It would work for me only if we were to be offensive, which we are not. Heralds of Light implies we are bringing the light to the world, when in reality we are simply defending what light there is.
Perhaps something to the effect of The Conclave of the Light. Or maybe The [GROUP WORD] of the Innocent.
Either of your suggestions work for me too - I'm not too much of a stickler for the name.
But do note that there are groups within the alliance that are advocating exactly that - pre-emptive strikes on the enemy before they get the jump on us, which would fit with the herald of light vision. I don't think we would have to be on the offensive initially - we could easily switch the lore as if defending in the first stage, then attacking their base to stop such an attack from happening in the first place in the second stage.
Quick comment, guys. I've noticed the Google timeline has a lot of things like this:
2050BCE — Led by the visionary priestess Astraia, Feyrin successfully defend their right to exist against humanity’s campaign of extermination after a terrible war of several centuries. While most of the humans are (temporarily) driven out of Thanreus, the Feyrin also withdraw to themselves to nurse their wounds, leaving a void which other races quickly take over.
Just mark the start, the finish, and any important events contained within, each on their own dates. For clarity's sake.
Thanks!
The start is already marked at 2400 BCE. And that entry marks the end of the war at 2050BCE. I don't know what's not clear about it.
I like heralds of light. And though it doesn't fit the Vaelshii 100%, I think they can go along with the concept that they're helping in the pretense with the understanding that they can have a lot of freedom in their experimentation thanks to the war effort. I can already imagine several artifacts and/or colored artifact creatures (like the sphynx in magic lore) a la "Feyrin Steelwalker" with a bunch of implants in them to increase their toughness but lose their flying, etc etc.
And "Team 3" can be the ones that are trying to... zombify us or something, which is why we are banding together.
I placed the start of the war at ~2400BCE, and that statement marks the fact that the war went on for several hundred years. The year is when the war ended - I didn't think it was too confusing. Is it?
Sure, why not? The Vaelshii could also have their own ulterior motives.
I'm not a fan of the "holy crusader" idea. It's very much against Cloudwalker culture, and I imagine it's not much in the nature of the Esferi either. The Cloudwalker civilization might as well have defender.
Well, if we'll have both, the narrative has to be altered somewhat... I've taken the liberty to do some more creative writing, to explain the past few weeks' worth of events before our team got together. I think it matches most of the flavors we talked about, but once again, tell me or add whichever you think may be lacking.
During a routine survey of the lands from Marenhelm, their sky-high fortress, Cloudwalkers are the first to notice the dark and brooding "Team 3" and "Team 2" plotting nefarious schemes to take over the world. They inform their immediate neighbors the Esferi, and after some discussion determine that they can't fight the enemies alone. Esferi trust their close neighbors throughout the history, and understand the dangers at stake enough to rise to the challenge. Although both Cloudwalkers and Esferi are relatively isolationist species, they reluctantly call for help from the other skyfaring species occupying the nearby Silverpeak Bastion, the Feyrin. Considering their past human persecution, Feyrin are more than happy to join the force and defend their homeland, and immediately recruit their close friends, the Annaki, to the cause as well. The Annaki are just as concerned about the dire news in the horizon, and thus put their all in fighting the onslaught.
While they look for more allies, Vaelshii, deep in the networked ruins of Turin, are also looking for ways to extend their reach in the lands. Many of them wish to relive the glory of their Xanten ancestors, and while they aren't interested in complete domination, they do have a utopian vision where their technology and scientific advancement is paramount across the lands. They have already had a close relationship with the nearby Platyn through ages of trading and information exchange. The Platyn are also highly pragmatic, and have benefited over the years from receiving the Vaelshii's tech - and given a little promise of further glory from the Vaelshii, they agree to help on Vaelshii's future endeavours.
The Platyn's information network pick up the commotion going on in the other neighboring species. The Feyrin had come by to recruit their help, but the Platyn reserved their judgment until the existence of a threat could be confirmed. Vaelshii, through the Platyns, also find the preparations for war, and realize that this would be the perfect chance for them to extend their influence. Further, they would relish having a valid reason to experiment and gain data on other species in the name of "strengthening the war effort." Although the Feyrin, knowing the previous bad blood between the Vaelshii and Cloudwalkers, are wary of admitting them, it's apparent that the shock troop capabilities of the Vaelshii and the subterfuge of the Platyn are needed if they are to win this war. The Cloudwalkers are understandably furious at first, and the Esferi are also wary of the Vaelshii's not-at-all concealed desire to experiment on them. However, the Vaelshii turn their fears on its head, by promising the Cloudwalkers a return to their former glory, and showing Esferi the wonders a bit of technology can bring to their civilization.
Eventually, the Cloudwalkers, the Esferi, the Feyrins, the Annaki, the Vaelshii and the Platyn all convene in the most defensible location of the lands - the Marenhelm. It is a momentous occasion for the cloudwalkers, as they had never before opened their gates to outsiders. The Church of the Celestial Cloud cries heresay, but the undeniable signs of danger on the horizon sway most of the population to temporarily allow the highest diplomats of each race to enter their citadel.
It is in this chamber at the top of the citadel where deliberations have been going on for several weeks on how to approach the war. Some (the Vaelshii and the Platyns) advocate a proactive stance, to reach out and strike at the obviously evil lichesses and all-consuming zombies before they get the jump on the allies. Others (the Cloudwalkers and the Esferi) advocate a more conservative stance, to deepen the moats and harden the walls so that their homes are secured foremost. Still others want a more nuanced approach (the Feyrin and the Annaki), using stealth and subterfuge to be as prepared as possible before making any final decision.
In the end, while the alliance has not reached a firm decision on their immediate course of action, they have agreed on forming a common front against the impending threats and understand that something must be done to combat the coming danger.
And now, we still need to determine the name.
The candidates so far:
The Alliance
The Gathering
The Enigma
For The Future
Eternal Guardians
Heralds of Light
Foregathering Dreams
Masterminds
Gathering of the Free-Spirited
Faithful Watchguards
The Tempest
Supreme Lords of the Natural Law
The Free-Will Compact
The Confederation of the Free
The Fellowship of the Free
The Brotherhood of the Free
The Alliance of the Free
The Coalition of the Free
The Free-Will Accord
The Free-Will Communion
I think that's a good range. Can people post their preferences too?
The Feyrin-Human war of existence began ~-2400 CE and ended ~-2050 CE, right as Xantan began their rise. (other items in the timeline have been updated)
Ok, so we have two routes we can take then-
original - Cloudwalkers see some ancient evil, and recruit the remaining species to fight against it.
new - Vaelshii wants to be rule the world again like their Xanten fathers, and recruit the remaining species in their army.
Which do we want? I'd imagine the route we take will also determine what name we want to take.
I don't buy it. The Vaelshii wouldn't join any alliance for protection. They're dug in. Strong. They don't need anything to defend themselves. But on the offensively they would need plenty of help.
We're still throwing darts at a wall. I don't know if anything is concrete and established yet.
Ok, how about this - Vaelshii recruit the Platyn and Annaki, promising them much power if they help in the war effort. Platyn recruit Esferi to help them in the front lines upon Vaelshii's recommendation, as their selfless nature can be a valuable tool in the battle. Seeing the Esferi and Annaki suddenly get busy, Feyrin checks out the commotion, and finding that the war has roots on ancient history during the time of their early wars, they happily join up to fight with their friends and satisfy their curiosity. Vaelshii have the greatest trouble recruiting the cloudwalkers, but knowing their ancient grudges, Vaelshii offer their full cooperation in restoring them to their former glory, and receive their support.
Well what do the Feyrin want? We won't find a solid grounding without first defining our motivations.
I thought we had established that other armies were trying to enslave the species in this team? They're fighting to repel the invaders that encroach the realm.
Ahh. If we insist on the "restore the Xanten seat of power," the Feyrin can easily just join for the fun of it, as in their viewpoint nothing will change - they won't be bothered. Besides, the species that support Vaelshii are all allies to them, whereas the rest of the factions (teams) are more black and geared towards "evil."
Ah, I see. Then I'd like to have that Feyrin were too busy recovering from the war vs humans to care about a seat in the council, and their population/land were too small at the time for Xanten to care.
I'm not sure how an all-encompassing ruler species would work with some of the lore here. Did they then have all the other races subjugated during the prehistoric times? I'm having a hard time believing all the races were once slave races at one point in time.
Either of your suggestions work for me too - I'm not too much of a stickler for the name.
But do note that there are groups within the alliance that are advocating exactly that - pre-emptive strikes on the enemy before they get the jump on us, which would fit with the herald of light vision. I don't think we would have to be on the offensive initially - we could easily switch the lore as if defending in the first stage, then attacking their base to stop such an attack from happening in the first place in the second stage.
The start is already marked at 2400 BCE. And that entry marks the end of the war at 2050BCE. I don't know what's not clear about it.
And "Team 3" can be the ones that are trying to... zombify us or something, which is why we are banding together.
So are we happy with heralds of light?
Enchantment (R)
Nonland permanents you control are lands and are every basic land type in addition to their other types.
Well, if we'll have both, the narrative has to be altered somewhat... I've taken the liberty to do some more creative writing, to explain the past few weeks' worth of events before our team got together. I think it matches most of the flavors we talked about, but once again, tell me or add whichever you think may be lacking.
During a routine survey of the lands from Marenhelm, their sky-high fortress, Cloudwalkers are the first to notice the dark and brooding "Team 3" and "Team 2" plotting nefarious schemes to take over the world. They inform their immediate neighbors the Esferi, and after some discussion determine that they can't fight the enemies alone. Esferi trust their close neighbors throughout the history, and understand the dangers at stake enough to rise to the challenge. Although both Cloudwalkers and Esferi are relatively isolationist species, they reluctantly call for help from the other skyfaring species occupying the nearby Silverpeak Bastion, the Feyrin. Considering their past human persecution, Feyrin are more than happy to join the force and defend their homeland, and immediately recruit their close friends, the Annaki, to the cause as well. The Annaki are just as concerned about the dire news in the horizon, and thus put their all in fighting the onslaught.
While they look for more allies, Vaelshii, deep in the networked ruins of Turin, are also looking for ways to extend their reach in the lands. Many of them wish to relive the glory of their Xanten ancestors, and while they aren't interested in complete domination, they do have a utopian vision where their technology and scientific advancement is paramount across the lands. They have already had a close relationship with the nearby Platyn through ages of trading and information exchange. The Platyn are also highly pragmatic, and have benefited over the years from receiving the Vaelshii's tech - and given a little promise of further glory from the Vaelshii, they agree to help on Vaelshii's future endeavours.
The Platyn's information network pick up the commotion going on in the other neighboring species. The Feyrin had come by to recruit their help, but the Platyn reserved their judgment until the existence of a threat could be confirmed. Vaelshii, through the Platyns, also find the preparations for war, and realize that this would be the perfect chance for them to extend their influence. Further, they would relish having a valid reason to experiment and gain data on other species in the name of "strengthening the war effort." Although the Feyrin, knowing the previous bad blood between the Vaelshii and Cloudwalkers, are wary of admitting them, it's apparent that the shock troop capabilities of the Vaelshii and the subterfuge of the Platyn are needed if they are to win this war. The Cloudwalkers are understandably furious at first, and the Esferi are also wary of the Vaelshii's not-at-all concealed desire to experiment on them. However, the Vaelshii turn their fears on its head, by promising the Cloudwalkers a return to their former glory, and showing Esferi the wonders a bit of technology can bring to their civilization.
Eventually, the Cloudwalkers, the Esferi, the Feyrins, the Annaki, the Vaelshii and the Platyn all convene in the most defensible location of the lands - the Marenhelm. It is a momentous occasion for the cloudwalkers, as they had never before opened their gates to outsiders. The Church of the Celestial Cloud cries heresay, but the undeniable signs of danger on the horizon sway most of the population to temporarily allow the highest diplomats of each race to enter their citadel.
It is in this chamber at the top of the citadel where deliberations have been going on for several weeks on how to approach the war. Some (the Vaelshii and the Platyns) advocate a proactive stance, to reach out and strike at the obviously evil lichesses and all-consuming zombies before they get the jump on the allies. Others (the Cloudwalkers and the Esferi) advocate a more conservative stance, to deepen the moats and harden the walls so that their homes are secured foremost. Still others want a more nuanced approach (the Feyrin and the Annaki), using stealth and subterfuge to be as prepared as possible before making any final decision.
In the end, while the alliance has not reached a firm decision on their immediate course of action, they have agreed on forming a common front against the impending threats and understand that something must be done to combat the coming danger.
And now, we still need to determine the name.
The candidates so far:
- The Alliance
- The Gathering
- The Enigma
- For The Future
- Eternal Guardians
- Heralds of Light
- Foregathering Dreams
- Masterminds
- Gathering of the Free-Spirited
- Faithful Watchguards
- The Tempest
- Supreme Lords of the Natural Law
- The Free-Will Compact
- The Confederation of the Free
- The Fellowship of the Free
- The Brotherhood of the Free
- The Alliance of the Free
- The Coalition of the Free
- The Free-Will Accord
- The Free-Will Communion
I think that's a good range. Can people post their preferences too?Can't we just declare "first"?
original - Cloudwalkers see some ancient evil, and recruit the remaining species to fight against it.
new - Vaelshii wants to be rule the world again like their Xanten fathers, and recruit the remaining species in their army.
Which do we want? I'd imagine the route we take will also determine what name we want to take.
Legendary Enchantment (M)
Players can't cast noncreature spells.
Players can't activate abilities that aren't mana abilities.
Ok, how about this - Vaelshii recruit the Platyn and Annaki, promising them much power if they help in the war effort. Platyn recruit Esferi to help them in the front lines upon Vaelshii's recommendation, as their selfless nature can be a valuable tool in the battle. Seeing the Esferi and Annaki suddenly get busy, Feyrin checks out the commotion, and finding that the war has roots on ancient history during the time of their early wars, they happily join up to fight with their friends and satisfy their curiosity. Vaelshii have the greatest trouble recruiting the cloudwalkers, but knowing their ancient grudges, Vaelshii offer their full cooperation in restoring them to their former glory, and receive their support.
I thought we had established that other armies were trying to enslave the species in this team? They're fighting to repel the invaders that encroach the realm.
Ahh. If we insist on the "restore the Xanten seat of power," the Feyrin can easily just join for the fun of it, as in their viewpoint nothing will change - they won't be bothered. Besides, the species that support Vaelshii are all allies to them, whereas the rest of the factions (teams) are more black and geared towards "evil."