MTG Salvation

Welcome to PAX everybody! This part of a post is usually reserved for that slightly stuffy narration, but not today. Today we bring you a spicy presentation of arcane skill, power and probably at least a little dumb luck.

Your contenders this fine day will each select a single item from their belongings to take into the arena with them in each round. This is a test of skill after all, not 'show and tell' at the local orphanage! (The Ananke Home for Lost Boys, generous donations gladly accepted.)

The first round will pit our entire crop of volunteers against a group of artificers constructs, designed by our resident machinist wunderkind, Pop. We've got a good group for you this time folks; scholars, madmen and warriors all lined up for to show you what they can do!

And here they come!

Roshem greeted the audience with several bows, apparently well enticed by the opportunity to perform before them.

Heulen entered the area. His arms bare except for some thick hair and his face covered by a mask resembling a boar. He let out a tremendous laugh.

Schizm entered after the others, in his typical hunched-back fashion. His mask carved from a human skull was secured to his face with Leather tied to phalange bones, and all the parts of him that were not covered by unprocessed animal hides were painted with dried blood, crushed berries, or whatever else passed for a natural dye. The one item he brought with him: A Jade Guard Dagger borrowed from his employer, Herschell.

Morgan entered the arena, holding a stave of silvery metal and seeming a little uncomfortable about something.

---

The arena was a large circular construction of packed dirt on solid stone, the whole thing dipping slightly a the center. Causing any misplaced steps to take the competitors towards the middle of the arena. Dotted around the arena were a dozen contraptions made of steel. They appeared to be large discs, five foot across and slight bowed, set into the ground. Each bore a crystal in its center and it didn't take a genius to realise that each crystal was different.

Heulen took advantage of the calmness before the exhibition began to look at the constructs in an attempt to see if there were any obvious ways that they might be able to move.

**Makeda had apparently chosen to bring her beer mug with her and, as is such, was already roaringly drunk.**

Roshem walked along with Heulen, gazing at the constructs with a measure of awe. "I am unfamiliar with the arts of metalworking. What expectations do they raise in your mind?" On a sidenote, his item of a choice was a potion that grants flight.

Feyrus was able to discern that the crystals not only corresponded to each of the twelve magical arts but they were also charged with some sort of animating essence.

Each disc of metal revealed itself to be a shield as twelve clockwork machines rose out of the small dips in the earth that held them. Each machine looked bipedal, but possessed a belt of plates filled with wheels where its feet would be. The things rose up to eight feet tall and had three metal arms. At the top of each construct was a spherical lattice of crystals and wires that looked a lot like insect eyes.

The light, dark, force, fire and storm constructs seemed to have crossbows in place of one arm. The others carried a blade in one of their three hands.

Heulen moved toward the construct with the Body crystal.

Roshem stuck with Heulen, summoning a Kusarigama and beginning to spin it.

[24]

The fireballs struck the constructs respective shields and burst like water across the protective steal. Both constructs began moving towards him on their tracks, their movement was rickety and occasionally halted, a hiss of steam escaping the belts.

The body construct held a blade out towards the dwarf and the shemite but made no move toward or away from them.

----

Morgan moved towards Feyrus, betting that they would be more effective in groups than trying to tackle these creations solo.

**Makeda similarly followed Feyrus, stumbling a bit yet keeping her balance with an odd wobbling gait.**

Roshem released the chain when the kusarigama reached sufficient momentum and length, flinging the blade at the construct, trying to sink it somewhere between metallic plates.

[25]

Heulen moved away from Roshem to the side of the Body construct. He activated Primal Form and charged toward the construct.
(BP: 38)

Morgan noted Feyrus's attack at the lower areas of the things and tried summoning a pair of rodents to jump into the tracks and jam them up.

----

The water construct came to a screeching halt, between the interfering rodents and the damaging magics the left track was almost destroyed. The fire construct raised its crossbow and took aim at Feyrus.

The body construct swung to parry the incoming blade but succeeded only in causing to lodge in the space above that arm, disabling it. The construct quickly grabbed the sword with one of its two remaining limbs and swung at Heulen.

Roshem heaved the chain back, trying to throw the construct off course and possibly onto its side.

[26]

Boar-Heulen turned away from the attacking construct and made an attempt to run behind it.

**As it raised its arm, Makeda leveled an Empowered smash with her mug straight into its joint.**

Schizm walked towards the Body Construct calmly, and threw one sticky shot of webbing at its feet area, to keep one of them stuck to the tracks at a pivotal moment hopefully. Then he cawed loudly with the voice of a bald eagle, to spur the other mages to action!