I really like the insight as to exactly how Bolas was able to delete and corrupt the gods (pretty easily, despite apparently running on fumes). It's also apparent that Bolas didn't exactly kill the three missing gods - they've just been repurposed, along with the five known gods.
I really hope God-Pharaoh's Gift doesn't turn out to be a nonbasic land that does little more than tap for C, as a joke (like how Bolas was able to fool the people of Naktamun with the promise of "paradise"), but I'd die laughing if it did. I'm pretty sure it'll do more than that, of course.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Lapsed DCI Rules Advisor - Retired from playing but still hanging around
Hekma existed before Bolas. The eight gods were resolute not to fail AGAIN,not after Naktamun was all that remained. Was the original conqueror Razaketh?
The utter bastard Bolas is, he made Hazoret,the loving mother,be the slayer of her children. Undoubtedly out of cruel irony and spite. So she is "the Pervert", but not by her own will.
Razaketh is one ugly mug. Nice they stayed true to his design from DotP. But he is HUGE.
Man,so looking forward to the next story...
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
100% Vorthos Spike and Storyline Expert
Former Fact Prospector of the Greek Alliance.
Let this great clan rest in peace (2001-2011)
Hekma existed before Bolas. The eight gods were resolute not to fail AGAIN,not after Naktamun was all that remained. Was the original conqueror Razaketh?
The utter bastard Bolas is, he made Hazoret,the loving mother,be the slayer of her children. Undoubtedly out of cruel irony and spite. So she is "the Pervert", but not by her own will.
Razaketh is one ugly mug. Nice they stayed true to his design from DotP. But he is HUGE.
Man,so looking forward to the next story...
Can someone ask Maro if The Mending happened 60 years ago? I mean that makes the story so closely knit in when everything is occurring.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"The essence of every world, every spell and every thought is power. Nothing else matters, because nothing else exists."
Hekma existed before Bolas. The eight gods were resolute not to fail AGAIN,not after Naktamun was all that remained. Was the original conqueror Razaketh?
The utter bastard Bolas is, he made Hazoret,the loving mother,be the slayer of her children. Undoubtedly out of cruel irony and spite. So she is "the Pervert", but not by her own will.
Razaketh is one ugly mug. Nice they stayed true to his design from DotP. But he is HUGE.
Man,so looking forward to the next story...
So Bolas overcame the gods as a Pre-Mending walker while his power was in twilight. It makes sense he could overcome the pantheon at the height of his (fading) power as a pre-mending walker AND as Bolas. No wonder he felt pressed for time - unless her converted the plane and corrupted its gods right then, he'd never have pulled this off after the mending stripped his might.
"The eight gods of Amonkhet would not fail again, not when Naktamun was all that remained."
Fail again? Naktamun all that remained… after what? Very interesting! I always thought naktamun was all that remained after Bolas corrupted the plane. Not that it's all which remained after… whatever happened.
The Hazoret corruption irony is so cruel and tragic. Poor Oketra too. The horror of the Hours as a lie is particularly striking as well. I want Bolas to lose, but I suspect he will not.
No wonder Bolas left traces of the old Amonkhet. He was rushing.
Hekma existed before Bolas. The eight gods were resolute not to fail AGAIN,not after Naktamun was all that remained. Was the original conqueror Razaketh?
The utter bastard Bolas is, he made Hazoret,the loving mother,be the slayer of her children. Undoubtedly out of cruel irony and spite. So she is "the Pervert", but not by her own will.
Razaketh is one ugly mug. Nice they stayed true to his design from DotP. But he is HUGE.
Man,so looking forward to the next story...
Can someone ask Maro if The Mending happened 60 years ago? I mean that makes the story so closely knit in when everything is occurring.
Alison and Doug actually mentioned that during the storyline podcast, if I recall correctly.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Lapsed DCI Rules Advisor - Retired from playing but still hanging around
First of all, the opening was fantastic. Very surprising to realize that the Hekma and Amonkhet's devastation was before Bolas. Bolas waltzing in and curb-stomping all eight gods (who, remember, took the magic away from the Gatewatch) was terrifying, as is the way he warped them. Also shows the other three gods weren't killed- they're "locked away until they can be of further use".
And then he corrupts the idea of a glorious trial to decide a sacrificial champion every sixty years or so and turns them into a bloody body mill. And makes Hazoret be the one to do it just because he wants to be as big a dick as possible.
Lurhs also did a fantastic job with the revelation. Conveying the hope and anxiety of everyone waiting for the Hours to begin... then the climax of expectation as the gate cracks open... then the confusion and disappointment as there is literally nothing on the other side... then the dread as a demon flies out of the gate... then terror as he literally turns the freakin' river to blood and kills everything in it... and the final note of "LILLIANA! COME GET YOURS!"
Braaaaaaaaa-vo.
So Hour #1, the revelation is "you all just got played". Bolas sure knows how to let them down gently.
Razaketh is one mean son of a *****, isn't he? Excited primarily for him and Liliana to have a big duel, and also for all of the other ways in which Bolas will wreak havoc.
Also, its interesting that Samut doesn't know why Razoketh called for Lilliana, considering she was there when Lil' revealed to the Gatewatch that her third demon was here. Then again, things were kinda moving quickly and she had a LOT on her mind at the time.
I am super interested to see what happened to Amonkhet before he even showed up though. Maybe the Eldrazi tried to eat it and were somehow fought off? Maybe Razaketh took over? Phyrexians? Maybe it just started stagnating and dying on its own? Lots of possibilities, hopefully we find out.
Very good start to HoD stories, I'm excited.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"I see apocalypse. Apocalypse of not only this world but every world. I see the very end of creation heralded on black wings. Light will fall, and He shall rise.
The story mentioned that he manipulated the leylines of the Gods so they would be more loyal to him.
Anyone else see a connection between this and Nissa's leyline revelations?
in any case, the story was awesome, and the first thought I had upon reading was "yeah the Gatewatch is about to get their asses handed to them. On a platter."
Today's story was on point, from Bolas' takeover to the intro of Razaketh, there wasn't a dull moment. As others already said, I am also curious about Amonkhet's state before Bolas showed up, was the plane already decaying or some other outside force at work? And it seemed that the Naktamun citizens knew of other civilizations that had been on the plane prior to Bolas, but were since destroyed/lost, implying Naktamun was the sole outpost of life left.
Jumping to the present, I enjoyed the anticipation, confusion, and terror the citizens feel as their prophesies crashed down. I just felt sorry for them since we've known they were doomed and it is now dawning on them too. Def liked the tension when the Gate just cracks and everyone is frantically trying to get in.
And I like that while Wizard's said they weren't straight up doing 'plagues of Egypt' trope, seeing Razaketh turn the Luxa to blood was a great way to reference them. Hopefully we get cards reflecting this and more. Cannot wait to see what else the Hours will bring.
Boy this was good. As others have said, the Gatewatch seems to heading towards a horrible loss this block.
Bolas just reminded us that although he prefers to exert his influence through machinations he is more than able to back up his claim as one of the biggest, baddest and most powerful beings in the multiverse. Granted he is shown before he lost his power but still I dont think any of them, including Lili who should be somewhat familiar as to what he is capable of, have any idea what they've gotten themselves into. It really feels like he's gonna wipe the floor with them.
About Naktamun being the last safe haven on the plane, I think that was probably Bolas too. He was known to them after all and the hieroglyps called him the Tresspasser. There is no way they were carved after the flashback sequence because he killed anyone who was not an infant and mindwiped the gods. There is literaly none left.
Is this the first time we've ever seen Bolas just show up and start whipping everyone's ass?
This wasn't evil chessmaster Nicol Bolas like we've seen in every other instance. This is straight up "I'm going to brutally exterminate all of you and enjoy it." Its the Nicol Bolas we've always knew existed, but finally got to see it first hand.
So Bolas shows up casts Damnation and then takes apart the gods one by one. I like this Bolas he doesn't mess around.
This is Bolas when he's in a hurry, desperate and has no time to put "Plots that Span Centuries" into motion when he wants to just get something done right quick.
I mirror the opinions of others that this was a great way to start off Hour of Devastation, and I'm actually pleased that they kept Razaketh's appearance. On the other hand, this may sound very cold, but I don't feel an ounce of sympathy for the populace; I feel sorry for the Gods because they were twisted into what they were and had no choice in the matter, but the people still had minds of their own, and had their fair share of dissenters that they made sure to silence at every given opportunity. Now they're starting to see that the dissenters, most notably Samut, were right after all. I'm especially interested in how Djeru is going to take all this in, given everything.
So Bolas shows up casts Damnation and then takes apart the gods one by one. I like this Bolas he doesn't mess around.
This is Bolas when he's in a hurry, desperate and has no time to put "Plots that Span Centuries" into motion when he wants to just get something done right quick.
I mirror the opinions of others that this was a great way to start off Hour of Devastation, and I'm actually pleased that they kept Razaketh's appearance. On the other hand, this may sound very cold, but I don't feel an ounce of sympathy for the populace; I feel sorry for the Gods because they were twisted into what they were and had no choice in the matter, but the people still had minds of their own, and had their fair share of dissenters that they made sure to silence at every given opportunity. Now they're starting to see that the dissenters, most notably Samut, were right after all. I'm especially interested in how Djeru is going to take all this in, given everything.
I'd cut the people some slack. They were all essentially orphans raised and brainwashed by a death cult.
"The dragon's plans spanned millennia and his perception straddled centuries, a winding maze of possibility and circumstance and statistics and likelihood. Usually the dragon played the odds when shaping his decisions—but now, to manifest his needs, the dragon would need to be violent in his choices.
Violence is an act that cannot be taken back or amended halfway through. It is begun, then ended. The dragon's choices must be the same. No doubt. No hesitation or uncertainty. Merely violence."
These lines though.
I'm thoroughly satisfied with the start of the Hour of Devastation stories. Bolas does not mess around. Hour of Devastation is going to be something else.
I do wonder what the end goal of the original trials was as well? It's possible Bolas had absorbed much of the plane's leylines before, leaving Naktamun, since the gods instantly attack him when he appears without hesitation. And know him to be a monster. It's possible they failed against him before, and that this is actually his third visit.
I feel bad for the gods and the plane itself. Its gods genuinely care about mortals, and Bolas got lucky with the timing. He couldn't pull this off as a Neo-Walker I assure you. And he knew that, hence the rush. The question is, if he created other planes, why not absorb them? Why go through the trouble of tainting this one? It cost him an entire day just to subdue its gods, for example. Of all the countless planes - was Amonkhet simply the most convenient? Why start there?
I remember reading a theory that the mending is what allowed Eight and a Half Tail's ritual to succeed and permitted Konda to steal That Which Was Taken. But if the mending was only decades ago, then I suspect this is not the case.
Well, here's insight on what an Oldwalker could do on a plane with gods. Granted this is an example of Bolas-level Oldwalker status, so it's not all of them. Remember the elders on Eliquor, while no PWs necessarily, could shield their plane from Oldwalkers even discovering it.
So Bolas shows up casts Damnation and then takes apart the gods one by one. I like this Bolas he doesn't mess around.
This is Bolas when he's in a hurry, desperate and has no time to put "Plots that Span Centuries" into motion when he wants to just get something done right quick.
I mirror the opinions of others that this was a great way to start off Hour of Devastation, and I'm actually pleased that they kept Razaketh's appearance. On the other hand, this may sound very cold, but I don't feel an ounce of sympathy for the populace; I feel sorry for the Gods because they were twisted into what they were and had no choice in the matter, but the people still had minds of their own, and had their fair share of dissenters that they made sure to silence at every given opportunity. Now they're starting to see that the dissenters, most notably Samut, were right after all. I'm especially interested in how Djeru is going to take all this in, given everything.
I'd cut the people some slack. They were all essentially orphans raised and brainwashed by a death cult.
This. Amonkhet has been, for the last sixty years, little more than an Orwellian death cult.
Also keep in mind that even among the dissenters, there was doubt. Samut's instinct is to go see freaking Hazoret- the entire (unwitting) lynchpin of Bolas' plan. As she's talking to the other dissenters while trapped in the sarcophagus, several actually did that whole "May his return come quickly" before being told to shut up. In the arena, it talks about how the dissenters were filled with agonizing shame upon viewing the gods.
Samut was right- and only because she lucked into finding a carving that depicted Bolas as the Great Trespasser. We have no idea what the other dissenters actually believed, or how they arrived there.
Also to note that all the gods wanted to protect the plane, Bontu included so could be she is just easier for Blas to corrupt since Bolas is focused on black.
I wonder if we will get a story named after each chapter. The Hour of Devastation story archive is not up yet.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
“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"
Yeah, I guess I'm being too harsh, and I see your point about the "old habits die hard" aspect of the dissenters.
Also, I don't know if it's been said already, but Alison confirmed on the Reddit for this story that the Hekma and the wastelands outside it were around before Bolas waltzed in. Makes you wonder what happened to make the plane so dead. We knew the Curse of Wandering was a natural phenomenon on Amonkhet (the worldsoul itself said as much).
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
I really hope God-Pharaoh's Gift doesn't turn out to be a nonbasic land that does little more than tap for C, as a joke (like how Bolas was able to fool the people of Naktamun with the promise of "paradise"), but I'd die laughing if it did. I'm pretty sure it'll do more than that, of course.
So Mending was 60 years ago.
Hekma existed before Bolas. The eight gods were resolute not to fail AGAIN,not after Naktamun was all that remained. Was the original conqueror Razaketh?
The utter bastard Bolas is, he made Hazoret,the loving mother,be the slayer of her children. Undoubtedly out of cruel irony and spite. So she is "the Pervert", but not by her own will.
Razaketh is one ugly mug. Nice they stayed true to his design from DotP. But he is HUGE.
Man,so looking forward to the next story...
Let this great clan rest in peace (2001-2011)
Can someone ask Maro if The Mending happened 60 years ago? I mean that makes the story so closely knit in when everything is occurring.
"The eight gods of Amonkhet would not fail again, not when Naktamun was all that remained."
Fail again? Naktamun all that remained… after what? Very interesting! I always thought naktamun was all that remained after Bolas corrupted the plane. Not that it's all which remained after… whatever happened.
The Hazoret corruption irony is so cruel and tragic. Poor Oketra too. The horror of the Hours as a lie is particularly striking as well. I want Bolas to lose, but I suspect he will not.
No wonder Bolas left traces of the old Amonkhet. He was rushing.
|| UW Jace, Vyn's Prodigy UW || UG Kenessos, Priest of Thassa (feat. Arixmethes) UG ||
Cards I still want to see created:
|| Olantin, Lost City || Pavios and Thanasis || Choryu ||
Alison and Doug actually mentioned that during the storyline podcast, if I recall correctly.
Lee
Crap.
First of all, the opening was fantastic. Very surprising to realize that the Hekma and Amonkhet's devastation was before Bolas. Bolas waltzing in and curb-stomping all eight gods (who, remember, took the magic away from the Gatewatch) was terrifying, as is the way he warped them. Also shows the other three gods weren't killed- they're "locked away until they can be of further use".
And then he corrupts the idea of a glorious trial to decide a sacrificial champion every sixty years or so and turns them into a bloody body mill. And makes Hazoret be the one to do it just because he wants to be as big a dick as possible.
Lurhs also did a fantastic job with the revelation. Conveying the hope and anxiety of everyone waiting for the Hours to begin... then the climax of expectation as the gate cracks open... then the confusion and disappointment as there is literally nothing on the other side... then the dread as a demon flies out of the gate... then terror as he literally turns the freakin' river to blood and kills everything in it... and the final note of "LILLIANA! COME GET YOURS!"
Braaaaaaaaa-vo.
So Hour #1, the revelation is "you all just got played". Bolas sure knows how to let them down gently.
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝
I am super interested to see what happened to Amonkhet before he even showed up though. Maybe the Eldrazi tried to eat it and were somehow fought off? Maybe Razaketh took over? Phyrexians? Maybe it just started stagnating and dying on its own? Lots of possibilities, hopefully we find out.
Very good start to HoD stories, I'm excited.
Anyone else see a connection between this and Nissa's leyline revelations?
in any case, the story was awesome, and the first thought I had upon reading was "yeah the Gatewatch is about to get their asses handed to them. On a platter."
Click the pic for more info.
Jumping to the present, I enjoyed the anticipation, confusion, and terror the citizens feel as their prophesies crashed down. I just felt sorry for them since we've known they were doomed and it is now dawning on them too. Def liked the tension when the Gate just cracks and everyone is frantically trying to get in.
And I like that while Wizard's said they weren't straight up doing 'plagues of Egypt' trope, seeing Razaketh turn the Luxa to blood was a great way to reference them. Hopefully we get cards reflecting this and more. Cannot wait to see what else the Hours will bring.
Bolas just reminded us that although he prefers to exert his influence through machinations he is more than able to back up his claim as one of the biggest, baddest and most powerful beings in the multiverse. Granted he is shown before he lost his power but still I dont think any of them, including Lili who should be somewhat familiar as to what he is capable of, have any idea what they've gotten themselves into. It really feels like he's gonna wipe the floor with them.
About Naktamun being the last safe haven on the plane, I think that was probably Bolas too. He was known to them after all and the hieroglyps called him the Tresspasser. There is no way they were carved after the flashback sequence because he killed anyone who was not an infant and mindwiped the gods. There is literaly none left.
UBarrin, Master WizardU
USticher GeralfU
UIxidor, Reality SculptorU
UWNoyan Dar, Roil ShaperUW
This wasn't evil chessmaster Nicol Bolas like we've seen in every other instance. This is straight up "I'm going to brutally exterminate all of you and enjoy it." Its the Nicol Bolas we've always knew existed, but finally got to see it first hand.
This is Bolas when he's in a hurry, desperate and has no time to put "Plots that Span Centuries" into motion when he wants to just get something done right quick.
I mirror the opinions of others that this was a great way to start off Hour of Devastation, and I'm actually pleased that they kept Razaketh's appearance. On the other hand, this may sound very cold, but I don't feel an ounce of sympathy for the populace; I feel sorry for the Gods because they were twisted into what they were and had no choice in the matter, but the people still had minds of their own, and had their fair share of dissenters that they made sure to silence at every given opportunity. Now they're starting to see that the dissenters, most notably Samut, were right after all. I'm especially interested in how Djeru is going to take all this in, given everything.
I'd cut the people some slack. They were all essentially orphans raised and brainwashed by a death cult.
Violence is an act that cannot be taken back or amended halfway through. It is begun, then ended. The dragon's choices must be the same. No doubt. No hesitation or uncertainty. Merely violence."
These lines though.
I'm thoroughly satisfied with the start of the Hour of Devastation stories. Bolas does not mess around. Hour of Devastation is going to be something else.
"Kiora is the Aquaman of planeswalkers."
"Useless and everyone pretends to like her?"
I feel bad for the gods and the plane itself. Its gods genuinely care about mortals, and Bolas got lucky with the timing. He couldn't pull this off as a Neo-Walker I assure you. And he knew that, hence the rush. The question is, if he created other planes, why not absorb them? Why go through the trouble of tainting this one? It cost him an entire day just to subdue its gods, for example. Of all the countless planes - was Amonkhet simply the most convenient? Why start there?
I remember reading a theory that the mending is what allowed Eight and a Half Tail's ritual to succeed and permitted Konda to steal That Which Was Taken. But if the mending was only decades ago, then I suspect this is not the case.
Well, here's insight on what an Oldwalker could do on a plane with gods. Granted this is an example of Bolas-level Oldwalker status, so it's not all of them. Remember the elders on Eliquor, while no PWs necessarily, could shield their plane from Oldwalkers even discovering it.
|| UW Jace, Vyn's Prodigy UW || UG Kenessos, Priest of Thassa (feat. Arixmethes) UG ||
Cards I still want to see created:
|| Olantin, Lost City || Pavios and Thanasis || Choryu ||
This. Amonkhet has been, for the last sixty years, little more than an Orwellian death cult.
Also keep in mind that even among the dissenters, there was doubt. Samut's instinct is to go see freaking Hazoret- the entire (unwitting) lynchpin of Bolas' plan. As she's talking to the other dissenters while trapped in the sarcophagus, several actually did that whole "May his return come quickly" before being told to shut up. In the arena, it talks about how the dissenters were filled with agonizing shame upon viewing the gods.
Samut was right- and only because she lucked into finding a carving that depicted Bolas as the Great Trespasser. We have no idea what the other dissenters actually believed, or how they arrived there.
|| UW Jace, Vyn's Prodigy UW || UG Kenessos, Priest of Thassa (feat. Arixmethes) UG ||
Cards I still want to see created:
|| Olantin, Lost City || Pavios and Thanasis || Choryu ||
I wonder if we will get a story named after each chapter. The Hour of Devastation story archive is not up yet.
"You can tell how dumb someone is by how they use Mary Sue"
Also, I don't know if it's been said already, but Alison confirmed on the Reddit for this story that the Hekma and the wastelands outside it were around before Bolas waltzed in. Makes you wonder what happened to make the plane so dead. We knew the Curse of Wandering was a natural phenomenon on Amonkhet (the worldsoul itself said as much).