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Stitia, Plane of 13 Deaths (RPG Style Saga/My First Saga)
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As the moon hangs over an amber sky, all those worthy of salvation will be left to pray to the Six as Armageddon rears its head. Khantsievth will be reborn unto man as the manifestation of all you have lost. He shall make himself known as the god of all men, killing all who oppose him, and the ones you hold true will only weep as he grabs hold of the reigns to Stitia. He will pull them with the force to break its neck, to kill its very essence. Eight months the moon will set, and on the end of the last month, the Thirteenth Month of your darkest year, no one will be there to save you. No cleric, no priest, no angel or god. No demon, no devil, no deal or pact. All shall crumble, as will the world, when the moon sets on Stitia on that final day...
—The Great Stargazium, Khantsievth’s Becoming
Date: Wednesday, June 18th, 1206 Stitian Time
The time is now 12:00 AM. The masses are panicking. Where is the sun?! You can see an amber glow on the horizon, and yet, the sun has not made its presence known. Temperatures across the plane are beginning to drop from the lack of sunlight. Ocean tides have gotten chaotic from the disruption of the moon. Not many know of the Stargazium, but those that do are crying... doomsday is coming. The prophecies are unfolding...
Meanwhile, among Triskaidians, a different kind of chaos is erupting. Suddenly, their marks begin to burn and sear, and glow black, turning their mark of power into a burden of pain. A Triskaidian cleric, who is bleeding profusely for an encounter with a werewolf, tries to heal himself, but to no avail. The light of the Six turns away from him as he’s left to die...
Changes Are Coming...
With this newfound problem, you aren’t so untouchable now. Many of you have defeated threats much greater than you, many without a scratch. But now, there will be consequences for your mistakes... and they could be fatal.
First, I am now introducing HP. Everyone has ten Hit Points to start. Whenever you face a challenge, you will be scored from 0-15 based on how good you do. If your score is below the target for the challenge, you will take one hit for every point under it you are. If you lose HP, you can restore it with healing items or medical attention. Clerics realize than Triskaidians can no longer be healed with holy magic, so they are carrying rudimentary medical equipment. Many of them are being taught surgery, so hopefully you’ll be lucky to find one if you get hurt. Also, magic that is not holy magic still seems to work, so businesses that aren’t afraid to dirty their souls are reaping profits from this unfortunate tragedy. See your local demon for details. The creator of this Saga, and their affiliates, are not responsible for the return or replacement of lost limbs, appendages, or souls.
Also, there is now an inventory system. Most people have an assumed inventory (i.e. It is assumed a basic traveler would have their lucky charm and weapon), and it will change as you gain or lose items. Hit by thieves in your sleep? Hope you don’t miss that potion. Killed a potent necromancer? Better take his phylactery. Meet a man with a trading stand? Maybe you could trade that sword and shield for a gun... or just kill him so you can carry more stuff.
So... what happens if I die?
A brave hero has searched far and wide for a man who can heal him, when he comes across a traveler with a knife. The traveler takes him in and pulls out... a giant axe. You all know what happens next. The hero dies, unable to protect himself, and the traveler takes his prized silver sword. However, fate has other plans... as the traveler walks away with the sword, ditching his knife, the hero is surrounded with a dark aura as he comes back to life. Brandishing the knife, he charges the traveler, and now it’s him who’s dead...
If you die, you can choose to be reborn, take control of an NPC or one of your allies, or to create a new character.
- If you choose to be reborn, there is a chance you’ll be reborn as a lower being. This chance is higher if your body is mutilated in such a way that you require a new vessel.
- There are many NPCs around, some good, some bad. With preset stats and a full backstory, you can pick right up where they left off. You could also take control of your ally... if you have one.
- Finally, you can create a new character. Whether it’s a member of your character’s family who received word of your death, a friend that saw you die, or a random Devil from Nasita, the choice is yours.
*DIES*
Welp... guess if the saga runner is dead we can’t have a Saga...
Just kidding
After resting with Uvras for the evening, Vryx is the first to wake up. He looks over to see if Verth or Arlin are up, but instead he’s alarmed to find a larger werebird than he’s been accustomed to, taking up nearly the entire floor of the small hut with his wingspan. He urgently wakes up Verth. When he went to sleep, Verth was very much human, and when they came here, Verth wasn’t this large or this birdlike in his wereraven form. Verth wakes up to find that, once again, his transformation damaged his clothes. He activates his ring, and alerts Uvras, while Arlin wakes up from the talking.
“This is highly unusual indeed. Seemingly overnight, you’ve grown significantly. I... know we went our separate ways for a reason, but... if this is the second time you’ve awoken... transformed in your sleep... I’m going to ask that you come here regularly. I want to make sure nothing goes wrong.”
“Anyways, as for the, erm... business in Racrion. There is a man who visited me once. I remember his name. Timothy. When we... transformed Verth into a werebird, there were some side effects. Timothy was out gathering wood for a fire, when he suddenly transformed into a werehyena. When I made his ring... something went wrong. I don’t know if it was the thief that broke in during the attuning, or something else, but the ring didn’t protect him from his transformation. Instead, I somehow made a device that... split his personality. He could control his hyena form, but during the day, he’d still get whispers... calls... urges... he couldn’t resist the fact that he was a hunter. After his personality split in two, I never saw him again. I’ve heard he’s growing severely out of hand in Racrion, and has been giving the Dawnwood Clan a very hard time. I need him eliminated, and I need you to retrieve his ring and bring it to me for disenchantment and destruction.”
“You will be looking for a man who looks like he’s in his early twenties. Last time I saw him, he had short brown hair, brown eyes, and he was a little on the, erm, ‘obese’ side. He has slightly large ears, slightly big hands, and he always carries a weapon of silver. He’s very into a... erm... religion from another plane. No one else on Stitia practices it. Once you see a cross, you’ll know it’s him.”
“Good luck to you all. I’ve given Verth my silver knife. It has a unique power, in the fact that it can disable a lycanthrope by puncturing a pressure point. It may not work as well against powerful lycanthropes like Timothy though, so keep your guard up. Vryx and Verth. Take note. He always carries a weapon of silver, so this could be dangerous even if he’s in his human form. Stay in one piece.”
Maybe there is two of me?
Tommy must reflect on this.
You return to the house, and remember that the spirits of both Reggie and the priest you summoned are still there. The priest looks at you with ephemeral eyes, watching, while Reggie’s spirit sulks. You make yourself something to eat, and you continue your search of the village. Nothing has changed except the things you changed yourself. There are absolutely no signs that anyone has been here, so you decide to get back to your studies.
You go to test some more of the mysterious stone you found, when you notice that there are absolutely no signs that Reggie’s body had ever been infected. Apparently, the stone must be quite powerful to have cleared the infection completely overnight. You need a way to test this on a subject that’s a little more... sick. A living patient. Hopefully they should be in rampant supply, so you decide to trek to the nearby town of Panc, which is known to be infested.
A few hours later
“Alright everyone! Back off! This is a quarantine zone!”
“But my daughter! Please give her back to me!”
A guard, covered in thick clothes and wearing a mask, is trying to hold back a group of onlookers, including a desperate man. A crudely made quarantine zone sits in front of you, with flimsy boards acting as a makeshift fence. This is definitely a place where you could get some fresh test subjects.
You have brought a bottle containing a solution of chemicals known to, more or less, ease the symptoms of the plague, as well as a small amount of powder from the rock you found. You made sure to use a very small amount, because the rock is precious. It could be the only of its kind. It rests securely in a medicine box you have with you.
You walk over to the quarantine zone, and the guard stops you. “Sorry sir. No one’s allowed past this point.” You tell them that you’re a plague doctor, and you are very sure that you may have a working cure in your possession. The only way you can make sure is to test in on these individuals.
“A cure?!” A deathly ill woman, who looks like she’s on death’s doorstep, hobbles towards you.
“Ma’am! Get back in bed!” The guard turns back to you. “Plague doctor? I’m pretty sure all of them died out years ago... but whatever. If you get sick, don’t go crying to me if your little miracle cure doesn’t work. And, just so you know, you’ll have to stay here if it comes to that.” The guard steps out of the way to let you in. You turn towards the man who was trying to get his child back, and you ask him what she looks like.
“Blonde hair! Blue eyes! She’s the sweetest thing I’ve ever known! If you could bring her back to me, please, please do!” Much obliged. You search through the array of tents for a little girl, when you finally come across a small tent with a masked man inside of it, feeding the girl a small bowl of barley and beans. She looks very sick, and her fingers are black and decaying. It’s incredibly important that she gets treated as soon as possible.
“Sir. Who are you?” Byro, the Plague Doctor. It’s a shame you have to introduce yourself, but then again, you haven’t been around in years. You find a small cup in the room, and ask if it’s okay to use. You swirl the bottle you brought with you in your hand. Even though there’s so little of the rock crushed into it, the bottle emits a light white glow from it. You pour some into the cup, and have the girl drink it...
The girl coughs a little bit after drinking it. You wait for minutes, excited. When is something going to happen? And then, you begin to notice it. The man begins to notices it. The blackness on the girl’s hands is retreating. It’s working! You can barely contain yourself as her fever begins to fade. You check for any other signs of the plague, and they begin to disappear as well. Flabbergasted, the man runs out of the tent. “Sir! Sir! We’ve found it! This man has a cure for the plague!”
The entire quarantine area is completely surrounded. You are completely surrounded. You’re panicking, but you can’t stop smiling. Did you actually do it? Did you find a cure?!
Patient after patient, one after another, you give them a small amount of the potion, and they are cured. The potion seems to be doing more than that, too. For one man who had both chicken pox and the plague, all signs of chicken pox also cleared. For a lady with signs of cancer, her tumors disappeared. This... is insane. Whatever this rock is that you found, it seems to be some sort of miracle cure. You must find its origin at once. If there was a way to supply this rock to every living being on the plane, every disease in existence could be eradicated! You could be getting ahead of yourself, but perhaps your chance encounter with Reggie may of just been the exact thing you needed...
Verth was thankful to have become good friends with Uvras. He had someone who would be able to keep an eye out for any Lycanthrope threats in Stitia that came from their crusade in Delvad, and on top of that, the wizard was able to make sure that their fateful experiment didn't backfire, despite the ever-growing Moon of Catastrophes. After nearly killing his new ally and putting an end to the dangerous Bloodwood Clan, Verth felt very deserving of a nice, long rest. Hopefully nothing else would happen that would be of alarm, because at this point, Verth's level of stress was off the charts.
The next morning, Verth awoke to Vryx frantically shaking him awake. "Seriously? What is it this time? More fighting?" Verth though to himself as he forced himself to become alert to his surroundings. Vryx quickly motioned for Verth to look in the mirror, and he obliged. Unfortunately, the sight that was waiting for him was terrifying. Verth transformed overnight once again. Only this time, his wingspan grew to twice its regular size, absolutely dwarfing Uvras's small hut. "Dammit, not again!" Verth shrieked. He quickly activated his ring, returning to his human self. He turned around to see Uvras with his arms folded. He clearly woke up from the huge commotion Verth made. It felt like that Verth's incredible plan that he made a month ago was beginning to collapse on itself.
"Uvras, this is important. I don't know why this keeps happening, but I keep transforming while unconscious. This has happened twice already. Not only that, but my wingspan doubled. Don't tell me that I've messed something up," Verth stammered anxiously. Despite Verth's clear worries about his current situation, Uvras remained calm, as if he knew this was going to happen.
"This is highly unusual indeed. Seemingly overnight, you’ve grown significantly. I... know we went our separate ways for a reason, but... if this is the second time you’ve awoken... transformed in your sleep... I’m going to ask that you come here regularly. I want to make sure nothing goes wrong.” Uvras explains, writing something down on a piece of parchment. Was that really the safest thing to do? They separated so that no harm would come to each-other in the event that their secret experiment was compromised. Now Uvras was handing out rings left and right and asked for Verth to come back several more times. Even if there was something wrong with Verth's ring, this wasn't the careful Uvras he used to know. After seeing Verth's look of suspicion, Uvras ignored it and continued speaking, giving Vryx a briefing on their target.
Verth found himself lost in his thoughts as Uvras did this. There was something that Verth was missing, especially since Uvras' recent actions didn't match up. Why would he be so careless with the Crimson Moon? Not only that, but Uvras distributed even more rings than the first one Verth possessed. That was clearly going to lead to some consequences. But more importantly, Verth wondered what his unconscious transformations meant for him. Was his ring losing its effectiveness? Would he become a monster? Even then, Uvras prepared him for this. When making Verth's ring, he placed an enchantment that would prevent the ring's power from failing or falling into the wrong hands. All Verth needed to do was perform the proper hand gestures, and everything would work out for the better. Even though he had no idea what Uvras had in store for this unknown enchantment, Verth held on to that one piece of hope.
Verth tried to push these thoughts to the back of his head as he and Vryx stocked up on supplies and began their journey to Racrion.
I’ll need a moment to get you settled in, but I’ll try to get it done ASAP
Challenge One - Mercy Rule in Effect (This is your first challenge, so you won’t take any loses yet)
As you approach the island, lightning nearly strikes the Mistborne II.
“Captain! The storm’s too rough! We need to drop anchor!”
You’re very close now. You signal for the sails to be raised so they’ll stop catching the wind, and prepare to drop anchor as you turn towards the island. Lightning strikes again, this time hitting the beach. The ship slides sideways as the anchor is dropped, and you stop at the coastline.
Your crew goes to disembark, when one of them yells out of fear. You turn to see a large wave crashing into the Mistborne II, and the crew is forced to abandon as it gets rocked sideways. You and several others fall into the water. You are spinning and twirling in the riptide, and you get carried away from the beach.
“Enrew! ENREW!” The voice calling you fades as a whirlpool carries you under the water, and you eventually lose consciousness...
.........
.....”Enrew... Enrew... wake up.” You open your eyes. You are still underwater, but you can breath now. Is this heaven? Are you dead? “Enrew. Come to me...”
A beautiful woman with a charming voice approaches you, easing your tension and calming you. You are tempted by this woman, and are unable to resist the urge as your feet carry you towards her. “There are many places we can go together. We can explore unseen worlds. I can show you things that have never graced mortal eyes. Embrace me now, Enrew. Take me with you.”
You are powerless. You approach her, she approaches you, and you are about to embrace when you are grabbed by a crewman and drug back into reality. He slaps you awake.
“Enrew! Now’s not the time to be lolly-gagging! Run!”
You try to run, but the woman... she appears in front of you. “Why are you running away? Life is fleeting... but we can stay forever.” You look beside her, and a wave is about to crash into you. Her ability to lull you is incredible... you need to stop it before it gets you killed.
Make a card that can deal with Undata Siren. Points will given based on how well your response works against the enemy, as well as the realism of the card and how it suits your character’s colors and ideals
You entry will be scored from 0-15. Any score below a ten will count as a miss, but this go round, you won’t suffer the consequences if you fail.
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 (GUR Temur).
• 2 points for if the card would realistically do anything against the target card in an actual game of Magic.
• 1 point for flavor (text not required; mainly checking if overall fell of the card fits its art, name, etc.).
• You will lose three points if the entry is not new.
• You cannot submit any card you’ve submitted so far for this contest.
He squeezed his hand into a tight grip, willing his claws to come out. His hand was punctured fourfold, the pain working as a focus point to bring him back to reality. Now he could see the siren without falling for her wiles.
"To be forever with me, wouldn't that be ni-oh! You've been cut! Let me tend to that for you," she said, approaching Enerew.
Enerew stood up. The water here was not really that deep, he was mere meters from the shoreline. "Ma'am, I thank you for your concern. However, I have too see to the good of my ship and my men. My own wounds take less precedence. Besides, they'll heal pretty quickly on their own. As for staying with you, as lovely as that sounds, I wouldn't be happy to remain for an eternity in any spot. Now, if you'll excuse me-" He starts to swim towards his sailors.
Card for submission:
https://mtgcardsmith.com/view/shocked-awake
Is it ok if I can make Schoren a character since @ASubtleGhost isn't responding yet?
Also, to everyone, don't think I'm ignoring you. I'll be busy tomorrow, so I spent the day working on art for a Unique Character for the Saga...
*laughs maniacally*
"Cherish me darling... love me until the end of time, and embrace the eternal partnership we have made here..."
She covers you mouth, and she's keeping you from swimming, trying to suffocate you. Holding onto the last bit of control you have left, you clench your open fist as hard as you can, attempting to impale yourself with your claws. Hopefully the pain will bring you to your senses.
"To be forever with me, wouldn't that be nice- Oh! You're hurt! Let me tend to that for you!" The siren goes to grab your bleeding hand, but your grasp on reality is coming back. The briny water rushes towards you bleeding hand, and it hurts like crazy. The siren's hand comes loose from your mouth, and you howl from the pain, muffled by the crashing tide. You do the same thing with your other hand, and by raw instinct, you claw your way away from the siren. escaping to the beach front.
"No! Get back here! For centuries I have searched for a lover. But that look in your eyes. The smoothness of your fur. Darling... I must have you!" Too bad for her. You have escaped her trance, and are making your way towards your crew.
"Ma'am, I thank you for your concern. However, I have to see to the good of my ship and my men. My own wounds take less precedence. Besides, they'll heal pretty quickly on their own. As for staying with you, as lovely as that sounds, I wouldn't be happy to remain for an eternity in any spot. Now, if you'll excuse me..."
"No... no..." One last wave comes crashing in, this one much larger than the last two. There's no way you'll be lucky enough to survive this time. The storm picks up, and the wind is blowing you towards the siren. Lightning strikes in your path. "You can't escape! I will follow you until you meet your end!"
You run from the siren. Now deranged, she chases after you, with the wave following suit. The rush of adrenaline from your wounds pushes you beyond your limits, and you run breakneck to escape their grasp. You stumble, the wave crashes, and the siren rides it towards you. However, now on all fours, you manage to flee from her once and for all...
The Score:
• 2 points for overall effect and balancing. (X cost can be neglected for the extra combat step, which normally costs approximately 3-5 CMC, or the pump, which is worth about 4 CMC)
• 2 points for realism, following color pie, and proper rarity (Should really be a sorcery, somewhat hard to understand)
• 3 points for fitting the colors and themes of your character
• 2 points for if the card would realistically do anything against the target card in an actual game of Magic. (Situational, as it does not override Undata Siren’s effect. No points lost)
• 1 point for flavor
Overall score: 10/15 (Hurt, but not injured)
This card is a bit off kilter. The main problem I found was the cost. It's just a little too low, plus you could neglect the X cost just to get the extra combat step or the buff. Lastly, the wording was a bit jumbled, This could of simply been a sorcery that let you choose to either have an extra combat phase or get the buff (after the untap and damage part.) Overall, it's not a bad card though.
You know a way to shake stuff up? Introducing a Cat Demon that would absolutely trap you in a mirror dimension and eat your soul if it could. Welcome Gistix, once an innocent Kitty, and now a nightmare beyond all compare. Being possessed by a demon is a good reason to be evil, at least.
A small kitten wandered around the cold rain in Hitcherald. He had always been an outcast, as his Leonin form had never sprung, so he seemed an ordinary cat, granted he could talk.
“Come here Kitty, I’ll protect you...”
And so, Gistix’s soul was corrupted on a dark winter night, Possessed, he eventually broke free of control, but never returned to any prospect or heroism.
1. Is Gistix still in Hitcherald?
2. I'll need to know a tad more background, mainly, what your character is doing now.
1. Yes.
2. Fulfilling his role of being a demon. Specifically making contracts with people and then drinking their souls.
Location: Rongshis (The people here are most vulnerable. Rongshis stands out as only having a single church, and the people here hold their religion with little regard. They've had it rough, and many of them have suffered with unanswered prayers, eventually losing everything...)
As you slink among the alleys of Rongshis, you come across a starving man. You can feel his life slipping away. It looks like he'd accept just about any deal you made with him, but it may not even be necessary as he faints from weakness. You feel his soul leave his body, and you absorb it into your vial. A fresh soul like his, although weak, should do you well as you drink deep...
You leave the alley to, perhaps, find your next victim, when someone notices you.
"Get now! Shoo! Shoo!' An old lady prods you with a broom, which you kindly proceed to break in two with a claw strike. She screams and runs, not knowing what to think of the encounter. You continue down towards a local soup kitchen, where the desperate are plentiful in number, when a man approaches you.
"You again? I thought we were done with this..." It's a town guard, responsible for, obviously, guarding the streets, but given a recent surge in stray feline numbers, they have been sent to curb the population by offering them for adoption. "C'mon, kitty. I ain't got all night." You proceed with your usual song and dance. Let yourself be taken, so you can feast upon the souls of... whatever unfortunate family you come across. He puts you into a small cage, which you could break out of all too easily, and you pretend to be sweet, innocent, and scared as you are taken to the adoption shelter...
Challenge One - Mercy Rule in Effect (This is your first challenge, so you won’t take any loses yet)
The next day...
"Oh, yes! That's the one! The one with wings!" A cleric. Her soul should be very strong.
Though years of divine studies leave a bit of an aftertaste on your palette, such a creature should prove to be fruitful to your nourishment. The guard at the counter grabs a key and opens up your cell, and you are put in another one of those small cages. They are quite uncomfortable, but it's worth it. The guard hands you to the cleric, and she leaves to go to her home...
"There we are!" She sets you on a small shrine in the corner of her house. A slab of silver, decorated with all sorts of baubles to honor the Six. She then returns with a Triscepter, the symbol of her faith to the church. She then spreads six ceremonial candles around you... this... isn't good. She is preparing to perform a purifying ritual. This was a trap!
"I didn't think you'd come this easy, demon! Now face the light!" She lights the candles and proceeds to raise her Triscepter as a light begins to envelope you. You only have a limited time to escape...
Make a card to deal with the cleric. Points will given based on how well your response works against the enemy, as well as the realism of the card and how it suits your character’s colors and ideals
You entry will be scored from 0-15. Any score below a ten will count as a miss, but this go round, you won’t suffer the consequences if you fail.
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 (GWUB Growth)
• 2 points for if the card would realistically do anything against the target card in an actual game of Magic.
• 1 point for flavor (text not required; mainly checking if overall fell of the card fits its art, name, etc.).
• You will lose three points if the entry is not new.
• You cannot submit any card you’ve submitted so far for this contest.
I have finished preparing the scenario, since this one actually took a bit to set up. Do you plan to meet Timothy during the day, when it'll be easier to deal with him, or at night, when it will be easier to find him?
Your call, you know more about lycanthropes than I do.