Marble and Ash
Designed, not builtStone. Hard to kill, and happy to win on the last turn.
Planned, but not built yet. There is no date for it.
How it plays
Defensively. Everything in it is expensive to remove, and a battle that runs out of turns is won by the defender, so it does not need to be fast.
Its deck master takes a point off every hit, which is strong against a lot of small attackers and weak against one big one.
- Layer:
- Stone, antiquity and myth
- Plays like:
- Defensive control, defence, removal
- Teaches:
- Guard and how it scales, defence, Reach, conditional removal
- An invitation to:
- Classical and mythological figures, sculpture
- Rarity:
- 9 Standard, 5 Rare, 1 Epic across 15 cards, plus a Rare deck master
The deck master
A living stone woman abandoned halfway through her carving, still attached to the block below her waist. Her remaining stone gives her a stubborn reserve of protection whenever her outer surface is chipped away. She would like to find the sculptor, although mobility has become an obvious obstacle to customer satisfaction.
Printed, by CathryneDelamort. Click the artwork for its details.
The 15 cards, two copies of each
- Votive FigureStandard
A little clay woman left as an offering at a shrine, now quite prepared to defend herself. Her small, solid body tolerates rough handling better than its size suggests. Picking her up to demonstrate how harmless she is gives her convenient access to the soft parts of your hand.
Printed, by CathryneDelamort. Click the artwork for its details.
- Grave-Ash AcolyteStandard
A junior attendant entrusted with carrying ashes and tending the places where the dead are remembered. She takes the work seriously, partly because a dropped dish can turn a respectful ceremony into a frantic argument over whose grandmother is on the floor. Please give her room.
Printed, by CathryneDelamort. Click the artwork for its details.
- Step WardenStandard
This stone guardian controls access to a temple from the stairs themselves. She is compact, durable, and quite comfortable making an impatient visitor wait. Stepping over her sounds reasonable until you remember that you’re lifting one leg beside a woman who has both hands free.
Printed, by CathryneDelamort. Click the artwork for its details.
- The MournerStandard
A veiled keeper of funeral rites who tends the dead and lends strength to those left behind. Her own death releases a final measure of healing to the leader she served. Even at her funeral she is doing something useful, which is going to make the rest of the mourners look terrible.
Printed, by CathryneDelamort. Click the artwork for its details.
- The OracleStandard
Visions give this prophet glimpses of what is coming and the information her companions need to face it. Receiving the answer can be uncomfortable when she clearly knows what you were hoping to hear. Asking again in different words only adds your stupidity to the list of things she has correctly predicted.
Printed, by CathryneDelamort. Click the artwork for its details.
- CaryatidRare
A living architectural support strong enough to hold up a roof and tall enough to reach airborne intruders. She protects the space beneath her while keeping one arm available for interruptions. Birds are accustomed to statues accepting a great deal of disrespect, and the correction can be abrupt.
Printed, by CathryneDelamort. Click the artwork for its details.
- The FuryRare
A furious woman wreathed in ash who throws herself into a fight before her opponents have properly assembled. She concentrates on reaching someone and making immediate physical contact. Anyone planning a speech about their superior position should deliver the short version while their teeth are still arranged for talking.
Printed, by CathryneDelamort. Click the artwork for its details.
- Ash-Choked SibylStandard
A prophet who continues delivering her warnings through a throat full of ash. Her arrival brings a violent burst of the same choking destruction she foretold. She would probably be less irritating about having predicted this if people would stop interrupting her to cough.
Printed, by CathryneDelamort. Click the artwork for its details.
- Mausoleum ColossusStandard
A massive funerary statue built to stand between the dead and unwelcome visitors. Her stone body can endure a remarkable amount of punishment while she keeps the entrance blocked. Grave robbers often complain that the occupants no longer need their valuables, an argument she appears equally willing to apply to the robbers.
Printed, by CathryneDelamort. Click the artwork for its details.
- Shore UpStandard
Fresh mortar is packed into damaged stonework to strengthen it against further blows. It is practical, hurried work, usually performed while someone nearby continues trying to create more cracks. The repairer would appreciate a brief pause in the destruction, although nobody ever seems to respect the wet mortar.
Printed, by CathryneDelamort. Click the artwork for its details.
- InscriptionRare
Protective lettering is cut into stone, strengthening its bearer while preserving knowledge for those who can read it. Every mark has to be made carefully with a chisel. Discovering a spelling error halfway through is an excellent test of whether the craftswoman actually believes all that writing about patience.
Printed, by CathryneDelamort. Click the artwork for its details.
- PetrifyRare
A powerful attacker turns to stone, stopping whatever impressive act of violence they were about to perform. Their strength becomes largely irrelevant once it belongs to a statue. They may still look intimidating, but birds are very good at identifying when an opportunity has opened up.
Printed, by CathryneDelamort. Click the artwork for its details.
- The Ash FallsRare
Hot ash sweeps across the enemy, filling the air and settling into every exposed opening. It burns, chokes, and makes organised resistance difficult to distinguish from people trying to clean their faces. Shouting instructions mostly gives the ash somewhere else to go.
Printed, by CathryneDelamort. Click the artwork for its details.
- Marble MantleRare
A shawl carved from solid marble, made to protect its wearer with the simple approach of putting a great deal of stone in the way. The folds are decorative. Anyone expecting them to bend is about to receive a very thorough introduction to the difference between sculpture and tailoring.
Printed, by CathryneDelamort. Click the artwork for its details.
- The Weathered ColonnadeEpic
Rain running over these ruined columns slowly repairs damaged stone and strengthens those sheltering among them. Injured defenders return here to recover under what remains of the old structure. The roof is still missing, so anyone expecting comfortable accommodation has confused “restorative” with “dry.”
Printed, by CathryneDelamort. Click the artwork for its details.