#Mavren Fein

[dusk-legion-diplomacy]

a new type of message come from the plane of Innistrad. The writing Is more refined and eloquent that those of the Strissian.

"Good morning Pontifex. I am Couble , Monk of the Order of Saint Traft. I think that we share an pen pal, an certain Strissian.

I admit, that I was suspicious when I Heard about an Cuch leaded by vampires. But the cards that that you had send to my friend, explaining the values of your Curch, the duty of your kind towards humanity.

Your kind, is too different from the vampire nobles who slave us. You sound More noble, respectfull.

I will have more questions about your Faith and tradition. In exchange, I will explain to you our belief and traditions. The prácticas wich allowed Is to survive in this cruel world,called Innistrad.

I hope that we can have a flourishing frienship in the future."

----Couble, Monk of the Order of Saint Traft.

Blessed tidings and good eve, Couble of the Order of Saint Traft,

Your suspicions are shared by many. I do not blame those who come to us initially with suspicion or preconceived notions of our monstrous nature. Indeed, our vampiric condition is monstrous, but that is why it is a blessed sacrifice in the eyes of the church. Recent memory also does little to discourage this fact to those who are outside of the reaches of Torrezon, though we are seeking to try and amend this view.

I appreciate that you can overlook whatever beliefs you may hold toward us and begin to give us a fairer chance. We do have a noble cause and creed that we had forgotten in recent time, but with the return of our blessed Saint, we are embracing once more.

Any questions that you or any of your flock may have are welcome. I find answering such queries far less tiring than the endless petitions and questions of potential war that fill my desk as of late. I am eager to hear more from you soon.

Yours faithfully,

-Pontifex Mavren Fein

[goldstarknight]

Legion of Dusk Sketches (2024)

Some sketches I made of the Legion of Dusk when LCI came out. Mostly to practice hands and faces in a cartoony style. And to amuse myself, of course.

The Legion is one of my favourite factions in MtG. The conquistador-vampire aesthetic is on point and I have a soft spot for villians who are uncompromising zealots.

Also, I have some headcannons about Ixalan/Rivals of Ixalan and Vona's and Mavren's travels as they look for Orazca. I like to imagine them as a comedic duo of sorts. And now they have become bitter rivals, which is really fitting, I think.

Lastly, thanks to everyone for being so nice to me and reposting/liking my art! I'll likely do another MtG x Octopath diorama at some point in the future, but they take a lot of time and effort to make and I want to make non-MtG art too, so please be patient. :D

[dominarianplowshare]

Another sneak preview of a coming project, for real this time:

“The unspeakable infinite lay within Mavren’s hunger. It whispered, it begged, it snapped its jaws, it wept, it flung itself in the walls of his soul; but beneath that terrible beast, he perceived dimly, as twilight through black gossamer, the boundless depths of the eternal. He could lose himself in it; he was lost; he was not; he was unhe for there was no he, only it, hunger, and its twin, the parallax image: life.

“Like the frost of a distant star, like the golden gush of hearthfire. That was what we swum in, now, not water, but life, here it was, just on the other side of hunger.

There was a rattling sound, like leather sliding across rotted paper, whistling, crackling, percussing in rhythm like poetry; but no, not poetry, prayer, for, Mavren noted, the voice was his own.

“‘O holiest of holies, give me food that I may not hunger, drink that I may not thirst, life everlasting that I may not ache…”

[almostlookedhuman]

[vampiresmashorpass]

[danco110]

“W-Whoa! Calm down there…boy…?”

Mavren Fein cried out in a panic as the enormous dinosaur he was riding gave a ferocious roar and crushed yet another Phyrexian underfoot. The shaking from the dinosaur’s charge jostled the church mounted on its back, and sent it leaning to one side. Mavren gave another cry and quickly slapped the dinosaur’s hide with the side of his spearhead.

“Ghalta! No! The church!”

The titan gave a snort, as though annoyed at having to make an adjustment for the diminutive man, but did as it was told. The dinosaur leaned back to the other side, and the church on its back slid back into position, much to Mavren’s relief.

“Oh, thank you dear…girl? Er, anyways! You look hurt. Let me patch you up again.”

Mavren waved his spear through the sky. The point glowed, and Ghalta’s body was enveloped in a dazzling light. The nearby Phyrexians were stricken blind, and Ghalta’s minor wounds were healed, leaving it free to crush the stunned soldiers.

“Just imagine…friend, we’ll go down in history! The first dinosaur rider pair not from the Sun Empire! They might even mint a commemorative coin for us!”

Ghalta slowed to a stop, and made a rather confused noise. Mavren tilted his head, equally puzzled.

“What’s wrong? Oh, what I said about the coin? It’s a…well…it’s just a little coin that has our picture stamped on the front. Okay, it’s not that grand when you really-”

Ghalta reared back and loosed a roar of triumph, clearly ecstatic about the idea of the coin. Meanwhile Mavren laughed boisterously at the reaction.

“Yes! Glad to finally meet some…saur…who shares my interest in…THE CHURCH!”

Mavren tried in vain to calm Ghalta as the church slid from the dinosaur’s back, and landed on the ground below with a thunderous crash.

[ask-the-crimson-king]

I would've had more Warhammer but I also want to shout out the other things that have been possessing my brain for the past few months.

Honorable Mentions to Kingpriest Beldinas, Governor Beckett Brass, and One Specific NPC from a pf2e game I've been playing in for nearly 2 years now.

Tagging: @jakey-beefed-it, @trukingofskeletonhell, @tzeentchs-secretary-tea-time, @tagedeszorns, @ave-dominus-nostramos

Blorbo Poll

Rules: make a poll with five of your all-time favourite characters and then tag five people to do the same. See which character is everyone's favourite.

Tagged by @powersuitup. Probably very predictable picks for anyone who knows me but whatevs.

NP tagging @tweetthang96, @coolnerdyrn, @kayliemalinza, @raaorqtpbpdy, and @thephilosophersapprentice.

[motorizedpitchfork]

The product of this morning’s opening of my first Ixalan boosters. Not bad.

[chiyukiakasuna]

signs i know Mavren is trying to contact me:

-pirate/sea shanty songs all over my YouTube for no reason (well, now that I’ve been listening to them it’s just YouTube’s normal algorithm, but they orignally showed up for no reason)

-vampire and “dark cleric” stuff all over my tumblr dash

-sudden interest in my mind to refresh my spanish speaking ability

[inkytomes]

Getting into Magic The Gathering’s lore after missing out in middle and highschool and I’m loving the range of characters designs. 

Admiral Beckett Brass

Beckett Brass, as captain of the Scourge, earned a formidable reputation for her skills in sword play and enchantment magic. Now Captain Brass has become Admiral Brass, in command of a disciplined, fearsome collection of ships known as the Fathom Fleet.

Tishana Voice Of Thunder

Tishana, the powerful Shaper who claims leadership over every band, can drown a pirate ship or scatter a vampire band with a single word. Her magically amplified voice gives her power that dissuades challengers, but her own people find her a warm and kind elder.

Mavren Fein Dusk Apostle

Mavren Fein is a high-ranking member of Torrezon’s clergy. A powerful man, his voice rings with unshakable authority that makes nobles tremble. Fein seeks Elenda, the guardian of the Immortal Sun, to bring eternal life to his people.

https://magic.wizards.com/en/story/planes/ixalan

[doctor-roman]

I need to figure out Ian's outfit on Ixalan

[dusk-legion-diplomacy]

Confession

"Forgive me, holiness, for I have sinned."

"Speak, brother."

"I have been feeling this... this tugging. A pull. Every time I look at the humans, there is something pleading and trying to goad me into attacking them."

"Have you attacked them?"

". . ."

"Brother?"

"Once, yes. It happened while I was assisting in the cleaning efforts for a farming village."

"You submitted yourself to your fellows for judgement immediately after."

"Of course, holiness."

"Who did you kill?"

"One of the farmhands, your grace. She was young and brawny. If I had not been in the midst of an unintended fast, she could have wrestled me off and away in time for others to stop me, I think."

"Has the family been alerted of the trespass?"

"Yes, holiness."

"I will speak with them as I pass judgement upon you. I commend you for turning yourself in and admitting to your offenses, but this is a grievous sin. Until judgement is passed, you will remain in your holding cell."

"There is more I would ask, your grace, if I may?"

"You may."

"The whispering and the voices. This... pull. It's... him, isn't it?"

". . . yes, brother. It is the Great Enemy trying to lead us into the dark."

"It makes my teeth itch and my soul ache. I swear, even after I was given my allotments, it made me feel... hungrier. Aware. It felt as though I had partaken in a proper Blood Fast despite the fact I had just fed."

"I know the feeling well. I feel the same pull that you and all of the faithful do. But we cannot allow ourselves to give in to such base instincts. We must be better than the creatures he wants us to be. We will be greater than that."

"Resisting the call feels more and more difficult each passing day. I know I am not the only one struggling. I spoke with the others, and-"

"I understand. Do not dwell on such thoughts for now. Instead, focus on taking the proper steps towards absolution. Allow the divine to help cleanse your soul and mind."

"I will try, holiness."

"Should you falter, we will be ready to catch you. You will still be answering for your earlier offenses, but I will also allow you to take an additional allotment of cosmium. It may do you well to have sustenance that is not blood in the interim before the time comes for judgement."

"Thank you, your grace."

"Blessings of the Saint be upon you."

[goldstarknight]

Mavren Fein & Vona de Iedo (2022)

Mavren and Vona are my favourite dynamic duo from Ixalan. I kind of got Team Rocket vibes from them in the original story. Now they're bitter political rivals. I'm excited to see how this will play out.

[mtgbracket]

Round of 1024 - Batch 2

The second set of 32 matchups is now live for voting!

Today we have two legendary Slivers and two Rat-lovers, Venser, Jhoira, and THRAXIMUNDAR.

Voting is open for one week right HERE.

Full list of matchups:

Sliver Legion vs Trostani Discordant The Mimeoplasm vs Mavren Fein, Dusk Apostle Eight-and-a-Half-Tails vs The Haunt of Hightower Alena, Kessig Trapper vs Sliver Hivelord

Sima Yi, Wei Field Marshal vs Brigid, Hero of Kinsbaile Llawan, Cephalid Empress vs Liliana, Heretical Healer Oros, the Avenger vs Erebos, God of the Dead Raksha Golden Cub vs Evra, Halcyon Witness

Alexander Clamilton vs Jacques le Vert Bell Borca, Spectral Sergeant vs Reyav, Master Smith Venser, Shaper Savant vs Agrus Kos, Wojek Veteran Horobi, Death's Wail vs Oviya Pashiri, Sage Lifecrafter

Kenrith, the Returned King vs Kumano, Master Yamabushi Chevill, Bane of Monsters vs Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons Jareth, Leonine Titan vs Riven Turnbull Mishra, Artificer Prodigy vs Neheb, Dreadhorde Champion

Basandra, Battle Seraph vs Anowon, the Ruin Sage Kydele, Chosen of Kruphix vs Haktos the Unscarred Shabraz, the Skyshark vs Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose Vilis, Broker of Blood vs Jhoira of the Ghitu

Ascendant Evincar vs Miara, Thorn of the Glade Thromok the Insatiable vs Patron of the Nezumi Ikra Shidiqi, the Usurper vs Drana, the Last Bloodchief Kokusho, the Evening Star vs Marrow-Gnawer

Krenko, Tin Street Kingpin vs Niambi, Esteemed Speaker Triad of Fates vs Rubinia Soulsinger Korlash, Heir to Blackblade vs Dralnu, Lich Lord Grumgully, the Generous vs Yorion, Sky Nomad

Lovisa Coldeyes vs Prava of the Steel Legion Grand Arbiter Augustin IV vs King Macar, the Gold-Cursed Thraximundar vs Timmy, Power Gamer Syr Konrad, the Grim vs Glissa, the Traitor

[vorthosjay]

Let’s Talk About The Flood

It’s back! Magic Story has returned strong with a very character-driven story in The Flood. Fair warning, it has some rather uncomfortable moments from Jace’s memories, including torture. Honestly, though, it’s the best story from a character perspective since Release last year, and addresses basically all the criticisms of Jace’s character.

Flood of Recollections by Magali Villeneuve

"Kumena," a voice whispered from the golden walls. "Kumena the Shaper, child of the Great River, leader of your people. Come set me free."

Could it be? All this time, the golden city was a prison, not a stronghold?

YES.

If you all remember, one of my very first ideas was that Ixalan was some kind of prison. I still love that theory, and knowing that something there was worth Azor giving up his spark to create the Immortal Sun is fascinating.

"There is power here, Kumena. The power that was intentionally designed . . . but also an additional, inert power. A still pond. A mirror in darkness. It can do nothing . . ."

". . . without my own power to reflect," Kumena finished. "Is that it?"

"Follow," said the voice, and the many golden reflections of Kumena's own face echoed it. "Follow."

"Who are you?"

"I am the Sun, Kumena. As you will be. Follow."

This is fascinating. Is this the power of the Immortal Sun? The Threefold Sun? Something different?

I wonder if perhaps the Threefold Sun is merely a reflection of the power of the Sun Empire from centuries before, and if that will change now that others are in charge.

For instance, Blood Sun might be about the Vampires taking control.

"How about two?" she teased. "What do you say, Mavren Fein?" she tossed over her shoulder.

Did she have to use his full name? The full name is meaningless to Kumena and presumably they already know each other so this just feels like a nod to the audience.

The man dropped to one knee. He gripped Jace's hair in a shiny metal fist.

"I'm going to make damn sure you learn from this debacle."

Vraska watched as the man pulled up Jace's shirt and dragged a manablade in long, arrow-straight lines down his back, then one single line down his right forearm. She cringed in horror as Jace screamed.

This is straight from Agents of Artifice. Jace is supposed to be protecting Tezzeret’s mind from Bolas during a negotiation. Nicol Bolas distracts Jace through a mental conversation enough so that he’s able to pierce into Tezzeret’s mind, and they both have to escape his minions.

Upon returning, Tezzeret tortures Jace for his failure.

The shaman leaned over the teenager and drew a line with his finger down Jace's cheek, leaving a brilliant white tattoo in its place. He continued on his chin and arm, and Vraska watched as the shaman diligently painted a braver face on the nervous teenager's own.

She caught a glimpse of the paper the shaman was referencing. A series of symbols was hastily sketched on it—symbols she recognized from this Jace's future cloak. An elongated ring, open at the bottom, with a circle floating in the middle. She wondered what its significance was.

This is new. For everyone wondering how and when Jace got his tattoos, here it is!

Vraska's heart ached. This was so bad, but he was too far lost to pull back the curtain of affection and see the bored cruelty of her intentions.

The entire Fireplace scene is so perfect it hurts. Seeing the relationship through the eyes of an outsider absolutely hammers home how terrible Liliana is to Jace. I don’t want to post more of it because everyone needs to read it.

A distant roar interrupted her. Vraska froze, alarmed by the immense noise in the distance. She stood and stared in the direction it had come from. It was most certainly a dinosaur, but of a size she did not know they could reach.

A woman's face. Her skin was peachy and flecked with freckles, her chestnut hair pulled back from her tired eyes. She was reading to her toddler from a notebook as she wandered the tiny kitchen, excitedly explaining a new healing technique while peeling vegetables for dinner. A peel fell onto the page like a bookmark.

Jace’s mom stuff is pretty heartwarming. That Jace lost this is distressing.

She saw how this mentor had betrayed him, had manipulated and molded him into a tool to be used rather than a student to be taught.

This is a slight retelling of Absent Minds, from an outsider’s point of view.

Alhammarret had ruined him, abused him, torn his mind apart time after time, but what the sphinx was suffering now was a fate worse than death. Alhammarret deserved to perish, but no one deserved this.

This is nice to acknowledge. Jace’s mental abilities are terrifying and losing your identity, in a multiverse where souls definitely exist, is a fate worse than death.

"You're an assassin," he stated as the memory settled into place.

"And a friend," she responded plainly, sadly.

Jace's awareness was distant. He may have found a way to prevent his memories from spilling out again, but he was visibly struggling to his thoughts internally. His voice remained hollow. "Emmara. Nissa. I have so few friends . . ."

Good for you, Jace. With most of your memory back, you know you have no room to judge, and can desperately use friends.

He shook his head gingerly. "It's not all back. There are gaps. I don't remember how I lost my memory, or how I got here."

And here’s the hole presumably Azor is going to fill.

"I would have listened if you had explained why." He shifted uncomfortably. "The people you killed to get my attention back then . . ."

"A murderer, a defiler, and a trafficker of innocents, with names that sounded like planes." She shrugged and shook her head firmly. "I don't regret their deaths, but I do regret thinking it was the only way to get you to listen to me."

"I forgive you for trying to kill me," Jace said softly and honestly in return. "You were doing what you thought was right for your people."

Neither of them could think of anything to say after that.

It’s also nice to address the change in tone from Vraska’s original appearance in The Gorgon and the Guildpact. Vraska isn’t ‘good’, but she’s not a killer of innocents, either. I notice they didn’t address her killing her own minion, though. That might be a retconned detail.

He had gone from child prodigy to spy to victim only to have it all forcibly exorcised from his heart and mind. He had turned, lost and afraid, to people who preyed on the lost and afraid. He had been tortured, ignored, manipulated, and despite it all he was, nevertheless, intact. He had survived.

He was remarkable.

"I've never known a version of myself with my memories unimpaired," Jace said, breaking his silence with weary honesty. "So many people manipulated me into hurting so many people. And sometimes I've done it of my own volition. It was so easy."

We’ve never known a version of Jace like this, either. It’s great to see recognition of Jace’s faults not just being because of what happened to him, too.

"No one ever chooses to be a victim," Vraska interjected. "You are not weak because you were taken advantage of. And the cruelty of what they made you do reflects on them, not you." 

This is a good statement.

"You weren't that out of shape when I last saw you," Vraska teased.

"You're ignoring how often I used to use illusions to make myself look like I was in shape."

Her brows shot up. "Seriously?"

"Oh yeah," Jace acknowledged. His expression was unguarded, eyes still red from emotion, a lighthearted tilt to his lips. Unapologetically human. He grinned. "I used to be a coward."

He let Not anymore hang unspoken in the air between them, and Vraska caught his smile as he turned to ascend the golden staircase toward Orazca, one strong step after another.

This is both hilarious (because who wouldn’t use illusions to make themselves look buff), and a great turn. The acknowledgement of his own flaws, of his own weaknesses, and his decision to overcome them instead of hide behind them are fantastic. Huge props on the character development in this piece.

[moisellethefae]

The Immortal Sun is gone, and Huatli realizes the truth doesn't belong to whoever happens to be in charge.

Original Story: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/magic-story/who-tells-stories-2018-02-07/

Voice Credits: Huatli: Caitlin Buckley https://caitlinva.wordpress.com/ Angrath: Ryan Yoshitani https://twitter.com/Psychromaniac Tishana: Rachel Toybe @femmchantress​ Vona: Sydney "Velolciraptor" Stafl https://twitter.com/TappyToeClaws Mavren Fein: Abzanascendancy @abzanascendancy​ Breeches: Ashe Thurman @pixelsandpins​ Malcolm: J.W. Forsyth https://twitter.com/pragmatticus Saint Elenda: Emily "Haz" Dahms @hazoretspartyfavors​ Apatzec: Liam Wilson https://twitter.com/korybantic Inti: Junonis @goldnight-catfishgator Uncle: AntiRivet https://twitter.com/DarkestDeals Aunt: Gamer Dragon https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZi0rNlmMuEf6ILtnOBoElg

Sound Credits: Sound Editing by Grace Nua @formalcasual "Cambodian Odyssey" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Voice of All is unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Wizards of the Coast Fan Content Policy. Portions of the materials used are property of Wizards of the Coast LLC. @wizardsmagic​