By Chulanowa (Chulanowa) on Saturday, December 11, 2004 - 03:50 am:

It’s a world that most planeswalkers would describe as “ordinary”, or “plain”, perhaps even drab. Very few visit the world, and so far as anyone knows, only one planeswalker can trace his origin to this backwater world where the five colors of mana existed in relative balance, and the lay of the land was hopelessly plain. That one man, however, carried the truth of his world in his heart. The world known as Rookhaven holds a hidden core of desperate fear, despite its “everyday” exterior.

In the old days, it was just a small fact of life on the world. Villagers would go missing, and be found frozen dead in a rictus of fear. The local lords might show a twinge of despotic madness. And nobody ever went into the forest at night, for fear of the Leshii and the Alva. The lives of the people of Rookhaven were perpetually clouded with this fear, that so much of the world was dangerous and unknown, always lurking just outside of the light of a fire…

How fitting, then, is the plane’s sole planeswalker “guardian”, who seemingly embodies every aspect of this frantic terror – Leshrac, Walker of the Night. He still visits on occasion, to take part in the legacy that he is part of, to taste the hidden fears of the populace, and to engage in tumultuous pranks that, as often as not brings as much ruin to Rookhaven as it brings joy to Leshrac.

However, the Walker of Night has not walked the planes unscathed. Entombed by the planeswalker Taysir within the hell of Phyrexia, Leshrac languished, a prisoner of the Ineffable, until the planeswalker titans distracted the being. In the ensuing chaos, Leshrac found a means of escape, and fled to his home world, where he fell to a dark, tortured slumber.

Even now, the nightmares of the sleeping god wrack the people of Rookhaven. Mad goblins make war against the good folk, who in turn, turn on their neighbors. Nightmare spirits haunt the night, and dark wizards call on their aid in a secret war against their brethren, who themselves worship far more ancient entities. The laws of nature are suspended as the land and those devoted to it turn predatory, and the whole world begins to lapse into a dismal autumn sunset, where hope hangs above a chasm, daring all to reach for it.

And far more insidious than Leshrac’s dreaming is the curse he brought with him – A plague, that strikes at all things that live, and rots those that don’t. Its reach spreads through the world, warping rather than killing, bringing a more visceral source of horror to a world accustomed to nightmare terrors.

Concept: A world set in a mythical dark age, a time of fear and lack of understanding, where the mythical horrors are real. A plague spreads indiscriminately over the land, a miasma of slow withering disease that warps and transforms its victims into something… else. Nightmare creatures, once legend, now stalk the dank forests and lonely fens of Rookhaven in search of prey. A dying god writhes in agony, causing the world itself to shudder and bend. The sun seems to be in perpetual sunset, the moon seems looming and bloody.

The disease and its harbinger are not the only horrors. Deep beneath the seas and in hidden æther realms, fathomless spirits grow restive, as their servants and supplicants among mortal creatures call to them for aid. The Chthonic entities of the between are as much a symptom of Rookhaven’s terror as they are a cause. Their callers hope that maybe they can be a cure. Or at least, a bargaining chip to a new future.

Black: The Cannelbrae Bogs and the Gilgaen Moor are the major sources of black mana on the world of Rookhaven. Amid the peat swamps and heather downs dwell all manner of loathsome creatures. The wraiths of Cannelbrae are notorious, and frightfully prone to travel, while the snarling legions of werewolves that hunt on the Gilgaen rarely leave their homes. Secluded over strong outpourings of black mana are the chantries of the Baloric Monks. These secretive magicians use the upwelling mana to power their rites to contact the Demonic entities trapped beneath the surface of Rookhaven, and are greatly persecuted by their fellow mages.

Of course, another, more frightening face of black mana has arisen, as well – The Plaguebourne. As the decay of the unknown disease takes hold and minds deteriorate, the fast track to destruction becomes assured.

Blue: Rookhaven’s sources of blue mana are few and far between, but what ones are present, are powerful. Most central is the White Sea in the northern reaches, so called because the frothy waves never cease their roaring, driven by an eternal storm that is centered on the aptly named Great Isle. Here, the Thaumaturgists of the Perunic Order draw forth the fury of air and the depth of water to contact the so-called “Betweeners”, godlike entities deep in slumber beneath the waves. Similar enclaves of these mages have arisen in cities and near other wells of blue mana.

Far more familiar, however, are the twin Fey courts of Rookhaven. Before Leshrac’s return, the faerie races were united beneath a queen. But her death from the plague sparked a bid for power. The magic of the fey protected them somewhat from the physical effects of the disease, but no small number have succumbed to the madness it brings, gleefully ravaging the minds of “lesser” beings, becoming known collectively as “Wyldlings”.

Green: In other realms, Green mana is more often than not benevolent, if somewhat amoral. Within Rookhaven, however… Few souls dare to brave the murky mists of Durkwood. The spirits of that ancient forest, most notably the frightful Leshii, have made their distaste for trespassers quite well known. The Alva dwell here as well; guarding their forest with a savagery one would expect more of the famed boars of the forest than the elves.

Despite the ferocity of its guardians, Durkwood is not immune to the effects of the plague. Animals wither and die, or go mad. Slowly, trees warp and wither as well, leaving twisted shells behind. The shortage of food and panic from plague have driven disparate packs of the Ulvan wolf-tribes together, becoming a nomadic clan of predators on the fringes of the forest.

Red: Once, it is said, Dwarves ruled the Rust Peaks of Rookhaven, from a hidden castle known as Hammerheim. Whether fact or not, the truth of the modern day is that there are no dwarves. In the Rust Peaks, only the orcs rule. All others serve or die. A militarized race that lives off of plunder and slavery, the Rustfang Orcs are exemplars of the race – Broad, strong, and ferocious; Especially with great numbers at their backs. They define their lives by combat, and would likely tear themselves to pieces, were it not for the Svrog Shamans. The holy order among orcs, these creatures call on the fires within the mountains, seeking the voices of gods that existed before even Leshrac.

The plague has taken its toll in the mountains, however, as it has everywhere else. The ranks of the orcs are thinning, but by some sick twist of fate, the plague seems to make their kobold slaves stronger. Already fiefdoms of Kobolds have been formed on the fringes of Rustfang territory, and it may not be too long before the forces of red finally clash together amid their Cairns and caves.


White: One will not find peace and harmony amid the townships dotting the Veila Stretches. An expanse of rolling hills and shallow valleys, with sharp rock outcroppings, one would almost mistake this land for the foothills of the Rust Mountains. In fact, the land was not always such. At one time, it was level, fertile farmland. And then Leshrac’s nightmares began warping the world. In under a century, Veila became a wrinkled land dotted with stone. The shuddering that caused it led to the land being described as “God’s gooseflesh”.

The plague has struck the humans of these lands stronger than most. Entire villages lay dead of it, their souls lingering to haunt the living even as the death corrupts the fragile mana. Travellers rarely enter a township, and those who do often never leave. In a furious panic, the people of these towns bar their gates, and launch an inquisition to purge the diseased and those who are thought to cause it – The very healers who cannot cure it. No, there is no compassion, only fanatical justice.

And what of Leshrac, himself? His influence is felt across the many peoples of the world, his warped madness further rent by Phyrexian terrors, his considerable magics unbound in his death-dreaming. Things That Should Not Be stalk out of shadows and mists, striking and retreating. Dreams are ripped from the minds of men, the play continuously in the minds of another. And worst of all, it seems Phyrexia itself may be inspiring some of the warped creations, as fearsome tales of half-illusion machines of death spread through the world, whispered by firelight into ears to drunk to remember the horrors detailed.

By Chulanowa (Chulanowa) on Saturday, December 11, 2004 - 04:27 am:

It's an attempt at a Magic setting with a sort of "Ravenloft" horror-fantasy feel. Imagine Sleepy Hollow and Lovecraft rolled together with five colors of mana on cardboard

I borrow strongly from Northern and eastern european names -
Baloric Monks - After Balor One-Eye, the lord of fomori in Irish myth
Perunic Order - After the Slavic storm / wind god, Perun
Leshii - Russian forest-spirit
Alva - "Elf" in various Scandanavian languages
Ulvan - Derived from "Ulf", scandanavian "wolf".
Svrog - From the Russian fire / solar deity, Svarog
Durkwood, Cannelbrae - Stolen from earlier Magic sources. Sue me.
Gilgaen, Veila - 100% made-up
Rookhaven - Also made up. Only it sucks. Sorry.

I decided to center around Leshrac because, honestly... Was there ever a cooler Planeswalker? Plus he's the only one of any note that MIGHT still be alive and who has no plotted origins. So, I put his origins as being this backwater little realm which is mundane" in every way except for the horror story just under the skin.

I also saw it as a chance to work with "nonstandard" creature types - Wraith / ghosts and werewolves in black, faeries in blue, wolf men in green (Originally gnolls, but I figured "wolf" would be a cool tribe), and orcs / kobolds in red. Also a large population of humans in the world, in all colors but Green and Red.

I'm thinking the set would aim for more of a slow game, maybe going a little heavy on sorceries and over time effects. Light on artifacts. We're talking a largely mundane world here. Artifacts in the set will probably be more "landmark" than "item" in flavor (like Standing Stones from the Dark, Alchor's Tomb from Legends). Colors should be strongly defined in systems, but give a little extra to nonstandard strengths within colors. Red, for instance, might focus more on chaotic (not coin-flip!) effects, rather than making things just go boom, and blue might focus a little more strongly on card manipulation than purely drawing / bouncing (milling, shuffles, extractions). Plus I plan on giving Blue some creatures that don't hurt to look at.

I'm thinking maybe two new creature keywords:

Plague (During your upkeep, put a -1/-1 counter on this creature. Whenever a creature blocks or is blocked by this creature, it gets -1/-1 for every -1/-1 counter on this creature)

Essentially unstable mutation mixed with flanking.

Swarm (This creature gets +1/+1 for every creature in play with the same name as it)
Or something like that. A Plague rat effect to give to the wolves, orcs, and werewolves maybe.

THoughts?

By Yamster (Asmodeus) on Saturday, December 11, 2004 - 10:15 am:

Wow, this is the first post I've seen in a while to actually reply to. I like the idea a lot and Rookhaven isn't that bad a name. Plague could be worded a little better but other than that I think it's very good.

By Archchancelor (Jodah) on Saturday, December 11, 2004 - 01:35 pm:

why do the wherewolves hve to be black? who ever heard of a wolf living in a swamp? wherewolves strike me as green.

By Chulanowa (Chulanowa) on Saturday, December 11, 2004 - 04:16 pm:

Hmmmm. I could persue the "gnoll" idea for black rather than green, I suppose, instead of using werewolves. It would mean having to push the Elves forward in green, though. At least they'll be a little different from the "trees, trees, we love the trees" hippy elves of past sets.

By Archchancelor (Jodah) on Saturday, December 11, 2004 - 10:19 pm:

Yeah, elves have always struck me as tree-hugging long-hairs. or, should i say, long-ears? Maybe Im just biased for wherewolves from the discworld books. what is a gnoll, anyway?

By Chulanowa (Chulanowa) on Saturday, December 11, 2004 - 11:56 pm:

A race of hyenalike humanoids fond of living flesh. You can find 'em in D&D, the Warcraft Series, Heroes of Might and Magic, and i'm sure lots of other games. I have NO idea if they have a mythological origin prior to Gary Gygax, though

By Squeeman on Sunday, December 12, 2004 - 07:53 am:

Hmm. Grassy gnolls...

My capacity for original thought is not really soaring right now.

By Zoicnexus (Zoicnexus) on Monday, December 13, 2004 - 08:07 pm:

Veila are from Harry Potter

By Squeeman on Monday, December 13, 2004 - 08:42 pm:

Since you seem to be trying to follow MtG continuity pretty closely, I'd just like to point out that Durkwood and Hammerheim exist on the Dominarian continent of Aerona. I don't know if you already knew that. I interpret your "sue me" to mean that you know the names exist, but don't know that they've been already given actual locations. Otherwise, ignore me. My alter ego is, of course, the Anal Avenger. Oops... I mean... alter ego? Ha ha! Who said anything about an alter ego?

By Chulanowa (Chulanowa) on Saturday, December 18, 2004 - 12:22 am:

Awwww. That makes me a saaaad panda... I guess I just need to come up wth better names...

By Squeeman on Saturday, December 18, 2004 - 08:15 am:

I guess that also makes you near extinction. But fear not! Preservation efforts are underway!

Mmmmm. Panda meat.

By Archchancelor (Jodah) on Tuesday, December 21, 2004 - 07:37 pm:

its finger-ling-ling good!