Kuhnde

Kuhnde
[[File:{{#setmainimage:Mantis Rider.jpg}}|250px]]
Details
Race	Human
Birthplace	Jeskai territory, Tarkir
Lifetime	Original timeline of Tarkir
Colors

Kuhnde is a former mantis rider, and a prospective phoenix rider of the Jeskai Clan in the original timeline of Tarkir. It is unknown if he exists in Tarkir's new timeline.

History

Kuhnde began training for his mount when he was very young and showed great potential as a student. When he was a few years old and just starting to read, representatives from the different strongholds and disciplines met with him. He was given a few minutes to understand each different style and told to try his best. The master of Sage-Eye Stronghold valued stealth, quickness, and cunning, while the master of Dirgu Stronghold brought with him several bladed weapons to use. An aven master came to see how adept he was at moving through the air as he leaped. The Riverwheel Stronghold master assessed him as he performed their variation of Riverwalk magic, while the Cori Mountain Stronghold master was there to assess Dragonfist maneuvers. The School of Pearls watched him attempt to manipulate a dozen pearls while he fought. He was tested on magic and identified the Jeskai's preferred types—soulfire, mistfire, and bloodfire. But the masters were all disappointed. Although he was competent in all the disciplines, he was not an expert in any of them. However, they all recognized in him the skill set that was required of being a mantis rider.

It took Kuhnde twenty years to learn how to ride his mantis. He knew that the mantis would never be tamed, could disobey orders, and could always attempt to hurt or kill its rider at a moment's notice. One day, a creature concealed in a glowing orb approached Kuhnde's monastery, blazing up the side of the mountain. Kuhnde intercepted it, and the orb revealed itself as a phoenix as it attacked. Kuhnde's mantis was of similar size and capable of flight, so a brief and brutal battle in the air ensued. The combatants crashed to the ground, and the dying mantis attempted to kill his rider. Kuhnde did not take the attempt personally - he had trained not to. Despite an injured shoulder, he picked up his spear and impaled the mantis's head to end its misery.

The injured phoenix, on the other hand, was still a threat to the monastery, and killing it would only cause it to be reborn stronger. So Kuhnde took all his knowledge, training, and years of discipline and began to make a new path. He approached the phoenix and used his spear to help the bird right itself. The bird snapped at him, but he struck the phoenix on the beak with the shaft of his spear. The stunned bird ignited itself in anger, but Kuhnde again struck it on the beak to control its outburst. Kuhnde knew much from training a mantis, but even then he only trained to ride one specific mantis. He had never learned how to tame a phoenix, but he knew, given the time, he would master a new way. Even if it took many years.

Story appearances

Title	Author	Publishing date	Set	Setting (plane)	Featuring
Way of the Mantis	Matt Knicl	2014-10-08	Khans of Tarkir	Tarkir	Kuhnde

In-game references

Represented in:

• Mantis Rider