Ojutai
Ojutai, a.k.a. the Soul of Winter or the Great Teacher is one of the five elder dragons of Tarkir. He is a lithe, feathered winged creature with an icy breath. He is considered to be insightful and wise, though several of his actions in-story are motivated by spite.
Ojutai's Brood
Ojutai and his brood emerged full-fledged from Ugin's dragon tempests and were drawn to Tarkir's cold peaks.
Original timeline
Ojutai and his brood were revered by the Jeskai Way for their cunning. Dangerously treacherous, they forced the Jeskai into a battle of wits for their own survival. However, after Ugin's death they lost the battle against the clans of Tarkir. No new brood was created and all died. Ojutai never reached elder status.
Alternate timeline
Ojutai and his brood established themselves as exceptionally dogmatic individuals after taking over the Jeskai, when they attacked the meeting of the khans. Accepting Shu Yun's terms of surrender, Ojutai ordered the execution of every Jeskai ghostfire warrior. [1]
Clan Ojutai
As the new leader, Ojutai demanded that the records of the Jeskai were edited to rewrite history in his favor, declaring himself ruler and founder of the clan. [2] The humanoids of his clan revere the dragons as the epitome of age, wisdom, and martial strength, seeking their guidance and believing that, by following Ojutai's edicts, that they will one lifetime be reborn as dragons. The elite of the clan are the longlived Skywise dragons. They are aloof, solitary, and graceful. The teachings of the dragons (and of Ojutai in particular) are seen as the pinnacle of attainable wisdom and the entire clan is structured around gaining enlightenment from the Great Teacher himself. Leadership among the humanoids is earned by martial prowess and spiritual teaching rather than by heredity. Each humanoid member of the Ojutai holds both a martial rank and an academic rank. Any given individual may pursue either or both, and the two exist in parallel. The highest-ranked martial artist in a sanctuary commands that sanctuary's fighters, and the highest-ranked scholar teaches and leads the sanctuary in peacetime. The dragons rarely involve themselves in the lives of their subjects, preferring to tend to their own, inscrutable affairs. Attempts to deviate from Ojutai's teachings, including seeking records of the past, results in the person declared a heretic and executed.
The dragonlord himself resides in the mountain sanctuaries, concerned with enlightenment and teaching, not with the mundane details of humanoid society. Ojutai himself seems to have gained a soft spot for his best and favorite student: Narset. He not only allowed her to live after she discovered the existence of the original clans, but he also encouraged her to continue seeking knowledge.
In-game references
Represented in:
Depicted in:
Quoted or referred to:
- Cunning Breezedancer
- Dance of the Skywise
- Dragon's Eye Sentry
- Elusive Spellfist
- Graceblade Artisan
- Great Teacher's Decree
- Learn from the Past
- Mind Rot (Dragons of Tarkir)
- Negate (Dragons of Tarkir)
- Ojutai Exemplars
- Ojutai Interceptor
- Ojutai's Summons
- Orator of Ojutai
- Pristine Skywise
- Skywise Teachings
- Student of Ojutai
- Whisk Away
- Zephyr Scribe
Depictions of Ojutai's brood
- Artful Maneuver
- Belltoll Dragon
- Death Wind
- Dirgur Nemesis
- Icefall Regent
- Mindscour Dragon
- Monastery Siege