The Card Creation League is a monthly contest in which players compete over seven rounds. Each month has an overall theme and/or story, determined by that month's host.
Each round, the host will assign a card creation task to the players. This task may vary between teams or players.
The first three rounds are open to everyone who joined in the sign-up thread, which will be posted near the end of the previous month. After these rounds, the Top 8 players will move on to three single elimination rounds to determine a winner.
Rounds usually last three to four days for submissions and about two days for critiques, but the host has final say in making the schedule.
For the first three rounds, players are divided into teams. Four teams is standard, but there may be more or less depending on the number of players. Each team will review another team's cards during the critique period of that round.
Each player must submit a Top 3 ranking for the team he or she critiques at the end of each round. Each 1st place is worth 3 points, 2nd place 2 points, and 3rd place 1 point.
Additionally, each player can receive 2 bonus points per round. One point is awarded for posting a Top 3, and one point for providing critiques for that team's cards.
Suggested areas to critique include creativity, balance, printability, and relation to the overall theme or that player's previous cards.
Players who do not post a card or a Top 3 will be put on "probation." Top 3 violations for a round can be removed by posting or PMing the host with your Top 3 before the end of the next round. Any player that would receive a second violation is disqualified from further competition that month.
At the end of the first three rounds, the Top 8 players will be selected by points (usually the top 2 from each team). In the case of ties, there may be more than 8 players advancing. The host will determine matchups for single elimination. At the end of each elimination round, remaining players not in that matchup will choose a winner to advance. The host will break any ties.
The final round is determined by public poll.
Prior to Top 8, players have a chance of getting a total of 100 points toward their score each Scoring Round. Scores for each Round are determined by the following equation:
Total points of Player A in round N = 100 * X/Y, where:
X = Total number of Scoring Points (Judge Points + Additional Points from Top 3 & Critiques)
Y = Total number of Possible Points (3 * Number of Judges + Additional Points)
3 points are given for a First Place Top 3 finish, 2 points for a Second Place, and 1 point for a Third Place. 1 additional point is awarded if a Top 3 is submitted. 1 additional point is awarded if Critiques are given for all entries to be judged.
This way the grading is more streamlined in the fact that all rounds prior to Top 8 are graded equally, and there is no handicap for any team that has fewer judges.
Each player accumulates points from each Scoring Round until the end of Round 3.
Firstly, I'd like to apologize for the mistakes and lack of communication on my part. Much of that is getting cleared up behind the scenes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
More months pass.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You hear a knock on the door. Unusual, that. Nowadays, since the gradual spreading of your fame, most of the commissions you get are delivered to you by mail. You answer the door, and see a robed man.
He seems to be from the church, but as you speak to him, you realize that he is corrupt. The spell, nay, item he requests is horrific in its intent.
But he has gold. Lots of it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You are working in your study when an envelope flashes into existence atop your desk.
It says,
Greetings, master of spells.
You don't know me, although you may soon. But rest assured that I know you. I have an offer: I do not wish for a quick flashy ray of magic, nor even a fearsome creature, but instead something more tangible than that...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You hear a knock on the door. By now, you recognize the sound of the knock. It's him.
He looks even more deteriorated than last time, of course. One of his arms is covered with electrical burns. But the cunning behind his eyes does not seem to have lessened at all.
"More electricity," he says simply. "But no more zombies."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Your task: Choose any ONE of the three jobs below and complete it.
Job 1 (Offered by Jofridus, Arm of Griselbrand): Create a mythic rare, legendary equipment artifact named "The Bloodletter" that complies with the following flavor:
"The sword is named The Bloodletter. Flesh split by this blade never ceases to bleed, even after death. A demon has his eye on this sword. If he were to obtain it, it would mean the end of our church and our way of life."
"The simple casket was saturated with blood, its timbers nearly falling apart. Once opened, a bloody tide poured forth, to the screams and gasps of the gathered locals. Floating within, the headless body of Pitre the Thatcher rested.
Just as Father had told, his wound continued to pump forth blood. It is no wonder the people of this town feel they are cursed. After sketching the message that had been carved into his flesh, I had his remains purified by fire. May Avacyn show him the mercy that this life did not."
In sum: anyone cut by this blade will bleed forever.
I highly recommend you read this page. The pertinent information is in the section on Raben.
Job 2 (Offered by Gideon Jura): Create a mythic rare, legendary artifact (does not have to be an equipment) that can remove a single target from existence repeatedly. You have a large degree of freedom in your design.
Job 3 (Offered by Ludevic the Insane): Create a mythic rare, legendary equipment artifact named "Equilibrium" that:
Can deal electrical melee damage (i.e. combat) that will stun the receiving creature
Can deal electrical ranged damage that will disable, but not stun the receiving creature
Scrivener's Journal, Vol. I1
Legendary Artifact {M}
Level up - Light a candle
-------------------------------------------------------------------
[L 1-3] You are working in your study when a noise startles you. Turning around, you see a woman (she is a woman...right?) floating in the air. Her masked eyes look at you.
"Can I help you?" you ask politely. You're always polite to vampires.
"I need a spell," she says simply. "There's an elusive human running around my territory. I want him dead."
-------------------------------------------------------------------
[LVL 4+] T:Expand Scrivener's Journal, Vol. I's flavor text.
I bowed slightly as I spoke.
"Cathars again, m'lady? And they got past the niedergeists?" Courtesy was of great importance when dealing with Lady Voldaren - lose your manners, lose your head, the saying goes. Gresh, my fetch, skittered around her legs, his one bulging eye eying her with intense and almost childish curiosity. Gresh, go away! Go stack that pile of scrolls you knocked over! The homunculus energetically dove into the mess of parchment, knocking over another shelf as he did so. If fetches weren't so hard to get by these days, I'd-
"The rabble hired an exorcist and a vampire hunter. The exorcist was vanquished, but most of the geists went with him." Lady Voldaren's voice was very deep, and resonated with the self-proclaimed nobility of her kind.
"Even the pyregeist? What a shame, a true favou..." My words trailed off as a bladed fingercap traced along my throat, and the vampire touched a drop of blood against her tongue.
"No more geists this time. And certainly no more fire. I won't be humiliated again by some fool with a bucket of water."
I swallowed nervously - as far as unsatisfied customers went, Olivia was among the worst. Behind me, there was the crash of wood on stone. Gresh, you blasted fool, you're supposed to clean this place up, not make the mess worse!
"I am deeply sorry, m'lady. Some bravery that man had to get close enough to a pyregeist to extinguish it though." That white mask, those scarlet eyes gave away no hint of emotion. "Luckily, m'lady, those are but butter-knives in a far greater arsenal I have at your disposal." That metaphor made me hesitate - do vampires even know what butter-knives are? It's not like they care for much else other than blood. No time for such thoughts now. "As a matter of fact, just last week I found a way to bind the will of living stone to raise a mighty titan of a warrior. Nothing like ten thousand pounds of rock to crush a stray cathar, m'lady." Waving my hand irritably, Gresh materialized at my side with a scroll, looking up expectantly. To my great surprise, I found he had delivered the right scroll. I rubbed his head (what wasn't covered in eye anyway), and he rubbed back against my hand gratefully before diving into the pile of scrolls with renewed vigor. "You must excuse Gresh, he's only been bonded to me for four days. Stitcher Geralf was gracious enough to replace Nythr after, well..." I didn't have the courage to finish that sentiment, partially because that's how I lost my last fetch.
With no recognition that I had uttered that last sentence, Lady Voldaren took the scroll gingerly and inspected it. "This sounds...inelegant. And conspicuous. My quarry is very slippery, scrivener."
My mind was racing now. Her attention seemed to be waning, which meant my last words would in all likelihood decide if I would survive this encounter. "Yes, yes, of course, quite inelegant, and very noticeable indeed." Not now, Gresh, ignoring a tug at my left sleeve. "Perhaps a suffocating spell? Nigh impossible to stop, and even harder to predict, m'lady."
"Do try to listen when I speak, scrivener. The man I seek is very elusive."
"Ah, yes. I'm awfully sorry, m'lady, but I - " What!? my nerves finally giving, in, I yanked away whatever Gresh was holding up to me. I could sense anticipation from the homunculus as I cast an eye over the scroll. The casterfonts were somehow unfamiliar to me, but I remember scribbling this down some fever night two full moons back. A smile came to my face. How do you feel about going toad-hunting next moonset, fetch? I was met with a soft, yet excited whirring sound. "A question, m'lady - are you concerned with this cathar returning as a geist?"
"Not in the slightest. We always keep geistcatcher rigs around for that purpose. My patience is wearing thin, scrivener, you better get to the point quickly." Her inscrutable gaze was fixed on the remaining blood running down her finger.
"Ah, yes of course. I believe I have something for you then, m'lady. Very elegant, very simple. And if I may say so, very novel."
"I'm listening, scrivener."
"It is, in effect, a gallow, but, of course, magical."
"Go on..."
"This scroll contains the procedures for weaving the night's darkness into a noose, strangling the victim while forcing out his soul. Very quick, and here's the kick, m'lady: As long as you can picture the target, it matters not where he is, so long as he is near a shadow."
Olivia's eyes glinted. "Once again, you have failed to disappoint me, scrivener."
Allowing myself a chuckle, I dipped the heron quill into a vial of ink and traced out the casterfont. "On the house, m'lady, as compense for my last item. In the meantime, feel free to look through my works, m'lady. This could take a while." Gresh perched on a stool beside me, taking in my every mark on the parchment to check for errors.
Lady Voldaren stood motionlessly as I went to work. Eventually, she broke the silence. "You know, scrivener, your work is highly regarded amongst my peers."
"Thank, you, m'lady. It does not do to disappoint in this line of work."
"So Ithil noted too. He is a noble in Stormkirk - I believe you are acquainted to him?"
"Lord Ithil and I have conducted business together, yes."
"Yes, quite the gossiper, he is. In fact, he told me something about you the other night, scrivener. I take it you would not mind confirming this rumor?"
"Of course not. What did he say?"
"As a matter of fact, it was your ancestry he spoke of." I froze, nearly dripping ink all over the parchment. "He said that your great-grandfather was a famous vampire slayer, a cousin of the famed Saint Traft no less?"
I licked my lips, pausing to weigh out my reply. "Lord Ithil speaks the truth, m'lady. My father's side of the family - one I have never seen eye-to-eye with, I might add."
"Nonetheless, where your blood runs, so does his. Something to ponder, don't you think, scrivener?"
Before I could answer, Lady Voldaren, along with the finished scroll, vanished into the night.
Gresh wrapped himself around my leg, slowly pulling me out of my thoughts. "You know, for a necroalchemic abomination, you're quite soppy." Again, that soft whirr. "I suppose it's nice talking to...someone...who's not just here for business though. Good night, Gresh, and try not to make a mess." My voice faded as a knocked-over vial of ink spilled its contents all over a pile of scrolls I had prepared for Avabruck's new mayor, who came to me one night after being bitten by the old one. Funny that, it almost seems like a tradition there...
"You know what, I'll fix that tomorrow. Right now I need some shuteye."
Midnight Hanging1B
Instant {U}
Destroy target non-Spirit creature. Its controller puts a 1/1 white Spirit creature token with flying onto the battlefield. A shadow tightens. A cathar falls. A geist awakens.
Scrivener's Journal, Vol. II2
Legendary Artifact {M}
Level up - Ponder the depths of your inkwell
--------------------------------------------------
[LVL 2-4] "I want your electricity," he says without preamble.
"For what?"
"You know... I'll just let you take care of this one. I have a specific life-form I'm looking to make..."
--------------------------------------------------
[LVL 5+] T: Expand Scrivener's Journal, Vol. II's flavor text.
"Now when you say life-form..."
"Technicalities, my friend. I've got big plans, and I'll need both your and Geralf's help to pull it off." His deranged grin already made it perfectly clear I was yet again going to be dragged into his maniacal schemes.
"With suitable compensation, I hope?" If he had big plans, I wasn't going to walk away empty-handed. Not this time.
"I heard you're looking for a certain stone " - he procured it as he spoke - "one of...unique nature. Surely a scholar like you would kill to know its secrets?"
I was intrigued. The Fallen Opal seemed rather unremarkable, with exception to the ornate amulet of purest chrome in which it was encased. Fourteen years ago, a cathar was nearly struck by a meteor. The opal was in the heart of the meteor along with the amulet, the first sign of worlds beyond ours. It was stolen from the Cathedral of Avacyn two weeks later, the whole mess a very hushed up affair; only my connections to the Lunarch himself made its existence known to me. "Come, to the basement. Whatever you have planned, I'd rather have it far away from prying eyes."
Ludevic cackled as he launched his gaunt frame down the staircase. "I can feel it, scrivener! This time I'll finally put Gisa in her place!" Even before I had time to follow him, the building resounded with the clatter of various items being swept carelessly off the basement roundtable. I rubbed my brow at an earnest attempt to keep calm, suppressing a rogue surge of red mana yearning to burst through me.
Gresh, come with us and lock the door behind you. Make sure nothing follows us. It's bad enough having to put up with Ludevic's wandering eyes in my laboratory.
Yes, master. Over the last two moons, the bond between me and the fetch has been growing stronger; I knew when something was on his mind and when I shouldn't ignore it. Anything wrong?
Gresh is unsure...Gresh sees Ludevic's mind, master, and Gresh thinks all this is bad idea. As with all fetches, his inner voice mirrored mine.
I could understand what he meant, although it's unusual for fetches to question their owner's motives. People will die if we go through with this. People always die when Ludevic is involved. But many more will die if either Ludevic or his sister would be to dispose of the other in their absurd rivalry. The most we can do is help him keep up with Gisa.
If master says so.
Below the manor lay a curiosity - countless moonsets ago, I had decided to construct a basement for some of my more secretive projects. While excavating the granite, I hit upon what appeared to be a vein of enormous amethysts. Finding gems of such proportion in solid rock was unheard of, and soon my suspicions were confirmed - about twelve feet below the manor's foundations, embedded in the very mountain, rested a geode of impressive proportion. A vicious nature geist guarded the hollow, but even that was little hindrance; Otrov, my very first fetch, turned out to be an excellent lure, and as the panicked homunculus scrabbled out of the pit, the terror armed with a hide of knife-like crystals crashing after him, a quick geist-quelling chant left the geode mostly hollowed out and almost ready for furnishing.
Ludevic had sprawled out a fresh piece of parchment on the table occupying a large part of the hollow, his spidery hands frantically tracing the outline of what appeared to be a skaab of monstrous proportions. "A question, scrivener." His darting eyes continued inspecting the parchment, one hand further frazzling his erratic hair. "You said you could store electricity, but can you produce a continuous supply?"
"I never recall saying anything about electricity in the first place." Gresh had finally made it down, and was now busying himself stashing away various flasks and volumes that the deranged visionary had swept to the floor.
"Pretend you did!" Ludevic snapped back.
"Fine." If it gets him out faster. "I've been working on a device that can refine currents of mana into miniature discharges of lightning, but coupling it into...whatever this is..." I gestured at the blueprints of the skaab.
"Don't worry, I'm sure you can work it out by next moonset." Ludevic trailed off cackling and humming to himself, lost in the labyrinthine recesses of his tattered sanity. Next moonset? Keep an eye out for me, fetch, this is exactly how madmen like Ludevic are made. I was met by a gentle whirr of amusement.
Hour after hour ticked away slowly, a duel of ink on parchment as I tried to glean as much as possible from behind the madman's bloodshot eyes. From what I understood, he wanted to construct a skaab that would simultaneously kill its victim and jolt it into undeath in a similar manner stitcher Geralf animates his creations. It sounded like a madman's plan, and I had my doubts, but Ludevic was insane, not stupid - he was never wrong before.
The moon was grazing the horizon when Ludevic left. I could feel my mind sucked into his madness, dreams of how to fix the design's many problems dancing in front of my mind's eye. Gresh's consciousness occasionally tugged at mine, an anchor to reality. That, I reminded myself, is why fetches were absolutely essential in my line of work.
"Have you got everything?" Yes, master. It had never occurred to me before, but Gresh was the only homunculus I had never seen talk.
"Good, good." My thoughts were still spinning from days of exhausting experimentation, but it had all paid off. The biggest issue was to pour the donnersteel without charring the flesh, but even that proved doable, if challenging, in the end. Swinging open a cast iron vault door, we both entered the tiny cavity in the wall. Amethysts, as is common knowledge, can be saturated very highly with enchantments - although by far not the best, outperformed by even obsidian, I have a conveniently large supply at my disposal. Their current arrangement was uncharacteristically complicated, the fruit of years of sleepless nights, but the concept is simple - by setting up the proper harmonics, any corporeal matter could be channeled through the aether, to rematerialize at another location.
Under the soft glow of blue mana, a model of the nearby world hovered. With a practiced hand, I swiveled the focus stones to refract a thin blade of light onto the location of Geralf's laboratory. Pulling the two gems apart, the model adjusted to swoop closer, the rest of the map dissipating into the realm of the geists. Almost there....
The stones were in position. Slowly, steadily, I let the mana from Nephalia's shores wash through me, so distant, yet but a memory's flicker away. It pulsed through my veins, raw, exhilarating, in a way few other things could be. Even for a mage with decades of experience, it takes a certain amount of mental rigor to spellshape; anyone can learn to summon mana, but few have the willpower to control its native will. I touched the amethysts in order - the reality filterer, the void array, and so on until only one remained. The trigger stone glowed faintly at first, then glared harshly as a powerful torrent of mana poured from my mind, through my body and into the stone. The room blurred into something indescribable by banalities such as sight, and my consciousness slipped.
The stench of embalming fluid jolted me back to my senses. My eyes, still stinging, took in the familiar surroundings - ornate cherry-wood carvings peeking out from behind vats, glass pipes, and all manner of complex devices; monstrous skaabs scattered around the laboratory, some twitching, some nowhere near completion; and the vast circular cavity in the center of the room, giving way to stitcher Geralf's assembly stage below. "Welcome, old friend!" Geralf himself stood near the edge of the platform, waving up to me. His own fetch, Oglor, was barely visible amongst a pile of corpses, methodically inspecting each one and extracting whatever he saw fit. "I hope you've been as busy as we three have!" He gestured at a window to the left of me, where thunder lit up the silhouette of a gargantuan winged skaab.
"Ludevic made himself a new mount, I see."
"Indeed." I couldn't help but flinch - Geralf's stealth was incredible, and in a matter of seconds he had moved to my side. In some ways he reminded me of a younger, better groomed Ludevic - his black, tidy hair was only just beginning to show tinges of gray, and his pronounced jaw gave off an aura of determination and grit that foreshadowed obsession and derangement.
"Hmph. As long as he brought what I require."
"Oh yes, more than enough I believe." A wide grin split his face. "Oglor! The hoard!"
"As master wishes." The old fetch ambled to an array of levers, and manipulated them in a clockwork rhythm, Gresh starting intently as an apprentice would watch a master. Seconds later, the ceiling clattered, and a pile of scrap metal was dumped unceremoniously onto the stage.
I frowned as I went down to inspect Ludevic's haul - copper shingles, gold and iron candelabra, the Collar of Avacyn...
"Well, scrivener?" Ludevic's grating voice rang down from the upper workshop. "Will that do?"
"You dismembered a chapel? Ludevic, you fool! And you wonder why the torch-wielding mobs relentlessly hound you?" I was livid, but tried to control myself - he's done much worse, after all. "If anyone comes after us, this is on your head."
The visionary's face fell, but quickly settled into a lopsided grin again. "We'll worry about that later - for now, let's have some fun! Show the man what we've made, Geralf!"
"Oglor!"
"As master wishes."
After spending days seeing the same thing in your imagination, you're either disappointed or awed - and I couldn't help but gape dumbly at what the stitcher had concocted. Towering over both levels of the workshop, the lifeless body hung from the ceiling. Eight gargantuan limbs sprawled out, each ending in bifurcated steel blades. Where head would be, enormous, dreadful jaws hung open, large enough to swallow a man whole.
"Our work is already done, scrivener." Geralf's voice was distant, the artist basking in the glory of his masterpiece. "All that is missing is the beast's heart." Gresh, the orb. Unable to tear my gaze from the cobbled behemoth and its dreadful grace, I held out my left hand to recieve the ornate sphere. Even before my fingers brushed its charged surface I could feel the tingle of electricity rushing down my arm. "Geralf, I've been meaning to ask you about Gresh..."
"Hmm?" The stitcher's concentration broke. "Oh yes, thank you for taking him. Oglor's been developing somewhat of a god complex, building fetches just to tear them apart again. Gresh is...unique. I'm not quite sure how or why, but I'm sure it'll become apparent as time passes."
"So I suspected. In fact, I think I might conduct a little experiment..."
Gresh, The single, amphibian eye swiveled to face me. Observe my mind carefully. An image of Stensia's jagged peaks rushed through my mind. I recalled the stone's roughness on my tips, the blistering heat struggling to escape deep below the surface; even now, I felt its pull, yearning to be released. Slowly, with great restraint, I let an orb of elemental flame appear over my free palm, its flame just far enough from my fingers to be comfortably warm. The fetch seemed fearful of the flame at first, cowering as I bought it closer to him, but his curious nature got the better of him. I patiently let Gresh inspect the flame, my mind, and the wellspring of mana. Eventually, forcing the mana against its flow, I extinguished the spell. Now you try.
"Are you sure about this?" Geralf raised an eyebrow. A lightning bolt flickered outside the window, striking a stray ghoul.
"Don't worry, I-" my words were cut short as a fireball flared up. Reflexively, we both raised a blanket of blue mana, dousing the fireball with a hiss. Gresh's eye was illuminated by pure mana, his mind an agitated whirl of excitement and empowerment. Alright, now focus. I signaled to Geralf to keep an eye out for any more rogue fireballs, freeing up my concentration on the final task. With considerable effort, I raised the pile of metal into the center of the opening, while Ludevic below cackled and danced around the stage. I trust you know what to do.
For a second it seemed the small body of the homunculus would be torn apart by the sheer force of the mana channeling through it. The ball of metal shrieked and warped as pure heat evolved within its core - it did not take long for all the pieces to amalgamate into a red-hot ball of molten material. Ludevic squealed with glee. "Hurry up, you lot! Getraf must be awake before moonset!"
"Taken to naming his abominations, has he?" Geralf remarked, his deep chuckle barely registering in the noise of Ludevic's gibbering and Oglor relentlessly cranking away at a rusty contraption. Pushing all distractions out of my mind, I froze the flesh of the behemoth skaab. "I hope you know what you're doing", Geralf remarked. Molding the levitation spell while simultaneously maintaining the freezing spell, I carefully let the fresh alloy pour into the miniscule tunnels within the flesh.
The infusion had worked flawlessly, and Gresh whirred proudly as we both took a moment to recover from the effects of continued mana channeling.
"Only one thing left to do now." I tossed the orb down to Ludevic, who snatched it and scrabbled up the skaab's tail to slot in the final piece of the grisly puzzle. "The orb will take a while to build up enough power for such a large creation though."
"Now that I can do something about!" Geralf had an uncharacteristic glint in his eye. Ludevic joined us, leaping down from the neck of the behemoth. "Is that so?"
The stitcher's laughter echoed throughout the lab, punctured by a thunderclap. "Oglor, raise the lightning vane!"
Getraf Gravewake4UB
Legendary Creature - Zombie {M}
As an additional cost to cast Getraf Gravewake, exile four creature cards from your graveyard.
Whenever a non-Zombie creature dies, return it to the battlefield under your control. It's a blue and black Zombie in addition to its other types and colors. A single touch is enough to jolt into you the gravest of fates.
6/6
Scrivener's Journal, Vol. III3
Legendary Artifact {M}
Permanents, spells, and cards not on the battlefield have no maximum flavor size. :Expand target permanent's flavor text. You are working in your study when an envelope flashes into existence atop your desk.
It says,
Greetings, master of spells.
You don't know me, although you may soon. But rest assured that I know you. I have an offer: I do not wish for a quick flashy ray of magic, nor even a fearsome creature, but instead something more tangible than that...
I read on with fascination - the mysterious author wrote of things I could not begin to comprehend; hordes of cathar-like warriors he called soldiers, a pyromancer of unfathomable power, monstrous tyrants of dust and ash feared by angel and demon alike.
...what I seek from you is to forge a weapon of unique properties - before you continue, I ask you to inspect the nature of what I require:
In the center of the page the man had provided a casterfont. With a sense on anticipation, I began invoking the spell, letting the curves of the scripture assemble their meaning within my thoughts. A written spell takes on a will of its own, using the invoking mind as a conduit to the reality. Within seconds, impossibly thin blades ribboned out of a shimmering rift, and finally the rift became opaque and coalesced to finish the weapon. Respecting the keen edges, I picked up the surprisingly heavy whip-like instrument. It wrapped comfortably around my left forearm, blades hanging like moss from an old geistwood. Overwhelmed with curiosity, I lashed out my arm and quickly jerked it back - the result was a shattered vial of ink, a near-decapitation and a nasty gash on my shin. Cursing under my breath, I resolved to learn more on how to wield this curious weapon later.
As a hieromancer, I have an acquired interest in banishing spells. While I have a vast knowledge of such magics, it is often impractical in the heat of battle to cast them. I am assured you are familiar in binding spells to weapons by a former customer of yours, and so I put the task of infusing a specific spell of mine into the form of the sural. I am told by the same source that conventional payment is of little interest to you, so I will reward your efforts, if successful, with information you will find valuable.
I read the last few sentences over and over again. Binding spells to weapons is something I couldn't remember ever doing, and yet I couldn't shake the feeling I had...
The vision struck me like a bolt of lightning in the night - wry smile, piercing, murderous eyes, an aura of immense power; these images danced around my head, like a fevered vision of an other life. The more I tried to push it out of my mind, the more intense it became. Bloodstained door...scarlet ruby...a mark hidden on the shoulder. The mark, yes. Something about that mark was the key. I tried to push the other fevered visions out of my mind, focus on the mark...
Without warning, my consciousness fell into darkness.
I woke up to the panicked, shrill whistling of Gresh, his urgent tones echoing in my skull. I felt weak, and it took a great deal of willpower to open my eyes and prop myself up to inspect my surroundings. The entire room was in disarray, as though a pack of werewolves had decided to set up their territory here. Across the center of the room was a smoldering path, flames still nibbling at a hole in the wall leading to the secret chamber in which I had woken up. The fetch was hobbling through the hole, a large, charred gash in its flesh. There was an awful sense of déjà vu about this situation, and as I glanced down I was hit with a sense of dread. Encasing my right arm was an enormous talon of glowing coals, ash spiraling down onto a large, spherical chest. The mark was half-charred into the wood, but enough of it for me to recognize it instantly as the insignia of the Markov family.
Strongboxes are devices whose purpose is to lock away memories, which are retrieved by inscribing the key symbol on it. It can hold many thoughts, each of which may have a different key. They are, however, not perfect - extraction of a memory leaves behind a shell, tattered images of the event stored in the chest. If a traumatic event is stored away, more often than not the sufferer will still experience the same terror regardless of whether they remember what caused it. These may manifest as fleeting nightmares, or partial recollection at a certain trigger. The recognition of the Markov emblem, and possibly the mysterious letter, now revealed a vision of a longsword biting into a shrieking monk, blood creeping out of the wound and slithering up the cold blade.
Gresh appeared at my side, more concerned about me than his slowly deteriorating frame. I reminded myself that fetches feel no pain and will replace their own body parts without second thought, but it still pained me to see the homunculus in such bad shape. "Patch yourself up", I said, absently passing my hand over the symbol to wipe it away. "No need to worry about me." There were too many unanswered questions, but reopening the strongbox was out of the question. Whatever happened here was only the faintest trace of the curse hidden within. I decided to carry out the correspondent's wishes, regardless of whether or not is was against good judgment; his letter had piqued my curiosity, and losing myself in my work would, at the very least, take my mind off what occurred today.
Twelve moons passed since the incident with the strongbox, and with the exception of the charred trail on the floor the restoration went swiftly and easily. Geralf wasn't pleased when I sent his prized fetch back for spare parts though, and I fear he may be holding a grudge. The sural proved easy to work with, although it barely contained the magic trapped in its blades. As a result, it floated eerily geist-like, drinking in the sun's rays when it hit them and releasing bursts of brilliant light when swung. Overwhelmed with curiosity at this singular weapon, I had begun training myself in it, and had gotten to a stage where I could inflict more damage to my target than myself, and wield the heavy blades for extended periods of time.
Keeping Gresh in the manor to keep him out of the way, I made my way to the Hollowstone, a sizeable crater on the outskirts of Stensia I have long been using as a training ground. The path was peaceful, with many of the mountain range's perils long having learned to keep out of my way. Gently lowering myself down the dusty slope, I readied myself as I awaited my opponent. I was judging the weight of the bladed whip when she arrived - Thea, a nature geist of dust, spiraled up from the bowl, towering above me thrice my height. We bowed to each other, signaling the start of the match.
Sandstone, I thought to myself, smiling as the houndlike constructs leaped towards me. With a well-judged strike, two of the blades slashed effortlessly through one, the third flailing behind the others to keep the other at bay. It snarled, grains of sand dripping from its jaws. I could feel my heart pumping with excitement, and foolishly I charged forward to try cleave the hound in two. It sidestepped the razor tendrils of the sural, and before I had time to react it leapt at me, barely missing me before whipping around and tearing me to the ground. Its skin tore through my clothes and rubbed against my skin, painting the sandstone hound's flank red with my blood. Gritting my teeth, I manipulated the weapon to curl around it, and with a jerk of my wrist they constricted, showering me with chunks of sandstone.
There was no time to lose - I could already hear the crack of Thea summoning more beings from the exposed rock, and I struggled to free myself from the larger pieces of the hound. The wound it had inflicted had not been too deep, but the drip of sweat stung terribly on the exposed flesh behind my left shoulder. The next being appeared to be a granite gargoyle - it did not move as quickly as the hounds, but its hide was too thick to cut through and even hunched over it drew eye level to me. Its dark gray eyes watched me patiently as it lumbered slowly closer. Taking care to keep my distance for as long as I could, I let the raw mana from the sun above saturate the steel whips, readying myself for the attack. Sensing my motives, the gargoyle let out a tectonic snarl, and enormous claws with the jagged sharpness of Stensia's peaks bore down on me.
Acting quickly, I released the spell trapped in the blades. Brilliant tendrils of light curled out from the steel, trapping the granite construct, which struggled in futility. With a swing of the arm, they effortlessly picked up the squirming stone being and smashed it against an exposed slab of rock. It shattered explosively, sparks flying where it hit the mountain's body.
I stood proudly at the center of the crater, giving little thought to how easily I had overwhelmed the geist's constructs. I was immediately punished for my overconfidence - I felt myself being picked up in an icy cold grasp and flung across, tumbling ungracefully across a mercifully smooth patch of dust. Battered and bruised, but thankfully unharmed by the trailing lashes of the sural, I staggered onto my feet to face the assailant. Where I had stood moments before now stood three angelic figures, their surreal silhouettes carved out of pure quartz. The smaller of the two, each as tall as Thea herself, silently, yet purposefully made their way towards me, while the third, looming over the others, kept perfectly still, hovering surreally over the crater.
Upon seeing me stand up, the two smaller quartz angels hesitated, before circling me in a pincer attack. In the blink of an eye, they were within my blade's reach, their sharp wings enclosing me like a cage of daggers.with no way to escape, I once again evoked the spell trapped within the weapon. The angel on my left was swept away in a large arc, but out of the corner of my eye I could see it land with cat-like grace. The one on my right was too quick, though, and a large, crushing hand clamped down on my shoulder. With no time to think, I hastily wrapped the blades around a crystalline feather in front of me, and pulled on the weapon as hard as my battered body would allow.
I let out a howl of pain as the fingers dug into the flesh of my unharmed shoulder, and the sural's handle into my right forearm. With a crack, I flung out of the angel's grasp, and drained some the last of my mana to fling the tangled win over me. The sound of stone on stone rung through the dust bowl as the angel was pulled into her twin, showering them with tiny quartz splinters. With them unable to give chase, I began darting towards the third angel, who had now descended and summoned a crude sword from the earth. All or nothing. I prayed the infusion worked as planned, all pain I had fading under the empowering charge of white mana emanating from the blade. The sheer force of the spell rendered the sural practically weightless, and ribbons of solid light flailed and spread throughout the sky.
The angel raised her blade, and began its powerful swoop towards me. One way or the other, there was no way to avoid it now. A single thought burned brightly in my mind, and time seemed to slow in the thrill of the moment. As I let the thought take over, a single searing blade bit into quartz. There was a flash of impossibly bright light, and I felt the air tug me forwards as, with a deafening clap, the angel was pulled from existence. I suppressed a scream of agony as the overwhelming amount of mana in the sural spilled over into my veins, and I scrabbled blindly to remove the weapon from my arm.
I rubbed my eyes, trying to restore my sight from the blinding light. The sural shimmered calmly in front my my feet, and where the other two angels had stood moments before, dust glimmered in the air, disturbed by the same currents that had jerked me. On the other side of the bowl, Thea's featureless face emanated hesitation before bowing deeply. Smiling, I returned the gesture, and the dust geist collapsed back into the earth.
Suddenly, you're afflicted a curse of temporary blindness. Looks like someone wants to keep this private. You'll have to try again later, when you're better prepared.
Irol, the Sundancer4
Legendary Artifact - Equipment {M}
Equipped creature gets +2/+2 and has "W,Q:Tap target creature."
Whenever equipped creature deals combat damage to a player, exile all tapped creatures that player controls.
Equip 3 Each blade represents a crime unpunished, each searing bite the wielder's verdict.
I think its time for phasing to make a come back, ever since it's latest rules rewrite I've fallen in love with it all over again. (yeah I know I'm nuts)
Gate to the Netherworld 4
Artifact {MR}
At the beginning of each player’s precombat main phase, that player phases out another permanent he or she controls. Then he or she adds mana to his or her mana pool equal to the converted mana cost of each permanent phased out this way.
Whenever a permanent phases in, put a 1/1 black and red devil creature token onto the battlefield.
Hardship's TollB
Instant (C)
Target creature gets -X/-X until end of turn, where X is the life its controller has lost this turn. When famine strikes the human population of Stensia, the sickly and the elderly will often choose to enter the Blessed Sleep on their own in order for their loved ones to have a better chance of living. The struggles for scarce prey amongst Stensia's vampires are far less altruistic.
Cathar-Bound Geist2W
Creature - Spirit (U)
Protection from non-Spirit creatures 2W: The next time a source of your choice would deal damage to target Human creature this turn, that damage is dealt to Cathar-Bound Geist instead. The cathars do not know how such ethereal creatures can protect them from physical blows, but they have learned not to question such favors.
2/1
The Bloodletter5
Legendary Artifact - Equipment (M)
Equipped creature gets +3/+0 and has "Whenever this creature deals damage to a creature or player, put that many wound counters on that creature or that player."
At the beginning of each opponent's upkeep, that player loses 1 life for each wound counter he or she has, then puts a -1/-1 counter on each creature he or she controls for each wound counter that creature has.
Equip 5
Transient Key3
Artifact {M}
Whenever Transient Key becomes tapped, target opponent gains control of it. ,T: Exile target nonland permanent. ,T: Return target permanent exiled with Transient Key to the battlefield under it’s owner’s control. It opens doors none go into and is owned by those who don’t exist.
The first job for Team Good and Evil (being evil this time, it seems)
The Bloodletter4
Legendary Artifact - Equipment (MR)
Equipped creature gets +2/+2 and has deathtouch.
Whenever equipped creature deals combat damage to a player, put that many charge counters on The Bloodletter.
At the beginning of your upkeep, target player loses life equal to the number of charge counters on The Bloodletter.
Equip - Pay 4 life
Equilibrium4
Legendary Artifact - Equipment
Whenever equipped creature deals combat damage to a creature, tap up to X permanents, where X is that creature's power. Then untap up to that many permanents.
Equipped creature has "t: Target creature can't attack, block, or activate abilities this turn." "Electricity makes skaab function, but stops humans and many trinkets from working. An interesting balance."
-Ludevic the Insane
Equip 3
This looks interesting... but no charge counters? Hm.
Equilibrium3
Legendary Artifact - Equipment
Whenever equipped creature deals combat damage to a creature, tap that creature. It doesn't untap during its controller's untap step.
Equipped creature has "t: Target creature can't attack, block, or activate abilities this turn."
Equip 3
But needs to be more effective against stronger creatures... We'll see how it goes.
Edit: Equilibrium Orb4
Legendary Artifact - Equipment
Whenever equipped creature deals combat damage to a creature, tap up to X permanents, where X is that creature's power. They doesn't untap during their controller's next untap step.
Equipped creature has "t: Target creature can't attack, block, or activate abilities this turn."
Equip 3
Two abilities have little connection, though... Hm.
Angelfire1W
Sorcery
If target creature is human, it gets +2/+2, first strike, and vigilance until end of turn. If it is not, Angelfire deals 3 damage to that creature. "Holy fire blesses the devout with burning zeal. Others, it just burns."
-Father Ilben
Cathar Remnants4WW
Creature - Spirit (U)
Cathar Remnants can block any number of black creatures. Some cathars willingly give up the Blessed Sleep to protect the rest of the innocent.
5/7
Note of Death
Legendary Artifact (Mythic Rare)
Whenever a creature enters the battlefield, name that card and put a charge counter on Note of Death.
:3mana:,:symtap:, Remove X charge counters from Note of Death: Destroy target creature with converted mana cost X named with Note of Death. "The first you have arrived, I've already known your ending."
Avacyn's Judgment4W
Sorcery (C)
Target creature is indestructible and has hexproof until end of turn and as long as it's a Human. Otherwise, exile that creature. Avacyn can see the good, however small, in everything and everyone. That said, will also not hesitate to eliminate the darkness from her world.
Scrollbound Spirit [mana]4UU[/mana
Creature - Spirit (U)
Flash
Flying "Step one: Rip in half.
There is no step two." ~ Scroll inscription
5/7
The Candle of Reality4
Legendary Artifact (MR) 3: Exile target permanent, then return it to the battlefield under its owner's control. It causes the world to flicker as it does.
Vergess, the Blessed Sleep1
Legendary Artifact (M)
If a card would leave a player's graveyard, exile it instead. "I have succeeded where countless funeral pyres, burial rites and Avacynian priests have failed."
—Amulet's inscription
Job 3 (Offered by Ludevic the Insane): Create a mythic rare, legendary equipment artifact named "Equilibrium" that:
Can deal electrical melee damage (i.e. combat) that will stun the receiving creature
Can deal electrical ranged damage that will disable, but not stun the receiving creature
Does not involve charge counters
Is more effective against stronger creatures
Equilibrium4
Legendary Artifact - Equipment (MR)
When Equilibrium enters the battlefield, you may place a Conduit counter on up to two target creatures.
Equipped creature has First Strike and "This creature cannot be blocked by creatures with Conduit counter. Whenever this creature deals combat damage to a creature, remove that creature from combat and put a Conduit counter on it. Whenever this creature deals damage to a player, creatures with Conduit counter deals damage equal to their power to each other."
Equip: 4
"Nature seeks balance in all things. Therefore, the same repel, and the opposite attract; allow me to demonstrate by charging these two specimens, and observe the devastation."
TEAM INK Job 1:
The Bloodletter3 Legendary Artifact - Equipment (MR)
Equipped creature gets +1/+1 and has first strike and wither.
Whenever equipped creature deals combat damage to a player, that
player gets an emblem with "At the beginning of your upkeep, you
lose 1 life."
Equip 3
If I could "like" or "upvote" you right now, I would.
Quote from Boing »
Into the Maw of Hell is a name so awesome, it deserves its own song.
It would be about a world of brown spikes and red fire, where men fight and scream and become blurry masses. Then it would change to somber, we learn that this glorious place exists only in Raymond Swanland's head. To visit it, you must enter the maw of Hell itself.
Job 2 (Offered by Gideon Jura): Create a mythic rare, legendary artifact (does not have to be an equipment) that can remove a single target from existence repeatedly. You have a large degree of freedom in your design.
OK
laser cannon of the Gods 7W
Legendary Artifact (mythic rare)
Artifact
:symtap:: Exile target card.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"it okay keep the truth niside. it is that what comprehend that have it be true. keep me in the heart"
-- R.I.P. 10/16/11-2/29/12
Phantasmal Lens4
Legendary Artifact (M)
Exile target permanent you control.:symtap:: Exile target non-land permanent or return to the battlefield target exiled non-land permanent under its owner's control. Gideon used the artifact to take out his enemies by sending the someplace they would not hurt anybody else.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"Those who endure in the face of suffering, those whose faith shines long in evil days, they shall see salvation." -Song of All, canto 904
Round 1, Job 1 Spellslay1B
Instant (U)
Destroy target creature if it's the target of another spell of ability.
Round 1, Job 3: Sparkskull, Skaab Dynamo1UUB
Legendary Creature - Zombie
Sparkskull, Skaab Dynamo enters the battlefield with a charge counter on it for each artifact you control. T: Untap target Zombie creature you control and it gets +X/+X until end of turn, where X is the number of charge counters on Sparkskull. Sacrifice that creature at end of turn. "Excellent. Assault and Battery" - Ludevic the Insane
3/3
Round 3, Job 2: Stones of the First Church5
Legendary Artifact (MR)
Whenever a creature attacks you, you may pay 1W. If you do, put a 1/1 white Spirit creature token with flying onto the battlefield.
Sacrifice 5 spirits: Exile target attacking creature
As the necro-alchemist leaves the room, you examine the very specific instructions that he has left for you. It seems that he has taken well for his zombies you produced for him a few years ago, and wonder what he has been up to.
However, there is no time for reminiscing. As you read the parchment, your mind begins to cringe at what evilness Ludevic has requested -- however, you know that he will leave you alive, since you have been of great asset to him.
Underground Lunges3U
Enchantment (R)
Exile target Zombie from your graveyard: Underground Lunges deals damage equal to the exiled card's power to target creature. Activate this ability only once per turn. "I can say, Ludevic, that this is a fine piece of magic to reuse your dismembered zombies into something more powerful."
Round 2 EntryTeam Parchment
You assure him that the scroll you have presented him is extremely strong, and will bind him in werewolf form forever. He gleefully accepts the parchment, leaves his jewels on the table, and leaves.
At morning, you hear a strange howl - one of sorrow, one of death. You bind Avacyn's light around the dusty laboratory, and prepare to study.
A few weeks later, you hear that the customer's house was tore apart and wrecked. However, that's the price of meddling with a person's life, you muse to yourself.
Gerald the Strong1GR
Legendary Creature - Human Werewolf (M)
At the beginning of each upkeep, if no spells were cast last turn, transform Gerald the Strong. "Oh, to return to Ilsa's loving arms again..."
2/3
//
Tovalos, Mondronen AlphaGR
Legendary Creature - Werewolf (M)
Each player can't cast more than one spell each turn.
At the beginning of each upkeep, if two or more spells were cast last turn, transform Tovalos, Mondronen Alpha.
6/5 "Their alpha Tovalos is a mute, silver-furred werewolf who leads his pack on revels of carnage and howling songs, and who never seems to revert to human form."
Round 3 EntryTeam Parchment As the old man departs, he leaves the huge sack of gold on the table and the parchment that enlists what artifact he requested. Seems like you've been needing more and more gold as of late. You look, and you see an instrument of absolute evil, and evil greater than any task you have been assigned. Rubbing your hands, you go to work.
The Bloodletter2
Legendary Artifact - Equipment (M)
Whenever equipped creature attacks, put a charge counter on The Bloodletter. Then you may put X -1/-1 counters on target creature and target player loses X life for each charge counter on The Bloodletter.
Equip 2 "It reproduces blood. That is all I know."
Jofridus, Arm of Griselbrand
The Bloodletter3
Legendary Artifact - Equipment (MR)
Whenever equipped creature deals damage to another creature, put a blood counter on that creature. At the beginning of your upkeep, put a blood counter on each creature your opponents control with a blood counter on it.
Equipped creature gets +1/+1 for each blood counter on creatures your opponents control. Creatures your opponents control get -1/-1 for each blood counter on them.
Equip 2
I'm calling it right now- worst rare in the set. Even good limited players will find better bombs at common and uncommon no sweat. Worst. Episode. Ever.
I really do predict this to be our worst rare in set award winner. I'd be happier opening a jar of eyeballs, so I think anything worse is highly unlikely. This card wont just have zero constructed potential, but not be significantly better than a mass of ghouls in a draft.
If I could "like" or "upvote" you right now, I would.
Quote from Boing »
Into the Maw of Hell is a name so awesome, it deserves its own song.
It would be about a world of brown spikes and red fire, where men fight and scream and become blurry masses. Then it would change to somber, we learn that this glorious place exists only in Raymond Swanland's head. To visit it, you must enter the maw of Hell itself.
Job 2 (Offered by Gideon Jura): Create a mythic rare, legendary artifact (does not have to be an equipment) that can remove a single target from existence repeatedly. You have a large degree of freedom in your design.
Nilwink, Gideon's Purestone3
Legendary Artifact (M)
When Nilwink, Gideon's Puresone enters the battlefield, exile target creature. Return that creature to the battlefield under its owner's control at the beginning of that player's next upkeep. When that creature enters the battlefield, if it's nonwhite, exile it. 1W: Target creature becomes the color of your choice until end of turn.
Round 3
The Artifact
Y = Total number of Possible Points (3 * Number of Judges + Additional Points)
Round 1
Round 2
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Firstly, I'd like to apologize for the mistakes and lack of communication on my part. Much of that is getting cleared up behind the scenes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
More months pass.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You hear a knock on the door. Unusual, that. Nowadays, since the gradual spreading of your fame, most of the commissions you get are delivered to you by mail. You answer the door, and see a robed man.
He seems to be from the church, but as you speak to him, you realize that he is corrupt. The spell, nay, item he requests is horrific in its intent.
But he has gold. Lots of it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You are working in your study when an envelope flashes into existence atop your desk.
It says,
Greetings, master of spells.
You don't know me, although you may soon. But rest assured that I know you. I have an offer: I do not wish for a quick flashy ray of magic, nor even a fearsome creature, but instead something more tangible than that...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You hear a knock on the door. By now, you recognize the sound of the knock. It's him.
He looks even more deteriorated than last time, of course. One of his arms is covered with electrical burns. But the cunning behind his eyes does not seem to have lessened at all.
"More electricity," he says simply. "But no more zombies."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Your task: Choose any ONE of the three jobs below and complete it.
Job 1 (Offered by Jofridus, Arm of Griselbrand): Create a mythic rare, legendary equipment artifact named "The Bloodletter" that complies with the following flavor:
"The sword is named The Bloodletter. Flesh split by this blade never ceases to bleed, even after death. A demon has his eye on this sword. If he were to obtain it, it would mean the end of our church and our way of life."
"The simple casket was saturated with blood, its timbers nearly falling apart. Once opened, a bloody tide poured forth, to the screams and gasps of the gathered locals. Floating within, the headless body of Pitre the Thatcher rested.
Just as Father had told, his wound continued to pump forth blood. It is no wonder the people of this town feel they are cursed. After sketching the message that had been carved into his flesh, I had his remains purified by fire. May Avacyn show him the mercy that this life did not."
In sum: anyone cut by this blade will bleed forever.
Job 2 (Offered by Gideon Jura): Create a mythic rare, legendary artifact (does not have to be an equipment) that can remove a single target from existence repeatedly. You have a large degree of freedom in your design.
Job 3 (Offered by Ludevic the Insane): Create a mythic rare, legendary equipment artifact named "Equilibrium" that:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Team Quill
ced395
Maokun
ParaSiempre
Solesticio(dropped)SushiOtter (missing crit)
Wein_C
yewlas
Team Ink
Smores_Prime
Koopa
AeroMage(dropped)Phyrexian Editor
Krey
CrazyMatt
Hyral
PsiJet(dropped)Team Parchment
brasil_dude101
CodGod
Jimmy Groove (missing crit)
Lordschuft
Pocketwatch
Egak
Takaline
Timothy, Mimeslayer (missing crit)
Team Good and Evil
Oculus
Burstinatrix
Gerrard's Mom
Viperion(dropped)Brofaux (missing crit)
MagicBrains
Rimeshade
Ninja Caterpie
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Deadline is 9:00pm Pacific Time Wednesday, October 19th.
Introducing...the Tome of Flavor!
Scrivener's Journal, Vol. I 1
Legendary Artifact {M}
Level up - Light a candle
-------------------------------------------------------------------
[L 1-3]
You are working in your study when a noise startles you. Turning around, you see a woman (she is a woman...right?) floating in the air. Her masked eyes look at you.
"Can I help you?" you ask politely. You're always polite to vampires.
"I need a spell," she says simply. "There's an elusive human running around my territory. I want him dead."
-------------------------------------------------------------------
[LVL 4+] T:Expand Scrivener's Journal, Vol. I's flavor text.
I bowed slightly as I spoke.
"Cathars again, m'lady? And they got past the niedergeists?" Courtesy was of great importance when dealing with Lady Voldaren - lose your manners, lose your head, the saying goes. Gresh, my fetch, skittered around her legs, his one bulging eye eying her with intense and almost childish curiosity. Gresh, go away! Go stack that pile of scrolls you knocked over! The homunculus energetically dove into the mess of parchment, knocking over another shelf as he did so. If fetches weren't so hard to get by these days, I'd-
"The rabble hired an exorcist and a vampire hunter. The exorcist was vanquished, but most of the geists went with him." Lady Voldaren's voice was very deep, and resonated with the self-proclaimed nobility of her kind.
"Even the pyregeist? What a shame, a true favou..." My words trailed off as a bladed fingercap traced along my throat, and the vampire touched a drop of blood against her tongue.
"No more geists this time. And certainly no more fire. I won't be humiliated again by some fool with a bucket of water."
I swallowed nervously - as far as unsatisfied customers went, Olivia was among the worst. Behind me, there was the crash of wood on stone. Gresh, you blasted fool, you're supposed to clean this place up, not make the mess worse!
"I am deeply sorry, m'lady. Some bravery that man had to get close enough to a pyregeist to extinguish it though." That white mask, those scarlet eyes gave away no hint of emotion. "Luckily, m'lady, those are but butter-knives in a far greater arsenal I have at your disposal." That metaphor made me hesitate - do vampires even know what butter-knives are? It's not like they care for much else other than blood. No time for such thoughts now. "As a matter of fact, just last week I found a way to bind the will of living stone to raise a mighty titan of a warrior. Nothing like ten thousand pounds of rock to crush a stray cathar, m'lady." Waving my hand irritably, Gresh materialized at my side with a scroll, looking up expectantly. To my great surprise, I found he had delivered the right scroll. I rubbed his head (what wasn't covered in eye anyway), and he rubbed back against my hand gratefully before diving into the pile of scrolls with renewed vigor. "You must excuse Gresh, he's only been bonded to me for four days. Stitcher Geralf was gracious enough to replace Nythr after, well..." I didn't have the courage to finish that sentiment, partially because that's how I lost my last fetch.
With no recognition that I had uttered that last sentence, Lady Voldaren took the scroll gingerly and inspected it. "This sounds...inelegant. And conspicuous. My quarry is very slippery, scrivener."
My mind was racing now. Her attention seemed to be waning, which meant my last words would in all likelihood decide if I would survive this encounter. "Yes, yes, of course, quite inelegant, and very noticeable indeed." Not now, Gresh, ignoring a tug at my left sleeve. "Perhaps a suffocating spell? Nigh impossible to stop, and even harder to predict, m'lady."
"Do try to listen when I speak, scrivener. The man I seek is very elusive."
"Ah, yes. I'm awfully sorry, m'lady, but I - " What!? my nerves finally giving, in, I yanked away whatever Gresh was holding up to me. I could sense anticipation from the homunculus as I cast an eye over the scroll. The casterfonts were somehow unfamiliar to me, but I remember scribbling this down some fever night two full moons back. A smile came to my face. How do you feel about going toad-hunting next moonset, fetch? I was met with a soft, yet excited whirring sound. "A question, m'lady - are you concerned with this cathar returning as a geist?"
"Not in the slightest. We always keep geistcatcher rigs around for that purpose. My patience is wearing thin, scrivener, you better get to the point quickly." Her inscrutable gaze was fixed on the remaining blood running down her finger.
"Ah, yes of course. I believe I have something for you then, m'lady. Very elegant, very simple. And if I may say so, very novel."
"I'm listening, scrivener."
"It is, in effect, a gallow, but, of course, magical."
"Go on..."
"This scroll contains the procedures for weaving the night's darkness into a noose, strangling the victim while forcing out his soul. Very quick, and here's the kick, m'lady: As long as you can picture the target, it matters not where he is, so long as he is near a shadow."
Olivia's eyes glinted. "Once again, you have failed to disappoint me, scrivener."
Allowing myself a chuckle, I dipped the heron quill into a vial of ink and traced out the casterfont. "On the house, m'lady, as compense for my last item. In the meantime, feel free to look through my works, m'lady. This could take a while." Gresh perched on a stool beside me, taking in my every mark on the parchment to check for errors.
Lady Voldaren stood motionlessly as I went to work. Eventually, she broke the silence. "You know, scrivener, your work is highly regarded amongst my peers."
"Thank, you, m'lady. It does not do to disappoint in this line of work."
"So Ithil noted too. He is a noble in Stormkirk - I believe you are acquainted to him?"
"Lord Ithil and I have conducted business together, yes."
"Yes, quite the gossiper, he is. In fact, he told me something about you the other night, scrivener. I take it you would not mind confirming this rumor?"
"Of course not. What did he say?"
"As a matter of fact, it was your ancestry he spoke of." I froze, nearly dripping ink all over the parchment. "He said that your great-grandfather was a famous vampire slayer, a cousin of the famed Saint Traft no less?"
I licked my lips, pausing to weigh out my reply. "Lord Ithil speaks the truth, m'lady. My father's side of the family - one I have never seen eye-to-eye with, I might add."
"Nonetheless, where your blood runs, so does his. Something to ponder, don't you think, scrivener?"
Before I could answer, Lady Voldaren, along with the finished scroll, vanished into the night.
Gresh wrapped himself around my leg, slowly pulling me out of my thoughts. "You know, for a necroalchemic abomination, you're quite soppy." Again, that soft whirr. "I suppose it's nice talking to...someone...who's not just here for business though. Good night, Gresh, and try not to make a mess." My voice faded as a knocked-over vial of ink spilled its contents all over a pile of scrolls I had prepared for Avabruck's new mayor, who came to me one night after being bitten by the old one. Funny that, it almost seems like a tradition there...
"You know what, I'll fix that tomorrow. Right now I need some shuteye."
Midnight Hanging 1B
Instant {U}
Destroy target non-Spirit creature. Its controller puts a 1/1 white Spirit creature token with flying onto the battlefield.
A shadow tightens. A cathar falls. A geist awakens.
Scrivener's Journal, Vol. II 2
Legendary Artifact {M}
Level up - Ponder the depths of your inkwell
--------------------------------------------------
[LVL 2-4]
"I want your electricity," he says without preamble.
"For what?"
"You know... I'll just let you take care of this one. I have a specific life-form I'm looking to make..."
--------------------------------------------------
[LVL 5+] T: Expand Scrivener's Journal, Vol. II's flavor text.
"Now when you say life-form..."
"Technicalities, my friend. I've got big plans, and I'll need both your and Geralf's help to pull it off." His deranged grin already made it perfectly clear I was yet again going to be dragged into his maniacal schemes.
"With suitable compensation, I hope?" If he had big plans, I wasn't going to walk away empty-handed. Not this time.
"I heard you're looking for a certain stone " - he procured it as he spoke - "one of...unique nature. Surely a scholar like you would kill to know its secrets?"
I was intrigued. The Fallen Opal seemed rather unremarkable, with exception to the ornate amulet of purest chrome in which it was encased. Fourteen years ago, a cathar was nearly struck by a meteor. The opal was in the heart of the meteor along with the amulet, the first sign of worlds beyond ours. It was stolen from the Cathedral of Avacyn two weeks later, the whole mess a very hushed up affair; only my connections to the Lunarch himself made its existence known to me. "Come, to the basement. Whatever you have planned, I'd rather have it far away from prying eyes."
Ludevic cackled as he launched his gaunt frame down the staircase. "I can feel it, scrivener! This time I'll finally put Gisa in her place!" Even before I had time to follow him, the building resounded with the clatter of various items being swept carelessly off the basement roundtable. I rubbed my brow at an earnest attempt to keep calm, suppressing a rogue surge of red mana yearning to burst through me.
Gresh, come with us and lock the door behind you. Make sure nothing follows us. It's bad enough having to put up with Ludevic's wandering eyes in my laboratory.
Yes, master. Over the last two moons, the bond between me and the fetch has been growing stronger; I knew when something was on his mind and when I shouldn't ignore it.
Anything wrong?
Gresh is unsure...Gresh sees Ludevic's mind, master, and Gresh thinks all this is bad idea. As with all fetches, his inner voice mirrored mine.
I could understand what he meant, although it's unusual for fetches to question their owner's motives. People will die if we go through with this. People always die when Ludevic is involved. But many more will die if either Ludevic or his sister would be to dispose of the other in their absurd rivalry. The most we can do is help him keep up with Gisa.
If master says so.
Below the manor lay a curiosity - countless moonsets ago, I had decided to construct a basement for some of my more secretive projects. While excavating the granite, I hit upon what appeared to be a vein of enormous amethysts. Finding gems of such proportion in solid rock was unheard of, and soon my suspicions were confirmed - about twelve feet below the manor's foundations, embedded in the very mountain, rested a geode of impressive proportion. A vicious nature geist guarded the hollow, but even that was little hindrance; Otrov, my very first fetch, turned out to be an excellent lure, and as the panicked homunculus scrabbled out of the pit, the terror armed with a hide of knife-like crystals crashing after him, a quick geist-quelling chant left the geode mostly hollowed out and almost ready for furnishing.
Ludevic had sprawled out a fresh piece of parchment on the table occupying a large part of the hollow, his spidery hands frantically tracing the outline of what appeared to be a skaab of monstrous proportions. "A question, scrivener." His darting eyes continued inspecting the parchment, one hand further frazzling his erratic hair. "You said you could store electricity, but can you produce a continuous supply?"
"I never recall saying anything about electricity in the first place." Gresh had finally made it down, and was now busying himself stashing away various flasks and volumes that the deranged visionary had swept to the floor.
"Pretend you did!" Ludevic snapped back.
"Fine." If it gets him out faster. "I've been working on a device that can refine currents of mana into miniature discharges of lightning, but coupling it into...whatever this is..." I gestured at the blueprints of the skaab.
"Don't worry, I'm sure you can work it out by next moonset." Ludevic trailed off cackling and humming to himself, lost in the labyrinthine recesses of his tattered sanity. Next moonset? Keep an eye out for me, fetch, this is exactly how madmen like Ludevic are made. I was met by a gentle whirr of amusement.
Hour after hour ticked away slowly, a duel of ink on parchment as I tried to glean as much as possible from behind the madman's bloodshot eyes. From what I understood, he wanted to construct a skaab that would simultaneously kill its victim and jolt it into undeath in a similar manner stitcher Geralf animates his creations. It sounded like a madman's plan, and I had my doubts, but Ludevic was insane, not stupid - he was never wrong before.
The moon was grazing the horizon when Ludevic left. I could feel my mind sucked into his madness, dreams of how to fix the design's many problems dancing in front of my mind's eye. Gresh's consciousness occasionally tugged at mine, an anchor to reality. That, I reminded myself, is why fetches were absolutely essential in my line of work.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Have you got everything?"
Yes, master. It had never occurred to me before, but Gresh was the only homunculus I had never seen talk.
"Good, good." My thoughts were still spinning from days of exhausting experimentation, but it had all paid off. The biggest issue was to pour the donnersteel without charring the flesh, but even that proved doable, if challenging, in the end. Swinging open a cast iron vault door, we both entered the tiny cavity in the wall. Amethysts, as is common knowledge, can be saturated very highly with enchantments - although by far not the best, outperformed by even obsidian, I have a conveniently large supply at my disposal. Their current arrangement was uncharacteristically complicated, the fruit of years of sleepless nights, but the concept is simple - by setting up the proper harmonics, any corporeal matter could be channeled through the aether, to rematerialize at another location.
Under the soft glow of blue mana, a model of the nearby world hovered. With a practiced hand, I swiveled the focus stones to refract a thin blade of light onto the location of Geralf's laboratory. Pulling the two gems apart, the model adjusted to swoop closer, the rest of the map dissipating into the realm of the geists. Almost there....
The stones were in position. Slowly, steadily, I let the mana from Nephalia's shores wash through me, so distant, yet but a memory's flicker away. It pulsed through my veins, raw, exhilarating, in a way few other things could be. Even for a mage with decades of experience, it takes a certain amount of mental rigor to spellshape; anyone can learn to summon mana, but few have the willpower to control its native will. I touched the amethysts in order - the reality filterer, the void array, and so on until only one remained. The trigger stone glowed faintly at first, then glared harshly as a powerful torrent of mana poured from my mind, through my body and into the stone. The room blurred into something indescribable by banalities such as sight, and my consciousness slipped.
The stench of embalming fluid jolted me back to my senses. My eyes, still stinging, took in the familiar surroundings - ornate cherry-wood carvings peeking out from behind vats, glass pipes, and all manner of complex devices; monstrous skaabs scattered around the laboratory, some twitching, some nowhere near completion; and the vast circular cavity in the center of the room, giving way to stitcher Geralf's assembly stage below. "Welcome, old friend!" Geralf himself stood near the edge of the platform, waving up to me. His own fetch, Oglor, was barely visible amongst a pile of corpses, methodically inspecting each one and extracting whatever he saw fit. "I hope you've been as busy as we three have!" He gestured at a window to the left of me, where thunder lit up the silhouette of a gargantuan winged skaab.
"Ludevic made himself a new mount, I see."
"Indeed." I couldn't help but flinch - Geralf's stealth was incredible, and in a matter of seconds he had moved to my side. In some ways he reminded me of a younger, better groomed Ludevic - his black, tidy hair was only just beginning to show tinges of gray, and his pronounced jaw gave off an aura of determination and grit that foreshadowed obsession and derangement.
"Hmph. As long as he brought what I require."
"Oh yes, more than enough I believe." A wide grin split his face. "Oglor! The hoard!"
"As master wishes." The old fetch ambled to an array of levers, and manipulated them in a clockwork rhythm, Gresh starting intently as an apprentice would watch a master. Seconds later, the ceiling clattered, and a pile of scrap metal was dumped unceremoniously onto the stage.
I frowned as I went down to inspect Ludevic's haul - copper shingles, gold and iron candelabra, the Collar of Avacyn...
"Well, scrivener?" Ludevic's grating voice rang down from the upper workshop. "Will that do?"
"You dismembered a chapel? Ludevic, you fool! And you wonder why the torch-wielding mobs relentlessly hound you?" I was livid, but tried to control myself - he's done much worse, after all. "If anyone comes after us, this is on your head."
The visionary's face fell, but quickly settled into a lopsided grin again. "We'll worry about that later - for now, let's have some fun! Show the man what we've made, Geralf!"
"Oglor!"
"As master wishes."
After spending days seeing the same thing in your imagination, you're either disappointed or awed - and I couldn't help but gape dumbly at what the stitcher had concocted. Towering over both levels of the workshop, the lifeless body hung from the ceiling. Eight gargantuan limbs sprawled out, each ending in bifurcated steel blades. Where head would be, enormous, dreadful jaws hung open, large enough to swallow a man whole.
"Our work is already done, scrivener." Geralf's voice was distant, the artist basking in the glory of his masterpiece. "All that is missing is the beast's heart."
Gresh, the orb. Unable to tear my gaze from the cobbled behemoth and its dreadful grace, I held out my left hand to recieve the ornate sphere. Even before my fingers brushed its charged surface I could feel the tingle of electricity rushing down my arm. "Geralf, I've been meaning to ask you about Gresh..."
"Hmm?" The stitcher's concentration broke. "Oh yes, thank you for taking him. Oglor's been developing somewhat of a god complex, building fetches just to tear them apart again. Gresh is...unique. I'm not quite sure how or why, but I'm sure it'll become apparent as time passes."
"So I suspected. In fact, I think I might conduct a little experiment..."
Gresh, The single, amphibian eye swiveled to face me. Observe my mind carefully. An image of Stensia's jagged peaks rushed through my mind. I recalled the stone's roughness on my tips, the blistering heat struggling to escape deep below the surface; even now, I felt its pull, yearning to be released. Slowly, with great restraint, I let an orb of elemental flame appear over my free palm, its flame just far enough from my fingers to be comfortably warm. The fetch seemed fearful of the flame at first, cowering as I bought it closer to him, but his curious nature got the better of him. I patiently let Gresh inspect the flame, my mind, and the wellspring of mana. Eventually, forcing the mana against its flow, I extinguished the spell. Now you try.
"Are you sure about this?" Geralf raised an eyebrow. A lightning bolt flickered outside the window, striking a stray ghoul.
"Don't worry, I-" my words were cut short as a fireball flared up. Reflexively, we both raised a blanket of blue mana, dousing the fireball with a hiss. Gresh's eye was illuminated by pure mana, his mind an agitated whirl of excitement and empowerment. Alright, now focus. I signaled to Geralf to keep an eye out for any more rogue fireballs, freeing up my concentration on the final task. With considerable effort, I raised the pile of metal into the center of the opening, while Ludevic below cackled and danced around the stage. I trust you know what to do.
For a second it seemed the small body of the homunculus would be torn apart by the sheer force of the mana channeling through it. The ball of metal shrieked and warped as pure heat evolved within its core - it did not take long for all the pieces to amalgamate into a red-hot ball of molten material. Ludevic squealed with glee. "Hurry up, you lot! Getraf must be awake before moonset!"
"Taken to naming his abominations, has he?" Geralf remarked, his deep chuckle barely registering in the noise of Ludevic's gibbering and Oglor relentlessly cranking away at a rusty contraption. Pushing all distractions out of my mind, I froze the flesh of the behemoth skaab. "I hope you know what you're doing", Geralf remarked. Molding the levitation spell while simultaneously maintaining the freezing spell, I carefully let the fresh alloy pour into the miniscule tunnels within the flesh.
The infusion had worked flawlessly, and Gresh whirred proudly as we both took a moment to recover from the effects of continued mana channeling.
"Only one thing left to do now." I tossed the orb down to Ludevic, who snatched it and scrabbled up the skaab's tail to slot in the final piece of the grisly puzzle. "The orb will take a while to build up enough power for such a large creation though."
"Now that I can do something about!" Geralf had an uncharacteristic glint in his eye. Ludevic joined us, leaping down from the neck of the behemoth. "Is that so?"
The stitcher's laughter echoed throughout the lab, punctured by a thunderclap. "Oglor, raise the lightning vane!"
Getraf Gravewake 4UB
Legendary Creature - Zombie {M}
As an additional cost to cast Getraf Gravewake, exile four creature cards from your graveyard.
Whenever a non-Zombie creature dies, return it to the battlefield under your control. It's a blue and black Zombie in addition to its other types and colors.
A single touch is enough to jolt into you the gravest of fates.
6/6
Scrivener's Journal, Vol. III 3
Legendary Artifact {M}
Permanents, spells, and cards not on the battlefield have no maximum flavor size.
:Expand target permanent's flavor text.
You are working in your study when an envelope flashes into existence atop your desk.
It says,
Greetings, master of spells.
You don't know me, although you may soon. But rest assured that I know you. I have an offer: I do not wish for a quick flashy ray of magic, nor even a fearsome creature, but instead something more tangible than that...
I read on with fascination - the mysterious author wrote of things I could not begin to comprehend; hordes of cathar-like warriors he called soldiers, a pyromancer of unfathomable power, monstrous tyrants of dust and ash feared by angel and demon alike.
...what I seek from you is to forge a weapon of unique properties - before you continue, I ask you to inspect the nature of what I require:
In the center of the page the man had provided a casterfont. With a sense on anticipation, I began invoking the spell, letting the curves of the scripture assemble their meaning within my thoughts. A written spell takes on a will of its own, using the invoking mind as a conduit to the reality. Within seconds, impossibly thin blades ribboned out of a shimmering rift, and finally the rift became opaque and coalesced to finish the weapon. Respecting the keen edges, I picked up the surprisingly heavy whip-like instrument. It wrapped comfortably around my left forearm, blades hanging like moss from an old geistwood. Overwhelmed with curiosity, I lashed out my arm and quickly jerked it back - the result was a shattered vial of ink, a near-decapitation and a nasty gash on my shin. Cursing under my breath, I resolved to learn more on how to wield this curious weapon later.
As a hieromancer, I have an acquired interest in banishing spells. While I have a vast knowledge of such magics, it is often impractical in the heat of battle to cast them. I am assured you are familiar in binding spells to weapons by a former customer of yours, and so I put the task of infusing a specific spell of mine into the form of the sural. I am told by the same source that conventional payment is of little interest to you, so I will reward your efforts, if successful, with information you will find valuable.
I read the last few sentences over and over again. Binding spells to weapons is something I couldn't remember ever doing, and yet I couldn't shake the feeling I had...
The vision struck me like a bolt of lightning in the night - wry smile, piercing, murderous eyes, an aura of immense power; these images danced around my head, like a fevered vision of an other life. The more I tried to push it out of my mind, the more intense it became. Bloodstained door...scarlet ruby...a mark hidden on the shoulder. The mark, yes. Something about that mark was the key. I tried to push the other fevered visions out of my mind, focus on the mark...
Without warning, my consciousness fell into darkness.
I woke up to the panicked, shrill whistling of Gresh, his urgent tones echoing in my skull. I felt weak, and it took a great deal of willpower to open my eyes and prop myself up to inspect my surroundings. The entire room was in disarray, as though a pack of werewolves had decided to set up their territory here. Across the center of the room was a smoldering path, flames still nibbling at a hole in the wall leading to the secret chamber in which I had woken up. The fetch was hobbling through the hole, a large, charred gash in its flesh. There was an awful sense of déjà vu about this situation, and as I glanced down I was hit with a sense of dread. Encasing my right arm was an enormous talon of glowing coals, ash spiraling down onto a large, spherical chest. The mark was half-charred into the wood, but enough of it for me to recognize it instantly as the insignia of the Markov family.
Strongboxes are devices whose purpose is to lock away memories, which are retrieved by inscribing the key symbol on it. It can hold many thoughts, each of which may have a different key. They are, however, not perfect - extraction of a memory leaves behind a shell, tattered images of the event stored in the chest. If a traumatic event is stored away, more often than not the sufferer will still experience the same terror regardless of whether they remember what caused it. These may manifest as fleeting nightmares, or partial recollection at a certain trigger. The recognition of the Markov emblem, and possibly the mysterious letter, now revealed a vision of a longsword biting into a shrieking monk, blood creeping out of the wound and slithering up the cold blade.
Gresh appeared at my side, more concerned about me than his slowly deteriorating frame. I reminded myself that fetches feel no pain and will replace their own body parts without second thought, but it still pained me to see the homunculus in such bad shape. "Patch yourself up", I said, absently passing my hand over the symbol to wipe it away. "No need to worry about me." There were too many unanswered questions, but reopening the strongbox was out of the question. Whatever happened here was only the faintest trace of the curse hidden within. I decided to carry out the correspondent's wishes, regardless of whether or not is was against good judgment; his letter had piqued my curiosity, and losing myself in my work would, at the very least, take my mind off what occurred today.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Twelve moons passed since the incident with the strongbox, and with the exception of the charred trail on the floor the restoration went swiftly and easily. Geralf wasn't pleased when I sent his prized fetch back for spare parts though, and I fear he may be holding a grudge. The sural proved easy to work with, although it barely contained the magic trapped in its blades. As a result, it floated eerily geist-like, drinking in the sun's rays when it hit them and releasing bursts of brilliant light when swung. Overwhelmed with curiosity at this singular weapon, I had begun training myself in it, and had gotten to a stage where I could inflict more damage to my target than myself, and wield the heavy blades for extended periods of time.
Keeping Gresh in the manor to keep him out of the way, I made my way to the Hollowstone, a sizeable crater on the outskirts of Stensia I have long been using as a training ground. The path was peaceful, with many of the mountain range's perils long having learned to keep out of my way. Gently lowering myself down the dusty slope, I readied myself as I awaited my opponent. I was judging the weight of the bladed whip when she arrived - Thea, a nature geist of dust, spiraled up from the bowl, towering above me thrice my height. We bowed to each other, signaling the start of the match.
Sandstone, I thought to myself, smiling as the houndlike constructs leaped towards me. With a well-judged strike, two of the blades slashed effortlessly through one, the third flailing behind the others to keep the other at bay. It snarled, grains of sand dripping from its jaws. I could feel my heart pumping with excitement, and foolishly I charged forward to try cleave the hound in two. It sidestepped the razor tendrils of the sural, and before I had time to react it leapt at me, barely missing me before whipping around and tearing me to the ground. Its skin tore through my clothes and rubbed against my skin, painting the sandstone hound's flank red with my blood. Gritting my teeth, I manipulated the weapon to curl around it, and with a jerk of my wrist they constricted, showering me with chunks of sandstone.
There was no time to lose - I could already hear the crack of Thea summoning more beings from the exposed rock, and I struggled to free myself from the larger pieces of the hound. The wound it had inflicted had not been too deep, but the drip of sweat stung terribly on the exposed flesh behind my left shoulder. The next being appeared to be a granite gargoyle - it did not move as quickly as the hounds, but its hide was too thick to cut through and even hunched over it drew eye level to me. Its dark gray eyes watched me patiently as it lumbered slowly closer. Taking care to keep my distance for as long as I could, I let the raw mana from the sun above saturate the steel whips, readying myself for the attack. Sensing my motives, the gargoyle let out a tectonic snarl, and enormous claws with the jagged sharpness of Stensia's peaks bore down on me.
Acting quickly, I released the spell trapped in the blades. Brilliant tendrils of light curled out from the steel, trapping the granite construct, which struggled in futility. With a swing of the arm, they effortlessly picked up the squirming stone being and smashed it against an exposed slab of rock. It shattered explosively, sparks flying where it hit the mountain's body.
I stood proudly at the center of the crater, giving little thought to how easily I had overwhelmed the geist's constructs. I was immediately punished for my overconfidence - I felt myself being picked up in an icy cold grasp and flung across, tumbling ungracefully across a mercifully smooth patch of dust. Battered and bruised, but thankfully unharmed by the trailing lashes of the sural, I staggered onto my feet to face the assailant. Where I had stood moments before now stood three angelic figures, their surreal silhouettes carved out of pure quartz. The smaller of the two, each as tall as Thea herself, silently, yet purposefully made their way towards me, while the third, looming over the others, kept perfectly still, hovering surreally over the crater.
Upon seeing me stand up, the two smaller quartz angels hesitated, before circling me in a pincer attack. In the blink of an eye, they were within my blade's reach, their sharp wings enclosing me like a cage of daggers.with no way to escape, I once again evoked the spell trapped within the weapon. The angel on my left was swept away in a large arc, but out of the corner of my eye I could see it land with cat-like grace. The one on my right was too quick, though, and a large, crushing hand clamped down on my shoulder. With no time to think, I hastily wrapped the blades around a crystalline feather in front of me, and pulled on the weapon as hard as my battered body would allow.
I let out a howl of pain as the fingers dug into the flesh of my unharmed shoulder, and the sural's handle into my right forearm. With a crack, I flung out of the angel's grasp, and drained some the last of my mana to fling the tangled win over me. The sound of stone on stone rung through the dust bowl as the angel was pulled into her twin, showering them with tiny quartz splinters. With them unable to give chase, I began darting towards the third angel, who had now descended and summoned a crude sword from the earth. All or nothing. I prayed the infusion worked as planned, all pain I had fading under the empowering charge of white mana emanating from the blade. The sheer force of the spell rendered the sural practically weightless, and ribbons of solid light flailed and spread throughout the sky.
The angel raised her blade, and began its powerful swoop towards me. One way or the other, there was no way to avoid it now. A single thought burned brightly in my mind, and time seemed to slow in the thrill of the moment. As I let the thought take over, a single searing blade bit into quartz. There was a flash of impossibly bright light, and I felt the air tug me forwards as, with a deafening clap, the angel was pulled from existence. I suppressed a scream of agony as the overwhelming amount of mana in the sural spilled over into my veins, and I scrabbled blindly to remove the weapon from my arm.
I rubbed my eyes, trying to restore my sight from the blinding light. The sural shimmered calmly in front my my feet, and where the other two angels had stood moments before, dust glimmered in the air, disturbed by the same currents that had jerked me. On the other side of the bowl, Thea's featureless face emanated hesitation before bowing deeply. Smiling, I returned the gesture, and the dust geist collapsed back into the earth.
Suddenly, you're afflicted a curse of temporary blindness. Looks like someone wants to keep this private. You'll have to try again later, when you're better prepared.
Irol, the Sundancer 4
Legendary Artifact - Equipment {M}
Equipped creature gets +2/+2 and has "W,Q:Tap target creature."
Whenever equipped creature deals combat damage to a player, exile all tapped creatures that player controls.
Equip 3
Each blade represents a crime unpunished, each searing bite the wielder's verdict.
[Clan Flamingo] Tier Archivist
[15:21] <@CC> Remember, if you argue, you are an idiot.
Untrophied Wins:
Perfect MCC Scores: 2
---------------------------------------------------------------
It's completely up for interpretation.
I think its time for phasing to make a come back, ever since it's latest rules rewrite I've fallen in love with it all over again. (yeah I know I'm nuts)
Gate to the Netherworld 4
Artifact {MR}
At the beginning of each player’s precombat main phase, that player phases out another permanent he or she controls. Then he or she adds mana to his or her mana pool equal to the converted mana cost of each permanent phased out this way.
Whenever a permanent phases in, put a 1/1 black and red devil creature token onto the battlefield.
Instant (C)
Target creature gets -X/-X until end of turn, where X is the life its controller has lost this turn.
When famine strikes the human population of Stensia, the sickly and the elderly will often choose to enter the Blessed Sleep on their own in order for their loved ones to have a better chance of living. The struggles for scarce prey amongst Stensia's vampires are far less altruistic.
Cathar-Bound Geist 2W
Creature - Spirit (U)
Protection from non-Spirit creatures
2W: The next time a source of your choice would deal damage to target Human creature this turn, that damage is dealt to Cathar-Bound Geist instead.
The cathars do not know how such ethereal creatures can protect them from physical blows, but they have learned not to question such favors.
2/1
The Bloodletter 5
Legendary Artifact - Equipment (M)
Equipped creature gets +3/+0 and has "Whenever this creature deals damage to a creature or player, put that many wound counters on that creature or that player."
At the beginning of each opponent's upkeep, that player loses 1 life for each wound counter he or she has, then puts a -1/-1 counter on each creature he or she controls for each wound counter that creature has.
Equip 5
Artifact {M}
Whenever Transient Key becomes tapped, target opponent gains control of it.
,T: Exile target nonland permanent.
,T: Return target permanent exiled with Transient Key to the battlefield under it’s owner’s control.
It opens doors none go into and is owned by those who don’t exist.
You got it.
The Bloodletter 4
Legendary Artifact - Equipment (MR)
Equipped creature gets +2/+2 and has deathtouch.
Whenever equipped creature deals combat damage to a player, put that many charge counters on The Bloodletter.
At the beginning of your upkeep, target player loses life equal to the number of charge counters on The Bloodletter.
Equip - Pay 4 life
You got 99 attackers but I'm blocking with 1.
The Winner is Judge | 7
This Winner is Also Judge | 6
Club Flamingo | Lots
Scorlam, Paracrystal Dagger 2
Legendary Artifact - Equipment (MR)
Whenever equipped creature deals combat damage, exile that creature, and unattach ~.
Equip 4
"I don't know where paracrystal sends it's victims, but it's nowhere on Innistrad." -Thomas, Spellmaster
Final card, a fascinating little orb for Ludevic:
Equilibrium 4
Legendary Artifact - Equipment
Whenever equipped creature deals combat damage to a creature, tap up to X permanents, where X is that creature's power. Then untap up to that many permanents.
Equipped creature has "t: Target creature can't attack, block, or activate abilities this turn."
"Electricity makes skaab function, but stops humans and many trinkets from working. An interesting balance."
-Ludevic the Insane
Equip 3
This looks interesting... but no charge counters? Hm.
Equilibrium 3
Legendary Artifact - Equipment
Whenever equipped creature deals combat damage to a creature, tap that creature. It doesn't untap during its controller's untap step.
Equipped creature has "t: Target creature can't attack, block, or activate abilities this turn."
Equip 3
But needs to be more effective against stronger creatures... We'll see how it goes.
Edit:
Equilibrium Orb 4
Legendary Artifact - Equipment
Whenever equipped creature deals combat damage to a creature, tap up to X permanents, where X is that creature's power. They doesn't untap during their controller's next untap step.
Equipped creature has "t: Target creature can't attack, block, or activate abilities this turn."
Equip 3
Two abilities have little connection, though... Hm.
Angelfire 1W
Sorcery
If target creature is human, it gets +2/+2, first strike, and vigilance until end of turn. If it is not, Angelfire deals 3 damage to that creature.
"Holy fire blesses the devout with burning zeal. Others, it just burns."
-Father Ilben
Cathar Remnants 4WW
Creature - Spirit (U)
Cathar Remnants can block any number of black creatures.
Some cathars willingly give up the Blessed Sleep to protect the rest of the innocent.
5/7
Note of Death
Legendary Artifact (Mythic Rare)
Whenever a creature enters the battlefield, name that card and put a charge counter on Note of Death.
:3mana:,:symtap:, Remove X charge counters from Note of Death: Destroy target creature with converted mana cost X named with Note of Death.
"The first you have arrived, I've already known your ending."
Avacyn's Judgment 4W
Sorcery (C)
Target creature is indestructible and has hexproof until end of turn and as long as it's a Human. Otherwise, exile that creature.
Avacyn can see the good, however small, in everything and everyone. That said, will also not hesitate to eliminate the darkness from her world.
Scrollbound Spirit [mana]4UU[/mana
Creature - Spirit (U)
Flash
Flying
"Step one: Rip in half.
There is no step two." ~ Scroll inscription
5/7
The Candle of Reality 4
Legendary Artifact (MR)
3: Exile target permanent, then return it to the battlefield under its owner's control.
It causes the world to flicker as it does.
BGStandard Green AggroGB
UWRGModern Saheeli CobraGRWU
UBRGLegacy StormGRBU
Wizards Certified Rules Advisor
Round 1-Job 3
Round 2-Job 1
What can I say? I like to finish patterns.
Vergess, the Blessed Sleep 1
Legendary Artifact (M)
If a card would leave a player's graveyard, exile it instead.
"I have succeeded where countless funeral pyres, burial rites and Avacynian priests have failed."
—Amulet's inscription
To clarify, this stops skaab stiching, ghoul calling, and even necro-alchemy. In short, the dead stay dead.
I hope this meets the round's requirements, as it does remove a single thing from existence, and it can do so repeatedly.
Mechanic Creator's Contest III- Winner
[Clan Flamingo]
Job 3 (Offered by Ludevic the Insane): Create a mythic rare, legendary equipment artifact named "Equilibrium" that:
Can deal electrical melee damage (i.e. combat) that will stun the receiving creature
Can deal electrical ranged damage that will disable, but not stun the receiving creature
Does not involve charge counters
Is more effective against stronger creatures
Equilibrium 4
Legendary Artifact - Equipment (MR)
When Equilibrium enters the battlefield, you may place a Conduit counter on up to two target creatures.
Equipped creature has First Strike and "This creature cannot be blocked by creatures with Conduit counter. Whenever this creature deals combat damage to a creature, remove that creature from combat and put a Conduit counter on it. Whenever this creature deals damage to a player, creatures with Conduit counter deals damage equal to their power to each other."
Equip: 4
"Nature seeks balance in all things. Therefore, the same repel, and the opposite attract; allow me to demonstrate by charging these two specimens, and observe the devastation."
Job 1:
The Bloodletter 3
Legendary Artifact - Equipment (MR)
Equipped creature gets +1/+1 and has first strike and wither.
Whenever equipped creature deals combat damage to a player, that
player gets an emblem with "At the beginning of your upkeep, you
lose 1 life."
Equip 3
OK
laser cannon of the Gods 7W
Legendary Artifact (mythic rare)
Artifact
:symtap:: Exile target card.
-- R.I.P. 10/16/11-2/29/12
Legendary Artifact (M)
Exile target permanent you control.:symtap:: Exile target non-land permanent or return to the battlefield target exiled non-land permanent under its owner's control.
Gideon used the artifact to take out his enemies by sending the someplace they would not hurt anybody else.
Spellslay 1B
Instant (U)
Destroy target creature if it's the target of another spell of ability.
Round 1, Job 3:
Sparkskull, Skaab Dynamo 1UUB
Legendary Creature - Zombie
Sparkskull, Skaab Dynamo enters the battlefield with a charge counter on it for each artifact you control.
T: Untap target Zombie creature you control and it gets +X/+X until end of turn, where X is the number of charge counters on Sparkskull. Sacrifice that creature at end of turn.
"Excellent. Assault and Battery" - Ludevic the Insane
3/3
Round 3, Job 2:
Stones of the First Church 5
Legendary Artifact (MR)
Whenever a creature attacks you, you may pay 1W. If you do, put a 1/1 white Spirit creature token with flying onto the battlefield.
Sacrifice 5 spirits: Exile target attacking creature
As the necro-alchemist leaves the room, you examine the very specific instructions that he has left for you. It seems that he has taken well for his zombies you produced for him a few years ago, and wonder what he has been up to.
However, there is no time for reminiscing. As you read the parchment, your mind begins to cringe at what evilness Ludevic has requested -- however, you know that he will leave you alive, since you have been of great asset to him.
Underground Lunges 3U
Enchantment (R)
Exile target Zombie from your graveyard: Underground Lunges deals damage equal to the exiled card's power to target creature. Activate this ability only once per turn.
"I can say, Ludevic, that this is a fine piece of magic to reuse your dismembered zombies into something more powerful."
Round 2 Entry Team Parchment
At morning, you hear a strange howl - one of sorrow, one of death. You bind Avacyn's light around the dusty laboratory, and prepare to study.
A few weeks later, you hear that the customer's house was tore apart and wrecked. However, that's the price of meddling with a person's life, you muse to yourself.
Legendary Creature - Human Werewolf (M)
At the beginning of each upkeep, if no spells were cast last turn, transform Gerald the Strong.
"Oh, to return to Ilsa's loving arms again..."
2/3
//
Tovalos, Mondronen Alpha GR
Legendary Creature - Werewolf (M)
Each player can't cast more than one spell each turn.
At the beginning of each upkeep, if two or more spells were cast last turn, transform Tovalos, Mondronen Alpha.
6/5
"Their alpha Tovalos is a mute, silver-furred werewolf who leads his pack on revels of carnage and howling songs, and who never seems to revert to human form."
Inspired by this article.
Round 3 Entry Team Parchment
As the old man departs, he leaves the huge sack of gold on the table and the parchment that enlists what artifact he requested. Seems like you've been needing more and more gold as of late. You look, and you see an instrument of absolute evil, and evil greater than any task you have been assigned. Rubbing your hands, you go to work.
The Bloodletter 2
Legendary Artifact - Equipment (M)
Whenever equipped creature attacks, put a charge counter on The Bloodletter. Then you may put X -1/-1 counters on target creature and target player loses X life for each charge counter on The Bloodletter.
Equip 2
"It reproduces blood. That is all I know."
Jofridus, Arm of Griselbrand
The Bloodletter 3
Legendary Artifact - Equipment (MR)
Whenever equipped creature deals damage to another creature, put a blood counter on that creature. At the beginning of your upkeep, put a blood counter on each creature your opponents control with a blood counter on it.
Equipped creature gets +1/+1 for each blood counter on creatures your opponents control. Creatures your opponents control get -1/-1 for each blood counter on them.
Equip 2
Nilwink, Gideon's Purestone 3
Legendary Artifact (M)
When Nilwink, Gideon's Puresone enters the battlefield, exile target creature. Return that creature to the battlefield under its owner's control at the beginning of that player's next upkeep. When that creature enters the battlefield, if it's nonwhite, exile it.
1W: Target creature becomes the color of your choice until end of turn.
Thanks to Nezumi for the banner!
1. Nope.
2. Wednesday the 19th. Updated OP.