Elesh Norn

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Elesh Norn
[[File:{{#setmainimage:Elesh Norn.jpg}}|250px]]
Details
Race Phyrexian
Birthplace Mirrodin
Born Betw. 4400 and 4557 AR
Died 4562 AR
Colors
{W}

Elesh Norn (Phyrexian: Ducg,norn, IPA: [ʔelʃ norn]) was the Praetor of the white-aligned Machine Orthodoxy, which led New Phyrexia.[1] She was called The Mother of Machines,[2][3][4][5] Grand Praetor,[4][5] or Grand Cenobite[4] by her followers. As the ruler of New Phyrexia, she oversaw the New Phyrexian Invasion of the Multiverse, achieving full or partial conquests of numerous worlds. However, despite early successes, she was thwarted in the final battle by a combined coalition of Planeswalkers, Mirran rebels, and the war hosts of Zhalfir. She was subsequently killed by Karn.[6]

Description

Elesh Norn had a very tall, almost skeletally thin humanoid figure.[7] Her body was composed of red sinuous flesh and white metallic porcelain. Her eyeless face carried a broad shield-like body visor. Her mouth was filled with needle-like teeth.[8] Jace Beleren described the praetor as a "psychic amateur" and compared reading her mind to washing his hands in spinal fluid.[9]

Elesh Norn led the Machine Orthodoxy. She was an arrogant master manipulator who devoutly believed in her rhetoric and did not like to be questioned. She was a theocratic dictator who designed monuments in her image. Although she worked with the other praetors, she wanted to be the one leading the charge. Elesh Norn designed grand plans for all of Phyrexia and wrote the Argent Etchings, scriptures for her followers.

History

Rise of the praetors

When the Phyrexians infected Mirrodin, it was a world of five suns, one for each of the five colors of Magic. The five praetors each rose under the influence of a sun, with Elesh Norn emerging under the power of the White Sun. Norn adopted human and elvish elements of culture.[10] She was formed from the mana of Bringer, the white sun.[11]

New Phyrexia's white-aligned faction, led by Norn, believes that Phyrexia must adhere to the teachings of the Father of Machines. They intend to indoctrinate everyone about the truth, even if it means tearing them limb from limb and reattaching the parts into a creation that is worthy of Phyrexia. They are dogmatic, hierarchical, and orthodox in their methods.

Norn appears on the surface to be delirious to some extent, and her religious fanaticism has been interpreted as her being blind to the machinations of the other praetors. She is a highly manipulative individual, subtly influencing her faction to suit her desires.[12] During Karn's reign as Father of Machines deep in the plane's core, she even attempted to bring him to the surface to protect him from her fellow praetor, Jin-Gitaxias.

During the final battle in which the Phyrexians officially conquered Mirrodin, a Mirran angel named Atraxa was captured. Elesh Norn was impressed by Atraxa's tenacity and "rewarded" her with compleation, a process by which organic beings are converted into Phyrexians. Elesh Norn's intent was for Atraxa to become the "praetors‘ voice", a symbol of Phyrexia's unity. Elesh Norn invited the other praetors to contribute, with only Urabrask declining. Atraxa's creation marked the final victory of Phyrexia over Mirrodin.

Victorious

Eventually, Elesh Norn gained the upper hand in New Phyrexia, overwhelming Sheoldred's and Urabrask's forces and becoming the dominant praetor.[13] She was able to manipulate Vorinclex easily, as he was the least ambitious of the praetors.[14] Jin-Gitaxias, Vorinclex and many of the Black Thanes pledged themselves and their spheres to her grand vision, but Urabrask remained outside her grasp[15] as did some of the Steel Thanes that joined him in his rebellion.[16] She then became the Mother of Machines, the highest power in New Phyrexia.[16] As a ruler she is mostly hands-off, spending her time in the lower spheres preparing her conquest of the Multiverse and delegating most tasks to Atraxa.[17]

Meeting Ashiok

At some point after the events of Theros Beyond Death, Elesh Norn tried to compleat a Mirran woman in front of a large gathering of Phyrexians. When the compleation failed horribly, the Praetor investigated, discovering that she was experiencing a nightmare produced by the Planeswalker Ashiok. Ashiok was surprised to see that Phyrexians could have nightmares as well, and their intrusion left Norn furious and shocked. She tried to attack Ashiok when they conjured a figure of Elspeth Tirel wearing Norn's armor. Enraged, Norn vowed she would kill Elspeth - but even the exiled Urabrask knew that this meant Norn feared her.[18][19]

Invasion plans

Elesh Norn uniting most of New Phyrexia under her rule.

At some point after the War of the Spark, Tezzeret determined that the only way he could house the Planar Bridge damaging his body was to obtain a darksteel body from Elesh Norn, for which he bargained access to his Planar Bridge and the powers of the Reality Chip. Both Vorinclex's infiltration of Kaldheim and Jin-Gitaxias's planeswalker compleation on Kamigawa was facilitated with his help, and once both of these were achieved, Norn felt confident to send troops across the planes.[19]

Elesh Norn successfully sent Sheoldred to Dominaria in a large-scale infiltration to fetch Karn. Welcoming him back as Father of Machines, she introduced him to the Phyrexian Invasion Tree, Realmbreaker, a corrupt imitation of Kaldheim's World Tree which she would use to connect New Phyrexia to all the planes in the Multiverse.[20] In this way, Norn planned to expand and bring the glory of Phyrexia to every plane. As she prepared for the great Invasion, her faction became the Machine Legion, the core of the Phyrexian armada.[16] At some point, she altered the formula of the glistening oil so that she was the one personally issuing orders throughout the Phyrexian hive mind.

Though her throne room sat in the Fair Basilica, New Phyrexia's third-lowest layer, Norn mostly resided in the plane's second-lowest, the Mycosynth Gardens.[2] She forbade for any visitors to the two lowest layers without her invitation, including other Praetors.

Multiversal conquest

A planeswalker strike team infiltrated New Phyrexia, hoping to destroy Realmbreaker with a copy of the Golgothian Sylex before the Invasion Tree could activate and connect to the rest of the Multiverse. However, the strike team was too late, arriving in Phyrexia's core just as the Tree connected with dozens of other planes, beginning the Phyrexian Invasion of the Multiverse. Faced with this change of circumstances, strike team members Kaya Cassir and Kaito Shizuki hesitated to detonate the Sylex, fearing that doing so could obliterate not only Realmbreaker but all the planes now connected to New Phyrexia through the activated Invasion Tree. This mistake was all it took for Norn to appear with a compleated Nissa Revane and thwart the mission.[7][11]

At the onset of the invasion, Norn's forces captured Sheoldred, who had recently risen in rebellion against the Mother of Machines in a bid for power. Norn commanded the compleated planeswalker Ajani to execute Sheoldred, ending her rival's threat. Then she dispatched her other compleated Planeswalkers, Nahiri, Lukka, and Tamiyo, to conquer their home planes, and sent Ajani to Theros to subvert its Gods. Finally, she gave the most important task to Atraxa. The Phyrexian angel was sent to lead the efforts of the Machine Legion against Capenna.[4] She was commanded to salvage a ship of the Old Phyrexians, scavenge any remaining Phyrexians for parts, kill all citizens of New Capenna, and destroy the Halo wellspring. Both Ajani's and Atraxa's missions were designed to counteract the threat of a return of Elspeth, of whom Norn had become paranoid.

Final Battle

As Norn's war raged throughout the Multiverse, Chandra Nalaar and Wrenn arrived on New Phyrexia with a plan to stop the Realmbreaker and thwart the Phyrexian invasion. Joined by Koth and aided by Urabrask, the planeswalkers invaded the inner spheres of the plane, arriving at the Fair Basilica before being confronted and defeated by Nissa and Jin-Gitaxias.[21] As Norn moved to give the order to compleat them, her worst fears were realized when the newly anointed archangel Elspeth burst from the Blind Eternities, giving the planeswalkers time to escape and make a final charge toward the Realmbreaker.[8]

As Norn dueled her hated enemy, Elspeth told Norn that her egotism had grown to the point of self-importance, an utter contradiction to the philosophy of Phyrexia. She acknowledged that Phyrexia's ideals of unity had merit, but declared that its crusade of conquest was only conducted for Norn's selfish wishes, not for Phyrexia's. Lashing out in mounting rage, Norn tore off one of Vorinclex's horns to use as a projectile and one of Jin-Gitaxias's arms as punishment for interrupting the brawl and was subsequently stabbed through the shoulder by Elspeth. After fighting the Grand Praetor to a stalemate, Elspeth then flew away to cover the planeswalkers' attack on Realmbreaker, as Norn screamed after her to come back and finish their duel.[8]

Soon after, the last valiant Mirran rebels reached the Invasion Tree, where they raised a desperate barrier to hold off the Phyrexian army and buy the dryad planeswalker Wrenn enough time to fuse with Realmbreaker. Successfully merging herself with the cosmic tree, Wrenn reached out across the Multiverse through the branches of Realmbreaker, seeking the lost plane of Zhalfir and the allied armies waiting there, while Norn assaulted the barrier along with her army.[22]

With the rebel defenses crumbling and the fate of the Multiverse hanging in the balance, Elspeth engaged Norn one last time, defending Wrenn and the last Mirran rebels holding out behind the wall. Though at first Elspeth managed to drive the Grand Praetor back, Norn finally seized angel planeswalker and flung her bodily through the barrier, shattering it. The armies of Phyrexia poured through the breach, eager to descend upon the rebels and massacre them — just as Wrenn succeeded in reaching Zhalfir, opening a portal to the lost plane and summoning Teferi and the massed Zhalfiran army directly into the heart of New Phyrexia. [22][1]

Defeat and Death

Immediately, the tide turned as the Zhalfiran army engaged the shocked Phyrexians in an all-out battle.[23] The Green Praetor Vorinclex was soon killed in the melee, and then the entire world started to shudder as the dryad planeswalker Wrenn, still fused with Realmbreaker, expended the last of her draining life energy to shift the lost plane of Zhalfir into New Phyrexia's place in the Multiverse. As the planar displacement began, towers and monuments throughout New Phyrexia trembled and collapsed as the whole plane shook under the strain.

Driven onto the defense, Norn fought off waves of attackers, hurling her assailants into the abyss below the Invasion Tree. Teferi directed his Zhalfiran forces to fire a mighty volley of magic upon the praetor — "lightning, ice, fire, bolts of verdant energy, withering dark[23]" — all striking Norn in the chest and further wounding her, though she continued to stand her ground. In a rage, Norn screamed at the Phyrexian armies to protect her.

Faced with these devastating setbacks, Jin-Gitaxias chose this time to mutiny, becoming frustrated with Norn's selfish leadership and deciding she would be better off as spare parts. As the battle raged around them, he turned his army of blue-aligned Phyrexians upon Norn, and they attacked her en masse. The infighting made it easy for the Zhalfirins to rout the Phyrexians.

The reconstructed Karn, deciding to rectify the grand mistake of Argentum once and for all.

Despite facing an entire army of Jin-Gitaxias' minions alone, Norn managed to wipe out all of her assailants, though she suffered horrific wounds in the process. Barely clinging to life, stripped of her armor and legs, Norn crawled toward the planar portal connecting New Phyrexia and Zhalfir, perhaps intending to recover and regroup.[23] However, this would not come to pass. The reconstructed Karn, deciding to rectify the grand mistake of Argentum once and for all, broke his vow of pacifism and used his machine magic to shred her mechanical components, leaving the once-great Mother of Machines a red smear on the ground.

Since Norn had taken direct control of the Phyrexian hive mind, it abruptly went silent upon her death, causing the Phyrexian invaders across all planes to shut down. This marked the end of the multiversal invasion.

Trivia

  • The 2014 Judge Gift card printing of Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite was the first (and, until the release of Jumpstart, only) card to be written in Phyrexian script.
  • Traditionally, a Cenobite is a member of a monastic community. However, the Cenobites are an extra-dimensional race that appears in the works of Clive Barker - notably featuring flaying as part of its mythos. Elesh Norn's title ends up being a play on both, being a religious leader whose dogma is related to the removal of flesh or skin.
  • The Norns in Norse mythology are female beings who rule the destiny of gods and men.
  • Elesh Norn narrates the Phyrexia: All Will Be One trailer.[24] She is the antagonist of the March of the Machine trailer.[25]
    • Rather than Phyrexian, she speaks English in the trailer.
  • A commanding praetor, her favorite mood marker was the jussive.[26][27]
  • Though she could speak human languages, she was unable to read them.[4]
  • Among the compleated planeswalkers, whom she referred to as her "holy evangels," she considered Tamiyo her favorite.[4] Ajani was a favored lieutenant, the most ruthless and loyal among her evangels.[28]

Gallery

Story appearances

Title Author Publishing date Set Setting (plane) Featuring
Corrupted Conscience Jenna Helland 2011-01-19 New Phyrexia New Phyrexia Karn, Elesh Norn, Kraynox, Jin-Gitaxias
On the Mirrodin Site: Unctus of the Synod Wizards of the Coast 2011-05-27 New Phyrexia New Phyrexia Unctus, Politus, Covalt, Scylla, Threx, Uulk, Kizak, Grgur, Jin-Gitaxias, Malcator, Karn, Elesh Norn, Urabrask
The Lost Confession Jenna Helland 2013-09-11 Theros Theros Elspeth Tirel, Ajani Goldmane, Pharika, Koth of the Hammer, Melira, Tezzeret, Elesh Norn, Urabrask, Sheoldred, Karn, Jin-Gitaxias, Venser, Heliod
A Garden of Flesh Lora Gray 2022-05-03 New Phyrexia Elesh Norn, Ashiok
Episode 5: A Whisper in the Wind Langley Hyde 2022-08-18 Dominaria United Dominaria Teferi, Karn, Jhoira, Ertai, Ajani Goldmane, Jaya Ballard, Radha, Danitha Capashen, Sheoldred, Darigaaz, Jodah, Saheeli Rai, Elesh Norn
The Brothers' War - Chapter 3: Nemesis Reinhardt Suarez 2022-10-25 The Brothers' War New Phyrexia Karn, Ajani Goldmane, Tezzeret, Elesh Norn
Assault on New Phyrexia - Episode 5: Inevitable Resolutions Seanan McGuire 2023-01-16 Phyrexia: All Will Be One New Phyrexia Jace Beleren, Kaito Shizuki, Himoto, Kaya Cassir, Elspeth Tirel, Ajani Goldmane, Tyvar Kell, Tibalt, Elesh Norn,Tamiyo, Nahiri, Nissa Revane
Phyrexia: All Will Be One - A Man of Parts Reinhardt Suarez 2023-01-17 Phyrexia: All Will Be One New Phyrexia, Alara, Kamigawa Tezzeret, Rona, Elesh Norn, Jin-Gitaxias, Estel, Nashi
March of the Machine - Episode 1: Triumph of the Fleshless K. Arsenault Rivera 2023-03-15 March of the Machine New Phyrexia Elesh Norn, Kaya Cassir, Kaito Shizuki, Himoto, Tyvar Kell, Lukka, Rothga, Ajani Goldmane, Sheoldred, Jace Beleren, Nahiri, Nissa Revane, Tamiyo, Atraxa, Ephara
March of the Machine - Episode 6: The Last to Leave K. Arsenault Rivera 2023-03-24 March of the Machine Capenna, Theros, New Phyrexia Elspeth Tirel, Atraxa, Daxos, Elesh Norn, Urabrask, Koth of the Hammer, Wrenn, Chandra Nalaar, Nissa Revane, Karn, Jin-Gitaxias, Serra
March of the Machine - Episode 7: Divine Intervention K. Arsenault Rivera 2023-03-24 March of the Machine New Phyrexia Karn, Elesh Norn, Koth of the Hammer, Jin-Gitaxias, Chandra Nalaar, Melira, Elspeth Tirel, Vorinclex, Wrenn
March of the Machine - Episode 9: The Old Sins of New Phyrexia K. Arsenault Rivera 2023-03-28 March of the Machine Capenna, New Phyrexia, Zhalfir, Theros Giada, Atraxa, Heliod, Kaya Cassir, Ajani Goldmane, Elspeth Tirel, Teferi Akosa, Koth of the Hammer, Chandra Nalaar, Elesh Norn, Vorinclex, Jin-Gitaxias, Melira, Nissa Revane, Karn, Wrenn, Eight
Outlaws of Thunder Junction Epilogue 1: Bring the End, Part 1 Alison Lührs 2024-04-01 Outlaws of Thunder Junction New Phyrexia, Vryn, Ravnica Jace Beleren, Kaya Cassir, Kaito Shizuki, Elesh Norn, Tyvar Kell, Vraska, Ranna Beleren

In-game references

Represented in:
Associated cards:
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Quoted or referred to:

References

  1. ↑ Savor the Flavor (May 11, 2011). "Getting to Know the Praetors". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  2. ↑ a b Reinhardt Suarez (October 25, 2022). "The Brothers' War - Chapter 3: Nemesis". Magicthegathering.com.
  3. ↑ Grace Fong (January 31, 2023). "Planeswalker's Guide to Phyrexia: All Will Be One". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  4. ↑ a b c d e f K. Arsenault Rivera (March 16, 2023). "March of the Machine - Episode 1: Triumph of the Fleshless". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  5. ↑ a b K. Arsenault Rivera (March 23, 2023). "March of the Machine - Episode Six: The Last to Leave". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  6. ↑ March of the Machine: Previews! (Video). Magic: The Gathering. YouTube (April 4, 2023).
  7. ↑ a b Seanan McGuire (January 16, 2023). "Assault on New Phyrexia - Episode 5: Inevitable Resolution". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  8. ↑ a b c K. Arsenault Rivera (March 23, 2023). "March of the Machine - Episode 7: Divine Intervention". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  9. ↑ Alison Lührs (April 1, 2024). "Outlaws of Thunder Junction - Epilogue 1: Bring the End, Part 1". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  10. ↑ Hipsters of the Coast (October 30, 2022). "The five praetors each rose under the influence of each sun.". Twitter.
  11. ↑ a b Grace Fong (February 2, 2023). "The Legends of Phyrexia: All Will Be One". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  12. ↑ Magic Creative Team (April 06, 2011). "A Planeswalker's Guide to New Phyrexia: The Machine Orthodoxy". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  13. ↑ Jenna Helland (September 11, 2013). "The Lost Confession". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  14. ↑ Ari Zirulnik and Jenna Helland (January 21, 2021). "The Legends of Kaldheim". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  15. ↑ Elise Kova (March 30, 2022). "Episode 3: Tests". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  16. ↑ a b c Jay Annelli. (2022.) Magic: The Gathering - The Visual Guide, Wizards of the Coast. ISBN-13 978-0744061055.
  17. ↑ Aysha U. Farah (January 12, 2023). "A Hollow Body". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  18. ↑ Lora Gray (May 3, 2022). "A Garden of Flesh". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  19. ↑ a b Elise Kova (March 30, 2022). "The Side of Freedom". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  20. ↑ Langley Hyde (August 18, 2022). "A Whisper in the Wind". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  21. ↑ K. Arsenault Rivera (March 21, 2023). "March of the Machine - Episode 5: Cathartic Reunion". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  22. ↑ a b https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/magic-story/episode-8-wrenn-and-eight
  23. ↑ a b c K. Arsenault Rivera (March 28, 2023). "March of the Machine - Episode 9: The Old Sins of New Phyrexia". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  24. ↑ Phyrexia: All Will Be One Official Cinematic Trailer (Video). Magic: The Gathering. YouTube (January 17, 2023).
  25. ↑ March of the Machine Official Cinematic (Video). Magic: The Gathering. YouTube (March 29, 2023).
  26. ↑ Phyrexian Phylology in Phylly (Video). Magic: the Gathering. YouTube (February 17, 2023).
  27. ↑ The Vorthos Cast (March 13, 2023). "240 - Phyrexian Language with Bella Guo". Soundcloud. Archived from the original on April 1, 2023.
  28. ↑ Emily Teng (May 2, 2023). "March of the Machine: The Aftermath - Beyond Repair". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
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