Naya - Where Behemoths Tread | Magic: The Gathering Lore

this video is sponsored by Dragon shield your destination for the best sleeves deck boxes and accessories in the Multiverse purchases through the affiliate link below help the channel grow and improve Alara once was whole but long ago the Sun during shattered the plane into five shards that drifted just beyond each other's reach as the shards migrated they slowly took in new shape New Life New Order Mana Ley lines were severed denying each Shard access to two colors of Mana which allowed those remaining to Surge unfettered one such Shard lost its connection to Blue Mana prognostication lost its value higher thought drifted the cold calculus of Investigation melted black Mana was likewise severed ambition forgotten death no longer claimed dominion over life pestilence abated in this environment life flourished and nature exploded Across The Shard massive rainforest thick with fog and impenetrable cover the land their heavy bows and sturdy Roots constantly extend Silvan fingers toward the Sun and encroach precious few open planes mountains struggle with the canopy to reach into the clouds here where nature is vigorous the creatures are equally so they grow to unimaginable proportions their footfall is reminiscent of Rolling Thunder and disastrous earthquakes they are feared and revered by the races that cower in their awesome shadow this is The Shard of Naya Naya is a world characteristic of unbridled natural growth a realm Unbound by crippling self-consciousness or disease which has allowed flora and fauna to explode nice primarily aligned with green Mana it draws on surging Ley lines to flourish and promotes Embrace of wild ideals strength rules Naya nature is revered in its Primal might manifests in massive behemoths that stalk through jungles large enough to hide towering frames we see this Illustrated beautifully in the Naya planes Chase card as well as the card Lush growth which depicts the steaming jungles its flavor text reads Naya's Bounty spills over upon itself each leaf and flower struggles against the next with thrashing Thorns acidic pollen and strangling roots the blossoming growth of green Mana is tempered by white Mana which adds Direction structure and supports further expansion of reverent life silence Reigns in the idyllic Plains and rolling Fields suffused with white manalay lines were heard be strange and birds soar above through cloudless Skies white grants organization to tame raw growth Naya's cultures have formed tight-knit societies its jungle and Mountain ecosystems represent structured hierarchies where every creature fills a vital niche chaotic destructive forces of red Mana are however equally embraced Jagged mountain peaks and steamed Hot Springs add elements of passion of aggression and creativity characteristic of red to the Nyan landscape nature grows erratic and throws the Yoke of civilization its beasts burn with bellicose animosity its people embody passionate freedom the amalgamation of these colors results in a brilliant canvas painted by light and growth where nature in all its aspects are revered and where dark Forces gain little purchase it's a picturesque scene the Pinnacle of Harmony in nature if one word encapsulates the sentiment of Naya it is immense fueled by surges of Mana nothing little grows everything is on a shockingly grand scale Chief examples are the tropical rainforests that cover large swaths of the nion Horizon the trees found within extend hundreds of feet Skyward their bowels and branches large enough to support entire communities so densely packed are these jungles that precious few shards of light filter through the leaf choke canopies to reach undergrowth where they strike seedlings burst feverishly to state claim to the sun's nourishment mush valleys with rushing Rivers create vibrant Vistas Beyond like rugged mountain ranges home to all manner of Beast a dense fog blankets large tracks of both forest and Mountain coating the landscape in opaque Mists this permanent fog called the white cover reduces visibility such that massive behemoths can go completely unnoticed as is the case with Earl the Mist stalker several beasts such as the bull serodon use the white cover as camouflage to hide movement and more easily hunt prey its flavor text reads it holds motionless vigil watching Nia in silence through the screen of the white cover when it senses anything amiss it launches forward with The Uncanny sound of torn fog there are Myriad creatures both sentient and less so that inhabit Naya's vibrant Panorama but from the variegated species that call The Shard home none encapsulate immensity and Unbound growth more so than the god-like behemoths in whose wake forests are felt fields are plowed and the Very Earth gives way behemoths are Nia's Primal forces made manifest they embody the Restless Vigor of Life its destructive potential as well as its bountiest Bloom behemoths occupy the highest positions in the natural ecosystem they fight another over hunting grounds in territorial superiority they hunt lesser prey and they send all manner of creatures bolting towards safety of underbrush beasts like the horned ceradon run rampant through forest floor and expansive field even their young like The Yearling are formidable forces of nature others like the species of thakdar are highly Territorial and aggressive which we hear in the flavor text of woolly thoctar one of the most ferocious and deadly Gargantuans the thought never sees its worshipers but it often awakens surrounded by gifts and sacrifices Naya's behemoths are variable in size shape temperament and character but a unifying feature categorizes them as Gargantua is a base power of five or greater this is reflected in the activated and triggered abilities of several Nyan cards concerned with creatures of such immense power behemoths are Central figures in Nyan culture where many races worship them as gods and Hunt alongside their impressive stature sheer enormity and power possessed by behemoths is mostly deeply conveyed in the flavor texts of rake claw gargantuan which states Naya teams with Gargantuans Titanic monsters to whom both nature and civilization defer and in Cliff Runner behemoth it's revered for its power celebrated for its Grace and feared for The Avalanches triggered by its thunderous feet though behemoths represent the Pinnacle of natural selection they're by no means the only creatures to be feared amid the dense jungle foliage massive spiders weave traps of silk and wait in silence for unsuspecting prey they're on display in the jungle and Ember Weaver whose text tells of the notorious webbed hunting grounds Weaver's webs walloff's Wallace of territory more effectively than any port costs made of iron helion anhydrous surged through forest floor cutting Paths of fiery destruction across the jungle interior even species considered small pests are deceptively formidable dozens of ant bug and insect species Scurry across the underbrush standing nearly as tall as a human and strong enough to kill several against such unfettered growth and destruction the sentient races of Naya must remain vigilant but despite its dangers The Shard is home to several humanoid civilized cultures that benefit from unity and the strength to defend themselves found in numbers the first and perhaps most susceptible are bands of human Warriors and shamans that dwell largely on the dangerous forest floor humans are survivors they've adapted well to the uncertainty of jungle life and Revere all aspects of nature though initially consigned to a lightless fate in the dark roots beneath nine canopies humans have carved out large fields of brilliant sunlight cultivated golden lands and erected stone structures which we see in cards like ancient ziggurat their Sun Cedars search for ripe arable lands and use domesticated beasts of Burden called plant beasts to clear forests until the soil this is given to us in the text of sun seed nurturer Sun Cedars quest for areas of Open Sky they train plow beasts to beat back the dense jungle long enough to cultivate a crop s of trackers known as drum Hunters listen to the Jungle song feel for the reverberations of gargantuan footfalls then organize hunting sorties to track down prey startled into movement the exuberance meanwhile bask in the warm embrace of life itself extolling the glories of nature from Jungle shrines or ziggurats they sojourn across Naya to contemplate The shard's beautiful landscape and to locate resplendent dwellings some like the Gus Strider exuberant seek to claim the skies which we can hear in its flavor text the elves claim the canopy the Nakato claimed the mountains I suppose you think we ought to stay on the jungle floor above the rough and dangerous floor life of humans Naya's elves have secured dwellings within the vast network of jungle boughs and canopies entire Elvish cities are supported on top of Naya's massive branches which double as super highways allowing an elf to travel as far as the eye can see without ever setting foot on the ground elves are nomadic and the most in tune with nature of the civilizations they worship Naya's Gargantuans and Revere them as gods the most widespread elf clan are the sillian elves whose Warriors and shamans are led by the blind Seer known as the anima the anima speaks to the Earth and listens in the indecipherable language of nature to learn the intentions of behemoths Nyan elves busy themselves with tracking gargantuan movements dividing truth from their activities and protecting them from would-be poachers as the flavor text of say Salem Archer States our arrows are aimed not at the sacred behemoths but at those who dare to dream of such a trophy the god trackers and shamans offer ritual sacrifice to placate behemoths in times of peace or stir ire in times of War Elvish lore holds that the soul of Alara Slumbers deep under the sacred Valley of the ancient in the form of an immense Hydra called progenitus they sit in silent vigil over the valley awaiting signs that progenitus may awaken from its long sleep which we see Illustrated in the card keeper of progenitus they believe the stirrings of the world soul will fulfill ancient prophecies with disastrous consequences elves are proficient Warriors skilled in both short and long range combat supplemented by wild Mages that direct the pentaggression of behemoths to create a truly formidable force on the field beyond the Lush jungles above the opaque myths of the white cover High amid the mountain chains sit the cat-like race of Naya's leonin called Nakato in ancient times the waxing Nakata Empire of the clouds claimed dominion over much of the shard's landscape extensive highways connected technologically advanced Cosmopolitan centers and Marshall prowess extended borders but after a sect of traditional fundamentalists led by marisi a grieved by the Nakato's descent to complacency fomented a bloody Rebellion the once lustrous Empire crumbled now most of Naya's leonin Rove in factional primitive tribes the teachings of Mauricio are heard in the flavor text of Nakato Savage in which a Johnny Goldman States blades duel and armor dense Mauricio taught us that instinct is the only thing a true warrior needs Leonid embraced the bestial aspects of nature driven by Instinct and burning passion they rely on physical strength to hunt and win the day outfitted with tooth claw and primitive blades the Cardinal War Prides Rove the land viciously attacking unwanted Interlopers their skill in battle is Illustrated in the card maurici's twin claws which depicts two Warriors atop a heap of Fallen foes few Nakato remain that keep to the traditions of the ancient empire these Cloud Nakato inhabit the crumbling ruins and forlorn mountaintops hoping to return to their Race's golden age we see them in the card Nakato hunt Pride while Nakato have descended into Naya's vast jungle valleys in sprawling Plains where they continue to live by Mauricio's teachings their contempt for the cloud Prides can be heard in scathing invective present in the flavor text of wild Nakato the clouds didn't think a bunch of Soft Paws we are the claws of maurici stalking pouncing drawing blood the leonen casali tribe is perhaps the most notable as its members include Giselle Goldman and his planeswalking brother Ajani the Nakato of Naya have thrown off the LIE of civilization reverted to Primal Instinct and embraced their Savage nature their familial Prides are ever at violent odds with the humans and elves of Naya with the coming of the conflux and merging of a large shards Naya finds Itself buffeted by surges of blue and black Mana that have been absent for centuries first this brings New Perspective new ways of thinking and new ideas that Force the shards communities to challenge long-held beliefs blue Mana brings with it Insight in Greater levels of cognition this elevates some while completely destroying others strength which had for so long dominated Naya in the form of its indomitable beasts is now attacked by the forces of the mind some refuse to accept the changes to the plane such as the not fine Mystics and Elvish Druids which we can hear in the flavor text the elves of Naya were the last to acknowledge the massive shift of Mana in their world While others like the Leona Nakata Embrace change and adapted which we see Illustrated in Leon and armor guard that depicts a Nakato undergoing investiture into banff's nightly cast secondly this brings Decay pestilence and rot as black Mana leeches into all things and tarnishes the pristine wildlife noxious disease finds easy purchase in abundant jungles as plague spreads from the rotting shards of crixus and John which we see on display in the card corrupted Roots the flavor text reads the bones of John's dead resurfaced denial poisoning the jungle and killing the sun Cedar's crops so too do creatures of detritus find a wealth of food in rapidly proliferate they quickly devour whole regions of vibrant rainforest highlighted in the art and text of putrid leech which states it reacted to Naya's overabundant food supply by growing additional mouths it's into this new world of explosive convergence that myel the anima reluctantly leads the peoples and behemoths of Naya such tempestuous lashing of isolated shards brings forth flash points of violence and War plied with the greatest natural Warriors and fiercest beasts mael commands a nyan Army to confront encroachment by other shards and state claim to new realms a sentiment given to us in the flavor text of meglenath when the shards merged mael found herself the general of Naya's mightiest Army while the car did not find Paladin highlights moments of cooperation as a night of band joins the nine behemoths in it myel remarks that he's part of a new breed of Guardian one who Embraces the best of both his world and Ours Naya A Shard heavily steeped in green Mana a landscape of abundant plenty where the footfalls of its massive behemoths reverberate through verdant jungles it's a world that Embraces nature reveres Simplicity and fosters communities of growth it's at times dangerously unpredictable at times harmoniously organized and always a source of beauty in all but much is changing with the conflicts Naya's denizens must adapt to new Landscapes new forces of nature must distinguish friend from Foe and must staunchly defend their lands or risk falling to the deadly machinations of other shards A New World Order Rises on Alara will Nia change to meet its greatest challenge it has ever faced thanks so much for watching and listening to The Shard of Naya explained and stay tuned for future episodes in which we'll explore the remaining Shards of Alara now I want to hear from you let me know your thoughts on Naya's behemoths which culture is your favorite as well as suggestions for future videos in the comments below and if you're a fan of Lauren's storytelling be sure to subscribe to the channel check out the podcast or the blog where content is uploaded frequently a huge shout out to all of my supporters over on patreon your patronage means the world to me and helps the channel grow and improve if you're interested in becoming a lore luminary for access to me a great Community written scripts and early video drops check out patreon.com the Librarians to learn more until next time go forth and explore the lore

Channel: The Lorebrarians

Views: 13,944

Keywords: Lorebrarians, Magic: The Gathering, Naya

Id: bMDdv7UGsVc

Length: 17min 52sec (1072 seconds)

Published: Fri Mar 03 2023