The first story for Wilds of Eldraine launched today, kicking off the first set in the Omenpath Arc of the upcoming three-year storyline for Magic: The Gathering. Episode 1: Pure of Heart introduces Kellan and Lord Talion and catches readers up to what’s going on with Will and Rowan Kenrith.
Will and Rowan are adjusting to life following the death of their father and stepmother, the King and Queen of Eldraine, with Will assuming the role of High King and Rowan insisting on they attempt to find a magical cure for the spell that ended the Phyrexian invasion while also putting the people of Eldraine to sleep. The Wicked Slumber leaves the remaining conscious folks either fearful of raiders and lawlessness or fighting for power.
Will challenges Syr Imodane, a knight that has claimed a chunk of land through force, to a duel in an attempt to make her respect his self-proclaimed position of High King. But early into the fight, Rowan boils over with rage and angst, calling down a lightning bolt that splits a mountain. The spectacle sends Syr Imodane running off into the wilderness, while shocking others, and leaving the siblings to fight off the rebels that supported Syr Imodane.
After the fallout from the interrupted duel, the siblings chat at Castle Vantress. Will is overrun with paperwork and his political duties as King, but Rowan wants them to travel the multiverse to try to find a way to end the Wicked Slumber. She finds out, however, that she no longer has the ability to planeswalk. Her spark seems to have vanished after the end of the Phyrexian War.
Meanwhile, so deep in the wilderness of Eldraine that the people have no inkling of the Phyrexian Invasion or even names of kings and queens, Kellan returns to his mother and stepfather’s home. He was roughed up and teased by other teenagers about his suspected real father being a Fae and that Kellan is somehow responsible for the Wicked Slumber.
Some days later, Kellan and his mother are walking in the woods when Kellan spots an ethereal archway, that he knows from his mother’s stories is an invitation to speak with one of the High Faeries. Kellan steps through the portal and is transported into the beautiful world of the Fae. He meets Lord Talion and they talk briefly, leading to Lord Talion to propose a quest for Kellan that would break the Wicked Slumber and yield a treasure as a reward.
The quest involves having to defeat the three witches: Agatha, the Hungry; Cruel Hylda; and Eriette. Kellan wants Lord Talion to tell him more about his father, so he agrees to take on the quest.
Read the full story for Episode 1: Pure of Heart here.