Mirrodin Besieged (MTG RP)

[Dusty]

This is a Magic: The Gathering based roleplay. I would like to thank Nelle for most of the material here and the general idea. Lets get started.




Mirrodin. A plane made entirely of metal. Here, thorny copper trees create artificial forests, great structures of iron and rust form mountains, and the blades of grass on the plains are literally blades. Five shining suns cast their light on the shining world below them, one for each color of mana. Humans, elves, and goblins dwell here, along with vedalken, leonin, and the zombies known as the nim.

Long ago, the metal plane was created by Karn, the silver golem built by Urza, as a test of his newfound power as a planeswalker. He populated his plane with golems created in his own image and also built a "Warden" to watch over his plane as he explored the Multiverse.

But something went wrong. Karn unwittingly introduced a dark contagion to his own world: Phyrexian oil. Over the course of centuries, the oil took hold on Mirrodin, changing it and its inhabitants. The Warden grew unstable, gaining sentience and calling itself Memnarch. Over time Memnarch grew paranoid and angry, feeling abandoned by his creator.

And as Memnarch's madness grew, so did his power. Using arcane devices called soultraps, Memnarch kidnapped countless living things from other planes and brought them to Mirrodin. His goal was to find a being with the planeswalker spark and take it for himself, enabling him to leave Mirrodin and find his creator.

The elf Glissa Sunseeker was the first being born with the planeswalker spark on Mirrodin. Glissa uncovered the secret of her world: that it was hollow, and that its mythical tyrant was real and dwelled inside. Through her own guile and power as well as the help of her allies, Glissa defeated Memnarch. The soultraps were destroyed, and instantaneously the first generations of Mirrans vanished, returned to the planes from which they were taken.
The remaining Mirrans were left to deal with the disappearance of their eldest forebears. Few had any idea what had transpired inside their world—only that their grandparents, elders, and chieftains were gone. When Glissa and her goblin ally Slobad returned to the surface, they were set upon by hordes of panicked goblins. Slobad fell, and Glissa retreated back into the interior, where the tiny constructs that still scurried there kept her safe, sound, and sleeping ...
Meanwhile life continued on the surface as the Mirrans worked to resume their lives. But inside the plane, the Phyrexian contagion that Karn long ago brought to his own world continued its quiet work. The oil spread, and everything changed when the mycosynth reached the mana core that still shone inside Mirrodin.

Phyrexia

When Karn ascended to being a planeswalker during the events of the Apocalypse on Dominaria, he left that world to create a perfect metallic plane he called Argentum which became known as Mirrodin. However, being that Karn had always been powered by the sleeper agent Xantcha's Phyrexian "heart," he inadvertently dripped a small amount of the corrupting Phyrexian oil on his perfect world before leaving it in the care of Memnarch, who found the oil and simply wiped it up with his hand. That began to corrupt him, and combined with his use of blinkmoth serum, began to change his body into a metal/flesh hybrid. Memnarch began secreting oil as well and this got into Mirrodin’s mana-rich core and over time the Phyrexians were reborn.

After the events of the Fifth Dawn, much of Mirrodin’s population disappeared, returned home by Memnarch’s soul traps. And slowly and methodically the Phyrexians began taking over Mirrodin’s surface. These events are played out in the sets Scars of Mirrodin, Mirrodin Beseiged, and New Phyrexia.

Factionalizing and the Castes

Unlike in its previous incarnation where Phyrexian fueled itself with colorless artifact mana and the black mana of decay and death, this time the Phyrexians infiltrated all five colors of mana and thus brought war on all fronts. However, this had the unintended consequence of factionalized Phyrexians based on their color-alignment. And so each alignment gained a Praetor to over see that color. They are:

Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite – The White Praetor. Her philosophy falls in line with the ideal of a fascist, unified state.

Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur – The Blue Praetor. He leads his faction towards subversive experimentation to understand and exploit their enemies.

Sheoldred, Whispering One - The Black Praetor. She is the most traditional leader, believing in wholesale slaughter and enslavement.

Urabrask the Hidden – The Red Praetor. His philosophy is more industrious than his blue counterpart, building greater and greater artificial monstrosities and weapons.

Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger – The Green Praetor. He believes most in survival of the fittest and eugenics, killing those deemed weak and augmenting the great predators of Mirrodin.

Another new development in the Phyrexian caste system are the seven thanes, each with their own dominion over a particular resource in the Great Work. Four have been named, and two have begun work on recreating Phyrexia’s nested spheres inside Mirrodin’s core.

Kraynox, Thane of Oil – described as masculine, he lords over the corrupting Phyrexian oil and hopes to construct a fourth layer as a slick, oil-covered vista.

Roxith, Thane of Rot – described as masculine, he lords over flesh used as a building and sculpting material, he has plans to design the fifth layer or this New Phyrexian made entirely of flesh.

Geth, Lord of the Vault – The self-described Thane of Steel, Geth’s undead severed head was somehow used by the Phyrexians to gain a foothold in Mirrodin. In reward, he was given a phyretic metal body and lordship over Ish Sah, the Vault of Whispers.

Now these two sides have come into conflict over the plane of Mirrodin. The winners of this confilt will change the fate of the plane for ever… You are a planeswalker.

A planeswalker is a powerful mage who is able to travel across the planes of existence. There are infinite worlds across the Multiverse, and planeswalkers are unique in their ability to move from one world to the next, expanding their knowledge and power through the experiences they collect there.

Open war has come to Mirrodin. Long has the Phyrexian corruption slinked in the shadows, carrying out its work to twist this plane to meet its own needs. Now, with the strength of all five colors behind it and a legion of compleated mirrans Phyrexia is ready to sieze this plane and continue the joyous work. The hour of Mirrodin's salvation, or its compleation, rests in your hands.


(A little explanation, now I realize that this is a sci-fi site, so technology is aloud but all tech must be brought before the GM for approval.)






Sheet:

Name:Ulanja

Age: 42
Species: Leonin

Gender: Male

Colors of Mana: White

Weapon: Leonin Shimitar

Leonin Battle Axe.

Home Plane: Mirrodin

Appearance:




Personality: A stalwart warrior. His unflinching bravery and boldness have won him the admiration of his clan and the fear of the Nim. His ability to inspire others and to never lose hope has turned the tide of many battles.

He is set in his ways and beliefs. Almost to the point of foolhardy stubbornness.

History: Like most Leonin males, Ulanja's place in society was set very early. His disdain of priesthood and his impatience for metalwork meant his options were limited. His quick study with the blade and his ability to inspire others however, meant he fit very well as a stalwart defender of the leonin people.

He proved himself able in several conflicts with the Undead Nim. Even inspiring a ambushed patrol to overwhelm a force with twice their number.

All his leadership and training has done little to prepare him for the horror that is the Phyrexian scourge however. Weeks of non-stop brutal combat, of watching comrades subcumb to the phyrexian infection and join the ranks of the twisted, of watching defeat after defeat have taken their toll.

Now, at mirrodin's darkest hour he stand with the few survivors of the coalition. A small beacon of light to shine against the waves of Phyrexian Oil.

[Nelle Kozera]

Just a clarification on those that are not Familiar with MTG. Colors of Mana:

[Nelle Kozera]

Name: Asuzael

Age: 129

Species: Dragon

Gender: Female

Colors of Mana: White

Weapon: Hedron Matrix

Home Plane: Zendikar

Appearance:


Personality: As a powerful mage she can be rather distant at times when overlooking a battlefield, but at the same will do everything in her power to complete her tasks. Along with this, she is a brilliant mind able to look at an event see a viable exit.

History:

Asuzael is from Zendikar, specifically the region of Tazeem. Because of this she had regular contact with Angels and Merfolk. Most of her magical teaching interestingly comes from the angels around Emeria, do living in the area she had regular contact with the angels. Though her reason for being on Mirrodin comes from the Eldrazi, she was one of the mages that help fight the Eldrazi mitigating as much of the damage as she could she after coming into contact with Emrakul she fled seeing the entire effort as a hopeless endeavor and saving her life in the process.

Though in coming to Mirrodin she found what she was running away from, war. Though this time things where a little different than before.

She finds the plane in turmoil and she had a choice, join the Mirrans help them defend their world, or join the Phyrexians. Little did she know the choice was going to be made for her, in watching on the battles she met Elesh Norn whom was the leader of the Machine Orthodoxy though their rather lengthy conversation about the fate of the plane Asuzael decided to ally herself with Norn…

[Cobalt3924]

Name: Silver Mycroft

Age: 104

Species: Leonine/Human Crossbreed

Colours of Mana: Blue/Black/Red

Weapon: Sword of Dusk and Darkness (Image Basis, but heavily modified)
An Infected Copy of the Sword of Light and Shadow, but the Light half has been cut off and replaced with a Second Shadow Blade and attached to a hilt that is the length of the blade. Capable of corrupting and Damaging it's foes mind and body (Discard 2 cards and Mill 1 when Damage is dealt) and able to create Shadowspawn creatures at will (Create a 2/2 Black Shade Token with Shadow.)

Home Plane: Alara (Formerly Grixis Shard)

Appearance:


Personality: Silver is quite icy calm and short tempered: More inclined to rush into things than think them through. He prefers the hand-on approach: joining the lines whenever he gets the chance.

History: Silver was originally born on the Phyrexian Plane Rath in a small colony of Non-Phyrexian life that had hidden away there. After he turned 12: His family's location was found and he was attacked by a Nantuko Shade. While he wasn't infected: Black mana was bled into his veins: Igniting his Planeswalker Spark and causing him to fly blindly through the blind eternities to Grixis.

Once he arrived: He was in the personal Arena of Malfegor and was immediately set on by hordes of Grixian Zombies: Causing him to release huge amounts of Black mana power: Attracting Malfegors interest in a powerful ally and took him in for Training in his Shadowmancy he seemed fluent in from the Shade from Rath.

About 56 years later in the middle of the Alaran Conflux and adopting the plane as his new home: He learned he could freely travel the planes at will and left Alara behind. Specifically because he was defeated in Jund by Ravenor and his own army and had his Unscythe stolen off him: meaning if he returned; Malfegor would destroy him. His duties to Malfegor done in his mind after he lead the unsucessful attack force into Jund's southern end, giving him the freedom to travel the Multiverse. Ending up on Mirrodin however: He was almost immediately attacked by Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon and fatally wounded. However: Rather than let his corpse get devoured by the Mycosynth core: Sheoldred, Whispering One took his body and mind to her sactum and made him an offer to restore his body in return for his Services.

Seeing as he was already bordering on Death and was very influenced by death due to his life on Grixis: He accepted and was remade as Sheoldred's Force Commander, but the contagious Oil in his veins caused his mind to erode into a darker and more aggressive personality...

[Dusty]

Alright, just pointing out your personality matches red mana. Maybe a dual color plainswalker is in store. Grixus was Blue Black Red after all. Could you elaborate a bit more on the sword? How exactly is it modified? If it generates tokens and mills me I'm gonna be angry

[Nelle Kozera]

There is a good chance that the some of the people that join don't have the card generator we are using, if you want us to make you a card just ask.

[Cobalt3924]

Redid my Card and Char. Hope it's a bit better.

[Nelle Kozera]

Name: Ravenor

Age: 38

Species: Harpy

Gender: Male

Colors of Mana: Red and Black

Weapon: Unscythe, Killer of Kings

Home Plane: Alara, Jund shard

Appearance:



Personality: Rather impulsive and selfish. Though if he sets his mind to a cause he will do all in his power to see it through to the end, even if it hurts his side almost as much as his enemy as long he is victorious in the end. He is abrasive, and hard to get along with at times. But he serves no master and sees Phyrexia as the gravest threat to his freedom.

History:

Ravenor is from Jund, little else needs to be said in that regard. His upbringing was savage and short. He has nearly been killed by dragons and other large predators on several different encounters. This savage way of life was all their was for the young caster until the conflux came around. Now the warrior clans could expand and find new hunting grounds. The Clan that he lead was closer to Grixis, because of this his clan began expanding into the new territories though they where unprepared for the forces of the undead.

It was during these early fights that he encountered one by the name of Silver and his army of undead. During this encounter Ravenor and his warrior bands defeated the undead though over half Ravenor’s warrior band was killed in the fight he and his clan was victorious. After he defeated Silver he took a new weapon for himself, Silvers Unscythe.

Later he narrowly defeated Thraximundar but his proximity to the center of the Conflux ignited his spark forcibly ejecting him from the plane. It was this event that brought him to Mirrodin where he first encountered the Phyrexian threat, while he could have gone anywhere he found this threat to his freedom and the possibility of it making back to his native Jund was unacceptable finding it better to fight it in its home…

[SliceOfDog]

Name: Sanin Raol

Age: 31
Species: Human

Gender: Male

Colors of Mana: Blue/White

Weapon: Grifter’s Blade
http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Ca...iverseid=83619

Artifacts: Mindlock Orb
http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Ca...verseid=175385
Whispersilk Cloak
http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Ca...verseid=206342

Home Plane: Bant

Appearance:



Personality: Cold and calculating, Sanin is concerned with being able to manipulate others to his own advantage. He has shown a lack of willingness to commit murder and other atrocities by his own hand, perhaps a remnant of honour from his time on Bant, but can be ruthlessly detached when in a position of power, sending others to do what he could not.

History: Sanin was born in Bant to a sigiled paladin father and respected priestess mother. He never took to the training fields, much to his father’s disappointment, but both parents were happy for Sanin to instead lead the life of a Priest. Indeed, he quickly took to learning, happily sitting inside reading increasingly larger tomes while his peers were learning combat routines and swordplay. However, Sanin’s studies did not lead him to religion and the art of healing or protection, or the other valued arts of Bant, but instead focussed on magic of illusion, manipulation and, eventually, the ability to pass through solid objects.

Instilled with many of the values of Bant, Sanin was able to keep these studies from overwhelming him and, for a time at least, successfully balanced attendance at ceremonies and sessions at the monastery with his Rhox tutor (a friend of his mother, and indebted to his father for saving his life) with his secret self-taught manipulative magic. However, when he learnt of several artifacts that were hidden away, and guarded, in a vault near his home, curiosity got the better of him. Using his new skills he snuck into the vault, discovering a vast collection of items with dubious powers, many of which he couldn’t even guess at. Knowing he didn’t have long, he took the two he was most intrigued by, a whispersilk cloak and a mindlock orb, and made his escape.

Though he was able to hide his new possessions, he was later caught and imprisoned. Far from being lenient, his distraught parents increased his sentence, being utterly ashamed not only of his act of thievery but also of his interest in manipulative, secretive and distinctly non-Bant-like artifacts and magic.

Facing years in prison, Sanin quickly decided to attempt an escape. Creating an illusion of himself collapsing, distracting the guards, he shifted through the bars and ran. He was able to recover his cloak and orb, but the resulting chase lead to him being cornered by guards. It was then that his spark ignited, and he found himself arriving in Kamigawa, where, after the initial shock ebbed away, he remained to study further. After several years of honing his skills, he began to travel, wishing to increase his abilities and feeling that each new world would offer fresh reams of knowledge.

Eventually arriving on Mirrodin within a camp of rebels, Sanin met and spoke with Ulanja, who informed him of the Phyrexian situation. They came to an agreement, but Sanin soon left, alone. The next time he was seen, he was among the Apostles of Karn, a Phyrexian from head to toe. His hopes now lie in becoming one of Karn’s whisperers, and to influence the future leader towards his own goals.

[Cobalt3924]

Has anyone but me tweaked onto the fact we have 3 characters all from Alara?

Silver (Cobalt3924-Me) - Alara: Grixis
Sanin Raol (SliceofDog) - Alara: Bant
Ravenor (Nelle Kozera) - Alara: Jund

[Dusty]

Has anyone but me tweaked onto the fact we have 3 characters all from Alara?

Silver (Cobalt3924-Me) - Alara: Grixis
Sanin Raol (SliceofDog) - Alara: Bant
Ravenor (Nelle Kozera) - Alara: Jund

I noticed it too. I get the feeling most of us haven't been playing for too terrIbly lOng.

[SliceOfDog]

Hah, yeah, that's pretty much why. Alara was the second set to be released after I started playing, I think. Also, the fact that they're so colour-specific works well if you're after a specific background.

[Nelle Kozera]

Well I'm in love with Ravnica XD but Alara gives some interesting options when it comes to character background.

[JanetStarhatcher]

Name: Ayva

Species: Faerie

Gender: Female

Colors of Mana: White, Black, and Blue

Weapon: Gnarled Effigy

Home Plane: Shadowmoor

Appearance:

Personality: Carefree and sometimes scatterbrained. She knows what is right, and will always do her best to help those that need it.

History: When she first came into the world, Oona saw the planeswalker spark in her. She then taught Ayva the secrets of mana and how to use it. Ayva was never good with the colors of red and green. She didn't want to destroy or grow things. She was only interested in control. When she gained the control that she desired she realized that she wasn't in control, she was under the control of Oona. So she did what she had to and planeshifted. She had heard of a plane called alara, and wanted to see it for herself, but missed and ended up in Mirrodin. She arrived just in time for the battle. She weighed her options and saw that the Mirrans were outnumbered and fighting to the last stand. So she decided to help.

[SliceOfDog]

Hah, awesome, thanks for joining Jan. I've always thought we were a bit low on players in this RP.

[Cobalt3924]

Hey! Awesome: We've got a Shadowmoorian in the RP Now. And I can see the Fae are just as evil as I remembered them. XD

This is definitely going to be interesting now.

[macrorufus]

Sheet:

Name: Gan Feng the Hunter

Age: 24
Species: Wolf

Gender: Male

Colors of Mana: Green

Weapon: Viridian Claw

Home Plane: Alara (Naya)

Appearance:


Personality: His time in the jungles of Naya has shaped the way he thinks and acts. Gan is open about his feelings, which some would call brutal honesty, and others would call arrogance. He is fascinated by nature, and enjoys the hunt. Although, nothing can be quite as exhilerating as the hunter becoming the hunted. The Swarm promises all of that and more.

They say first impression are lasting, a first impression of Gan would be that of a quiet, solitary person. He prefers to watch others in much the same way a predator watches prey. He is quiet to study and learn others. The Phyrexian Oil served only to amplify his already feral thinking, and so this planeswalker delights in the promise of evolution that the Swarm promises, for what better test of a hunter than to survive the Swarm's future?

History: Naya's jungles are beautiful, and Gan was raised by a human tribe within the vast jungles. The culture of the human tribes was that of hedonism, but a lively hedonism. Humanity was not a pitiful species here, but enjoyed life to the best of their abilities. It was with this mindset that Gan met the world, and grew into an understanding that life's goals should be to improve and focus on one's pleasures, and for Gan, hunting was his pleasure. Of course, there's a limit to even Naya's jungles, and so he left to search for places where he could improve and challenge his hunting.

And, amongst the five Phyrexian factions he found what he hoped for. Through Vorinclex he saw a goal worth fighting for, to live and thrive in the future that the Swarm desired, was something he felt worth aspiring towards, and so he aligned himself with Vorinclex.

[Cobalt3924]

Gah! If we get one more player to play someone from Esper: I'm going to scream!

We've got 4 pieces of Alara now!

[macrorufus]

Is screaming good?

[Nelle Kozera]

It just means that Alara was a good plane. XD