Narset

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Narset
Details
Race	Human Formerly Planeswalker
Birthplace	Tarkir
Lifetime	Mending Era
Colors
Center: Currently:
Scryfall Search
lore:"Narset" art:"Narset"

Narset is a human monk and former planeswalker from Tarkir. She is the khan of the Jeskai Way and bound to the spirit dragon Shiko.

Description

Narset is a master of martial arts and mental discipline with an insatiable thirst for knowledge. Following her years of mystic and martial arts training under Dragonlord Ojutai, Narset can nullify the magic used against her as well as intensify the magic of others.

The most important part of Narset's character is her amazing mind, which is central to her potential as a powerful planeswalker and as a pursuer of knowledge — but it happens that she processes information and input differently than a lot of other people. She experiences sensory overload, including noise sensitivity and crowding, and counts objects as a coping or grounding tactic. Tarkir denizens might not have a term for autism spectrum disorder or neurodivergency, but those terms would correctly describe her.

Narset is primarily blue-aligned but secondarily white. Before the timeline change on Tarkir, she also had access to red mana, which was initially lost, but she regained it sometime later.

Biography

Khan Narset of the Jeskai Way, in the original timeline.

Original timeline

Khan Narset of the Jeskai Way was a master martial artist, sage, and scholar with great destiny on Tarkir. She was known to have a brilliant mind, always committed to furthering her knowledge, but this intense curiosity meant that she often found it hard to concentrate on a single matter. She also noticed that she processed information and other types of input differently from other people. She had "seen" imaginary worlds in her childhood that returned in visions while she meditated. She slightly resented the rigidness of the Jeskai Way but forced herself to fulfill her duties as Khan. Narset seemed to have some friction with the Jeskai elders who had plans and agendas while seeking to make her a puppet leader and conducting operations behind her back (sending assassins after the rogue monk Taigam, her former pupil). Even her bodyguard, Shintan was more loyal to the elders than her and reported her actions to them.

Narset was fascinated by the dragons of the past and of Ugin in particular. She hoped to find a way to use Ugin's runes to somehow stop the bloodshed on Tarkir.

Nearly ten years after she became khan, Narset was approached by a Kirin which guided her to the suffering Sarkhan Vol. She could sense the echo of Ugin's spirit around Sarkhan. Sarkhan eventually told her of the secrets of planeswalkers and the existence of Nicol Bolas. She confided in him that Ugin was Tarkir's soul and with his death, the plane was thrown out of balance. She helped to calm his mind and provide him some peace before agreeing to bring him to Ugin's Tomb. At the tomb, they were attacked by a maddened Zurgo Helmsmasher who attempted to kill Sarkhan. Narset fought off Zurgo and injured him before urging Sarkhan to enter Ugin's Nexus, promising to guard his passage. At the apex of their fight, she was distracted by Sarkhan which enabled Zurgo to land a killing blow. With the last of her strength, she urged Sarkhan to keep moving into the nexus. Sarkhan Vol swore revenge against Zurgo as the orc stood over Narset's body and he made his way into the center of Ugin's Nexus.

Alternate timeline

At a young age, Narset gained the personal notice of Ojutai himself. She attracted the dragon's attention as she would often mimic the exercises performed by both the dragons and her elders, mastering them after no more than a casual glance. Ojutai recognized hers as a mind with the potential for nearly limitless growth, so she was taken on as a student. Narset quickly mastered not only the exercises but the draconic language itself. But as Narset grew, she began to feel restless. She harbored a longing, although she was unable to identify what for, and she started to question whether or not Ojutai truly knew all the answers to the questions of life.

Narset finds the forbidden knowledge about Tarkir's past, which ignites her spark.

When, in relatively short order, Narset achieved the status of master, she cared more for the autonomy that the position granted than the highly sought-after honor. She spent many a day alone, exploring the deepest and dustiest cavities in the Ojutai sanctuaries, slowly piecing together clues that illuminated the forbidden past. Her peer, Taigam, warned her of the danger of seeking out knowledge without the dragonlord's permission, but Narset saw no harm in research.

She discovered the truth of the past of Tarkir — it was not always a world ruled by dragons as the teachings of Ojutai claimed; at one time humanoid khans led mighty clans that dominated the land. Narset also learned of a powerful spirit dragon from whom all dragons were formed. It was this Ugin that most interested her. She could feel something more in the histories that described him, something similar to her wanderlust. She took to meditating in secret chambers, spending hours that crept into days and even weeks without making an appearance above.

Eventually, she was discovered and confronted by Taigam, who had hoped to use her downfall to further his stature. Narset overpowered him and made her escape, while Taigam labeled her a heretic and promised to inform Ojutai of her transgressions. Her planeswalker's spark ignited while she learned the truth about Tarkir's past and Ojutai's subjugation of the Jeskai. However, she chose not to travel to another plane and instead continued her search for knowledge on Tarkir. Eventually, she encountered her old master at the riverbed where they had first met. At first afraid of the dragonlord's wrath, Narset admitted to knowing the truth of Tarkir to him. Ojutai, sensing the same need for discovery that consumed her as his student, gave her his blessings and encouraged her to continue seeking knowledge and enlightenment.

When Sarkhan finally found her, Narset was on her way to Ugin to find more answers. She also planned to visit the Atarka lands, where she expected to find more ancient secret stories, carved in mammoth ivory. Although aware of her new abilities, she didn't plan to leave Tarkir again, soon.

Kamigawa

Narset studies in Ikoria the combination of original Jeskai mana colors

At certain moments Narset seeks peace at Kamigawa, where she has become part of fellow planeswalker Tamiyo's Story-Circle.

War of the Spark

Narset was lured to Ravnica by the Interplanar Beacon and immediately became trapped there due to Bolas's use of the Immortal Sun. Alongside many other planeswalkers and Ravnicans, she fought against the Eternals of Bolas' Dreadhorde.

During the invasion, the trapped planeswalkers (including Narset) got together with Ravnican leaders to strategize. It's not clear if Narset fled Ravnica when Chandra disabled the Immortal Sun or stayed to help the Gatewatch in their fight against Bolas.

Ikoria

Narset spent some indeterminate amount of time on Ikoria, to move past her confrontation with Bolas. She sought enlightenment in this world where the mana combined in ways similar to her former clan. She bought books at Skysail, but was mostly seen around Raugrin.

The Stormnexus Ritual

During New Phyrexia's Invasion of the Multiverse, Narset returned to Tarkir before losing her spark in the Great Desparkening.

After the invasion, Narset hoped to find a way to end what she saw as a perpetual battle of attrition between the rebellious clans and the oppressive dragonlords. With the help of Alniul, the Twice Whisperer of the Temur, she uncovered a spell scroll for the Stormnexus Ritual. Though worn and faded, it appeared to describe a spell that would "call forth the soul of Tarkir." Narset, hesitant to use the ritual due to its potential dangers, was convinced by the other rebellion leaders that this was the best way to ensure a unified Tarkir.

The magic of the ritual called up a massive dragonstorm, and in its swirling energies, five spirit dragons emerged, untethered spirits brimming with raw undirected power. The dragon spirits and the five new clan leaders were bound — for better or worse. As the ritual was enacted, the dragonlords and their remaining broods attempted to stop the rebellion's plans. A fearsome battle ensued while the storm raged around them. In the end, the dragonlords were defeated by the clan leaders and their spirit dragons and seemingly swallowed up by the massive storm.

After the battle, it became apparent that the spell had also reactivated the dragonstorms, resulting in a new, powerful kind of wild dragon spawning. While a handful of the dragons that emerged would listen to the call of the spirit dragons, most wild dragons refused any form of authority. The new storms also rendered places on Tarkir uninhabitable, their scale causing environmental shifts across the plane.

Shiko

Narset had called the spirit dragon Shiko into being, shaping their essence with her beliefs, her veneration of the truth, and even her secret desire for a more decisive personality. She fully trusts them, but she knows that she will never love them as she had loved Ojutai.

Searching for answers

Narset was approached by the angelic planeswalker Elspeth Tirel, who questioned her about the dragonstorms that were appearing all over the Multiverse. Soon, dragons attacked the Jeskai monastery where she stayed, and Elspeth helped her defeat them before leaving. Narset later joined Elspeth, and together they traveled to the Crucible of the Spirit Dragon. They were met by Sarkhan Vol, who was elated about the increasing dragonstorms. Sarkhan engaged Elspeth in battle but his desparked form was no match for the archangel and he was quickly defeated.

After having heard a mysterious voice in the crucible urging them to find "the temple in the heart of storms", Narset and Elspeth traveled the Abzan Stormplains. While at the court of khan Felothar, they were warned by Ajani Goldmane that Sarkhan Vol had taken the form of an enormous dragon and had taken control of Tarkir's wild dragons.

Elspeth and Narset traveled to the heart of the storm to find an ancient temple that housed a ragged Omenpath leading to Meditation Realm. There, they encountered two invisible forces: one that wished to encourage the dragonstorms and one that desired to halt them. While investigating, they happened on Jace Beleren and the creature Loot who were somehow involved with what was happening with the dragonstorms.

At first, the Realm looked different for each of them, as their thoughts trapped them in a shifting space. They saw no logic, no actual roads, and feared they would be trapped forever. However, Narset realized that the plane was adapting to their thoughts and used a meditative technique to empty her mind, allowing the plane to assume its true form. To their shock, they were met by the two elder dragons that had been sealed away here in eternal lockdown. While Ugin berated Jace for breaking their agreement and warned them to get away, the nameless dragon that had been Nicol Bolas saw a chance to gain information and regain power.

Narset begged Ugin to help her quell the dragonstorms or to show her what they must do to stop them. Ugin answered that there was nothing he could do. What was left of him was devoted to the task of keeping his brother contained. They were interrupted by Jace casting his spell to recreate the Multiverse. As it failed, it revealed a void that poured toward them, unmaking reality — Jace included. While picking up the distressed Loot, Narset and the others escaped.

Emerging in the temple on the Stormplains, Narset came upon Sarkhan and his horde of wild dragons, who had approached the temple with intent to destroy it. Vraska disappeared with Loot, leaving only Narset and Elspeth to fight the dragons, but they were bolstered by the arrival of Ajani, Felothar, and the forces of the Abzan. They were able to hold Sarkhan off, but they were greatly outnumbered by the wild dragons, who dealt the Abzan many casualties. Narset realized that Sarkhan had cast a corrupted version of the Stormnexus Ritual, and they would level the plane at his command unless he was stopped. As they prepared a desperate charge to disable him, however, Ugin appeared and immediately defeated Sarkhan with his ghostfire. Although they had won, it was at a terrible cost: Ugin was only able to appear because, in the aftermath of Jace's spell, Bolas had escaped.

Trivia

• In the D&D campaign released with Dungeons & Dragons: Adventures in the Forgotten Realms via Magic Story, Narset was given a character sheet representing her as a multi-class monk and wizard, emphasizing a devotion to study and dedicated practice to develop powerful martial arts and spellcasting skills, respectively. Her alignment is Neutral Good representing generally heroic behavior. As a wizard, she specializes in abjuration (protective magic), and her spell selection includes several mental and magical manipulation and defensive effects. She also knows the Dragon's Breath spell, presumably referencing her origins on Tarkir. Her monastic tradition is the "Way of the Astral Self", a philosophy holding that the mortal body is just an illusion and one's true self can be brought out through advancement as a monk.
• In the video game Magic: The Gathering Arena, Narset is voiced by Judy Alice Lee.
• The what-if card Narset, Parter of Veils (Imagine: Courageous Critters) depicts Narset animal-shifted into a red-wattled lapwing on Bloomburrow.
• In previous appearances Narset's design was evocative of Buddhist monks. In Dragonstorm her clothes are instead more inspired by Daoist priests.

Planeswalkers met

• Ajani Goldmane
• Elspeth Tirel
• Jace Beleren
• Gideon Jura
• Nicol Bolas
• Sarkhan Vol
• Tamiyo
• Ugin
• Vivien Reid
• Vraska

Planes visited

• Ikoria
• Kamigawa
• Meditation Plane
• Tarkir
• Ravnica

Gallery

• 
  Narset khan of Jeskai Way in the original timeline of Tarkir.
• 
  Quiet Contemplation
• 
  “In the disarray of battle, an enemy’s attack may be your most convenient weapon.”
• 
  Narset participates in the War of the Spark.
• 
  Narset Transcendent
• 
  Channeled Force
• 
  Narset Ikoria Comic art
• 
  “Mindless violence withers in the face of a master’s skill.”
• 
  In Ikoria Narset (re)connects to red mana.
• 
  Desparked on Tarkir.
• 
  Secret Lair Drop Series: International Women's Day art.
• 
  Magic: The Gathering Arena avatar for Tarkir: Dragonstorm.
• 
  Narset with Shiko. Arena avatar.

Story appearances

Title	Author	Publishing date	Set	Setting (plane)	Featuring
Taigam's Scheming	Matt Knicl	2014-10-01	Khans of Tarkir	Tarkir	Taigam, Ebirri, Narset
Enlightened	Matt Knicl	2014-10-22	Khans of Tarkir	Tarkir	Narset, Shintan, Taigam
Journey to the Nexus	Jennifer Clarke-Wilkes	2014-12-10	Khans of Tarkir	Tarkir	Sarkhan Vol, Ugin, Nicol Bolas, Narset, Zurgo
A New Tarkir of Old	Kimberly J. Kreines	2014-12-31	Fate Reforged	Tarkir	Sarkhan Vol, Ugin, Zurgo, Narset, Yasova Dragonclaw, Atarka
Unwritten	Kelly Digges	2015-01-14	Fate Reforged	Tarkir	Sarkhan Vol, Yasova Dragonclaw, Ugin, Zurgo, Nicol Bolas, Narset
The Great Teacher's Student	Kimberly J. Kreines	2015-03-04	Dragons of Tarkir	Tarkir	Narset, Taigam, Ojutai, Ishai
Unbroken and Unbowed	Kelly Digges	2015-04-22	Dragons of Tarkir	Tarkir	Sarkhan Vol, Ugin, Narset
War of the Spark: Ravnica	Greg Weisman	April 2019	War of the Spark	Gobakhan, Ravnica, Amonkhet, Meditation Plane	Ugin, Niv-Mizzet, Teyo, Chandra, Jace, Gideon, Ral, Kaya, Lavinia, Hekara, Liliana, Nicol Bolas, Tezzeret, Rat, Ajani, Karn, Jaya, Dack, Tibalt, Vraska, Breeches, Huatli, Angrath, Kiora, Tamiyo, Vivien, Aurelia, Nissa, Tomik, Gan Shokta, Domri, Samut, Dovin, Yanggu, Mowu, Nixilis, Rhonas, Bontu, Oketra, Kefnet, Boruvo, Emmara Tandris, Trostani, Varryvort, Ari Shokta, Borborygmos, Izoni, Varolz, Mazirek, Hazoret, Davriel, the Wanderer, Lazav, Neheb, Rakdos, Exava, Narset
Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths — Sundered Bond	Django Wexler	April 2020	Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths	Ikoria	Lukka, Jirina Kudro, Kudro, Leori, Vivien Reid, Narset
Tarkir: Dragonstorm - Episode 1: Stories and Their Bones	Cassandra Khaw	2025-03-03	Tarkir: Dragonstorm	Tarkir	Narset, Kotis (mentioned), Ojutai (mentioned), Silumgar (mentioned), Atarka (mentioned), Dromoka (mentioned), Kolaghan (mentioned), Eshki (mentioned), Alniul (mentioned), Zurgo (mentioned), Betor (mentioned), Teval (mentioned), Neriv (mentioned), Ureni (mentioned), Shiko (mentioned), Elspeth Tirel
Tarkir: Dragonstorm - Episode 2: Omens	Cassandra Khaw	2025-03-04	Tarkir: Dragonstorm	Tarkir	Elspeth Tirel, Narset, Tamiyo (mentioned), Ajani Goldmane (mentioned), Nissa Revane (mentioned), Melira (referred), Venser (referred), Karn (referred), Teferi (referred), Ugin (mentioned), Nicol Bolas (mentioned), Ojutai (mentioned), Taigam
Tarkir: Dragonstorm - Jeskai: The Unknown Way	M. Yichao	2025-03-05	Tarkir: Dragonstorm	Tarkir	Asham, Ru, Paipai, Guaiguai, Ai Wen, Qi, Narset (referred)
Tarkir: Dragonstorm - Episode 3: What the Past Devours	Cassandra Khaw	2025-03-06	Tarkir: Dragonstorm	Tarkir	Ajani Goldmane, Nahiri (mentioned), Elesh Norn (mentioned), Nur, Felothar (referred), Jaya Ballard (mentioned), Narset, Elspeth Tirel, Ugin (mentioned), Sarkhan Vol, Taigam
Tarkir: Dragonstorm - Episode 4: Heart of Fire	Cassandra Khaw	2025-03-10	Tarkir: Dragonstorm	Tarkir	Sarkhan Vol, Taigam, Narset, Elspeth Tirel, Dromoka (mentioned), Ajani Goldmane, Felothar, Nur, Melira (mentioned)
Tarkir: Dragonstorm - Episode 5: Recursion	Cassandra Khaw	2025-03-12	Tarkir: Dragonstorm	Tarkir, Meditation Realm	Ajani Goldmane, Felothar, Elspeth Tirel, Narset, Nur, Beyza, Sarkhan Vol (mentioned), Melira (mentioned), Elesh Norn (mentioned), Ojutai (mentioned), Jace Beleren, Loot
Tarkir: Dragonstorm - Episode 6: How Wretched Love	Cassandra Khaw	2025-03-14	Tarkir: Dragonstorm	Tarkir, Meditation Realm	Vraska, Jace Beleren, Loot, Chandra Nalaar (mentioned), Narset, Ojutai (mentioned), Elspeth Tirel, Ugin, Nicol Bolas
Tarkir: Dragonstorm - Episode 7: Return	Cassandra Khaw	2025-03-17	Tarkir: Dragonstorm	Tarkir, Meditation Realm	Sarkhan Vol, Loot, Narset, Jace Beleren, Elspeth Tirel, Nicol Bolas, Ugin, Vraska, Ajani Goldmane, Felothar, Taigam, Shiko, Ojutai

In-game references

Represented in:

• Narset, Enlightened Exile
• Narset, Enlightened Master
• Narset, Jeskai Waymaster
• Narset, Parter of Veils
• Narset of the Ancient Way
• Narset Transcendent
• Shiko and Narset, Unified

Associated cards:

• Narset's Reversal
• Narset's Rebuke
• Taught by Narset

Depicted in:

• Call the Spirit Dragons
• Channeled Force
• Deflecting Palm
• Fierce Guardianship (Commander Masters, #694)
• Learn from the Past
• Discover the Way
• Quiet Contemplation
• Rally the Monastery
• Rediscover the Way
• Spark Rupture
• Stillness in Motion
• Stormplain Detainment
• Tamiyo Meets the Story Circle
• Whirlwind of Thought

Quoted or referred to:

• Agent of Kotis
• Clever Impersonator
• Jeskai Revelation
• Master the Way
• Mystic Meditation
• Mystic Peak
• Pinnacle Monk
• Poised Practitioner
• Roiling Dragonstorm
• Scalding Tarn
• Tapestry of the Ages