Blast! Pain radiated from Nilt's right hand. At a glance it seemed a minor burn, but it still stung something fierce.
Grevax had, luckily, warded himself from the fires. The crook on the ground, was clearly in disorienting pain, but not completely disabled. How to... ! He'd nearly forgotten about them in his rear pocket: a simple pair of handcuffs from his escape routine ealier.
Iron Cuffs2
Artifact (U)
You may choose not to untap ~, during your untap step. 2,t: Tap target creature with power 3 or less. It doesn't untap during its controller's untap step for as long as ~ remains tapped. "You're coming with us, we've got questions." - Nilt
A swift maneuver later and the ruffian's hand were bound behind him. He knew this wouldn't keep him from casting spells, but hopefully the concussion he had just inflicted would prevent him from focusing enough for spellcraft for a while. Nilt extends a hand down to Grevax and hoists him to his feet. "Help me move this oaf back to the main tent, maybe we can get some answers from him."
Grevax grabbed Nilt's extended hand, allowing him to help Grevax get back on his feet. He thanked him sincerely for his help, then turned to the bandit. "I think we can get him to talk." he murmured. Though Grevax had not been through a herculean ordeal, he felt... different. He couldn't quite put his finger on it yet, but he knew that the truth he had been hiding from his whole life was beginning to come undone.
They dragged the bandit back to the tent. The bandit snarled insults at the two, but his threats were ignored. Eventually he fell silent, eyes glaring at the two; eyes filled with anger but also a tinge of fear and uncertainty at his fate. They took him to the cages from the earlier performance and locked him inside. Grevax grabbed a wooden chair and set it outside of the cage. "Tell me everything you know" he stated. The bandit glared at him through the metal bars, but his gaze was the only message he was going to send. Grevax grabbed the bars and shook the cage, mirroring how the earlier events had shaken his mind's cage as well. "ANSWER ME!" he shouted. Grevax's anger blinded him for now, masking the fear he felt from the attack. He joined the circus to escape the fears he had felt all his life, yet they still managed to follow him. The bandit's eyes grew hard as granite as his brow furrowed and his eyes narrowed. He was the one locked in the cage, yet the circus freak was the one losing control? A small smile touched his lips. Grevax was infuriated. He reached deep inside to cast a spell on the thug, yet blue mana wasn't the only kind he found...
Grevax, the Haunted MirrorUB
Legendary Creature — Human Wizard [R]
Skulk 1UU: Return Grevax, the Haunted Mirror to its owner's hand, then create a token that's a copy of it. 1B: Target creature token gains deathtouch until end of turn.
2/2
(Experience Points post-level up: 1)
Unending Nightmare1B
Enchantment — Aura [U]
Enchant creature
Whenever enchanted creature becomes tapped, its controller loses 2 life. U: Tap enchanted creature. Some nightmares cannot be awoken from.
The rough ride combined with the blow to her lower arm made Shalin dizzy. Byakko herself seemed fine, if a bit tired from the sprint. As much as she wanted to finish chasing that cart down now, she couldn't in her current state. With just the two bandits pushing the overfilled cart, they couldn't get far on their own. Slumping in her harness, Shalin figured the best way to stop the bandits from escaping with their supplies would be to immobilize the cart. Thankfully, being close to the edge of town meant there was some small vegetation present close to the cart. She could use that to her advantage. "Normally I only use this to harness myself to beasts with a little more buck than I can handle," Shalin thought as her good hand glowed a faint green. Byakko growled. "Worst case, this at least buys us some time." The vegetation surrounding the cart seemed to root itself into the cart's axles, with the intent to keep the cart immobile while minimizing damage to it.
Blanket of Vines2G
Enchantment - Aura {U}
Enchant noncreature permanent
When Blanket of Vines enters the battlefield, tap enchanted permanent.
Enchanted permanent's activated abilities can't be activated unless they're mana abilities. If enchanted permanent isn't a land, it doesn't untap during its controller's untap step.
Brackorl, the Burnished ThroatRW
Legendary Creature - Kor Rogue (R)
Noncombat damage is dealt to Brackorl, the Burnished Throat in the form of Brackorl getting +0/+2 until end of turn and you gaining 1 life for each 1 damage dealt. 3, T: Brackorl deals damage equal to the number of Equipment you control to target creature. "It's not too hard of a gig - just leaves a man wanting a drink."
1/2
Experience Points: 3
"Bastards are on the run! We can drive them off the carts if we can catch up!" Brackorl knows what to do with a rout, especially when he's got backup who are fresh to the fight and hungry for more, in spite of the Kor's own injuries. He spurs on Rolan and Nozeer to separate the cart thieves from the pack and scare them off.
Hot Pursuit1RW
Sorcery (U)
Creatures you control gain haste, first strike, and seize until end of turn. (Creatures with seize must be blocked if able.)
Your Card: I get what this is doing. It's a cheaper Creeping Mold. EDIT: I misunderstood the card the first time I reviewed it, and it's better than I gave it credit for. It works against all activated abilities, making it really good against planeswalkers, and giving it the ability to hit a lot of random cards. This is hate, and hate can only go so far, but it's a lot more versatile than I realized at first. Also, I wasn't aware that Shalin had any plant powers. Just because you are a mage who uses green mana doesn't mean you can do everything green can do. If you've got a bit of plant magic, that's okay, just don't keep adding new abilities.
Result: You find your hurt arm not entirely mobile at the moment, making it a bit harder to weave your spells. Several bandits run past you with their arms full. You cast your spell, and the plants indeed begin to enwrap the wheels. Domm (the horse) is already frustrated by the weight of the cart, and becomes only more so. Unfortunately, just as you think it's working, you hear one of the pushing bandits shout "Gimme a hand!" Within half a minute, three more bandits have joined in to push the cart. Their combined strength is enough to gradually push through the plants, but it's slow going. The cart is just past the entrance to the city now, and it seems they've grown wise to your tricks. One of them begins hacking at the vines. You see another one looking at you and speaking, as if saying "It's her, let's kill her." The others seem to respond that that is not part of the plan. They push through the vines with great difficulty. You could still catch up with them, but even if you did, there are a lot more of them than there are you. You could hold the spell, but you can't hold them forever. The bandits are pouring out of the city like rats clinging to chairs, barrels, bags of food, and whatever else they can carry. You see one man running out of the city with three live, and quite unruly chickens in his arms. The cart is still in your sight, and none of the bandits seem as interested in you as in getting out of danger. You could probably follow them if you wanted, but it's not like you and Byakko really blend in. If a few of your friends were here, surely they could help, but they are far behind you, no doubt dealing with the other cart.
Card #1-Incapacitate: This is a pretty generic name for a pretty generic card. It's Zap with a bit of Renegade Tactics thrown in. There's nothing wrong with this card, but it's not particularly inspiring. I'd bump it down to common. I would play this card in limited, and it would pull its weight, but it's nothing special.
Card #2-Dash Forward: I'm not crazy about the card name, but I like the card. I feel like haste is a very logical upside to give to a blink spell, yet to my knowledge, no blink spell grants it. In the decks that want this, this is a good card. In other decks, it's meh, which is a fine place to be. I wouldn't be shocked if there was an infinity combo or two off this card, which is fine, as long as the combo isn't broken. This is a relatively innocuous card, but it's an interesting one.
Result: Bravely, the kids stand and leave the tent, seeing bandits all over running towards the town exits. Your tent is closer to the southern exit, so that's where most of the bandits are going, including the ones pushing the cart. You don't see where one of the carts is, but one is being pushed by two-- no now it's three bandits, one of them aven. Usi (impulsive as ever) throws a small firebolt at one, a large lady, hitting her in the leg. She stumbles and falls, and Tanair warp-rushes to the cart. The other two bandits are confused by the seeming impossibility of the movements. Tanair attempts to turn the cart back, but underestimates the heft of the cart. By himself he can barely push it. The aven bandit squawks menacingly at Tanair, and the other bandit grabs a juggling pin off the cart, and brandishes it at him. As if these thugs could catch a master teleportationist. Meanwhile, the stunned bandit stands, and makes to charge at Usi. She is about 50 years old, but is over six feet tall, and looks like she could snap the little goblin's spine like it was straw. The idea that her impulsiveness may get her and Tanair killed flashes through Usi's mind. Suddenly, she hears three familiar voices roaring towards her: Brackorl and the strongmen come blazing in like hellkites.
Your Card: Presumably the intention here is for Seize to be introduced to evergreen status. I don't have any strong feelings on that, except that I'm not sure that it's necessary to keyword something like that. Adding keywords can save space on cards, and create useful shortcuts, but it increases the barrier to entry as it's just one more piece of jargon for new players to learn. On to the card. This card reads well when you think about the best case scenario, but there will be a lot of situations where they can arrange their blocks around this pretty well. Joraga Invocation is the most similar card to this in form, although this is clearly weaker. This will play somewhat like a tiny overrun, but since it grants no power boost, it will never be a finishing blow. Seize (as you've deemed it) has been done mostly in green, but some red, so I guess this isn't entirely out of pie, but if feels a bit off color. I'm still trying to figure out whether or not this card will pull its weight. It's certainly conditionally powerful, but I don't really know how well it would play.
Result: The barricades are closer to the northern city entrance, so to get to your carts, you have to get back to the tent first. No problem, these soldiers have this part of the city under control. The bandits in combat have begun fleeing in earnest, and a group that was cut off has surrendered. You glance back at the man who would seem to be their leader, but he is gone. The flag remains. Leaving the soldiers to pursue the retreat, you grab Rolan and Nozeer and direct them back toward the cart. At a run, you get back to the tent in under a minute, but are somewhat winded. To your relief, one of the unbroken carts is still in sight. "Is that the goblin girlie?! Damn fool'll be torn to shreds!" Rolan is already charging before he's finished the first sentence. Nozeer looks at you, and you both follow suit. The three of you charge towards the cart, and the tall woman immediately turns tail, and books it towards the southern exit. Noticing her reaction, the two bandits at Tanair turn to you. The human screams, and turns to run, and the aven takes off into the air. The five of you (you, Tanair and Usi, and the strongmen) recapture the cart, and return it to the tent.
Your Card: This is a lovely card. I truly applaud your design for a new, cheap, white removal spell. Unfortunately, it's overpowered simply because it hits lands. It works on turn one at instant speed to destroy their one land until they get three more. That is just too much grief to give. I say tack "nonland" onto this, and it's not only a good card, it's a great card that would be tested everywhere. I'm not sure where it would land, but I really like it, and I feel like the design has some serious potential. I also like the way it gets better in multiples. But, you lose serious points, because it is broken as written. Hitting land is just too powerful in the early game.
Result: Pion is happy to be back in his cage. He still has feathers in his mane as you lock the door. He looks up at you almost lovingly with a glob of aven blood dripping down his chin. You step back out again. It's clear enough what's going on: the bandits were using hit and run tactics. They hit the town, and took everything they could before it had time to put up a proper defense, and now they are simply trying to get out with what they can carry. They are mostly moving toward the southern exit. You notice quickly that you don't need to be that subtle. None of them seem interested in attacking you. You follow their direction, and make your way toward the southern exit. It looks like the bandits are generally headed east after they exit town. Some are resorting to climbing the walls to get there more directly. There is a large house on fire, and it looks to be spreading to another building. You see a number of citizens attempting to fight the fire. Depending on what Shalin wishes to do, you may meet her as you approach the exit. By the time you get there, the cart that she was after will be some ways on, so if she pursues it, you won't meet her there, but you'll probably be able to spot the lady on the tiger.
Your Card: This is cool. It's like Fires of Yavimaya met Asceticism. There are so many things you can do with this. This doesn't give you an army, but it protects an army really well. Suddenly a few creatures on your board can do any number of maneuvers and survive. I was always surprised how well Goblin Chirurgeon played, and this hits similar marks. Hexproof is just a fantastic fallback, and ends up countering a spell in most games, often after this has already generated some advantage for you. You don't even have to activate this card's abilities to make it work for you. Just having it sit there will force your opponents to make bad decisions. I've got nothing bad to say about this card. Well done. It's kind of a shame that what your doing is resting and recovering, since you can't succeed that dramatically at that.
Result: The damn goblin runs off with his lion. He never seems to stop moving. Your clones dissipate, as you don't need to maintain such a strenuous spell. However it will be difficult to get back to the tent in your state. Luckily, Guzlo comes right back out of the tent. Does he notice you? No, he's on some mission again, like always. But luckily Olrine (the deaf half-orc) pops her head out after him, perhaps trying to tell him not to go. She looks over and sees you, and runs to bring you back to the tent. You can tell she is terrified, but she gets you back safely. Once inside, everything seems to fall into place for you. Olrine sets you down next to the other wounded folk. Kit seems to have been busy making a makeshift clinic, and she happily sets your legs again. You look back at your feet, and find them in working order almost immediately. Nevertheless, you are very drained from your exploits.
Your Card: I love utility lands, and this definitely delivers. This does so many things, and you can always just gain life if you've got nothing better to do. And if you've got no creatures, this still taps for mana, so it's really never that dead. This has hints of Springjack Pasture and Trading Post, and just does so much. I think it would have to be rare just because it has so much utility. This might be too good, just because lands are free, but I don't think it would be. There may be just a bit too much text to fit on this card, but I think it's alright. Maybe cut the "prevent 2 damage" option because it's kinda redundant next to regeneration. Cutting one of the three abilities also pokes this towards being more printable. I really like this card.
Result: What's to say? You tend to people's wounds, and do it well. It's mostly cuts and bruises. Nobody seems more seriously hurt than Rimney. You run out of bandages pretty quickly, but you can make due. There is finally a bit of silence. "It's over." Lugario says, and there is a collective sigh of relief.
Your Card: This compares to Amber Prison and Deserter's Quarters quite favorably in terms of the cost, but limiting to small creatures is a pretty hefty drawback, as it misses the ones you really need gone. Aysen Bureaucrats always worked well enough, but it doesn't save you when you need it. But repeatable removal is not something to be done lightly, especially at uncommon, and I think this does it right. I think this settles right on the boarder of being too pushed design-wise, but when I think about it in-game, I realize that it doesn't do anything overpowered. It's a logical next step for Trip Noose, and I think it would go right into a limited environment and enrich it. Bonus points for how much sense it makes for you to have these.
Result: All that you described comes to pass. You take the man into the tent. Grevax takes control of him as Kit looks to your hand. You look over to Grevax. He seems almost unhinged as he interrogates the man. He's locked the pyromancer in a cage, and is yelling angrily at him. The bandit doesn't seem interested in talking to him. You think perhaps you could do a better job of it than he could. The thug almost smiles as Grevax rails at him. You move towards the cage, and see Grevax do something--odd. His eyes go dark, and he casts a spell of some kind. The bandit goes limp, and falls to the floor of the cage. His eyes bulge and bloodshoot, and his mouth contracts into an expression of terror.
Your Avatar: Haha. I've been waiting to see evil Grevax. You've changed several features of the card, but kept the spirit, which is nice. I don't see anything wrong with the balance or flavor.
Your Card: I just know some kid is going to think you can win by machine-gunning them with blue mana even if the creature is already tapped, and be super angry when someone corrects them. Still, I like this card. It's got elements of Pooling Venom and Lust For War, and kills them all while keeping their creature down, much like One Thousand Lashes. You have to pay for it every turn like Burden of Guilt, but unlike Stab Wound, it leaves the creature around to keep your damage going. It's astonishing how quickly 2 life a turn becomes lethal with cards like this.
Result: All that you describe comes to pass (also, see Nilt's above entry). You cast your spell without really thinking about the result. You were angry, and you wanted him to hurt. "What are you--?" Begins Lugario. You suddenly realize that everyone is looking at you. The bandit snaps out of your nightmare as you relax your grip.
"GHLLA-Hhkehhka. Uuhhg." He wipes drool from his whiskers, and tries to shake himself back to reality. "I'm s-s-sorry! I'll tell it! I'm s-sorr- I'll tell."
Wow, nice work this time. I don't know if you guys are just getting better at playing to my tastes, or if you guys are getting better at balancing, but it looks like you're hitting a stride. Great work across the board. Everybody gets an experience point.
It is Wednesday night (or Thursday morning if you are getting technical) where I am. I will attempt to post again Sunday Night. I play a books-and-paper RPG on Saturday night, so I'll not do it then.
Next: I believe the next post will also be the end of Act 1. There will be either two or three acts, depending on how the rhythm goes, but I'm thinking two. Shalin and Guzlo are still outside of the tent interacting with the madness, so they may experience time a little differently than the rest of you. Those two should continue as if the battle was still active if choosing to pursue the cart, or follow the bandits. For those of you in the tent, you can relax. Stuff is okay for now. You should post what you plan to do for the next few hours rather than the next few minutes. The main upshot seems to be that one of the carts was stolen, one was broken, two of the horses are lost (one comes back to the tent shortly), and several random items are gone. The cart that was stolen contained the kitchen and food supplies, so that will make everyone's life harder (Kit's especially). Most of the supplies for the animals and tools for performance are okay, though a lot of the day-to-day needs were on the lost cart. There's money in the moneybox, but not near enough to pay for the losses. Lugario seems distraught.
Baryhl Deathdodger2UB Legendary Creature - Aetherborn Rogue
When Baryhl Deathdodger enters the battlefield, each player loses 1 life for each time it has entered the battlefield this turn.
If Baryhl Deathdodger would die, exile it instead then return it to the battlefield under its owner's control. "Sometimes... I wish the curse would just let me die, but until then..."
3/2
The Darting Tanair2UR
Legendary Creature - Vedalken Wizard (R)
Flash
When The Darting Tanair enters the battlefield, create a red 3/1 Goblin creature token with haste named Usi. 2UR, Sacrifice Usi: Exile Tanair, then return it to the battlefield under your control.
1/3
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
My thoughts are with the friends and family of the Orlando Shooting victims and with the rest of the LGBTQA+ community.
Check out my Newborder Peasant Cube here! http://www.cubetutor.com/draft/37467
Necarg, please don't acknowledge this in any way whatsoever.
True Name Mafia (Win),Clan Contest IX Mafia (Win), Bravely Default Mafia (Loss), BOTAS (loss), BfV (Loss), Ace Attourney (loss)
Rules Advisor before they were eradicated
"I'm done dying meaningless deaths. I'm going after the Dragon."
The Hunt 2bg
Enchantment [rare]
Whenever a creature enters the battlefield under your control, you may put a quest counter on The Hunt.
Remove five quest counters from The Hunt and sacrifice it: Each creature you control fights target creature. You may choose new targets for each creature.
Nilt sits on a crate whilst Kit dabbed his hand with ointment. He is dumbfounded. Things have gone badly, not as badly as they could've... but only just. Was this his fault? Had his suggestion to fight led here? No, well partially no he reasoned. If they had just hunkered down in the big tent, they'd be even further up the creek; no carts at all. Still had they done enough to garner the trust of the townsfolk? Would they help the crew in return? He was mostly caught up, trying to keep his cohorts alive, but he was sure some of the townsfolk has been saved in part due to the circus. Or might they blame them for attracting the scoundrels in the first place? Was this, the end?
No. No it was not. Lugario's Circus would not end here. This wasn't just a smattering of acts and performances. This was Lugario's Circus! The only glimpse many in this world would ever have of cultures and ideas outside their own cloistered lives! And most of all, these people weren't just some ragtag assortment of weirdos, magicians, and rogues. They... they were his family. Yes, they were. The people whom he fled too after being shunned by his own blood, the people who welcomed him even before he proved he had anything to add to the circus, the people who didn't turn up thier noses at his eccentricities or stupid ideas or occasional ignorance or mishap. And he was damned if he was going to fail them now.
Hardened Resolve(G/W)
Instant (C)
Untap target creature. It gains indestructible until end of turn. "We may be down, but we're not out."
Grevax agreed with Nilt's desires to carry on. "We must reclaim what is ours!" he said. "Let our dreams and aspirations not go up in smoke. We don't want the bandits to win. We should track down the lost cart, and make those bandits pay for what they had taken."
Brackorl, the Burnished ThroatRW
Legendary Creature - Kor Rogue (R)
Noncombat damage is dealt to Brackorl, the Burnished Throat in the form of Brackorl getting +0/+2 until end of turn and you gaining 1 life for each 1 damage dealt. 3, T: Brackorl deals damage equal to the number of Equipment you control to target creature. "It's not too hard of a gig - just leaves a man wanting a drink."
1/2
Experience Points: 4
That was more action than Brackorl had seen in a long time, and he's hurting. The adrenaline is wearing off and his wounds need to heal. He bandages himself as best he can with a torn-off strip of his shirt and slumps down into a semiconscious haze, weary and saddened but safe.
Absolute ReposeWW
Instant (U)
Exile target creature, then return it to the battlefield under its owner's control. It gains hexproof and indestructible until end of turn.
Ky'thnel, Sweets Vendor UG
Legendary Creature - Elf
T: Untap target creature.
1/3
"A little treat to keep you going!"
Minor wound: Bruised shoulder
Exp: 4
The elf listened in, heading over to their boss as things settled down. They were down on supplies, and the bandits most likely went off with them if the chatter among the others were right. "I don't think I can join you guys on the count that you'll be out trying to get whatever they took off back, and I'd be as useful as a piece of paper in a sword fight. But I can try to scrounge up whatever is left around here or in the nearby areas to help grab some supplies from the nearby woods. And... Well, I could need some help."
Call for Volunteers3(W/G)
Sorcery
You and your teammates may put a creature with power of 2 or less from his or her hand onto the battlefield. The call for unity is stronger in the face of adversity.
Your Avatar: This is a logical step, and I think hitting all players is cool, but it turns the thing that mitigates the broken-ness of the card into an upside. Now there's nothing to stop you from using something like Carrion Feeder to infinitely re-sacrifice Baryhl and just win as long as your life is a few points higher than your opponent, which several sacrificeoutlets coincidentally help with. Since there are so many free sacrifice outlets, the combo is insanely easy to assemble, breaking Baryhl. You need to modify it somehow to make it not broken. My suggestion would be "When Baryhl Deathdodger enters the battlefield, each player loses 1 life for each time it has entered the battlefield this turn. If this would reduce an opponent to less than 1 life, it reduces that player's life to 1 instead." That way, it's still ridiculous with tons of random abilities, but requires you to have another piece to just go off. That's just one of any number of ways to fix it.
Your Card: The wording on this is a bit confusing, and would have to be smoothed out, but I'm not all that worried about that. In terms of flavor and balance, I like this card a lot. It feels very much like your party is saddling up for a great hunt. Considering how long it takes to get Beastmaster Ascension going, I'd say you could reduce the cost. I could even see charging 2G for it. Token decks can get this going quickly, but most decks are going to have difficulty getting five ETB triggers after playing a do-nothing enchantment. I do see the synergy between this and your avatar, and I enjoy that.
Your Avatar: I like this a lot. This was a clever direction to go, and I see nothing wrong with flavor, or balance.
Your Card: It's a pretty basic combat trick to save your creature, and maybe ambush with a block. There's nothing wrong with this card, but it's not very exciting either.
Your Card: Lovely. This closes one of the gaps that blinks have always had. That mana cost is a bit nasty, and limits where this card can go, but I think the balance is correct. There's not much to say about this. It's a simple but elegant upside to a basic ability.
Your Card: This is pretty cool. I don't think there's anything too broken you can get with this, and it does that wonderful thing of being good in a two-player game, but great in multiplayer. It's interesting that white gets access to this, but it's not out of color pie. As far as I can see, the best things to get with this are things like Hornet Queen, but there may be a perfect target hiding out there.
Note: I understand that your will is not to jump into the maw of evil dragons, but for the sake of keeping the party together, and the storyline moving, it is definitely best to send all the player characters on the same mission. If we were playing tabletop, I'd let you do whatever, but there's some necessary railroading involved in this Frankenstein's Monster of a game we have going here. I do apologize for railroading you, but I think otherwise we'll end up with a split party for the remainder of the game, which is bad for everyone.
No experience points right now. It's the calm between storms. Results are below.
Next update will probably come on Wednesday.
ACT II
After the raid, the streets settle to an uneasy calm. But, it isn't long before the people of Jemni are out of their hiding holes and back to activity. The sounds of bustling fill the streets as people clamor to fix the recent destruction. Broken windows are boarded up. Doors are rehung. Frightened animals are chased down. Fires are quenched. At the center of the activity is Lugario's circus, taking down the tent, loading supplies on the recaptured cart, and working to fix the broken one. You lost a lot in the raid, but you're still alive. Adalia argues that it is fool-hearty to dive into the mouth of some dragon, and that you could work for the food and supplies to get to the next destination. Several of you make impassioned arguments in favor of chasing down the cart, and plucking it out of the dragon's greedy claws if necessary. After a bit of debating, resting, and packing, it is decided that a group of battle-capable people will go in pursuit of the stolen cart. Guzlo and Shalin are able to report about where it was headed. A larger group of noncombatants will remain outside of Jemni for five days awaiting the return of the others. After that time, the party will be presumed dead. Baryhl is the first to volunteer, followed by Nilt and Grevax. In the end, it is decided that all of the player characters plus Nozeer, Rolan, and Imini will go. Kit doesn't wish to go, and instead wants to gather medical supplies in the woods, but everyone talks over her, insisting that they need someone who can heal a bit. "You can gather supplies on the way!" Says Nozeer, as if that made it any different.
When asked about the dragon, Grevax's prisoner will tell you "He's a great nightmare dragon. Horrifying! Like nothing you've seen. He wants everything. Everything! I imagine he'll want to get his hands on your little circus when he hears." He mutters a lot under his breath, but when pressed, he does tell you the location of the dragon's current encampment. "It's an old, broken down temple from the Old Empire. He's turned it into his personal palace. It's about a day's walk to the east along the Torin River. He's got soldiers everywhere, though. He's been bringing us from all over."
You set off. Discuss plans, and supplies you wish to bring. Next you can post either a card that describes your preparation and journey, or one that describes your suggested strategy for infiltrating or storming the camp.
The idea of Shalin having to fight again both excited her and scared her. It was a side of her that she hadn't shown since her trip here. Plus, she was completely unarmed. It did bring back memories of her and her four friends fighting almost every matter of foe native to her home plane - angels drawn to the dark side, titanic beasts, hordes of undead...even a dragon. With the help of her friends, she had trained one of the volcanic hellscape's dragons to fight alongside them. Dragons were large and strong animals, but they were still just animals - what a thrill it would be to fly upon one herself!
Trailblaze1GG
Sorcery {U}
Reveal the top five cards of your library. You may put a land card from among them onto the battlefield tapped. Put any number of other permanent cards revealed this way on top of your library in any order and the rest on the bottom in any order.
Well now, we have a goal, a nigh suicidal goal, but a goal none the less, thought Nilt. He returned to his section of the bunking tent to gather a traveling bag. "Dragons", he thought. What he;d heard about their capabilities varied wildly. I mean how would one even study a dragon? The only outcomes from contact with one are subjugation, death, or subjugation THEN death. The only real through-line for all the panicked accounts of them were their greed and vanity. Maybe they could use that against this one? As he packed extra cloths, a smattering of carving knives (basically sharpened juggling props) and sundry other things. A small furry animal crept into view.
Chipper, Curious Companion1G
Legendary Creature - Squirrel (R)
Flash U: Return ~ to its owner's hand.
2/1
OOC: I know Chipper's card is unremarkable, but he's a barely trained squirrel what do you expect?
"OH! Hello Chipper." Nilt chirped. "I suppose you were hiding during today's... events." "Well guess what, after being assaulted by a bunch of ruffians, we decided we're going after their boss; a Dragon. Yes, that's right, the fire breathing, swallow-you-whole, living devastation kind."
Chipper promptly jumps into Nilt's pack and sits there.
"No Chipper. This is dangerous, suicidal dangerous. You're not coming, shoo,"
Chipper remained still.
"Chipper really." Nilt picks up his companion and puts him aside, "You have to stay here."
Chipper's eyes narrow, and appears to raise a single eyebrow.
"Yeah, actually I just realized, this is stupid. I have no way of actually restraining you, or preventing you from leaving the circus after me."
Chipper clambers up Nilt's thin frame and perches on his shoulder.
"Well I guess, if this ends poorly we die together."
Ky'thnel, Sweets Vendor UG
Legendary Creature - Elf
T: Untap target creature.
1/3
"A little treat to keep you going!"
Minor wound: Bruised shoulder
Exp: 4
"I can't believe you guys are dragging me into this." Kit mumbles to herself. But then, they'd need someone to help patch them up. Heading over to the carts that remained... and whatever was left. She could piece together a few medical supplies with what was left.
First Aid Kit3
Artifact
~ enters the battlefield with three medicine counters on it. 2t Remove a medicine counter on ~:
Choose one:
• Regenrate Target creature.
• Remove a -1/-1 counter on a creature you control.
• Remove a poison counter on you.
Brackorl, the Burnished ThroatRW
Legendary Creature - Kor Rogue (R)
Noncombat damage is dealt to Brackorl, the Burnished Throat in the form of Brackorl getting +0/+2 until end of turn and you gaining 1 life for each 1 damage dealt. 3, T: Brackorl deals damage equal to the number of Equipment you control to target creature. "It's not too hard of a gig - just leaves a man wanting a drink."
1/2
Experience Points: 4
After shaking off and stretching, Brackorl says nothing. He just cracks his neck and prepares himself mentally for what will be - essentially - another war. He can't address anyone right now; readying himself is going to take everything he has.
Grueling PreparationRWB
Enchantment - Aura (R)
Enchant creature
When Grueling Preparation enters the battlefield, you may pay X life. If you do, put X +1/+1 counters on enchanted creature if its toughness is X or greater.
Enchanted creature gets +1/+1 and has menace. A fighter's might comes through torture, his glory through terror.
Your Cards: Detailed Report- This is pretty weak. The knowledge helps, but you don't get to reorder their library, and it costs a ton of mana to see much. I think adding "put them back in any order" would make this card playable, and not overpowered. As is, it's barely okay, costing double blue and asking for more for what usually amounts to a cantrip with minor upside.
Lion King Scor- The power/ toughness is missing, which is pretty important on an undercosted creature. This probably lands around 4/3. If this was real, everyone would get one with altered art from the Lion King. The damage prevention is odd, and I don't think it needs to be as odd as it is. This goes on your list of undercosted cards with downsides. This one has a softer downside than giving your opponent a creature. Attacking with several creatures, you're probably safe, and even at worst, you have a 50/50 chance of not dealing damage to their bigger creatures, often when Scor wouldn't be able to kill them anyway. This is unnecessarily complicated, and has the feel of some wacky cards of ages past. There was a day when Brassclaw Orcs was good, and this reminds me of that a lot. Putting most of the Guzlo cards together, you could definitely make a R/W weenie aggro deck that could race insanely well, but could be blown out by tricks.
Note: You have some distance to travel before you'll get to the bandits' camp. How do you intend on transporting your lions there? You could take one of the two remaining carts to carry the cages, but losing carts is what got you all into this mess. Scor is more mild mannered, so maybe you could walk him on a chain, but certainly not Pion. Perhaps Shalin could help to calm them for travel. Please clarify.
Your Card: Lovely. This reminds me more of Treasure Hunt than anything else. This is a pretty basic take on green card selection, with an interesting twist in that no cards ever go into your hand. It will really suck to whiff on hitting a land with this, but your odds are pretty good, and if you're really desperate for the land, you can dump all five cards, and dig for one. My one complaint is that I don't like when mana fixing cards cost double green, but the balance is pretty delicate on this.
Your Squirrel: You're right, this is pretty basic. It is also pretty good, working quite well with things like Intruder Alarm. I think the design is correct, but the card does fail to have a legendary feel. One solution would be to throw in some unnecessary complication. Random example: "when ~ enters the battlefield, you may reveal 5 forest cards from your hand. If you do, do something extra cool". Another option would be to simply call it Curious Companion or something, and have it be Chipper the squirrel, but not have a legendary creature.
Your Card: This card is pricey with that activation cost. Clearly it's intended for a block including poison, and in such a set, it could be very useful, but it seems like it should either cost less to activate (I'd charge 1,) or not have finite counters. The finite counters make great flavor sense, so I think cutting the cost is preferable. It feels like I've seen a lot of regeneration cards lately. It's worth noting that there are other ways to represent medical care (then again this card does it three different ways).
Your Card: There definitely needs to be a ceiling on the number of +1/+1 counters you can get, and life you can pay, but the way it's worded is pretty awkward. It seems a bit weak at first glance, but cards like this can often turn out to be deceptively powerful. The main subtlety here is that you can always pay any amount of life, making this work well with things like Near-Death Experience or Death's Shadow. This might even have some sort of application in a four color Doran type deck, but if you're using this card fairly, you're probably using it wrong. This card is odd looking, but I think it is surprisingly printable, and surprisingly good for random fringe strategies.
An experience point to Shalin and to Brackorl.
Group Results: You set off, some reluctantly, and some with hardened resolve. You follow where Shalin and Guzlo saw the bandits traveling, and walk for some time. Here and there you see discarded items that proved not to be worth the trouble of carrying. You come to the Torin River, as the prisoner said you would, and follow it east for several miles. It's been a long day, and you are all starting to tire as the light starts to fade. Suddenly, you are all struck with the glorious aroma of roasting meat. As you come a group of rock formations, you can see the ruins of an enormous temple and what was once a bustling settlement. It is now covered in shoddy tents and sleeping mats, and full of people eating, talking, and laughing. You see the source of the smell is a series of spits on which large chunks of meat are roasting. A closer look reveals they are butchered horses taken in the raid. The merriment and carousal you may expect after so lucrative a raid is muted. You also notice that the raiders themselves don't seem to have kept any of their ill-gotten gains. You see the fruits of the raid spilling out of the temple's gates, with carts, chariots, and carriages surrounding it. From here, you can't tell which cart is yours. The dome at the top of the temple has collapsed inward presumably making an entrance for the dragon. You can see lights emanating from within. Here's a basic sketch of the situation:
The day I knew would arrive is here: we've gone an entire update without any responses. That means it's time to kill the thread.
All in all, I'm happy with how it went. We got from beginning to end on one major event, with only minor inconsistencies. This game format is a wacky amalgam, and it requires a lot of constant attention from several people in order to function, so the loss of momentum is a natural occurrence, and not to be bemoaned.
If a few of you put up a case against ending the thread, I'd be open to it, but if it's beating a dead horse, it isn't necessary. I've learned a lot about the format, and I'm sure myself or someone else will run another RPG like this down the line.
One task remains of each of you: you must write an epilogue for your character. Since the mission to retrieve the cart remains unfinished, I'll let you determine how it went for your character in the epilogue, although there are some things about the camp and the dragon that you never learned (there's a planeswalker involved). In all likelihood, some of you lost your nerve, and fled back to Jemni, while others were captured and forced to perform for the dragon indefinitely. Or perhaps you managed to sneak the cart out using some clever distraction and great stealth. Either way, tell me what happened to your character. Did you return to the circus? Did you move on to greater things? Did you die in the camp? You should also post a final version of your character avatar. I wish experience points had been more useful, but I don't guess there's much to do with them now.
I feel really bad, honestly. You made a real effort to see this thing out to its conclusion... planning a definite finish and everything, like a real pen-and-paper RPG campaign... and we still let you down. I guess I've lost a lot of my will to design custom cards lately. I thought this would be a compelling reason for me to design again. Apparently I was wrong. I'm sorry.
Maybe we could just take a hiatus? This seems like a good place to end Season 1. If we all come back to this in, say, a month, I'm sure we could have a renewed start. Don't D&D groups do this often?
Maybe we could just take a hiatus? This seems like a good place to end Season 1. If we all come back to this in, say, a month, I'm sure we could have a renewed start. Don't D&D groups do this often?
I second this. A mid-season break would probably do everyone good.
Legendary Creature - Elf Druid Rogue
(G/U): Untap ~.
GU: Return ~ from the battlefield or exile to its owner's hand.
1/4
Wound - Right hand, minor burn
Makeshift Bludgeon 3
Artifact - Equipment (C)
Improvise
Equipped creature gets +2/+1.
Equip 2
Blast! Pain radiated from Nilt's right hand. At a glance it seemed a minor burn, but it still stung something fierce.
Grevax had, luckily, warded himself from the fires. The crook on the ground, was clearly in disorienting pain, but not completely disabled. How to... ! He'd nearly forgotten about them in his rear pocket: a simple pair of handcuffs from his escape routine ealier.
Iron Cuffs 2
Artifact (U)
You may choose not to untap ~, during your untap step.
2,t: Tap target creature with power 3 or less. It doesn't untap during its controller's untap step for as long as ~ remains tapped.
"You're coming with us, we've got questions." - Nilt
A swift maneuver later and the ruffian's hand were bound behind him. He knew this wouldn't keep him from casting spells, but hopefully the concussion he had just inflicted would prevent him from focusing enough for spellcraft for a while. Nilt extends a hand down to Grevax and hoists him to his feet. "Help me move this oaf back to the main tent, maybe we can get some answers from him."
They dragged the bandit back to the tent. The bandit snarled insults at the two, but his threats were ignored. Eventually he fell silent, eyes glaring at the two; eyes filled with anger but also a tinge of fear and uncertainty at his fate. They took him to the cages from the earlier performance and locked him inside. Grevax grabbed a wooden chair and set it outside of the cage. "Tell me everything you know" he stated. The bandit glared at him through the metal bars, but his gaze was the only message he was going to send. Grevax grabbed the bars and shook the cage, mirroring how the earlier events had shaken his mind's cage as well. "ANSWER ME!" he shouted. Grevax's anger blinded him for now, masking the fear he felt from the attack. He joined the circus to escape the fears he had felt all his life, yet they still managed to follow him. The bandit's eyes grew hard as granite as his brow furrowed and his eyes narrowed. He was the one locked in the cage, yet the circus freak was the one losing control? A small smile touched his lips. Grevax was infuriated. He reached deep inside to cast a spell on the thug, yet blue mana wasn't the only kind he found...
Grevax, the Haunted Mirror UB
Legendary Creature — Human Wizard [R]
Skulk
1UU: Return Grevax, the Haunted Mirror to its owner's hand, then create a token that's a copy of it.
1B: Target creature token gains deathtouch until end of turn.
2/2
(Experience Points post-level up: 1)
Unending Nightmare 1B
Enchantment — Aura [U]
Enchant creature
Whenever enchanted creature becomes tapped, its controller loses 2 life.
U: Tap enchanted creature.
Some nightmares cannot be awoken from.
Blanket of Vines 2G
Enchantment - Aura {U}
Enchant noncreature permanent
When Blanket of Vines enters the battlefield, tap enchanted permanent.
Enchanted permanent's activated abilities can't be activated unless they're mana abilities. If enchanted permanent isn't a land, it doesn't untap during its controller's untap step.
Emille, Seven-Sting Dancer Shalin Nariya
Brackorl, the Burnished Throat RW
Legendary Creature - Kor Rogue (R)
Noncombat damage is dealt to Brackorl, the Burnished Throat in the form of Brackorl getting +0/+2 until end of turn and you gaining 1 life for each 1 damage dealt.
3, T: Brackorl deals damage equal to the number of Equipment you control to target creature.
"It's not too hard of a gig - just leaves a man wanting a drink."
1/2
Experience Points: 3
Hot Pursuit 1RW
Sorcery (U)
Creatures you control gain haste, first strike, and seize until end of turn. (Creatures with seize must be blocked if able.)
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝
Result: You find your hurt arm not entirely mobile at the moment, making it a bit harder to weave your spells. Several bandits run past you with their arms full. You cast your spell, and the plants indeed begin to enwrap the wheels. Domm (the horse) is already frustrated by the weight of the cart, and becomes only more so. Unfortunately, just as you think it's working, you hear one of the pushing bandits shout "Gimme a hand!" Within half a minute, three more bandits have joined in to push the cart. Their combined strength is enough to gradually push through the plants, but it's slow going. The cart is just past the entrance to the city now, and it seems they've grown wise to your tricks. One of them begins hacking at the vines. You see another one looking at you and speaking, as if saying "It's her, let's kill her." The others seem to respond that that is not part of the plan. They push through the vines with great difficulty. You could still catch up with them, but even if you did, there are a lot more of them than there are you. You could hold the spell, but you can't hold them forever. The bandits are pouring out of the city like rats clinging to chairs, barrels, bags of food, and whatever else they can carry. You see one man running out of the city with three live, and quite unruly chickens in his arms. The cart is still in your sight, and none of the bandits seem as interested in you as in getting out of danger. You could probably follow them if you wanted, but it's not like you and Byakko really blend in. If a few of your friends were here, surely they could help, but they are far behind you, no doubt dealing with the other cart.
Card #2-Dash Forward: I'm not crazy about the card name, but I like the card. I feel like haste is a very logical upside to give to a blink spell, yet to my knowledge, no blink spell grants it. In the decks that want this, this is a good card. In other decks, it's meh, which is a fine place to be. I wouldn't be shocked if there was an infinity combo or two off this card, which is fine, as long as the combo isn't broken. This is a relatively innocuous card, but it's an interesting one.
Result: Bravely, the kids stand and leave the tent, seeing bandits all over running towards the town exits. Your tent is closer to the southern exit, so that's where most of the bandits are going, including the ones pushing the cart. You don't see where one of the carts is, but one is being pushed by two-- no now it's three bandits, one of them aven. Usi (impulsive as ever) throws a small firebolt at one, a large lady, hitting her in the leg. She stumbles and falls, and Tanair warp-rushes to the cart. The other two bandits are confused by the seeming impossibility of the movements. Tanair attempts to turn the cart back, but underestimates the heft of the cart. By himself he can barely push it. The aven bandit squawks menacingly at Tanair, and the other bandit grabs a juggling pin off the cart, and brandishes it at him. As if these thugs could catch a master teleportationist. Meanwhile, the stunned bandit stands, and makes to charge at Usi. She is about 50 years old, but is over six feet tall, and looks like she could snap the little goblin's spine like it was straw. The idea that her impulsiveness may get her and Tanair killed flashes through Usi's mind. Suddenly, she hears three familiar voices roaring towards her: Brackorl and the strongmen come blazing in like hellkites.
Result: The barricades are closer to the northern city entrance, so to get to your carts, you have to get back to the tent first. No problem, these soldiers have this part of the city under control. The bandits in combat have begun fleeing in earnest, and a group that was cut off has surrendered. You glance back at the man who would seem to be their leader, but he is gone. The flag remains. Leaving the soldiers to pursue the retreat, you grab Rolan and Nozeer and direct them back toward the cart. At a run, you get back to the tent in under a minute, but are somewhat winded. To your relief, one of the unbroken carts is still in sight. "Is that the goblin girlie?! Damn fool'll be torn to shreds!" Rolan is already charging before he's finished the first sentence. Nozeer looks at you, and you both follow suit. The three of you charge towards the cart, and the tall woman immediately turns tail, and books it towards the southern exit. Noticing her reaction, the two bandits at Tanair turn to you. The human screams, and turns to run, and the aven takes off into the air. The five of you (you, Tanair and Usi, and the strongmen) recapture the cart, and return it to the tent.
Result: Pion is happy to be back in his cage. He still has feathers in his mane as you lock the door. He looks up at you almost lovingly with a glob of aven blood dripping down his chin. You step back out again. It's clear enough what's going on: the bandits were using hit and run tactics. They hit the town, and took everything they could before it had time to put up a proper defense, and now they are simply trying to get out with what they can carry. They are mostly moving toward the southern exit. You notice quickly that you don't need to be that subtle. None of them seem interested in attacking you. You follow their direction, and make your way toward the southern exit. It looks like the bandits are generally headed east after they exit town. Some are resorting to climbing the walls to get there more directly. There is a large house on fire, and it looks to be spreading to another building. You see a number of citizens attempting to fight the fire. Depending on what Shalin wishes to do, you may meet her as you approach the exit. By the time you get there, the cart that she was after will be some ways on, so if she pursues it, you won't meet her there, but you'll probably be able to spot the lady on the tiger.
Result: The damn goblin runs off with his lion. He never seems to stop moving. Your clones dissipate, as you don't need to maintain such a strenuous spell. However it will be difficult to get back to the tent in your state. Luckily, Guzlo comes right back out of the tent. Does he notice you? No, he's on some mission again, like always. But luckily Olrine (the deaf half-orc) pops her head out after him, perhaps trying to tell him not to go. She looks over and sees you, and runs to bring you back to the tent. You can tell she is terrified, but she gets you back safely. Once inside, everything seems to fall into place for you. Olrine sets you down next to the other wounded folk. Kit seems to have been busy making a makeshift clinic, and she happily sets your legs again. You look back at your feet, and find them in working order almost immediately. Nevertheless, you are very drained from your exploits.
Result: What's to say? You tend to people's wounds, and do it well. It's mostly cuts and bruises. Nobody seems more seriously hurt than Rimney. You run out of bandages pretty quickly, but you can make due. There is finally a bit of silence. "It's over." Lugario says, and there is a collective sigh of relief.
Result: All that you described comes to pass. You take the man into the tent. Grevax takes control of him as Kit looks to your hand. You look over to Grevax. He seems almost unhinged as he interrogates the man. He's locked the pyromancer in a cage, and is yelling angrily at him. The bandit doesn't seem interested in talking to him. You think perhaps you could do a better job of it than he could. The thug almost smiles as Grevax rails at him. You move towards the cage, and see Grevax do something--odd. His eyes go dark, and he casts a spell of some kind. The bandit goes limp, and falls to the floor of the cage. His eyes bulge and bloodshoot, and his mouth contracts into an expression of terror.
Your Card: I just know some kid is going to think you can win by machine-gunning them with blue mana even if the creature is already tapped, and be super angry when someone corrects them. Still, I like this card. It's got elements of Pooling Venom and Lust For War, and kills them all while keeping their creature down, much like One Thousand Lashes. You have to pay for it every turn like Burden of Guilt, but unlike Stab Wound, it leaves the creature around to keep your damage going. It's astonishing how quickly 2 life a turn becomes lethal with cards like this.
Result: All that you describe comes to pass (also, see Nilt's above entry). You cast your spell without really thinking about the result. You were angry, and you wanted him to hurt. "What are you--?" Begins Lugario. You suddenly realize that everyone is looking at you. The bandit snaps out of your nightmare as you relax your grip.
"GHLLA-Hhkehhka. Uuhhg." He wipes drool from his whiskers, and tries to shake himself back to reality. "I'm s-s-sorry! I'll tell it! I'm s-sorr- I'll tell."
Wow, nice work this time. I don't know if you guys are just getting better at playing to my tastes, or if you guys are getting better at balancing, but it looks like you're hitting a stride. Great work across the board. Everybody gets an experience point.
It is Wednesday night (or Thursday morning if you are getting technical) where I am. I will attempt to post again Sunday Night. I play a books-and-paper RPG on Saturday night, so I'll not do it then.
Next: I believe the next post will also be the end of Act 1. There will be either two or three acts, depending on how the rhythm goes, but I'm thinking two. Shalin and Guzlo are still outside of the tent interacting with the madness, so they may experience time a little differently than the rest of you. Those two should continue as if the battle was still active if choosing to pursue the cart, or follow the bandits. For those of you in the tent, you can relax. Stuff is okay for now. You should post what you plan to do for the next few hours rather than the next few minutes. The main upshot seems to be that one of the carts was stolen, one was broken, two of the horses are lost (one comes back to the tent shortly), and several random items are gone. The cart that was stolen contained the kitchen and food supplies, so that will make everyone's life harder (Kit's especially). Most of the supplies for the animals and tools for performance are okay, though a lot of the day-to-day needs were on the lost cart. There's money in the moneybox, but not near enough to pay for the losses. Lugario seems distraught.
Low-power cube enthusiast!
My 1570 card cube (no longer updated)
My 415 Peasant+ Artifact and Enchantment Cube
Ever-Expanding "Just throw it in" cube.
Baryhl Deathdodger 2UB
Legendary Creature - Aetherborn Rogue
When Baryhl Deathdodger enters the battlefield, each player loses 1 life for each time it has entered the battlefield this turn.
If Baryhl Deathdodger would die, exile it instead then return it to the battlefield under its owner's control.
"Sometimes... I wish the curse would just let me die, but until then..."
3/2
The Darting Tanair 2UR
Legendary Creature - Vedalken Wizard (R)
Flash
When The Darting Tanair enters the battlefield, create a red 3/1 Goblin creature token with haste named Usi.
2UR, Sacrifice Usi: Exile Tanair, then return it to the battlefield under your control.
1/3
Check out my Newborder Peasant Cube here! http://www.cubetutor.com/draft/37467
True Name Mafia (Win),Clan Contest IX Mafia (Win), Bravely Default Mafia (Loss), BOTAS (loss), BfV (Loss), Ace Attourney (loss)
Rules Advisor before they were eradicated
The Hunt 2bg
Enchantment [rare]
Whenever a creature enters the battlefield under your control, you may put a quest counter on The Hunt.
Remove five quest counters from The Hunt and sacrifice it: Each creature you control fights target creature. You may choose new targets for each creature.
Pardon the formatting. I'm mobile
Legendary Creature - Elf Druid Rogue
(G/U): Untap ~.
GU: Return ~ from the battlefield or exile to its owner's hand.
1/4
Wound - Right hand, minor burn
Makeshift Bludgeon 3
Artifact - Equipment (C)
Improvise
Equipped creature gets +2/+1.
Equip 2
EXP:1
Nilt sits on a crate whilst Kit dabbed his hand with ointment. He is dumbfounded. Things have gone badly, not as badly as they could've... but only just. Was this his fault? Had his suggestion to fight led here? No, well partially no he reasoned. If they had just hunkered down in the big tent, they'd be even further up the creek; no carts at all. Still had they done enough to garner the trust of the townsfolk? Would they help the crew in return? He was mostly caught up, trying to keep his cohorts alive, but he was sure some of the townsfolk has been saved in part due to the circus. Or might they blame them for attracting the scoundrels in the first place? Was this, the end?
No. No it was not. Lugario's Circus would not end here. This wasn't just a smattering of acts and performances. This was Lugario's Circus! The only glimpse many in this world would ever have of cultures and ideas outside their own cloistered lives! And most of all, these people weren't just some ragtag assortment of weirdos, magicians, and rogues. They... they were his family. Yes, they were. The people whom he fled too after being shunned by his own blood, the people who welcomed him even before he proved he had anything to add to the circus, the people who didn't turn up thier noses at his eccentricities or stupid ideas or occasional ignorance or mishap. And he was damned if he was going to fail them now.
Hardened Resolve (G/W)
Instant (C)
Untap target creature. It gains indestructible until end of turn.
"We may be down, but we're not out."
Brackorl, the Burnished Throat RW
Legendary Creature - Kor Rogue (R)
Noncombat damage is dealt to Brackorl, the Burnished Throat in the form of Brackorl getting +0/+2 until end of turn and you gaining 1 life for each 1 damage dealt.
3, T: Brackorl deals damage equal to the number of Equipment you control to target creature.
"It's not too hard of a gig - just leaves a man wanting a drink."
1/2
Experience Points: 4
Absolute Repose WW
Instant (U)
Exile target creature, then return it to the battlefield under its owner's control. It gains hexproof and indestructible until end of turn.
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝
Ky'thnel, Sweets Vendor UG
Legendary Creature - Elf
T: Untap target creature.
1/3
"A little treat to keep you going!"
Minor wound: Bruised shoulder
Exp: 4
The elf listened in, heading over to their boss as things settled down. They were down on supplies, and the bandits most likely went off with them if the chatter among the others were right. "I don't think I can join you guys on the count that you'll be out trying to get whatever they took off back, and I'd be as useful as a piece of paper in a sword fight. But I can try to scrounge up whatever is left around here or in the nearby areas to help grab some supplies from the nearby woods. And... Well, I could need some help."
Call for Volunteers 3(W/G)
Sorcery
You and your teammates may put a creature with power of 2 or less from his or her hand onto the battlefield.
The call for unity is stronger in the face of adversity.
Sasky for the Sig.
I am in your [PACK]. Watching you... do... something.
Your Card: The wording on this is a bit confusing, and would have to be smoothed out, but I'm not all that worried about that. In terms of flavor and balance, I like this card a lot. It feels very much like your party is saddling up for a great hunt. Considering how long it takes to get Beastmaster Ascension going, I'd say you could reduce the cost. I could even see charging 2G for it. Token decks can get this going quickly, but most decks are going to have difficulty getting five ETB triggers after playing a do-nothing enchantment. I do see the synergy between this and your avatar, and I enjoy that.
Note: I understand that your will is not to jump into the maw of evil dragons, but for the sake of keeping the party together, and the storyline moving, it is definitely best to send all the player characters on the same mission. If we were playing tabletop, I'd let you do whatever, but there's some necessary railroading involved in this Frankenstein's Monster of a game we have going here. I do apologize for railroading you, but I think otherwise we'll end up with a split party for the remainder of the game, which is bad for everyone.
Next update will probably come on Wednesday.
ACT II
After the raid, the streets settle to an uneasy calm. But, it isn't long before the people of Jemni are out of their hiding holes and back to activity. The sounds of bustling fill the streets as people clamor to fix the recent destruction. Broken windows are boarded up. Doors are rehung. Frightened animals are chased down. Fires are quenched. At the center of the activity is Lugario's circus, taking down the tent, loading supplies on the recaptured cart, and working to fix the broken one. You lost a lot in the raid, but you're still alive. Adalia argues that it is fool-hearty to dive into the mouth of some dragon, and that you could work for the food and supplies to get to the next destination. Several of you make impassioned arguments in favor of chasing down the cart, and plucking it out of the dragon's greedy claws if necessary. After a bit of debating, resting, and packing, it is decided that a group of battle-capable people will go in pursuit of the stolen cart. Guzlo and Shalin are able to report about where it was headed. A larger group of noncombatants will remain outside of Jemni for five days awaiting the return of the others. After that time, the party will be presumed dead. Baryhl is the first to volunteer, followed by Nilt and Grevax. In the end, it is decided that all of the player characters plus Nozeer, Rolan, and Imini will go. Kit doesn't wish to go, and instead wants to gather medical supplies in the woods, but everyone talks over her, insisting that they need someone who can heal a bit. "You can gather supplies on the way!" Says Nozeer, as if that made it any different.
When asked about the dragon, Grevax's prisoner will tell you "He's a great nightmare dragon. Horrifying! Like nothing you've seen. He wants everything. Everything! I imagine he'll want to get his hands on your little circus when he hears." He mutters a lot under his breath, but when pressed, he does tell you the location of the dragon's current encampment. "It's an old, broken down temple from the Old Empire. He's turned it into his personal palace. It's about a day's walk to the east along the Torin River. He's got soldiers everywhere, though. He's been bringing us from all over."
You set off. Discuss plans, and supplies you wish to bring. Next you can post either a card that describes your preparation and journey, or one that describes your suggested strategy for infiltrating or storming the camp.
Low-power cube enthusiast!
My 1570 card cube (no longer updated)
My 415 Peasant+ Artifact and Enchantment Cube
Ever-Expanding "Just throw it in" cube.
Sasky for the Sig.
I am in your [PACK]. Watching you... do... something.
Trailblaze 1GG
Sorcery {U}
Reveal the top five cards of your library. You may put a land card from among them onto the battlefield tapped. Put any number of other permanent cards revealed this way on top of your library in any order and the rest on the bottom in any order.
Emille, Seven-Sting Dancer Shalin Nariya
Legendary Creature - Elf Druid Rogue
(G/U): Untap ~.
GU: Return ~ from the battlefield or exile to its owner's hand.
1/4
Makeshift Bludgeon 3
Artifact - Equipment (C)
Improvise
Equipped creature gets +2/+1.
Equip 2
EXP:1
Well now, we have a goal, a nigh suicidal goal, but a goal none the less, thought Nilt. He returned to his section of the bunking tent to gather a traveling bag. "Dragons", he thought. What he;d heard about their capabilities varied wildly. I mean how would one even study a dragon? The only outcomes from contact with one are subjugation, death, or subjugation THEN death. The only real through-line for all the panicked accounts of them were their greed and vanity. Maybe they could use that against this one? As he packed extra cloths, a smattering of carving knives (basically sharpened juggling props) and sundry other things. A small furry animal crept into view.
Chipper, Curious Companion 1G
Legendary Creature - Squirrel (R)
Flash
U: Return ~ to its owner's hand.
2/1
OOC: I know Chipper's card is unremarkable, but he's a barely trained squirrel what do you expect?
"OH! Hello Chipper." Nilt chirped. "I suppose you were hiding during today's... events." "Well guess what, after being assaulted by a bunch of ruffians, we decided we're going after their boss; a Dragon. Yes, that's right, the fire breathing, swallow-you-whole, living devastation kind."
Chipper promptly jumps into Nilt's pack and sits there.
"No Chipper. This is dangerous, suicidal dangerous. You're not coming, shoo,"
Chipper remained still.
"Chipper really." Nilt picks up his companion and puts him aside, "You have to stay here."
Chipper's eyes narrow, and appears to raise a single eyebrow.
"Yeah, actually I just realized, this is stupid. I have no way of actually restraining you, or preventing you from leaving the circus after me."
Chipper clambers up Nilt's thin frame and perches on his shoulder.
"Well I guess, if this ends poorly we die together."
Low-power cube enthusiast!
My 1570 card cube (no longer updated)
My 415 Peasant+ Artifact and Enchantment Cube
Ever-Expanding "Just throw it in" cube.
Ky'thnel, Sweets Vendor UG
Legendary Creature - Elf
T: Untap target creature.
1/3
"A little treat to keep you going!"
Minor wound: Bruised shoulder
Exp: 4
"I can't believe you guys are dragging me into this." Kit mumbles to herself. But then, they'd need someone to help patch them up. Heading over to the carts that remained... and whatever was left. She could piece together a few medical supplies with what was left.
First Aid Kit 3
Artifact
~ enters the battlefield with three medicine counters on it.
2t Remove a medicine counter on ~:
Choose one:
• Regenrate Target creature.
• Remove a -1/-1 counter on a creature you control.
• Remove a poison counter on you.
Sasky for the Sig.
I am in your [PACK]. Watching you... do... something.
Brackorl, the Burnished Throat RW
Legendary Creature - Kor Rogue (R)
Noncombat damage is dealt to Brackorl, the Burnished Throat in the form of Brackorl getting +0/+2 until end of turn and you gaining 1 life for each 1 damage dealt.
3, T: Brackorl deals damage equal to the number of Equipment you control to target creature.
"It's not too hard of a gig - just leaves a man wanting a drink."
1/2
Experience Points: 4
Grueling Preparation RWB
Enchantment - Aura (R)
Enchant creature
When Grueling Preparation enters the battlefield, you may pay X life. If you do, put X +1/+1 counters on enchanted creature if its toughness is X or greater.
Enchanted creature gets +1/+1 and has menace.
A fighter's might comes through torture, his glory through terror.
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝
Lion King Scor- The power/ toughness is missing, which is pretty important on an undercosted creature. This probably lands around 4/3. If this was real, everyone would get one with altered art from the Lion King. The damage prevention is odd, and I don't think it needs to be as odd as it is. This goes on your list of undercosted cards with downsides. This one has a softer downside than giving your opponent a creature. Attacking with several creatures, you're probably safe, and even at worst, you have a 50/50 chance of not dealing damage to their bigger creatures, often when Scor wouldn't be able to kill them anyway. This is unnecessarily complicated, and has the feel of some wacky cards of ages past. There was a day when Brassclaw Orcs was good, and this reminds me of that a lot. Putting most of the Guzlo cards together, you could definitely make a R/W weenie aggro deck that could race insanely well, but could be blown out by tricks.
Note: You have some distance to travel before you'll get to the bandits' camp. How do you intend on transporting your lions there? You could take one of the two remaining carts to carry the cages, but losing carts is what got you all into this mess. Scor is more mild mannered, so maybe you could walk him on a chain, but certainly not Pion. Perhaps Shalin could help to calm them for travel. Please clarify.
Group Results: You set off, some reluctantly, and some with hardened resolve. You follow where Shalin and Guzlo saw the bandits traveling, and walk for some time. Here and there you see discarded items that proved not to be worth the trouble of carrying. You come to the Torin River, as the prisoner said you would, and follow it east for several miles. It's been a long day, and you are all starting to tire as the light starts to fade. Suddenly, you are all struck with the glorious aroma of roasting meat. As you come a group of rock formations, you can see the ruins of an enormous temple and what was once a bustling settlement. It is now covered in shoddy tents and sleeping mats, and full of people eating, talking, and laughing. You see the source of the smell is a series of spits on which large chunks of meat are roasting. A closer look reveals they are butchered horses taken in the raid. The merriment and carousal you may expect after so lucrative a raid is muted. You also notice that the raiders themselves don't seem to have kept any of their ill-gotten gains. You see the fruits of the raid spilling out of the temple's gates, with carts, chariots, and carriages surrounding it. From here, you can't tell which cart is yours. The dome at the top of the temple has collapsed inward presumably making an entrance for the dragon. You can see lights emanating from within. Here's a basic sketch of the situation:
Low-power cube enthusiast!
My 1570 card cube (no longer updated)
My 415 Peasant+ Artifact and Enchantment Cube
Ever-Expanding "Just throw it in" cube.
All in all, I'm happy with how it went. We got from beginning to end on one major event, with only minor inconsistencies. This game format is a wacky amalgam, and it requires a lot of constant attention from several people in order to function, so the loss of momentum is a natural occurrence, and not to be bemoaned.
If a few of you put up a case against ending the thread, I'd be open to it, but if it's beating a dead horse, it isn't necessary. I've learned a lot about the format, and I'm sure myself or someone else will run another RPG like this down the line.
One task remains of each of you: you must write an epilogue for your character. Since the mission to retrieve the cart remains unfinished, I'll let you determine how it went for your character in the epilogue, although there are some things about the camp and the dragon that you never learned (there's a planeswalker involved). In all likelihood, some of you lost your nerve, and fled back to Jemni, while others were captured and forced to perform for the dragon indefinitely. Or perhaps you managed to sneak the cart out using some clever distraction and great stealth. Either way, tell me what happened to your character. Did you return to the circus? Did you move on to greater things? Did you die in the camp? You should also post a final version of your character avatar. I wish experience points had been more useful, but I don't guess there's much to do with them now.
Low-power cube enthusiast!
My 1570 card cube (no longer updated)
My 415 Peasant+ Artifact and Enchantment Cube
Ever-Expanding "Just throw it in" cube.
I feel really bad, honestly. You made a real effort to see this thing out to its conclusion... planning a definite finish and everything, like a real pen-and-paper RPG campaign... and we still let you down. I guess I've lost a lot of my will to design custom cards lately. I thought this would be a compelling reason for me to design again. Apparently I was wrong. I'm sorry.
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝
I second this. A mid-season break would probably do everyone good.
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝