Dragons of Tarkir as Told by Flavor Text
"In the Tarkir I once knew, the Abzan revered their ancestor trees. Now, as Dromoka, they cut their finest groves to make weapons." —Sarkhan Vol
Martyred for worshipping her ancestors, she now walks among them.
The mage awakened the statue in hopes of learning the lost lore of her clan, but the statue was interested only in war.
"Why eat now what could one day grow into a feast?" —Ojutai, translated from Draconic
"When I have meditated on all outcomes, my opponent has no recourse."
"I would gladly give my life if it would inspire my clan to victory."
Dromoka dragons foster trust among their subjects, while the other clans must spend their time quelling rebellion.
He scorns the heavy winter garb of lesser warriors, trusting his anger to keep him warm.
Atarka is worshipped and fed by her subjects at Ayagor, the Dragon's Bowl.
It exemplifies the ideals of the Dromoka: strength, unity, and honor.
The aven are admired, for they are able to fly with the dragons.
"There is elegance in all the Ojutai do—even their killing." —Kirada, Silumgar enforcer
"Atarka's people starve while she feasts upon the bounty of their hunts. They must conquer ever more lands just for the sake of their own subsistence." —Arel, Unseen Whisperer
"We are as brutal as our dragonlord. We strike like wild lightning and feast on human flesh."
Kolaghan blades rarely stay clean for long.
When battling the Kolaghan, consider yourself lucky if lightning strikes the same place only twice.
The Crave made Kneecleaver think she was bigger than the dragon.
"The blood of Dromoka and the blood of my veins are the same."
They whisper of an ancient hero who saved the dragons of their world.
Their lust for battle was so great that they didn't care their enemies wore their own faces.
"Every Silumgar blade carries the blessing of our dragonlord." —Xathi the Infallible
Many can stand where one would fall.
The colossodon's hard outer shell stops many predators, but with a gentle flip from a dragon, it quickly becomes a meal in a bowl.
Atarka conquered Qadat, the Fire Rim, long ago, winning over its efreet with a promise to spread the glory of fire to all the world.
Atarka's presence thaws the glaciers of Qal Sisma, forcing its elementals to migrate or adapt.
Those who question Ojutai may not like the answers they receive.
Sidisi hated to limit her options.
"That which is beautiful in form can also be deadly." —Ishai, Ojutai dragonspeaker
Silumgar delights in repurposing the treasures of other clans to serve his own ravenous greed.
"Silumgar's mind is a dark labyrinth, full of grim secrets and subtle traps." —Siara, the Dragon's Mouth
The Ojutai believe in the Great Wheel: those who best serve the dragonlord are destined to be reborn as dragons.
"Seclusion is only an option for the strong." —Sorin Markov
"I am a dragonslayer for Lord Silumgar. There is no dragon save him whom I fear." —Xathi the Infallible
"Wars are decided one life at a time." —Gvar Barzeel, Kolaghan warrior
Dragons emerge from tempests fully formed and terribly hungry.
Atarka goblins meet their demise as readily as their Temur counterparts did, but usually under big, winged shadows.
"Dromoka has taught me the secrets of her kind, that I might use them in her service."
Even the humblest guard of Ojutai's strongholds ponders the puzzles of the Great Teacher's lessons.
The idols were forged during the time of the Khanfall, when the dragons came to rule Tarkir and its people aligned themselves with the five dragonlords.
Dromoka's followers forsake blood ties so that they may join a greater family.
Silumgar never passes up an opportunity to add to his opulence.
Atarka serving-goblins coat themselves with grease imbued with noxious herbs, hoping to discourage their ravenous masters from adding them to the meal.
Bears are a delicacy for the Atarka. The few that remain are the toughest of their species.
"We fight not out of fear, but for honor."
"The dragonlords rule the tempests of the skies. Here in the wastes, the storms are mine to command."
Dromoka rules her clan from the Great Aerie atop Arashin, the central city of the Shifting Wastes.
Dromoka has regard for the humans who serve under her. In return for her protection, they obey with steadfast loyalty, acting as weapons for her and her scalelords against the other clans.
The simplest gift from a dragon can be a revered accolade for a human warrior.
Sarkhan was eager to take vengeance on Zurgo until he saw how lowly his old foe had become.
The dragon who eats the last head in the basket is entitled to the servant's.
Even after Anafenza was executed, many secretly maintained their beliefs in the old ways.
"Learn to see an obstacle from a new perspective. Underneath, for example." —Chanyi, Ojutai monk
Only the sun that beats down upon Arashin's walls could shine more brightly.
"My dragonlord is immortal. Most dragons are not." —Kadri, Dromoka warrior
No matter the timeline, some legends will endure.
The land is ever resilient. Should it die, it will be reborn.
Despite the flames and devastation of the dragons, Tarkir continued to thrive.
When Sarkhan saved Ugin in Tarkir's past, it changed Tarkir's future. The Sultai no longer exist, having been supplanted by the dragonlord Silumgar and his clan.
Like their dragonlord, the Kolaghan take no trophies. They find true fulfillment only in the battle itself, in clash of steel and thunder of hooves.
The cycle of life and death is rarely pretty.
Foul-Tongue shamans draw their powers from a dark twisting of the Draconic language.
Rakshasa waste no opportunity to display their wealth and power, even in the midst of a sorcerous duel.
"Can you catch a snowflake on the edge of your blade? Her sword has snagged an entire blizzard." —Zogye, Ojutai mystic
"Lord Silumgar has given you a second chance to please him." —Siara, the Dragon's Mouth
The small are mostly ignored by dragons.
Silumgar trains those whom he favors in his magic, granting them the ability to spread his disdain across the land.
An Atarka dragon's exhale cooks what its inhale consumes.
"Just let him loose and follow the charge." —Yikaro, Atarka warrior
The trumpeters of Arashin are ever alert in their watch over the Great Aerie.
"If their ears are to the ground, we will make them bleed!" —Taklai, Kolaghan warrior
"It sees all, but it reveals what it sees only to a chosen few." —Taigam, Ojutai master
"It is most honorable to use every part of the animals we kill . . . especially if we use them to annihilate our enemies." —Surrak, the Hunt Caller
She answers the call of the Crave, the desire for battle sated only by bloodshed.
Kolaghan has no lasting home, but her disciples leave relics to mark her conquests.
Kolaghan's army rushes from kill to kill, desperate to avoid the dragon's wrath.
"I've been told my whole life that the great Ojutai holds all knowledge, but I wonder what our forebears knew." —Narset
"The greatest gift Dromoka gives is the ability to fly without wings." —Urdnan, Dromoka warrior
A lifetime of discipline forsaken in a moment of rage.
Once it has your scent, it will hunt you from the Gurmag Swamp to Ayagor.
"Our shamans assert their mastery over the land, thwarting the lesser clans' attempts to stand in the way of our dragonlord." —Allek, Atarka hunter
The gurgling of the Marang conceals both footsteps and screams.
Now vengeance is his sole purpose.
"The Ojutai are my favorite victims. They have so much knowledge to lose." —Asmala, Silumgar sorcerer
Draconic words need not be shouted. A whisper will suffice.
Who you are constantly runs toward who you will be.
It heralded Sarkhan's return to Tarkir's present.
"Still the mind and quiet the heart. Only then will you hear the Multiverse's great truths." —Narset
The remains of ancient civilizations litter the run-down land.
"You cannot be an Ojutai monk. They prize wisdom and skill, and you have neither." —Siara, the Dragon's Mouth
"Though I may soar, I could never fly as high as the dragons."
Ojutai spends time at all his strongholds, but he most favors Cori Stronghold for his meditation.
"If I fight, I might step on a butterfly. That would be sad." ~ Krowg of Qal Sisma
"The most profound secrets lie in the darkest places of the world. It can be prudent to make use of another set of eyes." —Sidisi, Silumgar vizier
"Even paradise is not without tragedies." —Sarkhan Vol
"Show your enemies as much mercy as they would show you." —Surrak, the Hunt Caller
The elite of Ojutai's brood, the skywise see their enemies as puzzles to be solved.
"It hunts grand game for Atarka, and when the time comes, it will become a mighty feast." —Surrak, the Hunt Caller
Dying for the greater good still hurts.
The Shifting Wastes are Dromoka's domain. She will not tolerate intruders.
Debts to rakshasa linger beyond death.
A dragon learns humility only in the moments before its death.
The sky offers few hiding places.
"If the scalelords are the brains of Dromoka's army, the supply caravans are its beating heart." —Baihir, Dromoka mage
"The sands obscure the vision of others, but clarify ours." —Faiso, Dromoka commander
"Intruders in the lands of Atarka have but two choices: be consumed by fire, or be consumed by maw." —Ulnok, Atarka shaman
"Bring forth the dead, their skull-grins and rattle-bones. We will feast upon their wailing ghosts." —Silumgar, translated from Draconic
With heat, sand can form a delicate work of art; with pressure, an impenetrable bulwark.
"Sad what passes for a dragon among the Silumgar."
"May our foes choke upon its horns!" —Urdnan, Dromoka warrior
The people of Tarkir speak of an ancient legend, of the dragon-man called Sarkhan who was greatest of all khans.
Sarkhan gazed on the world around him, the dragons sweeping through its skies, and joy kindled like a fire in his soul.
"Your bravery honors us all." —Dromoka, translated from Draconic
For hundreds of years Ugin slept, encased in the cocoon of stone and magic Sarkhan had created using a shard of a Zendikari hedron. As Ugin lay dormant, his spectral guardians kept vigil.
"My dragonlord's lightning will dance upon your bones!"
"The Shifting Wastes provide our clan eternal protection. It is our duty to return the favor." —Kadri, Dromoka warrior
The list of things a krotiq eats is as long as the krotiq itself.
The shaman opened the earth beneath their feet, trapping the survivors within the crevices of Ayagor for Atarka to devour at her leisure.
"Worse than watching the cruelest deed is watching it done by your own hand." —Baihir, Dromoka mage
"The Kolaghan send them at us. We kill and raise them. They fight the next wave the Kolaghan send. It's a neat little cycle." —Asmala, Silumgar sorcerer
"Dragons in flight seldom expect company." —Kadri, Dromoka warrior
Dromoka's scalelords patrol the skies over Arashin, offering her people safety from the harsh world.
"I almost envy them. They can't get frostbite." —Kirada, Silumgar enforcer
"I tire of your prattle, and your face."
"The Silumgar creep around our borders and infiltrate our aeries. We must remain ever watchful." —Golran, Dromoka captain
Better scarves than scars.
Silumgar takes pride in the diversity of his sibsig.
Silumgar dominates his clan from a fortress on the Marang River, where he rests upon piles of treasure.
Ojutai's words must be translated from Draconic before his students can benefit from their wisdom.
"Dragons are our betters, but we will fight them if our dragonlord orders it."
The Atarka use them not just for food, but also to clear away snow, trees, and enemy forces.
The storms of Tarkir awaken more than dragons.
"His companions are wise to follow him, for his foes dare not stand in his way." —Zhiada, Dirgur protector
"Human enlightenment is a firefly that sparks in the night. Dragon enlightenment is a beacon that disperses all darkness."
"Do you not hunt the yetis of the high peaks, stripling? Their meat is as tender as a bear's and their blood as warming as fire. They are prey that will please Atarka." —Surrak, the Hunt Caller
"We trust in the scalelords, bringers of justice that none can escape." —Urdnan, Dromoka warrior
Though she stood alone, she struck with the force of an army.
"The greatest honor is to feed Atarka."
"Kneel before a dragon and you will be spared when it turns to leave." —Yikaro, Atarka warrior
"Abzan, Jeskai, Sultai, Mardu, Temur—names lost to history, yet worthy of further study." —Narset
"Such lesser creatures must be purged from the sky. What use do they have but to help channel the lightning of our mighty dragonlord?" —Gvar Barzeel, Kolaghan warrior
Attracting a dragon's attention may be the last mistake you make.
A mocking laughter echoed in Ugin's mind. How many centuries had he slumbered, stricken, while Nicol Bolas moved unchallenged among the planes?
"Boasting impenetrable defenses only draws the most tenacious of attackers." —Yikaro, Atarka warrior
Kolaghan archers are trained in Dakla, the way of the bow. They utilize their dragonlord's lightning to strike their target, no matter how small, how fast, or how far away.
"The Silumgar hide behind the deadly wildlife of their swamps. They'd rather scheme in their jungle palaces than face us." —Khibat, Kolaghan warrior
"The realization that one is dying is far more terrifying than death itself." —Sidisi, Silumgar vizier
"It slips through the smallest cracks in the mountain, emerging whole and unfettered. There is nowhere it cannot go, for what can hold back the air itself?" —Chanyi, Ojutai monk
"As we have learned from Kolaghan, to ruin is to rule." —Shensu, Kolaghan rider
Designed by an ancient artificer, the vials are strong enough to hold the very breath of a drago ~ until it's needed.
"This pestilence robs us of glorious death in battle. We starve to death with full bellies and drown trying to slake our unnatural thirst." ~ Kerai Hatesinger, Kolaghan warrior
"The bravest warriors take the shortest path to victory, whatever that path may be." —Sakta, Atarka hunter
The crumbling temples on the tortoise's back are monuments to the decadence of the ancient Sultai. Though it harkens back to the era of the khans, Silumgar allows it to walk his territory as a warning to those who would oppose him.
"Too dumb, and you end up a sibsig. Too smart, and you end up a meal. Mediocrity is the key to a long life." —Mogai, Silumgar noble
"Ojutai's rule has allowed Tarkir's monks to learn from the truly enlightened." —Sarkhan Vol