March 2, 2024

Vox Maxima Gallery 2: The Kraivh Empire

The world is broken; wounded, and one in seven in the entire empire expunged. A billion are missing and amongst them were workers, guards, scholars — and those missing people have left a wound across the entire world. Thankfully, the strong leadership, the head of the Kraivh Assembly, have been able to hold the institutions of the world strong in this great, yawning disappearance.

The armies of the Kraivh defend the borders. The Osteotheruges pick through the graves and memorials, trying to find the truth that has been lost. And even Emperor Kraivh, The Eternal Undying himself has assigned his closest blood to the quest of solving the great question, beginning the quest meant to solve that mystery, and in the process, bring back a satisfactory answer to be spoken in in the Vox Maxima.

Vox Maxima is a custom magic set created by Talen Lee. It’s composed of 187 cards, with 71 commons, 60 uncommons, 41 rares, and 15 mythic rares. Vox Decima is a custom Magic: The Gathering set, with at least one card spoiled a day, on Cohost, Kind.Social, and the r/custommagic subreddit.

WOTC Employees: This post in full presents unsolicited custom Magic: The Gathering card designs, which I understand current employee practices forbid you from looking at unsolicited. You shouldn’t be here!

And now, the gallery of cards:

"Armed Bones W Enchantment — Aura Enchant Equipment When Armed Bones enters the battlefield, amass Skeletons 2. Enchanted equipment has equip 1. Imperial citizens no longer need to even touch the weapons of the earlier age, grateful for freedom from war."
"Calcified Defenses 2W Instant Destroy target attacking creature. Amass Skeletons 1. (Put a +1/+1 counter on an Army you control. It’s also a Skeleton. If you don’t control an Army, create a 0/0 black Skeleton Army creature token first.) Not even the Assembly’s victims go to waste."
"Cazas II, Sinless Sun 4WW Legendary Creature — Human Angel This spell costs X less to cast, where X is the greatest power of an Army creature you control. Flying Cazas II gets +1/+1 for each counter on Army creatures you control. 3/6 ---Other Side--- The Greatest Sin BR Enchantment — Saga I - Destroy target creature or planeswalker II - Pay X. The Greatest Sin deals X damage to each non-Skeleton creature. III - Exile all graveyards. "
"Cryptic Armaments 2W Sorcery Amass Skeletons X, where X is the number of equipment you control. Then attach those equipment to an Army creature you control. (Put X +1/+1 counter on an Army you control. It’s also a Skeleton. If you don’t control an Army, create a 0/0 black Skeleton Army creature token first.) The Kraivh do war with yesterday’s arms."
"Dead’s Respect XW Sorcery X target opponents skip their next combat step. Then if BR was spent to cast this spell, amass Skeletons X. (Put X +1/+1 counter on an Army you control. It’s also a Skeleton. If you don’t control an Army, create a 0/0 black Skeleton Army creature token first.) Some of the billion were found silent and waiting, as if life was snatched away instantly."
"Grasping Osteothurge 3BB Creature — Human Warlock At the beginning of your end step, each opponent loses X life and you gain X life, where X is the number of spells you cast this turn. The tendrils of agony that an osteotheurge suffers reach into such ancient histories. 3/3"
"Osteotheurge’s Wings B Enchantment — Aura Enchant Army you control Enchanted Army has lifelink and flying. Whenever enchanted Army attacks, amass Skeletons 2. “Oh come on, how hard can it be to make wings at this scale? We have the parts.”"
"Trepannation Invitation 2BB Sorcery Each player discards two cards. Amass 1 for each land card discarded this way. (Put a +1/+1f counter on an Army you control. If you don’t control one, create a 0/0 black Zombie Army creature token first.) Imperial donation is a kind of optional."
"Civilisation’s Grave 1R Enchantment Whenever one or more a land cards are put into a graveyard from anywhere, amass Skeletons 1. (Put a +1/+1 counter on an Army you control. It’s also a Skeleton. If you don’t control an Army, create a 0/0 black Skeleton Army creature token first.) Their bones outlast their cities."
"Foundation of Bone 3R Sorcery Amass Skeletons X, where X is twice the number of nonbasic lands your opponents control. Put a trample counter on an Army you control. (To amass Skeletons X, put X counters on an Army you control. It’s also a Skeleton. If you don’t control an Army, create a 0/0 black Skeleton Army creature token first.) The Empire is built on many, many backs."
"Knucklebone Scrapper BR Creature — Kithkin Wizard At the beginning of your upkeep, you may sacrifice a nontoken creature. When you do, amass Skeletons 2. (Put two +1/+1 counter on an Army you control. It’s also a Skeleton. If you don’t control an Army, create a 0/0 black Skeleton Army creature token first.) “No small arts!” 2/2"
"Rudel III, Kraivh Vocate BBRR Legendary Creature — Vampire Warrior Eminence—At the beginning of your upkeep, if Rudel III is in the command zone or on the battlefield, you lose 3 life and draw a card. You can’t win the game this turn. (Other players can still lose the game.) “Our life is embracing death.” 4/2"
"Sanguine Motivator 1BR Creature — Vampire Warlock Lifelink, haste At the beginning of combat on your turn, if one or more +1/+1 counters were put on one or more a creatures you control this turn, put an additional +1/+1 counter on one of them. That creature gains haste until end of turn. Where bones stand, blood outs. 3/1"
"Stirrup Rattler BR Creature — Skeleton Scout Snake Whenever Stirrup Rattler or an Army you control deals combat damage to a player, that player discards a card. Notable to the Kraivh is the refusal to use any non-human bones. It invites creativity. 2/2"
"Cremain Bazaar 1WB Enchantment At the beginning of each opponent’s upkeep if that player controls no Army creatures, you and that player each amass Skeletons 1. For the Empire, the dust of the billion dead is still a valuable magical tool — and that value makes it a currency."
"Kraivh IV, Ynvei’s Daughter 1WB Legendary Creature — Human Angel Cleric Flying Other creatures you control get +1/+0 for each tear counter you have. At the beginning of each end step, if one or more permanents you control left the battlefield this turn, you get a tear counter. “I’m sure we can make this right.” 1/3"
"Kraivh’s Reluminant 1WB Creature — Angel Horror Flying 2W/B, Exile Kraivh’s Reluminant from your graveyard: Amass Skeletons 2. (Put two +1/+1 counter on an Army you control. It’s also a Skeleton. If you don’t control an Army, create a 0/0 black Skeleton Army creature token first.) Angelic grace, rendered in human. 2/2"
"Sagittal Innovator WB Creature — Human Warlock Lifelink, deathtouch When Sagittal Innovator enters the battlefield, each opponent exiles a card from their hand until Sagittal Innovator leaves the battlefield. “The skull houses the brain, and the brain guides the soul, you see?” 1/1"
"Cremain Trader RW Creature — Human Warrior Cleric Players can’t sacrifice Treasures. No amount of gold, jewels or coin ever buys one moment more of life. The Assembly’s currency isn’t so limited. 2/2"
"Formation Breaker RW Creature — Human Knight Scout Trample As long as Formation Breaker is attacking, creature tokens you control have trample. “The way out is through! For the Emperor, he be loved!” 2/2"
"Least Equivalent 1RW Creature — Human When Least Equivalent enters the battlefield, exchange control of it with target nonland permanent. When you do, sacrifice that permanent. A body is a body, and to the Assembly, therefore sacred. 2/2"
"Shaking Bones 3RW Instant Amass X, where X is the number of tapped creatures you control. (Put X +1/+1 counter on an Army you control. It’s also a Skeleton. If you don’t control an Army, create a 0/0 black Skeleton Army creature token first.) The Kraivh’s bones remember."
"Aszyt’s Rebuttal 4RWB Legendary Creature — Dragon Flying, trample Whenever another player attacks one of your opponents, you and those players secretly vote for another creature, then those votes are revealed. Destroy each creature that got the most votes or is tied for the most votes. The Assembly responded to the claim of Aszyt’s dominance of monsters. 7/7"
"Battlefield Post RWB Instant Choose up to one creature card and up to one equipment card in your graveyard with total mana value 3 or less and put them onto the battlefield. Attach that equipment to that creature. That creature gains haste until end of turn. The Kraivh bring peace, eventually."
"Cleansing Exchange 4RWB Sorcery This spell costs 4 less if a creature you control died this turn. Exile target nonland permanent. “Life for life, bones for bones, end for end. It’s incredibly fair.”"
"Cruel Trade RWB Enchantment RWB, Sacrifice a creature: Return target creature card from your graveyard to your hand. You gain life equal to its toughness. It deals damage equal to its power to up to one target creature. The world is fair, teaches the Assembly. Life and death can be measured and distributed."
"Gwynn XI, Kraivh Eternist 2RWB Legendary Creature — Human Angel Knight Flying When Gwynn XI dies, put it on top of your library, then destroy all creatures with mana value 3 or less. “Some of you may end, but your part in the Assembly will endure.” 2/2"
"Jatku II, Kraivh Marshall 1RWB Legendary Creature — Vampire Knight First strike, deathtouch, vigilance At the beginning of each end step, amass Skeletons X, where X is the number of creatures that died this turn. “My mother sought a perfect army — I am fulfilling her dream.” 1/4"
"Ossolith Excavation 3RWB Sorcery Amass Skeletons 5. (Put five +1/+1 counter on an Army you control. It’s also a Skeleton. If you don’t control an Army, create a 0/0 black Skeleton Army creature token first.) The Kraivh scouts seek out vast graves — ---Other Side--- Yawning Yard T: Add C 3, T: Add RWB — in both number of buried and their size."

The Empire being what it is, is organised and regulated, and every source of power and authority within it owns some of that Imperial Blood to it; important figures like Rudel III, Gywnn XI, and Aszyt’s Rebuttal stand on the borders of the Empire, opposing those factions that seek to encroach on the stability the empire offers. In the empire, the use of skeleton servants has successfully met the needs of the missing billion people, and also means that most citizens that aren’t necromancers don’t need to care about the works or will of the military at all. This is a necropolity, a space where the ruling power is directly fed into the necromancers who control access to life and death. People are healed, even from death, and cared for by the great machinery of the Empire. Even the dead can contribute to the Empire, where bones are valued, and the Emperor (be he loved) stands at the head offering everyone stability in this time of strange missing memories. Nobody remembers him taking power, but the empire is there and with his immense responsibility upon him, he has dedicatd effort to ensuring everyone has

These cards represent (mostly) the cards relevant to the Kraivh Assembly, the church worshipping the Necromantic god-emperor Kraivh, who holds the world together despite the loss of a billion lives. He is the Vox Maxima, and they speak with his voice. The Assembly is its top echelon – the necromancers (osteotheurges) that the world leans on. It’s notable how the aesthetics of necromancer valued here; skeletons are treated as proper and clean forms of necromancy, but zombies? You won’t find a zombie in the Kraivh Assembly. No, that’s untidy.

What these cards are trying to present, in world building and mechanical terms, is the idea of a massive, ponderous, institutionally supported empire. There are people who operate within that empire, there are individuals who are given power, but also that power is represented as being dynastic, and interconnected, and ultimately hierarchal. The Kraivh faction in its core is composed of a sense of religious order (white), a sense of emotional need to survive (red), and a willingness to do anything to survive (black). Ultimately, the entire Empire is built like a Platonic philosopher-king perspective; the empire is the artwork of a powerful individual, driven and focused on expressing himself, in the form of his empire, where art and poetry and infrastructure and contribution are all highly valued. Still, the emperor’s ego is overwhelming. There are parts of the Empire that are guarded by and respond to things that he specifically thinks of as his against his ego. Which makes sense, I mean he’s a god-emperor of a skeleton army.

This also introduces a card that’s going to be part of a cycle, with Cazas II. She is one of a small number of cards in the set with no flavour text, and whose card is meant to represent a character who exists in this world, is okay with her place in it, but in the course of the story learns about some event, something that was kept hidden, represented by engaging with the saga. This is a card made for commander, with the ability to be played or replayed as conveniently. In Cazas II’s case, she is a member of the ‘core group’ that works together to pursue the story with Niamh, along with her other sisters, and Cazas is the one who, in the course of the story learns about the event known as the Greatest Sin.

The Greatest Sin, as it might not surprise you, was a mass human casualty event in which the Emperor used for some purpose that related to the empire. But of course, knowing about this, finding the proof of this, is not necessarily the same thing as working out what it means, or how she’d react because of it. And it’s important, Cazas is a white character who has a red-black strain to her – so she may be accepting of the greater good that the Emperor follows, or using the religion of the Emperor as her guidance here.

Some specific card notes:

  • Cruel Trade is an engine card inspired by Malevolent Awakening. I like when there’s an uncommon engine card,
  • I do think that some cards like Cleansing Exchange can be printed at common. I don’t like staple removal being rare, so I tried to design a version that could be non-disruptive for common environments.
  • The wording on battlefield post feels, to me, hard to parse – the vibe is that you can get a creature and an equipment, if their total mana value together is 3.
  • I only just now realise that there’s multiple instances of simple treasure hate. Weird.
  • Rudel III is our second Eminence character. This is a really specific idea, the notion of what can a suicide aggro deck look like in commander? The aim was to make a character whose whole thing was to make it so that this card wasn’t just an automatic combo option, and so, the deck he fuels has to be able to win the game through making all other players lose. The wording is specific: ‘you can’t win the game’ means ‘you win the game’ effects don’t work. You still win the game if you’re the only player left – other players can still lose.
  • ‘Cremains’ is a real word, it’s the term used for the leftover ash and bone fragments from when a body is burned.
  • Kraivh IV represents the challenge with naming and name length. She even has had to have her counter type changed just to make the name shorter!