Avishkar

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Avishkar
Kaladesh
Information
First seen	Magic Origins
Last seen	Aetherdrift
Planeswalkers	Chandra Nalaar Dovin Baan Saheeli Rai (former)
Rabiah Scale	5
Status	Hub of Multiversal culture
Demonym	Avishkari Kaladeshi (former)
Scryfall Statistics
plane cards
artworks
originated from

Avishkar (AH-vish-kar; formerly known as Kaladesh: kah-LAH-desh) is a plane where aether manifests more than on other planes, being present in the atmosphere. The plane, named Kaladesh at the time, was introduced in Magic Origins as the home plane of Chandra Nalaar. Slightly over a year later, it was the setting for Kaladesh block. Following the fall of its previous government and the beginning of the Omenpath Era, the people of Kaladesh chose to rename their plane "Avishkar."

Description

The atmosphere of Avishkar is saturated with aether due to greater proximity to the boundaries of the Blind Eternities. The influence and cyclical passage of aether through the world below is the driving force of the plane. The aethersphere may be observed as twisting swirls in the sky. Occasionally, this aether comes down to the land via rain or similar weather events. The entire ecosystem is influenced by it and grows with it in similar swirling and twisting patterns. The refined aether is the primary power source for most of the plane. In Ghirapur, the raw aether is harvested from the sky via large aetherspires placed on mountaintops or thopters, refined, and then pumped through large pipelines all over the city.

Avishkar is an ethnically diverse plane where natural mages are rare. Work that would be done with magic on other planes is instead accomplished through technology. The automatons, thopters and other artifact creatures of the plane are all fueled by the refined aether. These artifacts are built as much for beauty as for function. Inventors are the most valued members of Avishkar's society.

Natural mages are a rarity on Avishkar and are regarded with suspicion and dread. Fire magic was strictly banned under the former governing body, the Consulate, and pyromancy was punishable with a death sentence. Pyromantic magic interacts dangerously with the aether in the air, making pyromancers an economic and physical risk. Major organized religion plays next to no role in the lives of the plane's people, and magic derived from the power of gods is unknown.

History

United kingdoms

Centuries ago, Kaladesh was made up of eleven kingdoms, and inventors sought the patronage of these courts. Over the years, social and political entanglements between these court inventors bound them together in an informal network. When the kingdoms warred in a massive, bloody conflict, the inventors used their influence to negotiate peace, and Ghirapur was founded on neutral ground. Eleven inventors - one of each kingdom - became the first Consulate. The Consulate gave the plane a new name — "Kaladesh."

Great Aether Boom

Since the discovery of harnessing aether by Avaati Vya sixty years ago, the Consulate reportedly has worked to ensure that this refined aether is accessible to all, leading to an era referred to as the Great Aether Boom. This happened around the same time as the Mending.

Inventors' Fair

The Inventors' Fair stood as a vibrant celebration of innovation in Ghirapur, the bustling capital of Kaladesh's Great Aether Boom. For a full month, the city was transformed into a dynamic festival where inventors, artisans, and dreamers from across the plane gathered to showcase their creations. From architectural marvels that combined beauty with function, to revolutionary advancements in aether science, to lifelike constructs in the artificial zoo, the Fair was a dazzling testament to the ingenuity and creativity driving Kaladesh's society. Visitors marveled at soaring airships and raced elegant vehicles, while investors and judges assessed each breakthrough, eager to foster the next leap in technological progress. Yet beneath this spectacle, the Consulate's Enlightened Keepers maintained a watchful eye, quietly collecting and licensing inventions to consolidate their control over Kaladesh's innovation.

The fair's surface grandeur concealed growing tensions and dark schemes. The theft of Rashmi's prize-winning matter transporter by Tezzeret, who secretly repurposed it into a Planar Bridge, and the arrest of renegade sympathizers such as Pia Nalaar and Chandra Nalaar exposed the Consulate's increasing authoritarianism. The dramatic intervention of Ajani Goldmane and the Gatewatch, who freed prisoners and confronted Tezzeret during the final dueling showcase, ignited open conflict. As Chandra's fiery assault disrupted the arena, the Consulate seized the Fair's inventions under the pretext of “safekeeping,” prompting outrage among inventors. The event marked a turning point where the spirit of unrestrained creativity clashed with the Consulate's tightening grip, setting in motion a rebellion to reclaim freedom and protect the future of invention on Kaladesh.

The Aether Revolt

Following the disastrous events at the Grand Exhibition of the Inventors' Fair, the fragile relationship between the people of Avishkar and the ruling Consulate rapidly deteriorated. Originally intended as a grand celebration of Avishkar's innovative spirit, the fair had instead become a stage for theft, abductions, and unrest that shattered public trust. In the months that followed, various renegade groups rose, fueled not by a desire for chaos but by the hope that unrestrained invention and creativity could lead to a brighter future for all of Avishkar's citizens. The Consulate responded by tightening its grip on Ghirapur, enforcing stricter laws and deploying heavily armed enforcers to quell dissent, but this only intensified the resistance, as the people fought to preserve their freedom and way of life.

In response to the growing rebellion, the Consulate declared martial law and transformed the city into a heavily militarized zone. Mechanized soldiers and armored transports patrolled the streets, while the secret police of the Dhund sought to infiltrate and dismantle the renegade networks. Despite these efforts, cracks began to form within the Consulate's leadership, with some officials questioning whether the government truly served its people or simply furthered the ambitions of Tezzeret. The renegades, meanwhile, united in purpose and innovation: inventors collaborated across old rivalries, developing new defenses and weapons, and orchestrating raids to secure precious aether supplies vital to their cause. The struggle culminated in a dramatic confrontation at the Aether Spire, where the Gatewatch and renegades worked together to disrupt Tezzeret's plans and seize control of the city's aether flow. Renegade leader Pia Nalaar was instated in a consul's position, giving a stronger voice for freer use of aether

Phyrexian invasion

Hamstrung by legislative, judicial, and municipal backlogs, the reformed Consulate was not adequately prepared during the New Phyrexian Invasion. Local groups, criminal organizations, and revolutionaries including the countercultural New Culture Collective led the plane's defense. While most of the city of Ghirapur was evacuated, Pia worked with the city's artisans to defend the aetherflux reservoir, which, if breached, would destroy the city. Several days into the defense, Pia rendezvoused with Saheeli Rai, who confirmed that the reservoir was drawing the interest of the Phyrexian forces.

In the aftermath of the Invasion, Kaladesh's denizens again began to question the Consulate's leadership.

The Indigo Revolution and Avishkar

Shortly after the Invasion, the Indigo Revolution took place. The Consulate was removed from power in a nearly bloodless revolution overseen by former Renegades and members of the New Culture Collective, a countercultural political bloc. In its place, a new, democratic ruling body of representatives elected from the plane's eleven administrative districts, called the Avishkar Assembly or the People's Assembly, was installed.

When the Omenpaths opened across the Multiverse, Ghirapur was blessed with a wealth of stable Omenpaths to various planes. The Assembly began opening embassies on various planes to spread Avishkar's influence. To showcase Avishkar's culture, affluence, and political power, a widely advertised event called the Ghirapur Grand Prix was held the year that the Omenpaths opened, which was a chaotic race across nearly two dozen planes. Its success led to it becoming an annual event, and the second Grand Prix became more regulated, with the racetrack stretching across Amonkhet and Muraganda as well.

Known locations

Aether Collection Tower

The plane is separated into eleven administrative districts, likely based on the plane's original eleven kingdoms. For more detailed locations, see the individual entries on the list.

• Aether Collection Towers - spread across the plane's countryside, these huge towers gather aether and funnel it through to the Aether Spire in Ghirapur.
• Bunarat - a village burned down by Captain Baral.
• Devra Cliffs - towering, sheer rock faces that cradle Lathnu at their peak, exposed to harsh winds and freezing air. These cliffs mark the city’s dramatic boundary between the settled world and the perilous mountains beyond.
  • The Great Climb - a legendary range of mountains said to rise beyond Lathnu like a final stairway to the heavens. While stories speak of hidden realms above, locals warn that the only thing beyond is ice, rock, and certain death.
  • Lathnu - a windswept outpost perched at the northern edge of civilization, where miners and engineers extract metal and harvest aether high above the plains of Avishkar. Its isolation and industry make it vital to Ghirapur’s constant hunger for resources.
• The Mapani River - forming one of the borders of the Golden Steps of Vahd, it is the largest tributary to the Vinday.
• Vahd, the Golden Steps - once a stretch of endless golden farmland, Vahd now thrives as Avishkar's foremost hub for airship construction and testing. Its clustered villages bustle with aerowrights, test pilots, and inventors drawn to push the limits of flight.
• The Suramal River - flows into Ghirapur, where it meets the Vinday in a confluence, creating the great Vasavati.
• The Vasavati River - formed of the confluence of the Vinday and the Suramal, the Vasavati is a great river that runs to the sea.
• The Vinday River - flows across Avishkar, through the wilds of Peema, and on into Ghirapur, where it joins the Suramal River to form the great Vasavati.
  • Ghirapur, Indigo City - Avishkar’s gleaming capital of invention and aethercraft, where innovation, artistry, and industry intertwine in a vast, living machine of canals, towers, and marketplaces. Founded as a neutral ground after the War of Eleven, it remains the beating heart of the plane’s technological progress and hope.
  • Peema - tens of thousands of acres of untamed forest where aether weaves through the land and its inhabitants. It is home to Avishkar’s largest population of elves, who live in harmony with the wild and guard its secrets from overreach and exploitation.

Inhabitants

Most lifeforms of Avishkar have been transformed by the aether in some way.

Sapient races

• Aetherborn : A mysterious black-aligned race that spawns from the use of the Aether and lives short, hedonistic lives.
• Angels : Living inventions created through white mana.
• Chordatans : A species of anthropomorphic sharks that arrived on Avishkar via the Omenpaths.
• Demons : Living inventions created through the Dark Schematic, a blueprint devised by unknown artificers of the ancient past.
• Dwarves : Dwarves on Avishkar are primarily aligned with white mana, for their strong focus on the quality of their work.
• Elves : Avishkari Elves are more in tune with how aether influences the natural world.
• Humans : One of the few species whose physiology is unaffected by the aether.
• Jalpari (merfolk)
• Loxodons : Possibly non-native
• Vedalken : Vedalken on Avishkar are tall, six-fingered beings that subscribe to the view that nothing is perfect.

Wildlife

• Cat Dragons that prey on the sky whales.
• Elephants
• Ghodas (Horses)
• Giants : Massive humanoids that follow aether streams in extended migrations.
• Gremlins : Gremlins are red-aligned creatures that are attracted to Aether and often jam artifice in their search for it.
• Moles
• Serpents : prey on vehicles.
• Snakes
  • Snake Hydras
• Whales : Flying cetaceans that live in the aethersphere.

Flora

• Cauliflower
• Fenugreek
• Lentils
• Palm trees
• Potatoes
• Rice
• Wheat

Culture

Avishkar's culture takes inspiration from real-world Indian culture. Its citizens are known to wear saris. Cricket is a popular sport.

Art

Graffiti is popular among Avishkar's underground, particularly after the legitimation of the New Culture Collective. Avishkari tags use distinct and unique letterforms.

Cuisine

• Chutney
• Curries
• Fenugreek theplas
• Idlis
• Palm wine
• Pani puri
• Parathas
• Sambhar
• Samosas
• Shrikhand
• Soan papdi is a popular dessert.
• Tea, also called chai, is a popular drink.
• Upma porridge
• Whiskey

Trivia

• Avishkar was inspired by steampunk and India.
• "Kaladesh" may be translated from Sanskrit into kalā ("tomorrow" or "art") and desh ("home" or "country"). The intended translation is "world of tomorrow".
  • Unfortunately, the term "kālā" could also be associated with the meaning "black," and often carries derogatory colorist and racist connotations when applied to a person. When combined, it became "Black country". With the release of Aetherdrift, Wizards of the Coast took the opportunity to rename the plane "Avishkar", after the Hindi word "aavishkar" meaning "invention." The word has the same meaning in the Avishkari language.
• Avishkar has a firmament with stars. Chandra and Pia Nalaar theorize that each could have their own planets. This would imply that Avashkar is also a heliocentric planet.

Planeswalkers

Native

• Chandra Nalaar
• Dovin Baan
• Saheeli Rai

Visitors

• Ajani Goldmane
• Daretti
• Elspeth Tirel
• Gideon Jura
• Huatli
• Jace Beleren
• Jaya Ballard
• Karn
• Liliana Vess
• Nahiri (non-canon)
• Nissa Revane
• Ral Zarek (non-canon)
• Teferi
• Tezzeret
• Vivien Reid
• Vraska

Non-planeswalker visitors

• Aatchik
• Basri Ket
• Bello
• Caradora
• Far Fortune
• Howler
• Kolodin
• Lagorin
• Loot
• Mendicant Core
• Redshift
• Speed Demon
• Vin
• Winter
• Zahur

In-game references

Represented in:

• Ghirapur
• Ghirapur Grand Prix

Associated cards:

• Avishkar Raceway
• Chandra, Fire of Kaladesh
• Invasion of Kaladesh

Referred to:

• Aetherblade Agent
• Aetherflux Conduit
• Arcane Signet (Aetherdrift Commander, #52)
• Artificer's Epiphany
• Baral, Chief of Compliance
• Brightglass Gearhulk (Aetherdrift, #191)
• Chandra Nalaar (Secret Lair, #1456)
• Chief of the Foundry
• Commencement of Festivities
• Gearsmith Prodigy
• Gearseeker Serpent (Aetherdrift)
• Inspiring Vantage (Kaladesh)
• Lawless Broker
• Long-Finned Skywhale
• Mindspring Merfolk
• Night Market
• Paradox Engine
• Prophetic Prism (Kaladesh)
• Regal Imperiosaur (Aetherdrift, #177)
• Rishkar, Peema Renegade
• Sol Ring (Aetherdrift Commander, #57)
• Stridehangar Automaton
• Swiftwater Cliffs (March of the Machine)
• Thriving Ibex
• Thriving Turtle
• Thornwood Falls (Aetherdrift)
• Tyrox, Saurid Tyrant
• Voyager Quickwelder
• Wind Drake (Kaladesh)

External links

• "Planes of Existence: Kaladesh" — Wizards of the Coast
• Magic Creative Team (November 2, 2016). "Planeswalker's Guide to Kaladesh". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
• Magic Creative Team (November 9, 2016). "The Making of Kaladesh". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
• Miguel Lopez (December 10, 2024). "Planeswalker's Guide to Aetherdrift, Part 1". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
• Plane Shift - Kaladesh