Alright, so here's the thread for the plane I'm developing which is the home of the planeswalkers me and my group have created! Still WIP and pending edits from comments/criticism!

Vlastimir

The Griffon Kingdom

A land of passion and honor, Vlastimir is a monarchy that has existed for hundreds of years, ever since the first Griffon King united the warring tribes thanks to his elite hussars – warriors mounted on the great beasts that would go onto give the kingdom its name and emblem. It is a land of mountains and rolling plains, inhabited by a fiercely proud and independent people.

The Hussars have long been the elite military unit of the Kingdom, dashing and daring heroes of folklore, though in modern days they have fallen out of favor. In their place, the Pistoleers have risen to prominence – young nobles capable of wielding magic and channeling it through recently developed flintlocks. This is partly due to Pistoleers being more effective combat units, but mostly due to the declining numbers of griffons. It is believed that unless drastic measures to save the species are taken, the historic beasts may go extinct within the next century.

Geography

Vlastimir is a land of rolling plains and winding rivers, a place many would call idyllic. Much of the land is given over to farming, and during the autumn the heartlands of the kingdom are referred to as the Golden Sea, for all the stalks of wheat dominating the landscape and waving in the gentle breezes. As one travels east however, the plains give way to forests clustered around the roots of the Carass mountains. But even these somehow conspire to be majestic, all grey stone and pristine snow-capped peaks.

Beyond the mountains lie great wastelands that no Vlastimiran has ever crossed.

To the west, lies the Midrius – a great ocean that many believe to be endless. It is a crystal clear blue, almost transparent, and rich with resources. Fish of many differing varieties can be found beneath the waves, all of them edible.

North of Vlastimir lie more wastelands, cracked earth creeping up and around the Carass mountains as if to encircle the kingdom. These lands are unpopulated by either man or beast due to the mysterious phenomena that plagues them – the Tempest. An endless windstorm that continually scours the land, no one knows what happened to create the Tempest – the oldest histories of the Kingdom, dating back to its foundation by the Griffon King, make no mention of it.

Finally, south of the Kingdom lay the sprawling Empire of Luthen. A realm of decadence and corruption, of squabbling families and ambitious merchants. Long held back by the Hussars, and led by feuding families more fond of scheming against one another than expanding their territory, the Empire finally ended its isolationism some ten years ago, invading Vlastimir with the full might of the XXth Legion of Imperial Guard.

The brash and cocky Pistoleers went to war alongside the regular army, and were soundly defeated. Though powerful, the pistols and channeled magic was short ranged, unlike the Empire’s crossbows. And though effective thanks to the Empire’s lack of aerial units, the Hussars were too few in number to do more than harass the legion as it rolled over Vlastimir, killing, enslaving and razing everything in its path.

Now Vlastimir is firmly under a Luthen yoke, a burnt and scarred kingdom of grudge-bearing survivors. The Golden Sea still exists, though it now feeds the Empire rather than the Kingdom.

The Three Lands

The Heartlands

The Heartlands are the core of Vlastimir, and the largest part of the Kingdom's territory, running from north to south. It is here that one can find the Golden Sea, the great collection of farms that produce enough food to keep the entire kingdom fed. In the very center of these lands stands the Kingdom's capitol, a city simply called Home.

The Coastlands

The western border of Vlastimir is all coastline, hence the rather unimaginative name the locals have given the region. Though less populated than the Heartlands, the Coastlands still boast a prosperous number of people that continues to grow. This is mostly thanks to the fish and sea plants that can be found in plentiful numbers just off the Kingdoms coast. These resources make the Coastlands rich, since sea food adds some much loved diversity to the average Vlastimiran meal.

The Highlands

To the east of Vlastimir lie the Carass mountains, tall and imposing. The region that compromises of these mountains as well as their forested foothills is known as the Highlands. Rich in game and herbs, the forests that have spread in the shadow of the Carass nevertheless hold a dark aura - it is easy to get lost inside, and where there is abundant prey, one is sure to find predators too. Most of the people who live here do so in small villages on the outskirts of the forests, or in small communities on the mountains themselves.

History

Founding

Hundreds of years ago, the wide grassy plains were home to nomadic horsemen, who raided the wealthy tribes of the south and retreated northwards whenever their attacks provoked a concentrated response.

Eventually however, the southern tribes moved further and further south, leaving the nomads with no targets to plunder. Facing starvation, they turned to their slaves to feed them. Captured men and women from the south proved to be quite knowledgeable when it came to working the land, and soon the great plains had become dotted with hundreds of little farms, each ruled by the nomad who originally owned the slaves. And so did the first nobles and serfs come into being, with the nomad chieftain of the time, a man known as Pieat, ruling over them as king.

Roughly two hundred years later, a young prince who would come to be known as the Griffon King fled Home as the Pieat dynasty was overthrown by the Chosci family. They seized power and set about consolidating their foul won gains by butchering any Pieats they could find. Pursued by light cavalry, the prince rode hard for the mountains, leaving his father's kingdom behind and entering the territory of the hill men. The hill men were the descendants of escaped slaves, who dwelled amidst the forests and mountains that their horse-riding overlords could not enter.

Though expecting a hostile reception, the hill men had long ago adopted the tradition of never turning away those in need. They also saw the young prince as a way to ensure an enduring peace between them and the plains men. As such, the hill men agreed to shelter the prince as long as he remembered them when the time came for him to retake his throne. The prince swore an oath binding him to this promise, and set about trying to garner support for his cause. A few of the lords of the plains still clung to their old loyalties, but their forces would be swiftly overwhelmed by the Chosci. In order to level the odds, something would have to be done.

It was at this time that the prince learned of the griffons, mighty beasts which dwelled in the Carass mountains and preyed upon the hill men and their beasts. Remembering the stories of how the first horses were tamed, the young prince resolved to try to replicate the feat with the griffons. He set out up the mountains, his only companion the daughter of the chief of the hill men, Sava. What trials and tribulations they endured has been lost to history, but a year after their departure, the prince and Sava returned to the foothills atop a mighty steed - a griffon known as Lightning.

With them they brought a clutch of eggs, from which more griffons would soon hatch. Calling upon his allies in the plains, the prince had the lords send their best knights to his side, to begin rearing and bonding with their new steeds. These were the first hussars, and they numbered twenty. Utilizing the hill men as the main army to draw out the Chosci forces, the prince began to retake his kingdom.

The war lasted for five years, with the hussars proving invaluable in striking swiftly and without warning. Though the Chosci had greater numbers, the hussars would strike and wipe out supply trains and leave the soldiers to starve and desert. There were no pitched battles during this time. The hill men would always retreat whenever the Chosci moved to attack them, kept informed by the hussars, who utilized the power of flight to spy on their enemies' movements.

Finally, the prince and his hussars staged a daring attack on Home itself, breaking into the palace to confront King Chosci himself. What exactly happened is unknown, but it is commonly believed the man soiled himself before being devoured by Lightning. With his crown restored, the prince became a king, and adopted the griffons as a symbol of his kingdom. By their strength, and the loyalty of his hussars, would the land be kept safe. The prince (now known as the Griffon King) remembered his oath, and married Sava, uniting the tribes of the hill men with the kingdom of the plains men, forming Vlastimir.

The Coastlands would bow before the hussars and their gallant king ten years later. And so for a hundred years the kingdom knew peace, the hussars becoming a knightly order dedicated to protecting king and country. The griffons were bred, and new hussars inducted as time went on. To maintain a healthy population of the beasts, expeditions would be launched into the Carass mountains every decade to claim more eggs from which to rear new steeds, keeping the breed alive.

And it was also during this time that the men of Vlastimir were reminded that they were not alone. The men of the south, driven away by the Vlastimiran forefathers, returned. The raiders became the raided.


Once the victims of roaming nomads, the southern people had journeyed further from the plains their predators haunted, and settled in unknown lands. There they grew and prospered, forming a small Empire that set about subjugated anything it could reach. Vlastimir was to be the next target, but a succession crisis arose before any invasion could be launched, and the bright lords of this Empire waged war against one another. The Empire crumbled and splintered into a large number of city states and petty nations, the most northern of which turned to raiding Vlastimir for supplies.

The Kingdom had grown rich off its land by this time, and many of the smaller communities made tempting targets for the raiders. However, with the skies belonging to the hussars, the southerners had to rely on speed and ranged weapons to succeed in their daring raids, making off with precious foodstuffs and basic resources like wood and stone.


For a period of a hundred and twenty years, Vlastimir enjoyed a period of time that came to be called the Enlightenment. With external and internal threats minimized, the people of Vlastimir set about developing their knowledge. It was during this time that an agricultural revolution occurred, leading to the development of improved farming techniques, as well as the foundation of universities and academies dedicated to improving the overall level of education in the Kingdom.

It was during this period of time that the first pistols were invented, and the study of magic codified. But all such progress comes at a cost - in this case, it was the funding spent on the hussars that took the brunt. Griffons were expensive to raise and care for, and so their numbers dwindled. No more expeditions were launched, since there was no need for fresh bloodlines. The remaining griffons were interbred, and the breed fell into decline.


With the griffon hussars much weakened, their patrols lessened. The Pistoleers were formed to keep all the young hotheaded children of the nobles in one place and easily contained. They were more interested in dueling and fame than the minutae of being soldiers, such as regular patrols. Which is why the first inkling of trouble Vlastimir received was when refugees began arriving at Home. Bewildered, the King mobilized all his forces to investigate what was going on.

Long had the southerners been a pain in their side, but they had never resorted to outright destroying villages. What few hussars were left were dispatched to discover what was going on. What they discovered was an army of men marching through the plains, carrying a rainbow of colored banners held aloft by warriors clad in leather, led by men in purple silks and golden armour. Above all banners however was a great crimson standard, depicting a black serpent over the number 20.

The hussars carried news of this army to their liege, who gravely gathered his troops and marched south to meet the invaders. The hussars went with him, eager for a chance to prove themselves the legends they were. The Pistoleers went as well, eager to prove themselves the new heroes of Vlastimir. Along with these two groups marched the regular army of Vlastimir - a force compromised of rapidly moving cavalry, supported by a few detachments of foot troops more used to guarding the baggage trains than actual combat.


There was only one battle in the war to subjugate Vlastimir. One true pitched fight between two opposing armies. The Vlastimirans had it all - they controlled the skies, they outnumbered their foe, and their morale was high. But the Luthens made up for all of that with their discipline and adherence to orders. Using tried and tested tactics, the hussars passed over the army and struck at the undefended baggage train the Legion had in it's wake. Heedless of the havoc erupting amongst their supplies, the Legion took up a curious formation - that of a checkerboard, with their infantry packed into neat and tight squares - perfect targets for the cavalry Vlastimir was fond of.

The horsemen moved to engaged, the Pistoleers leading the charge. Out of the Legion ranks stepped crossbowmen, forming into a loose line four ranks deep. The first rank kneeled and took aim, the second standing and aiming over their comrades heads. As one they fired, darkening the sky with their steel tipped bolts. These fell amongst the Vlastimiran horsemen, punching through their lighter armour and bruising the heavier clad soldiers. Then the other two ranks of crossbowmen stepped forwards and took position, whilst the previous shooters reloaded. They too took aim and fired, before moving back behind their brethren. By this time, the original crossbowmen had reloaded, and took aim and fired again. For a full minute bolts flew through the sky, spearing man and horse alike.

But the numbers of the Vlastimirans saw them through, and as they approached, the crossbowmen fell back into the tight infantry squares, which lowered their pikes and braced themselves for the charge. The Pistoleers were confident they could break their enemies morale - for men cannot hold a formation when broken and fleeing. They shot with bullet and thunder, struck with fire and swords. They disrupted the first ranks enough to get in amongst the common soldiery of the Empire. But the pike blocks did not break. They did not even waver. Isolated and alone, the Pistoleers soon ran afoul of the Emperor's Children. The bonded fighters quickly overwhelmed those lone heroes, stabbing and slashing with their curved sabers.

With nowhere to go, the cavalrymen following the charge were forced into the gaps between the blocks, where three units of infantry were capable of attackthing them at their whims. The first clash was a slaughter, and the Vlastimirans swiflty fell back to regroup. The Imperial Guard did not give chase. Instead, the crossbowmen emerged from their host units and took up position again, harassing the horsemen arrayed against them. The Vlastimiran forces pulled back beyond the range of the crossbowmen, and awaited the return of the hussars.

The flying knights returned to see their grand army shaken, and a quarter of their number dead and rotting at the feet of the Imperials. Without their baggage train, the Legion would surely starve and die given time. Yet the soldiers arranged below them seemed unperturbed. With a great cry, the hussars charged, lifting the spirits of their countrymen who launched yet another attack. But the blocks in front lowered their pikes to impale the horsemen, whilst the blocks behind braced their weapons on the ground, forming a forest of steel points that no griffon could penetrate. A few crossbowmen even managed to shoot down a handful of hussars, their armored forms slipping from their steeds and crashing to the ground.

The slaughter continued for hours before the Vlastimirans spirit broke, and they galloped away from the cool and collected Legion forces. The Luthens had not gone through the battle unblooded, and many of their soldiers lay dead, rent apart by spears, claws and spells. But the soldiers of the Empire feared the Emperor's Children more than they feared the enemy, and their nerve held despite multiple cavalry charges.

The Legion marched on, replacing the supplies destroyed by the hussars by razing the towns and villages that lay between them and the capitol. Within a month, Home was under siege. The survivors of the grand army tried a last desperate attack, sallying forth to engage the foe within range of the city's trebuchets. This time hoewver, the enemy responded with their own cavalry. Carefully hidden amongst the blocks of infantry were a handful of horsemen - the Kataphrakts, the lords of Luthen. At their head rode a giant of a man who came to be known as the Voice of the Emperor. At his side rode the Big Brother of the Emperor's Children. Forming a wedge, gripping their spears tightly, the Kataphrakts and the remaining knights of Vlastimir met head on in a cavalry charge worthy of legend. Not a single Vlastimiran knight survived the battle. The King, fearing for his people, ordered the remaining hussars to fly to the furthest cities and do what they could to keep the spirit of the people intact. Vlastimir would rise again, he promised them as they took flight.

The city fell the next day, the noble griffon banners cast down and replaced by the black serpent of the XXth Legion.

A new order fell across Vlastimir, and the Kataphrakts who had travelled with the Voice of the Emperor became the new feudal lords of the land. The people chafed under these new overlords, but punishments for insubordination were swift and severe. However, despite this the people of Vlastimir continued to make life difficult for their occupiers. A secret partisan movement began, thanks to the efforts of the surviving hussars. Whenever possible, these partisans would strike at isolated targets and supply caravans, disrupting Legion activities whenever possible.


With the lack of griffons, many horsemen who oppose the Luthen occupation have taken to wearing great feathered wings to emulate the heroes of old. These new hussars are the boldest and most daring of their fellowships, fearlessly charging the enemy and refusing to stop until either they or their foes are dead.

Beliefs

"Maybe tight, but in accord." - The Vlastimirans believe that the more the merrier - they are fond of throwing big celebrations when the situations call for it. For example, an entire village would be invited to celebrate a marriage. Though one may not know the happy couple at first, the party would certainly make one acquainted with them. This way the small farming communities form tighter bonds amongst their members.

"What he sowed, he gathered." - Amongst the rural communities, great emphasis is placed upon responsibility. Everyone relies on each other, and for that to be effective, everyone must be able to do what is required of them, or ask for aid when they realize they need it.

"Gifts for gifts, words for words." - A boisterous and direct people, the Vlastimirans are fond of settling disputes quickly and directly. If someone insults you, insult them back. If someone hits you, hit them back. Situations rarely escalate, as the wronging party recognizes the right of the wronged to payback any slight made to them. However, this also applies in benevolent exchanges. If given a gift, it is customary to give one back.

"The world belongs to the brave." - Gallantry and courage are highly prized in Vlastimir, ever since the daring of the first Griffon King managed to unite the land. His fearless climb of the Carass mountains to tame the great griffons is one of the most popular legends told at bedsides and campfires.

"Die on your feet; not on your knees." - To the Vlastimirans, pride is a virtue. Pride in your work and achievements is expected, since the people believe better results come about from being invested in ones actions. This has however often led to a swaggering arrogance in many. Fortunately, the Vlastimirans are good at keeping their egos in check - belittle someone and you may well get a broken jaw back to remind you of your actual capabilities. This belief however also makes the Vlastimirans fiercely defiant and independent. For example, the Tempest has never been crossed. That does not deter the thousands of hot headed youths who venture that way every year in the hope of being the first to make it back and being immortalized in story and song.

"A griffon is nothing without its pride." - This proverb can be taken in two ways. Firstly, it refers to how taking pride in one's actions makes one noble. The Vlastimirans own their successes as well as their failures. Secondly, it refers to the simple belief of strength in numbers.

The Empire of Luthen

The Empire is a mysterious nation far south of Vlastimir, past the great plains that turn into a savannah. The savannah is a great expanse of grass that defines the southern border of Vlastimir. Across this land lies the Empire of Luthen. Nothing is known about the Empire itself, only about the men who came from it - the soldiers and camp followers of the XXth Legion of the Imperial Guard. Every year, black clad messengers riding swift-footed horses come and go from Home, carrying what are assumed to be missives from the Emperor to the Lord of Vlastimir.


Steel must bend if it is not to break - that is the creed of the Luthens. They are a hard people, tempered by years of bloodshed spent fighting their brothers and neighbors in a never-ending series of civil wars. The Luthen nobility are not allowed to show weakness. If they are defeated, they are to adapt and strike again. They can be bowed, but never broken. There is no sentimentality in war - anything is doable in the aid of a swift resolution. Ties of blood or fealty mean nothing if you can seize a quick victory and gain power. This is how the court of Luthen does it's business, and ensures only the worthy lead.

There is a saying amongst the Emperor's Children - "From Iron Cometh Iron" - which is a phrase denoting their belief that an iron will can enforce iron discipline upon their serfs, and an iron discipline can result in a victory. Many armies have slowly and systematically slaughtered each other to the last man, the soldiers too afriad of their masked masters to retreat. There is no fear. There is no pain. There is only victory or death.


The Kataphrakts are the elite heavy cavalry of Luthen. Each one is resplendent in golden scale armour and purple silks, their faces covered by golden masks fashioned in imitation of faces. They ride into battle armed with saressi - two handed lances nearly the length of pikes - and twin sabers. They are fearless combatants, their gear a symbol of their wealth. Many also ride into battle wearing their finest jewellry - rings of precious stones adorn their fingers, and necklaces of colored pearls are draped around their necks. Their horses are also heavily armored in matching scale mail, a burnished gold polished until it seems to glow with an inner light.

Each Kataphrakt is a minor lord, as wealthy as a king and as proud. They work together because to associate with lesser soldiers would mar their reputations. However, each one is also well aware that they are easily replaced. For each Kataphrakt there are tens of Emperor's Children seeking to replace them.

The Emperor's Children - Princes and Princesses of the Empire

The Emperor's Children are the officer cadre of the Empire. Not wealthy enough to afford all the equipment necessary to be a Kataphrakt, they are the minor lords and ladies of Luthen. Also, due to the tradition of the Emperor taking as many concubines as possible, each one is related to the ruler of Luthen in some way. All are armed with basic metal armour and fine silk, though their armour and masks are silver as opposed to the gilded steel the Kataphrakts wear. They command the formations of Imperial Guard in battle, keeping the common soldiers in line through fear and pain, as well as acting as intermediaries between the foottroops and the Kataphrakts.

Emperor's Children operate in bonded pairs, assigned to them upon reaching maturity and being enlisted in the army. They are encouranged to rely on one another, since they cannot afford to trust anyone else. When being elevated to the position of Kataphrakt, one of the pair must be cast down and either be killed or enslaved by the other. The pair bond is a strength for a child, but an adult must stand alone. The Emperor's Children all answer to a Megalos Adelfos (Big Brother) or Megali Adelfi (Big Sister) - a veteran Emperor's Child, a Kataphrakt who cannot afford a destrier, and is in truth no real Kataphrakt.


The fast majority of the Imperial Legion is made up of conscripted men and women, typically the serfs of each Kataphrakt assigned to a Legion. The more serfs a Kataphrakt contributes, the greater their chances of being elected to lead. Due to the majority of a Kataphrakt's wealth going towards their own equipment, they spend precious little of it on their serfs. As such many are left to procure their own weapons and armour. As a result, most of Luthen's infnatry is a motley mismatch of cheap and shoddy armour, and easily made weapons such as pikes. Some Vlastimiran scholars believed that the foot troops are forced to rely on polearms due to the scarcity of metal in the Empire - the vast majority of it used up by the Kataphrakts. In addition to this, it has long been known that polearms are some of the easiest weapons to use, requiring minimal training and drilling to be used efficiently.

But there is a group within the Guard who are regarded with something akin to respect - the crossbowmen. Once simple soldiers who managed to loot enough valuables to afford the mighty weapons, they are now highly valued professionals much sought after by the Kataphrakts, and not considered as expendable by the Emperor's Children.


The Kingdom of Vlastimir has long known about the existence of magic and the manner in which it can be harnessed for the good of all. However, those capable of wielding magic have always been a minority. No one is exactly sure how magical talent develops in humans. Some exhibit the signs of wielding the talent from birth - others do not realize their power until late in their lives. There seems to be no real rhyme nor reason to who receives the talent. It is not carried through bloodlines (despite the efforts of Vlastimir's nobility), nor is it something that can be trained or induced (as the Luthen have discovered).

In Vlastimir, magic is accepted as part of the natural order of the world, mostly thanks to a long tradition of magic users aiding their communities. These users were known as shamans, and worked their magic through long and complicated rituals. Most often these rituals were tied to supporting the community - influencing the rain to boost harvests, summoning fog to confound raiders, healing sick livestock, and so forth. Most villages strive to host at least one shaman, even in the modern age, so as to become prosperous. However, shamanism has fallen out of favor lately, since it is viewed by the younger generation of mages as "boring" and "unimpressive". These youths are blind to the simple fact that although shaman magic takes a lot of time to cast, it is capable of great power if applied correctly.

Currently, most mages have focused their efforts in a more military direction - seeking to be part of the Pistoleer Order. Pistoleers are combat casters who channel offensive spells through their firearms. These spells are as varied as the elements themselves - some Pistoleers are capable of making ice spray from their pistols, others can attack with beams of sunlight. Some launch balls of flame and a few conjure lightning. Many dream of joining the Pistoleer Order and earning their place in history as a dashing hero, but a few lack the magical aptitude necessary to be considered for the Order's ranks. These few are left to train themselves in whatever way they can manage. Most go on to become minor shamans, but a few never manage to ever harness their potential, simply because there is no precedent for how to use their powers.



Stemming from the Enlightenment age, the Academies of Vlastimir specialize in many things, but all maintain a dedicated magical curriculum for whatever students display the talent for wielding arcane power. In fact, anyone proving themselves capable of magic is granted a full scholarship to the Academy most fitting to their powers - shamans are often sent to the Academies located in the Coastlands, which have always been more focused on trade, commerce and other scholarly pursuits. There, students learn how to best apply their gifts to the benefit of a community, and how it might affect their surroundings. Frequent trips to the Heartlands and Highlands ensure that the shamans grow accustomed to the various locales where they may end up.

The Academies of the Heartlands tend to be more focused around military service, and attract many magicians of a destructive persuasion. The Heartlands have always been the home of cavalry, and all students are expected to learn to ride if they do not already know how to, in addition to all their other studies. All Pistoleers have come from Heartland Academies. Due to their rugged nature, the Highlands have relatively few Academies, and those are all geared towards survival. Many explorers, hunters and scouts learn their trades in the Highland Academies. The Highlands train a mixture of both shamans and combat mages, all specialized in operating in harsher conditions than the rest of the Kingdom's citizens are used to.

The Luthen occupiers have since shut the Academies down, unwilling to police a resentful populace with access to magic. As a result, magic has turned into a clandestine art, taught from master to apprentice in secret in the various villages throughout the Kingdom. Most of these teachers are shamans, imparting what knowledge they can, but there are a few Pistoleers who survived the war as well scattered amongst the three lands.

Races

Humans

The only sentient species to live in Vlastimir and Luthen, humans have always existed in the world. At least, as long as their history stretches. Myths abound of other beings, but these have been mostly dismissed as folklore and superstition. Surely, if such things existed then humans would have encountered them by now?

Griffons

The mighty kings of the skies, rulers of the Carass mountains and symbols of Vlastimir. With the heads, wings and talons of white eagles, and the hindquarters of mountain lions, griffons are majestic though bizarre creatures. They are carnivorous, and on average devour two aurochs a day. Roughly twice the size of a horse, they are powerful and dangerous creatures, requiring careful rearing and training from a young age. However, they form powerful bonds with their riders, though this is more a partnership than master/servant dynamic.


Towering warhorses, the Imperial Destriers are signs of status amongst the Kataphrakts of Luthen. They are muscled and enduring beasts, capable of carrying the heavy scale armour that signifies a Kataphrakt steed, in addition to their fully armed and armored riders. They are hardy animals, capable of living off the stunted grass of the wastelands, and can store water as fat along their flanks. There are several breed of Destrier, of varying qualities and characteristics.

Animals

A wide variety of animals inhabits the lands of Vlastimir - herds of wild horses can be seen roaming the plains, rabbits are a constant pest for farmers who have since domesticated foxes to hunt them. Aurochs have also been domesticated, providing meat and milk to the Kingdom, though their voracious appetite means that their herd sizes have always been small - fields for grazing cannot be used to grow crops after all.

Technology

A result of Vlastimir's Enlightenment, pistols are small copies of the cannons invented by scholars some hundred years previously. Though effective, trebuchets were deemed more cost effective, so cannons never became widespread. Determined to prove that the knowledge used to make them was not spent however, a few scholars continued to study the devices and scale them down, making them cheaper to create and simpler to use.

Eventually, the flintlock pistol came about as a result of their efforts. Not only did these prove to be effective short range weapons, filling the niche between bows and swords, but they also turned out to be wildly popular amongst mages. Pistols were an effective weapon of last resort before resorting to melee, at which point magical capability was useless.

This popularity of the weapon eventually led to the formation of the Pistoleer Order.


The weapons that won the XXth Legion the war, crossbows are simple weapons. Simple to make, simple to use and simple to maintain. unlike bows, they do not require great strength on the part of the weirder to be effective - the strength to propel the bolt through the air comes from the tension generated by winching the bow string back. This means even children can shoot bolts with enough force to punch through most armour.

It is unknown how the crossbow was developed, but it is known to have replaced all bows as the long-ranged weapon of war in Luthen. These days most Luthen town guards carry one of the weapons, making liberal use of them to deal with any trouble makers they come across. Of course, the Vlastimir partisans have managed to acquire a few of their own, and do not hesitate to use them on their founders...

Myths and Legends

Tyrants of the Ground, the Titans were the great monsters that ruled the land, the accidental creators of mankind. They would fight amongst themselves, gouging each other's flesh with their teeth and nails. The pieces of flesh and bone chipped off in these clashes made the first men, who lived in fear of the giants that stalked the land. After many years, an unnamed hero manage to slay one of the Titans and ascended to godhood on the belief of his tribe.

With power absolute, he waged a war on the Titans, challenging each one individually, besting them and imprisoning them beneath mountains and the great ocean.


Tyrants of the Sky, fire breathing reptiles with great leathery wings, dragons are the primeval force of predation. They preyed upon the Titans and each other until the God-Hero ascended. With the numbers of Titans rapidly declining, the mighty dragons surely starved to death, or fell into a deep slumber. Legends speak of how they will one day awake when meat is plentiful across the land once more, and they can feast again.


Those who follow the example of the God-Hero have a chance to ascend to his side - becoming his agents, his avengers. Noble warriors and scholars, angels are said to appear before those who are virtuous, or who are fulfilling a destiny the God-Hero has set them. Of course, there is no actual proof of such things, and people have begun to embrace angels as more abstract concepts, such as inspiration or courage.


As angels celebrate the virtues of heroism, so do the demons revel in the dark side of the same virtues. Pride becomes arrogance, faith becomes blind zeal, purity becomes elitism. Demons themselves are fallen angels, once great heroes who served under the God-Hero until they thought themselves greater and were cast down like the Titans. Unlike the Titans however, the demons were never imprisoned, or so legend states.

They are the cause of misfortune amongst the superstitious, though most people seriously doubt that a sickness in an auroch is the work of a vengeful spirit of an exiled hero of legend.


Just because you are not virtuous does not mean you are not a hero. Part of the holy trinity that also consists of angels and demons, elves are the heroes who upon death were not worthy of becoming angels, but lacked the darkness of spirit that plagued those who became demons. Instead of being cast down amidst the Titans or being elevated to the God-Hero's side, they instead were free to wander the wilderness of the world, battling demons wherever they found them. A task beneath the angels, but one the elves took to with great enthusiasm. Or so it is said. It was once believed that the forests of the Highlands were inhabited with elves, but no one has ever seen anything to prove this.

Flintlock pistols? In Magic: The Gathering? I dunno about that, it seems a bit radical

I really like what little you've posted so far. In particular I kind of love the reversal going on here where you've got two gallant, mystical fighting forces that are both massively overwhelmed militarily by fairly mundane technology. There's something very compelling about that, I think--it's almost a tension between old heroic fantasy and newer more sort of postmodern understandings of fantasy.

I'm excited to see where this is going.

This looks pretty good so far. The one thing I'd like to note early is that you seem to be using "Vlastimir" for the name of both the plane and the kingdom? That would be like calling all of Tarkir, Mardu, or all of Earth, Japan. It's noteworthy here in particular because Vlastimir is acually the smaller of the two civilizations you've shown us, and has actually been conquered by the Luthen Empire.

First, I want to say that this right here:

is brilliant worldbuilding. With just a few words you have painted a very nice picture of the empire as a whole. The "Beliefs" section that you filled in with turns of phrase are likewise brilliant because it adds such a humanizing element to the world, instead of some omnipotent look at it from outside.

I want to mimic Keeper's sentiments that seeing some mighty magical military with more modern arms mastered by the mundane is quite an interesting subversion from the usual, and gives the plane a rather unique twist in two respects: the first of course being the high rarity of what we consider "modern technology" like firearms, and the second being that it was not that influential a force.

On the one hand, I see that Trolljuju does have a point about the naming thing, but on the other I can see that you're making it out like a very small section of the plane is known as inhabited, as what we've seen so far seems to be just a small section of habitable land at the edge of (what I assume are) huge expanses of wasteland. On that note, I'd like to say that I noticed you kind of skirted around the issue of islands in what you have so far, and that's perfectly okay -- but at the same time remember that it's rare (if not impossible) for a natural plane to lack a color of mana, so just because you don't have any islands wouldn't mean that there's no blue mana at all. By the same token, you don't have to balance everything perfectly because, as Arcades is wont to say, "we don't have to worry about selling a balanced card set", so don't feel you need to shoehorn in any race just because you aren't filling some sort of quota. What I'm saying is, you do have to balance the mystical and Magic (with a capital "M") to be believable, but you don't have to spend so much thought as to ensure everything is represented equally.

As an example, one of the more interesting planes in our repertoire is Arbagoth, which was a plane with an abundance of green, such that all of its lands, kingdoms, etc., were defined by all the differing combinations of with other colors.

I guess all that remains is to see where you go with this.

Well...firstly, what nation doesn't like to think it's the centre of the world? Secondly, no actual world exploration has occurred, so the plane has no word for "world". Thirdly, knowledge of this plane would come from the planeswalkers who originated there - all of the Vlastimiran, and ergo biased...

OR maybe I just wasn't able to think of a good name for the whole realm yet

EDIT: Ah Lord Luna! Welcome to my little corner of the Multiverse! The island issue - why can't coastlines be Blue Lands? :S Also, Vlastimirans are very home focused, and make poor explorers. The Empire might know of some isles though...

Luther is actually kinda meant to be the Byzantine Empire in terms of aesthetic - scale armoured Knights with leering gold masks and purple silk clothing etc backed up by lots of City slum dwellers with simple to use weapons, captained by minor nobles seeking to earn enough battlefield loot to purchase the gear necessary to become Knights.

Well, that could work, for sure. I mean, even Jakkard is basically named for the most memorable landmark: the wastland known as "the Jakkard" to natives.

I also now picture some poor scribe in Ravnica writing all these dossiers down, and having to reconcile wildly different stories and reports of planes and beings in the multiverse...

See, this is a funny thought by itself, but then you just basically described Raleris the Lorekeeper, which makes this even MORE funny.

Raleris: Sarkhan did WHAT on Tarkir? Guff preserve me, where's my white-out...

Pfft, ahaha.

Anyway, this is looking good, and I'll also be watching to see where this goes. Worldbuilding is not my forte, exactly, but I'll definitely be reading what you write down.

Damn, I literally was just about to make a joke about Raleris. You beat me to it, Ruwin.

Geography and Beliefs sections are now finished.

Aiming to finish off the Races and History next.

EDIT: Some inspirational images that influenced this plane!

Pistoleers, inheritors of Vlastimir's pride.

A Kataphrakt, lord of Luthen.

A member of the Emperor's Children.

Big Brother is watching.

EDIT 2: MUSIC!

The Theme of Luthen

Colour me impressed, this is some of the tightest worldbuilding I've seen in these forums.

There's little I can say that hasn't already been covered. A particularly interesting thing for me is the rarity of standard non-human races, something only recently being attempted on Innistrad, with the iconics being relegated to myth. The emphasis on gryphons is quite appreciated.

Woo! Thanks for the praise ^_^ Good to know my skills haven't decayed since I last worked

(Dystopian Wars setting - yo!)

Luthen, Technology and Myths sections left to do.

EDIT: Luthen section is done! Only Technology and Myths & Legends left!

FINISHED!

Alright, judge this place!

Alright son! Let's do this!!

... later. What? I had work all weekend.
I did want to give you some confirmation that other people were paying attention, I just have to find a way to wade through all this and give my notes when I do.

So here's my thoughts jotted down quickly in between answer emails from students today

I like the moral ambiguity of the plane. iiiiif that's what you were going for. Because there certainly seems to be a lot of moral ambiguity to the setting--the "heroes" benefited from generations of slave trade and institutional serfdom and further back in history drove southward through raiding the very people who now occupy their land. With that in mind, and given that the slave trade produced the serf class of Vlastimir, I have to wonder how the serf class actually feels about the invasion. How much of a difference does it actually make for them? If all of that is what you're going for, great, I love it, more moral ambiguity and realpolitik in fantasy is fantastic and something I definitely like to see! (It reminds me of what I've heard of Game of Thrones, and stuff like Berserk and Ari Marmell's The Conqueror's Shadow) If not, I think it might be worth taking a step back and analysing the dynamics of the world and the story you want to tell.

By the same token I love that the actual technologies and stuff are often way more tenuous and unworkable than they are made out to be in other settings. We've already remarked collectively on the ineffective Pistoleers and how interesting that is. There seems to be a history of victory not through grand stands or flashy technology but through strategic maneuvering and, to some extent, people foolishly underestimating their opponents. I love all of that.

The elves are... weird. I don't know how I feel about that yet or if I'm sold on it.

I like the story of the Titans and Dragons. That's great stuff.

Not a fan of the word "swarthy." If not racist outright, it's like a term right next to it. I'm also a little concerned about the overall sort of dynamic of the opposition between white heroes and dark skinned highly othered invaders, like I think to some extent the moral ambiguity of the setting shakes that dynamic up a little bit but maybe not as much as it needs to? You're already doing interesting things with ambiguity here; this element could also be pushed further and complicated.

It's weird that this sort of not that important kingdom has the main focus on the plane when it feels like maybe what's happening in the empire is potentially more interesting?

I'm not sure the bonded relationship thing for the Kataphracts makes sense, since like I don't know how well you can form a bonded pair where one is destined to kill the other, unless it's like... uh... well, what Ruwin did recently with his character like that.

This feels like sort of a low magic setting... but as a consequence a low Magic setting, if you catch my drift. I love the aesthetic but worry that it drifts very far from typical Magic plane design. It is sort of a self-contained object. Have Planeswalkers visited here before? What colors of mana do people use?

IN SUMMARY: I like what you have here very much and I'm excited to see what more comes out of this project, but there are a number of things I have reservations about. In short, I am very optimistic about your work but encourage more editing and expansion on what's here.

Well done.

Thank you for your criticism and feedback Let me address your points!

1) Often, I write by...well, I'm not sure how to term it, but I refer to it as 'instinct' - I do not sit down, I do not plan. I just write and see what develops. I hadn't even THOUGHT of the moral ambiguity, but now you've pointed it out, it's a brilliant angle. I did have a rough idea of moral grey area, but not to the extent you've identified. Certianly something to focus on more! Thank you for pointing that out!

2) Technology tends to dominate settings which is kind of weird really. I always found it a bit like - yes, advnaced tech can win you battles, but it cannot win a war. Look at WW2 Germany. They did have the best tech. They lacked anything resembling logistics though. So I took that kind of inspiration in writing up a Kingdom that enjoyed having lots of advnatages that just couldn't amount to much.

...

...alright, I just wanted a justification for gunmages without it overshadowing the setting...

3) Well, they're kinda like folk hero legends? The whole spirits of heros things is a bit Fate/Stay Night inspired, merged with the notion of saints and a bit of ambiguity in terms of divininity. If that makes sense.

4) I was going for the really old kind of creation myths with that. Glad you liked it

5) Oh god, I'm going to go correct that immediately. Also, it's meant to resemble the battles between Europe and the Ottoman Empire, hence the different cultures and ethnicities at war. I should probably add a disclaimer or something that this is written from a Vlastimiran viewpoint >_< So yeah, propaganda abounds. And the Empire has their own legends about creation, divinity, the things that existed once in the world, and the legendary horse-tyrants of the north.

Basically it's the Gondor vs Harad/Rhun/Khand conflict from Lord of the Rings only with the kingdoms not having actual embodiments of good and evil on their side.

6) Well, again, I was working from the viewpoint of a Vlastimiran planeswalker who would talk to others about his land, but be ignorant of the enemy.

7) It's...like the Stepsons in Thieves World? They are meant to develop trust and loyalty, and then betray it to become cold and aloof? And you have to - even if you know what's coming, if you don't trust and rely on your bond-mate, you're likely to die on the battlefield becuase you aren't strong enough to survive yet. It's a cruel and wasteful system that breeds distrust in the longterm and prevents unity. So a shortsighted attmept at preventing organised coups and uprisings.

8) I never considered previous planeswalkers before, except in vague terms. Like the God-Hero actually being a planeswalker who ascended, or one causing the cataclysm that formed the Tempest and Wastelands.

I even toyed with the idea that the Legion are actually refugees, and the Empire ahs been wiped out in some sort of doomsday scenario, and they're playing this massive masquerade to stop the Vlastimirans from rising up.

Ok ok ok so I totally was like "... is there even really an empire?" because there's all these little cues that maybe we don't have the full information so I am super thrilled that I wasn't just imagining things

I love the idea that this is sort of propagandistic. There's a lot of potential there for expansion of the Empire (ha ha OR WHAT'S LEFT OF IT) later on if that's the case. I think it's the first time we've gotten a Planeswalker's Guide here that was sort of definitively written with an unreliable narrator and that intrigues me a lot. It definitely raises questions about who is writing the other guides and how reliable they are. Szat's played with that a little with Morgan of Voor but using a guide as propaganda... that's interesting stuff.

Yeah, I think you've got me hooked here. You could really run with this.

If anything, it works itself into plot - people can take their planeswalker characters and be like - "Hmm, this Empire sounds interesting but mysterious, let's go check it out!" And there's an instant story!

I've added that it's dictated by my Vlastimiran planeswalker Valentyn, and my head-canon for the M:EM is that all the Planeswalker Guides are in that grand library Raleris oversees...

SO! What needs fixing specifically now? Or expanding?

What changes did you make?

The swarthy reference and the author being unreliable hints.

As you suggested.