This thread is for the development of the plane of Archester for the upcoming custom set Archester, Frontier of Steam. I'll be copying flavor stuffs from the original thread over the next day or so.
A Planeswalker's Guide to Archester
NOTE: Some of this was written prior to us choosing the name Archester. It may read incredibly awkward since i just copied and pasted and didn't go through to edit it.
The Midlands
The Midlands are the lawless frontier of the plane, far from the bustling cities to the east and the lush jungles of the far west. The land is dry and arid, consisting of amber plains, vast deserts, and rocky crags and canyons.
The Frontiersmen/Settlers
Because of the harsh conditions of the Midlands, few people choose to live their willingly. Most of the people who do end up there do so on the backs of bad luck and unfavorable circumstance. Some of them are forced into the Midlands due to poor city conditions. The poverty and sickness that run rampant through the slums of the cities made even the desolate planes of the midlands seem promising, which led to the westward migration of the lower class.
The frontier is also filled with farm folk. Long ago, the land to the immediate west of the cities was farming land. But as industry began to grow, the mana-rich farmlands were slowly taken from their old owners to support expansion. This combined with the invention of industrialized food production made farmers obsolete, forcing many of them into the Midlands.
The harsh conditions of the Midlands have made their people tough, rugged, and bitter. The people of the frontier blame the Patriots for any and all of their misfortunes. The Settlers argue that the government does not ration out mana fairly, with the people of the city getting the vast majority of mana while the frontier is left high and dry. To them, it seems unfair for the government to force them to comply with the same laws as cityfolk if they're not given equal treatment. This general sentiment is what has lead to the Midlands being known as a lawless place, as frontiersmen refuse to listen to a government that does not support them.
The Outlaws
Far from the reaches of the Patriots, the Midlands are teeming with criminals and ruffians. Outlaws can range anywhere from general mischief makers to mass murderers. Some outlaws act out as a way of protest, while others just love to create chaos. Either way, they've made the Midlands a notoriously dangerous place.
Because outlaws usually act as small, rag-tag teams, their exploits are usually confined to the western settlements. Bandit gangs will raid settlements for supplies or mana. However, these groups are usually too small to do any serious damage to large cities, which is why the Patriots have mostly turned a blind eye to the issue, leading to even more resentment from the settlers.
Most outlaws act alone or in small groups, but there are a few large gangs, the most notorious of which is the Mavericks. The Mavericks are by far the most dangerous outlaw gang in the Midlands. Their most famous act was a heist in which they stole an entire train full of gold. In general, their actions are fueled purely by greed, rather than any political agenda.
The largest gang is the Marshals, led by John Marshal. Tough technically an outlaw gang, many of the people who live in the midlands see John Marshal as a hero. Unlike the Mavericks, the Marshalls only mobilize against the Patriots and (what they see as) their unfair actions. This creed has allowed the Marshals to become incredibly popular, gaining supporters from almost every western settlement. While the Patriots don't like acknowledging outlaws at all, they have from time to time negotiated with the Marshals to avoid catastrophe.
The third largest gang (though far behind the first two) is the Horners. The Horners get their name from their leader, a large minotaur nick named Big Horn. The Horners fight for equal rights for all races. Given a plane that's mostly human, other non-human races like Viashino, Minotaurs, Dog-folk, and even some Aven are discriminated against by the patriots. While most settlers agree with the cause of the Horners, their haphazard attacks on innocent settlements have made them unpopular.
The East (The Coast)
The Eastern part of the plane is usually referred to as the Coast, though the name is given to any land east of the frontier. The Coast is split into three distinctive areas: the actual coastline, the center area (proper name maybe), and the western area known as the Flats. Together, these areas hold the vast majority of the plane's population and represent the most civilized parts of the plane.
The Coastline
Most of the known world exists between two coasts. Given the arid nature of the midlands and the distance to the west coast, the Eastern seaboard represents one of the only sources of blue mana available on the plane. Because of this, it has attracted intellectuals and mana-mages alike, and the Coastline has garnered a reputation as the technological heart of the plane.
Mana Mages
One of the things that separates this plane from others is its relationship with mana. Mana is an incredibly valuable resource here, which makes the management of it a very lucrative profession. Special Mana Mages are masters of manipulating mana, transforming it into a solid (or usually liquid) form for transportation and use. This is incredibly important for blue mana, which is abundant at the coast but absent most other places on the plane. Mana mages are hired by the Patriots and industrialists for mana shipping, but more intricate mages create small mana capsules for everyday use. They also create slugs that can be fired from handguns like bullets, allowing even non-mages to wield powerful magic.
The Flats
The westmost part of the Coast is called the Flats. The Flats, as their name suggests, are miles and miles of nearly flat plain land. Long ago, the Flats were used as farm land due to their rich soil and perfect farming conditions. During the industrial boom, industrialists and expansionists appealed to the government for rights to the land. Now, the Flats are dominated by huge factories.
The Three Cities
The Coast is home to many cities, but there are three that are by far the most iconic: The Porcelain City, the Brass City, and the Iron City.
The Porcelain City is one of the natural wonders of the world, as it floats on thin air miles above the ground. Said to be created by the anscestors of the Aven, it has since become the central Hub of Aven science and mythology. The Porcelain City also represents the only remaining sovereign city-state. Since the city is impossible to access by non-aven barring the use of air-ship, it has resisted capture. The Aven council is willing to cooperate with the Patriot government, but is wary of what seems like impending attack looming on the horizon.
The Brass City is the largest and most famous on the plane. The Brass City is the capital city of the plane and is home to the senate that acts as the central government of most of the civilized world. Nicknamed the Brass council, the senate makes decisions for almost everything. The Prime Minister (Proper Name) is simultaneously the most loved and hated man on the plane.
The Patriots
"Patriot" is the name given to anyone who's a supporter of the Brass council. Patriotism is centered mostly in the brass city and surrounding settlements, but support is fleeting the further west one travels. The Patriot movement is usually associated with city life, since the Brass Council is comprised mostly of city folk and make decisions accordingly. On the Coast, the name Patriot is used as a unifying movement, while out west it's a back-handed insult.
The final city, the Iron city, lies at the heart of the flats. The Iron city is the heart of industry and economy on the plane. To many, the Iron City represents the true seat of power on the plane, as everything relies on the economy it provides. Some say that every decision made by the Brass Council must be backed by the so-called "Iron Council", comprised of the most powerful business owners.
The History of Archester The Ancient Age
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Like most ancient civilizations, society first started near the sea. There's little recorded history from this era, but what is known is that small towns and cities, comprised mostly of humans, inhabited the eastern seaboard. During this period, humans were considered to be the only sentient beings on the plane, with elves considered savages, and canids, the jackal-like people of the frontier; viashino, the rugged but colorful Gila monster race of the desert; and taurox, the proud bullfolk of the frontier, considered savage wild animals.
. . .
The First Age: The Tick of Technology
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The First Era begins with the historical event known as the "First Coming". This was the first time in which the planeswalker ~ returned to Archester. Claiming he had seen fantastic inventions of far off worlds, he quickly became acclaimed as a prophet. On this first pilgrimage, ~ brought to his people the knowledge of metal working. This kick-started the technological advance of the human race, allowing them to make leaps and bounds in what would have normally taken thousands of years.
Determined to better the lives of his people and turn his plane from a backwards land into one of the grand technological designs he'd seen among the multiverse, ~ set off a second time to discover the secrets of the multiverse. He return several times over the next century, with tales of a great cities that stretched as far as the eye could see, arcane metal lands of calculation and riddles, and strange worlds where the people lived in giant mechanical spiders that clung to the metal ceiling that replaced the sky. The knowledge he brought to Archester propelled the plane into an iron-age industrial sprawl in a matter of decades.
Plans were drafted for a great brass city that would be the greatest feat of engineering the plane, nay the multiverse, had ever seen. This city would put Archester on planeswalkers' maps and it's technology would leave them enthralled. With construction started and his schemes in motion, ~ set off for the Blind Eternities once more, but this time he would not return for another hundred years.
In his absence, the people of Archester expanded, but also fell into disarray. Without a leader, tensions rose, but instead of turning against each other, the humans of Archester lashed out at the other races. The canids, elves, taurox, and viashino were driven further and further west.
As the Brass City was nearing half completion of it's base structures (it's never been completely finished--they're still working on it to this day), the Brass Council was formed in an event known as the "Unification." A central senate was created, uniting all of the east coast under one flag with representatives from all of the major regions. The members represented such a strong military force that it would have been suicide to refuse. The ancient seaside civilization of eastern elves were the only ones to resist, and although they fought against the technology of the Council with an effectiveness that has never been explained, they were defeated by the humans. The Brass City became the undeniable capital of the plane and is home to the senate that acts as the central government of most of the civilized world.
. . .
The Second Age: The Magic of Mana
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It wasn't until almost a century later when ~ returned again. This time, he brought with him the secrets of mana manipulation. With his knowledge, he was able to discover that on Archester, mana isn't the same physically-transcendent, pseudo-state ideal as mana of other planes. The mana there is like any other physical element, at least in form. Because of this, manabonds with the land are very hard to form, so, rather than gathering mana from the land on Archester in the mind, it is mined.
~ found that after mining the mana and melting it down while a special alchemical process, it could be mixing with certain metals to form mana-infused alloys. Metals infused with some types of mana were strong. Stronger than any metal ~ had encountered. Some were explosive. Some were healing to the touch. Some even seemed to exist in two slightly different places at once. Mana-infused metals, while crude, had their uses and quickly became the skeleton upon which Archester would grow.
~'s real discovery, however, was what happened when you took the process one step further. Mana that was heated to the point of boiling, would vaporize and form a sort of mana-steam. This mana-steam could be used to do just about anything you wanted and propelled Archester into an era of industry, as engineer and builders hurried to get their plans and calculations from paper to reality.
The westernmost part of the Brass Council's claim is called the Flats. The Flats, as their name suggests, are miles and miles of nearly flat plain land. Long ago, the Flats were used as farm land due to their rich soil and perfect farming conditions. During the industrial boom, industrialists and expansionists appealed to the government for rights to the land. Now, the Flats are dominated by huge manufactories that turn the planes mana into steam and then into progress.
It is among these manufactories of the Flats that the second large city of the east rose up--the Iron City. Its grimy gears and smoke-choked skies a stark contrast to the intricate contraptions and clean sophisticate atmosphere of the Brass City, the Iron city is the heart of industry and economy on Archester. To many, the Iron City represents the true seat of power on the plane, as everything relies on the economy it provides. Some say that every decision made by the Brass Council must be backed by the so-called "Iron Council," comprised of the most powerful business owners and "robber" barons.
. . .
The Third Age: The Call of the Wild
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Appearing tired from his travels, ~ recruited the greatest engineers from across the plane and disappeared. Less than a year later, a gigantic tower loomed on the distant western horizon, beyond the frontier mountains. This tower was decided to be ~'s personal dwelling and became known as the Spire. ~ hasn't been seen since. Some say he's been long gone, off to see new and exciting world. Others say he sits in his drawing room, resting from a life of adventures. Either way, he had made a lasting effect on his home.
It was around this time that the humans discovered the Porcelain City. Floating on thin air miles above the ocean, the Porcelain City is one of the last natural wonders of the world, as it the only phenomenon on the plane that can't be explained through known science. The spiritual aven had quietly observed the advancement and western expansion of the humans from their concealed city in the clouds. Once the humans had discovered the city however, they abandoned their silent observation and opened trade. Since the city is impossible to access by non-aven barring the use of skyship, it has resisted the Brass Council's attempts, both political and militaristic, to annex it into their "unified east."
With the boom of industry and artifice in the east, the nonhuman races of the Midlands had begun to advance into the lower stages of civilization and together with the human criminals and scum exiled from the eastern cities, they settled the desert. The largest of the Midland cities is called Kandor City. A rustic collection of wooden buildings on the desert wastes, Kandor City is the largest "fortifiable" defense against the outlaws and criminals of the Midlands for those who prefer a quieter, safer lifestyle. The exploits of the various outlaw gangs that fight for the Midlands are usually confined to the western settlements and are usually too small to do any serious damage to large cities, so the Brass Council has mostly turned a blind eye to the issue, leading to even more resentment from the settlers. Most outlaws act alone or in small groups, but there are a few large gangs.
West of the Midlands, those who have given up on society wander further into the frontier. There they find strange and complex clockwork animals that populate the deserts, forests, and mountains. Trudging west towards the mysterious mountain over which the plane's clockwork fauna seems to originate, many explorers have been known to start a well-funded scientific expedition with contraptions and terraforming out the boiler drain, but in their quests into the mysterious wilds, end up giving most of it away to other frontiersman or settlers and forgoing the thought of ever returning to civilization again, instead delving deeper into the frontier, living only off the fruit of the land and spare parts from the clockwork beasts that inhabit it. They're not adverse to the use of technology, in fact they find the geared terraforming of the industrialists somewhat useful, it not cheap (both financially and morally), and survive by using the parts of the clockwork animals they hunt, but they don't necessarily like it either, so they don't think twice before tossing it or giving it away in favor of a tool more mundane.
Every so often, a frontiersman deep into the wilds will encounter one of the elven artificer druids from over the mountains and have its wisdom bestowed upon him. Legend has it that these mysterious druids travel Archester winding-up the clockwork wildlife that they are said to have built themselves in their steamy rainforest home on the other side of the seemingly uncrossable frontier mountains.
Important Figures on Archester
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Cyrus (Something) The Prophet of Archester
Andony Carnigig -- Known to everyone out of his earshot as "the Robber Baron," Andony Carnigig is a true champion of greed. Without a care for the land, or the rules of the Brass Council, he runs his manufactories with only profit in mind. His concern for the welfare of his living manufactory workers amounts to writing off all but the most essential of safety measures and he runs his automated assembly-workers with the absolute minimum maintenance possible. If the Brass Council and his competitors had their way, Carnigig would have been exiled to the Midlands years ago, but the fabled "Iron Council," of which he is said to lead, keeps the law far from his main concerns.
Chancellor Baylock -- Head of the Brass Council, Chancellor Baylock is both the most loved and most hated man on Archester. His decisions and leadership have made the east coast a pristine mechanical paradise of order and law, while turning the Midlands into a chaotic and lawless reminder of the high society's discrimination and fear.
Big Horn -- Big Horn is the wise taurox leader of his eponymous "gang," the Big Horns. Comprised of various canids, taurox, viashino, and even aven, the Big Horns may be small gang, but what they lack in numbers, they make up for in spirit. Big Horn and his gang fight to free the nonhuman races of Archester from the discrimination and ignorance of the Brass Council and its citizens. Big Horn is a big advocate of nonviolence and encourages his followers to use nonlethal tactics to reach their goals.
Cornilis Trent -- (Cornilis Trent was destined to lose his life to a mysterious Explosive Delivery, but last-minute formatting issue saved him. Who knows what he's been up to since? :D)
Elidaveth Tinkerdson -- Daughter of the late Abrahab Tinkerdson, Elidaveth Tinkerdson has surpassed her father's legacy as the most accomplished engineer in the Brass City. Having designed a plethora of contraptions, from the Chancellor's own steam-powered mobile-"throne" to the thundermuzzle firearms now used throughout the lawless Midlands, the Tinkerdson name is both cursed and revered across Archester.
Henrid Frod -- Henrid Frod is an Iron City industrialist and main sponsor of the development of the assembly line technique of mass production. Making extensive use of automated assembly-workers in his manufactories, Frod prides himself on the innovation and efficiency of his operations.
Isinaac Prachet -- Isinaac Prachet is a Brass City judge who has gained renown as the "Exiling Judge" by sentencing the vast majority of the convicted criminals that have appeared in his court to be exiled to the Midlands.
Jaxck Ripard -- Often discredited by the Brass Council as being little more than myth, Jaxck Ripard has avoided the reach of their law for years by conducting his twisted necrotech work in his secret lair among the undercity sewers. Having found the fresh corpses of young women to be highly preferable to the rotting corpses of the deceased, he hunts the streets of the Brass City by night, looking for victims to seduce, torture, and remake in his clockwork experiments.
Allester Marshall -- The most liked gang in the Midlands, the Marshalls, are led by Allester Marshall. Though technically an outlaw gang, many of the people who live in the midlands see Allester Marshall as a hero. Unlike the other gangs, the Marshalls only mobilize against the other gangs themselves and the presence of the Brass Council, which they see as more of a hindrance than a help. This has allowed the Marshalls to gain support across the Midlands, so while the Brass Council doesn't like acknowledging outlaws at all, they have from time to time negotiated with the Marshalls to avoid catastrophe.
Kertus Urap -- One of the most well-known names around Kandor City is that of Kertus Urap, owner and proprietor of Kertus' Saloon. As bartender, Kertus and his "business partner abroad," Alin Burback, know everything that happens from the walls of the Iron City to the edges of the frontier.
Captian Piar Moragand -- A skyship privateer in the service of the Brass Council, Captain Moragand's need for control (especially of the possessions of others) not only got him into trouble with the law, but also got him out of it. Trading his sentence of exile to the Midlands for the service of his skyship and crew to the Brass Council. Working above the law to rebuff the Midland outlaws, his life of piracy and theft changed only in that he now plunders in the name of "Our Beloved Chancellor."
Rodfred Wenroth -- Rodfred Wenroth is an Iron City manufactory owner and is rumored to be on the fabled "Iron Council."
Tecksa Rend -- The largest gang by far, the Mavericks are also the most dangerous. The Mavericks steal just to steal, kill just to kill, and cause general chaos just to cause general chaos. Prowling the Midlands in disaster-waked bands, they make sure the civilians get caught in the crossfire of their battles with the Brass Council and the Marshalls. Although there is no universally recognized leader of all the Maverick gangs, Tecksa Rend is easily the most notorious. Her most famous act was a heist in which she and her band robbed an entire train of mana-infused gold.
Terent Livinton -- Ex-Flats farmer
Thomasston Arell -- Thomasston Arell has held a seat on the Brass Council since he was old enough to be elected (appointed?), a feat unrivaled by any other council member.
Tulia Kriston -- Brass City steamstress (Anybody got any ideas for what a "steamstress" is?)
Willar Waston -- Despite his fun-loving, jolly demeanor, Willar Waston knows a thing or two about survival. When he's not wrestling a clockwork ursine in the wilds, or trading some of his few possessions to struggling frontier settlers for maps to lead him deeper into the wilderness, he can be found downing pint after pint at one of various saloons scattered across the Midlands and recruiting others to join him on his expeditions with exaggerated stories of his adventures.
It was at that moment that I realized: I'm kinda just making these things up. We can just write the rules the way we want them to work. People will have fun, and people will get it.
Willar Waston -- Despite his fun-loving, jolly demeanor, Willar Waston knows a thing or two about survival. When he's not wrestling a clockwork ursine in the wilds, or trading some of his few possessions to struggling frontier settlers for maps to lead him deeper into the wilderness, he can be found downing pint after pint at one of various saloons scattered across the Midlands and recruiting others to join him on his expeditions with exaggerated stories of his adventures.
What. He wrestles robot bears, then exaggerates his stories? What does he say he wrestles? o.O
It was at that moment that I realized: I'm kinda just making these things up. We can just write the rules the way we want them to work. People will have fun, and people will get it.
Hello, my name is Obzadiah Torq. I was born in the Midlands, in an undisclosed village. Gifted with a photographic memory, I strove to become a great artificer, and went to the factories in the great Iron City, against the wishes of my family. I soon gained a following for my unique views on mechanics and how they should and shouldn't be used, but also enemies. Among my enemies was Andony Carnegig, who abused my first great invention, the Piercing Viewer (X-Ray) to strip the ground of mana to even greater excess, destroying homes and hills alike with his glut for power. After I gained the ability to make mana energy transfer without wires, instead using specialized magnets, I hid my invention in a modified assembly worker I named "Verum" after a friendly man I once met, and we ran away to my old home, where I found nothing but destroyed and strip mined hills.
I soon ventured to the frontiers, where I have created this coil, this energy transferring device for multiple uses- but other inventors, such as my mentor, Elidaveth Tinkerdson, are trying to undermine me for their own job security, sending spies to sabotage my devices. But they will not succeed- I can already pull mana from the ground with but a vibration of my device- pulling mana from the Earth and using it unpurified, as a fire pulls power from a lump of coal.
I say we should decide who we want for protagonist and who we want to be our antagonist. Carnegig is an obvious choice here, though Tecksa Rend is also viable. We could have a planeswalker manipulating all these groups, maybe with the plan to make a memnarch-esque planeswalker making device through some puppetry.
protaganists could be Willar Waston, Piar Moragand, Allester Marshall, or even Jaxk Ripard.
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I think our first course of action should be deciding on the name for Archester's Planeswalker-Prophet. It's been one ofthe things that's been bugging me about the PW guide for a while now.
Edit:
I see Allester Marshall as our protagonist. His desire for the freedom of his people from the Brass city seems like a compelling narrative to me.
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Cool, I think he has the most possibility for a good story.
what do we want the guy to be really? if we name him 'Charles' and he's a planeswalking oni, that's not gonna work. I'm assuming he's some kinda machine loving oracle type, so something that's blue, but other than that? no idea.
an Aven or angel would be pretty sweet.
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Not an Angel. I don't think Archester should have Angels, Demons, or certain types of elementals due to it's odd mana. Certain types of elementals could exist such as the sand storm elemental (though maybe we should change that one as well) due to an infusion of mana dust.
I always saw the Prophet as a human in any case, definately blue and maybe white. (he could also be part green becuase it was him and his artificers in the spire that invented the Clockwork creatures and tought the western elves how to care for them, but that green part must have been a later additon to his character.)
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Well, I don't see why we need a protagonist or antagonist. When I created the conflicts on archester it was meant to be ambiguous, with a bunch of different characters.
Marshall wants liberty and freedom for all, but he's still technically an outlaw. As you'd expect form a red character, he can also be quick to act and won't really accept anything beyond his own demands (even though those demands are just). He's not as "red" as Big Horn who is much more violent in his approach, but he's still not just a straight up "hero"
Baylock is a full on utilitarian. If using resources on those in the midlands means that the majority of citizens (the ones who live in cities) are screwed, he can't justify doing so. Baylock is not a bad guy, but he's in a bad situation.
I'm not sure what other characters we're really looking at here since i really only wrote those two, the rest are BLC's i think. Anyway, the point is i don't want this set to ever be a good guy-bad guy thing. Our story should focus on all sorts of these different characters and their dilemas.
EDIT: Also, the prophet is definitely a human, and most likely blue white. I still like the name Ezekiel, though i've been told that's the name of a real prophet so that may not be the right choice.
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It was at that moment that I realized: I'm kinda just making these things up. We can just write the rules the way we want them to work. People will have fun, and people will get it.
It was at that moment that I realized: I'm kinda just making these things up. We can just write the rules the way we want them to work. People will have fun, and people will get it.
Aldred Boden? It means "Wise Messenger". Or we could do something REALLY funny like have him be Cornilis Trent. Actually I think I like that best of all.
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It was at that moment that I realized: I'm kinda just making these things up. We can just write the rules the way we want them to work. People will have fun, and people will get it.
The flavor text on Timed explosive was original read by Cornilis Trent before he got blown up, but because of a formating change (there wasn't room for the flavor text) he was spared and now he is just a random character with no story. I would love to see him become the Planeswalker Prophet, especially since the only card he was referenced on was rewritten anyway and now he's just a name.
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now that'd be a cool planeswalker, UWG artificer. UW makes more sense though, mechanically, unless he is all about artifact creatures, which could feel kinda green if you do it right.
Home plane- Archester? What worlds did he visit? Mirrodin? Esper? Dominaria? Phyrexia? What motivates him? Why does he keep coming back?
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now that'd be a cool planeswalker, UWG artificer. UW makes more sense though, mechanically, unless he is all about artifact creatures, which could feel kinda green if you do it right.
Home plane- Archester? What worlds did he visit? Mirrodin? Esper? Dominaria? Phyrexia? What motivates him? Why does he keep coming back?
Home plane should be Archester. Esper was implied with PW guide and Mirrodin with the Sword. I would like for him to have visted Mercadia (for Airship Designs) for sure. Phyrexia and Ravinca (and to an extent Mirrodin) are a problem though. Phyrexia wasn't around when Mirrodin was, but he could have been there before it was nuked and Ravinca was sealed for 10k years preventing Planar travel so that's completely off limits.
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True, but Ravnica has been unsealed for some time now, no? I'm not sure how much time has passed between dissension and the "modern" magic world. I had planned for him to have visited ravnica (which is where he learned of city planning), but I forgot it was sealed. This means either he's monumentally old (having visited ravnica prior to the guildpact) or Archester is incredibly young. We had explored a bit of temporal displacement between Archester and other planes, which i still think it something we should look into. (I believe the idea was that archester's clock (pun intended) runs much faster than other planes, resulting in their extremely fast modernization that ended up displacing those now exiled to the midlands, as well as the draining of mana from the plane fast than it could generate it. This also explains the prophet's seemingly long life, since visiting other planes could possibly have reset his clock to multiverse standard time, allowing him to outlive most of his non-walker counterparts.)
The problem with Cornilis is that, well his name sounds a lot like a random throw-away name (because it is!) I don't mean to be a stick in the mud, but I really do want to get this name right.
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"In the beginning, MTG Salvation switched to a new forum format.
This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move."
It was at that moment that I realized: I'm kinda just making these things up. We can just write the rules the way we want them to work. People will have fun, and people will get it.
Well unfortunately I think the only way for Archester's "Rapid Innovation" to actually be rapid is for it to be a very young plane. For example Humanity (here on earth) has gone from tiny villages on the edge of the Nile to the Edge of space in just 6000-8000 years. 10,000 years would make Archester seem really slow.
Making it a young plane means no Phyrexia, though.
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Well according to MTGS's wiki, the destruction of the guild pact (leading to the opening of Ravnica as a hub world) happens before the mending. Since everything in today's timeline happens at least 100 years or so after the mending i think it'd be perfectly reasonable to expect the prophet to have visited ravnica in this time frame. Of course, if he is a pre-mending walker, we'll need to have an explanation of why he's not dead, which leads me back to the time thing.
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"In the beginning, MTG Salvation switched to a new forum format.
This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move."
It was at that moment that I realized: I'm kinda just making these things up. We can just write the rules the way we want them to work. People will have fun, and people will get it.
I guess the mending could be a semi-plausible reason for Him randomly rounding up all the best Artifcers and their families and create "The Spire" off on the far Western coast. He was dying and needed to come up with a way to stay alive. If you've ever read "The Thran" (Great book btw) I pictured him sort-of like what happened to one of the characters at the end (I won't spoil it if you haven't read it) but basically he's just a husk of body with the Mechines taking over his vital functions, you know sort-of like how Darth Vader and General Grievous became a blending of Man and Mechine.
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I like the idea of him kind of panicking and trying to figure out how to save himself, but I also don't see him as so self absorbed that he'd turn himself into a machine. If there's one character I'm okay with keeping "only good" it would be him. His story is not so much one of his own character flaws as it is a realization that the best intentions don't always mean the best results. Even though he was inspired to do good and tried his best to help the people of his world, things eventually fell apart.
Alright, how about this: The Prophet is a new walker. I'm going with this because i don't like having to deal with the mending and the story I feel works just as well without it.
We know that the Archestrian dark ages exist as a hundred year span in which the prophet was absent. When the prophet returns, however, he seems to have aged only a few years. While some see this as a sign of his true "prophet-ness" (heightening his god-like "Wizard of Oz" status) the Prophet only thought he was gone a few years, and is dismayed at how things have changed and the friends he has lost. This is when he begins to study the Archestrian Slip (which i just named right now because it sounds cool.)
The Archestrian Slip is a glitch in the blind eternities. The slip causes time within archester to move at a much faster pace than much of the known multiverse. Seconds on another plane could take days on Archester. Not only that, but traveling through the slip itself can also cause a time shift. Not only do off-plane journeys take more time in archestrian years, but potentially hundreds of even thousands of years could be lost just going back through the slip. The prophet got lucky this time, but he's wary of leaving his plane again. (The slip is also the reason why Archester has never been explored by other walkers: archester had only actually existed for a few off-plane hours or days when the prophet got his spark.)
This is disturbing news. Not only does it mean that the Prophet cannot keep up with his own plane if he keeps leaving, but also that his home world is on a short clock. The Prophet is a thirst-for-knowledge kind of guy, and he knows that planes have been destroyed by mistreatment. While time seems to move quickly, the laws of the multiverse bind the plane itself to the same laws as everyone else. Translation: the Archestrians are stripping the world clean of its mana faster than it can produce it.
The Prophet is scared to leave his home again. Though he knows he must find a solution to this problem, he can't risk walking through the slip again, less he lose another hundred or thousand years and archester is destroyed right under his nose. To prevent this, the Prophet constructs his greatest invention; the Spire.
The Prophet's spire is basically a temporal tether. Thanks to planeswalker magic, the spire is aetherically connected to the multiverse. So long as the prophet remains inside the spire, time will move "normally" for him while the rest of archester speeds around him. Of course, something like the spire doesn't run on electricity; the spire only functions while the prophet is inside of it, which means he's trapped within his creation.
You may be thinking: "Why would he do this? Doesn't slowing down his own clock compared to Archester effectively give him less time to solve the problem?" Technically yes, but the spire has one other use. The Prophet can contact other planes through the spire. While he cannot physically leave, allies and drones he had planted on other planes allow him to continue his research. The Prophet knows he can't solve this problem on his own, and he knows he can't find the solution on archester, so he must continue is search for answers, and to him going back through the slip is too risky.
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"In the beginning, MTG Salvation switched to a new forum format.
This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move."
It was at that moment that I realized: I'm kinda just making these things up. We can just write the rules the way we want them to work. People will have fun, and people will get it.
Well, the story of the Prophet is not the main story of archester. Well, it is, but it's not what most of the main plot is going to focus on. In fact, the prophet himself isn't supposed to show up until set 3 (or set 2 if we're impatient), and no one is supposed to know where he is or what he's doing during that time.
As for contacting other planes, i'm pretty sure that most planeswalker's can't do this anyhow. This is why they need a central meeting hub (Ravnica) to run their organization; beyond physically planeswalking you can't send information between planes, which makes the spire special in that regard. (You can summon creatures i guess, but you still have to be on the plane to do it.)
I like the idea of him discovering other worlds that died in similar situations. However, I don't like the idea of him being put in "stasis" for a couple of reasons.
First of all, I do want him to age. He shouldn't be ancient, but he should be visibly older (think early 20s pre-spire to mid 40s or so). This plays into them theme of disillusionment. As the situation gets worse on archester, on the verge of war, people start looking to the spire as their one hope, some even going so far as to put offerings at it's base praying that the prophet will emerge to save them all. In a way, he will, but it should be a "man behind the curtain" reveal. Sure, he's incredibly powerful, but he's not the same invincible, god-like figure that everyone thinks he is.
This plays into another theme of failure or disappointment. The prophet is a planeswalker! he was able to bring all of this great technology to his world. He alone is responsible for basically everything that exists on his plane today. He feels like he should be able to save everyone, but the longer he searches the more he begins to think that he can't. His exile to the spire is not required of him, it's not programed into the spire, he is choosing to remain there until he can find a "cure" for his world, a problem which he feels responsible for.
On top of that, I wanted him to have more of a feeling of helplessness. As much as he wants to leave the spire and help his people, he knows the only way to save them is by staying inside. At the same time, searching other planes through the spire is a long, tedious process with diminishing returns. He watches as the plane around him starts to deteriorate. He, the Prophet of archester, cannot do anything to stop it's death.
Basically, I like having him be conscious in the spire because I want to see him struggle. I want him to watch as the mess he created spirals out of control, and feel like there's nothing he can do about it. I want to see him driven almost to the point of insanity. He's not a prophet, he's a person, and I want to see him suffer so his glorious return means all that much more.
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"In the beginning, MTG Salvation switched to a new forum format.
This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move."
It was at that moment that I realized: I'm kinda just making these things up. We can just write the rules the way we want them to work. People will have fun, and people will get it.
OK, I see your points, and I understand your idea of the character better. You're right that he should age: maybe some of his research can only be conducted on Archester itself, but he dare not appear before other Archestrians without a solution to save the world.
Here's why I like my idea of him leaving his body in a secure vault in the Spire while he goes to other plane: it already gives us idea about what his card could do. For example, that could be a - ability that makes it impossible to attack him until next turn.
Hm... that could work. As long as he's not in a permanent stasis, the idea of him projecting himself into a different plane works just fine for me. Maybe his card could make a temporary legendary creature token in his name. Unlike gideon who jumps into the fray himself, this guy projects an image of himself.
Projecting himself is a good way to visually represent him researching on other planes, and it also lets him travel on archester too. (He can't physically leave, so he uses a ghostly form to keep tabs on the events of the plane.) I like it.
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"In the beginning, MTG Salvation switched to a new forum format.
This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move."
It was at that moment that I realized: I'm kinda just making these things up. We can just write the rules the way we want them to work. People will have fun, and people will get it.
On a not-so-unrealated note: If he doesn't show up until set 3, does that means there will be no planeswalkers until then? If not, who are going to be those planeswalkers? Allies of the Prophet? Someone we know who's here with a different agenda? Bob RandomPlaneswalker just stumbling on the fast-time shard?
Could be all three. I think we should definitely have walkers; archester has reached a point now that other walkers would have discovered it. Some are may be here by chance, others perhaps looking to discover the secrets of the slip themselves. I remember I had a few walker concepts when the set first started that I could dredge up.
If I recall, there were two main ones; a flamekin and a treefolk. The flamekin was, as you might expect, an impulsive hot head that basically ran free around the multiverse doing whatever he pleased (usually burning something.) The other was a treefolk, who's home was destroyed by the flamekin. (For reference, the flamekin is from lorwyn, the treefolk is not) Anyway, the two basically played cat and mouse around the multiverse eventually ending up on archester. While the flamekin basically just wandered around, the treefolk (being all nature-y) is a bit appalled by the lack of nature on archester. Determined to help this dying plane, he gives up his chase temporarily to investigate. Luckily, a group of druids find him first and clue him in before he starts any commotion (as you can imagine, there are no treefolk on archester...)
The reason I liked these two characters are that their cards are very unique. We're used to seeing walkers that cost 4 or 5 and are what I like to think of as "mid-range" walkers. When I designed these two (which I'll post when i find them) I wanted to make them very different. The flameking costs 3 and has no plus abilities, but can deal significant damage very quickly. The treefolk on the other hand was a very slow but very powerful walker, less so than Karn or Bolas but more than what we're used to seeing.
EDIT: These two are basically pet cards/characters for me. They're not essential to the archester plot and I have no trouble not using them.
EDIT 2: Actually, I lied, the flamekin costs 4. What a pity. anyway, here are the cards for reference. again, you can take these guys or leave 'em, I don't really mind.
Zzak the Quick 2RR
Planeswalker - Zzak
[-2]: Put a 3/1 red Elemental creature token with haste onto the battlefield. Exile it at the beginning of the next end step.
[-3]: ~ deals 3 damage divided as you choose among any number of target creatures and or players.
[0]: Sacrifice ~. Put a legendary 7/1 red Elemental creature token with haste and trample named Zzak Enraged onto the battlefield.
{7}
Dandyn, Oaken Preserver4GG
Planeswalker - Dandyn
[+3]: Search your library for up to two Forest cards and put them onto the battlefield tapped.
[0]: Target Forest becomes a 0/3 Treefolk creature. It's still a land.
[-2]: Put 2 +1/+1 counters on each Treefolk and each Forest you control.
{5}
It was at that moment that I realized: I'm kinda just making these things up. We can just write the rules the way we want them to work. People will have fun, and people will get it.
Wow lots of text. I don't have time to comment on all of it at the moment so here are some bullet points
*I like the idea of a quicker flowing plane.
*I'm not 100% attached to the "OHS NOS! The plane's gon'a DIE! idea.
*Not really feeling the Treefolk and the Flamekin
*I guess interplanar telaprojection is ok. You might want to go ask the Storyline gurus if that might be possible.
*I believe one of the PWs we were disscussing was a Grimlin-toting Fiery Redhead Anarchist.
I'll be back when I have time for a more indepth disscussion.
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A Planeswalker's Guide to Archester
NOTE: Some of this was written prior to us choosing the name Archester. It may read incredibly awkward since i just copied and pasted and didn't go through to edit it.
The Midlands are the lawless frontier of the plane, far from the bustling cities to the east and the lush jungles of the far west. The land is dry and arid, consisting of amber plains, vast deserts, and rocky crags and canyons.
The Frontiersmen/Settlers
Because of the harsh conditions of the Midlands, few people choose to live their willingly. Most of the people who do end up there do so on the backs of bad luck and unfavorable circumstance. Some of them are forced into the Midlands due to poor city conditions. The poverty and sickness that run rampant through the slums of the cities made even the desolate planes of the midlands seem promising, which led to the westward migration of the lower class.
The frontier is also filled with farm folk. Long ago, the land to the immediate west of the cities was farming land. But as industry began to grow, the mana-rich farmlands were slowly taken from their old owners to support expansion. This combined with the invention of industrialized food production made farmers obsolete, forcing many of them into the Midlands.
The harsh conditions of the Midlands have made their people tough, rugged, and bitter. The people of the frontier blame the Patriots for any and all of their misfortunes. The Settlers argue that the government does not ration out mana fairly, with the people of the city getting the vast majority of mana while the frontier is left high and dry. To them, it seems unfair for the government to force them to comply with the same laws as cityfolk if they're not given equal treatment. This general sentiment is what has lead to the Midlands being known as a lawless place, as frontiersmen refuse to listen to a government that does not support them.
The Outlaws
Far from the reaches of the Patriots, the Midlands are teeming with criminals and ruffians. Outlaws can range anywhere from general mischief makers to mass murderers. Some outlaws act out as a way of protest, while others just love to create chaos. Either way, they've made the Midlands a notoriously dangerous place.
Because outlaws usually act as small, rag-tag teams, their exploits are usually confined to the western settlements. Bandit gangs will raid settlements for supplies or mana. However, these groups are usually too small to do any serious damage to large cities, which is why the Patriots have mostly turned a blind eye to the issue, leading to even more resentment from the settlers.
Most outlaws act alone or in small groups, but there are a few large gangs, the most notorious of which is the Mavericks. The Mavericks are by far the most dangerous outlaw gang in the Midlands. Their most famous act was a heist in which they stole an entire train full of gold. In general, their actions are fueled purely by greed, rather than any political agenda.
The largest gang is the Marshals, led by John Marshal. Tough technically an outlaw gang, many of the people who live in the midlands see John Marshal as a hero. Unlike the Mavericks, the Marshalls only mobilize against the Patriots and (what they see as) their unfair actions. This creed has allowed the Marshals to become incredibly popular, gaining supporters from almost every western settlement. While the Patriots don't like acknowledging outlaws at all, they have from time to time negotiated with the Marshals to avoid catastrophe.
The third largest gang (though far behind the first two) is the Horners. The Horners get their name from their leader, a large minotaur nick named Big Horn. The Horners fight for equal rights for all races. Given a plane that's mostly human, other non-human races like Viashino, Minotaurs, Dog-folk, and even some Aven are discriminated against by the patriots. While most settlers agree with the cause of the Horners, their haphazard attacks on innocent settlements have made them unpopular.
The Eastern part of the plane is usually referred to as the Coast, though the name is given to any land east of the frontier. The Coast is split into three distinctive areas: the actual coastline, the center area (proper name maybe), and the western area known as the Flats. Together, these areas hold the vast majority of the plane's population and represent the most civilized parts of the plane.
The Coastline
Most of the known world exists between two coasts. Given the arid nature of the midlands and the distance to the west coast, the Eastern seaboard represents one of the only sources of blue mana available on the plane. Because of this, it has attracted intellectuals and mana-mages alike, and the Coastline has garnered a reputation as the technological heart of the plane.
Mana Mages
One of the things that separates this plane from others is its relationship with mana. Mana is an incredibly valuable resource here, which makes the management of it a very lucrative profession. Special Mana Mages are masters of manipulating mana, transforming it into a solid (or usually liquid) form for transportation and use. This is incredibly important for blue mana, which is abundant at the coast but absent most other places on the plane. Mana mages are hired by the Patriots and industrialists for mana shipping, but more intricate mages create small mana capsules for everyday use. They also create slugs that can be fired from handguns like bullets, allowing even non-mages to wield powerful magic.
The Flats
The westmost part of the Coast is called the Flats. The Flats, as their name suggests, are miles and miles of nearly flat plain land. Long ago, the Flats were used as farm land due to their rich soil and perfect farming conditions. During the industrial boom, industrialists and expansionists appealed to the government for rights to the land. Now, the Flats are dominated by huge factories.
The Three Cities
The Coast is home to many cities, but there are three that are by far the most iconic: The Porcelain City, the Brass City, and the Iron City.
The Porcelain City is one of the natural wonders of the world, as it floats on thin air miles above the ground. Said to be created by the anscestors of the Aven, it has since become the central Hub of Aven science and mythology. The Porcelain City also represents the only remaining sovereign city-state. Since the city is impossible to access by non-aven barring the use of air-ship, it has resisted capture. The Aven council is willing to cooperate with the Patriot government, but is wary of what seems like impending attack looming on the horizon.
The Brass City is the largest and most famous on the plane. The Brass City is the capital city of the plane and is home to the senate that acts as the central government of most of the civilized world. Nicknamed the Brass council, the senate makes decisions for almost everything. The Prime Minister (Proper Name) is simultaneously the most loved and hated man on the plane.
The Patriots
"Patriot" is the name given to anyone who's a supporter of the Brass council. Patriotism is centered mostly in the brass city and surrounding settlements, but support is fleeting the further west one travels. The Patriot movement is usually associated with city life, since the Brass Council is comprised mostly of city folk and make decisions accordingly. On the Coast, the name Patriot is used as a unifying movement, while out west it's a back-handed insult.
The final city, the Iron city, lies at the heart of the flats. The Iron city is the heart of industry and economy on the plane. To many, the Iron City represents the true seat of power on the plane, as everything relies on the economy it provides. Some say that every decision made by the Brass Council must be backed by the so-called "Iron Council", comprised of the most powerful business owners.
The Ancient Age
Like most ancient civilizations, society first started near the sea. There's little recorded history from this era, but what is known is that small towns and cities, comprised mostly of humans, inhabited the eastern seaboard. During this period, humans were considered to be the only sentient beings on the plane, with elves considered savages, and canids, the jackal-like people of the frontier; viashino, the rugged but colorful Gila monster race of the desert; and taurox, the proud bullfolk of the frontier, considered savage wild animals.
The First Era begins with the historical event known as the "First Coming". This was the first time in which the planeswalker ~ returned to Archester. Claiming he had seen fantastic inventions of far off worlds, he quickly became acclaimed as a prophet. On this first pilgrimage, ~ brought to his people the knowledge of metal working. This kick-started the technological advance of the human race, allowing them to make leaps and bounds in what would have normally taken thousands of years.
Determined to better the lives of his people and turn his plane from a backwards land into one of the grand technological designs he'd seen among the multiverse, ~ set off a second time to discover the secrets of the multiverse. He return several times over the next century, with tales of a great cities that stretched as far as the eye could see, arcane metal lands of calculation and riddles, and strange worlds where the people lived in giant mechanical spiders that clung to the metal ceiling that replaced the sky. The knowledge he brought to Archester propelled the plane into an iron-age industrial sprawl in a matter of decades.
Plans were drafted for a great brass city that would be the greatest feat of engineering the plane, nay the multiverse, had ever seen. This city would put Archester on planeswalkers' maps and it's technology would leave them enthralled. With construction started and his schemes in motion, ~ set off for the Blind Eternities once more, but this time he would not return for another hundred years.
In his absence, the people of Archester expanded, but also fell into disarray. Without a leader, tensions rose, but instead of turning against each other, the humans of Archester lashed out at the other races. The canids, elves, taurox, and viashino were driven further and further west.
As the Brass City was nearing half completion of it's base structures (it's never been completely finished--they're still working on it to this day), the Brass Council was formed in an event known as the "Unification." A central senate was created, uniting all of the east coast under one flag with representatives from all of the major regions. The members represented such a strong military force that it would have been suicide to refuse. The ancient seaside civilization of eastern elves were the only ones to resist, and although they fought against the technology of the Council with an effectiveness that has never been explained, they were defeated by the humans. The Brass City became the undeniable capital of the plane and is home to the senate that acts as the central government of most of the civilized world.
It wasn't until almost a century later when ~ returned again. This time, he brought with him the secrets of mana manipulation. With his knowledge, he was able to discover that on Archester, mana isn't the same physically-transcendent, pseudo-state ideal as mana of other planes. The mana there is like any other physical element, at least in form. Because of this, manabonds with the land are very hard to form, so, rather than gathering mana from the land on Archester in the mind, it is mined.
~ found that after mining the mana and melting it down while a special alchemical process, it could be mixing with certain metals to form mana-infused alloys. Metals infused with some types of mana were strong. Stronger than any metal ~ had encountered. Some were explosive. Some were healing to the touch. Some even seemed to exist in two slightly different places at once. Mana-infused metals, while crude, had their uses and quickly became the skeleton upon which Archester would grow.
~'s real discovery, however, was what happened when you took the process one step further. Mana that was heated to the point of boiling, would vaporize and form a sort of mana-steam. This mana-steam could be used to do just about anything you wanted and propelled Archester into an era of industry, as engineer and builders hurried to get their plans and calculations from paper to reality.
The westernmost part of the Brass Council's claim is called the Flats. The Flats, as their name suggests, are miles and miles of nearly flat plain land. Long ago, the Flats were used as farm land due to their rich soil and perfect farming conditions. During the industrial boom, industrialists and expansionists appealed to the government for rights to the land. Now, the Flats are dominated by huge manufactories that turn the planes mana into steam and then into progress.
It is among these manufactories of the Flats that the second large city of the east rose up--the Iron City. Its grimy gears and smoke-choked skies a stark contrast to the intricate contraptions and clean sophisticate atmosphere of the Brass City, the Iron city is the heart of industry and economy on Archester. To many, the Iron City represents the true seat of power on the plane, as everything relies on the economy it provides. Some say that every decision made by the Brass Council must be backed by the so-called "Iron Council," comprised of the most powerful business owners and "robber" barons.
Appearing tired from his travels, ~ recruited the greatest engineers from across the plane and disappeared. Less than a year later, a gigantic tower loomed on the distant western horizon, beyond the frontier mountains. This tower was decided to be ~'s personal dwelling and became known as the Spire. ~ hasn't been seen since. Some say he's been long gone, off to see new and exciting world. Others say he sits in his drawing room, resting from a life of adventures. Either way, he had made a lasting effect on his home.
It was around this time that the humans discovered the Porcelain City. Floating on thin air miles above the ocean, the Porcelain City is one of the last natural wonders of the world, as it the only phenomenon on the plane that can't be explained through known science. The spiritual aven had quietly observed the advancement and western expansion of the humans from their concealed city in the clouds. Once the humans had discovered the city however, they abandoned their silent observation and opened trade. Since the city is impossible to access by non-aven barring the use of skyship, it has resisted the Brass Council's attempts, both political and militaristic, to annex it into their "unified east."
With the boom of industry and artifice in the east, the nonhuman races of the Midlands had begun to advance into the lower stages of civilization and together with the human criminals and scum exiled from the eastern cities, they settled the desert. The largest of the Midland cities is called Kandor City. A rustic collection of wooden buildings on the desert wastes, Kandor City is the largest "fortifiable" defense against the outlaws and criminals of the Midlands for those who prefer a quieter, safer lifestyle. The exploits of the various outlaw gangs that fight for the Midlands are usually confined to the western settlements and are usually too small to do any serious damage to large cities, so the Brass Council has mostly turned a blind eye to the issue, leading to even more resentment from the settlers. Most outlaws act alone or in small groups, but there are a few large gangs.
West of the Midlands, those who have given up on society wander further into the frontier. There they find strange and complex clockwork animals that populate the deserts, forests, and mountains. Trudging west towards the mysterious mountain over which the plane's clockwork fauna seems to originate, many explorers have been known to start a well-funded scientific expedition with contraptions and terraforming out the boiler drain, but in their quests into the mysterious wilds, end up giving most of it away to other frontiersman or settlers and forgoing the thought of ever returning to civilization again, instead delving deeper into the frontier, living only off the fruit of the land and spare parts from the clockwork beasts that inhabit it. They're not adverse to the use of technology, in fact they find the geared terraforming of the industrialists somewhat useful, it not cheap (both financially and morally), and survive by using the parts of the clockwork animals they hunt, but they don't necessarily like it either, so they don't think twice before tossing it or giving it away in favor of a tool more mundane.
Every so often, a frontiersman deep into the wilds will encounter one of the elven artificer druids from over the mountains and have its wisdom bestowed upon him. Legend has it that these mysterious druids travel Archester winding-up the clockwork wildlife that they are said to have built themselves in their steamy rainforest home on the other side of the seemingly uncrossable frontier mountains.
Cyrus (Something) The Prophet of Archester
Andony Carnigig -- Known to everyone out of his earshot as "the Robber Baron," Andony Carnigig is a true champion of greed. Without a care for the land, or the rules of the Brass Council, he runs his manufactories with only profit in mind. His concern for the welfare of his living manufactory workers amounts to writing off all but the most essential of safety measures and he runs his automated assembly-workers with the absolute minimum maintenance possible. If the Brass Council and his competitors had their way, Carnigig would have been exiled to the Midlands years ago, but the fabled "Iron Council," of which he is said to lead, keeps the law far from his main concerns.
Chancellor Baylock -- Head of the Brass Council, Chancellor Baylock is both the most loved and most hated man on Archester. His decisions and leadership have made the east coast a pristine mechanical paradise of order and law, while turning the Midlands into a chaotic and lawless reminder of the high society's discrimination and fear.
Big Horn -- Big Horn is the wise taurox leader of his eponymous "gang," the Big Horns. Comprised of various canids, taurox, viashino, and even aven, the Big Horns may be small gang, but what they lack in numbers, they make up for in spirit. Big Horn and his gang fight to free the nonhuman races of Archester from the discrimination and ignorance of the Brass Council and its citizens. Big Horn is a big advocate of nonviolence and encourages his followers to use nonlethal tactics to reach their goals.
Cornilis Trent -- (Cornilis Trent was destined to lose his life to a mysterious Explosive Delivery, but last-minute formatting issue saved him. Who knows what he's been up to since? :D)
Elidaveth Tinkerdson -- Daughter of the late Abrahab Tinkerdson, Elidaveth Tinkerdson has surpassed her father's legacy as the most accomplished engineer in the Brass City. Having designed a plethora of contraptions, from the Chancellor's own steam-powered mobile-"throne" to the thundermuzzle firearms now used throughout the lawless Midlands, the Tinkerdson name is both cursed and revered across Archester.
Henrid Frod -- Henrid Frod is an Iron City industrialist and main sponsor of the development of the assembly line technique of mass production. Making extensive use of automated assembly-workers in his manufactories, Frod prides himself on the innovation and efficiency of his operations.
Isinaac Prachet -- Isinaac Prachet is a Brass City judge who has gained renown as the "Exiling Judge" by sentencing the vast majority of the convicted criminals that have appeared in his court to be exiled to the Midlands.
Jaxck Ripard -- Often discredited by the Brass Council as being little more than myth, Jaxck Ripard has avoided the reach of their law for years by conducting his twisted necrotech work in his secret lair among the undercity sewers. Having found the fresh corpses of young women to be highly preferable to the rotting corpses of the deceased, he hunts the streets of the Brass City by night, looking for victims to seduce, torture, and remake in his clockwork experiments.
Allester Marshall -- The most liked gang in the Midlands, the Marshalls, are led by Allester Marshall. Though technically an outlaw gang, many of the people who live in the midlands see Allester Marshall as a hero. Unlike the other gangs, the Marshalls only mobilize against the other gangs themselves and the presence of the Brass Council, which they see as more of a hindrance than a help. This has allowed the Marshalls to gain support across the Midlands, so while the Brass Council doesn't like acknowledging outlaws at all, they have from time to time negotiated with the Marshalls to avoid catastrophe.
Kertus Urap -- One of the most well-known names around Kandor City is that of Kertus Urap, owner and proprietor of Kertus' Saloon. As bartender, Kertus and his "business partner abroad," Alin Burback, know everything that happens from the walls of the Iron City to the edges of the frontier.
Captian Piar Moragand -- A skyship privateer in the service of the Brass Council, Captain Moragand's need for control (especially of the possessions of others) not only got him into trouble with the law, but also got him out of it. Trading his sentence of exile to the Midlands for the service of his skyship and crew to the Brass Council. Working above the law to rebuff the Midland outlaws, his life of piracy and theft changed only in that he now plunders in the name of "Our Beloved Chancellor."
Rodfred Wenroth -- Rodfred Wenroth is an Iron City manufactory owner and is rumored to be on the fabled "Iron Council."
Tecksa Rend -- The largest gang by far, the Mavericks are also the most dangerous. The Mavericks steal just to steal, kill just to kill, and cause general chaos just to cause general chaos. Prowling the Midlands in disaster-waked bands, they make sure the civilians get caught in the crossfire of their battles with the Brass Council and the Marshalls. Although there is no universally recognized leader of all the Maverick gangs, Tecksa Rend is easily the most notorious. Her most famous act was a heist in which she and her band robbed an entire train of mana-infused gold.
Terent Livinton -- Ex-Flats farmer
Thomasston Arell -- Thomasston Arell has held a seat on the Brass Council since he was old enough to be elected (appointed?), a feat unrivaled by any other council member.
Tulia Kriston -- Brass City steamstress (Anybody got any ideas for what a "steamstress" is?)
Willar Waston -- Despite his fun-loving, jolly demeanor, Willar Waston knows a thing or two about survival. When he's not wrestling a clockwork ursine in the wilds, or trading some of his few possessions to struggling frontier settlers for maps to lead him deeper into the wilderness, he can be found downing pint after pint at one of various saloons scattered across the Midlands and recruiting others to join him on his expeditions with exaggerated stories of his adventures.
This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move."
Comic Book Set
Archester: Frontier of Steam (A steampunk set!)
A Good Place to Start Designing
Lyzolda, the Blood Witch | Maga, Traitor to Mortals | Mayael the Anima | Rafiq of the Many | Rhys the Redeemed
Sasaya, Oorochi Ascendant | Sygg, River Cutthroat | Thada Adel, Acquisitor | Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre
So, what should be our first topic of discussion? I have a couple of ideas but I'll open it up to everyone first.
This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move."
Comic Book Set
Archester: Frontier of Steam (A steampunk set!)
A Good Place to Start Designing
I say we should decide who we want for protagonist and who we want to be our antagonist. Carnegig is an obvious choice here, though Tecksa Rend is also viable. We could have a planeswalker manipulating all these groups, maybe with the plan to make a memnarch-esque planeswalker making device through some puppetry.
protaganists could be Willar Waston, Piar Moragand, Allester Marshall, or even Jaxk Ripard.
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Edit:
I see Allester Marshall as our protagonist. His desire for the freedom of his people from the Brass city seems like a compelling narrative to me.
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what do we want the guy to be really? if we name him 'Charles' and he's a planeswalking oni, that's not gonna work. I'm assuming he's some kinda machine loving oracle type, so something that's blue, but other than that? no idea.
an Aven or angel would be pretty sweet.
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I always saw the Prophet as a human in any case, definately blue and maybe white. (he could also be part green becuase it was him and his artificers in the spire that invented the Clockwork creatures and tought the western elves how to care for them, but that green part must have been a later additon to his character.)
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Marshall wants liberty and freedom for all, but he's still technically an outlaw. As you'd expect form a red character, he can also be quick to act and won't really accept anything beyond his own demands (even though those demands are just). He's not as "red" as Big Horn who is much more violent in his approach, but he's still not just a straight up "hero"
Baylock is a full on utilitarian. If using resources on those in the midlands means that the majority of citizens (the ones who live in cities) are screwed, he can't justify doing so. Baylock is not a bad guy, but he's in a bad situation.
I'm not sure what other characters we're really looking at here since i really only wrote those two, the rest are BLC's i think. Anyway, the point is i don't want this set to ever be a good guy-bad guy thing. Our story should focus on all sorts of these different characters and their dilemas.
EDIT: Also, the prophet is definitely a human, and most likely blue white. I still like the name Ezekiel, though i've been told that's the name of a real prophet so that may not be the right choice.
This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move."
Comic Book Set
Archester: Frontier of Steam (A steampunk set!)
A Good Place to Start Designing
Victor Magnus
Random name generators FTW! (Victor does sound awesome though.)
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Cube. The best way to play Magic. PERIOD. Come over and check it out. Also, check out my Peasant Split Card Cube.
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This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move."
Comic Book Set
Archester: Frontier of Steam (A steampunk set!)
A Good Place to Start Designing
Sig by Rivenor
Cube. The best way to play Magic. PERIOD. Come over and check it out. Also, check out my Peasant Split Card Cube.
The World of Pokemon RPG has been rebooted. Come over and check it out.
Set Creation Projects: Archester: Frontier of Steam Come over and check out our AWESOME Steampunk set.
(W/U)(U/R)(R/W)(W/U)(U/R)(R/W)(W/U)(U/R)(R/W)(W/U)(U/R)(R/W)(W/U)(U/R)(R/W)(W/U)(U/R)(R/W)(W/U)(U/R)(R/W)(W/U)(U/R)(R/W)(W/U)(U/R)(R/W)(W/U)(U/R)(R/W)(W/U)(U/R)(R/W)(W/U)(U/R)(R/W)(W/U)
This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move."
Comic Book Set
Archester: Frontier of Steam (A steampunk set!)
A Good Place to Start Designing
Sig by Rivenor
Cube. The best way to play Magic. PERIOD. Come over and check it out. Also, check out my Peasant Split Card Cube.
The World of Pokemon RPG has been rebooted. Come over and check it out.
Set Creation Projects: Archester: Frontier of Steam Come over and check out our AWESOME Steampunk set.
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UW, maybe with G?
now that'd be a cool planeswalker, UWG artificer. UW makes more sense though, mechanically, unless he is all about artifact creatures, which could feel kinda green if you do it right.
Home plane- Archester? What worlds did he visit? Mirrodin? Esper? Dominaria? Phyrexia? What motivates him? Why does he keep coming back?
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Home plane should be Archester. Esper was implied with PW guide and Mirrodin with the Sword. I would like for him to have visted Mercadia (for Airship Designs) for sure. Phyrexia and Ravinca (and to an extent Mirrodin) are a problem though. Phyrexia wasn't around when Mirrodin was, but he could have been there before it was nuked and Ravinca was sealed for 10k years preventing Planar travel so that's completely off limits.
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Set Creation Projects: Archester: Frontier of Steam Come over and check out our AWESOME Steampunk set.
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The problem with Cornilis is that, well his name sounds a lot like a random throw-away name (because it is!) I don't mean to be a stick in the mud, but I really do want to get this name right.
This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move."
Comic Book Set
Archester: Frontier of Steam (A steampunk set!)
A Good Place to Start Designing
Making it a young plane means no Phyrexia, though.
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I suppose we could give him a 3 part name.
Cornilis Trent Tinkerdson? that'd be a twist...
Cornilis Trent Marshall would also be a twist.
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This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move."
Comic Book Set
Archester: Frontier of Steam (A steampunk set!)
A Good Place to Start Designing
Sig by Rivenor
Cube. The best way to play Magic. PERIOD. Come over and check it out. Also, check out my Peasant Split Card Cube.
The World of Pokemon RPG has been rebooted. Come over and check it out.
Set Creation Projects: Archester: Frontier of Steam Come over and check out our AWESOME Steampunk set.
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Alright, how about this: The Prophet is a new walker. I'm going with this because i don't like having to deal with the mending and the story I feel works just as well without it.
We know that the Archestrian dark ages exist as a hundred year span in which the prophet was absent. When the prophet returns, however, he seems to have aged only a few years. While some see this as a sign of his true "prophet-ness" (heightening his god-like "Wizard of Oz" status) the Prophet only thought he was gone a few years, and is dismayed at how things have changed and the friends he has lost. This is when he begins to study the Archestrian Slip (which i just named right now because it sounds cool.)
The Archestrian Slip is a glitch in the blind eternities. The slip causes time within archester to move at a much faster pace than much of the known multiverse. Seconds on another plane could take days on Archester. Not only that, but traveling through the slip itself can also cause a time shift. Not only do off-plane journeys take more time in archestrian years, but potentially hundreds of even thousands of years could be lost just going back through the slip. The prophet got lucky this time, but he's wary of leaving his plane again. (The slip is also the reason why Archester has never been explored by other walkers: archester had only actually existed for a few off-plane hours or days when the prophet got his spark.)
This is disturbing news. Not only does it mean that the Prophet cannot keep up with his own plane if he keeps leaving, but also that his home world is on a short clock. The Prophet is a thirst-for-knowledge kind of guy, and he knows that planes have been destroyed by mistreatment. While time seems to move quickly, the laws of the multiverse bind the plane itself to the same laws as everyone else. Translation: the Archestrians are stripping the world clean of its mana faster than it can produce it.
The Prophet is scared to leave his home again. Though he knows he must find a solution to this problem, he can't risk walking through the slip again, less he lose another hundred or thousand years and archester is destroyed right under his nose. To prevent this, the Prophet constructs his greatest invention; the Spire.
The Prophet's spire is basically a temporal tether. Thanks to planeswalker magic, the spire is aetherically connected to the multiverse. So long as the prophet remains inside the spire, time will move "normally" for him while the rest of archester speeds around him. Of course, something like the spire doesn't run on electricity; the spire only functions while the prophet is inside of it, which means he's trapped within his creation.
You may be thinking: "Why would he do this? Doesn't slowing down his own clock compared to Archester effectively give him less time to solve the problem?" Technically yes, but the spire has one other use. The Prophet can contact other planes through the spire. While he cannot physically leave, allies and drones he had planted on other planes allow him to continue his research. The Prophet knows he can't solve this problem on his own, and he knows he can't find the solution on archester, so he must continue is search for answers, and to him going back through the slip is too risky.
This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move."
Comic Book Set
Archester: Frontier of Steam (A steampunk set!)
A Good Place to Start Designing
As for contacting other planes, i'm pretty sure that most planeswalker's can't do this anyhow. This is why they need a central meeting hub (Ravnica) to run their organization; beyond physically planeswalking you can't send information between planes, which makes the spire special in that regard. (You can summon creatures i guess, but you still have to be on the plane to do it.)
I like the idea of him discovering other worlds that died in similar situations. However, I don't like the idea of him being put in "stasis" for a couple of reasons.
First of all, I do want him to age. He shouldn't be ancient, but he should be visibly older (think early 20s pre-spire to mid 40s or so). This plays into them theme of disillusionment. As the situation gets worse on archester, on the verge of war, people start looking to the spire as their one hope, some even going so far as to put offerings at it's base praying that the prophet will emerge to save them all. In a way, he will, but it should be a "man behind the curtain" reveal. Sure, he's incredibly powerful, but he's not the same invincible, god-like figure that everyone thinks he is.
This plays into another theme of failure or disappointment. The prophet is a planeswalker! he was able to bring all of this great technology to his world. He alone is responsible for basically everything that exists on his plane today. He feels like he should be able to save everyone, but the longer he searches the more he begins to think that he can't. His exile to the spire is not required of him, it's not programed into the spire, he is choosing to remain there until he can find a "cure" for his world, a problem which he feels responsible for.
On top of that, I wanted him to have more of a feeling of helplessness. As much as he wants to leave the spire and help his people, he knows the only way to save them is by staying inside. At the same time, searching other planes through the spire is a long, tedious process with diminishing returns. He watches as the plane around him starts to deteriorate. He, the Prophet of archester, cannot do anything to stop it's death.
Basically, I like having him be conscious in the spire because I want to see him struggle. I want him to watch as the mess he created spirals out of control, and feel like there's nothing he can do about it. I want to see him driven almost to the point of insanity. He's not a prophet, he's a person, and I want to see him suffer so his glorious return means all that much more.
This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move."
Comic Book Set
Archester: Frontier of Steam (A steampunk set!)
A Good Place to Start Designing
Hm... that could work. As long as he's not in a permanent stasis, the idea of him projecting himself into a different plane works just fine for me. Maybe his card could make a temporary legendary creature token in his name. Unlike gideon who jumps into the fray himself, this guy projects an image of himself.
Projecting himself is a good way to visually represent him researching on other planes, and it also lets him travel on archester too. (He can't physically leave, so he uses a ghostly form to keep tabs on the events of the plane.) I like it.
This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move."
Comic Book Set
Archester: Frontier of Steam (A steampunk set!)
A Good Place to Start Designing
Could be all three. I think we should definitely have walkers; archester has reached a point now that other walkers would have discovered it. Some are may be here by chance, others perhaps looking to discover the secrets of the slip themselves. I remember I had a few walker concepts when the set first started that I could dredge up.
If I recall, there were two main ones; a flamekin and a treefolk. The flamekin was, as you might expect, an impulsive hot head that basically ran free around the multiverse doing whatever he pleased (usually burning something.) The other was a treefolk, who's home was destroyed by the flamekin. (For reference, the flamekin is from lorwyn, the treefolk is not) Anyway, the two basically played cat and mouse around the multiverse eventually ending up on archester. While the flamekin basically just wandered around, the treefolk (being all nature-y) is a bit appalled by the lack of nature on archester. Determined to help this dying plane, he gives up his chase temporarily to investigate. Luckily, a group of druids find him first and clue him in before he starts any commotion (as you can imagine, there are no treefolk on archester...)
The reason I liked these two characters are that their cards are very unique. We're used to seeing walkers that cost 4 or 5 and are what I like to think of as "mid-range" walkers. When I designed these two (which I'll post when i find them) I wanted to make them very different. The flameking costs 3 and has no plus abilities, but can deal significant damage very quickly. The treefolk on the other hand was a very slow but very powerful walker, less so than Karn or Bolas but more than what we're used to seeing.
EDIT: These two are basically pet cards/characters for me. They're not essential to the archester plot and I have no trouble not using them.
EDIT 2: Actually, I lied, the flamekin costs 4. What a pity. anyway, here are the cards for reference. again, you can take these guys or leave 'em, I don't really mind.
Zzak the Quick 2RR
Planeswalker - Zzak
[-2]: Put a 3/1 red Elemental creature token with haste onto the battlefield. Exile it at the beginning of the next end step.
[-3]: ~ deals 3 damage divided as you choose among any number of target creatures and or players.
[0]: Sacrifice ~. Put a legendary 7/1 red Elemental creature token with haste and trample named Zzak Enraged onto the battlefield.
{7}
Dandyn, Oaken Preserver 4GG
Planeswalker - Dandyn
[+3]: Search your library for up to two Forest cards and put them onto the battlefield tapped.
[0]: Target Forest becomes a 0/3 Treefolk creature. It's still a land.
[-2]: Put 2 +1/+1 counters on each Treefolk and each Forest you control.
{5}
This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move."
Comic Book Set
Archester: Frontier of Steam (A steampunk set!)
A Good Place to Start Designing
*I like the idea of a quicker flowing plane.
*I'm not 100% attached to the "OHS NOS! The plane's gon'a DIE! idea.
*Not really feeling the Treefolk and the Flamekin
*I guess interplanar telaprojection is ok. You might want to go ask the Storyline gurus if that might be possible.
*I believe one of the PWs we were disscussing was a Grimlin-toting Fiery Redhead Anarchist.
I'll be back when I have time for a more indepth disscussion.
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