By Squeeman (Squeeman) on Friday, December 21, 2007 - 06:49 pm:

For a while, the viashino entry on the Phyrexian continuity page has bugged me. Reading it, it seems to be about 90% fanfic on the part of the author, and 10% conclusions drawn from looking at the cards and reading the flavor text. For instance, it's written in the first person, as though a specific character has researched them firsthand (which isn't really that bad, I suppose). And most of the information - the tribes, any statistics, etc - is completely made up as far as I can tell.

I mean no offense to Tyler, who wrote the article. It's not particularly poorly written or anything. However, I think Tyler made up most of the content.

Phyrexia.com's continuity section has been fairly static for a few years, and I feel that removing - or calling for the significant alteration of - one of the entries is probably a step backward. However, Phyrexia.com has a reputation as one of the best MtG storyline info sites out there, and it's probably better to stick to fact rather than fiction. Well, fictional fact anyway (rather than fan fiction).

So, Phyrexian posters, check out the viashino page. Do you think it's worth keeping around? Or does it need a significant editing (or removing until someone rewrites it)?

By Squeeman (Squeeman) on Friday, December 21, 2007 - 06:51 pm:

Three cheers for me. It's supposed to be "Correction TO the Continuity Section."

Irony, eh?

By Sam KoMN (A1withnoname) on Monday, December 24, 2007 - 07:25 pm:

Ok, I read through it.

Although the writing seems to be good overall, I'm not sure how much of the information in the entry is actual fact and how much is conjecture. There is a lot of stuff that I recognize, but it seems to mostly be from flavor text, and I'm not sure how accurate all of that is. How careful was WotC early on with making flavor text sync up with definite continuity?

Also, it is horribly out of date. There should really be entries on the viashino of the Mana rig and Shiv, Time Spiral era viashino, and viashino of Ravnica.

I was looking through a few other entries, and I'm wondering what tone we should be trying for with the encyclopedia. I mean, should we sound proffesional and just stick to the facts, or should we be able to be dramatic with it? I personally prefer either a simple analysis or the style that the Viashino article is written in to something more dramatic like, for instance, the article on Burke.

By Squeeman (Squeeman) on Monday, December 24, 2007 - 09:06 pm:

I've reproduced it below. Everything that I found questionable (or simply don't remember) I've put in red.

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Quote:

Physical Description: The Viashino are a bipedal reptilian species hailing from the Great Desert of Jamuraa, a continent located on the massive plane of Dominaria. Their skin is most often a sandy or green colored, acting as camouflage in their natural environment. They range from 1 to 1.5 meters tall, and can weigh up to 67.5 kilograms. Each of their four-fingered hands sports small claws where most species have fingernails, as do their bird-like three-toed feet. These claws aid in climbing, and are truly effective in combat. They have a natural hunch to their wiry form, and a craning neck that gives their head nigh-360x360 degree rotation. Like the smaller reptiles they are related to, their eyes are slightly sunk into the sides of their ovular skulls, and they have no nose, simply nostrils at the front of their faces. The Viashino are naturally carnivorous, and sport a mouthful of razor-sharp teeth to prove it. Their keen senses and natural stealth, combined with their above-average agility, intelligence, and relentlessness, make them excellent hunters.

A tip: When traveling the Great Desert, avoid wearing the scales of lizards, for the Viashino rule the sands and look poorly on the skinning of their cousins.

Behavior/Personality: The Viashino are in general fairly somber and fatalistic, as the desert has claimed way too many of them over the millennia. They believe that all beings hold a great connection to nature and their ancestors, and thus respect reptiles and lizards, since they are their "fathers". They also believe the universe is a place where death could come at any time, so honor and accomplishment are extremely important. To a Viashino, one without honor might as well be dead.

Society: The Viashino are nomads, wandering the desert, and forming temporary villages here and there. They are divided into several tribes, with various clans within these tribes. Supremacy is determined by trials of combat (similar trials are held when a Viashino male is to enter manhood), with the strongest male leading the tribe, assisted by a council of elders and 5 handpicked advisors. The Viashino live by strict codes of conduct, and the punishments for breaking their laws are but two: death and exile. Exile is held for the more serious crimes, such as murder and desertion, as the Viashino would rather die than live exiled in shame. The different tribes can be recognized by their weapons and the different patterns they paint upon their bodies. Over the millennia, there have been many different Viashino tribes, but the ones that exist today have been for over 500 years.

The tribes are as follows:

The Beast Smashers
The Beast Smashers are the premiere hunters of the Viashino. They have mastered either the destruction or the subjugation of almost every known animal in the Jamuraan desert. They have even managed to tame several of the fierce Viashivan Dragons, which are, this researcher will tell you, some of the most awesome and destructive creatures I have ever had the misfortune to run across. The traditional weapons of the Beast Smashers are the whip and the pike.

The Thought Shapers
The Thought Shapers are the artists and scholars of the Viashino. They have developed ways to transform sand, rock, and bone into figures of loveliness I am incapable of describing adequately. They keep the only written records of Viashino history and lore. It was with this tribe that I spent much of my time in the Great Desert. The traditional weapon of the Thought Shapers is the dagger.

The Wind Riders
If you look to explore the Great Desert, then the Wind Riders are the tribe you should seek. The Wind Riders are the Viashino's explorers, and supposedly have wandered so far as into the jungles and mountains that frame the Great Desert. They are forever moving, even more nomadic then the other tribes, so locating them may be slightly difficult. The traditional weapons of the Wind Riders are the Quarterstaff and the Spear.

The Blood Eaters
The soldiers of the Viashino are the Blood Eaters. Though all Viashino are trained in the ways of combat, the Blood Eaters focus on it. They are some of the fiercest and most disciplined warriors I have ever known. The traditional weapons of the Blood Eaters are the Battle Axe and the Sword.

The Sandstalkers
The Sandstalkers are a special tribe. They are comprised of Viashino who share a common genetic variance; one which makes them holy figures to their people. Sandstalkers are born with dark green skin instead of sand colored, and are on average 1.5 to 2 meters tall and often weigh up to 112.5 kilos. Where most Viashino are wiry and sinewy, the Sandstalkers are stocky and muscular. Their heads are much more rectangular, and they have light spines which grow from the base of their skulls all the way down to their tails. The Sandstalkers are even more agile, strong, and stealthy than other Viashino, and have an amazing ability: they can blend into their surroundings instinctively, melting away so quickly they seem to vanish in plain sight. As far as is known, a female Sandstalker has never been born. When born, the Sandstalker is immediately taken from his parents, and brought to be raised and trained by the other Sandstalkers. The might and guile of the Sandstalkers have made them legends to the other sentient races of the continent. Some believe the Sandstalkers to be illusions; those with scars know better. The traditional weapons of the Sandstalkers are a pair of Scimitars.

History: It is not known if Viashinos migrated to Jamuraa, or if they were always there. Viashinos are also locked in eternal combat with there dragon kin, though some viashinos have been known to subdue and even command dragons.

Leadership: A Viashio tribe is lead by a Patriarchal-Warlord, or Be'yyi in there language. This was mutated into Bey.

Language: The Viashino's speak in a language called Sand-Tongue. It involves hisses and growls, and low pitch murmurs. Currently, the Viashino are phased out of existence by Teferi for an unknown amount of time, along with the Viashino Mana Rig.

"We drive the Dragon's from our home. Why should we fear you?" —Fire Eye, Viashino Bey

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By Squeeman (Squeeman) on Monday, December 24, 2007 - 09:08 pm:

I remind myself of the time that Kenderman complained about Nemesis' Chainer entry (which was actually praised by Scott McGough) and then wrote a vastly inferior one.

And then Nemesis mocked him. Good times, good times.

By Berend (Squirlemaster) on Tuesday, December 25, 2007 - 05:19 am:

The 1 to 1.5 meter's thing doesn't seem right at all. Aren't most viashino described as taller than humans?

By Squeeman (Squeeman) on Tuesday, December 25, 2007 - 06:07 am:

In The Prodigal Sorceror, it is said that viashino continue growing their entire lives. So in that story, the oldest and most venerable of the viashino is actually huge.

By Sam KoMN (A1withnoname) on Tuesday, December 25, 2007 - 02:15 pm:

I believe I remember information about viashino revering lizards somewhere, but I'm not sure... Actually, it looks like some of the information confuses different viashino, lumping together the Great Desert viashino and the Shivan viashino. On the cards themselves there is no mention of sandstalkers being a separate tribe, let alone being revered. There is no mention of the other tribes on the cards as far as I can see. The bit about "Those with scars know different" was in fact taken from the cards, but it seems to suggest only that some people don't believe in the Sand Stalkers, nothing more than that.

Which are Tamingazin viashino? I don't recall them.

Yeah, I feel wary going back in and messing around with other entries in the encyclopedia, but there are a few things that should probably be updated.

Although, if everyone hates the Time Spiral additions enough, we could always pretend they don't exist... heh

We could always add in little segments on the other Viashino while we're at it if we are messing around with this article. It would end up adding more into the encyclopedia rather than taking out.

Oh, and just as a by-the-by thing or whatever, I might type up some short things about Bo-Levar, Commodore Guff, and Lord Windgrace, but I might need some help and I don't promise anything spectacular. Should I try?

By Ineffable's Son (Eidtelnvil) on Tuesday, December 25, 2007 - 02:19 pm:

Most of the entries in Encyclopedia Phyrexia were conceived of being in-universe, meaning lots of dramatics purposely added.

But in this day and age, I really don't see the point of using it any longer. Long live the MTGS Wiki.

By Nemesis (Nemesis) on Tuesday, December 25, 2007 - 07:39 pm:

Speaking of the thread where Kenderman called my Chainer entry into question, here's the link: http://www.phyrexia.com/forum/messages/10/7066.html?

It's nice to occasionally revisit these old threads. Also, I had forgotten how annoying Kenderman was. Is he still around.

By Sam KoMN (A1withnoname) on Tuesday, December 25, 2007 - 08:44 pm:

Man... Kenderman's article really does suck... Its really entertaining, actually.

Well, I am much more comfortable adding stuff than subtracting it, and most of the entries are fantastic.

I think that its still worth updating, simply because we have a legacy as the best storyline site. The people here put a lot of work into creating deep articles about each character, and it shows. I've looked at the MTGS Wiki, and I just don't see that same devotion there. It has potential, but I still have a great sense of loyalty to Phyrexia, and I'll keep working on it.

So, as long as any of the other people here are willing to help me, I'll try to expand the Encyclopedia Phyrexania.

... HAHAHA, Nemesis, that was teh best Jam-Packed with Action article 3v3r!!!11

By Matthew Manley (Webmaster) on Saturday, June 21, 2008 - 09:13 pm:

Hmmm...this may need further looking into.

Matthew Manley,
Webmaster at Phyrexia.com

By Wicked Darkman (Wickeddarkman) on Sunday, June 22, 2008 - 01:47 pm:

A1WITHNONAME: Actually conviction is forbidden in the salwiki, which is why I abbandoned it. It had potential, but those holding the power within it's structures are too interrested in upholding whatever restricting laws they invented along with it. Each time I check upon it, I see some new forms of restrictions. You cannot start anything in salwiki which is of an emotional nature without being dragged down!

As I see it the creation of a more or less ruleless wiki is still the way to go.