MTG: Lore of the Multiverse – The Tale of Oko
A trickster fae from a realm of order, Oko has made quite a name for himself in Eldraine. Now, he has his sights set on Thunder Junction.
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Certainly not a hero but not quite a villain, the wandering fae Oko is as interesting as he is mercurial. He shook up the realm of Eldraine, nearly caused the collapse of the monarchy, and nearly lost his life to Garruk’s axe. These days, he’s looking to get a crew together for a big heist. But who is this terrible trickster?
The Banished Prince
Though he has been a thorn in Eldraine’s side for some time, Oko was not originally from the plane. He was born on a plane ruled by the Fae, who saw their chaotic nature as a danger to be quelled. By suppressing their innate nature, the ruling class of Oko’s realm believed they had created a perfect society. Oko, however, believed they had denied themselves their natural strength.
Born with extraordinary shapeshifting abilities, Oko saw the actions of the Fae nobility as anathema to his entire identity. Setting himself up as the voice of reason, Oko sought to point out the hypocrisy in their plan. Unfortunately, the nobility he stood against were very powerful and influential, and he was soon their prisoner.
They subjected him to a magical procedure intended to suppress his innate shapeshifting abilities. However, they only succeeded in awakening his spark, and he planeswalked to Eldraine. The procedure left him changed and shattered his trust in others, specifically those in positions of authority.
Eldraine and the Huntsman
Oko found himself on the plane of Eldraine, a realm of folklore ruled by noble houses. He met a beautiful woman, Alyse, in a field of nightshade, and they quickly fell in love. Oko told her about his home plane, and Alyse shared knowledge of Eldraine and its strange magic. Before long, Alyse left her mistress and began learning Fae magic from Oko. Oko promised her that she would rule at his side, and before long, she was pregnant with his son.
However, the denizens of her village shunned and ridiculed her for her love with a non-human, and Oko took umbrage. Lashing out at them, he thought he was protecting her but only succeeded in turning her against him. He left Eldraine for a time, and when he returned, he tried to reconnect with her and his son. However, she refused his correspondence and hid their son, Kellan, far from his sight.
Unfortunately, Alyse wasn’t the only being on Eldraine Oko had offended. Garruk, the bestial green-aligned planeswalker, was hunting his fellow Planeswalkers and had tracked Oko to Eldraine. Oko trapped Garruk in a tangle of thorns, then used his mesmerizing abilities to brainwash him into his personal bodyguard, who he called Dog.
Carrying his hatred of authority to this new plane, Oko sought to disrupt the noble courts that ruled Eldraine. His plan was to eliminate the High King Kenrith, hoping to break the fragile peace between the humans and elves of the realm. He planned to wait for the Grand Procession, a time when the King would travel the Realm to reinforce the peace between the Houses.
While traveling, he came upon Will and Rowan Kenrith, the twin children of the High King and Planeswalkers in their own right. He charmed them with his magic, and though Will remained skeptical of him, Rowan was fully charmed. They parted ways before the Procession, with Oko using his powers to make them forget their interaction.
The Wild Hunt
To further his plan, Oko tried to find nobles who were suffering under the peace. Ayara, Queen of the Lochtwain and an elf herself was his primary target. He hoped to fan the flames of hatred that the elves had for the humans. However, Ayara had not become a Queen idly, and she did not trust this strange man. She learned of his plan to inflame the Circle of Druids and got to them first to warn them not to trust him.
Oko had a contingency, of course. He had infiltrated the Grand Procession, forcing Garruk to slay the High King’s guards and kidnapping the High King. Oko turned the High King into a stag and put him into a magical slumber. He planned to awaken the King on the morning of the midwinter, then send him into the woods of Eldraine pursued by Garruk on the Wild Hunt.
However, he did not expect the twins Rowan and Will to return seeking their father. When they entered Oko’s circle, his glamour on them faded, and all their memories returned. Several of the King’s attendants deduced he was not a Lochtwain and tried to apprehend him, but he escaped in the form of an eagle. When Garruk arrived to begin the Hunt, Oko trapped him and the rest of the adventurers in a dome of thorns, fleeing with the transformed King.
He led the party on the Wild Hunt but, at the last moment, transformed himself into Ayara and slew the beast, hoping to start a war. However, Garruk’s memories returned as the blow was struck, and he ambushed Oko. Oko would have been immediately slain, but Rowan forbade it, maintaining her fascination with the strange man. He thanked her, then planeswalked away faster than they could blink.
Oko is assembling a team for a big heist in Thunder Junction, which we’ll learn more about soon!
