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===The Grand Caravan===
===The Grand Caravan===
The Grand Caravan, the world's greatest convoy of [[leotau]]-pulled trade carts and carriages, ranges all over Bant's five nations.<ref>{{DailyRef|savor-flavor/bolass-secret-minions-2009-01-27|Bolas' Secret Minions|[[Savor the Flavor]]|January 28, 2009}}</ref>  
The Grand Caravan, the world's greatest convoy of [[leotau]]-pulled trade carts and carriages, ranges all over Bant's five nations.<ref>{{DailyRef|savor-flavor/bolass-secret-minions-2009-01-27|Bolas' Secret Minions|[[Savor the Flavor]]|January 28, 2009}}</ref> It is led by [[Gwafa Hazid]].<ref name="ConfluxGuide">(2009). ''[https://archive.org/details/conflux-players-guide-magic-the-gathering-2009/page/n5/mode/2up Conflux Player's Guide].'' [[Wizards of the Coast]].</ref>


===Angels===
===Angels===
Line 71: Line 71:
==History==
==History==
===Conflux===
===Conflux===
During the Conflux, red mana from Naya and black mana from Esper flooded into Bant, creating havoc. The Order of the Skyward Eye created mistrust in Bant, resulting in panic. The armies were disrupted, and the communities fell apart. The angels no longer could keep Bant under firm control, as strange creatures and plants spread across Bant, and even creatures from Grixis and Jund appeared, slaughtering entire settlements with ease.
During the Conflux, red mana from Naya and black mana from Esper flooded into Bant, creating havoc. The [[Order of the Skyward Eye]] created mistrust in Bant, resulting in panic.<ref name="ConfluxGuide">(2009). ''[https://archive.org/details/conflux-players-guide-magic-the-gathering-2009/page/n5/mode/2up Conflux Player's Guide].'' [[Wizards of the Coast]].</ref> The armies were disrupted, and the communities fell apart. The angels no longer could keep Bant under firm control, as strange creatures and plants spread across Bant, and even creatures from Grixis and Jund appeared, slaughtering entire settlements with ease.


Although the army of Bant fought the invaders, it was clear that the opposing beasts and fighters were weakening Bant. Bant would no longer be as powerful as it was. Its borders merged more and more with the other shards until it became part of New Alara. Following the invasions, the once shining castles of their lands lay in ruin, dangerous places to venture to. Society as a whole had been shattered, and isolated pockets of settlements still fall prey to roving bandits and worse.
Although the army of Bant fought the invaders, it was clear that the opposing beasts and fighters were weakening Bant. Bant would no longer be as powerful as it was. Its borders merged more and more with the other shards until it became part of New Alara. Following the invasions, the once shining castles of their lands lay in ruin, dangerous places to venture to. Society as a whole had been shattered, and isolated pockets of settlements still fall prey to roving bandits and worse.

Revision as of 22:17, 23 April 2023

Bant
[[File:{{#setmainimage:Bant.jpg}}|250px]]
General Information
First seen Shards of Alara
Last seen Conflux
Status Merged with the other Shards
Game Information
Colors {G}{W}{U}
Mechanics Exalted

Bant is one of the five shards of Alara. It is primarily white-aligned with green and blue as secondary colors.[1] It is inhabited by humans, aven, rhoxes, the semi-intelligent leotau mounts, and the angels that watch over the plane.

Description

Bant is a haven of order, honor, and community. Traditions have thrived, and are protected by innumerable knightly orders, warrior angels, and a caste system designed to support the good of the many over the good of the few. Without the magic of death and chaos there to threaten convention and stability, and with angels flying as tireless symbols of peace and justice, its community traditions have become codified into law. Its' monks study the words of ancient prayers. Its mages and clerics practice magic of healing, prevention, protection, and growth. Its druids and laborers care for the rolling fields, bringing nourishment to the population, and its orchards, which are some of its most important sources of mana.[2] And its knights practice the codes and forms of martial perfection, weighed down by the medallions of honor and patronage known as sigils. Angels rule the realm with benevolence and grace. Humans and the aven resolve their conflicts with ritualized combat. Duty and honor are the bedrock of this kingdom of light.

Bant is a land of towering castles and leotau-riding knights, angels, and high castles on rolling meadows. It is a world that loves order and values the group. The ruling establishment is noble and righteous, and society is well-ordered with a strong sense of right and wrong. Even for those who do break the law, the worst punishment is temporary banishment to the savannahs of Topa.[3][4]

There are still battles held on this shard, but they are battles of a noble cause. The fighting isn't just for the sake of fighting, but as a means to find a resolution. When two factions disagreed, they structured combat to resolve the issue. Rather than risk the health of entire armies, each group picks one champion and sends him or her as their representative. Knights wear bulky, ceremonial armor designed to signal the angels by catching the sun and to show off the knight's sigils rather than to protect them - even wearing no armor on their backs, as striking an opponent from behind is considered dishonorable.[3]

Geography

Bant is a land of high castles on rolling meadows. There are five nations on Bant:

Notable locations

  • The Sun-Dappled Court, containing the Twelve Trees of Valeron under which the Sword of Asha was buried.[2]
  • The Cathedral of Bliss is a vast temple of glowing marble and light that floats in the sky. It is ruled by the angels of Asha.
  • Serul Cove, where rogues peddle stolen sigils.[5]

Society

Caste system

Bant has a strict caste system, everyone has a specific role in society. One's caste is determined by birth, but it is possible to rise through sigils.[3] Paragons are individual heroes who embody pure ideals, including honor, truth, duty, justice, and order.[6] Paragons are respected regardless of caste, and anyone in Bant can aspire to become a paragon.

  • The Blessed are the nobles of Bant, who are allowed to interact with the Angels.
  • Clerics and monks make up the caste of the Sighted. They have to obey orders from the Blessed, but otherwise, they do not have to answer to anyone.
  • The Sigiled knights are measured by the number of Sigils they gained through their actions.
  • The Mortar make up the bulk of Bant's population. They have to follow orders from the three castes above them but may rise to the Sigiled caste.
  • The Unbeholden are thieves and rogues. Some of them reject the caste system; others are forced to become what they are by circumstance. Jhess is the nation with the most Unbeholden.

Sigils

Acts of extraordinary nobility and courage are rewarded with sigils, coinlike magical medallions bestowed upon worthy souls by Bant's serene, graceful angels.[7] They signify the support of the group or, on occasion, the individual that gave it to the wearer. A sigil is both a prize of honor and a bond of duty. The one who bears it may be called to fulfill that charge at any moment. Some sigils can be bought, and stories tell of tainted "dark sigils" that disappeared from the shard when the demons were cast out.[3] In-game, they appear both as artifacts and as auras.[8]

Known sigils include:

The Grand Caravan

The Grand Caravan, the world's greatest convoy of leotau-pulled trade carts and carriages, ranges all over Bant's five nations.[11] It is led by Gwafa Hazid.[12]

Angels

Long ago, a council of archmages put a complex enchantment on Bant, allowing mortals who died on the shard to reform as angels.[6] As long as any mortal conformed tightly to Bant's ideals, the light of their soul would transubstantiate into an angelic state, joining with what are called "meta-sigils" that are described as physical manifestations of the land and sky. These angels, mortal themselves, lend guidance to other mortals, but otherwise, they do not directly interfere with their lives. Some Mortar-caste believe Bant's aven are related to the angels, and the aven themselves believe they are creations of the angels, though no angel confirms this.[3]

The ruler of Bant once was the supreme queen of the angels, the archangel Asha, who gave her life fighting the demon Malfegor long ago.[13] No angel has assumed her title since her demise.[14] Among angels, there is a hierarchy with four different ranks:

  • The Asura are the highest-ranked angels. There are only seven of them, which make up the Court of Orderly Contemplation.
  • The Amesha represent ideals, such as honor or justice.
  • The Mahra carry out the orders of the Asura and the Amesha.
  • Celebrants, as the lowest ranking angels, are responsible for protecting the lives and ideals of mortals.

History

Conflux

During the Conflux, red mana from Naya and black mana from Esper flooded into Bant, creating havoc. The Order of the Skyward Eye created mistrust in Bant, resulting in panic.[12] The armies were disrupted, and the communities fell apart. The angels no longer could keep Bant under firm control, as strange creatures and plants spread across Bant, and even creatures from Grixis and Jund appeared, slaughtering entire settlements with ease.

Although the army of Bant fought the invaders, it was clear that the opposing beasts and fighters were weakening Bant. Bant would no longer be as powerful as it was. Its borders merged more and more with the other shards until it became part of New Alara. Following the invasions, the once shining castles of their lands lay in ruin, dangerous places to venture to. Society as a whole had been shattered, and isolated pockets of settlements still fall prey to roving bandits and worse.

Notable inhabitants

Planeswalker visitors

Trivia

  • Bant was concepted as "Camelot in the savannah."[3]

In-game references

Represented in:
Associated cards:
Quoted or referred to:

Source

References

  1. ↑ Mark Rosewater (October 06, 2008). "Peace, Love and Understanding". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  2. ↑ a b Doug Beyer (May 13, 2009). "Reality Check". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  3. ↑ a b c d e f Doug Beyer (October 8, 2008). "An Angel's Eye View of Bant". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  4. ↑ Flavor text of Excommunicate.
  5. ↑ Deft Duelist
  6. ↑ a b (2008). Shards of Alara Player's Guide. Wizards of the Coast.
  7. ↑ Magic Creative Team (July 9, 2015). "The Worlds of Magic Origins". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  8. ↑ a b Doug Beyer (May 27, 2009). "Once More Unto the Mailbox, Dear Friends". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  9. ↑ a b c d e f Doug Beyer. (2009.) Alara Unbroken, Wizards of the Coast. ISBN-13 0-7869-5201-4.
  10. ↑ Sigil Blessing
  11. ↑ Savor the Flavor (January 28, 2009). "Bolas' Secret Minions". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  12. ↑ a b (2009). Conflux Player's Guide. Wizards of the Coast.
  13. ↑ Doug Beyer (February 4, 2009). "The First Days of the Conflux". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  14. ↑ Doug Beyer (February 18, 2009). "The Vorthos Awards: Conflux Edition". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.

External links

Monocolored
Multicolored ({M})
See also
Alara block
Alara storyline
Publications
Locations
Characters
Affiliations
Others
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