Card of the Week: Seasinger

While Time Walk is undoubtedly her most famous, this is my favorite of Amy Weber's paintings.

Songs of Doom

It was not the seas that drew me to Sarpadia, but rather its cities. In my studies I had come across an ancient copy of Sarpadian Empires Volume VI. Its pages spoke of the might of doomed Icatia, and I hoped that I could find remnants of that civilization…and its secrets. But by the time I arrived on that blasted land it was far too late. Widenby, Montford, Trokair—all were long gone. Centuries had passed since the thrulls had turned on their masters in the Ebon Hand and, subsequently, on everyone else. Nothing remained of the once-great Icatian civilization. In a way it was beautiful, with the natural world taking back the land from the great works of humanity. Beautiful, that is, until the thrulls sensed my presence. I did not stay long.

I stayed long enough, though, to search for ley lines before fleeing to more hospitable lands. It was as I explored a strange collection of sand structures along the coast that I heard the singing. To say that it was beautiful does it an injustice—it was like nothing I had ever heard before or since. By tone, it was a woman’s voice, and it dipped low into an alto thrum before soaring into the highest soprano tones and back down again. I could not understand the words, but even so they spoke to my spirit. I could do nothing else than follow it out into the waves.

The sea was choppy and the currents were strong, and I am certain that had I needed to breathe I would have drowned. Dashed against reef, dragged down by the undertow, spat up again by upwellings, I struggled on, rabid in my determination to reach her. For she could be nothing other than the woman of my—of everybody’s—dreams. Her voice promised anything and everything. Happiness, passion, ecstasy, contentment: all would be ours, if only I could join her in her song.

Just as I began to despair, I broke the surface yet once more—and there she was, perched on a rock jutting out of the sea. Her beauty was a match for her voice, unearthly and ethereal. Her skin was pearl-white, and her tail glistened with jewel tones. But her eyes were more remarkable than all else: deep pools of ocean blue that looked right through me. I could not look away; she held my soul with her gaze. Still singing, she considered me for a long moment before a strange expression passed over her face like clouds over a sparkling sea—and she fell silent.

As her song broke, so too did her spell on me break. I looked upon her with clear eyes. Though she was still beautiful, she was no longer the vision of my dreams. Now, I could see her hair floating like seaweed where it hung down into the water. Her skin was still white, but more of a fishbelly shade than pearl. Her tail was still extraordinary, but covered in fish-like scales instead of gemstones. She had stopped singing voluntarily, but I could not speak even though I wanted to. I would have told her that I would be hers forever if she would but sing for me again—perhaps it is for the best that I was mute.

And then, while I was still trying to find my voice, she slipped from her rock and disappeared into the waves. I clambered onto her rock and watched the spot where I had last seen her. When my voice returned I called out to her, begging her to come back. I cried and raged, pleading with the sea and the sky and to all the gods I knew. But I never saw her again.

In later years, I have thought on her many times. I still don’t know why she freed me after calling me into the sea. Perhaps she meant to drown me, and only released me once she realized that I would not drown. Perhaps she expected to call something different—after all, no humans remained in Sarpadia when she called me. In the most secret places of my heart, I hope that she could see how much I loved her, and set me free out of love of her own, even though I cannot make sense of that. Whatever her reasons, I’ve come to realize that she did set me free. I don’t doubt that I’d have been happy with her, but it would have been the happiness of a well-kept pet in a gilded cage. By turning me loose, she gave me back my own life.

Elsewhere in the Multiverse

Ulysses and the Sirens, by Herbert James Draper, circa 1909.

Seasingers are but one example of many such beings throughout the multiverse. Women whose voices are so beautiful as to lure others into danger are found throughout the planes. Sirens, näcken, ruskali, kelpies, and more—there are as many names for them as there are taverns for sailors to tell tales of them. One of the most famous of these tales tells of a king who encounters an island of sirens while on a voyage home from war. He commands his crew to stop their ears against the song, but does not do so himself. Instead, he has his crew tie him to the mast and commands them to not release him no matter how he pleads for them to do so. As such, he hears their beautiful and deadly song and lives to tell the tale.

The Siren's Call of Betrayal

Seasingers are not often employed by mages in sorcerous combat. While their skills are undoubtedly powerful, their close ties to the oceans limit their usefulness. Their bond to the ocean require their victims to be in close proximity to islands. If not for this, I imagine that they would find more employment in battle. After all, their voices serve them better than the fire-and-brimstone sermons of the Preachers of the Church of Tal—Seasingers can choose who they lure into the water, whereas the churchmen cannot control who find themselves susceptible to their preaching.

Turn your opponent's lands into islands, capture their creatures with Seasinger, and sacrifice them to your Diamond Valley. Then attack with huge islandwalking merfolk!

But for those undeterred, the hindrance of the Seasingers can be mitigated through other magics. Though a Phantasmal Terrain only masks the true nature of a land’s ley line, it is enough to enable a Seasinger to call beings near the affected land as if they were truly by the ocean. This is doubly effective when the land affected is more useful for its effects than its mana: a Mishra’s Factory so enchanted cannot send its Factory Workers into battle, the Library of Alexandria is no longer a source of priceless knowledge.

A Diamond Valley would be cheaper to use than the Safe Haven, and it'd give me life in exchange for stolen creatures. But I'm not cool enough to have a Diamond Valley.

Once a Seasinger has lured a being into her clutches, the Seasinger’s controller may use the being as he or she wills. Formidable beings can be effective in attacking their summoners, or can be sacrificed to neutralize their threats—or to provide other benefits. Once sacrificed the Seasinger can call another, then another, until none remain to be called—at which point her allies may go into battle unopposed.

Danatoth of Alsoor


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The Northern Paladins 2019 Heroes of Legend Tournament

A Summons to Adventure

When I heard the call, I knew I had to respond. Angus MacKenzie was seeking brave mages to assist him in his struggle against Sol’Kanar the Swamp King, and I saw this as an opportunity. Not only could I potentially defeat the rogue Force of Nature and gain the accolades of Karakas, I might find the time to challenge other mages in sorcerous battle. I admit that  duelling against others was the true draw of the day, but the good of liberating the forests of Khone was nonetheless attractive.

My weapon for the day.

To both ends, I assembled a selection of red and black magic—a new development for me! I have long been wary of the destructive and corrupting magics so opposed to my preferred green and white, but I wished to expand my repertoire. Surely, flexibility and practice with these magics could only make me a better mage overall. From the mountains, I gathered a tribe of Sedge Trolls and procured a nest of Rukh Eggs. From the swamps, I summoned Hypnotic Specters and Guardian Beasts. I assembled a set of Nevinyrral’s Disks in my artificier’s workshop, and rounded out my spellbook with lightning, fire, and the usual dark magic.

Of course I knew that I'd have to break a few eggs, so I needed tokens to represent my omelets...er, Rukhs. If you'd like to make your own, here's a makeplayingcards.com-compatible file.

Before responding to MacKenzie’s call, I met with my oftentimes-rival/sometimes-ally, the Dread Lady Shade. She, too, had heard his call, and we decided that our chances of facing Sol’Kanar would be better if we pooled our resources. In exchange for her Badlands ley lines, I lent her a ley line to the Underground Sea and a pair of Icy Manipulators. This seemed familiar to me for good reason: she had rebuilt her Polluted Sea spellbook, the one that she used to mercilessly beat me with in our youth. With grim determination, I pledged that should I have a chance to duel against her this day, the results would be different.

My brave companion, with signatures from each of my opponents. But really, two exclamation marks? Could you have signed less gloatingly, Megan?

The Tournament

(For the official report and all decklists, go to http://northernpaladins.com/2019/11/08/northern-paladins-2019-heroes-of-legends-tournament-summary/.)

Upon arriving in Karakas, I found MacKenzie had found a companion for myself and each of my fellow mages to assist us in our battles against the Swamp King. My partner in this quest turned out to be Kasimir the Lone Wolf. Sadly, his blue and white alignment clashed with my chosen spellbook, and we could not fully assist each other in our fight. But his love for his canine companion speaks well for him, and I look forward to introducing him to my Wolf(hounds) of the Hunt in our future endeavors.

Joshua's 5-color Skittles.

My first rival of the day was Joshua, a new and welcome face in the crowd of Paladins and a practitioner of all five colors of magic. I leapt to an early lead in our first battle as he struggled to contain a flood of ley lines, and my Hypnotic Specters and Rukhs made short work of him. Though I felt confident with this early victory, I suffered from Joshua's fate in our next contest and fell to his Serra Angel, unable to defend myself. Our third and decisive fight was our only one where both of us had a chance to display our true skills, unhindered by our mana or lack thereof. I summoned a Sedge Troll for the early attack, and soon summoned a Rukh Egg to join him—but Joshua beat the egg with a Sword-wrought Plowshares before I could hatch it. Though I still had my troll, Joshua set out methodically destroying my defenses: my Nevinyrral's Disk fell to his Disenchantment, my Troll to a Blue Elemental Blast when I foolishly committed all of my ley lines to other ends and could not regenerate him. I managed to hold on for a while more by using more Disks to protect me from his Triskelions, but could not find another threat to bring him low. In the end, he defeated me with an Angel and a Triskelion. (0-1)

Dana's Angels 'n' Bunnies.

Discouraged by the close loss, I next encountered Dana and I hoped that I could put up a better fight than our last meeting where he pulverized me with red and green magic in record time. This time, he had brought a black and white deck featuring the feared lagomorphic Ebon Praetor and a host of Angels. I summoned my hosts in our first match and beat down his defenses early, but made a critical error in consulting my Demonic Tutor for another Sedge Troll instead of a Fireball when I could have defeated him with such. Instead, he lived long enough to summon the Praetor, and I fell to its fearsome buck teeth before I could find the Lightning needed to finish him off. In our second fight, he held me at bay with a Greater Realm of Preservation despite my large force of Trolls, Rukhs, and Guardian Beasts—I could not find a Disk to open the way through the Realm. And like Joshua did earlier, Dana picked away at my defenses until I could no longer defend myself from his Factories and Angel. (0-2)

Joe's Earth Elemental Aggro.

Hoping to pull myself together, I found myself challenged again by Joe. As he did in our previous encounters, he continued to show an affinity for red magic—though he supplemented it with white this time. It was this white magic that led to my demise in our first battle, as he called forth a Preacher to convert my horde Guardian Beasts and Trolls to his cause. Once I was defenseless, his Earth Elementals and Angels made short work of me. I started our second contest forcefully with a Dark Ritual-driven Hypnotic Specter, but Joe beat its Swords to Plowshares before it could harm him. Likewise, he leveraged his Strip Mines and Disenchants to destroy my lands and Moxen, then cast Manabarbs and Karma to keep me from recovering. My salvation came too late, as I discovered a Nevinyrral's Disk only after becoming too injured to cast it due to his Manabarbs. Without it to blast away his punishing enchantments, Karma soon bit me. (0-3)

Exhausted by my repeated failures to defeat my opponents, I sat out the next round of battles as the odd mage out, but was awarded a victory for the bye. (1-3)

Adam's Monoblack Land Destruction.

Member of the Horde-turned-Paladin Adam soon challenged me, and I once again took up my spellbook against his of black magic and land destruction. Our first contest was yet another defeat: I could not manage to summon enough creatures to defend against his forces. But it was his three Racks that defeated me—I had safely stayed out of their reach, but a sudden Mind Twist on his part cast me onto them to catastrophic results. I clawed my way back to victory in our second fight with two early Specters, and he was unable to resist their dementia-inducing power. And in our third battle, my strategies finally worked as my Guardian Beasts, Nevinyrrals' Disks, and Rukh Eggs cooperated to unleash a flock of Rukhs upon him. (2-3)

Megan's Polluted Sea, upgraded but still-recognizable from our battles of years past.

And so, as the day drew to a close, I found myself commiserating with the Dread Lady Shade at our poorer-than-expected showings. Self-deprecatingly, she wondered about which “loser” she would duel in her last battle. As it so happens, that “loser” turned out to be me—but I was determined to finally lay waste to her Polluted Sea and show her the error of her ways. However, it was not to be. In our first contest, Lady Shade leapt into the fight Serendib Efreeti first, and I could not keep up before the wicked genies sealed my fate. Though I vowed that I would put up a better fight in our rematch, our next battle was much the same; her Efreeti were joined by her Sengir Vampires, and I could do naught but suffer yet another merciless beating at her hands. (2-4)

Noooooo! Of course, she'll never let me live this down.

Though disappointed by my poor showing, I happily joined my fellow mages in celebrating the defeat of Sol'kanar (at the hands of Workshop-wielder Jordan). In these festivities, I was recognized as Legendarily Destructive for my use of Nevinyrral's Disk. But more importantly, my weekly research and commentary on the spells that we cast had been noticed by the Paladins, and they rewarded me with the key to summoning the great Palladia-Mors for my Paladin Spirit.

I'm honored that my dumb blog puts me in the same league as John and Adam (who organized this tournament) and Michael (who sees that our charitable contributions go to those in need). They're truly the ones with Paladin Spirit!

And finally, though my luck was severely lacking throughout the day's battles, it came through in the end as I won a beautiful representation of our spiritual founder, the archetypal Northern Paladin himself. It shall hang with pride on my wall and (hopefully) inspire me to victory in the future!

The spoils of, uh, defeat?

Beautiful. Now I just need to get a frame...

Danatoth of Alsoor


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Card of the Week: People of the Woods

I love the Drew Tucker artwork here. The vague watercolors really nail the feeling of the piece.

Hidden in the Woods

I had the misfortune to discover my magical talents during the height of the Church of Tal’s power. Though I tried to be careful, my youthful delusions of invulnerability and my desire to attempt more powerful and risky spells soon drew the eyes of the Church’s inquisitors. I soon found myself on the run, the city’s great mechanical gates forever behind me. Despite my magic I had not yet learned to planeswalk, and so I had to resort to more mundane means to keep ahead of the zealous Witch Hunters. So I struck inland, towards the wilds of Giva Province.

Though it had once been a land of rich farms and orchards, the colder weather and growing threat of goblins had driven much of Giva’s human inhabitants south, into the open arms of the Church. The few who stayed were unable to maintain the cultivated fields, and the woods began to reclaim the land. Though the Church’s grip on Giva was less secure than it was in the southern cities, they still held power there. Uncomfortable in the open, I fled to those woods for shelter.

Of course, I was foolish to think that I was the only one to take to the forests...or the first. I quickly discovered that I had invaded upon the territories of the People of the Woods, a loose-knit alliance of outlaws, refugees, and woodsmen fierce in their defense of their freedom from greater authority.

Not an hour had passed after entering the woods before the first arrow shrieked past my head. I looked about, but could see nothing but the surrounding trees through the gloom. I stood stock-still for a long while, convinced that another arrow would follow at any moment. But after none came, I recalled my talents. Casting a Circle of Protective magic about myself, I continued on into the woods.

The next two arrows that came were not warnings like the first, and would have taken my eyes had my magic not turned them aside. And when these failed to kill me, my assailants launched a volley of arrows into the sky to rain down upon me, but again to no avail. Knowing that I had the upper hand, I called out to them. Though my words were of truce, I kept my ley lines ready—both to protect myself from further attacks and to force peace upon them should I need.

They came down from the branches above and out from behind the great trunks and massive boulders. Rugged-looking men and women, all dressed in worn leathers and ragged homespun, all armed with spears and axes and, most especially, bows. None were pleased at my presence, but while some looked outright hostile others seemed curious.

Since the People of the Woods could not harm me with their arrows and I did not wish to harm them either, we came to an uneasy peace. Their leader, a tall and stout woman with a scar across her face, gave me leave to live with them as long as I could contribute to the band. And so I spent my first winter outside of Alsoor amongst them, using my magic to heal wounds and assist with the hunt. But while they were not zealots—many had fallen on the wrong side of the Church's inquisition too—they never accepted my magic fully. Perhaps they feared drawing the Church's attention by harboring a mage, or perhaps they held onto a similar if lesser fear of magic themselves. But come spring, I still felt my welcome thin. I left them to find my fortune in other lands...but not before taking the knowledge of summoning them to my aid. I have yet to call upon them, but there may come a time when I need them to pay back my favors.

Outlaws and Folk Heroes

The People of the Woods were just one of many such groups throughout the ages. Even in the best of times, some people find that they cannot live within civilized society. Some may be criminals, others outcasts. With no protection from the law, they band together for protection and take unsettled lands for their homes—often forests, but also desolate moors, deserts, and other wild areas. And in more difficult the times, more and more people find refuge in the woods.

Robin Hood and his Merry Men—the most famous People of the Woods since circa 1370!

Though some of those who take to the woods for shelter are peaceful, the most well-known of them are outlaws and highwaymen. With no protection from the law, they have little to lose from robbing those who cross their lands. And since those they rob from are typically wealthy and powerful—there’s not much profit to be had from stealing from the poor—outlaws are often romanticized by the common folk. In times of political or religious oppression, their opposition to authority may be seen as heroic by those oppressed, even those who still abide by the laws.

Going into Battle with the People

Few mages call upon the People of the Woods in serious battles. Despite the fact that their strength in numbers grows in proportion to the green ley lines that a mage has bound, they are comparatively difficult to summon into battle. Most green mages opt instead to summon Pixies or more Elves or even Scavenger Folk in their stead—the strength in numbers of the People of the Woods just isn’t effective in comparison to the skills of these other beings. And for their numbers to be sufficiently large for the People to be effective defenders, a mage would need to focus solely on green magic—and even then, an Erhnam Djinn or the like is a much more effective defender and can take to the offensive as well.

It's a shame that the People of the Woods aren't better in game. I mean, look at this! Six arrows should mean at least 6/*, right?

Danatoth of Alsoor


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Card of the Week: Black Lotus

 

It's seen better days, but it's still my pride and joy.

A Perilous Journey

I was a week out of the city when my guides abandoned me. I had known they would. They were leery taking me up the rivers to begin with, for they had heard the stories. When I had hired them, I assured them that I wasn’t going to the forbidden swamps, that I had instead heard rumors of gemstones in the rocky outcroppings of the area. I paid them an outrageous fee to take me as far as they did, but I knew that I would find no cheaper guides.

I could have made the journey on my own. As a mage, I was used to exploring distant lands for new ley lines. As a green mage, my magic could coax the jungle into providing for my needs. As a planeswalker, I could flee the world itself if I found myself in real trouble. But that would have taken far longer than hiring guides, and in that time, I’d have risked another finding what I was looking for.

They left in a mad rush, fearing for their lives and their sanity. It was not superstition on their part, for I knew well the risks of my undertaking. The forbidden swamps were treacherous and filled with poisonous snakes and virulent plagues. And the stories of what grew in the swamps were known to every child of their city—a plant whose mere touch was deadly poison, the scent of whose flowers brought nightmare visions and feverish dreams. This plant was, of course, what I sought.

As soon as my guides had they disappeared around the river bend, still making warding signs against madness in my direction, I knelt down to the muddy riverbank and scooped up a handful of mossy soil. With the slightest hint of magic, it shaped itself into a miniature replica of the land around me—trickles of water reflecting the meandering rivers around me, tiny fronds standing in for the trees, lines of pebbles representing the occasional rocky outcroppings. And over on the edge, a dark stain of rotted plant matter. I knew which way to go.

The trek through the jungles took two more miserable days of backbreaking effort. Nowhere was there a path save for those my magic opened for me. Every mile brought with it pits of sucking mud and thickets of impenetrable vegetation. The mosquitoes were far more ravenous than any vampire of Sengir’s lineage. The miasmic heat of the day was unbearable, and the night brought little relief. But on the third morning, the trees thinned out and the mud turned into standing water. Though a mist too thick to ever burn off hung over the water and blocked my vision, I knew what I sought was close.

I waded out into the water, and finally, there it was. Great round leaves floated in the stagnant water, and above them spiked tall stalks ending in seed pods...and one great flower of black petals and purple pistils still in bloom. I approached with caution and gathered the dried seed heads, careful to avoid contact with any part of the plant that might still hold deadly juice. I left the bloom where I found it—even though it was what I valued most I could not bear to destroy such beauty. And if all went well, I would be growing my own blooms before long anyway.

Crush the Flowers, See the Smoke Drifting Before You, Hear the Lamentations of the Visions!

Though the legendary Black Lotus is known throughout the multiverse, my research leads me to believe that it is native to the original plane of Rabiah from which all others were refracted. Ancient tales from that world, far older than Alexandria or Cairo, speak of an age undreamed of. Between the time when the oceans drank Atlantis and the rise of the sons of Aryas, the Black Lotus became infamous. Its juice was a deadly poison, as was its powdered form. The scent of its blooms brought evil dreams. But it was most infamously used by the necromancers of Stygia, who burned Black Lotus pollen and inhaled the dark green fumes produced. Though the fumes induced a coma-like sleep, the crimson nightmares within restored the magical powers of the sorcerers who partook of the Lotus.

Conan must not be a mage, otherwise he'd have tapped that lotus for three mana!

The knowledge of the Black Lotus has since spread throughout the planes, as has its cultivation. Originally found in the jungles of Khitai, where it was cultivated by the yellow-skulled priests of Yun, it can be grown in any similar climate. (It is an aquatic plant, growing in lakes and swamps where the water is suitably shallow.) And while rare, its sheer power has ensured that the flower has been introduced to many, many places across the multiverse.

Unlimited (or Alpha, or Beta, or Collector's) Power!

Any mage, no matter his or her preferred colors or techniques, can benefit from the Black Lotus. It provides immense power with no drawback (aside from its rarity, of course). It is the most sought-after magical talisman for good reason—its smoke-borne visions allow mages to cast complex spells or summon huge creatures long before they normally could and provide a huge advantage in battle. Even in the later stages of sorcerous battle when both mages have established their ley lines, the Lotus can be an unexpected source of power.

Black Lotus. Stygian. The Best!

Danatoth of Alsoor


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Card of the Week: Savannah

Uh, I think there's some trees out there. Maybe if I squint real hard...

A New Home

Though I was born in Alsoor and still use it to name myself, in truth I did not stay in that doomed city for long. Even had it not fallen to the Diabolical Machines, I likely would have left—the Church of Tal held the city firmly in its iron-fisted grip, and they did not suffer sorcerers to live. To practice my magic I had to flee, both to escape persecution and to find ley lines suitable to my preferences. To that end, I crossed the oceans to the Domains. Ironically, I found aid, comfort, and new home in Parma—a land named in the scripture of the very same Church of Tal that I fled.

Parma is famous, of course, as the home of the Northern Paladins. It is a vast land of grassy prairie, great winding rivers, and some ten thousand lakes; rich in the white ley lines that empower its virtuous warriors. But to the north, far from the towns and farms of the Paladins, there are also thick forests of spruce and pine. I made my home where the prairie and the forest met—and it was the very boundary between the two that drew me to settle there.

In this liminal place, the prairies and the forests blend together. Here, the grasses are interspersed with great oak trees. The spring brings great blooms of flowers, and the high summer is golden and warm. The winters are harsh, but the trees cut the worst of the wind that howls off of the plains. It is a place of great beauty.

But it was not the beauty of the oak Savannah that interested me the most, nor was it the distance from the more populous parts of Parma. (Admittedly, I soon learned that the Northern Paladins are not the murderous fanatics that the inquisitors of Alsoor were, though they share the same faith in Tal. I need not have worried about living near them.) As with all wizards, it was the ley lines that were most important to me. For in addition to the white lines of the nearby plains and the green lines of the neighboring forests, the ley lines of the oak Savannah proved versatile in providing both white and green mana depending on my needs! I have since discovered many other lands in Dominaria that provide similar versatility, but those of Parma’s oak Savannah taught me of the possibilities first.

More than Just Lions

A savannah right here in Minnesota.

To most people, Savannahs bring to mind hot plains of tall grass and acacia trees, havens for zebras and warthogs and (of course) Lions. But while this is perhaps the most famous type of savannah, the term refers more generally to any place where woodlands and grasslands coexist; where the trees are not so dense as to form a closed canopy. These types of places exist throughout the world and are called by many different names: chaparrals, shrublands, pine barrens, cerrados, montados—these, too, are all savannahs.

Regardless of what they are called, savannahs maintain a balance between the grasslands and the forests. This is often through the actions of fires that burn away all but the most fire-resistant trees; smaller trees are burned while the grasses and forbs quickly regrow from seed or surviving root systems. These fires, in turn, require a dry-season long enough to create favorable conditions. However, the balance can be disturbed by many things. Fire may be vital for the savannah itself, but most people who live on one fear it and may suppress its natural cycle. A reduced likelihood of wildfire may prompt a change to the forest. Alternately, deforestation for farming and pasture can push the balance towards the grasslands. Destruction of groundcover can lead to the erosion of the topsoil, and in extreme cases can cause desertification.

Paws down, the most famous of all savannah dwellers.

The rich plant life of savannahs supports a large amount of animal life. Tropical savannahs are well known for gazelles and giraffes, and the lions and hyenas that prey upon them. Likewise, temperate savannahs may support the likes of deer and bison, which in turn are hunted by wolves and bears. Some agriculturists also find the bounty of savannahs beneficial—when properly managed, the grasses provide ample forage for livestock while the trees can bear additional fodder, nuts, fruits, and timber. Such agricultural methods are among the oldest in use.

Drawing on the Savannahs

The versatility of a Savannah’s ley lines is obviously valued by any mage that dabbles in both green and white magic, but especially so to a true devotee of both. In the ancient ways, most such devotees find the strategy of summoning powerful entities such as Djinn or Angels as quickly as possible and then cutting access to all ley lines in the area before a rival can use them with a timely Armageddon, to be most effective. I myself employ this method in many of my battles, and find it both efficient and satisfying.

My pride (pun intended!) and joy. I'm running it for the Northern Paladins Fall League. Someday, I'll get the other two Savannahs I need.

Even so, those who dabble in green magic often seek out the Savannahs as well. White magic seems to be used far more often in battle than green, yet the controlling white mages often find one green spell in particular—Regrowth—to be of great value. By binding a Savannah or four to themselves in place of more Plains, they gain the ability to cast Regrowth at need without disrupting their access to white mana for Disenchanting and beating Swords into Plowshares.

Danatoth of Alsoor


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Card of the Week: Fireball

Goodness gracious!

A Primal Force

I belive that upon discovering their magic, all mages find at least one spell that inspires them. A spell that drives them in their studies so that they might master it. A spell that speaks to their soul. Perhaps a green mage might fall in love with the idea of summoning a great beast. A black mage might have twisted thoughts of animating the dead. And a red mage—maybe all red mages?—probably dreams of fire and destruction.

While I cannot speak with certainty for others, I know that that was the case for me. Admittedly red magic was not my first love (that would be the huge beasts of green), but the thought of unleashing a firestorm upon my foes appealed to me all the same. It is as direct a display of power as I can imagine: how better could I show my newfound magical prowess to the multiverse? I have long since learned that the subtler effects of the other magics are often more effective, but there is always something alluring about brute force.

But the power of fire magic is only part of the appeal, I think. The allure of fire, both magical and mundane, has captured the imagination of humanity since humanity’s beginning. It is no surprise, then, that fire has likely been harnessed by spell more often and more commonly than any other aspect of the world. By its ubiquity, it is likely that a mage’s first magical discovery affects fire in some way. In my advanced age, I cannot say for sure whether fire spells were among the first that I learned, but I would not bet against it.

Even after I settled into a preference for green and white magic in my earliest days of sorcery, I still found myself dabbling in red magic for the power of fire. White magic may be able to negate the threats of combat through enforced peace, but red magic’s fire is a more…permanent end. I have since become more cautious towards the death and destruction of my magic, but sometimes drawing upon the red is unavoidable. And sometimes, it is merely more convenient or efficient.

The Long, Long History of the Fireball

While using magic to affect fire is as old as magic itself, long lost to the ages. The act of forming it into a ball and hurling it at a foe, however, can surprisingly be traced back to its originator.

And lo, Leonard Patt's "Rules for Middle Earth" begat Chainmail, which begat OD&D, which begat AD&D, which begat AD&D 2nd Edition, which...uh...inspired the (Gamma) playtest, which begat Alpha.

Long before planeswalkers throughout the multiverse first gathered their magic and the casting of Fireball became widespread, the famed wizards Gygax and Arneson employed the fireball in their dungeon delving and dragon slaying. Indeed, the great deity Garfield almost certainly drew inspiration from their work, and he was not the only one. It is likely that all disciplines that employ the fireball—from the Craft of War to the Scrolls of the Elders—likewise built on the foundation laid by Gygax and Arneson.

But if the history of Fireball does not begin with Garfield, neither does it begin with Gygax and Arneson. The dungeoneering duo built upon the previous research of Gygax and another wizard, Perren, in their chainmail-clad mastery of war. While their work was somewhat obscure (at least, until the popularity of Gygax’s and Arneson’s later work brought it to light), Gygax’s and Perren’s work were noted by scholars. For ages, it was believed that Gygax and Perren invented the spell.

However, in recent years it has come to light that Gygax and Perren learned from Patt, an ancient and obscure alchemist and erstwhile mage. In his military rules of engagement in the domains of the Rings of Power, Patt created the spell as a magical equivalent of a catapult-stone. As his work was shared with only a few others, it was largely forgotten in light of Gygax and Perren’s version of Fireball.

Playing with Fire

What to do with infinite mana? What...to...do?

Despite the primal nature and frequent occurrence of Fireball, it has long been eclipsed by the use of Lightning Bolt among serious mages. Indeed, Lightning Bolt’s efficiency and speed generally make it better for wizardly combat than Fireball, but some cases remain where Fireball is advantageous. Fireball excels when a mage has a surplus of mana to power it, allowing it to scale in both strength and size in contrast to the fixed power of Lightning Bolt. This provides a matter of versatility in slaying multiple creatures at once or slaying creatures powerful enough to withstand the blast of a Lightning Bolt. But in a duel, mana is usually in short supply and opportunities to cast a decisive Fireball are few and far between. Most often, it serves as a specialist utility while Lightning Bolt does a red mage’s heavy lifting.

Fireball for lethal...the angels are just backup!

However, a few mages have come to rely on Fireball as a key spell in their selection. Mages following in the footsteps of the great Weissman often use it to defeat their foes once they’ve restricted their opponents from all courses of action and are rich in mana resources. Likewise, mages who tap the unlimited potential of the Basalt Monolith via Power Artifact often channel their mana into a world-scorching Fireball for victory.

It's the opening hand that dreams are made of.

Though the above strategies are reliable, tried, and true, Fireball is perhaps most famous for its potential to defeat a mage’s opponent immediately. Even in the oldest records, mages have circulated stories—likely told by friend of a friend—of combining the smoke-borne visions of the Black Lotus with the mage’s own Channeled lifeforce to power a lethal Fireball as soon as an opponent takes the field of battle. While this maneuver is possible, it is unlikely in the extreme. And yet its siren’s song has called to mages since the dawn of dueling, and many still attempt it to this day.

Danatoth of Alsoor (Dan Hyland)


This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Card of the Week: Giant Shark

In the abyss/Never surface/Unless summoned by the slowest riffs
I dwell alone/Aphotic zone/Awakened only by the lowest tone

--Green Lung, "Living Fossil"

From the Depths

The ocean was vital to my home city of Alsoor. Though the farms of the surrounding countryside supplied the city with crops, the true bounty of the city came from the sea. But as the climate cooled, the crops diminished and the sea truly became the lifeblood of the city.

I remember watching the fishermen’s ships come back into harbor as a child. Each day they’d sail out far from land, and on good days they’d come home laden with their catches. And sometimes—on the best days, at least to myself and the other children—they’d bring back monsters to show off as well. Huge squid with sharp beaks and barbed tentacles. Pillbug-like crustaceans as large as dogs. But it was the sharks that fascinated me the most, with their black glassy eyes and their rows and rows of razor teeth.

Among the fishermen, tall tales spread like wildfire. Fantastic stories of elusive white whales, ancient monsters of the lochs, and the inevitable ones that got away were so common as to be found in every dockside tavern from Alsoor to the ruins of Sumifa. And there were always the rumors of sharks larger than anybody’s ever caught, lurking out somewhere in the dark waters.

A roughly-scaled comparison: megalodons are thought to have grown up to 50 feet long, while the largest hammerhead sharks are around 20 feet long.

But the Giant Sharks are more than just rumors or fables. Though unseen during the warmer years before the Brothers’ War, they began to appear during the Dark Ages and into the Years of Ice. I believe that they are creatures of the cold depths, and as the world cooled the shallower waters also cooled and became hospitable to them. When Dominaria warmed again they disappeared along with the ice—I am unsure if they have died out or merely returned to the cold depths. But Dominaria is only one world—surely, they must still exist elsewhere in the vast multiverse even if they no longer live here.

As for myself, I never did see a Giant Shark during my childhood in Alsoor. I imagine that hauling one back to shore would have been a very difficult task for even the most experienced fishing boat. But the sailors told stories, and not just the drunken fishermen—sober merchants and serious ship captains as well. I believed the stories without hesitation as a child, but became skeptical as I grew to be a man. But when I discovered my magic, years after the fall of Alsoor, I learned to summon these great beasts for myself. (And since learning that the sailors' stories of the Giant Sharks turned to be true, I can no longer discount the white whales and loch monsters either. I remain skeptical, though.)
 
Lore

Badlands are good places to find fossils: the soft sedimentary rocks erode easily to expose the fossils within, and the minimal vegetation makes them easy to find.

There are many places in Dominaria where the bones and teeth of ancient creatures can be found, so ancient that they've turned to stone. The scholars that flock to these places study the bones that they find to form theories about the distant past, long before humans or elves or even dragons first woke. Some of these discoveries speak of creatures wildly different from anything living today, while others are the clear ancestors to today's animals. And while the bizarre finds are fascinating, the familiar are perhaps more valuable to the scholars in developing their understanding of the world.

A great white shark tooth vs. a megalodon tooth.

The learned have long speculated on the existence of Giant Sharks, for their teeth have been found in many places around the world. There is no mistaking their shape—they resemble the teeth of the smaller White Sharks so closely in everything but size that they could be nothing else. The superstitious may say that these teeth are the petrified remains of dragon tongues or other such foolishness, but any of the fisherman that brought the catch into Alsoor would have recognized them for what they are.

Swimming with the Sharks

Very few if any mages of note actually bring these ancient creatures into battle. While they are indeed fearsome in size and strength and their bloodlust makes them even fiercer, they require a great deal of mana to summon. Furthermore, their dependence on the ocean—and the ties that all duelists involved must have to it—make them even more of a liability in a duel.

Even the greatest champions relegate their Giant Sharks to the sideboard, though.

However, I have heard that some great mages in far-off lands include the summoning spells for these Giant Sharks in their spellbooks as signs of their magical aptitude. To them, wielding a Shark in battle is both a token of great victories against the most potent of foes as well as a concession to their future foes that they need not use the full extent of their talents. Whether this is humility or arrogance I cannot say, though I would hazard to guess that it is one for some mages and the other for others, and both for more than a few.

Danatoth of Alsoor (Dan Hyland)


This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.