul, strengthening his own power, and magnifying the light emitted from the Tablet. It soon became so bright that its prismatic array outgrew the brightness of the Sun, and soon shone so bright that it could be seen in the night sky from any plane.
  Legions of planeswalkers marched upon the tablet; its refracted light was beginning to threaten the stability of Vasuir, the plane in which it was held. But when the legions arrived, they encountered a problem; the light was so blinding they could not navigate the glade, and Ferethius consumed their souls. By now the light had penetrated Vasuir's core, and was beginning a volatile reaction.
  In rode one final planeswalker. Parsah, the Blind Prophet, whose blindness allowed him to navigate the grove with ease, quickly making his way to the Tablet. With one stroke, imbued with the will of the gods, Parsah chipped a single piece of the Tablet, forcing Ferethius out and breaking the light spectrum.
  Once Ferethius was out, he was no match for Parsah, even with the power of the legions of planeswalkers he had consumed. Parsah was imbued with the power of gods from hundreds of planes. He was champion to one hundred and seven. Ferethius was vanquished.
  
  Now the Tablet rests in the Arboretum, a small refraction tunnel leading from the surface to the Tablet, illuminating it. But where Parsah chipped the Tablet leaves a small leaking of the light, so that the tablet may not again become possessed
  And here's Parsah if you wanted to see him: http://mtgcardsmith.com/view/parsah-the-blind-prophet?list=set&set=7909
• TrippleBoggey3

  October 2016 edited October 2016

  
  
  In the center of the Arboretum, there lies a mysterious chamber. It was discovered after a merchant found it on a trading journey. After presenting it to the king, the king found it to be a viable torture machine. He would put victims in it, press some things and the chamber would spin and flood the victims. The other chamber next to it would also burn the victim as it spun. However, they stopped working after they displayed only 3 mysterious words - "Out of Battery"
• TrippleBoggey3

  October 2016

  ^Assume it's legendary.
• pewnd

  October 2016

  Just got back from some stuff, amazing work as always everyone. Fantastic lore so far and I did laugh out loud to a certain one.
• Lujikul

  October 2016

  @TrippleBoggey3 I guess this confirms it: Earth is part of the multiverse.
• TrippleBoggey3

  October 2016

  @Pewnd, Definetely wasn't mine!
  xD
• pewnd

  October 2016

  @Lujikul Because this is canon and I'm WotC.
• Lujikul

  October 2016

  Plot twist: @pewnd 's contests are actually WotC's way of gauging how well received theoretical formats and cards would be, before any official release.
• Gelectrode

  October 2016 edited October 2016

  http://mtgcardsmith.com/view/arboretum-aether-flute?list=user
  
  The fabled Aether-Flute of Shandalar has left a trail of chaos in the history of the plane. Although sought out by many, especially the beast-mages of Kalonia and the polymorphists of Evos Isle, the Aether-Flute has a hidden record of ruining its owner. Being unable to channel the Aether-Flute's erratic powers and becoming the target of greedy wizards's assaults, bearers of the artifact often perish before others can learn from their demise. The cycle of death may have been recently broken by the archmage, Randuld the Luckless, after spiriting it away to the Arboretium, but rumors are resurfacing, and the Aether-Flute's existence may be once again uncovered... much to Ravnica's imminent dismay.