#setessa

[manganyeh]

A butch of stuff of my FE3H OC Anessa and some ship art with her and Seteth

[reanimatestar]

ACIRYS IS SO COOL OMG !!! can we know more abt her...

on it boss <3

she was made for a level 20 one-shot set in theros (it's a magic the gathering setting which was adapted for dnd, it's based on ancient greek mythology i think <3)

sea storm herald barbarian because the one-shot was mostly in an aquatic environment <3

used to be part of a seafaring clan but she got separated from her family after a monster attack at sea when she was a wee babe

almost died but she was saved by thassa (one of the sea gods, i think there are two in theros? can't be fucked to verify this <3) who brought her to shore, and then she was brought up in setessa by the community <3

acirys became thassa's champion because she feels indebted to her and she currently adventures for fun and for profit (mostly fun <3)

dragonborn usually have a clan name followed by a personal name but she doesn't have a clan name because she forgor. on account of the. Um. Yeah <3 she just goes by acirys now <3

when she was younger (especially when she first arrived in setessa and when she started out adventuring) she was very angry person on account of the trauma and the self-isolation from the trauma. she's happier now i prommy <3

she has a childhood friend who's a cleric of klothys (goddess of destiny), i like to think they have a little crush on each other hehehe <3 gay peopleee <3

in the one-shot she killed the monster who killed her birth clan. this did not bring her closure at all it just opened up a lot of old wounds for her <3 she'll be fine though. probably. <3

[magus-of-the-color-pizza]

Since you've reblogged the oc-asking post in less than 30 seconds, I'm taking the plunge! Who *are* your OCs?

Whoops, didn't realize that was such a quick reblog, I was just scrolling my dash! But thank you for asking! I have a few MtG-related OCs, ones that I've written stories for, but generally for these OC questions I refer to one of them (Levantera), for simplicity. However, since you asked who they are, here's a rundown of them:

Levantera (also my icon): a human mage from Paliano that communes with Spirits and tries to help them find peace. Grew up in an orphanage, was subsequently selected by Brago to have a special role in the Custodi hierarchy due to her magical abilities. Resents Marchesa for what she did.

Lara: daughter of Kedarick of Iretis, whose story you can read in the mtg fiction Building Towards a Dream, she's a skilled hunter growing up in Setessa. Is on a quest to hunt down Ashiok.

Lishue: an Ojutai djinn who's graceblade talents lead to her becoming a dragon's Speaker, but now finds herself disgraced and aimless in enemy territory after her Master is killed by Xathi, a Silumgari Infallible.

Thanks for the question!

[wizardmulder]

Andras Troy, Child of Setessa

Charged with attempted assassination of a fellow athlete and doping of his chariot racing horses during the Iroan Games.

Playlist

[thetalesofthereneverwood]

So before Bloomburrow comes out I at least one to get out one MH 3 ask, so could you tell me about your walkers Origin card?

As Theren is from Setessa in Theros, he went on a peregrination when he came of age. As the card Peregrination searches for two lands and then has you scry 1, his front side would have this effect. To flip him, similar to his story, you would pay an activation to have him fight target creature. If the creature had greater power than him, you would flip it into his planeswalker form.

[mythic-odysseys]

Dopaprime 

[phyrexian-mama]

Fanwalker Friday - Kyveli

Next fanwalker is a warrior from Setessa. Like last time - description first, and then backstory below the cut :)

Kyveli is a highly skilled warrior from Setessa. She has rich, deep brown skin that contrasts strongly against the strange, smooth marble of her prosthetic legs. Her long hair is pulled up into a series of thick braids that fits through her intricate leather helm.

She wears lightly tanned armor leather armor and wields a shield and shortsword. Her shield has the head of a gorgon affixed to the front of it that she can animate briefly with her (previously secret) necromantic powers, turning opponents to stone or allowing the venomous snakes of her hair to bite at those standing close by.

Her first walk after her spark ignited was to Zendikar, where she was able to put her skills to use dispatching eldrazi. Since then she has wandered between planes, no intention of ever returning to Theros, helping the outcast by killing what keeps them oppressed.

She’s basically mono-black - she does things to “defend” and “Help” the outcasts, but it’s all to justify her killing whatever she deems a worthy hunt.

And now her story (it’s a really long one again - you’ve been warned)

Setessa was home to many strong and powerful women - warriors, hunters, and even priestesses and acolytes had their own strength. They found harmony with one another by striving to grow stronger, better, and more self sufficient. Kyveli understood this desire, but she learned all too soon that they only appreciated growth and strength that looked like their own.

While the other hunters spent time honing their skill with the bow, she favored the shortsword. Many of them thought the weapon too barbaric for hunting - a shortsword was for battling and whittling the opponent down, where as hunting was about bringing your prey down quickly and efficiently. This... difference of opinion, led to Kyveli’s exclusion from a number of hunting parties - all but one.

Chara was a skilled archer, and gifted with healing poultices. Whenever Kyveli got in over her head hunting a beast too large for her to handle, Chara was always there to help finish bringing it down and to see to her wounds. It was embarrassing at first - Kyveli hated seeming weak, especially in front of someone so kind and beautiful. But Chara never backed down, and frequently joined Kyveli on her hunting trips.

They shared much of their time together, between glorious hunts through the day and intimate moments through the night. Chara would stay with Kyveli every hour of the day if she could, but Kyveli always kept some distance between them - not only was she worried about damaging sweet Chara’s reputation among the Setessans, but she was worried about what Chara would think of her if she knew her real secret.

She wasn’t only a skilled fighter, but a skilled necromancer. Not that she was aware of this - necromancy wasn’t really a thing, as far as she could tell. But when she killed a creature, she found she had a connection with it. At first she thought it was just strong empathy. But over time she found she could draw power from it - the more powerful the beast she had slain, the more power she could take from it.

And so she began to seek stronger, more potent creatures to bring down, and did her best to keep Chara away. She didn’t want her to be caught in her own pursuit of power and glory, no matter how much she loved her. Until the day she desperately needed help.

She had lost sight of her surroundings while tracking a hydra - a small one, comparatively speaking, but a worthy foe nonetheless - when a viper had struck at her from the shadows. She hadn’t even heard it, hadn’t realized it existed, until its fangs sunk into her ankle. She went to stomp on it with her other foot, gaining yet another wicked bite, before the serpent seemed to disappear into the shadows, a starry shimmer in its wake.

She didn’t have time to contemplate how strange it was before she was collapsing to the ground, her legs refusing to move. Her veins were turning black, and her flesh begin to sink in on itself. “I have to be stronger than this” she told herself, and used her necromancy to keep the spread of dead flesh at bay. Unable to walk, she crawled.

Finally, she crawled her way back to Chara’s door. It was late, and she was exhausted, but the sight if Chara’s warm body made her fear dissipate. Kyveli was brought inside, where Chara inspected the damage.

“latria mu I’ve never seen something like this... what have you done to yourself?” Kyveli bit her lip as a wave of pain raced through her legs again. They were worse now - she could see places where the muscle had become visible and was succumbing to necrosis. 

“A... a snake. It bit me while I was hunting. It happened so fast” she felt tears beginning to rise as she considered that due to her carelessness, this may be the last time she would see Chara. She reached out, taking her hands, and whispered. “I’m so sorry”

Chara’s gently pulled a hand free and stroked Kyveli’s thick hair. “Don’t apologize. Rest. I’ll go see the healers in the Winter Nexus” Kyveli wanted to argue - Chara had always avoided the dark magic Pharika offered, even though it had the potentially to bring power to her healing. And at night like this...

“It’s too dangerous. You can’t go alone” Chara smiled as she finished putting on her armor and grabbed her bow.

“I don’t have to be alone. I will gather a party quickly and make my way there” she kissed the wrinkles of worry that were still forming between Kyveli’s brow. “I know you like to be the strong one. But please, just this once, let me be strong for you.” And with that, Chara was gone.

By the next evening, Kyveli found herself pushing her way through thick, rope like vines deeper into gorgon territory. Her legs were more than half rotted away by now - far beyond saving - but that only meant her magic had more power over them, enough to keep her upright and moving.

Only one hunter had returned from the tip with Chara. They had gone to hunt a gorgon, to harvest the means for a cure from its blood. But that had failed. And Chara was gone.

Kyveli refused to believe this. Refused to accept it. And so she went after her, against the protests and warnings of those around her. It’s all their fault she thought as sh cleaved through the plants blocking her way. None of them cared about her like I did, none of them were strong enough for her. If I had been there, if... if I hadn’t gotten hurt to begin with... She shook her head and pressed forward. She would find Chara, and bring her back.

When she reached the bog of the gorgon they had faced, what she found turned her blood to ice. Frozen forms of many men and women littered the land - some fresh, sparkling like marble and others half sunk in the muck, crumbling with age. But one stoney form stood out.

She saw Chara, collapsed on the ground near a tree, her bow broken and scattered away. The tears of fear frozen in immaculate white stone upon her flawless face.

No

A shadow moved from behind the trees, slithering towards Kyveli. She closed her eyes - to block out the gorgon, to block out the image of Chara, to block it all out.

No

She felt a ripple in the thick water as the gorgon moved closer, her serpents hissing, preparing to strike. Kyveli’s grip tightened on her sword.

NO!

The gorgon seemed to lunge for her as a scream of agony, rage, and sorrow ripped itself from her chest. She hacked forward into the gorgon, ignoring the serpents that latched into the flesh of her shoulders as she did so. She hacked again, feeling blood spray over her as something sharp sliced across her abdomen. She hacked again, and again, and again, her body numb to the pain, her mind consumed with grief and anger.

She collapsed to the ground, sobbing, her eyes still shut, as she hacked apart the lifeless form before her. She wasn’t sure how long ago she had managed to kill the gorgon, how much of the blood she felt coating her body was hers or its. Eventually, her arms gave out, and she dropped her blade. She opened her eyes, wincing at the rays of dawn that had begun to peer through the leaves.

She saw her hands, almost black with blood. The gorgon lay on the ground, nearly hacked in two from Kyveli’s brutal assault. Her face was twisted into an expression of rage and pain. And Chara... Chara was still there, on the ground. Beautiful. Cold. Gone.

And suddenly, Kyveli didn’t feel close enough to death. She felt the coldness swallow her, as she realized there was nothing she could do. She was gone. And if Chara was gone, she didn’t deserve to live.

She felt her despair rise up within her, a cold void consuming her being. She practically begged Erebos for relief as she curled in on herself. She felt as though she was sinking into the mire below her, drowning in blood and mud. She was scared to face this alone, filled with hatred for herself for allowing Chara to leave, sickened by what she had become. She allowed the darkness to crawl over her, begging it to make her disappear, to rid her of this inescapable ache deep in her chest.

And then she found herself gasping, shooting up from the muck. No... this is different. It’s cold, and dark, and wet... but the statues are gone. The trees were different.

She didn’t have time to comprehend what she was looking at when a strange being scuttled down a tree and began to advance on her. It had long pointed legs and clawed hands, and seemed to vibrate with an energy she didn’t understand. It had two branching growths that extended from the side of its head, along with two long pieces of a similar looking materials levitating above those growths.

The creature reached for her, and instinctively she blocked with her shield, going to ready her sword, but found it missing. In a panic, she tried to scramble away, but couldn’t find the energy to make her legs work - it was as though the mana she had become accustomed to using was suddenly gone, drained away. The creature batted her arm to the side, exposing her, and reached towards her, energy pulsating around its hand.

She saw the world distort around it as it plunged into her, and she felt searing pain as suddenly she too became distorted. She felt herself being drug from the fabric of existence, her body trying to unravel. She felt something familiar in the chaos around her, and clung to it, desperate to be rid of this creature. And like that, she found herself back in the gorgon’s bog, just as she had left it. Her missing sword was still lying within the cavity she had carved out of the gorgon.

Shaking, Kyveli processed what she had seen. What she had felt. She knew that wasn’t home. Somehow, she had gone somewhere new. She had left Theros... and come back. Her magic hadn’t worked there, but perhaps she could find somewhere it did. Somewhere she could get powerful enough to bring Chara back to her.

Her hopelessness being replaced with resolve, Kyveli took up her sword, and crawled to the head of the gorgon. With a stoic face, she sawed the head off, and used her belt to strap the head to the front of her shield. You took what was most precious to me She thought So you’re going to help me get it back. She then pulled herself to the statue of Chara. She bit her lip, and left a serene kiss on her forehead, before searching for the feeling of that other world again. She allowed herself to sink away, to return to Zendikar.

Kyveli eventually found a friend who was skilled with Lithomancy. When she learned that she could fashion working prosthetic for her from stone, Kyveli returned to Theros for the first time in awhile. She found the statue of Chara, and carefully removed the legs from it. The Lithomancer helped her remove her legs, and replace them with Chara’s stone ones, allowing Kyveli to keep Chara close in her travels.

She travels from world to world, hunting down beings in order to gain power, in hopes of one day having the power to recall Chara from the dead. 

[littjara-mirrorlake]

Fanwalker intro: Lyszitheja Arelev

She/her

Aasimar planeswalker (half human, half Orzhov angel), GB, Ravnica

(Image made on heroforge.com)

Lys was the creation of an Orzhov family trying to create a human successor who was bindable by duty and law magic like angels were. The binding process caused Lys to spark to Theros, where she made a life in Setessa and joined the priesthood of Pharika. Once she learned to harness the power of her spark and returned to Ravnica, she moved to the Undercity and joined the Golgari. She despises the Orzhov, their greed, and their hunger for control.

Known as the Angel of Rot, Lys currently inhabits an abandoned cathedral which she's slowly restoring with undead butlers and fungal amenities and passes judgement on all who pass through her domain—usually guiding them to safety unseen singing Golgari folk songs, but she is also judge, jury, and executioner to those who would grind others under their heels. In practice, this mostly means Orzhov oligarchs and war-loving Boros officers.

Lys is a skilled druid of spores, cultivating a garden of exotic and rare fungi on the grounds of her cathedral and brewing them into potent remedies and poisons alike. Her libraries, too, hold shelves of restored tomes of alchemical magic. More mundanely, Lys enjoys brewing tea and baking for those visitors for whom she holds goodwill. Nowadays Lys rarely leaves the Undercity, but she makes time to visit Pharika in Theros from time to time and most recently journeyed to Capenna to learn about its history and her angel kin.

[danco110]

The Setessan hunters were taken aback by the sight of Nylea appearing before them. At once the group laid down their weapons and bowed before their god.

“God of the hunt, what do you need of us, vital enough to grant us an audience in person?”

The god held out her free hand with some exasperation. “Well, firstly, you may relax. I have no pressing matters to force onto you…today.”

“Oh? Then what do you ask of us?”

“I know that you all hunt. I do as well, but having been preoccupied with the Klothys situation for some time now, I have not recently had the chance to partake. Since you all worship me, I was merely curious if you would…allow me to join you?”

The huntresses angled their slack-jawed expressions up at their god, first in shock, then in immense gratitude. “Of course!” one chimed. “We would be honored to follow you for this hunt.”

Nylea raised her bow and beamed at her subjects. “Then let us make haste.”

—

Nylea gleefully took aim at yet another beast on the horizon. Meanwhile, the now-annoyed Setessans murmured amongst themselves.

“Psst! I think she’s looking the other way, now!”

“Looks like it. Yes, I think she’s aiming at the last boar in twenty miles.”

“Last chance for us to depart unseen. Shall we?”

“Yes. Let us go find us something to shoot, before Nylea steals that target from us, too.”

Nodding to each other, the hunters snuck away into the forest as Nylea felled her mark with a perfect shot through the heart.

“Ah, I had almost forgotten how liberating it is to…Hello?” The god spun around in search of her hunting companions but saw no one. “I suppose they went to find me another quarry. How thoughtful!”

[Nylea likes to hunt, but her eyes are supernaturally sharp and she always kills what she hits, and she shoots rather quickly; so the people of Setessa are rather hesitant to accommodate her on their hunts.]

[leafdrake-haven]

A Fateful Meeting (Part 1)

This started as a story exploring Rhynn’s magic and turned into how she ends up meeting her best friend Ayden ( @connoissuer-of-fine-vines ‘s fanwalker). Have fun on a little Theros adventure! PS did they take away Read Mores??? I was going to post most of this under one since it’s kind of long but I can’t find the button to add it??? Never-ending, got it figured out! :D

The forest was unusually quiet. While only just starting to enter the outskirts of Setessa, even in this proximity there was usually a cacophony of sounds in these woods; dozens of birds singing to or berating each other, foxes and badgers trudging through the undergrowth, and even the occasional elk rubbing their antlers against a tree. However this afternoon it was almost silent, which was exactly what Rhynn was hoping for. It meant her quarry was near. Not that she was truly hunting the creature but she was hoping to find it before it found her. She paused on her journey to look around and tried to get a feel of her surroundings. None of the trees looked particularly damaged, but the forest was still quiet here. That meant the creature was likely near enough to frighten the smaller animals into silence, but probably hadn't been in this particular area yet. She sighed. Normally she thought herself a pretty decent tracker but this hydra had evaded her for almost a week now. She had even prayed to Nylea and Karametra before starting this quest. Though she wasn't really a worshipper of the Theran gods, she had esteem for a few of them and had been to Theros enough times to know that disrespecting them was a mistake humans often did not get to make twice. They probably don't answer because I don't actually expect them to, she mused.

Rhynn closed her eyes and began to concentrate on the forest around her. She tried reaching out, to commune with the nature spirits of the land. Communing with creatures seemed to come so naturally to her, but every time she tried connecting to the natural world at large it felt foggy at best. She had to sift through all the little creatures hidden around her to try to commune with the land itself. It didn't help that she only had half-forgotten, decade-old lessons from a teacher worlds away to go off of. She was hoping to get a feel for where the hydra could be hiding. Communing with creatures could usually only be done in relatively close range, but if she could manage to connect with the land itself she could grasp a much larger area.

After several minutes of solid concentration she became more strongly aware of her own position in the forest. She felt very aware of where she was standing and could almost feel the sensation the ground was feeling of her being on top of it. This was not helpful at all and she groaned in frustration as she dropped her tenuous connection to the earth beneath her feet. Sohvra could concentrate that long and tell you almost anything about the landscape and creatures for the surrounding few miles. If only I had had more time to learn from her. She took a couple deep breathes to center herself. But, like Elrick says, better not to focus on the things you can't change and focus on what you can do. She smiled at the thought and decided to try another course of action. Rhynn unbuckled her pack and leaned it against a nearby tree, and again considered her surroundings. She closed her eyes and began concentrating again, this time however, on finding animals nearby that may be hidden in the trees or brush.

When she reached out like this, it was with feelings and not concrete thoughts. This was empathy and not proper telepathy so she had to sort through the sensations to figure out what was nearby. To her left a few feet away she linked with a smaller creature. Sniffing, tasting the air. Dirt beneath... paws, not hooves. Stealth beneath the brush. Self-sure in it's camouflage. A deep devotion and desire to protect. A den nearby, a desire to hunt for others. Anticipation.

Rhynn smiled. Turns out there were in fact many foxes near here. She let her mind drift between creatures. All were caught up in their own microcosms but, unusually, they all shared one tone: anticipation. Normally the presence of one quiet human invading the woods was not enough to put every nearby animal on alert. The hydra had to be nearby. She let herself drift again from birds to squirrels, and then...

"Oh!" she said aloud with a smirk. "I guess you ended up finding me first." With that she dove forward as hard as she could and rolled between some thick tree trunks. Behind her was a hydra head who had just slammed closed its jaws hard on empty air. Two other heads let out frustrated roars while a fourth and fifth tried to pinpoint its prey's new location. It flattened saplings and bushes in its path as it thrashed around.

Rhynn deftly ducked between more trees, thankful she had removed her pack. Stealth was key here. She hadn't been expecting the hydra to be enraged like this. Hungry probably, but this beast was highly agitated. In order to commune with it and gain its trust, she would have to fight through its rage and hope letting it feel her strong desire for camaraderie and companionship could calm it.

Alright. Five head variety. Smaller than I expected for sure, she thought to herself as she slinked around the tree trunks to try and get a better view. From here she could see three heads frantically searching and sniffing for her. The other two were screeching. Oh, it's a juvenile. No wonder it has been hunting in the wrong places.

Rhynn dared to reach towards the hydra and was buffeted by a strong wave of anger and hunger. She gasped at the severity but quickly pushed down the feelings from her own heart. One head swiveled in her direction at the noise. She sent a wave of calm, of curiosity, and a desire to help and protect at the hydra. She hoped that would quell some of its rage. Instead it used this small connection to locate her and lunged again. Rhynn dove away, but this time felt the moist heat of the hydra's maw at her back. She darted between the larger tree trunks, which were harder for the young hydra to maneuver between or knock over. Dodging an angry, multi-headed carnivore while trying to communicate with it was risky and taxing but it was integral she not actively fight back. With a creature this furious it usually stopped any chance at establishing a bond.

She shared her feelings again; acceptance, love, a desire to befriend it. At this wave of emotion, it paused its pursuit though all five heads remained fixed on Rhynn. All were growling and two were frothing at the mouth. Rhynn was able to feel a little deeper into the hydra's feelings now that there was a brief calm in its tantrum. Just under the rage and hunger was an extreme and all-encompassing terror; it was afraid of her. With confusion she took her first proper look at the whole hydra. A juvenile male, underweight for his age, more scars than should be expected, a couple of spears broken into his hide just below the shoulder, and the scales around his legs were rubbed raw as if recently bound.

"They've been using you for target practice!" she said through gritted teeth. She couldn't control the wave of anger she felt for this poor hydra's situation. The juvenile roared in response, his own rage empowered by hers. Shit. I need to be more careful with that, Rhynn thought while dodging hydra heads again. She needed to keep her own emotions in check while trying to commune or she could send the wrong message or influence the other creature's emotions. She wished she had time to center herself again but it was all she could do to maneuver between the trees, avoiding snapping hydra jaws.

The fear was loudest now. He desperately wanted to eliminate the human so he could feel safe. She tried connecting again, sending her sadness at his situation. She also tried to replicate the parental protectiveness she projected towards the young drakes she worked with on Ravnica; it always seemed to calm them and make them feel safe. It seemed to help if only just a bit. He was still pursuing her, but in a more half-hearted way. The rage was losing itself to exhaustion. Rhynn could relate; she was panting hard and sweating. That's when she finally felt another strong feeling from the poor, tired hydra. Pain. Those spear heads were just deep enough that the hydra couldn't shake them off himself. All the thrashing had jostled them just enough to reopen the wounds and they were starting to bleed slightly. The hydra finally stopping chasing her, but kept her in sight. Three heads were panting, one growled as it glared at her, and the final one let out a pitiful whimper. With this brief reprieve Rhynn sent a strong wave of love towards the juvenile, along with her strong desire to help him. She very carefully let him feel her controlled rage at his plight. This time he could tell the anger wasn't directed at him. He was still scared but there was curiosity there now as well, and maybe, the tiniest flicker of what felt like hope. He whimpered again, turning his injured side to her.

"That's right, easy now boy. I am going to help you. Easy, easy," she cooed to him in the most soothing tone she could muster in the face of her own quelled anger. "They're not here, nobody can hurt you now," Rhynn continued, all the while projecting calm and maternal feelings towards the hydra. She walked towards him as she crooned, hands out with palms open. She made sure to make small, but deliberate steps. They hydra lay down but kept all ten eyes on the human woman before him.

"You'd be harder to sneak pass than Zamir," Rhynn said with a smirk as she approached. The hydra did not know who Zamir was but calmed more at Rhynn's good humor. She tentatively reached a hand towards his side, carefully monitoring his emotional reaction. There was still fear, but a tiny seed of trust was also taking root. When her hands touched his side, he flinched and growled but did not move otherwise.

"Shhhh, easy now. Poor boy, you've been through a lot for a young thing, haven't you?" She spoke with a calm and even tone. The hydra stopped growling and whimpered again. He lay three heads down, but kept two fixed on Rhynn. "Poor thing, you're exhausted and hurt and hungry," she said in a sing-song voice while stroking his scales. Some of his eyes closed at the gentle touch. "These spears have to come out you know," she said as she made it to his shoulder. He felt a pang of anxiety as she neared them and she shared calm feelings back at him. Luckily they weren't as deep as she feared, but pulling them out would still tear some muscle and would likely be very painful. She knew she could easily reverse any damage and heal the pain but to do that without re-enraging the hydra would be difficult; their bond was still tenuous.

One of the hydra's heads leaned towards her. He was letting himself be inquisitive now and was looking very closely at her and sniffing hard. Though a juvenile, his head was still the size of her torso and should he decide to change his tone, he could easily snap her in half. Rhynn was pretty sure he wouldn't at this point, but there was always a risk. She let him feel her small tremble of fear of him followed by her setting it aside for feelings of complete trust. The hydra seemed surprised but then mirrored the feeling back at her, which in turn filled Rhynn with joy they could both feel. Feeling bold, Rhynn reached towards this face and scratched beneath his jaws. They hydra very much appreciated this and leaned his face hard into Rhynn while another head lunged at her back, rubbing his chin on her shoulders. Rhynn laughed as she narrowly avoided falling over.

"Whoa, whoa easy boy," she giggled, "I guess no creature is immune to chin scritches," she said while vigorously scratching both chins. He finally radiated joy that was his own and Rhynn's heart soared. She loved helping creatures in need. When she started this little expedition, she thought it was just going to be a simple relocation. She had heard complaints that a hydra was getting closer to human settlements, attacking people and stealing livestock. His age explained why she hadn't heard of any deaths yet; young hydras weren't the best at hunting humans. Regardless, she had hoped to find the beast and reverse its path back to the wilds near Setessa. She hadn't expected to find him halfway to Meletis or to find him in this condition. Now she would need to heal him, relocate him, and also hope to teach him to avoid humanoid-populated areas. Though considering what shape he was in, she didn't think that part would be too hard.

Rhynn sighed as she thought about his condition. She had heard that some areas would capture what they considered monsters and use them for practice for their young warriors. She made sure not to let her anger bubble to the surface but the practice appalled her. Hunting was necessary for food, she had no qualms there and yes, if a beast is attacking your home you should absolutely defend yourself and your household. But torturing a poor creature over the course of weeks just for combat practice? There are better ways to train. Even if they made use of the remains when the poor thing finally succumbed to its condition, it did not justify the suffering that was caused. Rhynn took a few deep breaths to clear her head and center herself. This next part was going to be difficult.

[loreleywrites]

Ephara is the deity of organized civilization, right? That means that she presides over all cities, countries, empires, etc. of Theros. Does that mean that whenever two nations go to war against each other, Ephara just sits on the background and eat popcorn as if it was a professional wrestling match, where regardless of the outcome she will always have fun, only intervening when one side bajulates her more?

Ephara doesn’t preside over all the poleis.

Ephara is the of the polis yes, and is worshiped in every polis, but she’s only the patron of Meletis. Iroas is the patron of Arkos, and Karametra is the patron of Setessa.

[msmoonicorn]

Clau, my first monk…

I’m not gonna lie. I looked my DM in his face and said, “I’ve been watching and reading a lot of Chinese animation/novels…and, like, the concept of cultivation is so fascinating… I think… I think I’m kinda trying to base a character entirely off of cultivation practices…the closest I’ve seen in D&D is the Kinsei monk, so… get ready.”

He said, the next campaign is gonna be in Theros and it’s gonna be us, lost at sea after the fall out of a war…so very Odyssey inspired.

So this is Clau. It’s not her name…or at lest, it’s not her full name. Originally, I’d tried to make a unique town that she was from (my DM’s cool with that sort of thing), but after talking over my concepts with him... I decided to pick Setessa as her hometown. Mostly because she’s going to be in the Theros setting, and my DM made a great case for it. 

She honestly can’t stand how inexperienced she is. She’s never really left home on her own, and it just kills her that she’s never been able to live her life before her mother wanted to just nail her life down into a little box. So, she decided to branch out and get some experience all on her own. It’s put a big strain on her family, because her siblings (while they are sympathetic) were not ready to step up to the eldest role. 

She’s a Eladrin elf, and is still in her winter phase, mostly left over from mourning for her father. I didn’t get any shots before Hero Forge’s screenshot service went to subscription only, so the shots that I do have of her in her different seasons are all thanks to printscreen :3 Under the regular mini is the shots of her in her spring, summer, fall, and winter seasons. I didn’t like the idea that literally everything about them was a solid color, so I decided to make it more that she has normal coloration, with a few exceptions, that change. So her hair, eyes, and skin tone all are within normal ranges (mostly), but they reflect her season... except her nails and lips. Those always look a little different.

Also, I have more pictures of this gal from Hero Forge than anyone, because I can’t really…decide on her sword. I wanted something that looked more like a traditional jian…but I havnen’t really found anything.   

[magus-of-the-color-pizza]

MtG OC quick roundup

Just a quick post to jot down my current MtG OCs with an explanation of who they are. Putting it all under the cut because more posts are to follow and I don’t want to clog stuff up too much.

Lara: First OC I made, inspired by Ken Troop’s story “Building Towards a Dream”. She’s the daughter of a Meletis thinker and the king of Iretis, who were both killed (and the city destroyed) due to Ashiok’s (and Phenax’s) machinations. This last sentence is canon, by the way, it’s just that the king’s wife and daughter are mentioned en passant and never given names (and Ashiok leaves it up in the air whether or not the two actually died). Anyways, Lara is taken in by Setessa, finds out about Ashiok’s whole deal, and vows to hunt him down. She’s still young, but she’s determined. She’s a nature-loving girl, kind, curious, but also very strong-willed.

Levantera: She’s a medium, in a way, in that she can interact with spirits. Originally from Paliano, she grew up as an orphan but was soon taken in by Brago’s court once her abilities became more evident. These became instrumental in solving a variety of murders and/or helping the deceased find peace, while also picking up a few spirit friends who decided to stay with her. Brago’s assassination comes as a huge shock to her, and her story as a planebound character ends with her flat on the ground before Marchesa’s throne, with an arrow in the back. Not to worry though, I’ll write what happens next... someday. Levantera is a very bright-eyed and friendly person, she takes her duty very seriously (and is quite good at what she does), though she can be distracted by things or concepts most people would glance over at most it’s the adhd. Hates Marchesa with a passion. Will have a heated face-to-face with Kaya. Adores Selvala.

Arel: She’s a canon mtg character but is only mentioned in a few flavor texts and in the guide, so I decided to take those little nuggets of information and run with it. Arel is a Temur shaman (ktk) / outcast (dtk) that wants to take Tarkir back from the dragonlords. She’s a hard-headed but capable person and is proud of her shamanic traditions. The pain she has suffered at the hands of Atarka is great, having lost both of her parents and her master, Chianul, to the clan, but this only gives her the resolve to keep going. She has recently begun to reach out to other clan outcasts and/or rebels in hopes of sparking a plane-wide rebellion that will finally dethrone the Dragonlords. She’s not the best at social skills, but she has a big heart and is very affable. Also, tough as hell.

Xathi: another canon mtg character that I’ve stolen from obscurity, also from Tarkir. Xathi is Silumgar’s top Infallible (title for Silumgari dragonslayers), a position that comes with more risks than it does benefits, for the most part. From the outside, she is everything the Dragonlord expects of her: cold, calculating, resourceful, loyal. Underneath that mask, however, is a seething hatred towards Dragonkind and a surprising amount of camaraderie towards her fellow oppressed. Xathi’s many tools and “surprises” as she call them have helped her secure a high number of dragon kills, and she cannot wait for the day when she gets to add Silumgar’s name to that list. Xathi does not talk much and would have a hard time relaxing, but her straight-forwardness and affability give her a disarming charm (as Lishue found out in their debut story).

Lishue: Another Tarkir character, but this time, surprisingly, entirely fan-created. Lishue is an Ojutai Graceblade, someone who can focus their psychic power into manifesting a blade of pure energy (this is canon, and cool as hell). She is a skilled warrior, having undergone many years of intense training before being chosen by a dragon as a Speaker. Though not well-versed in much spellcasting, she is adept in both Spellfist arts and the previously mentioned Graceblade technique. Lishue has honed her mind and emotions a lot too, though still sometimes has a hard time achieving total stillness and peace: to entirely let go is something she struggles with, as she has a very strong connection to her emotions. She is calm and soft-spoken, pensive and wise, but all that may fly out the window depending on the circumstances...

And that about does it! If you’re curious about any of the above you can shoot me a message or check out my AO3! https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nalyd

(The characters in this post appear in the following stories: Lara // The Weaver and the Hunter; Levantera // Lost Souls; Arel // Dissenter; Xathi + Lishue // Dragon’s Betrayal)

Apologies if some of the images may not load correctly on AO3, I just now noticed that some may have issues. I’ll fix it tomorrow!

[vorthosjay]

Ephara is the deity of organized civilization, right? That means that she presides over all cities, countries, empires, etc. of Theros. Does that mean that whenever two nations go to war against each other, Ephara just sits on the background and eat popcorn as if it was a professional wrestling match, where regardless of the outcome she will always have fun, only intervening when one side bajulates her more?

Ephara doesn’t preside over all the poleis.

Ephara is the of the polis yes, and is worshiped in every polis, but she’s only the patron of Meletis. Iroas is the patron of Arkos, and Karametra is the patron of Setessa.

[thetalesofthereneverwood]

What dose Theren think of the performers of the Prismari school of magic?

Theren actually has a bit of a past at Strixhaven. After his spark but before a large majority of his tales, Theren attended Strixhaven for one year. He did not stay past the first year (his color identity made it hard for him to choose a college so he decided to venture out after the first year).

As for the performers of the Prismari, he got along with many of the Prismari students. He quite enjoyed the Orchestra of the Arcane but unfortunately was not able to join as a first year (despite knowing many different instruments). He did not like Dean Uvilda due to her focus on perfection (which reminded him of the people of Setessa who originally did not approve of his pursuit of storytelling and performing).

[niuttuc]

Fourthcoming Interviews #1

(Context: The Fourthcoming is the Dimir newspaper local to the Fourth district for which my fanwalker, Anedia Kosel, works. After her file on the War of the Spark, she got another weekly column writing about planeswalkers and other planes. As she keeps her status as a planeswalker herself secret, they’re written with the help of “reliable planeswalker sources” that also help her check facts that she “couldn’t” verify herself. One of the parts of her column is, each week, an interview of a planeswalker, anonymous or not, that I might put up here. The first one I’ll publish here is an interview of a planeswalker that preferred to have their identity omitted from the interview itself, but is @land-ofthebooty‘s Medea. If you want your own fanwalker to be featured in one such interview, you can always contact me via tumblr or discord.)

Where are you from? How would you describe your home world? My home is called Theros. And hmmm...I would call it divine, something from a storybook. It is a place of gods, monsters, and heroes. Where the boundaries between the waking world and sleeping world are but a thin line.

What do you mean by that? Do people fall asleep easily? Dreams and beliefs have quite an influence on the physical world, to put it simply without going into too many details. It is a special quality to my home that I have never seen anywhere else yet.

Should they be a planeswalker themself, what would be one tip you would give to someone visiting Theros for the first time? I think the best thing is to not anger the gods… And not announce your presence too loudly. Theros has a harsh relationship with planeswalkers.

Care to tell us more about that? A few of the gods know about planeswalkers and are not too welcoming of them. [The interviewee mimed a throat being slit] They are powerful and easily displeased.

And why would they not like them? Is there anything our readers should know? Some planeswalkers cause a lot of trouble, and Theros has experienced a few in the last decade. I'm sure after a few centuries things might calm down.

I think after what happened in the Tenth, most of our readers can relate to that. How much of your time do you spend on Ravnica? I might stay for just a few days, while other times I've been here for years at a time. It depends on if any business requires me off-plane. The longest I've stayed is a little over ten years, and the shortest is ten minutes.

Ten minutes? What happened, you arrived in the middle of a rakdos party? Well, unless that'd be something you would enjoy. Honestly, it was my own fault. I had left in a hurry heading to Ravnica to see a friend… But I realized I had forgotten the gift I had planned to give them. I had to go back home to fetch it.

Haha, well, being a planeswalker doesn't absolve you from day to day life troubles! It is very true!

Would you say you're spending more time on Ravnica than other planes? Yes, I would say I do. I take a bit of time on other planes, but Ravnica is like a second home to me. I enjoy it quite a lot.

So why here rather than stay at home? Is it because of those gods disliking planeswalkers on Theros? Oh no. It’s nothing like that. I find it to be a wonderful experience...living a normal mundane life. On Ravnica, no one bats an eye or pays mind to me or what I'm doing. It’s freeing.

A mundane life? Are you someone of great importance back home? I wouldn't say great importance. I'd rather say I have a lot of responsibilities that I must tend to. My name or deeds are not well known, so nothing like that.

So you're avoiding your responsibilities by living in another world? I'd like to tell our readers that despite them being anonymous, our guest today is NOT our former Living Guildpact, Jace Beleren. [Laugh] It is true. I am not a young male human planeswalker with a fancy for the color blue.

Aren't you worried that you have those responsibilities for a reason, and that by living here there could be problems because of your absence? I would get more sleep if I did slack my responsibilities, but sadly no. I always finish in a timely matter what has been asked of me. I take pride in honoring my promises. It’s not quite that I am running from them. I just enjoy the feeling of no expectations and having a space separate from them. If that makes sense?

That’s for our readers to decide. So you have a life here. Friends, maybe even family. How many of them know of your other life? No. None of my associates are aware of my planeswalking. I prefer to be private about that.

What made you pick Ravnica specifically? I'm sure there were other worlds where you could have been anonymous on. Ravnica sort of grew on me. I've passed through many times, and found myself enjoying it every time I came. That's when I ended up getting an apartment, since I was passing through more often.

Anything specific about our city? The diversity. So much in such a concentrated space. I have never seen a world structured like this. The guilds are quite unique. Also... I enjoy the fictional books.

You're not the first one to remark on our world's uniqueness in this column. It's apparently the only city around and I, and many of our readers, still have a hard time imagining what else there could be. Would you care to show us what Theros looks like? If one ever has the chance to visit Theros, the Seasonal Nexus of Setessa is quite the sight to see.

(Art by Adam Paquette)

And now thousands of Ravnicans will get the chance to experience a fragment of it. There is so much out there. So many great unknowns to discover. I hope the people Ravnica ponder on this mystery.

They're certainly gonna have more to talk about! Is there another world beside Ravnica you particularly like? I would say a place called Lorwyn is another place of interest. I also find that I appreciate a plane called Valla as well. I think I have a preference for strange places. [Laughs]

Strange? How so? Would you put Ravnica in this category? Perhaps strange is the wrong word. Extraordinary maybe? Lorwyn has no humans, which is something that you don't see very often. And Valla? I... [The interviewee hesitated and stopped to think.] I actually don't know how to explain it. It is almost like trying to explain a color that you cannot see. It is difficult to describe.

Maybe we can have someone familiar with Valla as well in a future interview. How long have you been a planeswalker for? Yes, that is probably for the best. At this point? I would say I have been walking the planes for 30 years. Still quite young comparatively to others.

How did it start? It started with an ordeal, and blossomed from that revelation. I won't say more. I still have my secrets. NDR: In case newer readers don’t know, most planeswalkers discovered they were one through a great trauma, which is why we prefer to not push them further on the subject

What's something you learned about planeswalkers you didn't expect, or that our readers might not know? I would say that not all planeswalkers “walk” the same way. It seems when we travel to and from a place, it appears differently for different planeswalkers. I have seen some that fade away, others might teleport in a flash, while others might glow brightly before disappearing.

Do you want to share what happens to you? I am wrapped in a blanket of nyx (NDR: Nyx describes a sort of glimmering night sky) and fall into the blackened grasp of the blind eternities. If I had to describe it in a poetic way.

And in a more approachable way, how does it feel? Like you are falling, or flying. It is akin to both.

Last question... A planeswalker was responsible for the disaster only a few weeks back, and all to get back at other planeswalkers. Many here feel like planeswalkers are responsible and dangerous. What would you want to say to those people? The Multiverse... life is full of so many uncertainties. So many things that can cause pain and suffering, so many things that can do wrong. What happened to Ravnica is horrific and a tragedy. However, a truth was learned. And all the people of Ravnica have grown in a way that would have never been possible before. I see a united Ravnica, and one that has stepped forward like no other plane I've seen before. You have all uncovered and experienced a great mystery of existence itself. The people of Ravnica, you are strong, and you have so much life in you. You fought alongside each other, with those that came from other worlds. You all banded together to protect what is most precious. And that is truly beautiful.

So I ask of you, do not fear the unknown. Do not fear the unforeseen. Do not fear what you do not understand. Planeswalking is a force not of good or evil, but simply of what you make of it. Make it into something special, and use it to continue growing as a plane and as a people.

Thank you for answering my questions today, that will be enough for this week. And thank you for listening!