Zegana
| Zegana | |
|---|---|
|
[[File:{{#setmainimage:Prime-Speaker-Zegana.jpg}}|250px]] | |
| Details | |
| Race | Merfolk |
| Birthplace | Ravnica |
| Lifetime | Mending Era |
| Died | c. 4563 AR |
| Relatives | Kaszira (niece) |
| Colors | |
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Zegana was a stately and reserved merfolk wizard from Ravnica. She used to be the Speaker for Zonot One and Prime Speaker for a time, fulfilling the role of guildmaster of the Simic Combine. She upheld the traditional way of the guild and its utopian philosophy. She was replaced by Vannifar as Guildmaster, and later murdered by Etrata while the assassin was under the influence of Trostani's mind control pollen.
History
Ascension
After ascending to the Prime Speakership of the Simic Combine, Zegana delivered the Fathom Edict, which declared a new beginning for the Simic Combine after the fall of Momir Vig.[1][2]
Regal and reticent, Zegana always maintained that she served as Prime Speaker only at the sufferance of the Speakers' Chamber. The chamber, she said, could revoke her status at any time and appoint another of their number prime speaker. Even within the guild, some believed that she had had far more influence than she let on and that the speakers would not or could not remove her.
Downfall
When some members of the guild, members of the Adaptionist faction argued that Zegana's ways were outdated and the guild required more practical leadership, she was replaced by Vannifar.[3] Although she believed Vannifar's rule a dangerous experiment, she accepted the chamber's judgment and yielded her title.[4]
She returned to the seclusion of Zonot One — the smallest zonot — and tended to keep quiet.[5] There she became a vocal advocate for the Utopian movement, opposing Vannifar's more extreme initiatives and engaging in outreach to other Ravnican guilds.[6] She had hoped her niece Kaszira would be able to help unite the factions in the future.[7]
After her ouster by Vannifar, the remaining Utopians in the guild clustered around her, but by nature, their work was both quieter and slower than the Adaptationists. If Vannifar went too far, Zegana would be there to make a case to the Chamber that the prime speaker should be removed. Until then, she sought to curb Vannifar's excesses and guard against her failures.[6]
During the Phyrexian Invasion, Vannifar and Zegana settled their old grievances.[8] The guild leader allowed Zegana to experiment with the Phyrexian oil on Ravnican animals in an attempt to find a cure for phyresis.[4][9][10] Nonetheless, Zegana argued that the guild's weak leadership was the main cause for the Simic's ill-advised decisions, unsuccessfully attempting to wrest the position of Prime Speaker back in the Invasion's aftermath.
Death
A year and some months after the Invasion, Zegana was assassinated during a celebration at Karlov Manor.[11] There were no signs of struggle on her body, which was arranged to show the symbols of the ten guilds, with a black iris flower representing the Simic held in her left hand. Detective Alquist Proft later deduced that Zegana had been killed by the Dimir assassin Etrata, who was under mind control from a plant cultivated by Oba, the central dryad of Trostani,. The former guild leader was targeted because she experimented with the Phyrexian oil. Oba had been under the mistaken impression that Zegana was using the oil to advance Simic's goal of evolution, rather than trying to cure the oil's effects.
Story appearances
| Title | Author | Publishing date | Set | Setting (plane) | Featuring |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Fathom Edict | Brady Dommermuth | 2013-01-09 | Gatecrash | Ravnica | Zegana, Yaszen, Bogumil Bem |
| The Principles of Unnatural Selection | Nicky Drayden | 2019-02-06 | Ravnica Allegiance | Ravnica | Medge, Miko, Chessa, Kaszira, Ptero Zallik, Andrik, Dimas, Laszlo, Saganderis, Fania, Zyanek, Zegana |
| Episode 1: Ghosts of our Past | Seanan McGuire | 2023-12-05 | Murders at Karlov Manor | Ravnica | Teysa Karlov, Kaya Cassir, Ezrim, Lavinia, Tolsimir Wolfblood, Aurelia, Judith, Tomik Vrona, Kellan, Vannifar, Zegana, Krenko, Yarus |
| Episode 2: Monsters We Became | Seanan McGuire | 2024-01-08 | Murders at Karlov Manor | Ravnica | Teysa Karlov, Kaya Cassir, Ezrim, Aurelia, Zegana, Vannifar, Kellan, Alquist Proft, Etrata, Lavinia |
Gallery
In-game references
- Represented in:
- Depicted in:
- Quoted or referred to:
References
- ↑ The Magic Creative Team (January 9, 2013). "The Fathom Edict". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ The Magic Creative Team (December 12, 2012). "Planeswalker's Guide to Gatecrash: Part 2". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ James Wyatt and Jeremy Crawford (November 2018). "D&D Guildmasters' Guide to Ravnica", Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ a b Seanan McGuire (December 5, 2023). "Murders at Karlov Manor - Episode 1: Ghosts of Our Past". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ (2019). Ravnica Allegiance Player's Guide. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ a b James Wyatt (January 2019). "The Art of Magic: The Gathering - Ravnica". Wizards of the Coast
- ↑ Nicky Drayden (February 6, 2019). "The Principles of Unnatural Selection". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Seanan McGuire (January 17, 2024). "Beauty in Destruction, the DVD extras". Seanan McGuire.
- ↑ Blake Rasmussen (January 16, 2024). "Track the Clues. Crack the Case. (Video)". Magic: The Gathering. YouTube.
- ↑ Seanan McGuire (January 17, 2024). "Episode 9: Beauty in Destruction". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Seanan McGuire (January 8, 2024). "Murders at Karlov Manor - Episode 2: Monsters We Became". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
