Rivals of Ixalan as Told by Flavor Text

"No shadow remains for you to hide in." —Caparocti Sunborn

"The sun creates, sustains, and consumes so it can create again." —Caparocti Sunborn

Cunning warriors and dim-witted beasts alike fall under the church's harsh judgment.

"Undefeated in battle, she is the shining future our empire deserves." —Huatli

"We have come at last to this holiest of holy places. What was stolen from us long ago is ours once again."

Loyal to his queen, slave to his thirst.

"The music of blades against its silver armor merely inspires it to bellow more full-throated melodies." —Huatli

The Legion of Dusk sailed from Torrezon in search of glory, riches, and the Immortal Sun.

"Your part in this fight is done, vampire. Get used to your thirst."

"Its rise is like the sun's, a beautiful beginning. Its descent is like the sun's, a frightful ending." —Huatli

"Should I fall, take up our standard and carry on. The Legion must always prevail."

"The time of salvation is at hand. Dusk washes over the world, and the Legion will rise immortal!"

For every wound there is a blessing; for every death, a reckoning.

The abundance of foes in Orazca means the raptors no longer need any orders.

For the Legion of Dusk, the Immortal Sun is a source of eternal life. When they reclaim it, they will no longer be forced to subsist on the blood of the wicked.

"I was born to glory."

"Cut the beasts out from under them and their strength is nothing." —Vona of Iedo, Butcher of Magan

They're fun to trai ~ if you like stubborn, aggressive, and fiercely territorial.

"Be still." —Azor

"I will not sleep until Orazca is ours once more."

"Pterodons tolerate no intrusion into their skies. Even the clouds must ask permission." —Mahuiz, Sun Empire archer

"Kinjalli sculpted humans from clay, but the dinosaurs were carved from unyielding stone." —Itzama the Crested

"I would advise you not to struggle." —Huatli

The sky takes flight and the earth trembles.

"Damn the cannons, mates. Charge!"

Possession is eleven-tenths of the pirate code.

"Up you go, you soggy rat."

Jace tumbled down the waterfall and plunged deep into his past.

Being a merciful pirate, she saved the vampire's gold from falling overboard.

"Why perch in the crow's nest when I can fly like the crows?"

With matchless stealth, the River Heralds fought a running battle against the three enemy forces.

"As one, nature lifts its voice to tell you this: 'No.'"

"Here and gone like a fleeting breeze."

"Don't make splashes. Make progress." —Tishana

"Time flows as the rivers do, toward an unknown sea. The wise know to look downstream."

The rising tide of Orazca's plunder lifted all ships.

"When the waves pick up, either you find your feet or you lose your lunch."

Where the light falls dim and blue on broken ships, secrets lie unclaimed.

Stolen knowledge can never be stolen back.

"If you keep to the shallows, you'll never learn the secrets of the depths."

"Prepare to be boarded."

"I'd rather be caught red-handed than leave empty-handed!"

With Kumena in control of the Immortal Sun, the rapids rose from their riverbeds and the waterfalls took flight.

For the River Heralds, the Immortal Sun is an object of terror and devastation. The idea that anyone would retrieve it for their own use is utterly abhorrent.

"It is impious to admit, but I do enjoy pirate blood. Something in the salty tang of it, the spice of rebellion."

The first goblin tried to swim the canal. The second built a raft. The last and craftiest goblin launched herself from a firecannon and soared over the canal, trailing smoke. All were eaten, but only one was cooked.

"Drench these golden streets in the blood of our enemies."

"Your mind is no longer yours to waste."

"Aye, the foul beast chomped me, but I got away. You'd best believe when I find it again, it won't get away so easy."

Stories say demon blood runs in its veins, making it fearless and bloodthirsty.

Once they reached Orazca, the Legion's explorers ransacked tombs and temples, hunting for the Immortal Sun.

Without frequent raids, orcs sometimes get bored and plunder their own ships.

"I can hear the plunder calling. It asks for me by name."

"You were keen enough to sink your fangs into us, vampire! And now you're afraid of a few little nibbles?" —Udvil "Ratty" Ratlock

Never let the glitter of gold distract you from the gleam of steel in the shadows.

Another piece of a nefarious puzzle.

"The time of condemnation is at hand. Dusk washes over the world, and I consign you to eternal darkness!"

"My conquistadors are never slain, merely laid to rest." —Queen Miralda the Pious

"Shame to let good gold go to the grave."

Opening Orazca unleashed more horrors than just the Immortal Sun.

Onora knew with sudden, grim certainty he would never see the Great River again.

"No more fear of death's oblivio ~ is this not the greatest treasure of all?" —Gurezan, Legion resurrectionist

"I will catch you, child of the sun. I will drink your life and leave you a husk, discarded in the shadows."

"A thick fog obscures the port of Leor, but it's not thick enough to muffle the screams." —Admiral Beckett Brass

The purest devotion isn't the Blood Fast itself, but the craving that follows.

As the struggle raged for control of the Immortal Sun, the world grew dark under a blood-red sky.

"Want to sink a ship? Blow a hole in the hull. Want to kill a regisaur? Same answer." —Captain Brandis Thorn

"Why squabble for trinkets when we could be living large off all this gold?" —Admiral Beckett Brass

Finders, keepers.

Never underestimate the power of panache.

It doesn't hold grudges. It runs them down and impales them.

No ancient lore ties the pirates of the Brazen Coalition to the Immortal Sun. But it's a powerful ancient artifact in a city of gold—what's not to covet?

The storm rages and the earth breaks.

"The Brazen Coalition is a firecannon pointed at our enemies. Goblins like him are the spark to its powder." —Admiral Beckett Brass

Nothing says trouble like a reedy hiss with a hint of liquid gurgle.

"Why are we following the goblin? Can he even read that map?" —Daphne Vail, Diremore first mate

Pirate captains rarely enjoy a peaceful retirement.

It hatches with its ferocity fully grown.

"If you come across a raptor in the city, stay perfectly still. At least then you'll be well rested when you die." —Captain Brandis Thorn

Goblins can carry their body weight in loot.

"Hard to starboard! Starb— Abandon ship! Abandon ship!"

A threefold calamity with a single will.

Today it's a miracle of architecture, a marvel of stained glass, a symbol of the Legion's power. Tomorrow, driftwood.

"Control them? No. I gird them in armor and let them loose." —Yacha, Otepec huntmaster

When the golden city opened, the dinosaurs inside were eager to greet the new visitors.

"A bolt to the eye, a blade to the neck. That's the way to clear the deck!"

"With Tilonalli's gifts, even the smallest of us can become great." —Huatli

"I'm about to make you famous. From the golden city to High and Dry, they'll talk about how fast you died!"

"Our lives, our homes, and all our history are at risk. Do not speak to me of peace."

When a cacophodon is angry, the whole jungle knows.

Despite its appearance, it's anything but defenseless.

"Remember when it was the most terrifying thing you'd ever seen?" —Captain Lannery Storm

"Our survival, like theirs, depends on our ability to work together." —Huatli, to Tishana

"You think I stand alone? I have the forest at my call, the waters at my back. I outnumber you."

The earth walks, strongest of all.

"The only gold I need is the sheltering shimmer of the trees."

For the Sun Empire, the Immortal Sun is a symbol of national identity. When they reclaim it, the Empire will flourish once more.

"Death lizard approaching, cap'n!" —Brint Doobin, last words

"Sisora wore this, who defeated the tyrant of Azcanta, and before her Natena of Vuhana's band. May it bring you their strength."

"A blade is not fully forged until it is given."

"We fought so long to hide this place. Let us be first to learn its wonders!"

"My whisper becomes a thousand roars."

"Better to let the sword go than to lose the arm with it." —Captain Lannery Storm

The frillbacks of Orazca soak up the sun on their tall spinal fins. They look slow and sleepy—until they catch the scent of prey.

It embodies the riotous growth of the jungle, where creatures crowd upon creatures, where roots sprawl and vines swarm.

"Still, the pterodon chasing the clouds from its skies must bow to the great forest below." —Mahuiz, Sun Empire archer

An innumerable pack is concealed in a single reflection.

The pack that ambushes, eviscerates, and devours together stays together.

A warning shout would take too long.

It cares more about preserving the herd's territory than about preserving itself.

The herds follow as new growth arises.

"The Great River will not be tamed."

Streams of gold and bright feathers flash in the orb, visions of past and future.

The buccaneers scaled the sides of buildings as easily as they boarded enemy ships.

Her centuries-long search is ended.

Hadana seeks power in the service of peace.

Every journey has its inevitable end . . .

"You cannot kill it, not for long. It ripens where the ground is soaked with the blood of the slaughtered." —Atiuru, priest of the Verdant Sun

"We long ago abandoned the things that make humans weak: friendship, marriage, family. All that remains is the strength of our devotion."

"The mist clothes us when we are bare, hides us when we are alone, and unites us when we are together." —Nirit of Pashona's band

Vona sought a conqueror. Mavren sought a savior. Both found what they sought . . .

Imitation is the sincerest form of piracy.

Its breath is a gale. Its roar is a volcano. Its anger tears soul from flesh.

As the battle for Orazca unfolded, the contenders discovered that others had already staked a claim.

To a siegehorn, there is no such thing as a dead end.

"Charge like a red-hot cannonball straight to your target. You slow down, you sink." —Captain Lannery Storm

"The fools have done it." —Tishana

"Gold without freedom might as well be lead." —Angrath

Made to ward off the Grim Captain and silence the lure of undeath.

"Because the giant, implacable death lizard wasn't scary enough already." —Captain Brinely Rage

"The best kind of treasure is the kind that leads to more treasure!" —Captain Lannery Storm

The Sun Empire bends nature—rivers, mountainsides, dinosaurs—to its unyielding will.

In the galleon's grand cathedral, conquistadors swore vows of faith. In its wreckage, they swore vows of revenge.

The stench of rotting meat lures flies, goblins, and young raptors.

"A place like this makes me wonder if there's more to life than blood and treasure . . . Nah." —Boyl Bucksalt, Storm Fleet swab

The Sun Empire's cities are built from the bones of the earth.

Countless streams flow into the nine rivers, and the nine rivers flow into the Great River. The River Heralds guard them all.

Allá donde la luz tenue y azulada se posa sobre los barcos hundidos yacen secretos nunca descubiertos.

"These pirates must answer for their ancestors, who renounced the Church of Dusk and sailed from Torrezon as heretics."

Abandoning both queen and church, he chose to follow power.

Orcs have been enemies of the Legion of Dusk since it was formed, and the entire race has been declared anathema.

Though small, goblins can hold their own in a fight. Foolhardy confidence goes a long way.

"Burn their fleet to the waterline, and sink whatever's left." —Angrath