Conspiracy theory Nicol Bolas master plan
Lore forum
Posted on Aug. 8, 2017, 4:21 a.m. by windlnk
Basically I'm going to explain Bolas' master plan since the eldrazi were released and how he has manipulated it and what I think his final goal is going to be. (This is all based on the idea that his current goal is regaining his godlike powers he lost in the mending.)
It starts roughly 100 years before the current story events when Bolas starts gathering pieces for his plan B (plan A is the one on Alara that Ajani messed up.) When he helps Liliana make her pact with the 4 demons. Mainly the 2 on inninstrad are the ones I'm going to be focusing on here. fast forward to about when the eldrazi are released and Bolas Gives an order to Kothoped to have Liliana fetch the Chain Veil. (we've seen with Razaketh that he can order these demons around.) Additionally he had Griselbrand intentionally allow himself to be imprisoned in the Helvault. The ultimate goal of all this is that Liliana destroys the vault and frees Nahiri right as she can see the titans loose on Zendikar. yadda yadda yadda the end result of all this is that he knows that Nahiri drunk with rage will lure one of the titans to inninstrad to get revenge on Sorin which she does. Essentially Emrakul's imprisonment within the silver moon was also part of Bolas' plan. This is where things get iffy but basically the general idea of all of this is that encased in a moon made of silver Emrakul will be able to be transported by a replica of Urza's time machine and be sent back into the past of Dominara (moved there by Tezzy and the planar bridge). (More logically the whole thing with the planar bridge is that it can transport the lazotep coated undead army to any plane bolas wants but this is more fun.) Since this theory doesn't really explain what bolas needs Amonkhet for I've devised a little bit of crackpot nonsense to explain it. The reason Amonkhet is important is because it is the home of Spatula of the Ages (Notice the Egyptian marking on the card.) Which is capable of playing down the Time Machine due to it's silver border. Which is the only reason he would go to Amonkhet in the contingency of this theory it's how he gets the time machine.
OneItsStarted says... #3
Even if you're completely joking, time travel has been axed from mtg after the poor reception of the khans block.
August 8, 2017 12:39 p.m.
shinobigarth says... #4
Liliana is a couple thousand years old (she is pre mending) and she made the deal only a few hundred years after her spark ignited, making that much more than 100 years before the current timeline.
August 8, 2017 7:49 p.m.
Of note: the Mending is confirmed as having occurred about 60 years ago. And going to Amonkhet was basically the first thing Bolas did when the rules of Planeswalker sparks started changing.
August 8, 2017 8:45 p.m.
shinobigarth says... #6
60 years doesnt seem long enough ago. either way i'm pretty sure Lili made the deal ages ago, if she isnt thousands of years old she is at least several hundred. older than any of the other Gatewatchers except for maybe Nissa who we dont know her age but being an elf she could be old (ish).
August 9, 2017 2:53 a.m.
Whether you think it doesn't seem long enough ago is irrelevant; it is canon, the Mending took place around 60 years ago. Doug Beyer confirms it in this podcast.
Furthermore, in the Hour of Revelation Story, it made made quite clear that Nicol Bolas is here to set plans in motion, while he still can, as his omnipotence is fading, a result of the Mending. Then, in the Hour of Devastation Story, he refers to having first come to Amonkhet several decades ago.
Liliana is much older than the rest of the Gatewatch, Nissa included as I recall, by several hundred years. But most of that time was lived before the Mending, and when she started to lose her immortality and youth as a result of the Mending, Bolas introduced her to the four demons to broker her deals, all about 60 years ago.
August 9, 2017 7:37 a.m.
Do remember everyone, how Bolas said to himself:"at last he is working in the open"
August 10, 2017 2:57 a.m.
kanokarob, Actually, if the mending was 60 years ago, then Liliana's demon pacts would have to have only be 20 to 30 years ago, because she was physically aged by the time she contacted Bolas.
August 13, 2017 3:51 a.m.
Yes, with Liliana's pacts I meant starting 60 years ago, as in she started aging and seeking a way to regain her lost power, then. Apologies, I didn't quite finish the wording of my final point, it seems.
August 13, 2017 9:51 a.m.
How do you guys think Ral Zarek is involved with Bolas? Is he just another pawn like Tezzeret or do you think he's playing a bigger part in Bolas's schemes?
August 13, 2017 10:14 a.m.
Anyone working with Bolas is a pawn.
But more to the point, I really think it could go either way. Ral has been mentioned to be sympathetic to the Gatewatch's intentions, trying to hide them from Niv Mizzet, but he also doesn't want to be involved with them. So, he may have been protecting them only to allow for Bolas' plans for them to not be interrupted, or he may be ignorant to his masters plot or even who is master is.
He's a naturally duplicitous character so I don't think we can accurately determine his personal goals just yet.
August 13, 2017 12:49 p.m.
Ral wasn't just hiding their activities from Niv to protect them but also because he's terrified of what the firemind would do to him if he learned that A: planeswalkers are a thing. and B: that Ral is one. this is why he sabotaged project lightning bug in the first place after all.
At any rate I feel that Ral's purpose in Bolas' master plan is likely to involve something mechanical like the planar bridge due to his status as an inventor.
kanokarob says... #2
I am vaguely on board with him wanting Emrakul in the moon specifically for some purpose. Either to be Planar Bridge'd or sent through time. But the spatula thing goes out of left field. He went to Amonkhet specifically for the army, he's said so himself, to himself.
However, Bolas is far too old, wise, powerful, and intelligent for his plans to be predicted by us with any reasonable accuracy, particularly considering that his end-goal may require more pieces/need to be achieved on a plane that we don't know exists yet.
August 8, 2017 7:19 a.m.