Sol'Kanar

From MTG Wiki
Revision as of 20:21, 13 May 2024 by >Varghedin
(diff) ← Older revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Sol'Kanar
[[File:{{#setmainimage:Sol’Kanar the Tainted.jpg}}|250px]]
Details
Race Demon (Maro-Sorcerer corrupt)
Birthplace Dominaria, continent of Corondor, Khone
Lifetime Pre-Mending - Mending Era
Colors
{U}{B}{R}
Sources
Dakkon Blackblade (comic)

Sol'Kanar, called The Swamp King and the Demon King of Corondor, was a Force of Nature from Dominaria, which was corrupted by Geyadrone Dihada.

History

Minion

Originally a benevolent nature spirit, Sol'Kanar was twisted into a minion of the planeswalker Dihada while she turned the forest he represented, Khone, into a large marsh. He waged war on the countries of Corondor in her name and constructed her Unholy Citadel, a giant castle walking on spidery limbs, out of the bones of the dead. He was given the Black Blade Dakkon had forged for Dihada. When Dakkon fought her, Sol'Kanar served as Dihada's champion. He was defeated however and later Dihada tricked Dakkon into becoming her new champion. She then left Sol'Kanar on his own as she started to wander the planes again.

King

After that, Sol'Kanar occasionally appeared to the tribes to spread the belief that he was a god and became the undisputed leader of the land. He emerged from the side of the only road between the kingdoms of Khone and Shikar, proclaimed that the swamp now belonged to him, and submerged the road into the bog. He told the people of both nations that they should provide him with food, slaves, material goods, and knowledge during the annual Date of Tribute. Sol'Kanar discovered that ages ago a being named Sivitri Scarzam had led the Scarzam Dragons against Corondor. Wanting to fight the fallen angel Trine, who had conquered the north of Corondor while under the control of Xarl Angel-Keeper, Sol'Kanar changed the tribute to one spellcaster of each kingdom, hoping to summon the Scarzam dragons. With Chondeah of Shikar and Gydolien Mor of Khone he began to weave magic powerful enough to summon the beasts.[1]

Sol'Kanar the Swamp King

After years of effort, they were indeed successful in summoning a Scarzam Dragon, but a plan hatched by Chondeah turned it against Sol'Kanar. Gydolien forced it back through the portal it had come from. Sol'Kanar, apparently not realizing that it was the Khoneian who had saved him, then destroyed the kingdom of Khone. In its absence, Shikari grew into a glorious kingdom.

Planeswalker War

In the unpublished comic Prelude to War, Freyalise and the Lord of House Khone summon Sol'Kanar and bind him. In the unpublished comic Planeswalkers War, Sol'Kanar was working for Ravidel.

Present day

Legend says that Sol'Kanar will be restored to his original form upon Geyadrone Dihada's death, and still rules as a demon king in Corondor to this day.[2][3][4]

In other media

Dungeons & Dragons

Character art by Max Dunbar

Sol'Kanar is a primordial demon and former nature spirit from the island of Corondor.[5] Once a benevolent nature spirit, he mingled with the island's other forces of nature — sometimes in conflict, sometimes in harmony — but always with the overall health and well-being of Corondor in mind. When a great multiversal war came to Corondor, the forces of nature fled deeper into Corondor, but a demon planeswalker singled out Sol'Kanar and tore him from the land to use as a living weapon. When the planeswalker left to pursue her wrath elsewhere, Sol'Kanar was left to rot in his home world.

Sol'Kanar's spirit did not die, but was taken deep into the soul of Corondor, where the remaining forces of nature formed a confluence of Corondor's energies.[5] Determining that the island still needed a champion, they decided that he was to be brought back to life. The mountain spirits of the Spine offered up a sacred stone known as the Heart of the Mountain, and both the river spirits and those of the great swamp poured their elemental power into it. Through their combined efforts, Sol'Kanar was reborn with a burning desire to defend Corondor and destroy any who would dare defile it.

With tar-like liquid and brackish water seeping from his feet, giant mosquito creatures that emanate from him and infest the world, and tentacle-like vines, a swamp will manifest around Sol'Kanar if he stands in one place long enough.[5] His chest holds the Heart of the Mountain, and should it be removed he would turn into a thick, bubbling mass of demonic ichor or become a rampaging servant of the Abyss. Sol'Kanar's club, known as the Jawbone of Yawgmoth, was torn from an avatar of Yawgmoth in a battle to reclaim Corondor. The bone is seething with demonic life, and growls and gibbers, gnashing its fangs and glaring with soulless eyes.

Trivia

  • Sol'Kanar was based on a character with the same name from Steve Conard's Dungeons & Dragons campaign in a setting called Austra, where he was a notorious pit brawler in the arena world known as the Milestone.[5] He was eventually killed by the player character Boone Bladeswinger.

In-game references

Represented in:
Quoted or referred to:

References

  1. April King (March 29, 2018). "The Tale of Shikar". Pokeinthe.io. Excerpt from Battlemage
  2. Ethan Fleischer (June 10, 2021). "The Returning Legends of Modern Horizons 2". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  3. Brian Evenson (August 15, 2022). "The Education of Ulf". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  4. Roy Graham (September 1, 2022). "The Legends You'll Find in Dominaria United". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  5. a b c d Adam Lee (September 15, 2021). "Sol'Kanar the Swamp King". Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on November 17, 2021.