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Back again!
Welcome back, everyone! Last time, we voted on the source of the nightmares for our dream world, the gender of our sleeping Planeswalker, and a flavorful name for our favorite race of flying ocean mammal. The votes have been tallied, so allow me to present to you all the final result.
The Sleeper’s Gender
We voted on the gender of our sleeping Planeswalker, and female won!
A Name for the Flying Whales
We have decided to name our flying Whales Tohor?, which is the Maori word for a whale, and that will be how we refer to these majestic creatures from here on out. I think this is a great choice. Well done, community!
Source of the Nightmares
Finally, we voted on the source of the nightmares plaguing our world. The community has spoken, and this is the decision we came up with:
All of these updates have been added to our growing Live Google Doc, tracking all of our decisions for the world we are creating. If you have not checked it out yet, I urge you to look it over.
Humanoids Make a Home
A few weeks ago, I asked you all to submit ideas for humanoid races that inhabit our world. This week, I would like to look at the possible choices we have from those submissions and vote on what you all think should be some of the humanoid creatures for each color. Now, before we begin, I have a quick disclaimer:
Now, again, as a quick refresher on humanoid races, let’s take a look at the five most commonly used humanoid races in Magic:
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Humans, Merfolk, Vampires, Goblins, and Elves: Those five races are the go-to races for most planes, but this plane is definitely not like most planes. This is a world of dreams and deadly nightmares. Our humanoids are bound to be a little bit more . . . unique. Let’s get started, shall we?
White
Satyr
Original image found here
Did anyone ever tell you as a child to count sheep in order to help you fall asleep? These Satyrs are a predominantly white race, secondary in green, and they have a look that is inspired by sheep, with thick, white wool and curling, ram-like horns. The Satyrs are fierce warriors living along the plains of the dream in tight warrior clans. Master hunters and skilled warriors, the Satyr will stop at nothing to protect the lands they call home.
Humans
Original image found here
The Humans of the dream are nomadic herders and shepherds of the many multitudes of dream-sheep that can be found throughout the plane. The Humans take great care of their flocks, using the sheep for wool, milk, and cheese. They use their discarded horns as talismans and accents on their weapons and armor. However, they will under no circumstances kill or eat one from their flock. To do so is considered a great offense on the level of cannibalism. There are dark rumors of a small sect of Humans who have begun sacrificing select members of their flock in profane arcane rituals.
Dwarves
Original image found here
The Dwarves are an ancient race said to have constructed the landmasses of the plane out of the dream itself. Taking up the role as master crafters and caretakers of the plane, the Dwarves of the dream world live in massive stonework fortresses. From an early age, the Dwarves learn to work the malleable lands of the dream into fantastic structures and exquisite works of art. With the arrival of the nightmares, some Dwarves have begun taking pilgrimages to find areas of the dream world that may have been damaged by the rampaging monsters. Once a damaged area is discovered, the Dwarves will set up a small camp and work tirelessly to repair the corrupted lands.
Vote
[poll id="412"]
Blue
Merfolk
Original image found here
The Merfolk can be found inhabiting the strange, floating seas and massive, winding sky-rivers of the dream world. Once a great and powerful nation, the Merfolk have since been scattered from their ancestral homes. Their once-great civilization was hit hardest by the nightmare attack, leaving the Merfolk scattered among the raging waters of the plane. There exists rumor whispered from mer to mer of a young warrior who is rallying troops to fight alongside her in an attempt to retake the lost Merfolk kingdom.
Faerie
Original image found here
The Faeries of the dream are a dark and mysterious race (secondary in black). The Faeries are malevolent tricksters flying throughout the dream, playing pranks on the other inhabitants of the world. It is rumored that each Faerie is a representation of a childhood memory of the dreamer, ranging from happy memories playing children’s games to dark fears experienced by the dreamer as she was growing up.
Homunculi
Original image found here
The Homunculi of the dream world are a strange race wrapped in mystery. As far as anyone knows for certain, the Homunculi are as old as the dream itself. The Homunculi have no mouths, and it is assumed by many that they are only able to communicate telepathically and only with other Homunculi. The small creatures are found living around the great fortress, a gigantic black tower of dream stone in the center of a small island of the dream world. It is rumored that a powerful mage lives within the tower, though none have ever seen such a mage. The Homunculi constantly work on the tower and its surrounding defenses, building wall after wall, apparently preparing for something. Some believe the Homunculi have been preparing for the invasion of the nightmare hoards, tirelessly fortifying the fortress of their supposed master.
Vote
[poll id="413"]
Black
Zombies
Original image found here
Zombies found on this plane are different than Zombies of other worlds. These dark creatures are recycled dreams, old memories that have become tattered and taken on lives of their own. Abstract in appearance, these twisted creatures have a bloated and sickly look about them, often appearing wrapped in tattered cloaks of black cloth. Tortured and deformed creatures, the Zombies are aggressive to all who are unlucky enough to encounter them on the plane.
Imps
Original image found here
The Imps of the plane embody all of the dark aspect of social behaviors found in humanoid societies. Masters of psychological torture, the Imps will not stop taunting and ridiculing even members of their own race. The Imps believe that the only way for them to feel happiness is by causing another creature to experience sadness, and their ancient form of magic is based on feeding on the negative emotions they are able to evoke in their enemies.
Kenku
Original image found here
The kenku are a race of ravenlike humanoids living in small clans in the swamps of the dream world. Each kenku clan is bound to a powerful Nightstalker, wielding dark magics granted from the evil creature. At the head of the clan is the blackwitch, the most powerful witch of the clan and the only being allowed to directly interact with the clan’s Nightstalker. There is one dark clan rumored to have taken on one of the spawned nightmares as their patron instead of the more typical Nightstalker, and that the clan has been found wielding a dark form of nightmare magic resulting from their bond with the creature.
Vote
[poll id="414"]
Red
Devils
Original image found here
The Devils are found living in a deep, magma-filled case within the mountains of the dream. Each Devil on the plane represents one of the sins committed by the sleeping Planeswalker throughout her life. Unpleasant, hateful little creatures, the Devils enjoy nothing more than causing mayhem and destruction wherever they go. Some more powerful Devils are capable of wielding a special form of magic that manifests itself as a form of the sin that created the Devil in the first place.
Sand People
Original image found here
Living a harsh life among the Dreamsand Dunes of the plane, the sand people are a quiet and secluded race. The sand people are found predominantly in dune-covered areas immediately surrounding the great fortress they call home. At the center of the fortress is a gigantic hourglass. In ages past, the sand people were known as the timekeepers, continuously turning the hourglass whenever the last grain of sand fell. It is believed that if sand is not continuously moving through the hourglass, disaster will befall the plane. Recently, it was noticed that the level of sand inside the hourglass has begun to mysteriously decline at an increasing rate. In order to keep sand flowing through the hourglass, the sand people have begun to continuously refill the great time keeper with sand from the surrounding dunes.
Goblins
Original image found here
The Goblins are fierce and destructive creatures of the dream world. Few Goblins know their origins, and even fewer Goblins care to know them. They live as embodiments of pure emotion on the dream world, experiencing life in the present and only the present. The Goblins are driven by the emotions they experience during their short lives on the dream world. It is believed that the Goblins feel emotions on a scale greater than any other being on the plane. Whether that emotion is rage, love, or something in between is usually unknown to all but the Goblin feeling it.
Vote
[poll id="415"]
Green
Elves
Original image found here
The Elves of the dream world are fierce and dangerous, protecting their dreampod groves at all costs. There is little known about the Elves, as few have encountered these fierce creatures outside of the forests on the plane. Those unfortunate enough to encounter them within the dreampod groves on the plane usually do not live to tell the tale, thus enabling the race to continue an existence shrouded in mystery. It is rumored that the Elves are conducting experiments within their groves, attempting to grow a new race of creatures from the forest itself.
Dryad
Original image found here
The Dryads of the plane are guardians of the natural world, often found traveling alone across the lands of the dream. Each Dryad is tasked with protecting the dream from anyone or anything that would threaten the existence of the plane. Recently, the Dryads have been seen locked in fierce battles with the nightmares that have begun to emerge from the bowels of the world.
Wylnaga
Original image found here
The wylnaga are a secretive race wrapped mystery. It is believed by many that the wylnaga were the first race to traverse the face of the world. Created by the dreamer, the wylnaga were created to help carve out and protect the rivers, valleys, and dunes of the land. Wylnaga are known to inhabit small groves along the rivers of the dream world. Creatures that have humanoid upper bodies and the lower halves of a great, scaled snakes, the wylnaga are formidable creatures feared by most other inhabitants of the plane.
Vote
[poll id="416"]
A Name to Call Home
Our plane is coming along beautifully, and it is beginning to become a fleshed-out world filled with wondrous landscapes and intriguing creatures. This week, I would like all of you to submit ideas for a name to call the dream world as well as a tagline to describe the world. The name can be any evocative world you think would best encapsulate the plane we have been creating together. The tagline should be a short sentence that can be used to describe our world. For example, Innistrad’s tagline was, "Horror Lurks Within," as a way to hint at the block inspired by top-down, gothic-horror tropes.
As always, a big thank you so much to everyone who has been involved in this project so far. The content we are generating is more than I could have hoped for, and I am looking forward to seeing the results of these polls as we create this world together.
-Ant
