Bant
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.
Geography
There are five nations on Bant: the Inner Three (Akrasa, Eos, and Topa), the island nation of Jhess and the coastal nation of Valeron.
Notable locations
Society
Angels
Angels lend guidance to mortals, but otherwise they do not directly interfere with their lives. Among angels, there is a hierarchy with four different ranks. Angels are given the duty to protect the ideals and well being of the other Bant inhabitants but are not permitted to interfere with the politics of other mortals. Angels are born when human heroes die. The spirit is joined with what is called "meta-sigils" which is described as physical manifestations of the land and sky.
The ruler of Bant was once the supreme queen of the angels, the archangel Asha, who left the shard for unknown reasons long ago.
Asura
The Asura are the highest ranked angels. There are only seven of them, which make up the Court of Orderly Contemplation.
Amesha
The Amesha represent ideals, such as honor or justice.
Mahra
The Mahra carry out the orders of the Asura and the Amesha.
Celebrant
Celebrants, as the lowest ranking angels, are responsible for protecting the lives and ideals of mortals.
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 up through sigils.[2]
Blessed
The Blessed are the nobles of Bant.
Sighted
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.
Sigiled
The Sigiled are measured by the number of Sigils they gained through their actions.
Mortar
Members of this caste make up the bulk of Bant's population. They have to follow orders from the three castes above them.
Unbeholden
The Unbeholden are thieves and rogues. Some of them reject the caste system, others forced to become what they are by circumstance. Jhess is the nation with the most Unbeholden.
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. Blue-green creatures broke the natural order of Bant, and even creatures from Grixis and Jund appeared.
Although the army of Bant fights the invaders, it's clear that the opposing beasts and fighters are weakening Bant. Bant will no longer be as powerful as it was. Bant's powerful colors have been weakened by the invading colors. Now, Bant is ruled by all colors. It's borders merge more and more with the other shards, until it is no longer Bant. It has become part of the New Alara.
Sigils
Sigils are magical medallions that are usually earned through noble acts. They signify the support of the group or, on occasion, the individual that gave it to the wearer. There are some sigils, that can be bought, and stories tell of "dark sigils" from another time.
Notable inhabitants
Source
References
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (October 06, 2008). "Peace, Love and Understanding". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Doug Beyer (October 8, 2008). "An Angel's Eye View of Bant". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
External links
- "Magic Arcana" (August 12, 2008). "Shard Preview: Bant". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
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