We covered the new pathway of multi-plane stories last time for the Magic: the Gathering Lore to head towards New Phyrexia. Now new tales not connected to blocks have appeared, and they give rise to more context from past stories, both shown and perhaps forgotten. This article will showcase what the connections and pathways are, and the next steps the story is taking towards New Phyrexia.
in the Streets of New Capenna story, we learned that Urabrask is seeking revolution against Elesh Norn, and for something on New Capenna, with aid from Tezzeret. Tezzeret recruits Vivian Reid to assist this idea of revolution, and Urabrask has heard of another walker, one that Elesh Norn fears.
"Norn fears her. That is all I know." [stated Urabrask]
And an enemy of Elesh Norn was someone Vivien wanted to know.
-From: The Side of Freedom, SNC side story 3.
At the end of the New Capenna story, Vivian has joined with Elspeth and gained information on how Halo was instrumental to defeating the old Phyrexians on New Capenna - and they both go to return to Ajani on Dominaria, with information on Urabrask.
Now a new story has appeared, "A Garden of Flesh", where Elesh Norn discovers she can have nightmares, induced by the planeswalker Ashiok. And who is Norn's nightmare; Elspeth Tirel! Where previously in life Norn knew no fear or uncertainty! Her dedication to the Machine Orthodoxy leads her to determine, that Elspeth must be destroyed. In this tale, we also learn that Elspeth did encounter Norn briefly, in the time of Scars of Mirrodin.
"And Elesh Norn knew then, with the same amount of conviction with which she worshiped the Machine Orthodoxy, that in order to purge this new emotion she was feeling, this fear and uncertainty, she would need to find the human, Elspeth Tirel, and rid the Multiverse of her."
-From A Garden of Flesh, Magic side story
It is unknown what the goals are for Ashiok, but they did not give aid to Norn in this case, nor were compleated. They had learned of New Phyrexia in the Theros Beyond Death (non)story, when Ashiok sought out and aided Elspeth in her quest to escape the underworld, and found there must be delicious nightmares from monsters who themselves are considered nightmares for others across the multiverse.
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| Images from the Scars of Mirrodin lore comics |
Elspeth, in Scars of Mirrodin, was recruited by Koth, a native of Mirrodin, in the war for New Phyrexia, with Venser. The war went unsuccessfully, and Venser gave his life to free and purify Karn.
Now we see Karn has joined with the Gatewatch, to find a way to defeat Phyrexia. And while Jin Gitaxias has compleated Tamiyo, the Gatewatch has both Sylex and Elspeth to fight with them, and a traitorous Phyrexian Preator to fight Elesh Norn.
The second step has moved forwards, and now we return to Dominaria... United!
(Missed the first step? Read it here!)