God Trials

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The God Trials are the core of the faith of the people of Amonkhet.[1]

Description

The God Trials are a series of tasks performed on the plane of Amonkhet that each inhabitant of the world aspires to complete. Originally, the Trials predated Nicol Bolas's intrusion into the plane and were only held once in a solar cycle. Bolas took this tenet and perverted it to hold the population of Naktamun in a never-ending state of exercise.[2] An initiate who undergoes a trial is awarded a Cartouche upon its completion.[3] The God-Pharaoh teaches that this record of the initiate's achievements preserves the initiate's essence, safeguarding their life force for the journey to the afterlife. Only the best of the best attain the "worthy dead" and have the honor of being personally killed by Hazoret after completing the 5th trial. The corpses of the survivors are shipped through the Gates of the Afterlife at the end of the Hekma and are believed to stay in a hidden oasis. It was thought that upon his return, Bolas would grant an afterlife to the worthy dead. This "afterlife" was revealed to be the transformation into an Eternal. With the deaths of most of the gods, it remains to be seen if the trials will continue.

Here are the Trials in the order that the citizens of Amonkhet complete them:[4]

  1. The Trial of Solidarity ({W}) — Oketra's is the first trial initiates undertake.[5] This Trial tests your ability to work with others. A crop enters her monument to find their obelisk, which they worked for years to construct, standing in the center of the chamber. At the beginning of the trial, Oketra shoots a massive arrow at the far side of the chamber. The floor of the monument shifts, creating a treacherous landscape, and all manner of enemies swarm in — viziers, anointed mummies, horned beasts, and even angels. The enemies assault both the initiates and their obelisk. The crop must work together to defend their obelisk and retrieve Oketra's arrow. They succeed or fail together.
  1. The Trial of Knowledge ({U}) — This Trial tests your mental capacity. Kefnet welcomes initiates to his trial with a spell that dampens their emotions and physical instincts, forcing them to depend on their mental acumen and spellcasting abilities.[5] A vast labyrinth of water and illusion extends before them. The maze defies reality. It is filled with threats like illusory horrors, traps, and false doors — all curated to play on the fears of the individual initiates. Not only must the initiates navigate this labyrinth of terror, but they must also realize the glyphs on the walls hold the key to passing the trial: a spell that will reveal the true exit. Without this spell, they will drown in the final room. A truly wise initiate will feel barely a drop of water.
  1. The Trial of Strength ({G}) — This Trial tests your physical capacity. Rhonas has little patience for the weak, which is why he made entry into his monument a trial of its own.[5] Initiates must climb thorny vines and ride down a raging waterfall. Rhonas greets those who survive, informing them that the toxin from the thorns has left them incapable of spellcasting; they must depend on their physical prowess. Within the monument, a seemingly endless jungle is filled with territorial beasts and poisonous hazards. It takes days for initiates to reach the heart of the jungle where they find an ancient basilisk. They must claim one of the basilisk's scales, which holds the cure for the toxin. But that is not the end. Initiates must still cross the final half of the jungle.
  1. The Trial of Ambition ({B}) — This Trial tests your willingness to do what must be done. Ten members of a crop enter the Trial of Ambition, where they are made to compete rather than cooperate.[5] It involves moving through several dark chambers full of traps and monsters, encouraging crop members to sacrifice each other until they arrive at a clear water body full of poisonous snakes, whose only means of crossing involve sacrificing the heart of a fellow crop member. In the final chamber, Bontu informs the remaining initiates that there are three doors, and their starting position in the final Trial of Zeal will be determined by the door through which they exit. The initiates are forced to act quickly as swarms of flesh-eating scarab beetles enter the room. It is the initiate willing to put personal glory over friendship who will achieve the highest honor.
  1. The Trial of Zeal ({R}) — Hazoret sees the initiates who pass the first four trials as her children.[5] She celebrates with these glorified initiates before the final trial, and it falls to her to grant them a Glorified Death. All who enter the final trial have earned the rank of worthy and will be invited to the afterlife. This trial determines what place each shall have, and it ends with Glorified Death for all. Hazoret’s trial takes place in the arena of her monument, known as the Proving Ground. A series of escalating combats pit initiates against each other. The surviving initiates from each combat climb to the next platform, moving up the Steps of Battle. The bodies of those who die are carried to funerary barges, which will take them through the Gate to the Afterlife. When only one initiate remains, Hazoret grants that initiate the most Glorified Death with her forked staff. Her gift is eternal honor. During the last Trial before the Hour of Devastation, the Worthy had to face dissenters and heretics to prove their faith. In a previous trial, they faced a dragon.

Gallery

In-game

In-game, the Trials are represented by a cycle of uncommon enchantments, which have an enter-the-battlefield effect, which reflects their color. Trials also have a clause, where whenever a trial's owner resolves a Cartouche, they return it to their hand.

In-game references

Represented in:
Referred to:

References

  1. ↑ Jay Annelli (2022). Magic: The Gathering - The Visual Guide, DK. ISBN-13 978-0744061055.
  2. ↑ Alison Luhrs (June 7, 2017). "The Hour of Revelation". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  3. ↑ Dave Humpherys (April 4, 2017). "Developing Amonkhet". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  4. ↑ Mark Rosewater (April 17, 2017). "Amonkhet Down to Business, Part 3". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  5. ↑ a b c d e Ethan Fleischer (2017). Amonkhet Player's Guide. Wizards of the Coast.
Amonkhet block
Annex set
Amonkhet storyline
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