@FireOfGolden I know you're on a break, but I thought I'd update you anyway. The evil-looking person shrugs and hands you the 30, taking the vial from you, but does not appear particularly intimidated, just barely agreeing to the deal. What would you like to do now?
@jpastor The Veraldran pixie hands you the lunar artifact, saying "If you don't hold up your end of the deal, mouse, when we break this country, a large fraction of its resources will be devoted to making you pay." What would you like to do now? Start heading to the capital to fulfill your deal? Or something else?
@Mellow_MC After what seems like hours, the voices fade into the distance and the sun rises, heating up the sands above you. What would you like to do now?
Rivvin narrows his eyes, the silver-blue sheen of the lunar artifact flickering faintly in his palm like a pulse of forgotten time. The Veraldran pixie's words echo with the kind of cold certainty only a being steeped in political entropy could muster.
He tucks the artifact into a nested compartment of his coat, the gears of his mind turning faster than any clockwork creation he's ever made.
"Deals are deals," he mutters, half to himself, half to the artifact, "but no one said anything about how direct the route had to be."
✧ Current Action:
Rivvin pulls his hood low and heads not to the capital just yet—but toward the old, half-forgotten Temple of Mechanis near the outskirts of Veraldra.
According to ancient schematics he’d once studied back in Fwensidt, this temple was abandoned during the Elf-Dwarf unification war nearly a century ago, but its celestial alignment chamber may still be intact. Before risking entanglement with the Veraldran Council, Rivvin wants to scan the artifact’s properties in the chamber’s aether lattice—hoping it will help decode the purpose of the artifact and potentially provide leverage if the pixie (or the country) turns on him.
He also wants to know why a kingdom as strict and hierarchical as Veraldra would entrust such a powerful item to a heretical Mousefolk exile in the first place...
@Kaoz42 Thanks, I will stay on my break. However, if I becomes the last person for you had to wait for me, just let me know. So, I can make a decison about it.
Additionally, it wouldn't hurt trying to make a few options for us to choose. If we want to do something others than options you gave, just say "Character will do something that wasn't listed..."
After the voices pass, the 2 robots continue hiding under the sand until absolutely sure the enemies are far away and out of range. Then they burrow back up to the surface and continue on their eastward march.
@jpastor Just to be clear, the lunar artifact is actually the one Rivvin started with... Anyway, Veraldra isn't particularly strict or hierarchical, but here's the update: As you rush to the temple, suddenly you hear sounds of steel on steel and see that a skirmish between Qamon and Veraldran forces is taking place on the outskirts of the temple. What would you like to do now?
@Mellow_MC After marching for a while more, you see another camp in the distance, this time perched on a fortified plateau, with watchtowers made of sun-baked clay. You also notice a particularly large cactus about 3.5 meters tall (12 feet) that has 0.3 meter (1 feet) long spikes. What would you like to do now?
Got it — thanks for clarifying about the lunar artifact and Veraldra’s culture! I’ll adjust accordingly moving forward.
Rivvin freezes, ears twitching at the unmistakable clash of weapons.
He crouches low behind a collapsed marble column, peeking around to assess the situation. Qamonite soldiers, their armor gleaming with a matte forest-green finish, clash in brutal bursts against the shinier, regimental Veraldran forces. The Temple of Mechanis looms just beyond the melee — a cracked dome of silverstone, still faintly humming with forgotten energies.
Rivvin clenches his tiny fists. If they damage the temple’s inner lattice, my only safe way to study the artifact could be lost. Not to mention, he thinks grimly, if either side notices me with this... I'm as good as dead or imprisoned.
✧ Decision Point:
He considers quickly:
Sneak around the battle using the overgrown underbrush and rubble, trying to reach a side entrance into the temple unseen.
Create a diversion using one of his smaller mechanical trinkets — a wind-up noise maker or a smoke spark generator — to draw attention away and slip through.
Approach a Qamon soldier (they might be more sympathetic to balance and neutrality) and bluff that he’s a neutral temple engineer needing emergency access.
Wait and observe — maybe the skirmish will thin out enough that a safer route opens without risking exposure.
Rivvin mutters under his breath: "Gears and gremlins... every path has a jam."
→ Would you like Rivvin to pick an option, or do you want to choose for him?
(Or suggest a fifth, crazier one if you want Rivvin to get extra spicy!)
@jpastor I used a random number generator to pick 1 for you. (In the future, please pick an option in the same comment you list the options.) As you sneak around the shrubbery, an enchanted Veraldran arrow hisses past you and hits a tree. As you watch, the area where the tree was hit starts glowing and spreading the glow. Soon it reaches one of the branches, which bends down and whacks you, then the other branches begin pummeling you and even capture you for more pummeling. You notice that several other plants are also behaving the same way, snaring and attacking Qamonian soldiers. The Veraldrans notice you and laugh while effortlessly defeating Qamonian soldiers. What would you like to do now? It is clear the Veraldrans do not know you agreed to infiltrate for them, do not care, or are attempting to conceal the fact they know.
@FireOfGolden After searching for a while, you don't find anyone new, but instead notice the noblewoman and her guards have been moving about the city actively a lot lately and keeping to shady corners addressing Malevolent-looking individuals and even buying more vials from some. One day you witness the aftermath of a vial being poured burning down another Noble's mansion, with mages casting spells to attempt to quench the infernal flames. What would you like to do now?
@Mellow_MC It turns out to be an orc encampment and as you near the entrance, several orcs train their bows on you, barbed armor-piercing arrows nocked and seem to shout something in some language you don't understand, likely Common. What would you like to do now?
Rivvin yelps as a branch smacks the wind out of his lungs, gears rattling in his coat from the impact. Another branch wraps tight around his torso, and suddenly he's hanging upside-down like some cursed fruit, being absolutely walloped by an increasingly enthusiastic tree.
Through the leafy blur of blows, he sees the Veraldrans laughing — not the mirthful kind of laughter, but that cold, dismissive kind that says "You're beneath us."
So, he thinks grimly, either they never intended to honor the deal… or they need to keep it so secret, they'd rather kill me than admit I’m useful.
✧ Immediate Action:
Rivvin reaches under his cloak with his bound hands and twists the dial on a spring-loaded capsule in his belt — his emergency “Snapburst” smoke canister.
PSSSSHT!
A high-pressure puff of alchemical fog erupts in all directions — thick, acrid, and laced with metallic flecks to confuse both vision and magical detection. The branches recoil just enough for him to twist out of the main grip, slipping from the tree and hitting the ground hard — but running.
He bolts, staying low, aiming not for the temple’s front but for a collapsed ventilation shaft along the south wall — a maintenance crawlspace barely big enough for a full-grown Mousefolk, but one he remembers from ancient schematics.
If he makes it inside, he can still reach the central alignment chamber — and more importantly, set a trap or activate one of the temple's remaining defensive systems to lock out any pursuers.
@Mellow_MC You successfully go around the encampment, where you see an oasis—or mirage in the distance, as well as some more cacti. What would you like to do now?
@FireOfGolden You find nothing in the wreckage, as the demonic flames have consumed almost everything. What would you like to do now?
@jpastor Before we dive back into your story, please don't describe the results of any of your actions, as there is always a chance they might not work. Please just state your actions, not any of the results. Also, I'd like an assessment of Rivvin's assets (Are there things other than the smoke canister?) Finally, please don't invent locales, facts about culture, temple schematic knowledge, exact architecture etc... Creativity is great, but this is a little too much... No offense. Anyway, here we go: As you try to reach the shaft, you are disrupted by more corrupted plants, which tangle you and poke you with thorns. What would you like to do now?
@kaoz42 None taken — that’s a very fair and helpful clarification. I’ll stick strictly to Rivvin’s actions and known facts going forward.
✧ Rivvin's Current Assets:
Lunar Artifact (originating from his backstory; purpose unknown but significant)
Tinker's Toolbelt (equipped item; grants +1/+1 and vigilance when in use)
Snapburst Smoke Canister (used)
Basic Tinker’s Kit (assumed based on character concept; includes small tools like a wrench, gear clamp, copper wire, flint striker, tiny screwdriver, etc.)
Folded scrap-map of regional trails and roads (not architectural or temple-specific)
Clothing with hidden compartments (some protection from elements; not armor)
Wind-up Mouse decoy (tiny mechanical noise-making toy meant to cause distractions; not previously mentioned but consistent with character flavor — if this is too much, I’ll retract it)
✧ Rivvin’s Next Action:
Rivvin reaches into a hidden pocket in his coat to retrieve the wind-up mouse decoy, attempting to activate it and toss it a short distance away as a distraction to draw off the corrupted plants.
While doing so, he tries to brace one foot against a root and carefully untangle the vines around one of his arms using a small multi-pronged gear prong from his toolbelt.
His goal is to distract the plants and begin freeing himself, staying low and trying to remain unnoticed by both factions during the chaos.
Would you like me to clarify any specific item or downgrade it if it feels like too much?
@jpastor The plants get distracted for a bit, but others start to hinder your escape. You escape from those as well. What would you like to do now?
@FireOfGolden You manage pickpocket a handful of silver coins and a scroll of paper in a language unintelligible to you but that looks important. What would you like to do now? Interact with the scroll somehow, or something else?
@Mellow_MC It turns out to be an actual oasis, albeit pretty small, with date palm trees dotting its shores. What would you like to do now?
@kaoz42 Perhaps the scroll has a kind of value that Selene can sell to certain people, but first, she must find a library that contains book which discuss about or references to the scroll she stole. She is somewhat distrusted toward the mages, so she prefer to figure this on her own rather than ask a mage for an information.
Rivvin, breathing hard and keeping low, quickly scans his surroundings for any cover — a rock outcrop, a crumbled wall, or even just denser foliage — anything that can shield him from both the plants and Veraldran eyes.
✧ Rivvin’s Action:
He darts toward the nearest piece of cover he can find and hunkers down, taking a few seconds to:
Quietly stow the decoy back in his pocket if it’s still functional.
Check the lunar artifact — not activating it, but verifying it’s still on him and undamaged.
Try to locate any alternate entrance into the temple area that is less exposed to corrupted plants or enemy sightlines.
If nothing obvious presents itself, he begins slowly and carefully circling the temple's perimeter, staying hidden, watching for shifting battle lines or environmental changes that might open a new path.
He avoids combat and spellcasting unless absolutely necessary.
MTG Cardsmith Community Forums
Comments
Not really, but it sounds like at least ten.
EDIT: @Mellow_MC Are you going to respond based on the new information given?
If you don't respond to the new information about the voices in 24 hours, I will continue the campaign without you.
Wdym ???
I know you're on a break, but I thought I'd update you anyway.
The evil-looking person shrugs and hands you the 30, taking the vial from you, but does not appear particularly intimidated, just barely agreeing to the deal. What would you like to do now?
@jpastor
The Veraldran pixie hands you the lunar artifact, saying "If you don't hold up your end of the deal, mouse, when we break this country, a large fraction of its resources will be devoted to making you pay." What would you like to do now? Start heading to the capital to fulfill your deal? Or something else?
@Mellow_MC
After what seems like hours, the voices fade into the distance and the sun rises, heating up the sands above you. What would you like to do now?
Rivvin narrows his eyes, the silver-blue sheen of the lunar artifact flickering faintly in his palm like a pulse of forgotten time. The Veraldran pixie's words echo with the kind of cold certainty only a being steeped in political entropy could muster.
He tucks the artifact into a nested compartment of his coat, the gears of his mind turning faster than any clockwork creation he's ever made.
✧ Current Action:
Rivvin pulls his hood low and heads not to the capital just yet—but toward the old, half-forgotten Temple of Mechanis near the outskirts of Veraldra.
According to ancient schematics he’d once studied back in Fwensidt, this temple was abandoned during the Elf-Dwarf unification war nearly a century ago, but its celestial alignment chamber may still be intact. Before risking entanglement with the Veraldran Council, Rivvin wants to scan the artifact’s properties in the chamber’s aether lattice—hoping it will help decode the purpose of the artifact and potentially provide leverage if the pixie (or the country) turns on him.
He also wants to know why a kingdom as strict and hierarchical as Veraldra would entrust such a powerful item to a heretical Mousefolk exile in the first place...
Thanks, I will stay on my break. However, if I becomes the last person for you had to wait for me, just let me know. So, I can make a decison about it.
Additionally, it wouldn't hurt trying to make a few options for us to choose. If we want to do something others than options you gave, just say "Character will do something that wasn't listed..."
Just to be clear, the lunar artifact is actually the one Rivvin started with...
Anyway, Veraldra isn't particularly strict or hierarchical, but here's the update:
As you rush to the temple, suddenly you hear sounds of steel on steel and see that a skirmish between Qamon and Veraldran forces is taking place on the outskirts of the temple. What would you like to do now?
@Mellow_MC
After marching for a while more, you see another camp in the distance, this time perched on a fortified plateau, with watchtowers made of sun-baked clay. You also notice a particularly large cactus about 3.5 meters tall (12 feet) that has 0.3 meter (1 feet) long spikes. What would you like to do now?
Got it — thanks for clarifying about the lunar artifact and Veraldra’s culture! I’ll adjust accordingly moving forward.
Rivvin freezes, ears twitching at the unmistakable clash of weapons.
He crouches low behind a collapsed marble column, peeking around to assess the situation. Qamonite soldiers, their armor gleaming with a matte forest-green finish, clash in brutal bursts against the shinier, regimental Veraldran forces. The Temple of Mechanis looms just beyond the melee — a cracked dome of silverstone, still faintly humming with forgotten energies.
Rivvin clenches his tiny fists.
If they damage the temple’s inner lattice, my only safe way to study the artifact could be lost. Not to mention, he thinks grimly, if either side notices me with this... I'm as good as dead or imprisoned.
✧ Decision Point:
He considers quickly:
Sneak around the battle using the overgrown underbrush and rubble, trying to reach a side entrance into the temple unseen.
Create a diversion using one of his smaller mechanical trinkets — a wind-up noise maker or a smoke spark generator — to draw attention away and slip through.
Approach a Qamon soldier (they might be more sympathetic to balance and neutrality) and bluff that he’s a neutral temple engineer needing emergency access.
Wait and observe — maybe the skirmish will thin out enough that a safer route opens without risking exposure.
Rivvin mutters under his breath:
"Gears and gremlins... every path has a jam."
→ Would you like Rivvin to pick an option, or do you want to choose for him?
(Or suggest a fifth, crazier one if you want Rivvin to get extra spicy!)
Out of the break; Selene will seek out whoever may possess valuables, perhaps to raid the ruins, and go on.
I used a random number generator to pick 1 for you. (In the future, please pick an option in the same comment you list the options.) As you sneak around the shrubbery, an enchanted Veraldran arrow hisses past you and hits a tree. As you watch, the area where the tree was hit starts glowing and spreading the glow. Soon it reaches one of the branches, which bends down and whacks you, then the other branches begin pummeling you and even capture you for more pummeling. You notice that several other plants are also behaving the same way, snaring and attacking Qamonian soldiers. The Veraldrans notice you and laugh while effortlessly defeating Qamonian soldiers. What would you like to do now? It is clear the Veraldrans do not know you agreed to infiltrate for them, do not care, or are attempting to conceal the fact they know.
@FireOfGolden
After searching for a while, you don't find anyone new, but instead notice the noblewoman and her guards have been moving about the city actively a lot lately and keeping to shady corners addressing Malevolent-looking individuals and even buying more vials from some. One day you witness the aftermath of a vial being poured burning down another Noble's mansion, with mages casting spells to attempt to quench the infernal flames. What would you like to do now?
@Mellow_MC
It turns out to be an orc encampment and as you near the entrance, several orcs train their bows on you, barbed armor-piercing arrows nocked and seem to shout something in some language you don't understand, likely Common. What would you like to do now?
Rivvin yelps as a branch smacks the wind out of his lungs, gears rattling in his coat from the impact. Another branch wraps tight around his torso, and suddenly he's hanging upside-down like some cursed fruit, being absolutely walloped by an increasingly enthusiastic tree.
Through the leafy blur of blows, he sees the Veraldrans laughing — not the mirthful kind of laughter, but that cold, dismissive kind that says "You're beneath us."
So, he thinks grimly, either they never intended to honor the deal… or they need to keep it so secret, they'd rather kill me than admit I’m useful.
✧ Immediate Action:
Rivvin reaches under his cloak with his bound hands and twists the dial on a spring-loaded capsule in his belt — his emergency “Snapburst” smoke canister.
PSSSSHT!
A high-pressure puff of alchemical fog erupts in all directions — thick, acrid, and laced with metallic flecks to confuse both vision and magical detection. The branches recoil just enough for him to twist out of the main grip, slipping from the tree and hitting the ground hard — but running.
He bolts, staying low, aiming not for the temple’s front but for a collapsed ventilation shaft along the south wall — a maintenance crawlspace barely big enough for a full-grown Mousefolk, but one he remembers from ancient schematics.
If he makes it inside, he can still reach the central alignment chamber — and more importantly, set a trap or activate one of the temple's remaining defensive systems to lock out any pursuers.
You successfully go around the encampment, where you see an oasis—or mirage in the distance, as well as some more cacti. What would you like to do now?
@FireOfGolden
You find nothing in the wreckage, as the demonic flames have consumed almost everything. What would you like to do now?
@jpastor
Before we dive back into your story, please don't describe the results of any of your actions, as there is always a chance they might not work. Please just state your actions, not any of the results. Also, I'd like an assessment of Rivvin's assets (Are there things other than the smoke canister?) Finally, please don't invent locales, facts about culture, temple schematic knowledge, exact architecture etc... Creativity is great, but this is a little too much... No offense. Anyway, here we go:
As you try to reach the shaft, you are disrupted by more corrupted plants, which tangle you and poke you with thorns. What would you like to do now?
✧ Rivvin's Current Assets:
Lunar Artifact (originating from his backstory; purpose unknown but significant)
Tinker's Toolbelt (equipped item; grants +1/+1 and vigilance when in use)
Snapburst Smoke Canister (used)
Basic Tinker’s Kit (assumed based on character concept; includes small tools like a wrench, gear clamp, copper wire, flint striker, tiny screwdriver, etc.)
Folded scrap-map of regional trails and roads (not architectural or temple-specific)
Clothing with hidden compartments (some protection from elements; not armor)
Wind-up Mouse decoy (tiny mechanical noise-making toy meant to cause distractions; not previously mentioned but consistent with character flavor — if this is too much, I’ll retract it)
✧ Rivvin’s Next Action:
Rivvin reaches into a hidden pocket in his coat to retrieve the wind-up mouse decoy, attempting to activate it and toss it a short distance away as a distraction to draw off the corrupted plants.
While doing so, he tries to brace one foot against a root and carefully untangle the vines around one of his arms using a small multi-pronged gear prong from his toolbelt.
His goal is to distract the plants and begin freeing himself, staying low and trying to remain unnoticed by both factions during the chaos.
Would you like me to clarify any specific item or downgrade it if it feels like too much?
Selene will leave the wrecked building and keep search for potienal victim to either follow or pickpocket.
The plants get distracted for a bit, but others start to hinder your escape. You escape from those as well. What would you like to do now?
@FireOfGolden
You manage pickpocket a handful of silver coins and a scroll of paper in a language unintelligible to you but that looks important. What would you like to do now? Interact with the scroll somehow, or something else?
@Mellow_MC
It turns out to be an actual oasis, albeit pretty small, with date palm trees dotting its shores. What would you like to do now?
Perhaps the scroll has a kind of value that Selene can sell to certain people, but first, she must find a library that contains book which discuss about or references to the scroll she stole. She is somewhat distrusted toward the mages, so she prefer to figure this on her own rather than ask a mage for an information.
Rivvin, breathing hard and keeping low, quickly scans his surroundings for any cover — a rock outcrop, a crumbled wall, or even just denser foliage — anything that can shield him from both the plants and Veraldran eyes.
✧ Rivvin’s Action:
He darts toward the nearest piece of cover he can find and hunkers down, taking a few seconds to:
Quietly stow the decoy back in his pocket if it’s still functional.
Check the lunar artifact — not activating it, but verifying it’s still on him and undamaged.
Try to locate any alternate entrance into the temple area that is less exposed to corrupted plants or enemy sightlines.
If nothing obvious presents itself, he begins slowly and carefully circling the temple's perimeter, staying hidden, watching for shifting battle lines or environmental changes that might open a new path.
He avoids combat and spellcasting unless absolutely necessary.
Let me know what he sees or what happens next.