The Vorthos Cast

The Story Circle has gathered on this day in June to hear a story from Henn @IWriteRobots, a Theros tale of tragic love between Pavios and Thanasis, two men trapped by fate. "Emonberry Red" by Clayton Kroh is a heart-wrenching tale, and it contains within it heavy content, including depictions of suicide. It also contains within it beauty, longing, love, and loss. Take care when listening. If you'd like to hear more audio stories from Magic's past, please consider supporting us on Patreon at Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast, where $1 a month gets you access to our Discord server, as well as early releases of the podcast! $3 a month gets access to our live listen, where you can hear episodes recorded live!

The Story Circle offers up the delicious tale of Asmoranomardicadaistinaculdacar and her time spent as the executive chef for The Dark Lord Vincent, where she wrote the most famous cookbook in all of Magic history. Looking for a recipe for ogre toes or cubed unicorn? Gather and listen to the story of the "Chef's Surprise" by Sonia Orin Lyris, originally published in the Distant Planes anthology edited by Kathy Ice, released in 1996. If you'd like to hear more audio stories from Magic's past, please consider supporting us on Patreon at Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast, where $1 a month gets you access to our Discord server, as well as early releases of the podcast! $3 a month gets access to our live listen, where you can hear episodes recorded live!

This week, the story circle has gathered to share a tale from Kamigawa's past. Master Dosan shares the parable of Iname, the first kami to create life in the form of the first kami child. A family drama among the spirits of Kamigawa, "Thankless Child" is emblematic of the original Kamigawa block's vignettes, visions into the world through the stories that are told there. Music from the official soundtrack to Kamigawa Neon Dynasty, "The Neon Riverside," by insaneintherain. If you'd like to hear more audio stories from Magic's past, please consider supporting us on Patreon at Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast, where $1 a month gets you access to our Discord server, as well as early releases of the podcast! $3 a month gets access to our live listen, where you can hear episodes recorded live!

Welcome back to the Story Circle, our Magic fiction audio series! Our first Story Circle story for 2025 is "Expeditions to the End of the World" by J. Robert King from the Colors of Magic anthology, read by Jay Annelli. This story begins with Captain Crucias, a mostly reformed pirate running a cruise to the edges of Argoth during the Brothers' War. It's a bit of a tearjerker with some heavy topics, including childhood illness and death, so be prepared to laugh at the start and cry by the end. If you'd like to hear more audio stories from Magic's past, please consider supporting us on Patreon at Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast, where $1 a month gets you access to our Discord server, as well as early releases of the podcast! $3 a month gets access to our live listen, where you can hear episodes recorded live!

Welcome back to the Story Circle, where we share stories from Magic that we believe deserve sharing. This year, we're doing things a little differently. For this first week, you'll hear our intro explaining what's different this time around, as well as some Vorthos news, and then we're jumping right into the story. For this story and future story episodes, we will also be posting the audio of just the story independently, in case folks want to just hear the story. Our first Story Circle story for 2025 is "Expeditions to the End of the World" by J. Robert King. This story begins with Captain Crucias, a mostly reformed pirate running a cruise to the edges of Argoth during the Brothers' War. It's a bit of a tearjerker with some heavy topics, including childhood illness and death, so be prepared to laugh at the start and cry by the end. If you'd like to hear more audio stories from Magic's past, please consider supporting us on Patreon at Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast, where $1 a month gets you access to our Discord server, as well as early releases of the podcast! $3 a month gets access to our live listen, where you can hear episodes recorded live!

Last week we asked you, our lovely listeners, to send us questions about Magic lore and story, and now we're here with our 10th mailbag episode to answer those questions! We got questions ranging from asking about the peculiars of Ixidor's magic to what it means to get brunch in the multiverse, and we answered them to the best of our abilities. Thank you all for your questions! If you'd like to join our Discord server to talk all things Magic, sign up for our Patreon at Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast, where everyone who pledges a dollar or more a month gets access! For $3 a month, you get access to our live listen, where you can hear the show recorded live on Thursday evenings!

It's been a little while since Aetherdrift released, but we've finally caught up with K Arsenault Rivera to talk about the experience of writing the story for Magic's racing set! We talk about the similarities between Aetherdrift and March of the Machine, writing despicable villains, and the importance of the Fast and the Furious films. If you'd like to join our Discord server to talk all things Magic, sign up for our Patreon at Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast, where everyone who pledges a dollar or more a month gets access! For $3 a month, you get access to our live listen, where you can hear the show recorded live on Thursday evenings!

This week we're answering a question that has certainly been on the minds of Vorthosi since Tarkir: Dragonstorm hit the shelves: What even is a dragon? How has Magic created their own concept of dragonkind? We talk the influences behind Magic's dragons, their different morphologies, and a little bit of Dragon Lore. If you'd like to join our Discord server to talk all things Magic, sign up for our Patreon at Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast, where everyone who pledges a dollar or more a month gets access! For $3 a month, you get access to our live listen, where you can hear the show recorded live on Thursday evenings!

It's that time of the set again! We poured over the pages of Tarkir: Dragonstorm cards to find the best stories we could find hidden among the art, mechanics, and flavor texts of the set. If you found any flavor gems of your own and want to share, leave a comment and let us know, or just hop into our Discord and join the conversation with your fellow Vorthosi. If you'd like to join our Discord server to talk all things Magic, sign up for our Patreon at Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast, where everyone who pledges a dollar or more a month gets access! For $3 a month, you get access to our live listen, where you can hear the show recorded live on Thursday evenings!

We're joined this week by the incredible Cassandra Khaw! Cass has written for Magic before Tarkir: Dragonstorm, but this is their first time writing the main set story, to huge success! We talk about returning to writing Magic story after a long break, how they captured fan-favorite characters so perfectly, and how fun it is to make characters suffer. You can read a sneak peak at The Library at Hellebore, Cassandra Khaw's upcoming novel, here: https://torpublishinggroup.com/sneak-peek-for-the-library-at-hellebore/ If you'd like to join our Discord server to talk all things Magic, sign up for our Patreon at Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast, where everyone who pledges a dollar or more a month gets access! For $3 a month, you get access to our live listen, where you can hear the show recorded live on Thursday evenings!

With the stories finished, we can now delve deep into the world of Tarkir as it is now, a world ruled by five clans once more, but very different from both the world before the dragonlords and the world that never was. Each clan's identity has evoled tremendously, so we go deep into the Planeswalker's Guides to give you an overview of who they are, how they work, and what roles they play in the new world of Tarkir. If you'd like to join our Discord server to talk all things Magic, sign up for our Patreon at Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast, where everyone who pledges a dollar or more a month gets access! For $3 a month, you get access to our live listen, where you can hear the show recorded live on Thursday evenings!

It's our final episode covering the stories of Tarkir Dragonstorm, and this time we're wrapping up the side stories! We're talking Sultai, we're talking Temur, and believe it or not we're talking Mardu, too! How do these side stories help tell the overall story of a Tarkir finding its past? Well, with the help of three excellent authors they do it very well! Read "Sultai: Betrayal" by Marcus Terrell Smith - https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/magic-story/tarkir-dragonstorm-sultai-betrayal Read "Mardu: Where Lightning Tells our Story" by Seanan McGuire - https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/magic-story/tarkir-dragonstorm-mardu-where-lightning-tells-our-story Read "Temur: Together Survives the Pack" by K Arsenaul Rivera - https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/magic-story/tarkir-dragonstorm-temur-together-survives-the-pack And Chris' final thought, Dominarian Plowshare - https://dominarianplowshare.substack.com/

We've reached the end of the main story of Tarkir: Dragonstorm, and what an ending it is! Our heroes find something terrible and awesome in the heart of the Meditation Realm, and the actions of our favorite blue mage brings and end to the Dragonstorm Arc. What's next when we blast off into the Edge of Eternities? We don't know yet, but we speculate! If you'd like to join our Discord server to talk all things Magic, sign up for our Patreon at Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast, where everyone who pledges a dollar or more a month gets access! For $3 a month, you get access to our live listen, where you can hear the show recorded live on Thursday evenings!

We continue our discussion and summary of the Tarkir: Dragonstorm story this week with the first two side stories, centered around the lives of the Abzan and the Jeskai, and episodes 4 and 5 of the main story! A lot is happening on Tarkir (and elsewhere) and you won't want to fall behind with this story, which is sure to reshape the multiverse as we know it. If you'd like to join our Discord server to talk all things Magic, sign up for our Patreon at Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast, where everyone who pledges a dollar or more a month gets access! For $3 a month, you get access to our live listen, where you can hear the show recorded live on Thursday evenings!

The story for Tarkir: Dragonstorm has started, and we're jumping right in this week with the first three episodes! We return to the world of Tarkir where the clans have reasserted themselves against a thousand years draconic dominance. But while the clans have achieved independence, not all is peaceful for the world of dragons. Storms are brewing that threaten not only Tarkir, but all of the multiverse. Read the first three episodes of Tarkir: Dragonstorm by Cassandra Khaw for free! https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/magic-story/tarkir-dragonstorm-episode-1-stories-and-their-bones https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/magic-story/tarkir-dragonstorm-episode-2-omens https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/magic-story/tarkir-dragonstorm-episode-3-what-the-past-devours If you'd like to join our Discord server to talk all things Magic, sign up for our Patreon at Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast, where everyone who pledges a dollar or more a month gets access! For $3 a month, you get access to our live listen, where you can hear the show recorded live on Thursday evenings!

Last week we glimpsed a Tarkir that never was, and now we will see what truly became of Tarkir. Five ruling clans of dragons control the plane, with humanoids as little more than servants. But these dragon clans were shaped around the past, and what they share in common with the humanoid clans they once conquered is as fascinating as what they have rejected from the past. If you'd like to join our Discord server to talk all things Magic, sign up for our Patreon at Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast, where everyone who pledges a dollar or more a month gets access! For $3 a month, you get access to our live listen, where you can hear the show recorded live on Thursday evenings!

This week we're existing in a state of being and non-being, living in a canon that is dead, exploring the potentiality of what once was. What I mean is we're talking about the clans of Tarkir as seen in the set Khans of Tarkir, all of which was wiped out of reality by time travel! But these clans give us insight into what the new Tarkir may look like. You can read more about the new world of Tarkir in the planeswalker's guides! The first one is available here: https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/feature/planeswalkers-guide-to-tarkir-dragonstorm-part-1 If you'd like to join our Discord server to talk all things Magic, sign up for our Patreon at Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast, where everyone who pledges a dollar or more a month gets access! For $3 a month, you get access to our live listen, where you can hear the show recorded live on Thursday evenings!

This week we're using data from MTGLore.com to answer the question: What is the most popular Magic story? While it's a very self-selected sample of Magic players, we can glean some insights about what stories are popular with enfranchised readers and see some of the connections between them. If you'd like to join our Discord server to talk all things Magic, sign up for our Patreon at Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast, where everyone who pledges a dollar or more a month gets access! For $3 a month, you get access to our live listen, where you can hear the show recorded live on Thursday evenings!

We're hitting the refreshments stand at the Ghirapur Grand Prix and coming away with a heaping armful of delicious flavor gems! Aetherdrift is a set that goes full speed with racing tropes, but there's more to this set than blue shells and pileups. We talk legends, story spotlights, and cards that really show off the worlds of Avishkar, Muraganda, and Amonkhet! If you'd like to join our Discord server to talk all things Magic, sign up for our Patreon at Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast, where everyone who pledges a dollar or more a month gets access! For $3 a month, you get access to our live listen, where you can hear the show recorded live on Thursday evenings!

We're rapping up our recaps of the Aetherdrift stories this week with the side story, "Like No Other Beast" by Zachary Olson, and the final three episodes of the main story by K Arsenault Rivera. We also share our thoughts about the overall direction of the story, how well the ending came together, and what might be coming with Tarkir: Dragonstorm. As always, reading the story explains the story! We love recapping the events and sharing our thoughts, but the stories are better than we can ever explain them so you should go read them! Like No Other Beast by Zachary Olson: https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/magic-story/aetherdrift-like-no-other-beast Episode 4: Little-Guy Shortcuts - https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/magic-story/aetherdrift-episode-4-little-guy-shortcuts Episode 5: First Over the Line - https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/magic-story/aetherdrift-episode-5-first-over-the-line Episode 6: The Bloodless Revolution - https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/magic-story/aetherdrift-episode-6-the-bloodless-revolution And don't forget to follow us on BlueSky! We are no longer active on the other site. You can get updates when stories and episodes go live: https://bsky.app/profile/thevorthoscast.bsky.social If you'd like to join our Discord server to talk all things Magic, sign up for our Patreon at Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast, where everyone who pledges a dollar or more a month gets access! For $3 a month, you get access to our live listen, where you can hear the show recorded live on Thursday evenings!

This week we're discussing the first half of the Aetherdrift stories: Main set episodes 1 through 3 and the Amonkhet side story, Hour of Restoration. We give a recap of each episode and discuss some of the ways author K Arsenault Rivera's writing captured the feel of a high-speed race while keeping time for the quiet, emotional moments. As always, it's not enough to just listen to story recaps! Go read the story on the Magic Story website to let Wizards know you value free web fiction! Episode 1: The Dashing and the Desperate- https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/magic-story/aetherdrift-episode-1-the-dashing-and-the-desperate Episode 2: Pit Stop - https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/magic-story/aetherdrift-episode-2-pit-stop Episode 3: Go! - https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/magic-story/aetherdrift-episode-3-go Hour of Restoration by Hadeer Elsbai - https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/magic-story/aetherdrift-hour-of-restoration If you'd like to join our Discord server to talk all things Magic, sign up for our Patreon at Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast, where everyone who pledges a dollar or more a month gets access! For $3 a month, you get access to our live listen, where you can hear the show recorded live on Thursday evenings!

This week we return to the desert plane of Amonkhet! The last two times we saw this plane, it was destroyed by Bolas and then destroyed by the Phyrexians, but with two years to recover, the people of the plane have found new gods and new purpose, creating a society where the living and undead stand side by side. We cover the history of the plane, some of its most notable inhabitants, and how things have changed and stayed the same since our last visit! If you'd like to join our Discord server to talk all things Magic, sign up for our Patreon at Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast, where everyone who pledges a dollar or more a month gets access! For $3 a month, you get access to our live listen, where you can hear the show recorded live on Thursday evenings!

This week begins our coverage of the worlds of Aetherdrift, Magic's multiplanar racing set, and where better to start than the starting line: the plane of Avishkar! This new name isn't a new place, though, as the world formerly known as Kaladesh has undergone a lot of change since we last visited it in Aether Revolt. We take you through the history of the plane, talk about the changes that birthed a new and better world, and run through some legendary names you might see on the track or in the stands during Aetherdrift! If you'd like to join our Discord server to talk all things Magic, sign up for our Patreon at Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast, where everyone who pledges a dollar or more a month gets access! For $3 a month, you get access to our live listen, where you can hear the show recorded live on Thursday evenings!

For our last episode of 2024, we have a holiday D&D adventure by Jay! Te'Grimaal (Loreley) and Bob the mailman (Chris) are caught in a Ravnican inn during a snowstorm when some very unusual elves attack. Will they defeat the source of this incursion, or will they be just a couple more names crossed off the naughty list? Thank you for another year of listening to and supporting our podcast! If you'd like to join our Discord server to talk all things Magic, sign up for our Patreon at Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast, where everyone who pledges a dollar or more a month gets access! We're looking forward to a 2025 of racing cars, dragons, and going to space!

With the release of Foundations and inspiration from a recent video by Rhystic Studies about the Seventh Edition core set, we decided we'd look at the entire history of Magic's core sets, from the very first set in Alpha all the way to this year's Foundations, to understand how depicting the lore and story of Magic has changed over 31 years. Watch "The New Iconic" by Rhystic Studies here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtwIj3PnCe8 Thank you all so much for your support over the year! If you'd like to support us with money, you can do that! You still get all the episodes we release even if you don't, but if you do give us $1 a month on Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast, you'll get access to our Discord server, which is a cool place. $3 a month will let you listen to us record the show live on Thursday evenings, which is a very cool thing to do.

We've made it to the end step of the year! Now it's time to cleanup with our thoughts and feelings about all things Vorthos in the year 2024. This year saw murders, cowboys, fluffy little bunnies, and elder demons feasting on our fears. We'll be here in 2025 for a year of racing dragons in space! Thank you all so much for your support over the year! If you'd like to support us with money, you can do that! You still get all the episodes we release even if you don't, but if you do give us $1 a month on Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast, you'll get access to our Discord server, which is a cool place. $3 a month will let you listen to us record the show live on Thursday evenings, which is a very cool thing to do.

It's time for week two of the Flavor Gems of Foundations, and this week it's all legends! There are so many new legendary creatures and new cards for returning legends in Foundations, between the main set and the accompanying products, that we had to dedicate an entire hour long episode to talking about them! And we didn't even cover all of the reprinted legends! If you'd like to support the podcast and get access to our Discord server, you can do so at Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast! Every member at the $1 a month tier gets access to the Discord and early episode releases, and for $3 a month members can listen to us record the show live!

We're getting back to our Foundations with the flavor gems of Foundations! There's five years worth of tasty cards in this set, so we're going to spend two weeks covering all of them we think are worth serving! This week we're covering cards from all of the Foundations products, including the main set, Beginner's Box, Starter Collection, and Jumpstart! Next week we'll cover the legendary cards. If you'd like to support the podcast and get access to our Discord server, you can do so at Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast! Every member at the $1 a month tier gets access to the Discord and early episode releases, and for $3 a month members can listen to us record the show live!

While players experience the Foundations of Magic this weekend, we're returning to the foundations of the House and chatting with Annie Sardelis and Emily Teng from Wizards of the Coast about how their teams built the plane of Duskmourn in the story and cards. We talk about everything from the very inception of an entirely interior plane to the reason why Rooms couldn't be Lands. If you'd like to support the podcast and get access to our Discord server where we're talking all things Duskmourn and looking forward to the announcement of future sets, you can do so at Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast! Every member at the $1 a month tier gets access to the Discord and early episode releases, and for $3 a month members can listen to us record the show live!

This week's episode is a bit different from our usual deep-dives and story summaries. We're tackling one of the biggest questions new fans of Magic might have: What is Magic's story? We want someone who might be encountering Magic through Foundations for the very first time to know what Magic story is, where you can read it, and what to expect from future sets. This is a very high-level overview, so our more experienced listeners may know everything and more that we talk about, but share it with your friends who are opening their first pack of Magic cards and saying "Hey, how do I learn more about this really cool character?" If you'd like to support the podcast and get access to our Discord server where we're talking all things Duskmourn and looking forward to the announcement of future sets, you can do so at Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast! Every member at the $1 a month tier gets access to the Discord and early episode releases, and for $3 a month members can listen to us record the show live!

For Halloween, we've decided to delve into a spooky one-shot adventure set in the halls of Duskmourn! Jay and Brian are joined by a special (returning?) guest as they open some doors and find themselves in a malicious escape room designed by a maniacal clown. Will they make it out alive? Probably! Will they make it out unharmed? Definitely not. If you'd like to support the podcast and get access to our Discord server where we're talking all things Duskmourn and looking forward to the announcement of future sets, you can do so at Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast! Every member at the $1 a month tier gets access to the Discord and early episode releases, and for $3 a month members can listen to us record the show live!

Did you know this year was a special anniversary for Magic? It's the 30th anniversary of the Magic novel line, which began with Magic, the Gathering: Arena (not the digital game client) in 1994. For this episode, we're exploring the history of Magic novels, their rise and fall, and some of the surrounding circumstances that led to the world of web fiction as we know it today. If you'd like to support the podcast and get access to our Discord server where we're talking all things Duskmourn and looking forward to the announcement of future sets, you can do so at Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast! Every member at the $1 a month tier gets access to the Discord and early episode releases, and for $3 a month members can listen to us record the show live!

This week we're joined by the #1 Fan of Jace Beleren, Radley! He's here to talk to us about the enigmatic wielder of mysteries, including delving into some of his current motivations in the story and some larger themes that surround one of Magic's longest running characters. If you don't follow Radley online, you can find him at @SpaceBeleren on Twitter, or follow his Vorthos blog at wielderofmysteries.tumblr.com. Radley's extensive knowledge of Jace means you'll see more of him on the podcast in the future as the narrative moves towards a showdown with the iconic blue planeswalker. If you'd like to support the podcast and get access to our Discord server where we're talking all things Duskmourn and looking forward to the announcement of future sets, you can do so at Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast! Every member at the $1 a month tier gets access to the Discord and early episode releases, and for $3 a month members can listen to us record the show live!

Duskmourn is one giant, flavorful homage to horror movies of the modern age. This week we're diving into our favorite flavor gems of the set, including the very clever designs of the story's main characters and the best references to the horror movies we all love (except for Chris, who is on record for not really loving horror movies). If you'd like to support the podcast and get access to our Discord server where we're talking all things Duskmourn and looking forward to the announcement of future sets, you can do so at Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast! Every member at the $1 a month tier gets access to the Discord and early episode releases, and for $3 a month members can listen to us record the show live!

It's time to welcome Seanan McGuire home to the podcast for another interview to discuss all things Duskmourn. We cover character choices, world building, and influences for this terrifying House. Come step into the parlor, take a seat, and enjoy listening to our conversation. Pay no attention to the way the chair won't let you go... Please go read the Magic story! You can find all episodes of Duskmourn for free at mtgstory.com! Reading the story explains the story. If you'd like to support the podcast and get access to our Discord server where we're talking all things Duskmourn and looking forward to the announcement of future sets, you can do so at Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast! Every member at the $1 a month tier gets access to the Discord and early episode releases, and for $3 a month members can listen to us record the show live! Sometimes you get to see Seanan's cats!

The twisting halls of Duskmourn contain many cautionary tales and grim nightmares, and today we're talking about these side stories that help flesh out the walls of the House. Children born into a world with no dawn or dusk, lost travelers who find no comfort in a moment of respite, elves who can only watch as their world is enclosed in eternal night, and even the miracle of kindness among the monsters that stalk the halls. Please go read Duskmourn's story and side story at https://magic.wizards.com/en/story! The side stories provide a lot of texture to the world and build on the history and themes present in the main story. If you want to support the podcast, you can do so at Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast, where every patron level gets access to our Discord server and early episode releases! For $3 a month, you can listen to us record live! That's even earlier episodes, if you think about it!

We conclude the main story of Duskmourn this week with our heroes coming face to facade with the elder demon of the house, Valgavoth. Do they all escape the House? And if they do escape, at what cost? Also, we discuss what it means for the narrative of Magic to have planeswalkers when there are paths between planes for non-planeswalkers to walk. As always, please click through and read the stories on the Magic Story page, https://magic.wizards.com/en/story ! You can do your part to help support the continuation of free Magic web fiction by simply reading the free Magic web fiction! If you want to support the podcast, you can do so at Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast, where every patron level gets access to our Discord server and early episode releases! For $3 a month, you can listen to us record live! That's even earlier episodes, if you think about it!

We slip once more through the halls of the House this week as our survivors face their greatest fears and terrible monsters. Not all of them do a very good job of surviving these episodes... Duskmourn story can be read for free on the Magic website at magic.wizards.com/en/story and you can find Mira Grant's DVD Extras on Seanan McGuire's blog at seananmcguire.com/blog/. If you like our show, consider subscribing to our Patreon at Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast, where $1 a month gets you access to our Discord server, and $3 a month means you can listen to our show live as we record it! We also post early episode releases on the Patreon when we can, so it's never a bad time to join!

On August 27th, 2014, the first official Magic Story web fiction was published: The Madness of Sarkhan by Jennifer Clarke Wilkes. This story was the first chapter in the Khans of Tarkir story, which would be the first time the main story for a Magic set was published entirely online and for anyone to read it. This year, to mark it's 10th anniversary, The Vorthos Cast has created a mini episode looking back on the history of Magic story, from its early years in the Armada comics to today's story of Duskmourn.

It's time for our journey into the House to begin. The story for Duskmourn gave us a jumpscare with a release a full week earlier than anticipated, so we're going to start our coverage a full week early, too! But we haven't forgotten our promise of worldbuilding details, so every week we will also include a little bit of the Planeswalker Guide for you to keep you comfortable in the reassuring walls of the House. Duskmourn story can be read for free on the Magic website at https://magic.wizards.com/en/story and you can find Mira Grant's DVD Extras on Seanan McGuire's blog at https://seananmcguire.com/blog/. If you like our show, consider subscribing to our Patreon at Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast, where $1 a month gets you access to our Discord server, and $3 a month means you can listen to our show live as we record it! We also post early episode releases on the Patreon when we can, so it's never a bad time to join!

This week we've activated the special interests of Jay and Loreley to talk about horror movies, and specifically how Duskmourn is informed by the rich history of scares on the screen! We're breaking down the big subgenres, the movies you may want to be familiar with, and how they play into the world design of Duskmourn. If you like our show, consider subscribing to our Patreon at Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast, where $1 a month gets you access to our Discord server, and $3 a month means you can listen to our show live as we record it! We also post early episode releases on the Patreon when we can, so it's never a bad time to join!

The world of Bloomburrow is vast, colorful, and furry. This week we're looking at the worldbuilding of this brand new plane, from the landscapes of the valley to the people who inhabit those lands and to the history they all share. If y'all like this kind of worldbuilding episode, let us know! We cover a lot of the basics of the plane in this episode, but you can learn more through the three Planeswalker guides and the five episode story by Valerie Valdes. Or you can just send us an email with your questions and we might address them on future episodes! If you like our show, consider subscribing to our Patreon at Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast, where $1 a month gets you access to our Discord server, and $3 a month means you can listen to our show live as we record it! We also post early episode releases on the Patreon when we can, so it's never a bad time to join!

It's time to dig into the many treats on offer from Bloomburrow! We're talking legends, baguettes, and fistfighting giant pandas on this installment of our flavor gems series! I promise it all makes sense if you listen! If you like our show, consider subscribing to our Patreon at Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast, where $1 a month gets you access to our Discord server, and $3 a month means you can listen to our show live as we record it! We also post early episode releases on the Patreon when we can, so it's never a bad time to join!

We're welcoming back Valerie Valdes this week to talk about her work on writing the Bloomburrow set story! Valerie has been on the show before to talk about writing the story for Lost Caverns of Ixalan, and this week she's back to talk about the very different experience in writing Bloomburrow, including her influences for the story that combines epic quests with wholesome family dynamics. If you like Valerie as much as we do, you can keep abreast of her writings on http://valerievaldes.com/, check out recent release Where Pease is Lost, and look forward to her work in the upcoming anthology Beating Hearts and Battle Axes and her novel coming out next year, Mage You Look! If you like our show, consider subscribing to our Patreon at Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast, where $1 a month gets you access to our Discord server, and $3 a month means you can listen to our show live as we record it! We may begin posting early episode releases on the Patreon when we can, so it's never a bad time to join!

The story of Bloomburrow is only five episodes long, but they're five great episodes and give us a lot to talk about! This week we're wrapping up the set's story and sharing our thoughts on this start of a new arc, the world of Bloomburrow in a wider Magic context, and where things might go from here. You can find all episodes of the Bloomburrow story right now on the Magic website for free! Just go to magic.wizards.com/en/story and read about the most lovable frog since Kermit! If you want to support us and help us keep making this podcast, check out our Patreon at Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast, where $1 a month gets you access to our Discord server, where we're talking all things Bloomburrow right now, and $3 a month lets you listen to us record each episode live, usually on Thursday evenings at 7pm.

We're back from our vacation to start talking all things Bloomburrow story! This week we're covering the first three episodes of the story by Valerie Valdes, what we think about the first glimpse of this new world, and what animalfolk we think the Lorwyn Five and friends would be on this plane! You can find all episodes of the Bloomburrow story right now on the Magic website for free! Just go to https://magic.wizards.com/en/story and read about the most lovable frog since Kermit! If you want to support us and help us keep making this podcast, check out our Patreon at Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast, where $1 a month gets you access to our Discord server, where we're talking all things Bloomburrow right now, and $3 a month lets you listen to us record each episode live, usually on Thursday evenings at 7pm.

Thank you Wizards of the Coast for our free preview cards for Bloomburrow! We're happy to introduce the world to our two all-star uncommons, Mabel's Mettle and Quaketusk Boar! You can find full images of the cards and art on our Twitter at Twitter.com/TheVorthosCast

We have our resident Assassin's Creed expert, Jay Annelli, here to tell us all about the flavor gems of the Universes Beyond: Assassin's Creed set! Who better to tell us the ins and outs of this special booster release than a loremaster who worked on the creative text team for the set and also has a long, documented history as a sociopathic murderer. My lawyers are telling me that I cannot call Jay a sociopathic murderer. I think I heard someone jumping into a haystack outside my house? I should stand on the roof to investigate. If you enjoy our podcast, consider signing up for our Patreon at Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast, where $1 a month gets you access to our Discord community, $3 a month gets you access to our live-listen tier where you can listen to us record the podcast every week, and any amount of money will contribute to our ability to keep the show running! We appreciate all of you, even those who don't subscribe!

We've made it to 300 episodes, and to thank you, our dear listeners, we're answering your questions! We've got the full roster of co-hosts to answer the hard-hitting questions, like "Does Bolas know about the Fomori?" and "What's Kellan's fursona?" Seriously, though, thank all of you so much for your years of support, all the way to 300 episodes! We love making this show, but we wouldn't do it without you. So please share our show with your friends and get them reading Magic story along with you and us. If you want to support us financially for the next 300 episodes, you can do that on Patreon at Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast, but you don't have to! We'll still appreciate you all the same. But by supporting, you can get into our Discord server, just $1 a month, where the coolest Vorthoses from around the world hang out and ask us all sorts of questions all the time. You can be one of them!

Thank you to Wizards of the Coast for our free preview card for Universes Beyond: Assassin's Creed! This is a deep cut character from the lore, so of course Jay had a lot to say about him!

It's our Pride special! This week we're talking about queer characters in Magic story, where you can read more about them, and how Wizards of the Coast has done with representation in their stories and cards. Things get real gay. If you want to support the podcast, you can sign up to our Patreon at Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast, where $1 a month provides access to our Discord server, where Vorthoses from around the world are talking all about Magic story and upcoming releases Bloomburrow and Duskmourn! For $3 a month, your support gets you into our live listen, where you can hear us record live!