Meta-Flavor: Relic Seeker/Renowned
Relic Seeker is a valiant soldier, but which relic are they seeking? Which Soldier has found what they were sent to find? Letās dive in deep
The card is a 2/2 Human Soldier for 1W, the same base stats as Glory Seeker. They have Renown, which Iāll delve into in a minute, but for now lets focus on the last ability. When they become renowned, you search for an equipment and put it into your hand.
So we know they are seeking an equipment for the glory and honor of whoever sent them on their quest. On Zendikar, such a quest would take 5 seekers to obtain such a prize. (which also happens to be the ideal size for a raiding party in this adventure world) But where are we? Who sent us here?
Both soldiers are in ruins, clad in armor of their planes, but each is from a different plane. The seeker in the promo art is holding a crested helm, and wearing a red cloak, both of which are things weāve seen in Theros. While not the typical style of Theros, its not far off enough to rule it out. Letās take a look at a very similar looking helm, also from Magic: Origins
Immediately,Ā Helm of the Gods brings the myth of Perseus to mind. The Hero was destined to slay the Gorgon, Medusa, and the gods all rallied to bestow gifts upon him to aid in the task. Zeus gave him a sword to slay the wicked creature, much like how Heliod gave the Godsend to Elspeth to help her dispatch Xenagos. From Athena, Perseus received a mirrored shield that was crucial to killing the gorgon, and from Hermes he received winged sandals to fly speedily to the lair of the gorgon sisters. The least well known item was a shadowy helm from Hades, that could help him hide. In Theros block we get this in the form of Prowlerās Helm, but it lacks the gravitas of being blessed by the gods.
The flavor text, enchantment theme, and card name all solidify this helm on Theros. The architecture and clothing may be a tad bit off, but this is a buy-a-box promo art from a core set, where the style guides are generally a bit looser.Ā Given the state of the skeletons around our Relic Seeker, this city may have been in ruins for a very long time. The key here is there is an arrow sticking out of the back of one of the skeletons, so we know where we are not...
Bant is a White centric world where champions meet each other on fields of combat, and all fighting is done like a medieval duel, face to face. There is no armor on the back because no one on the plane is dishonorable enough to stab their opponent like a coward. Ā Mechanically this was shown as Exalted in the past, but in Magic: Origins, We see RenownedĀ used similarly to give the knights and soldiers of the Green-White-Blue plane some extra power. Hereās a few examples of Banti inhabitants.
The style of the soldier in Volkan BagaāsĀ breathtaking art is spot-on for Bant. We see Relic Seeker holding a sword with 2 gems in the hilt. Some art from Alara block shows a very similar sword in the hands of the planeswalker,Ā Elspeth.
No, the Godsend is a weapon forged on Theros, and was given to Elspeth by the sun God, Heliod, when he made her his champion. Gods are too busy with their own matters to take the time to find their gifts, they have people for that. Elspeth was not the first Champion of Heliod, it is a title after all. Heliod may have sent another white aligned solider to seek the Godsend in these ancient ruins. Since Origins is a look to the past it would make sense that they haven't found Relic quite yet, but they will in time.
In the regular art, Elspeth had sent one of her soldiers to find a sword for her while she was on Bant. He does so and puts it into her hand. I donāt know if this is lining up with Gideonās time on Bant, but we know Elspeth spent quite some time on the shard calling it home before the Conflux.
There have only been 2 creatures with āRenownedā in their name and they both have a fun interaction with this story. Renowned Weaponsmith also interacts with equipment, but in a way that works for Tarkirās time travel story.
The other creature is Renowned Weaver. This card is based on the tale of Arachne, a mortal who caught the ire of Athena with her skill on the loom, dueled the goddess in a weaving competition and was turned into a spider as punishment. Renowned Weaver was a nice flavor nugget before but āRenownedā means something mechanically now. It means before she dealt any damage she was a 0/0.
Thatās right, before the word got out that she was the best at making tapestries in all of Theros, she was practically nothing, she would blow away with the wind (once you check for state based effects) She boasted about her skills, dealing damage to Karametra, the God of hearth and home, before the moment we see her on the card, ready to spin for the rest of her days as a spider.
Thank you all for reading, You can ask me flavor questions or make suggestions for future articles, and follow me on tumblr or twitter at houstofcards.
-Tony Houst