Azor
Azor | |
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Azor I | |
[[File:{{#setmainimage:Azor2.jpg}}|250px]] | |
Details | |
Race |
Sphinx Formerly Planeswalker |
Birthplace | Unknown |
Lifetime | ~-6740 AR[1] - present |
Colors | |
Center: |
Azor is a sphinx of unknown origin and a former planeswalker. He is a lawmage and a hieromancer and sees himself as the Arbiter of Law.
On Ravnica, he is remembered as Supreme Judge Azor I or First Judge Azorius and the parun of the Azorius Senate. On Ixalan, he is known as the legendary Last Guardian of the Immortal Sun.
History
Azor visited many planes in the multiverse. Numerous ancient civilizations have legends of a semi-divine winged "lawbringer" figure, which can be traced back to Azor.[2] Although his plane of origin is forgotten, sphinxes on many planes, from Alara to Zendikar, show signs of his possible influence on their demeanor and culture.
Ravnica
Azor was the author of most of the written part of the original Guildpact.[3] He was present during the Clash of Two Champions, where he proposed the legal covering of the inter-guild pact for the first time. He also created the Implicit Maze. In Ravnican histories, the lifetime of First Judge Azorius is given as 47 A.C.-98 Z.C., in reality likely the time period that Azor was on the plane.
Ixalan
After living 10,000 years, one of his client worlds was conquered by Nicol Bolas, which caused him and his fellow planeswalker and ally Ugin to search for a way to defeat the elder dragon. They met on an unknown plane at a place referred to as the Palace of Justice. Together, they devised a plan to get rid of Bolas for good.[1]
As part of the plan to trap Bolas, Azor traveled to Ixalan and sacrificed his planeswalker's spark to create the Immortal Sun, a powerful artifact that in addition to other effects prevented Planeswalkers from leaving the Plane.[2] By this act, he also trapped himself on the plane. After waiting decades for Ugin's return and realizing their plan had failed, he resigned himself to return to influencing law systems on his adopted plane. He first brought the Sun to Torrezon, then to the Sun Empire, and finally to Orazca.[4] As the Last Guardian, he was revered by the River Heralds, who he considered to be the wisest beings on the plane.[5][6]
When Jace and Vraska reached him in his sanctum within Orazca, Azor prided himself on having given countless worlds perfect order. Vraska's protests that the guilds had turned out malevolent were brushed off as failures of its citizens. It was revealed that he had created the Immortal Sun to imprison Nicol Bolas, but that he had never received Ugin's signal to activate the sun and draw the evil dragon to the plane. As a result, he wanted to use the Immortal Sun to establish another perfect system of government, but one after another Azor rejected the various civilizations as worthy to reign. Vraska tried to kill him for disrupting the balance of countless planes, but Jace stopped her. Speaking as the Living Guildpact, he sentenced Azor to spend his life in solitude on Useless Island.[7]
Azor fought alongside Elenda of Garrano in defense of Ixalan during New Phyrexia's Invasion of the Multiverse.[8] It is likely that he was freed from Useless Island when the role of Living Guildpact passed to Niv-Mizzet.[9]
Artifacts acquired
- Azor's Gateway - a gateway on Ixalan to his chamber - the Sanctum of the Sun.
- Azor was the creator of the Immortal Sun, the artifact was in his possession until Bolas stole it through Vraska and Tezzeret.
- The original and final drafts of the Guildpact, which he drafted and signed as the parun of the Azorius.
Planeswalkers met
Planes visited
Gallery
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Rivals of Ixalan Art
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March of the Machine art with Elenda of Garrano
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Azor's Gateway
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Azor's Sanctum of the Sun
Story appearances
Title | Author | Publishing date | Set | Setting (plane) | Featuring |
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Glimpse the Far Side of the Sun | Alison Luhrs & Gregg Luben | 2018-01-17 | Rivals of Ixalan | Ixalan, Kaldheim | Huatli, Inti, Angrath, Elenda, Jace, Vraska, Zetalpa, Azor |
The Arbiter of Law Left Chaos in His Wake | Alison Luhrs & Gregg Luben | 2018-01-24 | Rivals of Ixalan | Ixalan | Huatli, Angrath, Tishana, Kumena, Vona de Iedo, Mavren Fein, Jace, Vraska, Azor |
Sabotage | Alison Luhrs & Gregg Luben | 2018-01-31 | Rivals of Ixalan | Ixalan, Tarkir | Ugin, Azor, Nicol Bolas, Jace, Vraska |
Chronicle of Bolas: The Unwritten Now | Kate Elliott | 2018-08-15 | Core Set 2019 | Meditation Plane, Zendikar, Kephalai, Ravnica, Dominaria, Tarkir | Baishya, Naiva, Yasova Dragonclaw, Ugin, Nicol Bolas, Mevra, Azor, Tae Jin, Mattak, Oiyan, Rakhan, Sorya, Fec |
In-game references
- Represented in:
- Associated cards:
- Depicted in:
- Quoted or referred to:
Trivia
- The name azor is a very popular name for watchdogs in Slavic countries, especially for those in police or military service. It is also the Spanish and Portuguese word for the bird "goshawk".
- The symbol of the Azorius Senate was visible in the runes keeping Jace from planeswalking away on Ixalan's Binding. This hinted that Azor was the one responsible for trapping planeswalkers on Ixalan.
References
- ↑ a b R&D Narrative Team (January 31, 2018). "Sabotage". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ a b The Art of Magic: The Gathering - Ixalan
- ↑ Cory J. Herndon (2005). Ravnica Cycle, Book I: Ravnica, Wizards of the Coast
- ↑ Chas Andres (October 25, 2017). "Ten Burning Questions from the Ixalan Story". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ R&D Narrative Team (September 27, 2017). "The Shapers". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Explore the Planes: Ixalan
- ↑ R&D Narrative Team (January 24, 2018). "The Arbiter of Law Left Chaos in His Wake". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Elenda and Azor
- ↑ Miguel Lopez (November 8, 2023). "Lost Caverns of Ixalan Worldbuilding Q&A". Discord. Archived from the original on November 8, 2023.
- ↑ Chas Andres (January 3, 2018). "Azor, the Lawbringer". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on January 03, 2018.
- ↑ Adam Styborski (January 4, 2018). "Tapping into Azor's Gateway". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.