Let's say that we are currently in year 600 of Common Era. We'll say that the beginning of all recorded history begin in about -1000. (Is 1600 years too short for some? I can switch to -5000 or even -10000.) When would the Xanten rule Thanreus?
It's slightly short for the Feyrin, considering that some of them live for nearly that long. A more extended timeline would make the legendary battles of the past more believable.
The Feyrin wouldn't want, and probably don't -need- sovereignty over a fief. Their population is small enough that they don't need a whole nation for themselves, and they just want to exist and enjoy the world rather than rule over each other or over another species. They're more likely to join in a cause out of empathy and shared sense of purpose rather than for a promise of power or reward.
Anyway, the name for the seaside cliff/mesa the Feyrin are residing: Silverpeak Bastion (Corny, I know-may be subject to change)
Note that a lot of them (>50%) have also blended in with other species or are traveling around to further experience the joys the world has to offer.
Each person should also probably come up with names for their primary habitats so that we can be included in NotoriousLynx' cartography.
And I still like one of the more involved names for the alliance. They can be shortened to "The Free" or similar when you want the simpler form.
Yep, all that was merely a suggestion, and completely open to your changes. None of that is fixed! Please post whatever changes you wish to make, and we can have it as canon.
And I guess we we can also decide on names of the locations as well, so that we can have places we can refer to in flavor texts of our future cards.
You do realise that "the intellect of a gale-force wind" means "bloody stupid", right? Waterfalls are powerful, avalanches can be angry, but a gale-force wind has approximately 0 intelligence.
A la flavor text of Gaddock Teeg: So great is his wisdom and spirit that many who have met him say that they stood before a giant of a man and talked to the wisest of the four winds.
A la flavor text of Honden of Seeing Winds: To the sorrow of all, its winds found sin in the hearts of those who once learned from its wisdom.
And there's certainly examples where people seek for guidance "from the winds" as a metaphor - which is what my description was implying.
I like "The X of the Free." Shameless LoTR knockoff: The Fellowship of the Free
or: The Brotherhood of the Free The Alliance of the Free The Coalition of the Free The Free-Will Accord The Free-Will Communion
Ok then – to add flesh to the recent history a bit:
Geography: Esferi live in forests near the lakes of Platyn. Both the forests and the lakes are near the ocean cliff-mesas of Feyrin, below which there’s the cities of Valeshii and Annaki, and above the cliffs are the cloudwalker’s flying fortresses.
All of the species (with the exception of Esferi, perhaps) have reasonably advanced to the point where there's regular trading and exchange of ideas going on.
Esferi and Platyns have had trading relationships for many years, after Esferi first contacted the Platyn while they were primitive. Platyns inwardly look down on Esferi culture as a bit naïve, but generally their relationships are amicable.
Feyrin have a very friendly relationship with the Esferi and Annaki, and are particularly close with Annaki thanks to their similar temperaments. The differences in their lifespans mean that lasting friendships are difficult, but both their abilities and philosophies complement each other quite nicely.
Valeshii and Cloudwalkers are the aloof members of the group. Due to their historical conflicts, they have a hard time opening up to each other.
One-sentence descriptions by each race, on each race, prior to the war: Annaki
on Esferi: Do animals dream?
on Annaki: N/A
on Feyrin: Wish I could live long like you, friend.
on Platyn: You're very seedy.
on cloudwalkers: You should open up a bit.
on Valeshii: machines can't replicate what we dream.
Feyrin
on Esferi: You should value your life a bit more.
on Annaki: Ooh, how do you explore dreams like that? Fascinating!
on Feyrin: N/A
on Platyn: Poison does have its place in combat, I see.
on cloudwalkers: What's that behind your walls? What's that behind your walls? What's that behind your walls?
on Valeshii: Will your mechanical enhancements lift you from the shackles of your mind?
Cloudwalkers
on Esferi: Earth-bound animals are the only ones that we can truly trust.
on Annaki: Your powers are strange, but your actions are trustworthy.
on Feyrin: Go away.
on Platyn: How can you limit yourself to a lake or a river?
on cloudwalkers: N/A
on Valeshii:Your fathers nearly wiped us out, and you expect us to trust you machine-men?
Esferi
on Esferi: N/A
on Annaki: Kindred Spirit!
on Feyrin: You're kind.
on Platyn: Fellow animals!
on cloudwalkers: Who're you? I've never seen you before.
on Valeshii: Our magic is better than your mech!
Valeshii
on Esferi: Potential for uplifting likely.
on Annaki: Dreams? Does not compute.
on Feyrin: Natural selection works in strange ways.
on Platyn: Good spies, better test subjects.
on cloudwalkers: Our wars were a millennium ago. We have what you want.
on Valeshii: N/A
Platyn
on Esferi: So naive...
on Annaki: There's no use living in the dreams when you need to stay in the present.
on Feyrin: Your open minds leave you open to internal manipulation.
on Platyn: N/A
on cloudwalkers: How do you live without water?
on Valeshii: We'd like to take a look at some of your tech.
Conflict: cloudwalkers, in their flying city, sees the forces of evil far away forming an army to drive out the group, to hunt all the species and take them as living batteries of mana or slaves for manual labor. Despite great reluctance, they can't handle the swarms alone, so they contact the nearest species, the Feyrin. The Feyrin get in touch with the Annaki and the Esferi, who in turn invite the Platyn, who also naturally bring Valeshii to the table. After some deliberation in a Conclave, the groups agree to work together, though the alliance is rocky from the start as the Valeshii and Cloudwalkers were never friendly with each other. More of an alliance out of necessity rather than a long-standing friendly atmosphere, these neighbors will need to learn to work together if they are to defend themselves against the enemies.
At least, that's what I have in my mind. Suggest some corrections if I have something that you seriously don't like.
I can at least speak for my species - the Feyrin had a previous history of being in a war of existence against a numerically superior enemy, so they are highly willing to do what it takes to collaborate with its allies.
And as for the name, I'd like something a bit more involved than just "the Alliance"... The Gathering? The Enigma? The Free-Will Compact?
I primarily avoided adding history of the species as the sign-up template gave the impression that the past of the species would be explored in later stages. But here it is:
Legends say that the first Feyrin materialized as literal personifications of the forces of cosmos, though later scholars have revealed evidence that they first evolved as spirits given form as embodiments of the elements that inhabit the Feywild, a supernatural alternate dimension filled with mystical energies. As a long-lived but slow-breeding species, they were soon greatly outnumbered, and the humans, hungry for land and resources, soon began being hunting down and driving the Feyrin out of their homes. Led by the visionary priestess Astraia, Feyrin successfully defended their right to exist against humanity’s campaign of extermination after a terrible war of several centuries. It was during this war that Feyrin experienced the worst that humanity had to offer, and such devastation so early in the species’ history in turn shaped their philosophy of consensus and acceptance, so that such tragedy may never again occur. Though the war is now a distant memory even for the oldest Feyrin and the humans have long since disappeared, every young Feyrin still learns of this history to remind them of the failures of greed and malevolence. Despite their outwardly playful and easygoing nature, the Feyrin still carry within them the power of a waterfall, the fury of an avalanche, and the wisdom of the nine winds, and are always willing to fight for what is right.
I definitely agree with the contrast between our team and others - we have only 1 B, and that's mostly to show the possibility of using poison and subterfuge rather than anything inherently evil. I think we can go as far as to say perhaps we're the most "good" force of the lot - whether lawful/neutral/chaotic, in the classic sense of the word.
Esferi - white magical ferrets
Annaki - furry aliens who eat dreams
Feyrin - big pixies
Platyn - intelligent platypuses
Cloudwalkers - hermit ghosts
Valeshii - scientific cyborgs
Is this right?
Well, at least Feyrin would probably be fascinated by all of the other species. I'm sure they've been getting along well with Esferi, Annaki, and Platyn. They consider Cloudwalkers as strange neighbors that don't like talking but still bear no ill will against them, and they like Valeshii because of all the cool machines they have.
I think it's not difficult to imagine the first four species allying against a common threat. Cloudwalkers may realize they can't win the war alone, so they reach out to their nearby Feyrin, who in turn inform the other species. Valeshii may also have learned about the other species during their civil war.
Possible team names: For The Future, Eternal Guardians, Enigma, Heralds of Light, Foregathering Dreams, Masterminds, Gathering of the Free-Spirited, Faithful Watchguards, Tempest, Supreme Lords of the Natural Law
Thing is, we have a "creature removal" (according to your definition) from the latest core set in green. See Arachnus Web in Magic 2012, which is a common to boot.
Besides, all these issues were already discussed to death during the previous votes. Everyone had a chance to propose a more expensive mana cost or a different mechanic. Changing this would set a dangerous precedent - that any card in the future can be put up for a revote if the minority complains loudly enough.
Wildkin's Mercy1GG
Sorcery (U)
Reveal the top five cards of your library. Put a creature card of target opponent’s choice among the revealed cards onto the battlefield under your control, then put the rest on top of your library in any order.
It's slightly short for the Feyrin, considering that some of them live for nearly that long. A more extended timeline would make the legendary battles of the past more believable.
Anyway, the name for the seaside cliff/mesa the Feyrin are residing:
Silverpeak Bastion (Corny, I know-may be subject to change)
Note that a lot of them (>50%) have also blended in with other species or are traveling around to further experience the joys the world has to offer.
Each person should also probably come up with names for their primary habitats so that we can be included in NotoriousLynx' cartography.
And I still like one of the more involved names for the alliance. They can be shortened to "The Free" or similar when you want the simpler form.
And I guess we we can also decide on names of the locations as well, so that we can have places we can refer to in flavor texts of our future cards.
A la flavor text of Gaddock Teeg: So great is his wisdom and spirit that many who have met him say that they stood before a giant of a man and talked to the wisest of the four winds.
A la flavor text of Honden of Seeing Winds: To the sorrow of all, its winds found sin in the hearts of those who once learned from its wisdom.
And there's certainly examples where people seek for guidance "from the winds" as a metaphor - which is what my description was implying.
The Fellowship of the Free
or:
The Brotherhood of the Free
The Alliance of the Free
The Coalition of the Free
The Free-Will Accord
The Free-Will Communion
Geography: Esferi live in forests near the lakes of Platyn. Both the forests and the lakes are near the ocean cliff-mesas of Feyrin, below which there’s the cities of Valeshii and Annaki, and above the cliffs are the cloudwalker’s flying fortresses.
All of the species (with the exception of Esferi, perhaps) have reasonably advanced to the point where there's regular trading and exchange of ideas going on.
Esferi and Platyns have had trading relationships for many years, after Esferi first contacted the Platyn while they were primitive. Platyns inwardly look down on Esferi culture as a bit naïve, but generally their relationships are amicable.
Feyrin have a very friendly relationship with the Esferi and Annaki, and are particularly close with Annaki thanks to their similar temperaments. The differences in their lifespans mean that lasting friendships are difficult, but both their abilities and philosophies complement each other quite nicely.
Valeshii and Cloudwalkers are the aloof members of the group. Due to their historical conflicts, they have a hard time opening up to each other.
One-sentence descriptions by each race, on each race, prior to the war:
Annaki
on Esferi: Do animals dream?
on Annaki: N/A
on Feyrin: Wish I could live long like you, friend.
on Platyn: You're very seedy.
on cloudwalkers: You should open up a bit.
on Valeshii: machines can't replicate what we dream.
Feyrin
on Esferi: You should value your life a bit more.
on Annaki: Ooh, how do you explore dreams like that? Fascinating!
on Feyrin: N/A
on Platyn: Poison does have its place in combat, I see.
on cloudwalkers: What's that behind your walls? What's that behind your walls? What's that behind your walls?
on Valeshii: Will your mechanical enhancements lift you from the shackles of your mind?
Cloudwalkers
on Esferi: Earth-bound animals are the only ones that we can truly trust.
on Annaki: Your powers are strange, but your actions are trustworthy.
on Feyrin: Go away.
on Platyn: How can you limit yourself to a lake or a river?
on cloudwalkers: N/A
on Valeshii:Your fathers nearly wiped us out, and you expect us to trust you machine-men?
Esferi
on Esferi: N/A
on Annaki: Kindred Spirit!
on Feyrin: You're kind.
on Platyn: Fellow animals!
on cloudwalkers: Who're you? I've never seen you before.
on Valeshii: Our magic is better than your mech!
Valeshii
on Esferi: Potential for uplifting likely.
on Annaki: Dreams? Does not compute.
on Feyrin: Natural selection works in strange ways.
on Platyn: Good spies, better test subjects.
on cloudwalkers: Our wars were a millennium ago. We have what you want.
on Valeshii: N/A
Platyn
on Esferi: So naive...
on Annaki: There's no use living in the dreams when you need to stay in the present.
on Feyrin: Your open minds leave you open to internal manipulation.
on Platyn: N/A
on cloudwalkers: How do you live without water?
on Valeshii: We'd like to take a look at some of your tech.
Conflict: cloudwalkers, in their flying city, sees the forces of evil far away forming an army to drive out the group, to hunt all the species and take them as living batteries of mana or slaves for manual labor. Despite great reluctance, they can't handle the swarms alone, so they contact the nearest species, the Feyrin. The Feyrin get in touch with the Annaki and the Esferi, who in turn invite the Platyn, who also naturally bring Valeshii to the table. After some deliberation in a Conclave, the groups agree to work together, though the alliance is rocky from the start as the Valeshii and Cloudwalkers were never friendly with each other. More of an alliance out of necessity rather than a long-standing friendly atmosphere, these neighbors will need to learn to work together if they are to defend themselves against the enemies.
At least, that's what I have in my mind. Suggest some corrections if I have something that you seriously don't like.
I can at least speak for my species - the Feyrin had a previous history of being in a war of existence against a numerically superior enemy, so they are highly willing to do what it takes to collaborate with its allies.
And as for the name, I'd like something a bit more involved than just "the Alliance"... The Gathering? The Enigma? The Free-Will Compact?
Legends say that the first Feyrin materialized as literal personifications of the forces of cosmos, though later scholars have revealed evidence that they first evolved as spirits given form as embodiments of the elements that inhabit the Feywild, a supernatural alternate dimension filled with mystical energies. As a long-lived but slow-breeding species, they were soon greatly outnumbered, and the humans, hungry for land and resources, soon began being hunting down and driving the Feyrin out of their homes. Led by the visionary priestess Astraia, Feyrin successfully defended their right to exist against humanity’s campaign of extermination after a terrible war of several centuries. It was during this war that Feyrin experienced the worst that humanity had to offer, and such devastation so early in the species’ history in turn shaped their philosophy of consensus and acceptance, so that such tragedy may never again occur. Though the war is now a distant memory even for the oldest Feyrin and the humans have long since disappeared, every young Feyrin still learns of this history to remind them of the failures of greed and malevolence. Despite their outwardly playful and easygoing nature, the Feyrin still carry within them the power of a waterfall, the fury of an avalanche, and the wisdom of the nine winds, and are always willing to fight for what is right.
Ill add this in my race info.
Annaki - furry aliens who eat dreams
Feyrin - big pixies
Platyn - intelligent platypuses
Cloudwalkers - hermit ghosts
Valeshii - scientific cyborgs
Is this right?
Well, at least Feyrin would probably be fascinated by all of the other species. I'm sure they've been getting along well with Esferi, Annaki, and Platyn. They consider Cloudwalkers as strange neighbors that don't like talking but still bear no ill will against them, and they like Valeshii because of all the cool machines they have.
I think it's not difficult to imagine the first four species allying against a common threat. Cloudwalkers may realize they can't win the war alone, so they reach out to their nearby Feyrin, who in turn inform the other species. Valeshii may also have learned about the other species during their civil war.
Possible team names: For The Future, Eternal Guardians, Enigma, Heralds of Light, Foregathering Dreams, Masterminds, Gathering of the Free-Spirited, Faithful Watchguards, Tempest, Supreme Lords of the Natural Law
Ick, anyone have any better ideas?
Enchantment (U)
Mana abilities of creatures you control may be activated as though those creatures had haste.
Besides, all these issues were already discussed to death during the previous votes. Everyone had a chance to propose a more expensive mana cost or a different mechanic. Changing this would set a dangerous precedent - that any card in the future can be put up for a revote if the minority complains loudly enough.
Sorcery (U)
Reveal the top five cards of your library. Put a creature card of target opponent’s choice among the revealed cards onto the battlefield under your control, then put the rest on top of your library in any order.