MTG: Lore of the Multiverse – Alara, the Shattered Plane
Sometimes, things break for a reason. On the broken plane of Alara, the only reasons were greed and avarice.
Welcome, Praetors and Planeswalkers, to our ongoing series about the people and places that help make MTG incredible. From great heroes and deadly villains to gorgeous locales, the Multiverse constantly evolves to keep the game fresh. Even if you don’t know anything about the story, all the background drives your favorite cards from place to place. You can check out all the previous MTG goodness over here.
Jump To…
There are thousands of planes in the Magic Multiverse. Some are utopias of magic and peace, while others are mechanical hellscapes. Alara is all of them and more…or at least it was. This sundered plane has a sad history as the victim of countless powerful entities that altered it forever. Few planes have suffered as Alara did from the schemes of the Planeswalkers.
Ancient Alara
Long ago, the plane of Alara was a single, massive realm. It resembled Dominaria, in that every color of mana balanced in perfect harmony. Many powerful kingdoms dotted the plane, but none as strong as Vithia, the seat of power. The kingdom flourished in prosperity, peace, and wisdom thanks to the protection of the archangel Asha. All was not idyllic, however, and the demonic dragon Malfegor would occasionally send his legions to assail the cities. Even so, under Asha’s protection, peace was maintained.
The original inhabitants constructed mighty Obelisks at vital points on the plane to channel the plentiful mana. The energy of Alara was at times untamed, and the Obelisks helped mages focus the mana into a useful byproduct. Thanks to the Obelisks, summoning and other mighty spellcraft was as simple as a flick of the wrist. Indeed, at its height, Alara was the most welcoming of all planes to spellcasters. It was this richness, perhaps, that spelled its doom.
The Sundering
At some point in Alara’s past, an arrogant Planeswalker was attracted to the wild mana of the plane. This Planeswalker arrived and began to drain the powerful mana to fuel their spellcasting. Unfortunately, the rapid drain on Alara’s mana caused something deep within the plane to snap. With a resounding crack, the plane shattered along the mana lines created by the Obelisks.
Each of the five “shards” began to drift apart in the Blind Eternities. Over time, each shard became a unique plane unto itself, cut off from its fellows. Each shard could only access three colors of mana, and each plane began to shift to accommodate the available mana. Soon, Alara was no more: only the shards remained
Bant, the Exalted Lands
The shard of Bant was an idyllic land of knights and oaths. Combining the positive energies of Blue, White, and Green mana, it was a paradise of beauty and art. The Humans, Rhox, and Aven of the Plane followed the tenets of chivalry and honor. They quested out to conquer beasts and protect their realm and received powerful sigils in recognition of their deeds. When a threat was too great for the knights, the guardian Angels would descend to repel the threat. Many brave heroes rose from the ranks of Bant knights, never knowing the dangers that once existed at their borders.
Jund, Realm of Dragons
The Plane of Jund was a savage volcanic wasteland where only the strong survived. Massive Dragons called hellkites patrolled the skies, and the shamans and Viashino that lived below feared their passing shadow. The fiery land combined the destructive mana of Red, Green, and Black, and life was forever a struggle. It was here that the mad Planeswalker Sarkhan Vol sought a dragon worthy of his worship and found Karrthus. There were many powerful dragons that roosted here and many strong warriors that rose to face them for glory and survival.
Naya, the Great Jungle
Similar to Jund, Naya was a massive jungle where great beasts patrolled and hunted the creatures below. However, unlike Jund, the beasts were viewed as gods, and their passage was celebrated. Here, Humans, Elves, and Leonin followed the paths of the godbeasts and hunted them for food and glory. Here, the primal mana of Green, Red, and White combined to make a realm where life and the natural cycle were exemplified. It was on this plane that Ajani, the albino Leonin planeswalker, watched his brother Jazal succumb to a plot. If not for the rage of this young leonin, Nicol Bolas likely would have gained dominion over the Multiverse.
Esper, Artifice Incarnate
Unlike the planes where life persisted above all, on Esper, the flesh was viewed as weakness. Powerful artificers used Etherium to augment their bodies with living metal, becoming machines themselves. Here, the Black, White, and Blue mana of progress coalesced into the dark industry, where the un-augmented were shunned, and knowledge ruled. Great sphinxes patrolled the skies as artificers worked to perfect their latest creation. This was also the birthplace of Tezzeret, Bolas’s deadliest agent.
Grixis, Realm of Death
Moreso even than on Esper, life was unwelcome on Grixis. Here was a realm of undeath, where the few living beings had to contend with the horrors of the undead. Those who survived here did so only by turning the undead to their own will. The deathly mana of Black, Red, and Blue combined into a necromantic wasteland, where those willing to bargain for power found great strength at great cost. It was here that Nicol Bolas began to concoct his great plan to gain ultimate power.
Conflux
Over time, the shards began to drift back towards one another, and Nicol Bolas saw an opportunity. Disseminating agents across the planes, he began to engineer a plan to absorb the cataclysmic force of the Conflux to his own ends. He sent Sarkhan, Rakka Mar, and Tezzeret to destroy the Obelisks on each plane, destabilizing their position and accelerating the collision. Before long, the microplanes collided, and the cataclysmic Conflux began.
As the barrier between the planes broke down, the inhabitants met each other for the first time in millennia. Jundian dragons clashed with Nayan godbeasts, and Grixian zombies were cut down by the noble knights of Bant while the forces of Esper hunted for vital metals. All the while, Nicol Bolas began to absorb the raw mana that exploded from the reformed plane. It was only the intervention of Ajani that stopped Bolas from pulling the Maelstrom into himself, halting his play for Multiversal domination.
In the years that followed, travel between the planes became normalized. Following the visions of their Anima, the denizens of Naya ventured forth to explore the other planes. Some joined the knightly orders of Bant, while others sought the hellkites of Jund. Artificers from Esper mined the other planes for carmot, a vital resource for creating Ethereum. Finally, thankful living denizens from Grixis poured into the other realms, seeking refuge. At last, the realm was returned to equilibrium.
The Phyrexian Invasion
When the Phyrexians invaded Alara, they were unprepared for the unified front it presented. Tezzert, Ajani, and the other native Alarans were not present for the invasion, having been sent to conquer other planes. Bant knights rode out to face the tendrils alongside hellkites, artificial weapons, and godbeasts. However, when the Maelstrom itself materialized to fight the invaders, Phyrexia was ousted from the plane for good.
What Lore would you like to see next?
