#benthic infiltrator

[5ecardaday]

Monsters of Magic - The Eldrazi

And now for something a little different. In addition to doing Yokaitober this year, I'm also doing all of my normally scheduled weekly releases. While it can be a little difficult to balance both, it's going well so far, and I'm excited to finally be able to show off some more eldrazi. It's been quite some time since the last eldrazi I converted, and I think at this point I've got a better handle on how to make them a balanced challenge.

If you'd like to help support me and get early access to my content, as well as the ability to vote in polls and see additional patron-exclusive content, you can sign up on my Patreon for as little as $2/month. I often release several new monsters, magic items, spells, and more each week, so don't miss out on an opportunity to keep up with it all!

[viric-dreams]

Eleanor Roberts, The Dawning Aspirant (she/her)

Born: Rhondda, Wales, September 10, 1849

Occupation: Naval Officer Currently working as a stenographer/newspaper assistant

Closest to: The Admiralty

Qualities: Watchful, Dangerous

Quirks: Steadfast, Ruthless

They say...

No one could ever accuse her of being charismatic, but her earnestness about all she does goes a long way.

Profile below the cut.

Born in a Welsh mining town to a working-class family, she was determined to escape the life set before her and to scrabble up the societal ranks, however possible. When her father died and left her the sole breadwinner for her mother and older sisters, she ran away, unwilling to go down into that same pit and meet the same fate. She would not spend the rest of her life underground.

She ran to London to try to make a new life for herself. London, however, was less than kind to a child from the Valleys, with a strange lilt to her imperfect English. Even amongst the other urchins she was not well-liked, often seen as off-putting. She spent her nights in pubs near the harbour, listening in and imitating the voices and the mannerisms of the officers occupying them. She would have to become like them if she wanted that respect.

At the age of thirteen, she signed on with the Royal Navy as a cabin boy, listing a new, anglicised name to match her new identity. Her captain was kind to her, the first to be in ages.  Things were finally looking up.

And then London Fell.

When the city came crashing down into the Neath, Roberts’ ship had crumpled against the coastline, seriously injuring her and trapping her inside. In the almost two days it took to get her free, her captain had been there, yelling encouraging words to a scared child, one neither of them could be sure would survive the experience. When they’d finally managed to cut her free, to pull her back from the Slow Boat, her fate was sealed—she would follow that man to the ends of the earth.  

Her devotion never wavered. Not even when her captain split from the Admiralty, renaming himself the Commodore. She zailed with him to their new port of call, the Grand Geode, and stood at his side when the Dawn Machine was turned on. For decades, she was his right-hand man, his golden boy, the favourite son. Whatever he needed, she would do, no matter the cost. She would do his dirty work so that he could shine.

Decades passed in the Neath. Then one day, the Commodore called her into his office. He had a task for Lieutenant Roberts: She should sail to London and infiltrate a group of revolutionaries trying to bring about the Liberation of Night. With the group’s name and an alias scrawled onto a piece of paper, she took to Zee.

London, however, had changed much since her last visit almost forty years earlier. Its denizens were not the cheerful, smiling sort she was used to back at her port of call. It wasn’t long before she found herself set upon by a group of criminals, intent on robbery. In the scuffle, however, her dark glasses broke, revealing her dazzling golden eyes. The next thing she knew she had a bag over her head.

She woke up bound in a Benthic basement laboratory, half a dozen scientists watching her intently. She was a Sequencer, they said, clearly controlled by a false Judgement she was forced to serve against her will. But they could cure her—a cure that would free her from her slavish dedication to the sun the sun the sun the sun the sun the sun the s—

She came to in an alleyway, missing both memories and an earlobe. There was something she was assigned to do in London, and she could not disappoint the Commodore. But what? She would find a way to keep herself busy, further the cause. Expand the reach of the New Sequence. Ignore the missing time, the foreign fragments of memories that would hit at unexpected intervals, the rumours of a figure sweeping the Revolutionary circles wearing her face.

Unbeknownst to her, when she wasn’t acting as Lieutenant Roberts, liaison to the Admiralty, she was Mr Nite, climbing her way to January’s good graces, only knowing that her purpose was to help her in her goals, by any means possible. As time went on, their lives seemed to intertwine in unsettling ways. Nite would encounter long-time enemies she’d never before seen. Roberts would have memories of a man whispering words of love into her ear whom she’d never met. Roberts would experience flashes of colour she hadn’t seen in years. Nite would catch fragments of conversations in a language she didn’t know she spoke.

And then their worlds converged too closely, when Nite’s Liberationist activities threatened Roberts’ standing, when Roberts’ hostile encounter with a strange man brought about the end of Nite’s relationship. Nite declared war on her counterpart, determined not to rest until her life was in ruins, at the price of her own relationship with January. And Nite nearly succeeded—Roberts’ life was coming apart. Several of her projects were falling to pieces, a vengeful subordinate firebombed her flat, and she hadn’t heard back from the Commodore in weeks. The memory bleeds were getting worse—more and more flashes of someone in her body doing things she would never do, having feelings she should not have felt.

And then she gets the news. The Commodore is dead. They hadn’t bothered to tell her. Intentionally so. They’d pushed her out. Moved on without her. Left her in London with nothing. Because who is she without the Commodore? Without the Navy? Without the dawnlight coursing through her body, because as those grief-bound weeks went on, something had changed. She’d stopped fighting herself, that shared heartache forcing both sides of herself to come to terms with their singularity, that hurting one would only hurt the other. And without those two forces constantly in opposition… Roberts and Nite began to merge, memories and personalities coming together, draining out the residual dawnlight, leaving her… as her, whomever that might be.

Something wasn’t right, however. There’s no way the Commodore could’ve simply died. Men like him don’t just die. That couldn’t be right. The medical report left by the doctor who’d broken the news didn’t add up. The longer she’d looked at it the longer something didn’t feel right. Because he didn’t just die. He was murdered.

A furious dog set loose, it was not difficult to find the perpetrators—proud of their act. The Commodore had killed the ones they loved. Or more accurately, she had killed them, under his orders. She’d commandeered a ship and chased them halfway across the Zee, deeper and deeper south, until the first rays of dawnlight crested upon her ship as they lined up to fire. But then what? She kills them, then claws her rightful position back at the helm of the Admiralty? More people dead, more loved ones to grieve and to swear vengeance, and for what? For a position she’d never wanted. The dawnlight feels nauseating on the back of her eyes. There’s no comfort to it.

She turned the ship around, London-bound. This time, for good.

What do you do when your whole life and sense of identity is tied up in your job? When the question is never “who are you?”, but “what can you do?”. And who is she, really, when there’s no one else in the picture, and the only person whose opinion, and whose happiness matters is her own? Whereas she’d once changed her name to gain acceptance, when she does it again, it’s for herself. Eleanor. She likes the way it feels on her tongue. With no references, no family, no friends, and almost nothing to her name Eleanor would start again. A new beginning, on her own terms, whatever may come.

[fhtagn-and-tentacles]

BENTHIC INFILTRATOR 

by Mathias Kollros

[st-just]

Benthic Infiltrator by Mathias Kollros

[mtgbracket]

Round of 16384 - Batch 221

Batch 221 voting is now open. The following polls are currently open:

Batch 221 Batch 220 Batch 219 Batch 218 Batch 217 Batch 216 Batch 215

Batch 214 results will be up soon.

The full list of matchups for today is:

Lone Rider vs Tanglebloom Flamespeaker Adept vs Whelming Wave Seal of Cleansing vs Fade into Antiquity Boiling Earth vs Kami of the Waning Moon Jinxed Choker vs Gossamer Phantasm Sandstorm Charger vs Fountain Watch Wild Evocation vs Markov Blademaster Masticore vs Soulsurge Elemental Funeral March vs Drown in Filth March of the Returned vs Levitation Iona's Judgment vs Bog Raiders Mul Daya Channelers vs Gift of Tusks Evangelize vs Devastation Tide Etched Oracle vs Nomads' Assembly Beacon of Destruction vs Battering Wurm Mist Raven vs Grip of Phyresis Ambush Commander vs Pentavus Nath of the Gilt-Leaf vs Watcher of the Roost Rhystic Scrying vs Straw Soldiers Veiled Apparition vs Lightning Blow Chariot of Victory vs Grasp of Phantoms Dying Wail vs Jeskai Infiltrator Benthic Explorers vs Windwright Mage Mycoloth vs Safewright Quest Ink-Eyes, Servant of Oni vs Flagstones of Trokair Pain // Suffering vs Vampiric Touch Redirect vs Dirgur Nemesis Storm Elemental vs Dauntless Dourbark Keranos, God of Storms vs Elvish Lyrist Scalding Devil vs Trained Cheetah Aberrant Researcher vs Devoted Retainer Zhang Fei, Fierce Warrior vs Aether Mutation

[gdfalksen]

Benthic Infiltrator by guterrez

[mtg-cards-hourly]

Benthic Infiltrator

Artist: Mathias Kollros TCG Player Link Scryfall Link EDHREC Link

[madcat-world]

Benthic Infiltrator - guterrez

[viric-dreams]

I'm going to be making a more expansive timeline for these guys eventually, but a quick recap of what Roberts and Nite have been up to since coming to London:

Roberts arrives in London, ready to slowly infiltrate the revolutionaries and work his way into a cell of liberationists, lead by January.

Shortly after arriving, he's kidnapped and experimented on by a group of scientist working out of Benthic College, trying to cure people who have been dawnpilled.

He manages to escape with some documents he'd grabbed but wakes up confused with only his alias, Nite, as his identification. Nite takes on the role of a revolutionary, unaware that it's not his identity, slowly climbing his way through their ranks.

Roberts, meanwhile, does not remember why he's in London. He busies himself with picking up some of the ties between Zelo's Town and London that have atrophied over the years and soon falls in with Beverley, trying to rebuild/searching for the missing dawnlight bomb.

Nite, meanwhile, has slowly become notorious in revolutionary circles and gained the attention of, and entrance to the liberationist circle, led by January. He learns of their plans for Liberation of Night and is caught up in their vision. In fact, he seems to have some ideas of his own, and they just might work. He just needs to do some research. It's around this point that he meets and begins a relationship with Jones. Jones never seems to mention what it is that he does for a living, and Nite feels in turn that it's not the time to mention his involvement in the Liberation of Night.

Whilst Roberts and Beverley seem to be initially working well together, Roberts' constant disappearances and inconsistency leave a dent in their relationship. Moreover, rumours of a man of a similar description making waves with the revs triggers Beverley's suspicions. Nonetheless, Beverley does eventually come to Roberts with rumours he's heard of a Benthic laboratory conducting experiments with dawnlight and the potential dangerous consequences for the New Sequence. Roberts investigates, and eventually decides to send the Pawnbroker to eliminate the researchers (entirely unaware of his own personal connection to any of this). Beverley, who had hoped for the okay to test out a new explosive, was not happy with this decision. The Pawnbroker proceeds with the assassinations, setting fire to the laboratory and destroying their work for good measure.

Nite continues his research in how to develop a more effective set of bombs to kick start the LoN. In pursuit of this, he befriends Myfanwy, a researcher specialising in the Correspondence. Shortly into their acquaintance, she comes to him, distraught. A laboratory at the college appears to have been burnt, and several of her colleagues were dead. The official university line is that it was an accident involving the Correspondence, but she knows from a cursory glance that this doesn't add up. She asks Nite to accompany her to the lab at night as backup, so she can do some investigating for herself. Whilst sifting through the burnt rubble, he discovers some documents that enable him to make the connection between himself and the group's last subject. This is information that he chooses not to reveal to Myfanwy.

Nite does go to Jones, however. He reveals to Jones his memory problems, missing time, flashes of memories that feel as if they belong to someone else or maybe a past life, and that he may have been under the Dawn Machine's influence. He's not even certain that Nite is his real name. Jones is unfazed by all of this, and simply draws him in closer, comforting him. They will find a way to sort through this together.

Having been passed up for the job and a chance to test his inventions, Beverley attempts to blackmail Roberts with the knowledge of his degrading mental health, in an effort to be allowed to test his bombs. This fails, leading to Beverley’s temporary death via blunt force object. Before Roberts could ensure his permanent death via cement fluke-baited shoes, however, Nite regains consciousness and flees the scene, abandoning Beverley's corpse. Beverley later bombs Roberts' lodgings in retaliation, leading to them both being presumed MIA.

Work with January has not been going well. She seems to be keeping Nite at a distance, playing him off of two other revolutionaries in her inner circle. He doubles down on his work to try to progress their goals. Meanwhile, he's actively aware of the time he's missing, and that there may be someone running around with his face doing lord knows what. He needs to learn more about his alter ego. He goes to Jones with a plan--Jones should try to find him in his missing time and try to pick him up, just as he had the first time. Jones could get information out of him and what he's up to.

Roberts is not doing well. He's exhausted, his lodgings were blown up, Beverley is in the wind. His latest reports to the Commodore have gone unanswered. The missing time has been getting worse, and he's been getting flashes of strange memories and emotions. He needs a break. Some form of stress relief. Time to haunt some of the local nightlife.

[viric-dreams]

Born in a Welsh mining town to a working class family, Euros was determined to escape the life set before him and to scrabble up the societal ranks, however possible. He had no desire to spend his life underground.

As soon as he was able, he ran away to London to try to make a new life for himself. London, however, was less than kind to a boy from the valleys, with a strange lilt to his imperfect English. He spent his nights in pubs near the harbour, listening in and imitating the sailors occupying them. At the age of thirteen, he signed on with the Royal Navy, listing his name as Elias Roberts and gaining the rank of cabin boy. He grew particularly fond of the officer he served, one of the first to treat him like the other English boys. Elias decided that he would follow this officer to the ends of the earth, should he be asked.

And then London fell.

Elias’ devotion never wavered. Not even when his officer split from the Admiralty, renaming himself The Commodore. Elias sailed with him to their new port of call, the Grand Geode, and dutifully helped to build the Dawn Machine, embracing the New Sequence.

Decades passed in the Neath. Then one day, the Commodore called him into his office. He had a task for Lieutenant Roberts: He should sail to London and infiltrate a group of revolutionaries trying to bring about the Liberation of Night. With the group’s name and his alias scrawled onto a piece of paper, he took to zee.

London, however, had changed much since his departure decades before. Its denizens were not the cheerful, smiling sort he was used to back at his port of call. It wasn’t long before Elias found himself set upon by a group of criminals, intent on robbery. In the scuffle, however, his dark glasses broke, revealing his dazzling golden eyes. The next thing he knew he had a bag over his head.

He woke up bound in a Benthic basement laboratory, half a dozen scientists watching him intently. He was a Sequencer, they said, clearly controlled by a master he was forced to serve against his will. But they had a cure—one that would free him from his slavish dedication to the sun the sun the sun the sun the sun the sun the s—

Nicholas Nite came to in an alley in Ladybones Road with nothing but a scrap of paper with what he presumed was his name, and an address.

Nicholas followed the address to what turned out to be the meeting place of a group of anarchists. These revolutionaries, he’d learned, were set on the Liberation of Night. Enraptured by their words, Nicholas devoted himself to the cause. At the recommendation of one of his newfound colleagues, he found an inn for the night and settled down to his new role.

Elias woke up with no memory of why he was in London.

There is no set time or indication of what might bring about the change. Usually Elias/Nicholas will feel poorly, and have to excuse himself. Neither man is aware of the other’s identity or activities.

Whilst they both share a deep devotion for the cause in which they believe, Nicholas is more likely to look outside of the box or to bend the rules to achieve his goals. He is unconcerned with decorum. Whereas Elias initially appears far more cheerful and therefore approachable, Nicholas is by far the politer of the two, more likely to kindly talk his way through a solution, rather than Sequence-sanctioned force. And whereas Elias is perfectly content to stand in the proverbial shadow of the Dawn Machine, Nicholas has a bit of a showmanship streak, at least to his fellow revolutionaries.

Bonus:

Nicholas spent several months haunted by mysterious words lurking in the back of his mind. The word he was seeking would be lost, suddenly replaced by foreign consonants. He eventually went to his fellow anarchists with this information, concerned that between this and all of his missing time, that the Correspondence had somehow infected him and that he was losing his mind. Instead, one of his associates simply laughed. ��Fy mrawd yng Nghrist, siwd wyt ti ddim yn gwybod bo ti’n Gymro?”

[viric-dreams]

Roberts is clearly most strongly affiliated with the New Sequence, and as as result has a strained relationship with several of the other Revolutionary factions. The plan to infiltrate January's cell was a collaboration of strange bedfellows, including the Constables, certain members of Society, and other sympathetic Revolutionary factions. Roberts is also tangentially close to the Docks. Conversely, he's no friend to the Rubbery Men, Hell, or the Criminals, and is incredibly weary around the Masters. Over time, a particular research group of Benthic becomes an enemy to the New Sequence, and in need of elimination.

Nite's strong ties with the LoN has put him at odds with many of the other Revolutionary factions. He does not get on with Society, the Constables (particularly after killing one of them), and especially not the Masters. His work has brought him in contact with the Criminals. He doesn't have much to do with the Docks, but has had occasional contact related to the Widow. He develops extreme hostility towards Benthic College, upon realising what they'd done to him (though by that point, anyone involved in the experiment was long since dead, courtesy of the New Sequence).

[mtgbracket]

Round of 16384 - Batch 221 results

604 Bracketeers voted in Batch 221, and 7.06m votes have now been cast.

Visual results are here and today’s results are:

Lone Rider defeats Tanglebloom with 94.20% of the vote Keranos, God of Storms defeats Elvish Lyrist with 93.80% of the vote Redirect defeats Dirgur Nemesis with 93.27% of the vote Nath of the Gilt-Leaf defeats Watcher of the Roost with 89.90% of the vote

Aberrant Researcher defeats Devoted Retainer with 89.26% of the vote Mycoloth defeats Safewright Quest with 87.82% of the vote Jeskai Infiltrator defeats Dying Wail with 87.33% of the vote Aether Mutation defeats Zhang Fei, Fierce Warrior with 86.00% of the vote

Beacon of Destruction defeats Battering Wurm with 85.21% of the vote Pain // Suffering defeats Vampiric Touch with 82.23% of the vote Dauntless Dourbark defeats Storm Elemental with 80.71% of the vote Whelming Wave defeats Flamespeaker Adept with 79.87% of the vote

Windwright Mage defeats Benthic Explorers with 78.55% of the vote Mul Daya Channelers defeats Gift of Tusks with 78.49% of the vote Levitation defeats March of the Returned with 77.23% of the vote Fountain Watch defeats Sandstorm Charger with 76.68% of the vote

Masticore defeats Soulsurge Elemental with 76.25% of the vote Seal of Cleansing defeats Fade into Antiquity with 75.42% of the vote Rhystic Scrying defeats Straw Soldiers with 75.00% of the vote Drown in Filth defeats Funeral March with 71.91% of the vote

Pentavus defeats Ambush Commander with 71.69% of the vote Ink-Eyes, Servant of Oni defeats Flagstones of Trokair with 68.46% of the vote Iona's Judgment defeats Bog Raiders with 67.23% of the vote Devastation Tide defeats Evangelize with 63.24% of the vote

Grasp of Phantoms defeats Chariot of Victory with 59.59% of the vote Etched Oracle defeats Nomads' Assembly with 57.55% of the vote Jinxed Choker defeats Gossamer Phantasm with 57.07% of the vote Scalding Devil defeats Trained Cheetah with 55.21% of the vote

Boiling Earth defeats Kami of the Waning Moon with 54.79% of the vote Markov Blademaster defeats Wild Evocation with 54.58% of the vote Lightning Blow defeats Veiled Apparition with 53.23% of the vote Grip of Phyresis defeats Mist Raven with 52.77% of the vote

Full results to date can be seen here.