Amonkhet (plane)

Amonkhet
[[File:{{#setmainimage:Amonket.jpg}}|250px]]
Information
First seen	Amonkhet
Last seen	March of the Machine
Planeswalkers	Basri Ket, Samut
Rabiah Scale	5
Status	Recovering from New Phyrexia's invasion
Demonym	Amonkheti

Amonkhet is an Ancient Egypt-inspired plane overtaken and once ruled by Nicol Bolas.

Description

Liliana believed the plane was created by Nicol Bolas before the Mending, when a planeswalker would still have had the power to do so, though Nissa later discovered that Bolas had instead corrupted a pre-existing plane and warped its culture to worship him instead. Bolas had engineered a world where the inhabitants reach maximum physical perfection before killing one another in the Trials. While the denizens saw this as a righteous path to a glorious afterlife, Bolas's goal was the creation of an army of Zombie warriors known as Eternals, who would be stronger than regular zombies, retaining all the skills they had in life but with unthinking loyalty to Bolas.

The plane is orbited by two suns that shroud the plane in perpetual daylight without actual nights. The second one has slowly been making its path to Bolas's Horn Monument. The people believed that when it appeared between the horn, the God-Pharaoh would reveal himself to them.

Amonkhet's leylines are weaker than other planes, pulsing like the veins of a dying animal. When given the chance to examine the leylines within Naktamun, Nissa describes them as "stunted"; not only are they artificially concentrated behind the Hekma, but the leylines of Naktamun are corrupted by a dark, virulent strain that subtly weaves itself through the leylines.

The most unusual aspect of Amonkhet is that things that die on the plane transform into undead, which is referred to as the Curse of Wandering. If they are embalmed, they become servile mummies. When no flesh remains on their bones, the Curse of Wandering ends. It is unclear precisely where the Curse comes from; when Nissa makes contact with what remains of Amonkhet's soul in "The Writing on the Wall", it describes the Curse as "its gift". In "The Hour of Revelation", the eight gods are described as seeking to protect Naktamun, as it is "all that remains", and failures of the past are referenced. With Nissa's examination of the leylines, the Curse of Wandering may be the result of some ancient corruption that predates Bolas, a sickness in the plane itself which seems to be slowly killing it.

Much of Amonkhet is covered in desert and ruins, which are known to the inhabitants as the Broken Lands. The only known settlement was the city of Naktamun, where the gods dwelled among the population and acted as stewards for the God-Pharaoh until his return. The people within the city were divided into several districts that prepared for the trials of the five gods, an elaborate series of tests overseen by viziers. Groups of warriors were referred to as "crops" that prepared to take the trials together. Dissenters against the God-Pharaoh's teachings were either locked into sarcophagi or banished into the Broken Lands.

History

After the Hour of Revelation revealed that the God-Pharaoh was, in fact, a malevolent dragon and the majority of their way of life a lie, the survivors fled into the desert, leaving the destroyed city behind to forge a new destiny. Protected and guided by Hazoret, the only surviving god, these people face an uncertain future.

During the War of the Spark Nicol Bolas sent Tezzeret to Amonkhet to activate the Planar Bridge. After his defeat at the hands of Karn, Samut, Ob Nixilis and Dack Fayden, Hazoret gave them her spear, reassuring Samut about the condition of Amonkhet's population: the goddess and the mortals brought the last two corrupted gods away from Naktamun; they have repopulated the city and created a new Hekma.

Amonkhet was a target in New Phyrexia's Invasion of the Multiverse. Samut returned to her home plane to help defend it. Warned of the incoming invasion, the survivors of Amonkhet went into hiding, hoping to evade Phyrexian notice, but it turned out to be futile. Those who had survived Nicol Bolas's ravaging of their plane, however, were tough and resourceful, and as soon as they gathered their bearings, they struck back with a vicious plan that relied heavily on Hazoret, their protector god, with Djeru as her loyal lieutenant.

Vorinclex's Copper Host was the main invasion force on Amonkhet. They terraformed the dead desert with strange Phyrexian flora and uncovered the various Necropoli, attempting to convert the dead into new forces. It was also discovered that Lazotep negates the effects of the glistening oil and compleation.

To the survivors' surprise, when they arrived at Naktamun, they found the Scarab God and Locust God already there, engaged with the invaders. With the insect gods' undead hordes distracting the Phyrexians, Hazoret used her flaming spear to ignite the glistening oil within the Phyrexians' veins. As they writhed in agony, Djeru led a crop of elite fighters to dismember them, making sure they were out of the picture for good. In the aftermath, the inscrutable insect gods departed for the deep desert without a word.

Known locations

The Great Necropolis.

• The Luxa River. Turned to blood by Razaketh after the Hour of Revelation.
• Naktamun, the central city-state. Destroyed after the Hour of Devastation.
• The Desert Lands, the desert littered with remnants of lost civilizations and roamed by marauding mummies, ravenous sandwurms, malicious demons, and a host of unimaginable terrors.
  • The Great Necropolis, where the Eternals are stored. During New Phyrexia's invasion of the multiverse, it was opened by the Phyrexians.
  • The Horn Monument, erected by Bolas in his visage, enchanted to appear stationary from every angle. Built to frame the Second Sun on the horizon at the moment of his choosing.
  • Shefet, or the Scouring Sands, a chaotic dune sea scoured by sand wurms.
  • Ramunap, or the Broken Lands, the cradle of lost civilizations
  • Ifnir, also known as the Demon's Nest
  • Hashep
  • Ipnu
  • The empty underground catacombs
  • The Lazotep mines; source of the valued blue mineral.

Culture

Inhabitants of Naktamun enjoy the ancient Egyptian board games mancala and senet, as well as another game named after the god Rhonas.

Religion

The gods of Amonkhet predate the God-Pharaoh. During his initial assault, Bolas killed every single being old enough to walk, weakening the gods enough for him to overtake them. When Bolas departed Amonkhet, he left behind five gods to steward the plane until his fateful return. Besides Bontu, who betrayed her siblings, the remaining gods were brainwashed to believe they were created by the God-Pharaoh to act as his stewards, to protect the people, and to guide them through the five trials to the afterlife. If they execute their duties faithfully, they too will be welcomed to the afterlife.

The gods have humanlike bodies and heads of living gold that resemble the heads of animals. They stand thirty feet tall, wield enormous weapons, possess immense physical power and magical might, and are nearly invulnerable. Physically exemplary and magically unparalleled, these gods are whom the citizens of Naktamun beseech in their time of need. Unlike the distant gods of Theros, the gods of Amonkhet walk openly among their people. The citizens gladly build monuments to these Gods, as well as to the God-Pharaoh Bolas whose return is prophesied.

Originally, there were eight gods. After Bolas took over the plane, only five remain. The other three were stowed away. Currently, after Bolas's return to the plane, only Hazoret, the god of zeal, as well as the Scarab and Locust God, remain alive.

God-Pharaoh

• Nicol Bolas, the Great Trespasser ()

The Five Gods

• Oketra, the cat god of solidarity ()
• Kefnet, the ibis god of knowledge ()
• Bontu, the crocodile god of ambition ()
• Hazoret, the jackal god of zeal ()
• Rhonas, the cobra god of strength ()

The Three Forgotten Gods

• The Scorpion God ()
• The Scarab God ()
• The Locust God ()

Under Bolas

Acolytes

Children as young as five were invited to become acolytes. Along with the others in their birth year, they are known as the year's crop. As part of their preparation, a crop must construct a ceremonial obelisk. The task can take over a decade, and as they work, the acolytes strengthen their bonds of friendship, demonstrating that when the time comes in the final trial they will do the honor of granting each other Glorified Deaths. The crop later defends this obelisk during the first trial, the Trial of Solidarity.

Ceremony of Measurement

Their time as acolytes come to a close when a crop is called to stand before the pantheon of gods for the Ceremony of Measurement. Through the magic of the ritual, the gods can see the true heart of each acolyte. Those judged worthy become the God-Pharaoh's initiates or are selected by the individual gods to become viziers in service to those gods. Those judged unworthy are culled from the crop and exiled from the city.

Initiates

The majority of those judged at the Ceremony of Measurement become initiates. Initiates face the Trials of the Five Gods that test the five aspects of worthiness: Solidarity, Knowledge, Strength, Ambition, and Zeal. The five trials are held in the gods' monuments: massive, awe-inspiring structures shaped like the gods' heads that line the Luxa River.

For each trial passed, initiates earn a cartouche, an amulet inlaid with shimmering blue lazotep and imbued with the magic of the God-Pharaoh. Each successive cartouche is attached to the one above, so they form a line running down the initiate’s chest. Initiates who acquire all five cartouches are known as the Worthy, and they carry the cartouches upon death into the necropolis. The God-Pharaoh teaches that this record of the initiate's achievements preserves the initiate's essence, safeguarding their life force for the journey to the afterlife. The trials are, in order:

1. The Trial of Solidarity () — This Trial tests your ability to work with others. It involves recovering Oketra's arrow as a team, fighting through her angels, mummies, horned beasts, and viziers.
2. The Trial of Knowledge () — This Trial tests your mental capacity. It involves figuring out one's way out of a labyrinth of water and illusion, catered to the initiates' basic fears, without being drowned. Magic dampens instincts and emotions.
3. The Trial of Strength () — This Trial tests your physical capacity. It involves climbing through a wall full of poisonous thorns, whose toxins prevent spellcasting, then fighting through hordes of wild beasts and recovering the antidote on a basilisk's scale, then keeps traveling the jungle.
4. The Trial of Ambition () — This Trial tests your willingness to do what must be done. It involves moving through several dark chambers full of traps and monsters, encouraging crop members to sacrifice each other until they arrive at a clear water body full of poisonous snakes, whose only means of crossing involve sacrificing the heart of a fellow crop member.
5. The Trial of Zeal () — This final Trial is a fight to the death. The initiates fight whatever Hazoret deems worthy.

The bodies of the worthy dead who succeeded at all five trials are carried through the Gate to the Afterlife on a funerary barge. They will wait in a glorious oasis until the God-Pharaoh arrives to welcome them as eternals in the afterlife.

Viziers

At the Ceremony of Measurement, a select few are chosen by one of the five gods for honorable service as a vizier. Viziers perform several essential tasks: they lead rituals, oversee the trials, teach and train acolytes and initiates, keep watch over the protective Hekma, and carry out the will of the gods. They do not earn five cartouches as the initiates strive to do. Instead, they are given a single cartouche to represent their mastery of one aspect of worthiness. Their devotion is rewarded with a Glorified Death at the end of their service. Oketra's viziers ran the city of Naktamun and were tasked with raising and teaching its people.

Anointed

While all strive to prove they are worthy of the afterlife, not everyone succeeds. An acolyte may perish in training, an initiate may die in a trial, or a vizier may pass before having the chance to prove devotion. The God-Pharaoh has promised that the fallen, though unworthy, will not spend eternity in the desert suffering from the Curse of Wandering. Their bodies are carefully embalmed, anointed, and awakened to serve.

Each of the anointed is given a cartouche that directs them to a particular form of service. They may harvest food, quarry stone, construct buildings, cook and clean, care for children, dispose of waste, assist in ceremonies, spar with acolytes, lead drills for initiates, load the funerary barges, or embalm the bodies of others like themselves. A second life of service will earn them a place as attendants in the afterlife.

Unworthy Dissenters

Even in the paradise-like oasis of Naktamun, some dissenters doubt the teachings of the God-Pharaoh. They refuse to follow a path that would lead them to the afterlife. Punishment for dissenters is severe. Angels bind them in special sarcophagi, called Tombs of Disgrace, which leave the prisoners' hands exposed. The sarcophagi line the streets of Naktamun for all to look upon in what is known as a Display of Doubt. When the display concludes, the angels carry the dissenters through the Hekma and into the desert beyond where they are left to be consumed by the Curse of Wandering.

Inhabitants

Sentient races:

• Angels : Angel of Sanctions
• Falcon-Aven : (e.g. Aven Mindcensor); solely as Eternals
• Ibis-Aven
• Criosphinxes : Unesh, Criosphinx Sovereign
• Demons : Archfiend of Ifnir
• Gods : Hazoret the Fervent
• Humans : (e.g. Anointer Priest)
• Khenra (Jackalfolk) : Flameblade Adept
• Minotaurs : Ahn-Crop Crasher
• Nagas : (e.g. Watchful Naga)
• Sphinxes : Consecrated Sphinx

Domesticated races:

• Anointed mummies : e.g. Anointer Priest
• Camels : Supply Caravan
• Cats : Graceful Cat, Sacred Cat
• Eternals
• Pack beasts
• Snakes

Wild races:

• Ammits : Baleful Ammit
• Antelope
• Basilisks
• Bats : Blighted Bat
• Birds: ibises, vultures, gulls, owls, hoopoes
• Cats : Pouncing Cheetah, lions
• Chimeras : Majestic Myriarch
• Cerodons
• Crabs : Ancient Crab
• Crocodiles : Crocodile of the Crossing
• Dragons : Glorybringer
• Elephants
• Hellions : Chaos Maw
• Hippos : Mouth // Feed
• Horrors : Grim Strider
• Horses : Crested Sunmare
• Hydras : Honored Hydra
• Hyenas : Hyena Pack
• Locusts : Swarm Intelligence
• Lizards : Shefet Monitor
• Manglehorns : Manglehorn
• Manticores : Heart-Piercer Manticore
• River drakes : Angler Drake, Enigma Drake
• River serpents : River Serpent
• Sand Stranglers
• Sandwurms
• Golems : Hollow One
• Scarabs : Dune Beetle, Nest of Scarabs
• Scorpions
• Serpents : Cryptic Serpent
• Serpopards :, typed as "Cat Snakes": Prowling Serpopard
• Snakes
• Spiders : Giant Spider, Spidery Grasp
• Zombies : e.g. Cursed Minotaur, Gravedigger, Miasmic Mummy, Tattered Mummy

Planeswalkers

Native

• Basri Ket
• Samut

Visitors

• Ajani Goldmane (non-canon)
• Angrath (non-canon)
• Arlinn Kord (non-canon)
• Chandra Nalaar
• Dack Fayden
• Garruk (non-canon)
• Gideon Jura
• Isona Maive (non-canon)
• Jace Beleren
• Jaya Ballard (non-canon)
• Karn
• Kasmina
• Kaya (non-canon)
• Liliana Vess
• Nahiri (non-canon)
• Nicol Bolas
• Nissa Revane
• Ob Nixilis
• Ral Zarek
• Saheeli Rai (non-canon)
• Sarkhan Vol
• Teferi Akosa (non-canon)
• Tezzeret
• Vraska (non-canon)
• The Wanderer

Gallery

• 

  Amonkhet packaging art by Aleksi Briclot.

In-game references

Represented in:

• Naktamun

Associated cards:

• Invasion of Amonkhet

Referred to:

• Blighted Bat
• Blossoming Sands (March of the Machine)
• Dunes of the Dead
• Foul Orchard (Amonkhet)
• Gideon's Reproach (Dominaria)
• Gravedigger (Amonkhet)
• Grim Initiate
• Herald of the Dreadhorde
• Hostile Desert
• Manticore Eternal
• Razaketh, the Foulblooded
• Sandblast (Hour of Devastation)
• Sphinx of the Second Sun
• Unseal the Necropolis

External links

• Plane Shift: Amonkhet