Ashiok

Template:Character Ashiok is a planeswalker that may have been human once, but if that is the case, that time is now long past.

History

Ashiok is capable of reaching into the dreams and fears that dwell inside of others. With this power, Ashiok can summon beings born of people's darkest fears, call them into reality and give them form. They become Ashiok’s minions, eager to please their master, freed from the dreams of the believer. Ashiok uses these minions to tear down those who view themselves as untouchable and superior, believing that since all sentient beings feel fear, fear is the greatest equalizer of all beings.

Over time, Ashiok’s power has taken a physical toll. The mage’s face has eroded into smoky shadow. Nightmarish wisps swirl where a skull may have once been. That these are no longer required is part of Ashiok’s enigma, and testament to the unnatural power Ashiok wields. The dreadvapors that emanate from Ashiok are an extension of the nightmare magic the mage wields, giving the walker easier access the fears of those they enshroud. Ashiok now travels the Multiverse in perpetual search of designs for the perfect embodiment of fear.

In this search, Ashiok came to Theros and recognized that the dreams of this plane seem more vibrant than those of the other planes Ashiok has traveled to.

Theros

Ashiok came to Theros because of the strong power of devotion and belief of the plane’s mortals, and of the consequential effects it has on its gods and Nyx. There is something special about Theros, and Ashiok intends to harness this unique advantage. However, unlike the gods, Ashiok is not one to seek to become the object of belief. Instead Ashiok seeks the darker side of belief, the smoke and screams that waft from the cold corners of nightmares. Ashiok knows that if fond thoughts of the gods have power, then the dark phantasms spawned of fearing that god hold even more: where there is belief, there is doubt, and where there is doubt, there is the nightmare. And the world of Theros is a world full of believers.

The nightmare weaver’s complete agenda is yet unknown. Whether Ashiok came to Theros for personal purposes, or as an emissary of some stronger force, is unclear.

In-game references

Represented in:

• Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver

Depicted in:

• Duress (IDW Media Insert)

Quoted or Referred to:

• Thoughtseize (Theros)