Kaladesh as Told by Flavor Text

Renegades find ever more creative ways to work around the Consulate's aether regulations.

Dwarves have an instinct for repair, an inherent understanding of how systems work, and a reputation for fearlessness. They're perfect candidates for the Fair's emergency response team.

Citizens are free to do as they wish, within the confines of the Consulate's laws.

Pilots take crippled skyships to the Aviaries, trusting Ghirapur's most talented mechanics to get them back into the air.

Consulate-built automatons have a lifetime warranty.

"At last, the infamous Pia Nalaar." —Tezzeret

"You're coming with me."

"Too much friction on your bearings, your countersinking is inconsistent, and there are lines in your casting. Dispose of it, and begin again." —Dovin Baan

"Ghirapur's gremlin population poses a threat to the infrastructure of the fairgrounds. Threats must be eliminated." —Sram, senior edificer

Some display their trophies at the Hall of Mechanists. Others display their talent in the streets of Ghirapur.

"Shine bright, bolts tight."

"Welcome, one and all! Right this way! Open your eyes, your ears, and your imaginations to the wonders of the Inventors' Fair!"

When Baral constructed his trap for Chandra, he did not account for the arrival of an enormous leonin wielding a twin-headed axe.

One dwarf on a build team ensures competence. All dwarves on the team ensures brilliance.

"Let us never forget the joy that lies at the heart of invention."

The Consulate keeps watch at each of the eleven bridges to ensure that the market remains a haven for commerce, not for con artists.

Everything has an off switch.

"The sky isn't the limit. It's the starting point."

"There's no reason to buy a new one when I've got the tools to fix the one you've got." —Ripu, repair specialist

"By order of Consulate Mandate 482, I am required to detain you, citizen."

"The judges really put them through their paces, but they prevailed. I think they even impressed Head Judge Tezzeret." —Ritika, artificer

The great birds dive through the sky, wings skimming the aether streams, to fall upon their unsuspecting prey.

In the moment of truth, it is as though time stands still, and the whale waits, suspended in the sky.

There is no dress code for the Inventors' Fair, but you'll be hard-pressed to find anyone or anything not done up in their finest.

Textiles at the Inventors' Fair feature threads from every corner of Kaladesh.

"If you wish to produce the finest work, you must start with the finest tools."

It shows affection an automaton never could.

"It's a multifunctional radial extension system with superlateral, force-amplifying rigging. Of course it will win."

Consulate engineers have developed safe methods of harvesting aether, but renegades aren't always so careful.

The judges at the Fair are held in such high esteem that a nod of recognition can inspire an inventor for a lifetime—and a wave of dismissal can end a career.

"Citizens, do not resist. This is for your safety. Tezzeret bids you to surrender your inventions. Now."

"Step right up! Try your hand! It'll thrill the senses and boggle the mind!"

"Baral took my family from me back then. I'd do anything to face him now." —Chandra Nalaar

"Nobody asked you to butt in, Jace. But thanks." —Chandra Nalaar

"The little thopters seemed lonely up here, so I thought I'd join them."

The most dangerous thing an artificer can do is believe an invention is perfect.

Its collection is vast, yet each ship has a special place in its heart.

Creators live for that moment of inspiration: precious, profound, perfect.

"We meet again, pyromancer." —Baral, Chief of Compliance

Janjeet Observatory is open to the public, but access to the adjoining laboratories is restricted.

The aethersphere is home to the most wondrous beings on all of Kaladesh, although the dangers of traversing it mean that not much is known of them.

"They don't make them like they used to."

"This research violates Consulate law."

"A failure is simply another opportunity for improvement. Just wait until you see what I come up with next."

"Impress me."

The results of Rashmi's experimentation forced her to consider the possibility that multitudinous realities existed beyond her own.

By the time a Consulate sanction becomes official, the renegade quicksmiths have already found a way to circumvent it.

"From the first touch, I know exactly what the metal wants to be."

"Pleasure doing business with you."

"To achieve what none have achieved before, one must dare what none have dared before."

Aether shapes everything on Kaladesh, from the sky to the sea.

Vedalken have six thin, agile fingers on each hand, giving them unparalleled dexterity.

"Airships are too confining. If I'm in the sky, I want to feel the wind in my hair and taste the aether."

Drakes prowl the skies of Kaladesh, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

"I don't know what that is or who it belongs to, but it's shiny and I want it."

Aetherborn who are unwilling to accept the decomposition of their bodies invent ways to preserve and augment themselves.

Baral's spies always have the latest technology.

"Show them. Show them how hot your fire can burn." —Liliana Vess, to Chandra Nalaar

"When the time comes, let go. Nothing lasts forever."

The teeth marks add character.

Open hostilities are strictly forbidden at the Inventors' Fair, but "accidents" still happen.

In Embraal, inventor gangs defend their turf with ingenious devices and blunt objects.

The "gifted" among the aetherborn can draw the life essence of other living beings into themselves.

An aetherborn wastes neither time nor treasure.

"My creations still can't match the dive speed of those floppy-winged mammals. Maybe I should enter one of them in the Fair." —Viprikti, thopterist

The swarm leaves behind a flawless pattern that only occasionally threatens the structural integrity of the wood.

"If you've done nothing wrong, you have nothing to fear." —Enforcer-Chief Ranaj

Kaladesh's illicit marketplaces are known as "night markets," but if you know who to ask, you can find what you're looking for at any time of the day.

"When you have the chance, take it. Laugh, sing, dance. Don't allow the night to end."

"That name shall not be spoken." —Baral, Chief of Compliance

Yesterday's marvels are today's antiques.

"Nice invention there. Looks real fragile."

Many an inventor has collapsed under the pressure to create a flawless design.

"Every creation carries a piece of its creators. Their knowledge, their dreams, their soul. That is the best part."

The Consulate rarely cracks the coded announcement of a night market's location before dawn, and enforcers are taken care of if they wander too close.

"Let me guess. You thought I was dead."

It's rare that the Prakhata Club closes its doors. It's also rare that Lord Gonti meets with Consul Kambal. What are the odds the two would occur on the same day?

Short lives lead to forbidden choices.

Renegades do some of their best work right under the Consulate's nose.

"The price isn't negotiable, but I'm sure you'll agree it's fair."

In Ghirapur, even the lowliest residents live in lavish surroundings.

Aetherborn patrons use any means necessary to secure victory for their protégés.

"No, I don't believe they have the proper permits for those, but I'm not going to be the one to ask." —Caru, Consulate warden

Driven by an insatiable hunger, gremlins never cease feeding. They can destroy a lifetime of work in just a few moments.

Free from Consulate regulations, renegade-built automatons push performance to the limit.

The chasm of years and worlds collapsed under the power of their embrace.

"This one's for my mom, and this one's for me."

Most came to Ghirapur for the Fair. Gremlins came for the feast.

Tonight at the Grand Exhibition, witness Head Judge Tezzeret face off against the infamous renegade Pia Nalaar.

"Now that's the Chandra I've been waiting to see." —Liliana Vess

The giant-decorating contest at the migration festival is a tradition that may have started as a dare.

"Whoa there. Easy. We're just going to take a little detour."

"All of those Consulate safety measures undone with one simple tweak."

"Everyone starts off making garbage. If you finally make something halfway decent, it'll be the best day of your life." —Nehra, inventor

"Knock, knock . . . too late."

Quicksmiths are eager to jump from one project to the next, relying on flashes of inspiration rather than careful research.

Architects find inspiration in the dragon's beauty of form, while artificers are influenced by the function of its fire.

"Nothing against you. It's just that waiting for Consulate clearance was never really my thing."

City officials once sent twenty gleaming automatons to exterminate a nest of gremlins. They soon saw the error of their ways.

If an elf can dream it, a dwarf can build it, and a gremlin can eat it.

"To invent is to rebel." —Pia Nalaar

If her vehicle even has a brake, she couldn't tell you which pedal it is.

"The Consulate promised that we would all have access to aether. I'm just keeping them honest."

Graffiti of the "leaking spire" symbol is found wherever the renegades have been.

Inventors from around the world have come to the Fair hoping their creations will fly, drive, or sail their way to a top prize.

Inventors have been known to capture gremlins with the intent to release them in a rival's workshop. More often than not, that plan backfires.

"Consider this a high alert, people. Permission to destroy on sight. Either we take it down or it'll take down the Fair." —Pav, gremlin watch

Some passengers ride without tickets.

"The giants follow the flow of aether, and twice a year it leads them through here. Lesson learned. More clearance is needed." —Sram, senior edificer

"The fires of invention burn in all of us. I fight for the freedom to unleash those flames." —Pia Nalaar

"I'd just let the monkey have it if I were you. You can make another, but the same can't be said of your fingers." —Turni, Greenwheel groundskeeper

The power of aether draws creatures to it like a magnetic force, and those that are touched by it are forever altered.

Next to her designs, life seems like a pale imitation.

Were she not a judge, she'd win the division herself.

"I've never seen a world where aether weaves through every aspect of nature."

Those who move harmoniously with the flow of aether can channel the power of the natural world.

Never before have there been so many brilliant minds and wondrous inventions in one place. Denizens from every corner of Kaladesh will flock to the once-in-a-lifetime Inventors' Fair.

Consulate guards who pursue fleeing renegades into the Cowl often become lost—occasionally permanently—in the city's wildest greenbelt.

Sanctions, mandates, regulations . . . These things mean nothing to the natural world.

The louder the elephant trumpeted, the more the crowd cheered. And the more the crowd cheered . . .

Fairgoers were delighted to find that even outside the fairgrounds, Ghirapur was a city of wonders.

Natural evolution is often at odds with industrial progress.

Every leaf, tree, and building in Kujar has been placed to achieve maximum harmony, in accordance with the elvish philosophy known as the Great Conduit.

"They say Head Judge Tezzeret will be reviewing every invention at the Fair. I made sure to build something that will stand out." —Jehvani, Vahadar artificer

It won't be small forever.

Many elves incorporate the beauty of nature into their inventions. Very few capture its savagery.

Inspired by the thorns and brambles of the untamed wilds, elvish armor is both beautiful and formidable.

"Inspiration is reciprocal: we all have a responsibility to each other to create."

Connected as artificer and invention, bonded as rider and steed.

Even now, Shaila's descendants proudly occupy the greenway that she refused to relinquish to the Consulate.

"Creation without connection to nature is just manufacture."

The drake flew true. The arrow flew truer.

As unpredictable as aether, and just as hard to contain.

"We all began in nature, and nature is where we belong."

"I opened my mind to the immensity of the wonders around me. It was only then that I could see the Great Conduit." —Rashmi, aether-seer

Part feline, part primate, all trouble.

All the aether charts in the world can't compete with the trained eye of a talented scout.

"Don't waste my time with trifles. Bring me works of art, and I will make you rich."

"For years, I studied the aethersphere from afar, but it was not until I touched the aether for myself that I came to know the power contained in the swirling sky."

"There are many reasons we invent, of which survival is not the least."

He has "friends" in places both high and low, and all seem to owe him favors.

All she touches turns to well-oiled, delicately calibrated, perfectly balanced gold.

"I'd stand back if I were you."

He's set to compete in every race at the Fair, and he plans to win them all.

The first tentative flaps are like a song to his soul.

Was it just lonely, or was some form of evolution inevitable?

While most power is used for ordinary, everyday tasks, one shouldn't underestimate its potential for the extraordinary.

Design leads to progress.

It glides around the city, a sublime combination of elegance and utility.

The Consulate's automaton bank contains only the most impressive specimens.

The foundries of Kaladesh run like clockwork under the supervision of their formidable overseers.

All skyships entering or leaving the fairgrounds must pass through the security checkpoint.

Progress leads to inspiration.

Elegant filigree birds perch along the eleven bridges that cross Canal Dukhara.

"I like that Tezzeret. He has vision the other judges don't. He sees the potential in what we're making here." —Faiz, inventor

Loyal to a fault, it anticipates its master's every need.

Inspiration leads to design.

"It's the must-have gift for everyone on your list. Get one for yourself, too!" —Chammi, curio vendor

Automaton inspectors ensure that the Consulate's stringent standards for mass production are upheld.

This detailed model allows the edificers to examine the city from every angle.

The Iron League prides itself on its metal-shaping techniques.

It would be unfortunate if the key fell into the wrong hands.

Some say tales of the Narnam greenhouse are told to scare the children, but every tale grows from a seed of truth.

It'll either crash or win the race. Possibly both.

All who listen hear their own song, a unique melody played just for them.

Do not be so caught up in keeping track of time that you forget to make use of it.

Not a mote of dust escapes the dutiful cleaners that keep the exclusive Prakhata Club immaculate.

To understand Kaladesh, one must first understand how aether and invention flow together through the great Aether Cycle.

Some machines refuse to accept their own obsolescence.

It sees itself in all of its creations.

"I did not think I would understand the cold filigree creatures of this world, but they too are governed by the laws of nature." —Nissa Revane

"Good morning, children. Please open your aether valves and ignite your gauntlets." —Rakib, Ghirapur schoolteacher

The avant-garde among Ghirapur's inventors disregard the Consulate's safety standards completely.

"Our creations are more than mere things. They have life in them, little bits of ourselves." —Saheeli Rai

Sometimes the smallest things make the biggest difference.

It powers the dreams of Ghirapur.

A retreat to nature can inspire even the most jaded inventor.

Life inspires technology, which expands life's domain.

Where high society and dark opportunity intersect.

Ghirapur is a beacon of inspiration, attracting the most brilliant minds on Kaladesh.

There's so much more to Ghirapur than can be accessed by traditional roads.

"This is just my warm-up."

"For freedom! For fame! For fire!"

The Inventors' Renaissance came on the heels of the Great Aether Boom, hiking demand for raw materials of every kind.

"You tread upon the land all the time, yet you seem dismayed when it moves to step on you." —Nissa Revane

Waterways carve their routes through the land to reflect the paths the aether streams cut through the clouds.