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Arvindara, Trapped in Time (Open for Submissions) - My 1st Saga!
A little backstory, before I introduce my saga to you:
In my personal version of the MTG timeline, there was an event called the “Great Aether Storm” or “Planecrash.” The gist of it is that a plane ruptured and scattered, sending a storm of aether throughout the Blind Eternities (yes, I realize this probably wouldn’t happen in-universe, but bear with me). This storm sent a wide disruption throughout the Multiverse, igniting the sparks of many beings and scattering many normal people to planes alien to them.
You were caught up in this Multiverse-wide catastrophe, and you were sent to the plane, of Arvindara.
With that said, welcome to Arvindara!
This plane is filled with natural beauty and diverse cultures. Your main goal during your time here will be to escape as soon as possible.
Why would you want to do this? Well, there’s one quality about Arvindara that makes the plane very undesirable to visit: Every six days, the world resets.
You see, ten thousand years ago, the sages of old Arvindara foresaw that the factions of the plane would eventually fall into conflict. So these sages made an executive decision - they placed several artifacts around the plane and buried them deep underground, in temples. Now, these artifacts have activated, trapping Arvindara in a permanent time loop.
Every loop can end in one of two ways:
1. The entire world resets, and everyone, except for a select few, forgets the events of the previous loop.
2. All the people of the world retain their memories and progress from the previous loop, although things like the cosmos still remain the same.
I’m not going to get into the whole gist of this Edge of Tomorrow-like setup. Just know that your character, having originated from another plane, is immune to the loop’s erasure of memories, but you still are affected by the loop in that you still might be returned to the same physical position you were at the end of the previous loop. You might use this knowledge to plan your actions differently.
TL;DR There’s a time loop and everybody either forgets or remembers the events of the previous loop. You always remember though.
Has your head not exploded from all of my excessively complex lore yet? Good, because I have some more. But before that, here are some requirements for the challenge:
- Please submit a legendary creature. They can be whatever colors you want.
- Write your character’s name, race, abilities, and gender.
- Also include the character’s plane of origin and a little background for them. Doesn’t have to be a dissertation or anything. ALSO: If your character is from a custom plane, tell me about that plane.
You can include some additional information, like their alignment and such, but it’s totally optional.
EDIT: Please allow me to clear up this challenge. These are the essentials.
You will be creating a character.
Your character’s goal is to find one of the sacred artifacts of this plane and use it to escape. (There are experts on the ancient people in some of the factions’ cities...)
However, there are many challenges you’ll have to face. Some of these will require you to make a card; I will indicate if this is the case.
And that’s the story of Arvindara. With that said, may the loop be on your side!
Submit your characters as soon as you can. I’m going to be traveling for most of tomorrow, but I’ll get back to y’all as soon as I can, and I will start your adventures in due time. Good fortune, friends.
(I’ll add a map when I have time.)
In my personal version of the MTG timeline, there was an event called the “Great Aether Storm” or “Planecrash.” The gist of it is that a plane ruptured and scattered, sending a storm of aether throughout the Blind Eternities (yes, I realize this probably wouldn’t happen in-universe, but bear with me). This storm sent a wide disruption throughout the Multiverse, igniting the sparks of many beings and scattering many normal people to planes alien to them.
You were caught up in this Multiverse-wide catastrophe, and you were sent to the plane, of Arvindara.
With that said, welcome to Arvindara!
This plane is filled with natural beauty and diverse cultures. Your main goal during your time here will be to escape as soon as possible.
Why would you want to do this? Well, there’s one quality about Arvindara that makes the plane very undesirable to visit: Every six days, the world resets.
You see, ten thousand years ago, the sages of old Arvindara foresaw that the factions of the plane would eventually fall into conflict. So these sages made an executive decision - they placed several artifacts around the plane and buried them deep underground, in temples. Now, these artifacts have activated, trapping Arvindara in a permanent time loop.
Every loop can end in one of two ways:
1. The entire world resets, and everyone, except for a select few, forgets the events of the previous loop.
2. All the people of the world retain their memories and progress from the previous loop, although things like the cosmos still remain the same.
I’m not going to get into the whole gist of this Edge of Tomorrow-like setup. Just know that your character, having originated from another plane, is immune to the loop’s erasure of memories, but you still are affected by the loop in that you still might be returned to the same physical position you were at the end of the previous loop. You might use this knowledge to plan your actions differently.
TL;DR There’s a time loop and everybody either forgets or remembers the events of the previous loop. You always remember though.
Has your head not exploded from all of my excessively complex lore yet? Good, because I have some more. But before that, here are some requirements for the challenge:
- Please submit a legendary creature. They can be whatever colors you want.
- Write your character’s name, race, abilities, and gender.
- Also include the character’s plane of origin and a little background for them. Doesn’t have to be a dissertation or anything. ALSO: If your character is from a custom plane, tell me about that plane.
You can include some additional information, like their alignment and such, but it’s totally optional.
EDIT: Please allow me to clear up this challenge. These are the essentials.
You will be creating a character.
Your character’s goal is to find one of the sacred artifacts of this plane and use it to escape. (There are experts on the ancient people in some of the factions’ cities...)
However, there are many challenges you’ll have to face. Some of these will require you to make a card; I will indicate if this is the case.
And that’s the story of Arvindara. With that said, may the loop be on your side!
Submit your characters as soon as you can. I’m going to be traveling for most of tomorrow, but I’ll get back to y’all as soon as I can, and I will start your adventures in due time. Good fortune, friends.
(I’ll add a map when I have time.)
This discussion has been closed.
Comments
This isn't meant to be offensive. However you might want to compress the content of your post for reading legibility, it helps people be able to enter easier.
In addition, using some of the following would help guide the readers to where is mandatory to read.
http://forums.mtgcardsmith.com/discussion/comment/63878/#Comment_63878
If you ever need help and myself am on here or on discord, feel free to message myself. Sorry about missing the prior request, myself forgot to go afk on discord at that time.
Name: Ekrus Fellheart
Race: Tiefling
Gender: Male
Abilities: Powerful Longsword user, some dark magic (mainly creating magical darkness), decent at parkour/climbing, stealth
Plane of origin: Shadowfell (if you don't know what that is, look it up!)
Ekrus was born in the shadowfell, growing up in darkness, learning to be one with darkness. He trained and trained to survive, eventually learning to use a longsword with so much accuracy and precision yet still powerful that people would back off when they fought him. One day, a group of adventurers entered the shadowfell, and he snuck out through their planar gateway, and into a new world.
Eventually he had his planeswalker spark lit and planeswalked to Arvindara with no way to leave.
- Order of Elakir (Bant) - A group of noble monks (based off of medieval English times and loosely off of the principles of Buddhism). Their lands are flowering with lush plant life, and they seek enlightenment, which can be achieved through combat prowess or piousness. Elakir believes that a benevolent force, the embodiment of nature and justice, watches over them, and they believe that this force will let them escape from the loop. Some splinter groups believe that the loop was intended by the gods, however, and they seek to prevent anyone from disturbing its order.
- Kuyaba Tribe (Jund) - Based off of African civilizations, this group of mighty and proud warriors seeks to establish dominance over Arvindara. They believe that the holy warrior who unified the clans, named Kubaya, intended for them to dominate the region. The Kuyaba have various races, including the rashti, a race of fierce cat warriors who live for battle. The Kuyaba live in large cities, and they weave weapons and armor out of the plants found in their lands.
- Roon Clans (Boros) (unrelated to the Rhox of the same name) The Roon clans, based off of Norse mythology, are brave warriors who believe in a pantheon of gods. The Roon believe in glory through martial prowess, and their impressive military history reflects this ideal. They dominate the harsh and snowy mountains of northern Arvindara, and they have a long and storied conflict with the Kubaya over a river that borders their territories.
- Mienai Realm (Dimir) This secret and mercurial group, based off of south and central Asian culture, appear to be very quiet. They have a large territory, and they don’t seem to be in a rush to acquire any more, but don’t let that fool you. Mienai spies are all over Arvindara, and their express goal is to prevent incursions into their land. Recently, the Mienai have been reported to be getting more aggressive, with reports of mysterious killings in the Kuyaba lands and dissent among the Elakir.
———
You wake up submerged in nearly three inches of water. Coughing, you sit up and look around. You seem to be in some sort of rice farm. Noticing a lighter feeling on your back, you feel for your sword, but you find that it has been lost, likely to the plane you were ripped from.
You hear a shout from the other side of the field, and you see a young boy go running towards a house in the distance. You slog out of the fields, following the boy up the trail.
Eventually, a man comes out of the house and comes up to you. “Hello, stranger. Are you from another land?”
Confused, you begin to ask him a question, but the man silences you. “Ever since the loop began, we’ve had all sorts like you come through Mienai territory. Here, put these clothes on.” He throws a bundle of dark robes at you.
After you get changed, he ushers you to follow him. Both of you sit on the ground at a low table. He offers you some food and says, “Listen, friend. My name is Karthan. I know this must be strange, but this world is much stranger than you think. You’ll adjust to it in time. Is there anything you’d like to ask me about?” He looks at you expectantly.
Yukiko
Human, Female
Assassination, Stealth, Espionage
Ravnika
Yukiko was born into the life she currently leads, always a Dimir agent. Her family was one with much clout and renown in Ravnika. She had been brought up to one day be the matriarch of her house. She was prim and proper by day, and by night she spent her youth training, in secret, to be an elite operative. Over the years she had become a beauty to behold, in the face of the public, and one with the sword.
Yukiko
Human, Female
Assassination, Stealth, Espionage, Politics
Ravnika
Yukiko was born into the life she currently leads, always a Dimir agent. Her family was one with much clout and renown in Ravnika. She had been brought up to one day be the matriarch of her house. She was prim and proper by day, and by night she spent her youth training, in secret, to be an elite operative. Over the years she had become a beauty to behold, in the face of the public, and one with the sword.
Gender: Male
Race: Albino Nacatl
Occupation: Pride Leader
Home Plane: Alara
Age: 57
Skills: Replication, spells for plant growth, magic teacher, summoning magic (adept)
Weaknesses: Naive, selfless, overly kind, pacifist
Traits: Cheerful, lax, social, calming
Alignment: Lawful Good
Tkchan was part of a small pride dedicated to keeping the peace on Naya. Embracing Naya and Bant teachings alike, he used his powers to rebuild in the wake of recent events, recruiting allies and teaching the youth how to use magic. However, during a hunting trip, Tkchan's group was split by a temporal rift, stealing him away to Arvindara.
Name: Lista Elrandiel
Race: Human
Gender: Female
Occupation: Wandering mage
Home plane: Bant (Alara)
Age: 33
Skills: Basically she can cast anything from cantrips until 9th level spells well enough, given enough time and resources, and many more other spells.
https://www.dnddeutsch.de/srd/spellcasting/spell_lists/wizard_spells/
Weaknesses: Oftentimes cold and uncaring, although she still holds sympathy towards the downtrodden and to the people who are in dire need.
Traits: Cautious, resentful (towards her family), antisocial
Alignment: Chaotic good
History:
Once a prodigal child from a noble family, Lista was always smarter than people could assume even in such young age. And under the tutelage from a mysterious old archmagus, she honed her curiosity and her talents in the art of magic and sorcery.
At the age of 30, her family finally arranged her marriage with a person from another noble family, but she could never agree with the simple-mindedness tradition from the society. During the wedding, she finally couldn't hold her inner turmoil anymore, causing a magical outburst that killed her supposed-to-be husband. In a haze of anger and regret, she planeshifted herself away in a self-imposed exile. Wandering without purpose for three years, she finally met her old mentor again as he also explained her about the existence of Arvindara and planeshifted herself there just out of curiosity.
And boy does she really abhor the temporally broken plane.
———
@spookops Think your message posted twice. Strange. Anyway, good luck...
You wake up, high in the mountains, just above the tree line. Shivering, you stumble downhill and head into the woods. After crossing a little stream and pushing through some bushes, you find yourself on a ridge.
To your left, you can see a large, bustling city covered in vines. At the heart of the city is a golden palace that seems to have some sort of blood painting on it.
To your right, the mountains continue. You can see many small houses and towns tucked within the crevices and valleys of the mountain, and towards the top you can see a large palace.
Right in front of you is a large river. This river is littered with old human bones, and the grass is dead farther down. You can see a large plain far down the river.
Consider your next move. Which way do you want to go?
———
@Bowler218 “Currently, you’re in my house. I’m a farmer for the Mienai Realm, which is one of the four factions on Arvindara.”
He looks at the ground for a moment, then back up at you. “Arvindara is the world you’re currently on, and right now we’re trapped in the middle of a... disturbance. You see, every six days the world resets - the stars travel back in the sky and such. However, oftentimes one of two things happens. We either forget the events of the previous loop and revert back to where we were, or we remember the events and keep our ‘progress,’ if you will.
“Yes, and there’s the matter of the four warring factions. You see, our kingdoms are not as vast as we’d like to imagine. There is a large neutral zone between all of our kingdoms, but some people are violating these sacred contracts and trying to conquer the neutral zone. And with everyone basically being reincarnated every six days...” He sighs and turns away. “It’s a very strange time we live in, friend.”
He then turns back towards you. “Any more questions? If not, you appear to be missing a weapon. I can help you with that...”
You’re in the woods on Alara, then suddenly a mysterious blue light shines around you and you’re in woods somewhere else, in another world. Two figures wearing dark clothes and wielding large katanas assail you, and you try to protect yourself from their blades. You manage to strike one of them, and the other runs away. You try to walk out of the woods, but you black out from your injuries.
Coming to, you find yourself in a soft bed. Your chest is covered in a lattice of various bandages. An elderly man in dark brown robes comes into the room, humming to himself and carrying a bowl. He comes towards your bed and notices you staring at him.
“Ah, you’re finally awake. I found you out in the woods; somebody had attacked you badly. I bound your wounds and used a little healing spell on that stab wound in your chest, but it might take a day or two before you’re healed fully. Why don’t you take this?” He gives you the bowl, which contains a thin vegetable soup.
He tidies up the room around you and continues talking. “In case you’re wondering where you are, this is my farm on the outskirts of Elakir land. You’ll be safe here for now, until you recover.”
You are temporarily confined to this man’s farm for the next day. However, you can ask him questions or offer to help him out with his work.
———
@Fallen_Lord_Vulganos
Your mentor disappears away from you as you find yourself on the plane he spoke of. But you are nowhere near any of the grand cities or ferocious battles he told you about; instead, you find yourself in the middle of some pine woods, right besides a road. You hear some voices coming from around a bend on the road. As you duck behind a tree, you see two men clad in painted armor walking down the road and talking amicably to each other.
“...so there I was, three arrows and a spear in me, gone completely berserk. Suddenly, that little Kuyaba foot soldier throws himself at me, and I roar and throw him a good forty feet. Gotta be the fifth time I killed him.”
“Oh yeah, that reminds me. Remember that time that Elakir mage nearly strangled me with the vine? That was so frustrating...”
You do not have much time to make your decision. You can hide behind the tree until they go or step out and talk to the men.
———
@Bowler218
“There are four kingdoms of Arvindara - Roon to the north, Yonweld to the south, Elakir to the west and Kuyaba to the east. Historically, we’ve gotten on well, but just before the loop began, war broke out. Right now, you’re in the far south of the Yonweld kingdom, in the marshy region near the sea.”
He stands up. “If that’s all, I’m going to head to the Dakuhera market now. Do you want to come with me? You look like you need a sword.”
Tkchan tries to remember the feelings he felt before his warping. This could one of two things. Either I'm still in an illusion, or I'm one of... them. I wouldn't put my weight too heavily on either though. The attack was material, not mental. I felt the landscape shift around me, but my mind was still in the moment. But I do think I know a way to cancel out one of those possibilities.
Tkchan sets the hot bowl of soup on the counter. It was too hot for him to eat anyways. He then closes his eyes and holds the spoon in his paws. He gathers mana until he feels the space around the spoon begin to bend and stretch, and he gently pulls and pulls his hands away, until only one is touching the spoon. However, he can feel something there in his empty hand, tangible, but immaterial. He sets the spoon back down into the bowl, taking care to keep the magic held in his empty hand, and he pulls again, this time at the magic in his hands, until it appears. He runs his hands along the surface, creating a perfect replica of the spoon in his hands. Hoping the man doesn't notice, he sets the new spoon in a partially opened drawer, then finally, speaks again.
"Anyways, I'd like to know a little more about this, Elakir... and in the meantime, did you say you were a farmer? If you, perchance, need any help, I'm used to living off the land. For now, it appears I'd have not much better to do."
Finally, he takes a sip from the bowl.
The man chuckles a little. “Elakir, hm. You see, that’s the name of the kingdom you’re now in. My name is Alrich, and I was formerly an abbot in the Order of Elakir -” Here he gestures to a faded painting of a much younger version of himself in monastic robes. “- which is the governing body in our land; now, however, I have grown elderly, and the most I can do in the meantime is tend my humble little farm.”
He coughs wetly. “Oh, it seems I’m catching cold again. Do you mind helping me with something?” He waves his hand in the air deftly, and you get a cold feeling in your chest as his healing charm closes your wounds.
“You see, I’ve got to carry my vegetables off to the market, and I need someone who can help me drive my cart there. My son’s off fighting, so would you mind helping me out? You might be able to buy something while you’re there...”
———
@Fallen_Lord_Vulganos (Sure thing, homeslice.)
You step out from behind the tree, startling the two men.
“Whoa there! Who are you?”
Judging by their attire, Lista assumed that the men in front of her were some sort of soldiers of a kingdom that she had no idea about.
Still, it was better than a rampaging dragon or a voracious wurm she unwillingly met some months prior during her journey in the plane of Jund and Naya. Although those were just minor obstacles for an accomplished archmage of her caliber.
Then, she raised her left hand.
"At ease, soldiers. I am but a mere wandering mage. If I may ask, in which kingdom are we currently standing?" Questioned the archmage casually. Good thing she also wore a casual brown robe over her mage attire. Although the oaken staff added nicely too.
But if they needed demonstration, she always had more than a few tricks in her sleeve of course.