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The Life Of A Planeswalker
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Anyways, they sent off the scorpion to "assist" the Walkers in their duties (No, not like that, it was more like they were interested only in what was new and once summoned, not really worth keeping in the same room.) and then decided to look through their scrolls for another creature scroll that seemed to cost only colorless mana. This is because they decided that colorless creatures activated both the Mana Echoes (because it was a creature) and the Golem (because colorless creatures scrolls were hijacked) And they found one, a creature named Pentavus, which on creation (triggered both like they said) immediately started spending mana and pieces of itself to make little machines. We stopped it just before it totally destroyed itself, but learned in the process that creatures of the same type caused the Mana Echoes to increase.
(Pause to refill cup)
Well, then they got to thinking, "Can we order it to repair itself?". And so they did order this Pentavus to repair itself, to find that it cannibalized the pieces of its creations for a little of the mana at a time. In doing so, they (the non-colorless summons and their summoners of course) split (except for the Vedalken, it sauntered, amused.) and pushed themselves against the wall (Mait flatly denies screaming like a little girl), because the Dross scorpion they had discounted rushed back, going crazy (I've been crazy, I should know). When the Pentavus stopped repairing itself, the Dross Scorpion stopped going crazy.
As they were approaching the Scorpion they happened on the Mana Vaults, and found they could be used again. They thought about it, and decided to make the Vaults thrum again, even though they had plenty of mana and could order the Pentavus to make more minions. Having their fill of creature scrolls, They decided to summon more lingering effects (Thinking back on it, I think at least one of them spent some time in Ravnica, why else would they continue on such an insane venture?) instead of creatures (Mait had some say, but not much sadly).
(Pause to refill cup)
It was just Mait's luck that the first scroll they cast was Concordant Crossroads (Which may or may not have affected the planning of the destruction of the Academy). Well, it made Everyone (including the automatons) fast. Crazy fast. Like a kid on sweets fast. (Mait again flatly and furthermore categorically denies screaming like a little girl. Twice). Then they got this shifty look in their eye for the next scroll, Doubling Season. Apparently, they knew it would double the number of creatures. So, they tried it, but there was nothing really that changed. They gave up on it, and moved on to the next scroll.
The next scroll (Around this time Mait was starting to wonder where the Archmage kept pulling its scrolls from) was called Mana Reflection, which again (thankfully) didn't seem to do anything. Running low on mana, they ordered the Pentavus to make 4 more minions, only to notice that it did make 4 but used half as much mana and parts, made them 2 at a time, and added a significant to their mana by Mana Echoes. They thought for a few seconds, then ordered it to make 4 more minions. It did so just like last time, amid their whoops of joy (At this point Mait merely suggests that their sanity, or lack of it was starting to affect or rather infect him as well.) Then they ordered it to repair itself (as they were sure they would prefer to have the opportunity to make mana than for those minions to stay), and were furthermore surprised when it seemed 4 times rather than twice as complex (but were unsurprised when the Scorpion re-enabled the Mana Vaults and the Tolarian Academy (Well this surprised them, at least initially) for their use amid its seizures).
(Pause to refill cup)
You have been a nice feller to buy me that drink you know. It isn't often anyone would buy a stranger that much these days. What, you still want to buy me another? This is a long story you know, and might mean 2 or more refills. Well, if you insist, but I owe you one and I intend some day to repay it. Is that so? I apologize. Here I am talking to you like an old buddy, and we don't know each other's names. Well, my name... Hmmm. I remember a relative named Emer, but his name is kind of taken... I know! Call me Erede, yeah, that will work for now. And I can call you... Bob, right? I remember a Bob some time ago, such a nice guy he was... Oh, right you wanted me to continue...
(Pause to refill cup)
Now that he was feeling better, even though Mait was tired, they decided to continue, with a scroll they read as "Angelic Chorus"( I think though, that it was because they wanted to hear some good music as the summoning so far hasn't been good to their ears.) Anyways, they cast it, and again nothing happened, to their disappointment. "Well, let's try one last enchantment, and then go back to creatures," they said. And so they did, and it was Inexorable Tide (At least at this point we are all half-way sane, or was it half-crazy? No, mostly we were mostly sane). Casting it gave us a feeling of impending... something. It wasn't doom or anything like that. Potential, maybe? A silent whisper (Though Mait was sure it was stronger than that for him at least) egging us on to try more scrolls. As agreed, they went to some creatures.
They had agreed to try the next by race and common consensus said "Elves." So, the first they had tried was Joraga Treespeaker. And then he and us were surprised by the "HALLELUJAH!" that Echoed around us. Coming from a similar situtation (Mait was thinking: Strange place with metal fungus growing on me to people I don't know and who knows what else), Mait, though tired, spoke to the elf, and tried to calm him down. Not knowing what he was doing there for against whom, the Treespeaker was surprised when he could do his ritual (He was adamant that this wasn't a spell) to become stronger using non-colored mana, and then promptly did so, allowing him to make the mana he was comfortable with. Finally having some comfort of home, though tired from doing so, he allowed us to calm him down enough for us to continue.
(Pause to refill cup)
Of course before we did continue, we did want to see if that whisper actually did anything. To our surprise the Pentavus became even more complex (Did I forget to mention for most of this story, the longer it goes, the less sane everyone involved is? Maybe not the automatons though. It isn't like they were thinking in the first place.) Anyways, a good experiment is worth repeating, they said, and so summoned another elf, which was a Viridian Joiner. Amid the "HALLELUJAH!", (Which was louder than before (And I am still surprised that no one ever investigated the loud Choruses)) he was not happy to be in the same room as the Veldalken Archmage for some reason (This is probably the same reason he smirked when giving us that scroll). It took some effort, but we finally convined him to not attack (or rather to stop attacking the Vedalken) by putting them at opposite sides of the room, with the Golem, Walkers, and Scorpion in the middle. Now that that was settled, they noticed that the Pentavus grew even more complex, and that the Treespeaker felt more at home. Well, we weren't about to cause him to lose his source of calm, so we didn't enquire at the time.
While we were pulling out the third (and last) elf, the Joiner called over the Treespeaker, noticing the he was emanating green mana in this area of non-colored mana, and started comparing notes on mana producing rites (again, these are NOT spells). With the two about to delve into a deep conversation, Mait thought that it would be a good idea to listen as well, as it was something to do while here, and that he might find it a useful trick. (It really is too bad that he didn't have the full grounding of the other two and was part Mycosynth at the time. Because of those two and especially the second, when he finally learned a way to alter his rite so as to instead provide mana or life, it was too easy to make any type rather than just green, which was and wasn't helpful later.)
(Pause to refill cup)
So the third elf was this elf from Shadowmoor. (I didn't know that Shadowmoor was Lorwyn's night cycle. Thank you for letting me know.) They must have pulled her away from certain death, because she was grateful, but afraid. Thankfully, the other two elves and Mait really helped calm her down (Of course with another "HALLELUJAH!" and Echo for summoning), and for doing so, she took some of the mana around her and invigorated the two of them who were tired.
Now that there weren't any more elves to summon, they picked a scroll at random to cast and chose a beast, specifically one of Garruk's Packleaders (I wonder if Garruk ever noticed it was missing. From what I heard, probably not, or I wouldn't be talking right now). It looked around (I would guess looking for its owner), and would have gone on a rampage if it weren't 1. tied to the summoners and 2. commanded to sit. It resisted briefly and then caved into the demands. I wonder how the elves managed to calm it. Perhaps they had experience with such beasts (Yes, yes an even louder "HALLELUJAH!", plus an echo, plus the Treespeaker felt more at home, plus the Pentavus grew more complex).
(Pause to refill cup)
BUMP
BUMP
XD
XD
Anyways, they looked through the scrolls and found one that seemed to promise that all those creatures they summoned would be more powerful. Himah, on noticing the scroll, suggested it, hoping that at least those that they summoned would get some benefit out of being pulled from wherever. So, after a quick debate, they casted Cathar’s Crusade, which gave us a feeling of impending glory (With it accompanying the Pentavus becoming more complex, and the Joraga elf feeling more at home).
However, while we were debating Cathar’s Crusade, the Packleader had taken one of the scrolls without our knowing. Just after we finished casting it, the beast put the stolen scroll at our feet and growled. To appease the beast, they cast it as well, which left the summoned creatures (I don’t know about the automatons, but the others seemed the in same mindset.) more afraid of getting hurt (I wondered if this was the Packleader’s desire for revenge on being summoned, if it was that it had a malicious sense of humor or that it randomly chose one to summon and wanted the attention). The scroll was Furnace of Rath (And again, the Treespeaker felt more at home and the said machine became more complex).
(Pause to refill cup)
Well, the Academy decided it liked those Hallelujahs, but they wondered if they could find something to make it more effective. After some searching among the scrolls, they found one called Boon Reflection. So, they cast it (With the usual Treespeaker feeling more at home and Pentavus being more complex), and left a slight shimmer around us. Wanting to be sure it worked, they ordered the Pentavus to make 2 more pentavites (I know, the echoes happened as well). In doing so, they heard the Chorus was six times louder than the last one. Working it out, they realized that the Cathar’s Crusade and the Coat of Arms also affected the Chorus, because they affected the hardiness of the creature. Looking around, everyone that was summoned seemed more powerful and hardy (Himah still remembers to this day his first taste of power). Furthermore, the growling of the Packleader to the two Pentavites gave them a few more ideas of spells to cast, like the scrolls from the Archmage. They would have acted on those ideas if a scroll didn’t catch their eye.
This scroll was for a Prototype Portal, which allowed them to take an idea for an artifact and copy it. After a quick debate they cast it and inputted the scroll for Sculpting Steel, an artifact that copies other artifacts. This time, in addition to the scroll from the Archmage, Everyone that was summoned got more powerful. Then they activated the Portal, and got 2 Sculpting Steels, which, to their surprise, immediately morphed into emitters of two spells they were sure were enchantments, and so, out of consideration: Doubling Season and Inexorable Tide. Then they remembered what the Archmage had said. Around this time, because Himah had felt Inexorable Tide affect him twice, he thought he might be able to replicate its effects. In so doing, and with a little effort, he became tired, but pleased that he was successful.
(Pause to refill cup)
So, finally, they were back down to really low mana levels, and they decided to ask the Viridian Joiner to pitch in. Glad to be of service, he tired himself making the most he could (Yes, I know they had different mana channel choices, I am sure they knew as well). Now that they had some mana to work with, they decided to go to the two ideas for spells they had: Pariah and Druid’s call. Himah, though tired, volunteered for both (though whether it was from a lingering desire not to have anyone else hurt when it could be him or to be an important part of this insanity, I still don’t know.) He had to argue for some time before they chose him, in an exhausted state, because the Pentavus was significantly stronger than him. The second seemed to comfort Himah a little, almost in a warm and fuzzy way. Then of course, everyone got more powerful.
(Pause to refill cup)
Well, after that last hullabaloo, they found two scrolls they really wanted to try. (And this is where it goes REALLY crazy. I mean those padded rooms should have been implemented at least right here). Himah was swaying on his feet from when he proliferated, and so realized too slow what those two scrolls were. The first was called Vigilante Justice. It made the summoned people slightly fear new arrivals that call themselves “Human” (With Himah it was worse, it almost seemed like they had it for him). (Yes, yes, everyone got more powerful.) The second, hmmm, it was called Xenograft. They (I am to this day certain that at least one of them was or would be later an Izzet with Rakdos Tendencies. I am serious. Really.) They argued for some time before they gave into those of their group who chose “Human,” making all current and future creatures “Human.”
(Pause to refill cup and shudders)
(Pause to refill cup and shudders)
The two elves were also horrified at the prospect of being human. They knew they were still elves, but they still felt violated (The part of them not taken over by the mycosynth anyways.) Realizing what was likely going to happen soon to Himah, and feeling a slight obligation to him, the two that weren’t tired used their effects to create enough mana to nicely (as opposed to the scorpion the Academy might use (shudder)) reinvigorate Himah. So, he was awake when they ordered Pentavus to create Pentavites.
(Pause to refill cup. Empties cup. Shudders. Pause to refill cup)
Well, in order the effects were: First 4 pentavite-humans were created. Then the Angelic Chorus rang out. Then the air thrummed with mana. Then Everyone got more powerful. Then it hurt. Then… Then it repeats with squirrel-humans instead of pentavites, and more of everything. How much more? How about multiply everything about 8 times. Then Again, and faster and more of. And again, and again, faster and faster, more, and more. Until, Himah, couldn’t take anymore. I am surprised he lasted as long as he did. He started looking for a way out of this positive feedback loop. And then he noticed a connection between Boon Reflection, Furnace of Rath, Mana Reflections, and Inexorable Tide. He tired himself, merging them. And then… He was gone.
(Pause to refill cup)
What came back, by a loose definition of “back” (In communicating distance, I think, maybe telepathic) was a being that almost seemed to strongly exude mana of each color, especially where its hands, feet, and head were (even in its telepathic image). The force of such man called itself Mait, and thanked them for allowing it to exist. It allowed them to ask a favor of it. It had seemed willing to slightly repay them by offering to multiply either their mana gains, future modifiers of permanents of any type, and/or their life gains. It seemed to enjoy multiplying power, which, when combined with the fact that perhaps it felt responsible for those Enchantments that were destroyed in its making, made them think its request was reasonable and sincere.
(Pause to refill cup)
So, they had this problem. They wanted all three, but it gave only one choice. While they were debating which to choose, the rampant amounts of mana started summoning creatures on its own. Goblins, ogres, and even artifacts and constructs. Even worse, the said summons seemed intent on total annihilation of all that they summoned. The tipping point was when they were about to summon their Academy Chancellor Rayne, when the scroll the spell was on was sucked into a Soul Foundry, which then proceeded to create poor imitations of him. Even worse, they didn’t know how to stop this madness from progressing.
(Pause to refill cup)
And so, in an act of desperation, they combed through the scrolls, and found Entreat the Angels, hoping that if they spent enough mana, they could summon enough Angels to stop this. The Angels were summoned, but the problems continued. Though the Angels thanked them for their multiplication, such power to stop this was not given to them at this time. However, they saw a scroll laying in the pile, that could stop it and pointed it out. They noticed another scroll next to it, which would allow them to bring back their dear Chancellor Rayne (the real one). So, they cast Cyclonic Rift to return the scroll to their hand. Then, just before the Academy was destroyed, they cast Day’s Undoing.
(Pause to refill cup)
And the world, which was crammed with squirrel-men became as it was before this had all started. Just the Academy in Tolaria. While the effects were still there, as time went by those effects were almost casually corrected. Mostly, anyways. Their extra life was shunted into an experiment that didn’t work, the mana dissipated into the multiverse, and day to day life continue. But they had learned not to do that again. And before they could get around to trying that again, they were destroyed by the New Phyrexians. There were, however three changes that somewhat remained. One day Himah had this dream of a wonderful plane of his creating. And so, in his spare time, went to working on designing said plane, which had the ability of shunting any amount of mana towards empowering and protecting. Also, he remembered how to make mana of any color, and increase modifiers on those with said modifiers, as possible options for his efforts, but he never totally remembered who taught him. Finally, around that same time, he remembered how Boon Reflection, Mana Reflection, Inexorable Tide, and Furnace of Rath were connected, but as long as he didn’t have access to all of them, he dared not experiment with said vague memory.
Oh, I have been rambling for some time, and again I thank you for listening to me, but it is late and you need your rest and I have to go get my payment for you buying me those drinks. Good night Bob. You may see me again, but don’t count on it. I still will pay you back though.
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*Yaaaaawn.* Oh I had this amazing dream about this old man telling me this fantastic tale. I wonder if it is true…