Does Bolas have Influence Over Theros?
Lore forum
Posted on Jan. 2, 2020, 5:49 p.m. by CastleSiege
So we all know Bolas was defeated and is currently trapped within his meditation realm, but what are the odds he had/has influence over at least some of the gods of Theros? With spoilers trickling in every day, some of the artwork for nee cards has got the gears in my head spinning.
Look at the artwork for Heliod, Sun-Crowned . His crown is clearly a depiction of Nicol Bolas's horns. Then there's the art for Blood Aspirant (name translated from the German spoiler), another clear depiction of Bolas's horns.
These two pieces of art had me curious enough to start looking back at other cards from the original Theros block. This one might be a stretch, but Xenagos, the Reveler has two sets of horns; the middle two resembling Bolas's.
And while we're on the Topic of cards from previous sets, there's Ashiok, Dream Render , who is depicted in Bolas's meditation realm with the massive Bolas horns behind him (before they were changed to resemble Ugin's horns after Bolas's imprisonment).
Is Ashiok another agent of Bolas? Back in the original Theros block, Ashiok made a deal with Phenax, the God of Deception. We, the audience, were never actually told what Ashiok requested from Phenax. All we know is that it made Phenax let out a horrible laugh and agree to Ashiok's wish. Phenax described Ashiok as having "so many /grand/ tricks" with emphasis being put on the word grand. Is it possible that now Phenax is also working under Bolas? It wouldn't be surprising considering Bolas's obsession with gods. Theros seems like a prime world for the evil mastermind to take advantage of.
I think it's very possible we may see Bolas return sooner rather than later. What do you think? Am I looking too far into this? Feel free to share your thoughts!
I mean I really hope not. He was just put into the meditation realm and I think we are due for some smaller scale adventures or at least a new villain. Not like the lore matters too much to WOTC anymore anyways with how War of the Spark was treated.
January 2, 2020 6:04 p.m.
CastleSiege says... #4
I was also highly disapointed with how they treated the story of War of the Spark. Tons of hype after a 20 year story arc with Bolas as the main antagonist, only for the climax to be a complete and utter letdown.
I also hope for some smaller scale stories before we get back into a massive arc, but I can already see the groundwork for Bolas's return.
January 2, 2020 6:08 p.m.
Deadpoo111 says... #5
Maybe? I hope to hear about Ashiok's role while they've been away. I don't think the symbols on the cards mean anything other than "look cool horns" or "we draw horns one way"
January 2, 2020 8:13 p.m.
PhyrexianWombat says... #6
I feel it's mostly just a similar art direction. Satyr Enchanter has similar horns as well, even sharing a floating stone-like object in the middle, but the odds of him being at all connected to Bolas seem very low. (Heck, his colors are the exact inverse of Bolas.)
January 3, 2020 2:23 a.m.
RicketyEng says... #7
I am also highly skeptical of any connections to Bolas on Theros. We have heard reports of his residual influence on at least one other plane (Kaya's home world). However, I doubt there is anything of any significance on Theros.
If there are in fact any spies or agents, they might just belong to Tezzeret now instead.
January 3, 2020 3:53 a.m.
CastleSiege says... #8
PhyrexianWombat, to be fair, Satyr Enchanter is from M19, a set that focuses on Bolas's back story in preparation for War of the Spark. Not only does Satyr Enchanter have horns similar to Xenagos/Bolas, but there is also a floating light between his horns. Very similar to the Gem of Becoming. Another clue, methinks!
RicketyEng, we know Bolas has been to thousands of planes in his lifetime, sowing the seeds of his grand schemes practically everywhere he's been. I don't think it's too much of a stretch to assume he's been to Theros as well, especially given his fascination with gods.
January 3, 2020 6:58 a.m.
Given that are no books or story articles planned for Theros, we will never get an answer. But having no books in Theros does mean there is nothing important happening here, so no Bolas.
January 3, 2020 7:39 a.m.
If I'm not mistaking, I think Ashiok's deal with Phenax had something to do with being hidden from the other god's perception. Ashiok became insivible and unknown to them. I don't remember what Phenax actually got in return from Ashiok tho...
January 3, 2020 9:24 a.m.
CastleSiege says... #11
I reread the story article yesterday, it didn't say what Ashiok asked of Phenax. I think Ashiok's magic already makes them unseen to the gods
January 3, 2020 10:12 a.m.
from the wiki:
At some point in Ashiok's pursuits, Ashiok made a bargain with Phenax, the god of lies and deceit. The nightmare weaver then sought to incite war between the polis of Iretis and the leonin.
However, Ashiok sent nightmarish abominations to kill off individuals from both sides during the peace meeting. This resulted in continued conflict between humans and leonin, each side accusing the other of betrayal. The leonin retaliated by annihilating the Iretis' citizenry, allowing Phenax's plan to go into motion, to create another necropolis for the Returned, a cog in his grander designs. In return, Ashiok asked to be made invisible to the gods, which made Phenax break into a burst of hysterical, cruel laughter after he peered deep in Ashiok's essence.
Also, ashiok had horns way before war of the spark. And they are not horns, but the edges of half of its face.
January 3, 2020 10:19 a.m. Edited.
CastleSiege says... #13
Ah, excellent source material! My mistake for not digging deeper. That must have been in an earlier story article I did not read.
However, I never said anything about Ashiok's horns. I was refering to the monument of Nicol Bolas's horns in his meditation realm. They appear in the background of Ashiok, Dream Render . They can also be seen on the planechase card Pools of Becoming .
CastleSiege says... #2
In addition, we also were never explicitly told what Ashiok was doing in War of the Spark or in Bolas's Meditation Realm! I forgot to add this bit in!
January 2, 2020 5:51 p.m.