Dhiren Baral
| Dhiren Baral | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Information | |
| Colors |
 |
| Species | Human |
| Job | Wizard |
| Birth, Life & Death | |
| Birthplace | Avishkar (formerly Kaladesh) |
| Lifetime | Mending Era |
Dhiren Baral is a human officer of the Consulate in Ghirapur on Avishkar.
Description
Baral is a monolith of a man, stout and statuesque. A young Chandra's perception was that his face seemed to taunt those around it for being of lesser handsomeness. However, his face was burned and is now covered in scar tissue. He hides it behind a filigree mask.
While officially tasked with persecuting criminals who are smuggling aether, he is also responsible for hunting mages who could become threats to society.
History
Secretly a mage with anti-fire magic of his own, he was tasked to prosecute Chandra Nalaar for using fire magic. Even when the consuls deemed the search for the renegades too costly, he continued to hunt for them. He stabbed Kiran Nalaar in the stomach and torched Bunarat, the village where Chandra and her parents had been hiding. In his official story, Chandra was blamed for the fire and the death of her parents.[1] When Baral tried to execute Chandra at Ghirapur, the threat ignited her planeswalker's spark and she planeswalked to Regatha.[2] The ignition of her spark burned Baral's face, leaving him deformed and scarred and with an even more obsessive hatred of the Nalaars. After the event, the Consulate demoted him from captain to lieutenant.
Baral started to torment the captured Pia Nalaar, telling her repeatedly over many months that he had killed her daughter.[3] When Nissa, Chandra and Oviya Pashiri found the hidden prison where Baral worked, he managed to trap the three in a Deadlock Trap, intending to leave them to suffocate.[4]
Baral later helped Tezzeret steal the best inventions and abduct the best inventors from the Inventors' Fair.[5]
After the Renegades took control of the central Aether Hub of the city during the Aether Revolt, Tezzeret ordered Baral to distract Chandra, exploiting the hatred that existed between both. However, to keep the Consulate officer under control, Tezzeret ordered Dovin Baan to supervise the operation. Arriving at the central hub, Baral began to taunt Chandra, luring her away from her companions to an abandoned quarter of old stone buildings along the river. After negating a fire blast, Baral began to lead her to his trap when his progress was blocked by a thorn wall conjured by Nissa, who had followed after them. At a disadvantage, being confronted by two planeswalkers, the Consulate officer was picked up by Baan in a thopter. Knowing he couldn’t defeat the two in combat, he requested additional support but was denied by Baan, reminding him they were just a distraction.
Back on the ground, Baral starts up both a physical and psychological attack on Chandra, managing to get the better of her with a kick to her gut. About to deliver a killing blow, he was stopped by a filigree bird sent by Mrs. Pashiri, just a platform away. Ordering his thopter to gun down Pashiri’s platform, Baral turned his attention back to Chandra, who had already returned to her feet. Locked in combat, Baral admitted to her that Kiran Nalaar had not died in the fire, as the official report stated, but that Kiran had been murdered by the Consulate officer. Finally driven to her breaking point, Chandra let loose her powers to the point of self-imploding, which had been Baral's goal all along. Unfortunately for Baral’s plan, Nissa was able to talk her down. Seeing he had no other choice, Baral tried to kill her, but was stopped by Nissa’s elemental. Escaping in Baan’s thopter, the vedalken charges Baral with one count of murder, one count of attempted murder, one count of extrajudicial incarceration, and multiple counts of falsification of the public record.[1]
Dhiren Baral was imprisoned in the Dhund.[6]
Phyrexian invasion
When the prison holding former Consulate officer Baral was severely damaged during a Phyrexian assault, he wasted no time in making his escape. However, his brief moment of freedom quickly turned perilous when he found himself confronted by a swarm of Phyrexian invaders. Baral’s life was spared only through the unexpected and timely rescue by the infamous skyship pirate captain Kari Zev. Upon realizing Baral’s true identity, Kari Zev presented him with a stark ultimatum: join her fight against their common enemies or be cast overboard into the dangerous skies. Although temporarily allied, Kari Zev assigned her trusted First Mate Ragavan to keep a close watch on Baral, wary of any possible betrayal. Both understood that, regardless of their current cooperation, survival would likely place them back on opposing sides in the conflict ahead.[7]
Due to his passionate defense of Kaladesh, the new Consulate chose to overlook Baral’s prior offenses and transgressions.[8]
Trivia
- In Magic Duels, Baral is represented during the Chandra campaign by the card Consul's Lieutenant.
- There was some debate on the part of Creative on whether Baral was white or blue, before settling on the latter.[9]
Gallery
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Chandra Nalaar faces Baral at her execution. -
Baral at the Consulate Aether Hub. -
March of the Machine key art.
Story appearances
In-game references
- Represented in:
- Associated cards:
- Depicted in:
- Quoted or referred to:
References
- ↑ a b Chris L'Etoile (January 4, 2017). "Burn". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Doug Beyer (June 10, 2015). "Chandra’s Origin: Fire Logic". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Mel Li (September 14, 2016). "Renegade Prime". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ James Wyatt (September 28, 2016). "Bottled Up". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Doug Beyer (October 12, 2016). "In This Very Arena". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Magic Creative Team (February 1, 2017). "Renewal". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Emily Teng (April 13, 2023). "The Legendary Team-Ups of March of the Machine". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Flavor text of Baral, Chief of Compliance
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (2017-01-16). "Aether Way, Part 1". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.