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Stitia, Plane of 13 Deaths (RPG Style Saga/My First Saga)
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"This is more fun than I expected- ah! D-don't look down, d-on't look d-down!"
Soaring high in the sky, you make your way to Hitcherald. Jessica is riding with Danny, to ensure nothing goes wrong. The excuse Jessica will give is that Danny, Rusty, and Schoren are innocent people seeking refuge in Hitcherald. Believable, as these are the three in the group that appear the most innocent, other than Lilith of course. Danny and Jessica ride Lilith, Rusty rides Scarf, and Schoren, fitting, rides Draundr. Jessica is taking on the name of Garrett for the time being, the name of a soldier that recently "went missing". She even has the weapons and armor to fit the bill.
As you descend upon a protected garrison, four guards approach. One of them walks up to Jessica with a checklist. "Welcome back, soldier. Name and status?"
"Garrett Folger. Armed Patrol."
"Where have you been, and who are these people?! You've been absent for quite some time."
"My apologies, sir. There were some civilians in the militarized zone that lost their homes. They seek refuge."
The guards inspect Schoren, Danny, and Rusty. They go back around, and one of them stops at Schoren after noticing a vial of poison. "Sir. Name and occupation, please."
"Schoren. Alchemist."
"Surrender your weapons." Weapons? How are they going to fight without weapons?
"Schoren..." Jessica looks at Schoren sternly.
If you surrender your weapons, you may find yourself at a serious disadvantage if you get into combat. However, you could blow your cover if your don't. @BudGetTheCam will you surrender your weapons?
As the guards drag you out of the door, you watch Altreya carry the stone out of the room. That stone... the hope for curing the plague, and possibly the hope for the world, is being taken away by the angel. You have to stop her...
You gather spiritual energy into your hands, and escape the grasp of the first two guards. One of them drops their lance, and Altreya notices, turning around.
"You would dare resist my authority? Then clearly, you do not know the power of a Lord Arbiter."
Altreya's polearm begins to glow, and she aims it at you. A helix of light and shadow emerges, and it threatens to strike you. With a quick slide to your feet, you dodge it, rising back to your feet. You prepare a spell to knock the angels down, summoning a torrent of spirits. Then, with a gust, the angels are pushed off of their feet. The spirits attempt to restrain them, and now is your chance.
The angels are non-lethally restrained. Other than collecting the stone, what will you do next?
http://forums.mtgcardsmith.com/discussion/comment/159876/#Comment_159876 @Derian2 @MonkeyPirate2002
http://forums.mtgcardsmith.com/discussion/comment/159679/#Comment_159679 @TezzeretofCarmot21
@KorandAngels as Ishka, @ThatOneCat as Gistix, @Tommia as Kia
The demon cat is angry. Thankfully, Kia's blow was only a flesh wound, but even then it still enraged the demon.
"Do you realize who you're dealing with?" The cat spoke.
"A demon..." Kia stared that cat straight into the eyes.
"Call me by name, mortal. I am Gistix..." The cat stretches out, looking at Kia with an unamused expression. "I originally only wanted your soul, but now I'll take everything you are..."
As dark magic coursed through Gistix, a portal opened behind him, revealing a grotesque being of pure horror. It attempts to make a sound from its mutilated mouth, but the noise that comes out is incomprehensible.
The true nature of the beast's bellowing is unable to be fathomed as it rings through the forest. Everyone collapses to the ground, even Gistix himself. Pain fills every being in earshot as all manner of beings begin to perish. Ishka puts up a defensive barrier around herself, trying to stand her ground as feathers begin to fall off of her wings. The air is filled its death and decay. Even the plants begin to die, and soon, Kia's resistance has worn out, and the beast's continued shrieking wears away at her. What sort of creature is this? Gistix is in pain like the rest, but he is smiling, unharmed by the apparition.
Kia finally stands back up with her sword in hand. Slowly, she makes her way towards the beast. She is weak and staggering from the beast's eldritch voice. Then it's the beast coming towards her. As it slowly moves, a trail of blood is left in its wake. It opens its mouth, and attempts to attack Kia. She is ensnared by its teeth, caught by her wings, and she tries to fight her way out. However, it's to no avail. Ishka drops her barrier and moves in to save Kia, but her magic is fading, and so is her strength. She stumbles to the ground, only able to send off a single beam of light that leaves a cut through the beast's side. The teeth of the beast close, piercing Kia, and she screams. She drops her sword, and she's left to push against the beast's teeth with her bare hands as Gistix laughs once again...
Kia has been swallowed whole by the beast, and it sets its sights on Ishka. She tries to stand, but the beast is quick to knock her back down. Is this really it? The beast attacks, and with every last ounce of her strength, she summons a wall to hold the beast back. She crawls away, and hopes for Kia's safety...
A roar is heard from within the beast, but it is not its own. This catches the attention of Gistix. He looks, and part of the beast is beginning to swell. It lets out a whine of discomfort, and everyone notices that something isn't right. Claws tear through the side of the beast, and the being that emerges is unlike anything Gistix and Ishka had seen. The beast dies, and the being that comes out is something out of myth. Out of legend. Something that has never existed on Stitia before...
The being locks its eyes with Gistix, and flies into the air. Gistix doesn't know what to do, so he flies up to intervene. With a roar, the dragon shoots ephemeral flames at Gistix, burning his very being. However, with his immense power, he is able to summon a barrier of spirits to protect him. Now, the dragon and Gistix both soar in the sky, Gistix slightly burned from the attack.
"Gistix! Your fate is upon you. Stand down!"
@ThatOneCat You took one more damage. You HP is now 8. Will you attack again or flee? Kia is enraged, so she will attack you if you do not flee.
@KorandAngels Update! It seems like your reasoning for not submitting cards is solely based on art. For future reference, I will allow you to submit card drafts without art (or just cards with blank art) and I'll judge flavor solely based on effect in correlation to the card itself. Also remember that creatures are not out of the question.
Results:
- Kia's full potential has been unlocked.
- Archetype: Peace-loving Spellslinger.
- Gistix took one damage.
Here is a summary of the judging.
- Soul Chime: 8, 11.5, 7.5 (+3) (9/15)
Common Complaints: Underpowered (effects hurt you significantly and don't support one another), flavor
- Kia, Absolute Absolution: 10, 9, 9 (+3) (9.5/15) (One 9/12 rating exempt; upon realizing effect, took points off for syntax (lowering rating to a 7] but refused to re-evaluate the card based on this effect; this will be considered an incomplete rating)
Common Complaints: Copying ALL noncreature spells, effect causes misunderstandings
(P.S. Those of you on Discord already know. Don't spoil it!)
//Card Explanation: This event doesn't needed a flashy Rare or Mythic card to resolve. Mastiffa is a mono-black "Commander" (It would be Rakdos if anything happens to her), so, taking account the black has protection only embed on the creatures, and it has to be the more realistically possible to be used outside this event (on an actual Magic game), I decided to do a colorshifted version of Spare from Evil (https://scryfall.com/card/isd/34/spare-from-evil)
Mastiffa knew that a slice of a demon hunter's blade will be lethal, but she also knew that having a hand-to-hand combat will not do.
As Bahn Gheshin charges, she casted a spell, a thick mist engulfed all her allies and her too
Permission needed: Bahn Gheshin's blade clashes into the mist, repelling it, Mastiffa and her allies stand still: "We don't have any quarrel against you demon hunter, we are hunting demons too. You may aid us to hunt them, no strings attached, but cease this nonsense"
It's a distance from here to the ship crew, but you need to figure out where they're headed. You try to triangulate the location, and all you can see in the distance is a giant stone. It's gigantic, but that can't be where they're heading, can it be? You keep the location in mind, and set out with Arlin to meet the ship crew...
An hour passes, and you still have quite a distance to close.
"I really wish we had a horse right about now." Arlin is clearly starting to get a little tired. She goes to take a drink from her canteen, and realizes it's empty. You decide to divert for a lake in the distance, but much closer than the ship crew. You go to it and gather some water, and hear hooves in the distance.
"What...? Where... where on Varnia am I?! All I see is sand... and rocks!"
Varnia? Who is this person, and what are they talking about? As you move over the hill to investigate, you're baffled. What... is it? Half man... half horse... you've never heard of anything like it, let alone seen it. In his right hand is a very intricate sword, with multicolored decorations. A blue drop of ephemeral dew drips from its tip. In his left hand is a torch.
(Note: Image is a placeholder and does not reflect final appearance.)
"Ho there, travelers! Where am I?" He is apparently confused. "Just a moment ago, I was on an island with my... allies..." The being has a sword wound in the exposed side of their torso, as well as multiple others along its horse body. He notices Arlin, and thinks. "An elf... I take it I'm dealing with the Gevans, yes? I promise I am not here to instigate." The Gevans? This man must not be from here, that's for sure.
"You... aren't... Gevans? Very well then, travelers. Tell me, where am I?"
"We're in the middle of Descour."
"Descour? I... haven't heard of it. But... I think I know what's going on then. Only one of two things. Tell me. What plane am I on?" You tell him. "Stitia... I... I'm not dead! How am I not dead?!"
You could say the same. He surely should be dead with how much blood he's shed.
"I heard of this phenomenon, but I've never seen it first hand..." He looks at the blade, his hands shaking. "This... this blade... my allies... they nearly took my life. And here I am, on a different plane... alive and well like nothing ever happened..." He looks at you with determination. "The legends were true, then. This blade is real. It's in my hands." He looks down at the sword again, then back up at you. "This world calls me, travelers. Let us share our stories." You mention that you were heading somewhere, and he offers a ride. You and Arlin gladly accept, and you talk along the way...
The man's name is Nsatar. He was a knight for a group known as the Sirs of Esgar. With his talks about his homeworld, he's definitely a planeswalker. Peace... peace across his entire plane, shattered merely by rebellion, segregation, and extreme nationalism.
You then explain your situation. Werebeasts. Killers. A prophecy of doomsday.
"It sounds like your lives are very difficult here. I'll do everything in my power to help you. So... you said you were investigating... a strange gathering here? I'll say, this sandy place, Descour. It seems absolutely empty! Why would anyone want to even be in this area?"
@Bowler218 @EmolgAn @Blazin_Biscuit
As the hag guides Alyssa and her crew onward, someone notices movement.
"Movement, right! Horse, three riders."
Three riders on a horse? How isn't that horse collapsing? The pirate pulls out a periscope, and realizes they got something wrong.
"What in the name of all creation?! It's... two riders... on a half-man, half-horse!"
That certainly got Alyssa's attention.
"They're called cen-taurrrrrs, sweety... but what is one doing here? There are no centaurrrrs on this plane."
The centaur is fast approaching, and with a sharp stop, it kicks up sand and approaches the crew. On its back is a ranger and an elf.
"Good day, young lass." The centaur acknowledges the leader of the crew. "My name is Nsatar Nawohnohl, knighted. My acquaintances here, Vryx and Arlin, wanted to enquire on why you are here. There is an unusual number of people, all headed to the same place, but where?"
As the sun was starting in the east, a structure emerged over the horizon. A large sandstone temple, almost entirely buried under sand. Its most proeminent feature was a tall domed tower, still standing countless centuries after the Desecration that ravaged Descour. The two demons headed to the main entrance, beyond which only darkness beckoned.
Snapping his fingers, Xataxji created a floating orb of fire, piercing the darkness as they entered the temple. They found themselves in a large hallway lined with various statues of forgotten heroes and divinities; The walls were covered in crumbling mosaiques depicting ancient myths. As they stepped forward, Ugalon stepped on something that gave a dry crunching sound. Looking down, he realized he had walked on a skeleton's ribcage. Dozens of bleached skeletons laid half-buried in sand on the temple floor.
"The last civilized inhabitants of Descour," explained Xataxji. "When the Desecration fell upon their land, they sought refuge in the temples, thinking their faith in the gods would save them. A naïve belief, and ultimately their last."
"You were there at the time ?" asked Ugalon, kicking a skull out of his way.
"There ? No, I wasn't. Everything died in Descour that day. Nothing could have survived such a brutal manifestation of power. I heard stories from distant witnesses of the event, that is all."
They had arived at the temple's main altar, a large white stone basin above which six ominous statues towered, their shape vague and their face featureless. Xataxji lit the surrounding braziers, igniting the still potent resin inside. The temple filled with light.
"Ugalon, the mimic."
The huntsmaster handed the growling chest to Xataxji, who deftly opened its maw, reaching inside to pull out his silver trinket and the golden coin that had lauched them on their journey, then set the mimic on the dusty temple tiles. It hobbled towards a sprawled skeleton, and began to happily gnaw on its spine.
Xataxji flipped the coin in the air, and caught it deftly. "Ready yourself, Ugalon. Something should happen any second now."
The other demon pulled out his sword, readying himself in a subtle stance, apparently relaxed but in fact taunt as a bow string, ready to pounce should anything threaten his master.
Grasping its silver counterpart in his left hand, Xataxji dropped the coin in the altar.
As Byro walks over to collect the mystical stone...
"I do not know what authority you speak of, nor do I care, because it is not over me. I bring to you an answer to cure these lands of the plague and you treat me like a common criminal. You and your kind sit up in your ivory towers, claiming authority, but authority over what? 'Cause it sure as hell isn't the cities of man. You clearly know of the plague that ravages my people, and you stay idle doing nothing. Even worse, you chide the man who comes with an answer, asking for help. You are all pathetic and don't deserve your place in society."
Byro walks to the doors ready to leave this place, turns and makes one last statement.
"You're probably right, I do not know the power of your Lord Arbiter, but you all clearly do not know the power of me, either. Today could have gone much worse for you all here. But, unlike you, I value life and don't just sit and watch it waste away."
With that, Byro turns and walks out the door, stone in hand...
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With all that just happened, and the fact that I am now a Mardu character, should I redesign Byro to depict that? Also, I still need answers about this stone, so I am going to head over to Yrntrn and search for somebody there that might be more helpful than these damned "Angels".
But still nothing.
“All this work, all this travel, for nothing?While it wasn’t difficult by any standard, you were even tested!” You think you yourself as you turn in frustration, ready to leave this god forsaken ruin.
As you look towards the doorway you entered just moments ago, you find the statues now bear the faces of demons, all with spine-chilling grins carved into them; the assortment of bones seemed to have rearranged themselves to form vague skeletons, all with their soulless sockets cast towards you.
With the realisation that at least something has happened, you once again turn towards the alter, this time to see the faces of the Six are no longer the featureless slates your first laid your eyes upon.
The face of a demon. Featureless itself, except for a smiling maw full of jagged, razor-like teeth.
Each face takes it in turn to speak a whispered word, yet it still sounds like it is one being communing to you.
“Ah, child. You have arrived at last. You have no idea how long I have waited for this moment. A being of admiral power coming to strike a deal. Mmm yesssss. Now, what do you desire the most, my child?...”
While you do not have time to directly protect your friend, who goes merely by the nickname "Arsenal", the least you can do is grant him the safety of your ship and the protection of your crew.
"Look... what you're doin' is suicide! You could be leading that Khantsievth right to you!"
Right. You didn't think of that, but even then, while you can't go around babysitting Arsenal, you aren't going to let him die knowing you could of done something, so you bring him on board your vessel, while you discuss with your crew what to do.
"Alright, so here's what we were able to scrap up." Ringer is setting up plans. "The demons did a quick survey of the area to find that Cathedral you were talking about. It's armed to the teeth. Only a member of the church can get inside." Right. Just as the six have their Hexist churches, Khantsievth is worshipped by his own cults, who call themselves the Harolds. "Anyways, none of us really seem to fit the bill when it comes to church members. Strangely... they only take humans and half-demons, and none of you three seem tame enough to be at a place of worship." One of your human crew members, who goes by the nickname Chum, cackles. "Perhaps they only take humans... because they're so easy to coerce. A devil's too rambunctious, and a demon's too selfish. Humans seem to be the only race capable of pure, selfless devotion to a selfish cause, and being a half-demon's gravy!"
"Anyways, I have a couple plans. Plan one, Teegar. There's a potion brewer in town that'd be able to make potions to fake our deaths. We just need to make sure to take them at the right time, or we could be too late to wake up for the ceremony. That will get us to the top of the building. We'll just have to make a breakout."
"Second plan. We infiltrate. Those hooks would be of great use to scale the walls for those of us that can't fly, though, Teegar, you seem above the limit of burliness to avoid tearing down the walls. You'll probably need a separate way up."
"Third plan, we blitz the damned place! High number of casualties on their end, and a whole lot of attention, but that will ensure we have a clear way out when we try to take the bodies."
You think to yourself... impersonating a member of the church? That's definitely not out of your league. You do no know of what church you served, but you definitely served. This opens up a fourth path, drawing as little suspicion as possible... except... you'll have to let the crew know your secret if you don't plan on doing this alone.
Measure the risks and rewards of you options, then choose one:
Plan 1: This will be the best way to ambush the ceremony. However, with Khantsievth's people out to get you, who's to say you'll ever wake up, or that you'll make it to the church?
Plan 2: Less effective ambush with higher risk, but least expensive with minimal preparations. You'll just need to find a way up, even if it means braving your way through. (You could use your secret power here)
Plan 3: Highest risk, but highest payoff. If you already have to clear the way through, you won't have to worry about an ambush during your escape.
Plane 4: Lowest risk. This would boil down to safely securing the vehicle bringing in the corpses.
>>
'Think I might be caught in a particularly... problematic situation again. It's not that I'm currently being in a fairly problematic situation, though.
Rafael rolled his eyes and sighed as he was observing the demon who known as Xataxji doing a sort of unholy ritual along with his companion Ugalon that involved a mimic, a coin, and a very dead skeleton of a human. At least what Rafael's thought of.
All while in a lost holy temple of the Six, at least he once thought before his rebellion against them. If he was correct, the site was once a particularly famous holy ground that was used to worship during his reign as a Lord Arbiter long ago in the past.
Until a cataclysm that wiped out the whole people of Descour happened. And he somehow could not really recall that particular event, as he could only scratch his head, then he took a bite from his apple and another gulp of water, as following both the demons wasn't an easy task despite he also could fly half the time.
'Now I can see why an enchanted bag with a lot of space is appealing to mortals.' He was not called as a Lord Arbiter if he didn't know how to enchant a simple thing like a bag of holding anyway.
But what he could really do at the moment was only waiting about the process of the profane ritual... and hoping for the best.
"Gah! What is this? Some kind of putrid curse?!"
You inform the demon that you did not come here to fight him.
"You are quite foolish to even recommend an allegiance with me, even temporary!"
"Won't you do it for me? Or do you not care about that?" Ana descends on the temporary wings she was granted. She walks towards Bahn, still unarmed and shackled.
"I... you're an enemy. A vampire..." He points his blade at Ana. "A wretch like you has no place to speak to me! I won't be deceived!" Bahn lifts his bade to strike Ana, and the mist surrounds her, causing his blade to be dispelled. "You... aren't a cleric! You aren't the one that blessed this blade!" He swings again, and despite the month Ana took to enchant the blade, no single one of those enchantments had an effect on the protective field. "You're a scoundrel! An illusion! They brought you here to fool me!" One more slash, and it's readily apparent that Bahn is considering giving up. "Just die already so I don't have to think of you!"
"So, Bahn..." Archean speaks. "I have a question for you. If we came here with ill intentions, how come my master went out of her way to not kill you?"
"Don't try to fool me! All demons are evil! All of them vile and wretched." He then points his blade at you. "Especially you, Mastiffa Oklein! You allowed your own sister to be stolen away. You sold everything. You let your family rot just for your own personal gain! And you expect me to believe you don't have ill intentions for the ones who hunt you?!"
The mist is starting to fade away, and Bahn doesn't seem ready to stand down. What will you do?
If you plan to coerce him, make a card to do so, using the same criteria as before.
You quickly get back into your wagon and flee the Center of Prayer. You know you will likely have a lot of attention soon, so you need to make it out of Hitcherald, and fast.
As you ride through the most empty parts of Hitcherald you can find, you see a blur out of the corner of your eye. A movement on a rooftop. You don't have time to investigate, but you make sure to keep an eye out as you head east to the port of Mrinet.
Those blurs. You keep seeing them, but you can't make out what it is. It follows you into rural Hitcherald, and you finally reach a point where you can afford to stop and check. On top of a tavern, you see black, feathered wings. You knew you were being followed. As you prepare to attack the figure from behind, they turn around. Jet black clothes... no one in Hitcherald wears them.
"Don't attack me. I'm on your side."
The angel puts her weapons down in front of you. Two enchanted daggers. "I'm with the New Order. You can call me Lo." She pulls down her mask, and looks at you. "So... you're Byro? I saw your scuffle with the Lord Arbiter. You need to get out of here. I have a group of allies where you're headed that may be able to help you. We're trying to rebel against the Six, and I think it'd be best if you're under their protection. I'll follow you to port. I've got a boat of smuggled goods heading to a friend of ours. No one will suspect a thing."
You arrive, and Lo leads you to a boat with more angels on board, all armed to the teeth. The ship is tightly secured, and on board are all sorts of divine relics. Weapons. Armor. Sigils. The essence of the dead that normally follows you recoils in their presence. The boat sets off to port in Digyol. Hopefully this isn't a trap...
Encounter
It's late, and the boat anchors near a large shop. There's just enough room for Byro's carriage to make it to the town.
"So... you were looking to have divine artifacts identified? You chose the right place." Lo motions Byro to the shop. "C'mon. We need to get the goods in the shop anyways."
These artifacts were very much stolen, weren't they? A second wagon pulls along the merchandise as they approach the shop, when suddenly, yelling is heard inside.
"****! What's going on?!" The angels escorting the wagon stack up at the door, and Lo opens it. A massive brawl is breaking out inside. About fifty black winged angels... fighting about twenty devils, demons, and half-demons, in addition to an angel and two spirits. On the floor is the corpse of a white winged angel, decapitated.
"Looks like we've got the wrong kind of company, Byro!" The angels outside rush into the door.
"What in the world?!" A half-demon, improvised explosive in hand, turns towards the door to see the angels and Byro. "There's more of them! And- what in damnation is the plague doctor doing here?!"
"I'm here on business." Byro exclaims.
"They're allies. Let them in. As for the doctor..." A four winged angel announces.
"You realize that so many angels could get confusing, yes?" A spirit in a robe, sword in hand, asks. "All black winged?"
"They're reinforcements. That's all that matters." The second spirit, glowing a bright blue, says.
@spookoops It is up to you if you plan to join the fight. There are a total of about 50 hostile angels in the room. If you join the fight, you must make three cards to represent your actions against them. Points will given based mainly on balance, realism, and syntax. Your card does not need to be damaging in any way. Effectiveness is determined solely by score.
Each of your entries will be scored from 0-15. Any score below a ten will count as a miss, and you will take one hit for every two points total below 10 each of your scores were. Every point above target will kill one of the angels. Your current HP is 10.
Criteria:
• 5 points for overall effect and balancing.
• 4 points for realism, following color pie, and proper rarity. You may lose a point if the effect of the card is unclear.
• 3 points for fitting the colors and themes of your character
• 2 points for proper grammar and syntax
• 1 point for flavor (text not required; mainly checking if overall fell of the card fits its art, name, etc.)