Order. Honor. Justice.

The next episode of the Battle for Zendikar storyline is here! The people of Zendikar are refugees, scattered by the advance of the Eldrazi. The Planeswalker Gideon feels the responsibility of bringing together this broken army, even after Nissa and Jace have left on their own missions. Check out this week’s story, “The Survivors of Sky Rock” by Kimberly Kreines!

Art by Eric Deschamps

Set after Battle for Zendikar was just revealed! Oath of the Gatewatch!

Jarad had been seeing to the requests and information of several Cilia members. But when he heard Gideon, he dismissed all but the orange hooded man standing behind him.

“Gideon Jura,” he said, nodding. “Thank you for meeting me here. I would have come to you, but it’s hard to draw away from business for too long.”

He stood. “I’m not one to linger on ceremony. Especially with this subject.” He turned to Ezoc. “There is to be no record of this conversation.”

“And that’s good, we don’t need the Legion involved, I agree.” He fell silent for a moment. “She is targeting anyone who helped stop her the first time. I’ve tried to intercept her several times myself, but she remains elusive.”

He wondered if any of the past battalion was even on Ravnica anymore, excluding Melek and Lord Jarad. Chandra was training on Regetha and he hasn’t heard from Poison in weeks. 

Something wasn’t right. Gideon awoke to an unfamiliar light, the flickering of candles. Sitting up, he stared around the empty cave. The wall adjacent to him was carved into, scrolls lining the wall. As the solider stood up, an ache washed over him as his head throbbed. 

“A concussion?” The hieromancer thought to himself, resting his forehead in his palm to ease the pain. He tried remembering where he was, or what he was doing before this but he just drew a blank. A concussion.

“Hello?” he called out, scanning his surroundings. No answer. With no other options, he exited the cave into the sunlight. Suddenly, he was in the midst of magnificent waist-high grass, beautiful green woods and cool gushing springs.  His winced as his sight still hadn’t fully adapted to the morning sun. 

The solider winced in pain at a attempt to nod to the woman in front of him, pressing the tips of his fingers on his forehead. Seeing doubles of the monk and the surroundings, he blinked rapidly and rattled his head faintly.

“I…no. I don’t think so.” he muttered in a graveled tone.

Examining the location, he tried to remember how he got in this situation, where he was, and what knocked him unconscious. The hieromancer slowly swayed to the left, catching himself as his eyes jolted open.

“Can you help me?”

Honestly, he was positive if he wasn’t channeling his magic, he’d be knocked out cold, laying on a bed of grass. Unfortunately, he didn’t have much mana left.

As she saw his stance waver, Narset frowned. She reached out, and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“I can,” she said, as she channeled mana of her own, weaving a simple spell around him. She did not quite have the skill to heal him fully; however, this would hopefully make him feel better. Once her casting was done, the monk took a step back.

“This should make you feel better, temporarily,” she spoke. She walked over to her bag, which she had left leaning against a tree trunk. She checked inside, a small, satisfied smile appearing on her face when she noticed she had enough supplies for them to travel, even a bit beyond the nearest town.

“Yes, I am. I’ve been through worse.” Gideon smiled, his tone somber. He took the chance to survey their surroundings once more, his attention turning to the burnished horizon. “It’s almost dark.” 

A memory flooded back into his mind, that of a red symbol adorning a crimson headband. This was a start, as minor as it was.

Gideon Artwork

She fights with a singular focus: to seek out and destroy the Eldrazi titan responsible for siring the swarms, in order to save Zendikar—her home, her world, her friend. 

Nissa is ready to take on the world-threatening Eldrazi–as long as she maintains her mystical connection to the soul of Zendikar. Check out this week’s Magic story, “The Silent Cry” by Kimberly Kreines, part of the Battle for Zendikar storyline!

Art by Wesley Burt

You’ve read a few Planeswalkers’ origin stories. You read how Gideon has been trying to fight the Eldrazi on Zendikar while recruiting Jace on Ravnica. You read how they were rebuffed by Liliana and how their cause only seemed to anger Chandra. You read how Nissa has found a treasured connection with Zendikar itself.

It’s beginning, folks. The curtains are raised. The Zendikar storyline is here.

The story picks up with Gideon Jura, and already things are not going well for Zendikar. This week’s story is “Slaughter at the Refuge” by James Wyatt!

Art by Aleksi Briclot

Something wasn’t right. Gideon awoke to an unfamiliar light, the flickering of candles. Sitting up, he stared around the empty cave. The wall adjacent to him was carved into, scrolls lining the wall. As the solider stood up, an ache washed over him as his head throbbed. 

“A concussion?” The hieromancer thought to himself, resting his forehead in his palm to ease the pain. He tried remembering where he was, or what he was doing before this but he just drew a blank. A concussion.

“Hello?” he called out, scanning his surroundings. No answer. With no other options, he exited the cave into the sunlight. Suddenly, he was in the midst of magnificent waist-high grass, beautiful green woods and cool gushing springs.  His winced as his sight still hadn’t fully adapted to the morning sun. 

Narset took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. Her gaze swept over the landscape that spread out before her; she took in the faint scent of the grass, and she memorized the patterns on the aged trees’ bark. She then closed her eyes, focusing on soft rustle of leaves and the quiet murmur of the spring’s water.

There was none who would disturb her here; the monk was sure of this. She had already checked the perimeter for any signs of sentient beings, multiple times. She was far from civilization; she was safe from any who would wish her harm. Here, she could study in peace. She could disregard any worries, let it all go–

A voice, coming from somewhere behind her. The woman jolted, then spun around, facing its owner. He seemed to be standing a fair distance away from her, and in front of the entrance of the cave she had been making into her little hideout, too. How had he gotten there, the planeswalker wondered. None of the spells she had weaved around the area had picked anything that would indicate the arrival of another.

She squinted a bit, trying to make out his features. He was tall, and broad, and covered almost from head to toe in elaborate, yet unfamiliar, at least to her, armor. There was something off about his posture; as Narset took a few steps towards him, she wondered if the warrior was wounded, or hurt in some other way.

“Hello,” she replied, as she continued to approach the other. When she finally stopped, she was close enough to see his face clearly, and to come to his aid, should the need arise, yet far enough to be out of the stranger’s personal space.

“I…no. I don’t think so.” he muttered in a graveled tone.

Examining the location, he tried to remember how he got in this situation, where he was, and what knocked him unconscious. The hieromancer slowly swayed to the left, catching himself as his eyes jolted open.

“Can you help me?”

Jarad had been seeing to the requests and information of several Cilia members. But when he heard Gideon, he dismissed all but the orange hooded man standing behind him.

“Gideon Jura,” he said, nodding. “Thank you for meeting me here. I would have come to you, but it’s hard to draw away from business for too long.”

He stood. “I’m not one to linger on ceremony. Especially with this subject.” He turned to Ezoc. “There is to be no record of this conversation.”