Drannith
| Drannith | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Information | |
| Plane | Ikoria |
| Colors |
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| Part of | Egali, Savai |
| Scryfall Statistics | |
Drannith, formerly called "The Invincible City", was the largest city on the plane of Ikoria, a fortified human sanctuary that housed tens of thousands of residents.[1] Founded during a time of crisis, it stood as a bastion against the monsters that roamed the wilds, its defenses anchored by the immense crystal known as the Argalith. The city’s culture was deeply shaped by fear of monsters and pride in its unbreached walls. Drannith was ultimately destroyed by Lukka during the New Phyrexian Invasion.[2]
Description
Located on the lush plain of Egali in the lowlands of Savai, the city featured crystal-topped spires, straight-backed radial bridges, winding markets, hole-in-the-wall restaurants, and unexpected parks. Elevated highways called boulevards radiated out from the Citadel to all points of the compass.[3]
The city was protected by concentric circles of high stone walls. Drannith's highly trained military was second-to-none at warding off monster attacks; according to the inhabitants, its walls had never fallen since their creation. Drannith was founded at a time when humanity's numbers were wearing thin, which is perhaps why an unforgiving fear of monsters was rooted deep in their culture and ideological leadership. According to a mythos, it was the continued attacks of Snapdax against human settlements that forced the survivors to build the fortified city. The city employed a complex musical system of alarms: four bells meant a breach of the north wall, a horn blast meant all hands to arms, and additional gongs and tones indicated fire, poison, air raids, and more.[4]
Both monsters and bonders were rejected from the city. After Jirina Kudro's ascension as leader of the city, this stance was relaxed, and bonders and their monsters were allowed within the city's first ring.[5] The Drannith Defense Force, the Coppercoats, was the most well-resourced, powerful military force in the world. Semi-authoritarian, the General of the Coppercoats also served as the city's leader.
Locations in Drannith
- The Argalith - a gigantic green crystal pillar, the largest single crystal on the plane and a symbol of hope and protection for Drannith's residents as it formed the city's central axle and was the foundation of Drannith's magical defenses against monsters. [3]
- The Citadel - the city's central fortification, built around the Argalith.[3]
- The Rings - the city of Drannith lay tucked behind "the city wall", the pride of the city - a massive bulwark bristling with ballistae and other heavy weapons, wreathed in protective magic. The city wall had never been breached by the countless monster assaults that had occurred over generations. Beyond the city wall lay four rings of defenses with progressively thinner defense lines.[3]
- The First Ring - once the entirety of the city's domain, but later consisted of sprawling military complexes, barracks, training fields, and administration buildings constantly patrolled by the Coppercoats and lancers and mages from the Arcane Corps. Guarded by the imposing, broad "secondary wall", which was twenty feet high of smooth stone covered with warning crystals on minarets, and protected by turreted ballistae, with spring-loaded gates that could slam shut in seconds.[3]
- The Second Ring - the heart of Drannith's hinterland, a wide belt of flat country where every available square foot was planted with crops. Outside the Second Ring was an eight-foot-high stone wall with a wall-walk for guards and warning crystals at regular intervals - the outermost layer of Drannith's true defenses.[3]
- The Third Ring - a section of guarded walled hamlets where shepherds and loggers retreated to at night. The Third Ring had no outer wall.[3]
- The Fourth Ring - the outermost of Drannith's concentric defensive zones, and was dedicated to pasturage and timber forests. Because it was too large to be patrolled by the Coppercoats, it was uninhabited, but it was still considered part of Drannith's defense zone. Roads here were narrow and little trafficked, but Coppercoat Specials would sometimes be sent out here to clear away encroaching monsters.[3]
- The Third Boulevard - one of the elevated highways that radiated out from the Citadel to all points of the compass. Lukka took this street to escape the city after his bond with Leori was discovered.[3]
History
In 4561 AR, Drannith was attacked first by a nightmare, which was dispatched by Lukka's Coppercoat Specials in the Fourth Ring, and then Leori, who killed some horses and patrolmen in the Second Ring. Lukka and his Specials attempted to capture it, but it killed Gox, Gedra, and Nik, and turned on Lukka while Epha fled. However, a sudden bond rising between them stopped them both in their tracks. Lukka was brought to the infirmary, but witnesses had seen a green line glowing between Lukka and Leori, and he confessed to feeling a bond with the huge flying cat. Kudro ordered Lukka be confined, but Lukka's fiancé Jirina Kudro helped him escape Drannith and flee into Savai.[3]
Jirina was later brought back to Drannith by Leori, who did not heed the danger of the city's ballistae. She was shot down and wounded, saving Jirina's life by twisting in the air so that she would not be killed by the ballista bolts. After a few days of recuperation and a magical healer, Jirina was bid to go to the city wall, where she found Leori shackled. General Kudro, Jirina's father, bid her execute the patagia tiger, but she refused. Kudro then did it himself. Far away to the north, Lukka saw Kudro's actions through the bond and felt the bond being severed as Leori died. Furious, he gathered an army of monsters through the power of the Ozolith and marched on Drannith. Kudro met him on the halfway point, intending to kill Lukka to avoid a siege, but Lukka had laid a trap of hiding monsters, and personally killed Kudro by stabbing him in the heart. Lukka gathered a huge horde of monsters, including Yidaro, and laid siege to the city, which was aided in its defense by bonders like Barrow and Brin. Jirina confronted him there, but he would not listen to reason, and kept drawing more and more power from the Ozolith until it shattered, breaking his connection to the remaining beasts and causing his planeswalker spark to ignite, sending him away from Ikoria. With the impetus to attack the city lost, the monsters wandered away while the city rebuilt itself.[3]
Phyrexian invasion and aftermath
During the New Phyrexian Invasion, the compleated Lukka and the Copper Host were sent to attack Ikoria. Lukka immediately attacked the city that had cast him out for his differences, to devastating effect. The monstrosities of the Copper Host quickly overwhelmed Drannith's strongest defenses[6], and the city was reduced to rubble. The survivors fled to Lavabrink.
In-game references
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References
- ↑ Chris Mooney (April 02, 2020). "Planeswalker's Guide to Ikoria". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Roy Graham (March 20, 2023). "March of the Machine - Episode 5: Survival of the Fittest". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k Django Wexler (2020), "Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths — Sundered Bond", Wizards of the Coast
- ↑ Flavor text of Raise the Alarm (Foundations Jumpstart)
- ↑ Jay Annelli (2022). Magic: The Gathering - The Visual Guide, DK. ISBN-13 978 0744061055.
- ↑ Flavor text of Copper Host Crusher
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