Rhonas fought to an honorable death. I'm enjoying the darkness of the stories, but man do I feel bad now for the people of Amonkhet: Destined to eternal servitude to Nicol Bolas, who corrupted not only the mortals, but the gods, and created monstrosities even beyond the powers of the gods he (Bolas) created himself. What a sick twist and this is some of the best story writing I have seen in a long while.
Having the Gods reclaim their senses in their dying breath, just to have one final "hey just FYI I won" moment, is so quintessentially Bolas. What a dick.
Of course, Rhonas gets got first because they couldn't figure out what to do with him in the first block. :/
That regaining the senses thing is more or less a lethal side effect of the venom from the Scorpion God. Maybe they'll do it for all of the gods though, I dunno. It feels like Oketra realizes what's going on at the end without having to get got first but that could just be her protective instincts kicking in.
I'm going to love using Hour of Glory on the bug gods though. I like me some anti-flavor and payback every now and then and this will let me express my hatred for giant bugs.
Great story today. The fact that The Scorpion God (TSG) just gets back up several times, and the last time tears Rhonas' last attempt in two, really gets across that everything is screwed. The fight was good and believable, Rhonas' perspective was good, the bloody Luxa awakening the gods was good.
I think all the gods are sentient/rational enough to potentially figure out what's going on, it just means going against what they "know" deep down in their souls. It would be like a person being confronted with evidence that they were actually a robot created by an alien race and implanted with all the memories of their childhood and life (like the replicants in Blade Runner). It would be pretty hard to believe the evidence over your own ingrained memories and experiences.
All the gods are set for these tragic deaths. Even Bontu's is going to be tragic, if he dies still refusing to believe the truth and still hoping for his glorification.
As both a fan of horror and a religious person, I'm finding this particular brand of apocalyptic horror really effective. I'm glad we have at least a few signs of hope in the Nissa and naga cards so far.
Speaking of the naga, I wonder if Rhonas's last words will especially inspire the naga, since he's sort of their racial patron.
Stories where the bad guys win, and you KNOW they're going to win, are very fun and almost cathartic to read when handled well.
Prime examples of this are The Thran and Nemesis, two of the most beloved stories in Magic lore.
The sense of dread and despair that increases as the story progresses, where every minor victory by the heroes is fleeting and short lived (if they get a victory at all), and you as a reader know things are not going to end well, can make for great storytelling.
So far, the stories of the fall of Amonkhet have been absolutely delicious. And Bolas Himself hasn't even arrived yet.
On a more serious note, this story reminded me so much of "I Am Avacyn." Corrupted, suppodedly indestructable protective entity is only doing what they believe is the right thing, but only at the end do they realize the truth of themselves and their corruption, and die mournful and lamenting.
Which then is followed by everyone else watching at first going "what just happened" followed by a very large "OH ****"
And you have to feel sorry for all the remaining mortals (which, as was pointed out in the first story, are mostly children who were too young to take the Trials. The Hour of Revelation consists of paradise being revealed as a wasteland, a demon flying out, and the river turning to blood; while the Hour of Glory sees three monstrous, evil gods emerge and start killing your own gods off. Now the Hour of Glory starts with a zillion locusts showing up to eat the Hekma.
And the worst thing is, everything is exactly as foretold in the Prophecy of Hours... just not in the way everyone had thought.
Well, that certainly was something. Best story from Amonkhet storyline? I would say so, but then again I might be biased as Rhonas is my favourite god. Heh.
What I really love is how they managed to characterize the gods as both beings you can empathise with but also as actual divinities.
And the worst thing is, everything is exactly as foretold in the Prophecy of Hours... just not in the way everyone had thought.
Bolas's style of making people worshiping his design of doomsday, even if it's theirs.
There are many levels of evil; one does things for righteous reason regardless of others, one does selfish things the same way, or one does selfish things while adding extra cruelty that serves no purpose except entitlement. Bolas is no doubt the last one.
As much as I'm glad someone remembers the pre-Mending "maturity", Bolas is still a major bastard.
The Gods should've ganged up on The Scorpion God, at least "counter it" as it's being recast.
On a more serious note, this story reminded me so much of "I Am Avacyn." Corrupted, suppodedly indestructable protective entity is only doing what they believe is the right thing, but only at the end do they realize the truth of themselves and their corruption, and die mournful and lamenting.
Which then is followed by everyone else watching at first going "what just happened" followed by a very large "OH ****"
And you have to feel sorry for all the remaining mortals (which, as was pointed out in the first story, are mostly children who were too young to take the Trials. The Hour of Revelation consists of paradise being revealed as a wasteland, a demon flying out, and the river turning to blood; while the Hour of Glory sees three monstrous, evil gods emerge and start killing your own gods off. Now the Hour of Glory starts with a zillion locusts showing up to eat the Hekma.
And the worst thing is, everything is exactly as foretold in the Prophecy of Hours... just not in the way everyone had thought.
I like to think Bolas left clues in the Prophecy that someone could figure out what he's up to. It would be a very Bolas thing to do for someone to find out what is happening, try to warn others only for the brainwashed Gods and followers to ignore them, only to find the stranger was right at the very end.
Bolas: "Congrats. You figured out my plan. You have no hope of stopping it. Finding out means less than nothing. But at least you know."
Very much an "Evil Scientist" strategy.
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"I hope to have such a death... lying in triumph atop the broken bodies of those who slew me..."
You don't call "dying to removal" if the removal is more expensive in resources than the creature. If you have to spend BG (Abrupt Decay), or W + basic land (PtE) to remove a 1G, that is not "dying to removal". Strictly speaking Goyf dies to removal, but actually your removal is dying to Goyf.
On a more serious note, this story reminded me so much of "I Am Avacyn." Corrupted, suppodedly indestructable protective entity is only doing what they believe is the right thing, but only at the end do they realize the truth of themselves and their corruption, and die mournful and lamenting.
Which then is followed by everyone else watching at first going "what just happened" followed by a very large "OH ****"
And you have to feel sorry for all the remaining mortals (which, as was pointed out in the first story, are mostly children who were too young to take the Trials. The Hour of Revelation consists of paradise being revealed as a wasteland, a demon flying out, and the river turning to blood; while the Hour of Glory sees three monstrous, evil gods emerge and start killing your own gods off. Now the Hour of Glory starts with a zillion locusts showing up to eat the Hekma.
And the worst thing is, everything is exactly as foretold in the Prophecy of Hours... just not in the way everyone had thought.
I like to think Bolas left clues in the Prophecy that someone could figure out what he's up to. It would be a very Bolas thing to do for someone to find out what is happening, try to warn others only for the brainwashed Gods and followers to ignore them, only to find the stranger was right at the very end.
Bolas: "Congrats. You figured out my plan. You have no hope of stopping it. Finding out means less than nothing. But at least you know."
To echo great story, each week it build more up of how evil Bolas can be. We also now know the Scorpion is male. I really hope there is something left of Amonkhet after this, since the gods and the world are tied its gonna effect the world that one of the gods is gone. I wonder if Bolas is doing this to convert Amonkhet into his own hellish landscape which is why he very much corrupted those three gods so he could have full control of the world.
“There are no weak Jews. I am descended from those who wrestle angels and kill giants. We were chosen by God. You were chosen by a pathetic little man who can't seem to grow a full mustache"
"You can tell how dumb someone is by how they use Mary Sue"
Rhonas was too cocky and that's why he died. Hazoret's death is going to hurt me. A lot.
It's so crazy reading a story that you know isn't going to end well. It's so hopeless and dreadful. My skin just crawled. My imagination runs wild with this lore.
Hazoret and Oketra are gone next week. Bolas shows up, Kefnet questions him. Gets killed and then Bontu still wants to prove her worth. Gets killed. My prediction.
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"The essence of every world, every spell and every thought is power. Nothing else matters, because nothing else exists."
Man that was brutal, and well-written considering we didn't know a single thing about Rhonas yet managed to have sympathy for him in the end (i did, anyway).
I doubt the other gods will go out in similar fashion. Not even sure if they all will die, at that. I did find it interesting that Scorpion God still had some semblance of their former self, within all the corruption. I foresee one of the corrupted gods awakening in a last act of defense against Bolas. Like sacrificing itself to save the other gods or something. But we'll see. Hazoret and Oketra will for sure not take long to rally for the people. Kefnet and Bontu, not so sure.
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http://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/magic-story/hou-story-3
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As for the rest, he at least died himself, and not a Bolas-warped slave. I think I would prefer that ending.
That's pretty dark. Bolas doesn't play.
Chilling chapter, I'm enjoying the story so far. RIP Best God.
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I LIKE DRAGONS!
This is sad... the situations seems hopeless, the four remaining gods who protect the mortals are doomed.
EDIT: suddenly I want to have a copy of Rhonas card for collection purposes
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That regaining the senses thing is more or less a lethal side effect of the venom from the Scorpion God. Maybe they'll do it for all of the gods though, I dunno. It feels like Oketra realizes what's going on at the end without having to get got first but that could just be her protective instincts kicking in.
I'm going to love using Hour of Glory on the bug gods though. I like me some anti-flavor and payback every now and then and this will let me express my hatred for giant bugs.
"Kiora is the Aquaman of planeswalkers."
"Useless and everyone pretends to like her?"
Dig it.
All the gods are set for these tragic deaths. Even Bontu's is going to be tragic, if he dies still refusing to believe the truth and still hoping for his glorification.
As both a fan of horror and a religious person, I'm finding this particular brand of apocalyptic horror really effective. I'm glad we have at least a few signs of hope in the Nissa and naga cards so far.
Speaking of the naga, I wonder if Rhonas's last words will especially inspire the naga, since he's sort of their racial patron.
Prime examples of this are The Thran and Nemesis, two of the most beloved stories in Magic lore.
The sense of dread and despair that increases as the story progresses, where every minor victory by the heroes is fleeting and short lived (if they get a victory at all), and you as a reader know things are not going to end well, can make for great storytelling.
So far, the stories of the fall of Amonkhet have been absolutely delicious. And Bolas Himself hasn't even arrived yet.
Click the pic for more info.
BOOM. Was 100% right. Because he got back up, denounced the God-Pharaoh, threw his staff, and THEN died.
Which then is followed by everyone else watching at first going "what just happened" followed by a very large "OH ****"
And you have to feel sorry for all the remaining mortals (which, as was pointed out in the first story, are mostly children who were too young to take the Trials. The Hour of Revelation consists of paradise being revealed as a wasteland, a demon flying out, and the river turning to blood; while the Hour of Glory sees three monstrous, evil gods emerge and start killing your own gods off. Now the Hour of Glory starts with a zillion locusts showing up to eat the Hekma.
And the worst thing is, everything is exactly as foretold in the Prophecy of Hours... just not in the way everyone had thought.
What I really love is how they managed to characterize the gods as both beings you can empathise with but also as actual divinities.
Bolas's style of making people worshiping his design of doomsday, even if it's theirs.
There are many levels of evil; one does things for righteous reason regardless of others, one does selfish things the same way, or one does selfish things while adding extra cruelty that serves no purpose except entitlement. Bolas is no doubt the last one.
As much as I'm glad someone remembers the pre-Mending "maturity", Bolas is still a major bastard.
The Gods should've ganged up on The Scorpion God, at least "counter it" as it's being recast.
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That is basically what I thought when Rhonas threw the snake lol.
Amonkhet has far and beyond had the best stories since Origins, and best overall quality. Yichao definitely understands Bolas.
That is my biggest fear, all the great build up, only to screw it all over, when they give the story to someone who can't handle Bolas
At least they can't make him as bad as the Tezzeret novel did
Thanks to DarkNightCavalier from Heroes of the Plane Studios for this sick Signature.
I like to think Bolas left clues in the Prophecy that someone could figure out what he's up to. It would be a very Bolas thing to do for someone to find out what is happening, try to warn others only for the brainwashed Gods and followers to ignore them, only to find the stranger was right at the very end.
Bolas: "Congrats. You figured out my plan. You have no hope of stopping it. Finding out means less than nothing. But at least you know."
Very much an "Evil Scientist" strategy.
"I hope to have such a death... lying in triumph atop the broken bodies of those who slew me..."
That's pretty much what Samut did.
[quote from="Trinite0 »" url="http://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/magic-fundamentals/magic-storyline/754032-amonkhet-general-discussion?comment=1627"
All the gods are set for these tragic deaths. Even Bontu's is going to be tragic, if he dies still refusing to believe the truth and still hoping for his glorification.[/quote]
Heads up Bontu is female.
"You can tell how dumb someone is by how they use Mary Sue"
It's so crazy reading a story that you know isn't going to end well. It's so hopeless and dreadful. My skin just crawled. My imagination runs wild with this lore.
Hazoret and Oketra are gone next week. Bolas shows up, Kefnet questions him. Gets killed and then Bontu still wants to prove her worth. Gets killed. My prediction.
I doubt the other gods will go out in similar fashion. Not even sure if they all will die, at that. I did find it interesting that Scorpion God still had some semblance of their former self, within all the corruption. I foresee one of the corrupted gods awakening in a last act of defense against Bolas. Like sacrificing itself to save the other gods or something. But we'll see. Hazoret and Oketra will for sure not take long to rally for the people. Kefnet and Bontu, not so sure.