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COLONISERS Grandmaster Tournament
DISCLAIMER: This is a contest where the participants have been predetermined. If you have never won a season of COLONISERS but would still like to participate, please head on over to the Latest Public Season, which can be joined by anyone.
@ASubtleGhost. @Hergusbergus. @Derain2. @Lujikul. @SammySammyson. @Tommia. @IzItTru. The Chosen 7.
Each of you was, at some point in the last three years (yeah, it's been that long), been at the top the world. Rather, at the top of a world. The Hero of Capes had made you all-powerful, all in a bid to try and keep his own omnipotence. This is the climax of his story - and yours. To complete the chain of events set into motion so long ago, the greatest, wisest, strongest...Must Clash.
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The Hero judges. The Hero redraws the map.
But this time, the Hero won't eliminate. You'll be doing that yourselves.
ALL OF THE PREVIOUSLY FEATURED COLONISERS PLANES,
(As well as maybe one that's never been seen),You will grapple for power. The Ultimate Winner will, then, be the one who controls all of the planes when the rest are dead.
How does one structure their entry?
You will need a number of custom magic cards representing a faction of ambitious colonists. The faction can be the same as you used in your hour of glory, OR it can be one that has since conquered them or otherwise taken their place. Specifically, you need 5 cards at least, and 8 at most. I know I won't be able to stop some of you from submitting, like, fifty, but only the first 8 will be officially considered.
One of the cards must be the "leader". This may be the same leader as the one who headed your faction previously (though it is recommended they be depicted older and worse for wear), or a successor of theirs. The amount of time that passes between seasons is [undefined], and the Hero can probably bend time as well as space anyway, so don't worry about timeline problems.
The key point you'll be trying to achieve with your entry is showing how your faction has changed and evolve since last time. How have they been getting along with their new realm? What's happened to them since? Have they been, as mentioned earlier, conquered or replaced?
Do tell.
Provisionary deadline will be set for the 20th of September, but you people are held in such high esteem that there will invariably be possible wiggle room.
May I suggest Green? There seems to be a shortage of it around these parts.
I tried a bunch of different ideas to try and convey the theme of seven while still fitting in a crown and a letter C, and after several failed drafts settled on this symbol. Hope you guys enjoy it! Shown is the rare MSE symbol on a card from MSE; the PNG version has thicker lines.
MSE Symbol: https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/810513211111243798/884270631221334066/GKN_Symbol.mse-symbol
Common: https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/810513211111243798/884270624426582076/GKN_Common.png
Uncommon: https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/810513211111243798/884270623059238952/GKN_Uncommon.png
Rare: https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/810513211111243798/884270621113057280/GKN_Rare.png
Mythic: https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/810513211111243798/884270618990772254/GKN_Mythic.png
https://forums.mtgcardsmith.com/discussion/3889/colonisers-of-astraliastra/p1
https://forums.mtgcardsmith.com/discussion/4126/colonisers-season-2-colonisers-of-edgerim/p1
https://forums.mtgcardsmith.com/discussion/4428/colonisers-season-3-colonisers-of-krystel/p1
https://forums.mtgcardsmith.com/discussion/4688/colonisers-season-4-colonisers-of-turmoil/p1
https://forums.mtgcardsmith.com/discussion/4984/colonisers-season-5-colonisers-of-mystik/p1
https://forums.mtgcardsmith.com/discussion/5144/colonisers-season-6-colonisers-of-skyfaoll/p1
https://forums.mtgcardsmith.com/discussion/5475/colonisers-season-7-colonisers-of-nemain/p1
~ Prologue - The Years That Came After... [Part 1]
Skyfaoll was at peace once The Witnesses became the major power. All war came to a quick close, and what remained of the other factions of Skyfaoll, alongside The Witnesses, rebuilt the sprawling plane figuratively and literally. Within a decade, the world was a beautiful oasis, and it was just as though Faolinq had never terrorized it in first place. Now able to properly settle down, The Last Genzian and Spire soon joined in religious ceremony. In the following years, they had a child, and lived happily ever after....hahahahaha... who said anything about happily ever after?!
The problem with perfect societies is that they create greed. When you can have anything you want, it's natural to want more and more. And eventually, that leads to a hunger that can't be sated in a "perfect" society. Unfortunately for The Witnesses and the Last Genzian, that very hunger would consume the world's peace from the inside out...
The fruit of the union, a jackal child named Vesper, was born an incredibly talented young gentleman. While he didn't have a spark like his father, he was able to spar with him as young as six years old. However, Vesper was too gifted for his own good. He was skilled enough in manipulating the land around him that he never had to show up to any of his sparring matches, sending a duplicate instead. While the Grandmaster didn’t show a distaste for his unique way of approaching things, he did disapprove of Vesper’s aversion to leaving his temple. Vesper would often go months on end meditating, taking breaks for nothing. He would create duplicates of himself to do everything from training to learning, and even just sending one to bring himself food and water rather than walking. To describe it in Spire’s own words, “It’s simultaneously impressive and foreboding…”
Throughout his years, Vesper loathed contact with those he deemed to have "lesser minds". This meant almost everyone, and he always kept to himself and the door to his chambers locked. At a very young age he was taught the story of his people, and it left him with an awful taste in his mouth. A peaceful society nearly wiped away by violence? Surely something could have been done about it, and eventually, Vesper settled on his own solution, which disturbed his parents; the Genzians of the Grandmaster's Homeworld, Ignisp, died because they were weak willed and refused to exercise their power over others.
Once Vesper reached 16 years of age, he had grown powerful enough to replicate other creatures with his techniques, and summon creatures from the land itself. His combat prowess was quite grand for someone his age, but all the same, The Grandmaster grew increasingly concerned. Vesper had the aptitude to defend the people, but not the attitude, so the older monk called his council (and Spire) for a meeting, airing his concerns.
“My brothers and sisters,” the Grandmaster began. “I have gathered you here today for a very unfortunate discussion. Despite our best efforts, my son, Vesper, has shown some concerning views on rulership and a great deal of acedia.”
“Acedia?” Spire asked.
“He shows a lack of any empathy towards others, and is not often motivated to perform his duties towards the Genzians. Rather than commit to any task he has been given, he’s insistent on sending out a copy of himself when it’s most convenient for him. Given his demeanor, I am considering exiling him.”
“He still has potential to reform, Grandmaster, but I share your opinion of him as well. I would give him until he is 21.”
“He is already powerful enough to rival myself in a sparring match. If we wait until then and he doesn’t approve, he may become a serious threat to our people. We must end his training now if we intend to exile him.”
The council would discuss things and eventually settle on a compromise; his attitude was quite extreme, conflicting with the peace the Genzians had brought about, but if he could be reformed, he would prove to be a great power in wartime and an exceptional heir to the Grandmaster’s rule. Therefore, the Grandmaster would challenge him to a sparring contest, in person, to test his character. Little did he know that his challenger had been listening in on the conversation the entire time, however, and had been infuriated by the Grandmaster’s threats to exile him. He was the most powerful Genzian youth these people had ever seen, yet they talked of exiling him! If they didn’t want him to be the heir to the throne, so be it… they didn’t have to want him; he would be the next heir, and he had grand plans for his people that weren’t confined to just one plane…
[To be continued...]
~ Prologue - The Years That Came After... [Part 2]
On the day of the sparring match, Vesper had a fire in his eyes as he stood before his father. Both were unarmed, but they went miles away from civilization, for they didn’t need weapons for things to get destructive. The two stood about 100 feet apart, their poses majestic, but they were ready to fight.
“My son… today I will test your character in combat,” the Grandmaster spoke. His voice seemed unsure, as though he knew his son was going to fail this test. “If you are really worthy to lead our people, our battle will show that.”
“Father,” Vesper returned. “This is a waste of my time… I am ready to lead our people; I’ve been ready for years.”
“Then prove it in combat.”
“What you’re judging here is “worth”, and value is subjective. There are people who support my ideals, Father. It is you that doesn’t support them. Why should you test me?” “My judgement is the judgement of your ancestors-”
“Just because they stood idle and sought a world of sheep doesn’t mean it’s what’s best-”
“Vesper! This is why I seek your exile. You allow your temper to get to you. You seek ruin in those who do not wish to follow your lead, and what you are looking to fulfill is a selfish cause. Our people have prospered without engaging in war. This plane is at peace, and everyone is happy-”
“Everyone is weak and idle!” Vesper belted out. “What happened to your ambition, Father?! You sought a world you could call home and claimed it; why stop there? There are hundreds, perhaps even thousands of worlds beyond it! You could spread your ideals across the multiverse!”
“I have achieved what is best for our people..”
“What you feel is best for our people, Father. You’re pathetic… you left Ignisp because Skyfaoll was easier to conquer, admit it. You weren’t invited here; you simply lacked the ambition to put your foot down and do something about the world around you and gave up! You’re a coward!”
“Sometimes withdrawal is the best option, Vesper-”
“You restrain yourself, Father… and restraint leaves people weak.”
At this point, Vesper’s fists were clenched, his body having tensed up as he bares teeth at the Grandmaster
“...Vesper… calm down.”
“Father… tell me now… if you can really judge my character, you wouldn’t need a fight to do it. You’re just going to exile me anyways, aren’t you?”
“No, it’s nothing like tha-”
“You’re just doing this as some kind of formality, just so you can pass this off as some kind of divination. To treat this like a rightful purge, am I right?”
“Vesper-”
“You don’t want me to become the heir because you’re scared of me, aren’t you?! You’re afraid to have someone stronger than you at the helm of your dream world!”
“Vesper!”
“This isn’t about our people or what’s best for them! This is about you! You’ve allowed our society to turn into a people hellbent on sitting back and doing nothing until the last possible moment just to hide your weakness! I’m tired of sitting back when there is so much more The Genzians could be. Our species died because of people like you who refused to raise your weapons and make the first move… I’m not going to let the rest of our people make the same mistake.”
“Vesper… what are you trying to say?”
“...hmph. If you really can’t tell what I’m saying, then let’s just get this over with. If you can judge my character through combat, then surely you’ll understand what I mean after we fight.”
The Grandmaster just sighed and agreed to Vesper’s terms… though he was suddenly second guessing whether or not it was even worth fighting when suddenly, he was struck in the back of the head. He fell to the ground from the impact, having been too distracted by Vesper’s ramblings to dodge a massive rock hurled by one of the child’s rocky clones. He was just able to leap out of the way of another when Vesper’s eyes lit up with rage. The younger jackal’s feet cracked the ground as he rapidly sprinted towards his airborne target, jumping and just barely missing as the Grandmaster dodged. The wizened jackal counterattacked with a mighty, magically infused kick, but Vesper blocked it, sending another copy of himself to strike the Grandmaster’s open flank. As the older monk fell down and hit the ground, his face was stomped on by yet another duplicate as several others worked to restrain the Grandmaster. Another stomp, and the ground was cracking underneath the poor elder as he watched Vesper approach.
“Vesper! Cease this instant!”
“No…”
“Release me at once or I’ll have you exil-”
The real Vesper kicked with enough force to break the Grandmaster’s jaw. His healing factor would normally have taken effect soon after to repair it, but another stomp made sure that didn’t happen.
“Exiled? Was that what you were about to say? No, no… see, I’ve learned everything I’ve needed to from you, Father. And in my meditations I’ve come to an ultimatum; the only thing holding our people back is you. I’m doing them a mercy."
“VESPER-”
“You want to live a peaceful life, standing idle?! You don’t want to see your people prosper into something far greater than before?! Then so be it!”
With two fingers aimed straight towards the heart, Vesper impaled the Grandmaster. With a gleam of light from the young monk’s hand, his father would be able to live the life he always dreamed of, without ever having to witness a single moment of his conquest. Vesper’s innate magic proved to be far more powerful than the Grandmaster was prepared for, giving the old man what he wanted… while still allowing Vesper one step closer to his fantasy, one step closer to sating his hunger for power and conquest.
As the jackal stepped back from the tree sprouting from where his father's body once stood, it was quite the catharsis... he had proven that he was stronger than his father. Now it was time to prove his strength to his people...
"I will bring forth a new generation of Genzi. And I won't allow anything to stand in our way..."
[To be continued...]That’s… amazing. A twist which is very logical, but one that I for sure didn’t see coming.
Kudos.
It was a miracle of sorts, the way the war played out. First they were losing it, enemies laying siege to their cities, the conclaves fighting off the other colonizers tooth and nail. She remembered how it felt when what remained of Jemaine's council voted to leave. None of them wanted to, but there wasn't any other option. Then something changed, something big. The plane turned against the other factions, the trees, the animals, even the ocean turned. Some kind of energy had been released, a force of harmony that bolstered their resolve and strength.
The Children took this newfound advantage and used it. They ousted the others from this world and back to their own. It had taken years but the Children's journey was finally over.
But that wasn't all that had changed. Nemain had been purged of whatever malignant evil had held it before. The miracle from that day hadn't repeated itself. When the final forces of the others had been chased off the trees, beasts, and sea returned to their neutral ways. But that energy had lingered, they could all feel it, some more than most. Certain savants learned to control while certain warriors embraced the feeling of growth and harmony it brought. Laycia was one of those who learned to control it. She felt it's song still out here in the depths of the woods.
(It's here I'd like to announce that I'll be adding Green to the Children of Neress' color identity making them WBRG because it sounds fun.)
The wind rustled through the trees once more just as the just as the travelling party exited the woods. Laycia lead her conclave onto the main road. They would soon arrive home at Klohull. The travelers could see it in the distance, it's towers and rooftops reflecting the midday sun. The children were new to building, in there many years wandering they had never needed to make cities or towns. As such the empty remnants left behind by the other factions quickly became their new homes as they expanded across the continent. Klohull was once a Citadel of the Rising Sun but now served as a base for two of the biggest conclaves to carry out the will of the Children.
They entered the bustling streets just as the sun began to set. People watched them pass by headed for the fortress at the center of the city. Klohull was a busy place. It connected Allstead (The city the children first created on Nemain located on one of the islands.) With the rest of the continent so it's docks were constantly shipping and receiving goods and travelers. They eventually reached the fortress, good thing to. Laycia was tired from the journey and needed to rest. She dismounted and began to head for her quarters when a voice called out.
"Laycia, we need to talk." She turned, it was Linus. The two used to be on Jemaine's council together. They served him until he fell and the council took over.
"Can it wait? I'll tell you all we learned in the morning. For now I need rest." She had been using her powers all day to navigate.
"It's urgent, Tenaes is here. He's in the library."
"What, why? Shouldn't he be in Wroden?" Laycia started towards the library Linus close behind.
"He needs to explain it, I don't fully know. But it's not good."
Tenaes was the new leader of the children. He was a powerful savant who studied under Lienne and worked on Jemaine's council. The people had chosen him as their new leader when Nemain had been won.
When they arrived Tenaes sat in a ritual circle at the center of the library. Laycia could sense magic in the air around them.
"Good Laycia you've returned." Tenaes rose meeting the two council members eyes. "I', sure Linus has already informed you that I come with dire news." he began to speak but stopped. There was a sorrow in his voice now. "If you remeber Jemaine and Lienne brokered a deal in order to get us here. A strange caped figure followed by the sound of trumpets offered us a way to break our curse." Tenaes drew his fingers through the air as he talked. "We all know what happened from there. We took the figures challenge, fought off the others and took this world, however..." Tenaes' hand dropped. "It appears that this is not the first time this has happened. This caped figure has offered this deal before, approximately six times I believe. Seven times various factions have warred over worlds. Seven times one of them has taken all, and now they is ready for the final match."
"The final match?"
"Yes, the figure arrived to me almost a week ago in a burst of trumpets. Soon the barriers between the worlds warred over before will be gone. One more game will be played."
"You don't mean..."
Tenaes nodded, "We will soon have to fight again for our home. We must be ready, for it almost time for the. What did he call it? Oh yes, the Grandmaster Tournament."
(sorry for the lengthy lore bit, but now to the cards!)
______________________________________________________________________________________
The children have been busy since we last saw them rebuilding Nemain.
In the wake of their former leader Jemaine and his Head Advisor Lienne dying the seven members of Jemaine's council have begun ruling.
At the head of them is Tenaes, a Savant (Savants are Neressians who were born with the gift of stolen divine magic.) who trained under Lienne. He was the first to learn this new form of magic.
The children have divided the continent into six portions. Each one is now protected by one of the six largest conclaves (The Conclaves are the subdivisions of the Neressian Military.)
Here are two of the leaders of those Conclaves.
As I said before the world of Nemain was changed the powers of some Savants. They can now control the divine power of nature.
However not all have been able to learn this new form of magic and continue the traditional form.
Also as I said before the Children have used the leftover cities and structures from the others and made them into their own. Building up and adding memorials to their past battles.
Plumbing the depths of these ruins has become common amongst the conclaves to dig up new resources.
Their military has stayed relatively the same, the Conclaves have their hands full with protecting the budding civilization from threats left behind by other colonizers and Nemains own dangers. They are also now preparing for invasion.
The Children of Neress are here and ready to rumble!
Amazing work so far. I didn't think I could possibly get more hyped, but here we are.
@ASubtleGhost. @Hergusbergus. @Derain2. @Lujikul. @SammySammyson. @Tommia. @IzItTru.
Waiting.
She has successfully converted most of her family to vampirism.
This includes Norvin and Gulvan who have become her top researchers
(Shoutout to @MonkeyPirate2002 for creating the actuate keyword.)
Together, Norvin and Gulvan discovered the means to harvest blood and energy from those afflicted by the metal plague, which the queendom uses to power their rituals.
"Who are you?"
"Who am I?"
"What time is it?"
"Why are you here?"
"Why can't I remember?"
Each civilian replied in turn.
"I am Zelphiran."
"I am Zelphiran."
"I am Zelphiran."
"I am Zelphiran, as you are Zelphiran." Zelphiran looked upon the guard, searching for any signs of insincerity.
PART 1/2
(After much back-and-forth, I eventually figured out the right path was to revisiting something from another saga that didn't happen. Now, Ig and his friends get to be brought to full life within the MTG Cardsmith community! In my newfound fashion, initial cards will be given special frame treatment.)
Flair's Ashes
While Flair became a strong, benevolent leader, no fire can burn forever and although his rule led to a flourishing Mystik, eventually cultivating the plane to become a grand wellspring of mana within the multiverse, nothing withstands timelines marching onward. As Flair and his empire decayed, so didn't Mystik. It fell into a dark, cold world, with only a handful of memories remaining. Empty husks of once brave warriors decorate the landscape, a graveyard of glory.As the dusk drew closer, Flair ignited in a supernova. As though his spark itself shattered, what little was left of color and beauty fell into the grip of nothingness. Mystik erupted and roared, shifted and groaned. Land moved, melted, and melded all in one swift motion. Volcanoes erupted and crumbled. Islands formed and flooded. Perhaps it was minutes that passed until nothing was what remained. Ashes, dark, cold. Nothing.
Ig and Friends
A sad and tragic story, sure, but as is on-brand for Flair, this was not the end of our tale. As he razed land and rebuilt it time over and over, Mystik took that course once again. A handful of animals and some ancient trolls slowly emerged from the landscape, greenery regenerating all the while. Over what may have been seconds, days, millennia, or even eons (whichever your perspective finds truest), natural succession took its course and gave birth to a silent forest, which now sprawls the plane. Ig, our beloved Troll Coward, finds himself at an odd pinnacle in his life. See, cowardice isn't necessarily the best ticket to squashing your foes...Alongside Ig is his steadfast companion, Demetrius. A self-dubbed knight, he is fierce and ruthless...as scaled down to mouse size, of course. Regardless, the little guy knows his way around and can hold his own against even some of the largest of insects, even those that might try to consume him (generally Ig's other friends are smaller than Demetrius, but sometimes he gets attached to one larger). Together, him and Ig preside over the odd little bundle of critters who find themselves in the middle of what might just devolve into large-scale war. Quite the predicament if you ask me.
Alas, our tiny friends begin their journey.
(Behold! Collected Divination.)
While Ig may be the resident mono green troll, he has friends spread across the whopping two colors of Selesnya. Though not quite as big of cowards as Ig might be, they often come close.
Among the furry friends, Ig makes bonds with creepy-crawlies too! Often smaller than their rocky companions, these guys often wind up being some of the bravest.
Where are we now?
Ig doesn't really have an answer to that question. If he spoke more than a handful of words, he might have some witty comment, but otherwise, it truly boils down to just home. That's where he likes to be, anyway. He's safe there and he won't find anything that wants to hurt him or his friends. While I would like to say that what is to come will be a happy ending for him, only time will tell. This is perhaps his biggest test yet—bigger than that time he had to decide between some soft evergreen needles or crispy deciduous leaves for snack! Of course, the Hero has yet to fully describe the setting wherein we find ourselves. As such, there is nothing more to say, my friend.(And with that...I look forward to this final tournament. Ig is my baby, although the events of this tournament won't be canon to his lore. Be kind to him...)
Credits: Arceus, as-per, helped fine-tune the submission and got the gears turning. Tomigon, on this thread, is responsible for the set symbol used.
Wow. These were not the plot twists I expected. From either of you.