Academy is back! I asked about this a long while back and I actually finished it. I've updated it for post-M10 terminology, revamped it from scratch, and added Mythics, Planeswalkers, and the new set size (249 cards) and rarity distribution. It was long and arduous, but I'd love to have some input.
Please note that the set isn't 100% complete. Some cards need flavor text still. If you have a suggestion, feel free to give one!
Instead of tearing down my old site, I'm gonna post the cards here, with the images hosted by my site (so no cries of leeching! It's my site!)
Let me know what you think! I did borrow the Zendikar land templates.. but who wouldn't have?
I could've just used Sunburst, but it would've been the only instance of the keyword in the set, and I'd rather make a set revolving around Sunburst as opposed to just having one card with Sunburst.
You need to either eliminate experience counters completely and only use +1/+1 counters, or use charge counters instead of introducing an entirely new type of counter. The first would reduce memory and bookkeeping issues considerably; the second would enable backwards compatibility with Mirrodin Cycle. R&D has written often about trying to reduce the number of counters that appear in a set, or in the entire game, focusing on charge (in Mirrodin), divinity (in Kamigawa), age (in Coldsnap), time (in Time Spiral), +1/+1 (in Lorwyn), -1/-1 (in Shadowmoor), and quest (in Zendikar). Each set focuses on a single type of counter (aside from the very occasional random counters) to not only avoid confusion but to allow more interactivity with other cards. Experience is a cool idea, but I think it would be much better off if you focused on either +1/+1 counters or experience counters. (And if you choose experience counters, don't let them grant +1/+1. That defeats the purpose.)
You need to either eliminate experience counters completely and only use +1/+1 counters, or use charge counters instead of introducing an entirely new type of counter. The first would reduce memory and bookkeeping issues considerably; the second would enable backwards compatibility with Mirrodin Cycle. R&D has written often about trying to reduce the number of counters that appear in a set, or in the entire game, focusing on charge (in Mirrodin), divinity (in Kamigawa), age (in Coldsnap), time (in Time Spiral), +1/+1 (in Lorwyn), -1/-1 (in Shadowmoor), and quest (in Zendikar). Each set focuses on a single type of counter (aside from the very occasional random counters) to not only avoid confusion but to allow more interactivity with other cards. Experience is a cool idea, but I think it would be much better off if you focused on either +1/+1 counters or experience counters. (And if you choose experience counters, don't let them grant +1/+1. That defeats the purpose.)
Just my thoughts.
When I was redesigning Academy, I had this policy directly in my head. And you know what? I thought to myself: **** that. This is a custom-made expert-level set. Can't break an omelete without making some eggs. (intentionally swapped) I wanted Experience, but I also wanted +1/+1 counters. +1/+1 counters and charge counters coexisted in Mirrodin. I just blurred the lines.
RedDwarfian: I'm glad you pointed that out. I'll get on it.
I haven't read all the cards yet, but I got excited and had to say a few things. First, from what I've seen this looks like a very balanced set, as well as a very flavorful set. Second, I absolutely love the Experience mechanic. That is a very novel idea, yet a very useful one.
I just have a few things I noticed could be polished. First, Elena Dawnbreaker's second ability: I don't think a player can have shroud, can they? It would make more sense if you couldn't be the target of spells or abilities your opponent controls. Second, on Holding the Gates, the wording is slightly redundant. "...up to X...where X is equal to or less than the number..." I would think it would be "...up to X...where is the number of creatures you control..." or just drop the "up to" in the original wording. Lastly, Empowered just seems redundant to me as well. Though all the abilities have to do with counters, adding a whole new word for it seems a bit much, as the word itself has no function.
I just want to say again how much I loved what I've seen so far. Congrats on the great set!
As for a player having shroud, say hello to True Believer
Empowered is just a little reminder keyword, like Sweep or Threshold. Has no bearing on the game rules-wise, but it's a handy little word for players. They can merely say 'my creature is using its empowered ability' or 'my creature is empowered'.
Thank you for the positive comments! I'm glad to see someone likes my work.
I still need to finish flavor text for the set.. some cards look very bare.
When I was redesigning Academy, I had this policy directly in my head. And you know what? I thought to myself: **** that. This is a custom-made expert-level set. Can't break an omelete without making some eggs. (intentionally swapped) I wanted Experience, but I also wanted +1/+1 counters. +1/+1 counters and charge counters coexisted in Mirrodin. I just blurred the lines.
Yeah! You tell him.
Anyway, This is really, really amazing. So much effort, so much greatness. Not to sound creepy or anything, but I see you on a random thread, and I'm pretty much always interested in what you have to say. This set sort of cements my opinion that you're probably a cool person.
And finally, about that card, Holding the Gates. As it's written, right now, you can drop the part about not picking zero, because it is creatures who aren't chosen who get to attack, so choosing zero would benefit you.
Restoration Amulet is way overpowered for 2. It should cost more and/or be sacrificed/exiled after its effect goes off.
Remember, retrieving a card from Exile should be a huge endeavor. Look at Mirror of Fate.
I think Mirror of Fate is more about setting up a combo. It's an extremely niche card, and it's actually not that good. Seeing as how Restoration Amulet completely randomizes things, I'd say it's pretty fair. One thing that might be used to balance it is to have it remove itself (seeing as how you could easily run two, it's kind of pointless, but it might appease people who see it as too powerful). Really, how powerful is getting all your stuff back from the graveyard? Unless you have some sort of draw engine, you haven't altered board position, and you still have to draw whatever awesome spells you had previously cast.
Restoration Amulet? I never saw it as overpowered. Feldon's Cane is one mana. This just adds Exiled cards.
I have done next to no testing, yet. But I'm planning on it. Do you want to test it with me on MWS sometime?
Thank you for the kind words! Academy is my brainchild and I do need to actually finish the flavor text. If you see a card that looks like it could fit some flavor text, feel free to add some.
There is an actual plot to the characters involved.
Restoration Amulet? I never saw it as overpowered. Feldon's Cane is one mana. This just adds Exiled cards.
That's pretty much what I was thinking. Though, Feldon's Cane can't be used repeatedly, but I don't really feel it's really powerful at all unless you bend over backwards to make it work.
I have done next to no testing, yet. But I'm planning on it. Do you want to test it with me on MWS sometime?
I would love to help, I even have Workstation on my computer, but I don't know much about adding new stuff or connecting. If you're willing to teach me, I'd be happy to join in whenever I can.
Thank you for the kind words! Academy is my brainchild and I do need to actually finish the flavor text. If you see a card that looks like it could fit some flavor text, feel free to add some.
There is an actual plot to the characters involved.
This contains spoilers and explains Academy's flavor, as well as an insight into the set, and the block as a whole. Sets 2 and 3 of Academy, Gauntlet and Discord, have not yet been re-designed for post-M10 rules, but their flavor/plot is going to be discussed here in full as well. I will put it all in a single spoiler, so read on if you wish. Warning: This primer is wordy and probably needs an editor, and it's not entirely fitting with the known MTG universe (if there is any specific place it has to fit in).
Prologue In a far end of the Multiverse, long before the Mending, longer even before Urza was an apprentice artificer, an ancient planeswalker lived and traveled the worlds. Nothing is truly known about her, other than the fact that she was a woman of immense power, even among planeswalkers, and that she was known to some as Aeterna.
Aeterna was tired of seeing all of these worlds and having none of her own. So, she began creating her own plane of existence. Aeterna first created her seraphs, or servants. Angels of immense power. It is said that some of these angels were in fact other planeswalkers, but only a select unknown few know the truth. This plane's true name has been lost to the sands of time, but what is known is that Aeterna was not alone in the creation of the plane. The plane was to be known as Academy, or The Academy.
Aeterna and her servants first created the form of Academy, a small planet. Small even in comparison with many worlds in the Multiverse. To the north, the Wilder Mountains, an endless chain of mountains, valleys, rivers, and volcanic activity, with veins of mountain ranges through the plane, its northern peaks covered in snow. To the south, the Endless Decay, a rolling series of swamps, mires, bogs, and pits, with numerous veins reaching up even to the edges of the Wildermount. To the east, the Golden Prairie, an endless rolling plains, with grasslands, meadows, and farmland, with pockets of its expanse peering across the plane. To the west, the Emerald Jungle, a tangle of jungles, wilderness, forests, and mass foliage, with branches stretching all across the land. At the 'center' of the mapped plane, though not on both sides of the plane, is the largest ocean on Academy, the Sapphire Ocean. There are other smaller pockets of water scattered across the ocean in each region, but the Sapphire is the largest, containing thousands of islands of various climates. All five of these regions overlap each other, blending into each climate--a truly unique and blended world that is almost perfectly designed in symmetry, at least in practice. In execution, the borders bled together and truly formed the plane's identity.
But despite the impressive and elegant look and feel of this small, comfortable, and simple plane, despite the animal and plant life, Aeterna and her servants could not create a sentient life to live on this plane. Aeterna discovered that it takes more than just the Spark of a planeswalker to truly create something that can achieve its own spark--at least, beyond her own power.
So, instead of trying for the impossible, Aeterna poured almost all of the remainder of her power into her next six creations. Five sentient women, almost avatars of portions of her power. These women Aeterna called 'sisters', though their connection was deeper than that.
At first, they were each the same in appearance and demeanor, but they were able to use mana freely and openly. As centuries passed, the sisters developed separately, forming their own styles and appearances, their own wisdom of the way the world, and the way mana works. They almost 'stumbled upon' each color of mana on their own. They often met with each other, spending time together in pairs or larger groups, experimenting and diiscovering things on their own. Each sister found that they did not get along with two of their siblings, but did well with the other two. Their mana would not mesh as easily. It was hard for them to agree at times. Sometimes they would battle, but overall, all five sisters understood the need for balance on Academy. That each color of mana was essential and they all had their place, despite their differences. The sisters would sometimes summon creatures from the AEther, but the beasts could not stay on Academy. Not forever, anyways.
Aeterna, all the while, guided her 'daughters', watching over them as a distant motherly figure, giving insight and wisdom when necessary, but Aeterna was fascinated with watching them grow on their own, with almost no help. A blank slate, forming separately from the multiverse in its own unique way. Aeterna even shielded Academy's location from other planeswalkers, so they could not muddle with her creation.
At last, after a millenia on the plane, Aeterna summoned her daughters to the center of the Sapphire Ocean. From the very core of the planet, Aeterna summoned forth a massive mountain spire, a jutting rock made of gold, darksteel, and other precious and intensely strong metals, forming the mountain into a spiraling palace. The mountain jutted out into the highest atmospheres of the plane, touching as high as possible even over the clouds, higher than any mountain shaped in even the tallest ranges of Wilder. Aeterna then constructed a massive portal at the top of the spire, and then spread her power forth, sending out almost all of her loyal seraphs and servants throughout the multiverse, creating connections from the known planes to her creation. The portal is the center of a massive web of tethered portals to other worlds. Some portals are massive; some are only large enough for a single person at a time. The portals were well-hidden when first created--and they're only one way. If you pass through the portal to Academy, you can't go home just as easily. This portal was Aeterna's sixth great creation, and the last time she directly affected the world of Academy before the story of the set begins.
When this massive Planar Portal was completed, Aeterna explained that the sisters were in fact not alone in the multiverse. That other worlds with countless other people existed, and that they would soon find their way to Academy through the Portal. It was then that Aeterna explained the sisters' true purpose: To further gain an understanding of the multiverse and the work of mana, as well as spread their understanding to their visitors. It was also then that Aeterna gave these sisters their own names, and thus their own identities:
Elena, the avatar of white mana. A golden-haired beauty with endless patience and wisdom, devoted to protection, divination, abjuration, preservation, order, and unity.
Lleywen, the avatar of blue mana. A dark-haired intellectual, the least comely of the sisters but still remarkable, with an almost infinite grasp of logic, reasoning, and intellect, devoted to knowledge, science, illusion, and the ethereal.
Elowyn, the avatar of black mana. A dark and deadly temptress with a deathly air. Selfish and ruthless, but not unkind to those who hear her out. She is devoted to power, control, necromancy, and the dark arts.
Myrael, the avatar of red mana. A fiery redhead with an ever-changing focus. Wild and unruly, with an endless passion, devoted to emotions, fire, chaos, evocation and free expression.
Kazary, the avatar of green mana. A blonde enchantress with a natural grace and common sense, able to speak with any animal or plant, devoted to the wild growth and expansion of life, natural cycles and order, as well as enchantment and mysticism.
It was then that Aeterna called this plane The Academy, a living, plane-sized school of growth and learning.
Over the years, visitors would stumble through the portal, greeted by the sisters and invited in. Those who wanted to stay were allowed to stay; those who wanted to go back home were allowed to go home, at first. Word spread in rumor through several worlds about a mystical Academy in the multiverse where divine goddesses greeted visitors, helping them and teaching them more than they could ever learn. As more and more people emigrated to Academy, finding permanent establishments, growing into their own identity but still retaining their old planes' names and styles, Academy developed its own populations. Goblins, humans, dwarves, kobolds, elves, necromancers and undead, and many other races congregated here over time, forming into the unique dynamic Academy had at the start of the 'plot.'
As Aeterna watched over her daughters and helped form her world into what it is, her most powerful seraph, an angel named Jukar, became upset. He challenged Aeterna, asking why she had poured so much love and devotion into her daughters, into her world, which he himself had had a hand in creating. He felt that she had shortchanged her servants, and that he could easily disrupt her plans for the plane. Jukar rallied his power and attacked Aeterna, but the battle ended swiftly--Jukar underestimated her power, and when he assaulted her physically, she tore his left wing off and imprisoned him, forcing him to watch from afar as her world was completed and grew into what it was. Jukar's hatred and sense of betrayal only festered over time.
Just before our plot begins, the sisters, their world now sufficiently populated with its own countries, cities, villages and communities, each of them mostly focused around each sister, had decreed that from then on, if a traveler wanted to return home, they had to visit each of them in turn, getting a 'lesson' from each sister and gaining their blessing, before being allowed to return through the portal. Aeterna agreed, and altered the portal, making it one-way only, save only if the traveler gains the blessing of each sister.
Part One: Academy
The story of Academy block actually begins on two different planes. First is the endless city expanse of Ravnica. Among those acolytes in the Selesnya Conclave, the druid Omna is somewhat of a loner. Ostracized for spending far too much time in the gardens and the wild, and not enough time among her friends in the conclaves and temples. Omna would often stray from her home and wander for days on end, crossing entire countryside regions of the city, often alone or with other travelers along the way. Always with Omna was her trusted familiar, a wolf named Ranger. She and Ranger seemed to have an unspoken bond. Among the communal nature of the Conclave, Omna and Ranger were individuals. One fateful day, Ranger smelled something interesting in an ancient Temple Garden, and vanished into Ravnica's portal to Academy. The portal was known to the guilds, but it was not considered a threat, nor was it greatly publicized. It was agreed by the Guild leaders to leave the portal alone, and let anyone who wandered into the portal to fend for themselves.
Elsewhere in the multiverse, on a plane called Soltera (a possible set I may explore in the future), there lives a society of elves unlike any other: Elves that are primarily focused on achieving spiritual and intellectual immortality and omniscience, devoted to the study of arcane magic. Among these (blue) elf-wizards, a half-elf named Alacar Leoricar was a bit of a jokester and a prodigy. He was one of the few rogue elves that still had some connection to nature, but he was quite the genius and adept with altering already-established spells. His familiar was a squirrel, unlike the other elves who chose falcons or drakes. Alacar actually discovered the portal on accident; he was being chased by a massive, angry Baloth that his squirrel had accidentally riled, when he stumbled into a jungle and fell down a ravine, falling unwittingly into the Academy portal. The portal was known of by some, especially those known as the Ethereals, a mistfolk that seemed to hold the secrets to Soltera.
Why I perfectly unterstand and am willing you to find a way making that work with the least memory issues possible, Mirrodin can't be taken as an example, since charge counters were designed to be used on noncreature permanents, while your experience counters are affecting creatures which may also get +1/+1 counters at the same time. That makes your set hardly smooth on MWS, while the kitchen table will just use two colors of counters (at the risk of confusing its newbies).
Well, there is Lightning Reaver so it isn't as though it's never been done.
Also, Alacar, I noticed your Exalted Phoenix had Bloodthirst X, which you decided to spell out. I don't know if that's a conscious decision, but if you ever want to eliminate some text, there you go.
The spire and portal are both considered her 'sixth' creation, yes. I should've been more clear about that, I guess. After Aeterna altered the portal, there are only two other actions Aeterna make in the plot of Academy--that we know of.
I finally have MWS up and running, and I think I know how to install custom card sets (I'm guessing you just drop the file in the "Custom" folder). I'm wondering though, do you know how to get the pictures? The first time I used it, I guess it was an older version, because it had pictures and newer card frames. But when I had to reinstall everything, I got my stuff from their site, and now it's all bland.
You have to install a theme and pick it in your preferences or whatever. As for installing custom sets...
Tools > Analyze/Add/Remove Editions > Add New Edition > Edition Name: Academy > Edition Key: ACD > Get data from text Spoiler: On > Find the spoiler txt file (unreleased) and then go on. Fairly simple process.
You have to install a theme and pick it in your preferences or whatever. As for installing custom sets...
Tools > Analyze/Add/Remove Editions > Add New Edition > Edition Name: Academy > Edition Key: ACD > Get data from text Spoiler: On > Find the spoiler txt file (unreleased) and then go on. Fairly simple process.
Okay, not as simple as I thought, but I can handle it. Where do you keep the files needed to load it?
I haven't released the set spoiler to be used on MWS yet, but the pictures are easily uploaded into a folder called 'ACD' in the 'Pics' subfolder of the 'Magic Workstation' main folder.
I suppose I could release the spoiler, but I want to finish the flavor text.. it's just hard, I hit a big writer's block with flavor text sometimes. 245 cards, at least half with some sort of quip or remark or snark... whew. I'm having enough trouble finishing the plot. I could basically just tell you what happens but I wanna give it some more detail. I guess I can throw together a generic rundown and PM it to you if you're that hungry for what happens.
Academy is back! I asked about this a long while back and I actually finished it. I've updated it for post-M10 terminology, revamped it from scratch, and added Mythics, Planeswalkers, and the new set size (249 cards) and rarity distribution. It was long and arduous, but I'd love to have some input.
Please note that the set isn't 100% complete. Some cards need flavor text still. If you have a suggestion, feel free to give one!
Instead of tearing down my old site, I'm gonna post the cards here, with the images hosted by my site (so no cries of leeching! It's my site!)
Like freeform roleplaying? Try Darkness Befalls Us
Ryttare Kelasin Luna Orelinalei
Looks great, though.
Like freeform roleplaying? Try Darkness Befalls Us
Ryttare Kelasin Luna Orelinalei
Just my thoughts.
You can just choose zero creatures each time.
RedDwarfian: I'm glad you pointed that out. I'll get on it.
Like freeform roleplaying? Try Darkness Befalls Us
Ryttare Kelasin Luna Orelinalei
I just have a few things I noticed could be polished. First, Elena Dawnbreaker's second ability: I don't think a player can have shroud, can they? It would make more sense if you couldn't be the target of spells or abilities your opponent controls. Second, on Holding the Gates, the wording is slightly redundant. "...up to X...where X is equal to or less than the number..." I would think it would be "...up to X...where is the number of creatures you control..." or just drop the "up to" in the original wording. Lastly, Empowered just seems redundant to me as well. Though all the abilities have to do with counters, adding a whole new word for it seems a bit much, as the word itself has no function.
I just want to say again how much I loved what I've seen so far. Congrats on the great set!
As for a player having shroud, say hello to True Believer
Empowered is just a little reminder keyword, like Sweep or Threshold. Has no bearing on the game rules-wise, but it's a handy little word for players. They can merely say 'my creature is using its empowered ability' or 'my creature is empowered'.
Thank you for the positive comments! I'm glad to see someone likes my work.
I still need to finish flavor text for the set.. some cards look very bare.
Like freeform roleplaying? Try Darkness Befalls Us
Ryttare Kelasin Luna Orelinalei
Yeah! You tell him.
Anyway, This is really, really amazing. So much effort, so much greatness. Not to sound creepy or anything, but I see you on a random thread, and I'm pretty much always interested in what you have to say. This set sort of cements my opinion that you're probably a cool person.
And finally, about that card, Holding the Gates. As it's written, right now, you can drop the part about not picking zero, because it is creatures who aren't chosen who get to attack, so choosing zero would benefit you.
I have come to spread the gospel of Cockatrice, the best free source for online play.
------------
In Phyrexia, Black will do anything to be broken in Vintage.
Remember, retrieving a card from Exile should be a huge endeavor. Look at Mirror of Fate.
I think Mirror of Fate is more about setting up a combo. It's an extremely niche card, and it's actually not that good. Seeing as how Restoration Amulet completely randomizes things, I'd say it's pretty fair. One thing that might be used to balance it is to have it remove itself (seeing as how you could easily run two, it's kind of pointless, but it might appease people who see it as too powerful). Really, how powerful is getting all your stuff back from the graveyard? Unless you have some sort of draw engine, you haven't altered board position, and you still have to draw whatever awesome spells you had previously cast.
Alacar, how much playtesting have you done?
I have come to spread the gospel of Cockatrice, the best free source for online play.
------------
In Phyrexia, Black will do anything to be broken in Vintage.
I have done next to no testing, yet. But I'm planning on it. Do you want to test it with me on MWS sometime?
Thank you for the kind words! Academy is my brainchild and I do need to actually finish the flavor text. If you see a card that looks like it could fit some flavor text, feel free to add some.
There is an actual plot to the characters involved.
Like freeform roleplaying? Try Darkness Befalls Us
Ryttare Kelasin Luna Orelinalei
That's pretty much what I was thinking. Though, Feldon's Cane can't be used repeatedly, but I don't really feel it's really powerful at all unless you bend over backwards to make it work.
I would love to help, I even have Workstation on my computer, but I don't know much about adding new stuff or connecting. If you're willing to teach me, I'd be happy to join in whenever I can.
Is there a primer on the backstory?
I have come to spread the gospel of Cockatrice, the best free source for online play.
------------
In Phyrexia, Black will do anything to be broken in Vintage.
As for MWS, I will teach you how to install the game on there We can test sometime down the road.
Like freeform roleplaying? Try Darkness Befalls Us
Ryttare Kelasin Luna Orelinalei
Definitely. I love flavor and storylines (almost more than the cardgame itself).
I have come to spread the gospel of Cockatrice, the best free source for online play.
------------
In Phyrexia, Black will do anything to be broken in Vintage.
or, the Plot summary, anyways.
This contains spoilers and explains Academy's flavor, as well as an insight into the set, and the block as a whole. Sets 2 and 3 of Academy, Gauntlet and Discord, have not yet been re-designed for post-M10 rules, but their flavor/plot is going to be discussed here in full as well. I will put it all in a single spoiler, so read on if you wish. Warning: This primer is wordy and probably needs an editor, and it's not entirely fitting with the known MTG universe (if there is any specific place it has to fit in).
In a far end of the Multiverse, long before the Mending, longer even before Urza was an apprentice artificer, an ancient planeswalker lived and traveled the worlds. Nothing is truly known about her, other than the fact that she was a woman of immense power, even among planeswalkers, and that she was known to some as Aeterna.
Aeterna was tired of seeing all of these worlds and having none of her own. So, she began creating her own plane of existence. Aeterna first created her seraphs, or servants. Angels of immense power. It is said that some of these angels were in fact other planeswalkers, but only a select unknown few know the truth. This plane's true name has been lost to the sands of time, but what is known is that Aeterna was not alone in the creation of the plane. The plane was to be known as Academy, or The Academy.
Aeterna and her servants first created the form of Academy, a small planet. Small even in comparison with many worlds in the Multiverse. To the north, the Wilder Mountains, an endless chain of mountains, valleys, rivers, and volcanic activity, with veins of mountain ranges through the plane, its northern peaks covered in snow. To the south, the Endless Decay, a rolling series of swamps, mires, bogs, and pits, with numerous veins reaching up even to the edges of the Wildermount. To the east, the Golden Prairie, an endless rolling plains, with grasslands, meadows, and farmland, with pockets of its expanse peering across the plane. To the west, the Emerald Jungle, a tangle of jungles, wilderness, forests, and mass foliage, with branches stretching all across the land. At the 'center' of the mapped plane, though not on both sides of the plane, is the largest ocean on Academy, the Sapphire Ocean. There are other smaller pockets of water scattered across the ocean in each region, but the Sapphire is the largest, containing thousands of islands of various climates. All five of these regions overlap each other, blending into each climate--a truly unique and blended world that is almost perfectly designed in symmetry, at least in practice. In execution, the borders bled together and truly formed the plane's identity.
But despite the impressive and elegant look and feel of this small, comfortable, and simple plane, despite the animal and plant life, Aeterna and her servants could not create a sentient life to live on this plane. Aeterna discovered that it takes more than just the Spark of a planeswalker to truly create something that can achieve its own spark--at least, beyond her own power.
So, instead of trying for the impossible, Aeterna poured almost all of the remainder of her power into her next six creations. Five sentient women, almost avatars of portions of her power. These women Aeterna called 'sisters', though their connection was deeper than that.
At first, they were each the same in appearance and demeanor, but they were able to use mana freely and openly. As centuries passed, the sisters developed separately, forming their own styles and appearances, their own wisdom of the way the world, and the way mana works. They almost 'stumbled upon' each color of mana on their own. They often met with each other, spending time together in pairs or larger groups, experimenting and diiscovering things on their own. Each sister found that they did not get along with two of their siblings, but did well with the other two. Their mana would not mesh as easily. It was hard for them to agree at times. Sometimes they would battle, but overall, all five sisters understood the need for balance on Academy. That each color of mana was essential and they all had their place, despite their differences. The sisters would sometimes summon creatures from the AEther, but the beasts could not stay on Academy. Not forever, anyways.
Aeterna, all the while, guided her 'daughters', watching over them as a distant motherly figure, giving insight and wisdom when necessary, but Aeterna was fascinated with watching them grow on their own, with almost no help. A blank slate, forming separately from the multiverse in its own unique way. Aeterna even shielded Academy's location from other planeswalkers, so they could not muddle with her creation.
At last, after a millenia on the plane, Aeterna summoned her daughters to the center of the Sapphire Ocean. From the very core of the planet, Aeterna summoned forth a massive mountain spire, a jutting rock made of gold, darksteel, and other precious and intensely strong metals, forming the mountain into a spiraling palace. The mountain jutted out into the highest atmospheres of the plane, touching as high as possible even over the clouds, higher than any mountain shaped in even the tallest ranges of Wilder. Aeterna then constructed a massive portal at the top of the spire, and then spread her power forth, sending out almost all of her loyal seraphs and servants throughout the multiverse, creating connections from the known planes to her creation. The portal is the center of a massive web of tethered portals to other worlds. Some portals are massive; some are only large enough for a single person at a time. The portals were well-hidden when first created--and they're only one way. If you pass through the portal to Academy, you can't go home just as easily. This portal was Aeterna's sixth great creation, and the last time she directly affected the world of Academy before the story of the set begins.
When this massive Planar Portal was completed, Aeterna explained that the sisters were in fact not alone in the multiverse. That other worlds with countless other people existed, and that they would soon find their way to Academy through the Portal. It was then that Aeterna explained the sisters' true purpose: To further gain an understanding of the multiverse and the work of mana, as well as spread their understanding to their visitors. It was also then that Aeterna gave these sisters their own names, and thus their own identities:
Elena, the avatar of white mana. A golden-haired beauty with endless patience and wisdom, devoted to protection, divination, abjuration, preservation, order, and unity.
Lleywen, the avatar of blue mana. A dark-haired intellectual, the least comely of the sisters but still remarkable, with an almost infinite grasp of logic, reasoning, and intellect, devoted to knowledge, science, illusion, and the ethereal.
Elowyn, the avatar of black mana. A dark and deadly temptress with a deathly air. Selfish and ruthless, but not unkind to those who hear her out. She is devoted to power, control, necromancy, and the dark arts.
Myrael, the avatar of red mana. A fiery redhead with an ever-changing focus. Wild and unruly, with an endless passion, devoted to emotions, fire, chaos, evocation and free expression.
Kazary, the avatar of green mana. A blonde enchantress with a natural grace and common sense, able to speak with any animal or plant, devoted to the wild growth and expansion of life, natural cycles and order, as well as enchantment and mysticism.
It was then that Aeterna called this plane The Academy, a living, plane-sized school of growth and learning.
Over the years, visitors would stumble through the portal, greeted by the sisters and invited in. Those who wanted to stay were allowed to stay; those who wanted to go back home were allowed to go home, at first. Word spread in rumor through several worlds about a mystical Academy in the multiverse where divine goddesses greeted visitors, helping them and teaching them more than they could ever learn. As more and more people emigrated to Academy, finding permanent establishments, growing into their own identity but still retaining their old planes' names and styles, Academy developed its own populations. Goblins, humans, dwarves, kobolds, elves, necromancers and undead, and many other races congregated here over time, forming into the unique dynamic Academy had at the start of the 'plot.'
As Aeterna watched over her daughters and helped form her world into what it is, her most powerful seraph, an angel named Jukar, became upset. He challenged Aeterna, asking why she had poured so much love and devotion into her daughters, into her world, which he himself had had a hand in creating. He felt that she had shortchanged her servants, and that he could easily disrupt her plans for the plane. Jukar rallied his power and attacked Aeterna, but the battle ended swiftly--Jukar underestimated her power, and when he assaulted her physically, she tore his left wing off and imprisoned him, forcing him to watch from afar as her world was completed and grew into what it was. Jukar's hatred and sense of betrayal only festered over time.
Just before our plot begins, the sisters, their world now sufficiently populated with its own countries, cities, villages and communities, each of them mostly focused around each sister, had decreed that from then on, if a traveler wanted to return home, they had to visit each of them in turn, getting a 'lesson' from each sister and gaining their blessing, before being allowed to return through the portal. Aeterna agreed, and altered the portal, making it one-way only, save only if the traveler gains the blessing of each sister.
Part One: Academy
The story of Academy block actually begins on two different planes. First is the endless city expanse of Ravnica. Among those acolytes in the Selesnya Conclave, the druid Omna is somewhat of a loner. Ostracized for spending far too much time in the gardens and the wild, and not enough time among her friends in the conclaves and temples. Omna would often stray from her home and wander for days on end, crossing entire countryside regions of the city, often alone or with other travelers along the way. Always with Omna was her trusted familiar, a wolf named Ranger. She and Ranger seemed to have an unspoken bond. Among the communal nature of the Conclave, Omna and Ranger were individuals. One fateful day, Ranger smelled something interesting in an ancient Temple Garden, and vanished into Ravnica's portal to Academy. The portal was known to the guilds, but it was not considered a threat, nor was it greatly publicized. It was agreed by the Guild leaders to leave the portal alone, and let anyone who wandered into the portal to fend for themselves.
Elsewhere in the multiverse, on a plane called Soltera (a possible set I may explore in the future), there lives a society of elves unlike any other: Elves that are primarily focused on achieving spiritual and intellectual immortality and omniscience, devoted to the study of arcane magic. Among these (blue) elf-wizards, a half-elf named Alacar Leoricar was a bit of a jokester and a prodigy. He was one of the few rogue elves that still had some connection to nature, but he was quite the genius and adept with altering already-established spells. His familiar was a squirrel, unlike the other elves who chose falcons or drakes. Alacar actually discovered the portal on accident; he was being chased by a massive, angry Baloth that his squirrel had accidentally riled, when he stumbled into a jungle and fell down a ravine, falling unwittingly into the Academy portal. The portal was known of by some, especially those known as the Ethereals, a mistfolk that seemed to hold the secrets to Soltera.
To be continued
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Ryttare Kelasin Luna Orelinalei
Well, there is Lightning Reaver so it isn't as though it's never been done.
Also, Alacar, I noticed your Exalted Phoenix had Bloodthirst X, which you decided to spell out. I don't know if that's a conscious decision, but if you ever want to eliminate some text, there you go.
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In Phyrexia, Black will do anything to be broken in Vintage.
Myznomer: I didn't realize that, but.. I'll likely keep it without the keyword.. it would be the only one with it.
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Ryttare Kelasin Luna Orelinalei
As to the story, you said Aeterna created six things:
But then you only mention the five sisters. Is the sixth the spire and portal network?
I have come to spread the gospel of Cockatrice, the best free source for online play.
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In Phyrexia, Black will do anything to be broken in Vintage.
Like freeform roleplaying? Try Darkness Befalls Us
Ryttare Kelasin Luna Orelinalei
I have come to spread the gospel of Cockatrice, the best free source for online play.
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In Phyrexia, Black will do anything to be broken in Vintage.
Tools > Analyze/Add/Remove Editions > Add New Edition > Edition Name: Academy > Edition Key: ACD > Get data from text Spoiler: On > Find the spoiler txt file (unreleased) and then go on. Fairly simple process.
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Ryttare Kelasin Luna Orelinalei
Okay, not as simple as I thought, but I can handle it. Where do you keep the files needed to load it?
I have come to spread the gospel of Cockatrice, the best free source for online play.
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In Phyrexia, Black will do anything to be broken in Vintage.
I suppose I could release the spoiler, but I want to finish the flavor text.. it's just hard, I hit a big writer's block with flavor text sometimes. 245 cards, at least half with some sort of quip or remark or snark... whew. I'm having enough trouble finishing the plot. I could basically just tell you what happens but I wanna give it some more detail. I guess I can throw together a generic rundown and PM it to you if you're that hungry for what happens.
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Ryttare Kelasin Luna Orelinalei