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Planeswalker's Journey
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The fastest way to the Tower was, of course, as the crow flies. Quite literally in the case of the airborne aven planeswalker Kyoniq and his companions, Seira and Fei’wet, who rode on Kyoniq’s summoned drakes. Over raging rivers, verdant rainforest, and rolling hills they flew, keeping the thin silhouette of the Tower in sight.
The three travelers were flying over a region of rocky crags with trees jutting out from the sheer slopes. The sun was skimming the horizon, creating a wonderful display of colors among the clouds. Kyoniq’s invisible squid-network extended in a sphere around him, its radius reaching the ground to alert him of possible danger around. Suddenly, the bottom of the network brushed over a ravine and sent Kyoniq a signal: magic was spilling from the ravine.
“Wait!” called Kyoniq to the others, circling down towards the ravine. They followed after him, drake-wings flapping. Kyoniq finally dove through the dense thicket. As he did so, he played a little tune on Beirani, the flute of summoning, which strengthened his squid-network to physically manifest the squid and strengthen their detection powers.
The terrain in this area of Zhenqi was certainly strange. The ground rose and plunged sporadically, often at near-vertical angles. Trees hung on where they could, but in other places bare spires of rock jutted up. Rifts and hills covered the land.
The ravine where Kyoniq had sensed the magic lay under the trees had just dove through. Underneath was an almost cavernous valley space, mostly blocked from sunlight by a roof of trees. Kyoniq, Seira, and Fei’wet landed on the mossy floor. It was about 1½ kilometers long and ½ kilometer wide. Around it were steep tree-covered slopes. At the far end of the ravine, a stone archway could be seen built into the hillside. The magic was coming from the tunnel under that archway, but the three decided to make camp for the night and explore tomorrow. Kyoniq’s squid swam around the ravine and surrounding forest, and Beirani’s magic made it seem like they were in an underwater cave.
The three were setting up a tent and building a fire when Kyoniq’s squid detected an entity among the trees. It seemed powerful and had the tang of aether. Kyoniq leapt up and ran toward the entity. “Something’s here!” he shouted to the others. Kyoniq brandished Beirani and gathered his power, peering at the spot where the squid had detected. He couldn’t see anything in the dark undergrowth, but the squid showed an insubstantial body in the shape of a snake. Then it spoke.
“Two voices can no longer be heard from the wilderness. Two voices have been silenced tonight. Now only eight voices whisper between the trees,” said a hissing, airy voice. The spark serpent slithered out of range and a pang of fear hit Kyoniq. Only eight now. He would have trouble sleeping that night.
The next morning, after a quick breakfast, Kyoniq, Seira, and Fei’wet packed up camp and walked to the tunnel entrance. The archway was an unfamiliar design, even to scholar Seira. Stange whorls of a silvery metal permeated the stonework. The area around was littered with broken stone and statues of the same metal. Kyoniq’s squid detected aether in the metal.
They travelled into the tunnel. It was a set of stairs descending into the hillside. Fei’wet projected an orb of light for them to see. Eventually, the stairs flattened out into a network of passages. The walls were constructed of blocks of well-cut but eroded stone that glowed faintly blue. The sound of trickling and dripping water was ever-present. Kyoniq’s squid swam about ahead and behind, directing him towards the source of the powerful magic. However, they also detected some being far above, watching them.
Suddenly, several large birds of prey swooped down and snatched up some squid in their talons. Kyoniq reached out with his magic towards the birds. They seemed to be anchored to the same source of magic that Kyoniq was searching for, and bound by another powerful being. However, the bond was weakened by the absence of their master. Perhaps he could bind the birds to himself. However, this would require a different kind of magic than Kyoniq was used to – mind-shaping instead of body-shaping. But maybe he could give it his own touch.
Kyoniq telekinetically seized one of the raptors, and a second head sprouted from its neck, eyes glowing purple. “Let me help you access the birds’ mental field,” suggested Seira. She guided Kyoniq as he shaped the second head’s mind itself, the ineffable consciousness separate yet connected to the brain. He gave the second head dominance over all the birds and bound it to his will. Kyoniq’s attackers were now his allies.
With the squid leading the way, Kyoniq, Seira, and Fei’wet continued down the eerie passages. More hawks attacked them, but were quickly subdued by Kyoniq. They had the unfamiliar mark of white mana. Finally, the passage opened into a huge, roofless chamber. The sunlight poured in clearly from above, blinding everyone. They were standing at the banks of a huge lake with sunlight reflecting brilliantly off the surface. A slippery, orange-red pathway led from the shore to a shrine in the lake. The companions walked out to the shrine, seeing that it was stylized in the shape of a sphinx. The shrine held a peculiar staff made of the same aetheral metal as seen before. Its head contained a geometric design framed by a round blade somehow still sharp after years of neglect, though moss hung from the shaft. A dull aqua bubble lay in the head. The staff was the source of the intense magical power the squid had detected from hundreds of feet in the air.
“Careful,” warned Fei’wet. “It may have a trap attached. Run a magic check first.” Listening to the advice, Kyoniq reached out with his magic, probing the shrine. Instead of finding a trap, he found a barrier of magic preventing further examination.
“Fascinating,” said Seira. “The staff is protected by an enchantment that blocks intruders. You shouldn’t be able to remove the staff.” Kyoniq grabbed the staff and pulled, but it remained rooted in the sphinx-shrine. Kyoniq reached out magically again, this time examining the enchantment more closely. It was an intricate weave of mana, clearly shaped by a powerful being, possibly a planeswalker. Kyoniq delved still deeper, looking for the imprint of the enchantment’s caster. Finally, he found it – the trace of the caster’s identity buried in the enchantment. Visions and sounds washed over him.
Alara – the sundered plane of five shards reunited once more by the machinations of a planeswalker-god. Chaotic waves of mana and soldiers disrupting ecosystems and civilizations. Waktet was a female vedalken wizard from the shard of Esper born into this brave new world. She moved to Bant, studying the order and harmony of society and nature there. On an expedition to Naya, she witnessed the strength of unbridled nature – and inferred its power if tamed. She joined an order of outcast mages dedicated to learning from nature and controlling it with the aethereal metal etherium. However, during a dragon attack Waktet saw the worst of nature – primal fury and instinct, the opposite of the ideal she was chasing. Before she was bathed in dragonfire her spark ignited, flinging her to Clancularius where she became a participant in the Walker Game. When the Spark Serpent came to eat her spark, she left behind her staff and enchanted it in desperation, hoping to aid a worthy contestant. Her followers constructed this dungeon, abandoning it when she was forgotten, though her magical creatures lingered, guarding Waktet’s legacy as they were summoned to.
This enchantment contains some of Waktet’s power, realized Kyoniq. If I break the staff, I can attach the enchantment to myself and gain that power. The thought made Kyoniq slightly giddy – the power of nature itself along with etherium artifice. He told this to his companions in as many words.
“Consider the staff,” said Fei’wet. “It’s a device for focusing your magic. That will aid your spellcasting and make you more powerful as well.”
“You can’t take one without destroying the other,” warned Seira. “It’s ultimately your choice.”
As Kyoniq debated his choices, he came to the conclusion that the enchantment, though powerful, was simply a piece of magic blocking him from the staff. Learning from nature may have been Waktet’s goal, but Kyoniq wasn’t about to make it his. He carefully unraveled the enchantment, then claimed his prize – Waktet’s legacy. As he removed the staff from its etherium sheath, its name flashed into his mind: Hialnor.
As Kyoniq held Hialnor in the air, two things happened simultaneously. The aqua bubble on the staffhead began to glow, and the pathway they were standing on began to shift unsteadily. Seira and Fei’wet ran back to shore, but Kyoniq, absorbed with his new artifact, remained still as the “pathway” began to rise out of the water – it was the head of a kraken!
The long back – the mass of tentacles – the beak full of teeth – Seira and Fei’wet saw this as, in Waktet’s last test, Kyoniq clung desperately to the etherium shrine implanted in the kraken’s head. But he had a plan: the mind. He reached out to the kraken with his newfound mental powers and saw an intelligent hunter of the open oceans distraught at its abandonment in this secluded, sunlit lake. I will guide you, Kyoniq told it. I will help you. I will free you from here. We can do great things together, you and I. Slowly, the kraken stopped its thrashing. It willingly entered a partnership with the aven: a mutual bond. It seemed to glow and strengthen with Kyoniq’s mental boon.
Once again, the aven equivalent of a smile touched Kyoniq’s face as he returned the kraken to the aether at last and prepared to leave the cavern through the ceiling opening. Empowering the mind is just as effective as empowering the body.
(For clarity this is not my final planeswalker; Shaper of Psyche is a previous iteration.)
However, just as Kyoniq was about to take off, the blocks of stone on one side of the chamber began to crumble and collapse. A hissing, airy voice began to speak from behind the wall.
“Voices singing in forgotten but found paths of old voices. Voices two now silent are too. Six remain for the desolate path; they now must run as the world becomes so small. For only five shall enter the land of the seven rings. We shall follow your every step for we are I and I am nightmare.”
The spark serpent’s message hit Kyoniq like a punch to the gut. He could feel the sparks of two powerful planeswalkers being torn out of their very souls and devoured, and one of those sparks belonged to Archie and Estus, the planeswalker(s) Kyoniq had fought. Wait, how could Kyoniq feel this? It was an aetheral exchange happening miles away with no connection to him. Perhaps it was an effect of Hialnor. Anyway, there was nothing Kyoniq could do now but continue on his journey.
Ksown blasted the dragon with pure antimagic, unmaking him from the universe.
"Hey, that was easier than I thought!" exclaimed AxNoodle.
The event was followed by further travelling before they came to a final force field.
"Here, we must leave you," said Wostrom. "All we can do now is wish yo good luck. You must face the tower alone."
Standing next to him were an aven and an elemental - these must be the other remaining two. He had decided to take Tehan form here.
"Reach into the flames and tell us who you are. Reveal the life you have been living and the journey you have taken. Tell us who you are and destiny will choose on of you to embrace as her own."
AxNoodle reached into the flame and suddenly his time in Clancularicus flashed before his eyes. The village. Astol. His journeys. Tekalor. Jei. Wostrom.
He refocused on the room around him. He now knew what his experiences had made him:
Breakdown of the cards:
Antimagic Adept
The first "Plus Ability" in fact is a triggered ability that fits my niche and character- using opponents' spells and power against them.
The "Ultimate" is an emblem with its power included the Ksown, the embodyment of my character's power. A powerful lockdown that restricts your opponent and fits my niche nicely.
The 0 is simple- it just transforms the card to my Tehan form, fitting my story and allowing me to either ultimate it or draw a card off of the +1 and put it back or simply wait to use it as a counterspell.
Arcane Tehan
The +1 is simple- transforms me back and lets me draw a card- good for when you need a few more counterspells in hand.
-2 is also easy and straight to the point. It counters a spell.
Ultimate- Also included in Ksown and refills my hand for card advantage so that I can counter even more spells. Hard for my opponent to recover from.
So there. A breakdown of my planeswalker cards and an extremely short bit of story.
I am keeping my old planeswalker.
Good luck to @ShaperKyon and @Aggroman15 as well!
Summary (TL;DR): Kyoniq enters the Land of Seven Rings and passes the challenge of the Guardian of the Sea, granting him entry to the Tower.
XI. The Land of Seven Rings, part 1/2
After another day of flying, only an expanse of wilderness lay between Kyoniq and the Land of Seven Rings. He could clearly see the colossal Tower scraping the heavens, and the Rings.
The outermost Ring was a cool, wet jungle, clearly defined and separate from the surrounding deciduous woods. Inside the forest was a Ring of mountains, a natural barrier to the tower and obscuring the view of the next two Rings. The fifth Ring was a plain of swaying grass, while the Sixth was shrouded in mist. The seventh Ring was hidden behind the sixth. The Land of Seven Rings were far more vast than Kyoniq thought, each Ring being about 90 kilometers wide. In total, from the edge to the Tower was about 500 kilometers, encompassing an enormous dominion of about 800,000 square kilometers. To cross the Rings would take about a week’s journey if walked. Luckily, Kyoniq and his companions could fly.
[Note: According to my calculations, the Land of Seven Rings is bigger than Texas!]
But this was all in the distance. Now Kyoniq, Seira, and Fei’wet were soaring high above the harsh wilderness unconquerable by civilization. Kyoniq’s turmoil wasn’t physical, but mental.
I was wrong to kill Haliza.
She could have caused harm, but she was just doing what she thought was right. She was just a manifestation of the land’s life, after all.
Kyoniq’s access to minds placed in full context the value of each life – not just as a tool to further the world’s and Kyoniq’s perfection, but an intrinsic value. It was important, then, to protect all minds and deter those who would harm them.
“What do you think of morality?” Kyoniq asked his companions.
“It’s a social construct designed to promote desirable behaviors,” said Seira.
“It’s both easier and more beneficial to follow logic instead of ethics,” said Fei’wet.
Though Kyoniq would have agreed with them earlier in his journey, he somewhat disagreed now. But no matter: they flew on.
Finally, at the border to the Land of Seven Rings, the deciduous trees gave way to rainforest trees, showing the Game Master’s control over nature itself. The sky, too, was different in this area, with strange cloud patterns over the Land then the surrounding wilderness. However, Kyoniq’s squid-network sensed a transparent magical barrier in front of him. The three travelers veered off to the side to prevent collision. They searched the barrier from top to bottom, but there was no hole. It was a flattened dome-shaped shield covering the whole Land. Eventually, the three landed at the border. Their magical analysis proved the barrier impermeable and they could not warp or deceive it. Brute force was out of the question. All they could do was wait.
Fei’wet, Seira, and Kyoniq ate dinner as the sun went down. The moon rose and the stars shone brightly, the Tower casting an enormous shadow over the world.
Kyoniq’s squid-network began to detect another powerful entity in his vicinity. Another planeswalker player of the Walker Game. Funnily enough, they were also a white-blue mage. Then the Game Master spoke into Kyoniq’s mind, with a voice old and cultured.
“Step into the shadow.”
The Tower’s shadow was not far from them now. The other planeswalker had already disappeared. Packing up, the three made their way to the wide shadow. They found that the magical barrier was open like a door where the shadow passed across it. So they entered the Land of Seven Rings.
Immediately after crossing the barrier, Kyoniq’s squid-network alerted him to the presence of five other planeswalkers in the first Ring. He was the last to enter. “Fascinating,” said Seira. “This is the first time in recorded history that a non-Planeswalker has entered the Land of Seven Rings.”
“At least until the Five Guardians find us,” remarked Fei’wet. “Keep alert.”
Indeed, Kyoniq could feel the Guardains too – so powerful were they that he could detect them thousands of kilometers away. There was a beast, a dragon, a demon, a leviathan, and an angel. How odd, mused Kyoniq. Five Guardians and six planeswalkers. But I suppose it’s all part of the game.
They made camp just inside the first Ring. The next day they flew, passing an elemental planeswalker of green, blue, and red mana and what Kyoniq identified as a tehan ‘walker. Finally they reached the border of the second, mountainous Ring…but so did someone else, a spirit planeswalker wielding blue and black mana, trailed by his own followers, and wearing a fearsome golden mask. Kyoniq threw off his cloak hood, playing Beirani to manifest his squid and planting Hialnor firmly in the ground. “Greetings, fellow planeswalker,” said Kyoniq. The other turned toward him, clearly assessing if it was in his best interest to fight Kyoniq. Deciding it was not, the spirit ‘walker surprised Kyoniq by speaking directly into his mind.
“You pitiful, naïve, disgusting excuse for a planeswalker will never make it to the Tower,” he sneered. The arrogance pouring off his voice was almost palpable.
The aven struck back by quickly dipping into the spirit planeswalker’s mind for his name. “We’ll see, Alex Jones,” he said. “The Game Master will decide who is worthy.”
“Not with my hook in his throat, he won’t,” said Alex devilishly, and floated away without another word, killing passing forest animals as he went.
Kyoniq was slightly offended by Alex’s complete lack of respect for anything besides himself, but he nevertheless continued to the border. There was a magical barrier separating the first and second Rings, but it allowed the entry of Kyoniq, Seira, and Fei’wet with no problem. However, something strange happened once they had passed through. The barrier changed, preventing the passage of anything into it while allowing outward passage. This left the green-blue-red elemental ‘walker trapped in the first Ring, since everyone else had passed on to the second. At the same time, the Guardian of the first Ring arose and began moving toward him. Kyoniq now understood: it would be a challenge of the Guardians. Each planeswalker that proved their power to their respective Guardian would reach the Tower. Kyoniq and his companions took flight, heading inward.
They passed over the second Ring, the mountain Ring, in half a day. The white-blue tehan ‘walker was the last and was challenged by the dragon Guardian. Once past the mountains, the rest of the Rings were revealed: the third was a bog, the fourth was a sheet of ice, the fifth was a grassland as previously seen, and the seventh was still hidden behind the misty sixth. Alex Jones, the blue-black spirit ‘walker, was challenged by the demon Guardian in the third Ring. By the fourth Ring, the ‘walkers present were Kyoniq, another white-blue aven ‘walker, and a red-green-white cat ‘walker. The cat wasn’t travelling as fast as the flyers, but he had a significant head start and was the first to pass to the fifth Ring. The other aven passed next, leaving Kyoniq trapped in the fourth Ring. Upon examination, the barrier to the fifth Ring was now identical to the one surrounding the whole Land of Seven Rings. Kyoniq also noticed that the elemental and tehan planeswalkers were now progressing through the inner Rings. It seemed that they had passed their challenges. Alex Jones, meanwhile, had disappeared. Kyoniq could only assume that he had been silenced.
The fourth Ring was not just a sheet of ice, it was a giant circular lake covered in a sheet of ice. It was very still here, and very cold. Kyoniq, Fei’wet, and Seira shivered, not used to the cold. The sun glinted harshly off the shining ice, not hinting at the lake depths below.
Slowly, the ice began to break and melt, speeding up. The three travelers were stranded on an iceberg along with their two drakes. The sun was blocked with clouds and it began to rain and thunder as the sky filled with birds and other, stranger winged creatures. Fish, octopi, whales, and dolphins began to mass below the surface; however, none of these creatures were trying to harm Kyoniq or his companions. An enormous leviathan – the leviathan Guardian – large as an island broke the surface, sending the iceberg tipping side to side. Then it spoke, its voice resonating from its enormous head.
“I am the Guardian of the Sea. Reveal your power, planeswalker. Reveal the might that can form a destiny. Only if you succeed shall we let you pass.”
The leviathan was so big that it took a few seconds for Kyoniq to come to his senses. Now he understood why Alex Jones had called him naïve. It would truly take everything to reach the Tower. Kyoniq’s new ideals were shaken to the core as he faced the daunting task of the Guardian of the Sea’s challenge.
“I must do this alone,” said Kyoniq to his companions. He dove into the water, playing Beirani to summon a bubble of air. The leviathan submerged as well, and the two met eye-to-eye underwater.
First, Kyoniq summoned the kraken from Waktet’s dungeon and manifested his squid. Then he held up Hialnor. The staff was made of etherium, the metal infused with life force and aether: the two resources found in all creatures in the form of a vital essence and a soul. Kyoniq’ new mind powers already used vital essence. Now it was time to harness the soul.
Kyoniq felt a pit of regret as he channeled his power through Hialnor and sucked out the soul of the kraken. After all, that was morally wrong. But sometimes these things can’t be helped. The water currents began to shift. Kyoniq’s squid grew mentally and physically and they darted around the leviathan. The Guardian of the Sea began to seem disoriented. Kyoniq pushed his spell’s power to the maximum. Body, mind, and soul intermingled and danced as one. “This is my power, Guardian,” proclaimed Kyoniq. “I can shape power.”
They both breached the surface. Fei’wet and Seira were awestruck by the part they could see from the iceberg. “You have proven your worth,” rumbled the Guardian of the Sea. “You may pass on to the Tower, Kyoniq.”
The aven wizard turned to his companions. “This is where we part,” he said. “You need not follow me to the gates of the Tower. You may keep the drakes and return them to Jugiha. Safe travels to you and good luck. Who knows, I may be back someday.” And with these farewells, Kyoniq, Seira, and Fei’wet flew off on their own paths.
Part 1 is a retelling of @Jonteman93's segment but I'm including it for completeness.
Summary (TL;DR): Kyoniq ascends to the top of the Tower and finds his true self as his last challenge in the Walker Game.
XII. The Tower and the Game Master, part 1/2
The sixth Ring, the Ring of mist, was strange and desolate. There was no living thing in sight except for Kyoniq’s squid. The land was dead, and no mana flowed through it. Instead, weird threads of magic flowed through the mist that did not respond to Kyoniq’s touch.
Queer relics littered the ground – a broken crystal here, a skeleton in armor there, a dead plant bearing marks of a planeswalker’s summoning here. The mist obscured the view of the sun and Kyoniq couldn’t even see the Tower. Instead he walked toward the motion of the strings of magic, which seemed to be guiding him. As they grew more numerous, they began to coalesce into letters and symbols that dissipated as Kyoniq walked through them.
The other white-blue aven ‘walker had gained black magic just like Kyoniq, but had disappeared after being challenged by the angel Guardian and was presumed silenced. The red-green-white cat ‘walker had not been challenged by a Guardian, but he had disappeared in the sixth Ring. Whether he was silenced or something else was unknown. That left only Kyoniq, the elemental, and the tehan.
Kyoniq regretted leaving behind Seira and Fei’wet, as he was quite lonely now. The sixth Ring was certainly strange, and the strangeness made it seem important, but its role Kyoniq couldn’t tell.
Finally, there was another barrier. After passing through it, Kyoniq entered an enormous, lush garden containing every crop and fruit on Clancularius in abundance. This was the seventh Ring. Looking back, Kyoniq could see the magical barrier holding back a wall of mist. Looking forward, he could see female garden caretakers everywhere harvesting, pruning, and maintaining the garden. They all wore floor-length dresses and had silver eyes and white hair. They were beautiful and physically flawless, having characteristics of elves and angels yet also unique. It took several hours for Kyoniq to walk to the gates of the Tower, which stood over the whole Ring. The caretakers payed no attention to him as he strolled along. He could see the elemental and the tehan also walking towards the tower.
The base of the tower was simply titanic, gargantuan. Though it was circular, it was so large the curve was unnoticeable from the ground. It just seemed like an enormous flat wall. The three planeswalkers met outside the doors, where caretakers worked collecting water from a majestic marble fountain in buckets. Another caretaker, the first to acknowledge the planeswalkers, smiled and bowed slightly at them, then placed her hand on the doors. Runic markings lit up on them and the massive doors swung silently inward. “Welcome,” said the caretaker.
Inside was a hall stretching up all the way to the tower roof and going all the way around the Tower. A spiral staircase corkscrewed up to infinity. In the center of this hall was a column also stretching up to the roof. It had a massive girth itself and seemed to support the whole structure. The top could not be seen. The column was surrounded by a railing and peering over it, Kyoniq saw a pit as deep as the Tower, in the bottom of which was a light that could only be seen for its brightness. The wide, top part of the pit was filled with clockwork mechanisms.
However, Kyoniq had no time to ponder this as another caretaker stepped out of a side room and beckoned the planeswalkers to dine. In this tense meal, Kyoniq learned that the elemental’s name was Aggrol and the tehan was AxNoodle. They all knew that only one of them would leave with a spark.
They were all lead off to a bedroom afterwards. Kyoniq’s was decorated in all blue and was luxuriously furnished.
In the morning, a caretaker guided the three to the stairs. She held out her hand, and runemarks appeared on the floor. The piece of floor they were standing on began to rise up along the staircase. Kyoniq couldn’t tell whether this was done by a magical or mechanical means.
They passed many rooms on the way up. Most were filled with stacks of books and labelled by a glowing, floating orb proclaiming the name of a plane. Some plane rooms were empty. There were also other rooms devoted to study, research, and other purposes that became a blur as the elevator accelerated.
As the elevator whizzed by thousands of floors, the Tower and the column supporting it gradually tapered to a slimmer size. Finally, the elevator stopped at the top of the spiral staircase. The room they were in was similar to the lobby, only the size of a normal tower, with the column the size of a normal column. Two caretakers – one a male, the first Kyoniq had seen yet – escorted the planeswalkers up another spiral staircase for two floors. The first floor up contained many locked and unlabeled rooms. The second floor up was the room below the top floor of the tower.
Most of this room was taken up by a large table covered in a map of Clancularius. The column extending through the center if the table and up through the ceiling marked the Tower. Shifting flows of light marked leylines. The walls were covered with rune-engraved tablets and books. The roof was a dome and was also covered in runes. The caretakers escorted the planeswalkers to another spiral staircase that split, one side twisting left and the other side right. The staircase merged again on the top floor.
The top floor of the Tower was an observatory. The central pillar ended at chest height and above it floated an orb of mana. A ring of pillars formed the wall of the room, between which lay giant panes of glass. They were high enough to see distant continents and notice the curve of the planet. The sky was dark blue as the atmosphere was so thin.
On the other side of the central column stood a man facing outside towards the sun, holding his fingers as if holding the sun. The caretakers bowed and retreated. Then the man spoke without turning around.
“Aggrol, AxNoodle, and Kyoniq. I welcome you to my home.”
The man turned around, now holding a glowing yellow ball as if he had actually plucked the sun from the sky. This ball threw him into light after being silhouetted. He looked similar to the caretakers, having white hair, silver eyes, and perfect features. However, he was older than they, and wore a beard. He had on a crimson robe with many pockets and a white tree branch – probably a magic wand – tucked into one. This was the Game Master.
“You must have so many questions.”
The Game Master walked toward the central orb. It began to shift and revealed a scene of a young man trying to free his horse-cart with his child before a landslide hit. He succeeded but the rocks tumbled down towards him. He would surely die. As the Game Master placed the yellow ball he was holding inside the central orb, he spoke again.
“Your most important question though: Why? Why all of this? What’s the purpose?”
The man disappeared in a flash of yellow light just as the rocks were about to hit him.
“Planeswalkers are the children of destiny. Given a chance to break free from the boundaries of worlds and mortality to change the destiny of others. In good or evil acts.”
The Game Master removed his hand from the central orb, which returned to its normal, shifting state.
“But you. You are different. Your spark was not ignited by destiny; you were never meant to break the boundaries of worlds but neither were you meant not to. Lady Destiny guides your hands by your own actions and those around you. She decides who are meant for the great good, the great evil, and those who are not meant for anything greater than themselves and those around them.”
The Game Master waved his hand and the central orb shifted scenes rapidly, showing how the planeswalkers had been given their sparks by chance and the journey they each had traveled in the Walker Game.
"It was not by destiny you were given your spark but it was by destiny you all stand here now. It was by destiny that those that failed to get here did so. You were not born by destiny but you might be adopted by her. I give her the children she wants, those she guides, those that are meant to take this opportunity and break out of their worldly boundaries."
The central orb changed to a bright yellow color, the color of sunlight and of the ball the Game Master had put into it.
“You have been on a long journey and you are close to the end but it is not yet over. All three of you have been chosen by destiny to stand here but only one shall be chosen by the Lady of Destiny for the great powers. Now reach your hand into the burning light and tell us. Who are you? Reach into the flames and tell us who you are. Reveal the life you have been living and the journey you have taken. Tell us who you are and destiny will choose on of you to embrace as her own."
Kyoniq understood now. The planeswalkers trapped on Clancularius weren’t born of fate, they were born of chance. “Lady Destiny” as the Game Master called it would only choose one as her “adopted child.” The rest were simply tossed aside as flukes. Did that mean that the Spark Serpent was an avatar of Destiny itself? It seemed like the Game Master was just a cohort.
Aggrol went first, reviewing the memories and friends he had made. He found himself. Then AxNoodle reached into the orb. He told of his experiences and powers. He knew who he was. Then it was Kyoniq’s turn. He put his hand into the orb, and his life flashed before his eyes as he was filled with a warm glow.
“I am Kyoniq, believer in the potential of everything to become anything. I am a formshaper: I seek to give creatures the best possible body. And I am in love,” he added. That last part surprised even him: it was the first time he’d admitted it out loud. But it was true: he did love Janial: the close friendship they had over the years, and the way she looked at him now. Kyoniq continued.
“I am a mindshaper: I seek to empower and inspire everyone and believe in the value of everyone. I am a soulshaper: I am willing to do what it takes to achieve my goals. I, too, was shaped: I was shaped by Janial, I was shaped by Jugiha Temple, I was shaped by Pyuri and Seira and Fei’wet, I was shaped by Beirani and Hialnor, and I was shaped by –” this a bit grudgingly – “Haliza and Waktet. I am Kyoniq. I am Shaper Kyoniq. This is who I am.”
May the judging commence!
*crowds cheering*
The life that has passed and the journey in Clancularius were all passing by in the mind of the three by the burning orb. From the ambush by the undead to the clash with another planeswalker and the artifact. The visions flashed by fast but it felt almost as if it all was experienced in real time once again. The memories of the wilderness before the land of the rings passed by and they reached the outer gate.
something felt strange and different as they walked through the barrier to the jungle ring. As if the vision and the memories were not the same yet everything before had been on point so why the difference now?
The journey through the rings continued. Through the jungle and over the mountains. Pass the swamp, the frozen lake and the great open field.
They stopped at the barrier to the ring of mist. He put his hand on the barrier but it did not let him through. He looked back still holding his hand on the barrier. He was sure that something was different now. Were was the guardian this time? Why had the first barrier not stopped him now but this barrier did? He wanted to ask the game master what was going on but he then came to the realization that he was not in control over himself within the tower anymore but the memory. He still felt his present at the glowing orb as he held his hand over the barrier as if the barrier was the orb. No this was no memory, this is the final test but formed as a memory that never happened.
The sun was moving over the sky as the time passed by. When the sun had reach the position straight above the tower the barrier "broke" and did no longer stop him from entering.
"Step into the shadow"
So he did.
The dense mist blocked almost all light just like before except for the dim shimmer of light that probably was the sun. The strings of floating magic were also present this time. He tried to connect to the strings of magic or anything to make them show the way like before but nothing. It was as if they had not even noticed his arrival. Or maybe they did not intend to show him the way this time? Without the guiding help of the magical strings he had to rely on his own senses of direction and follow the dim light of the sun. The passed and he began to grow doubt over the sun's guidance. He took a pause and sat down on a stone trying to think of a new plan. As he sat down looking towards the sun he began to notice small movements. Did the sun just move slightly? He looked at the sun that moved slightly again, and again. The sun began to descend as a feather through air. It then became clear that it was no sun but a small glowing orb.
The orb descended like a feather towards him but as he tried to reach out and take it, the orb floated away further into the mist. He stood up from the stone and followed the orb through the mist and the magical strings. Some moments later the orb moved towards a stone where three strings were lying down. When the orb was just above the stone the three strings stretched up and swallowed the orb, revealing a form of a snake.
The snake turned towards him, starring with yellow glowing eyes.
"Five trials has begun to decide whom three shall pass through the deep shadows and approach the tower. In the far and wide jungle, the seventh ring, a manlike cat has been put to the trial by the fifth guardian. With might the cat warden persuaded the beast and thus the guardian let him pass. One has been chosen."
The snake then fell apart into magical strings that floated away. More strings came together forming a larger snake that stared at him before falling apart once again letting more strings assemble for a even larger snake that fell apart and so on. All repeating a similar message about the five trials. A short while after the snake had disappeared for the fifth time, all the strings from the surrounding began to float together followed by strings that came from deep within the mist. Something large began to form within the mist.
"Tell me, spark eater. What is the true purpose of the second ring? This ring within the shadow?"
"You already know the answer."
Plot Twist: During Nicol Bolas's invasion of Ravnica, while he's transporting his Eternal army from Amonkhet across the Planar Bridge, Boros knight Connor crosses the Planar Bridge to the unknown plane of Clancularius to lay bare the Spark Serpent's schemes to the players of the Walker Game!!
Strings of magic floating within the mist forming a spark eating serpent. Strings with memories of rune text like those in the tower as they are actually floating runes formed as strings, a form perfect for a serpent.
Just like the tower reaches from the sun in the sky to the glowing orb within the planet the serpent swallowed the sun within the mist.
The mist symbolizing the shadow can only be entered when the sun have reached its point. The sun symbolizing a planeswalker's spark that is lost in the shadow between boundaries of realms.
"The land is locked for those that cannot enter the shadow. The lands of seven rings hold five guardians to test those that seek the tower. I have already reached the tower so the five guardians have no reason the exist here where only one guardian exists. One guardian to ultimately test those that seek the tower within the tower. The pillar that reaches to the light within the world. The spark of the world."
"You amuse me with your knowledge, but you are wrong. I am not guarding the tower. I am the tower. I swallowed the spark of the world."
The serpent warped its long body around the planeswalker and stretched its head back indicating an attack. The planeswalker tried to channel a spell but somehow was unable to as if his powers were all gone.
"You have already given yourself and your spark to me."
The planeswalker tried to avoid the attack but the serpent was lightning fast. It snapped the planeswalker within its mouth swallowing him.
The planeswalker was trapped within a violent stream of magical strings. Even if he could swim against the stream there was nothing to swim towards. The only things that existed here was the stream of magic strings and himself as he was dragged deeper and deeper. It felt like the stream would never end as he was being dragged for what felt like hours. A golden light appeared further down the stream. The stream slowed down as he came deeper until it came to a complete stop and he was able to swim. The source of the light was clearly visible now. It was a golden orb. The one that the snake had swallowed earlier but it was far larger now. It was everything that existed there so he began to swim towards it. When he came close enough to the orb he put his hand on it but it pierced through. The orb pulled him into it.
He opened his eyes. He was back in the tower before the orb. He looked around and found that the other two planeswalkers were gone.
"You have been chosen by destiny.
The man gave a slight nod to the returned planeswalker. He then approached the orb, made a movement with his hand to it. The orb began to turn white followed by the pillar beneath glowing with runes. After a few moment the runes turned blue and a blue flame began to appear in the middle of the orb.
"Now reach into the orb once again and claim your price"
The planeswalker reached his hand into the orb and grabbed the blue flame. He withdrew his hand with the small blue flame burning gently in his grasp.
"That is a piece of the world's spark. With it you can return home to your world. But know this. When you leave this world you won't ever be able to return.
Thus this journey has come to an end.
@ AxNoodle
You came 3rd in this journey and has been sent home.
You will receive a follow and three favorites of your choice.
@Aggroman15
You came 2nd in this journey and has been sent home.
You will receive a follow and four favorites of your choice.
Winner of the planeswalker's journey
@ShaperKyon
Congratulations! You have reached the end of this journey and been rewarded with a piece of the world's spark. With it you may return home when you please.
You will receive a follow and five favorites of your choice.
@Jonteman93 Thanks for this really cool contest! I had a lot of fun, and may start up a PWJ2 sometime later, although not right now as this one just got done. Just wondering, can we get the final point totals?
I'll go with flavor for my favorite choices, and only use cards from this challenge.
https://mtgcardsmith.com/view/aggrols-fury-form
https://mtgcardsmith.com/view/searshean-volcanic-elemental
https://mtgcardsmith.com/view/tide-planeswalker-remnant-1
https://mtgcardsmith.com/view/samora-elemental-guide
Also, me and Aggrol weren’t silenced, only sent home
Does this mean we are free to go?
@ShaperKyon 333p
@Aggroman15 290p
@AxNoodle 283p
@MonkeyPirate2002 245p
@Bobman111 218p
@AxNoodle The cards can be any you want. The prices are only symbolic though.
@ShaperKyon 328p
@AxNoodle 288p
@Aggroman15 283p
@MonkeyPirate2002 280p
@Bobman111 248p
Including Cover and curve factor
@ShaperKyon 278p
@Aggroman15 233p
@AxNoodle 230p
@MonkeyPirate2002 224p
@Bobman111 199p
* There could be some errors here. I had to back calculate to include the modifiers.
It is true that you were not silenced so your spark was not completely taken from you. However most of your new found powers were so you are kind of back at square one regarding the powers you have.
Not that anything of this actually matters that much but well well.
I still believe this is a good idea of contest but this one in particular as earlier stated was poorly made by me. I won't start a new one so please comment what you think future hosts should know from this one to avoid failing like I did. Also I don't want future host to scare people away as I did either.
However, I would like to disagree about you saying you have "failed".
This was the first competition of Planeswalker's Journey and like most first things there have been bad points that are to be patched over in the future and good points that made it exist.
You still kept on top of it and I'm sure people had enjoyment out of this, whether it being from creating their character initially, thinking of a story for their character or winning the entire thing (Congratulations @ShaperKyon). There were some problems, however.
1. The amount of cards needed
You did set too many cards to be made. The initial three were fine, but after that I think the idea of earning Card Slot Points is better and allows players to alocate any amount of time they want. It also allows for quality over quantity more often.
2. The challenges
You said this one yourself - the challenges could have been better. They have to be a little more specific and interesting. Maybe just a bit more thought here, but it wasn't too bad.
3. The timing
This may sound like a weird one, but I think you started the challenge at a time where people weren't using the site as much. Furthermore, it is good for the students like me among us to do this kind of thing in the holidays when we have time. So, unfortunately, you caught a time of two bad spots. Possibly. I think.
And there is some feedback. I am hoping that everyone else got enjoyment out of this contest, including our host, @Jonteman93.
And some sneak attack story!
He was tumbling between interplanar space, hurtling toward his home plane. Suddenly, he stopped. The magic carrying him seemed confused. "Of course", he remebered. His home plane was destroyed when his spark ignited. The spell around him fizzled into nothing. Instead of returning home, he was plunged into a new plane.
"OOf" he said as he landed face down in a field. Looking up all around him, he could see nothing around apart from plants. He tried to summon some magic, but instead a piece of card appeared in his hand:
"Oh."
The plane was named Earth.
Of course he would go to another plane he was trapped on!