Ixalan as Told by Flavor Text

"Let no trace of the vampires' foulness remain."

The Church of Dusk teaches there is no gain without loss, no triumph without sacrifice, no drink of exquisite crimson without a dying gasp.

Its roaring challenge is punctuated by the slam of its tail on the earth, rousing the herds of the plains.

"In the death of the foe lies the resurrection of the faithful."

Vampires, the noble class of old Torrezon, are guided by their dual loyalties to church and crown.

Vampires know blood and the systems that carry it. And they know exactly where to strike to set it free.

"The River Heralds carve spells into jade, hoping to steer us from our course. But what right do they have to keep us from that which once was ours?"

"The hour of Dusk is come."

Paladins of the Sanctum Seeker order are an adventurous lot, venturing into the wilds with monstrous mastiffs at their side.

"The blood of the enemy is a sacrament. The strength it gives is proof that our cause is just."

"Follow her footsteps and she will show you the way." —Itzama the Crested

Its assistance is unnervingly similar to its hunting technique.

"Together my mount and I are stronger than either of us apart."

"The Immortal Sun will bring us true eternal life to replace the everlasting shadow of undeath."

Jace awoke to the certainty that he was lost.

The people of the Sun Empire worship the sun in three aspects. Kinjalli is the Wakening Sun, who created humans from clay and baked them in the sun's warmth.

"There are moments when I feel I could fly like the sunwing. Far away I would soar, but always a golden gale pushes me back." —Huatli

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

"My lance was once wielded by Venerable Tarrian. In his name and by his might, I cast you down!"

"I claim this land in the name of the queen." —Adrian Adanto of Lujio

Nature can't be tamed, but the Sun Empire believes that humans are made stronger when they test themselves against the wild strength of the dinosaurs.

In the rapture of his Blood Fast, he destroyed the navigator's tools and steered the ship to shore by faith alone.

Closely linked to the Church of Dusk, the paladins of the Bloodstained order are devout to the point of fanaticism.

"Ours is the true and righteous path. You will bow before our might."

"To rise like the su ~ there is no greater feeling."

"Let the blood of the impure flow through you. Only the blessings of the golden city will purge its acrid taste from your mouth." —High Marshal Arguel

"The sun's strength sings in our hearts! I have never been more proud of my home and my people." —Huatli

A raptor will follow any order as long as that order is "hunt," "kill," or "go for the guts."

"Nothing is more sacred than the gift of blood. Blessed are the vein that empties and the heart that is renewed."

"As the sun sets to make way for dawn, so we turn to darkness to bring about the coming salvation."

Those who wield the power of the sun protect the Empire from darkness.

"The invaders cloak themselves in the shadows of dusk. Aerosaurs hide in the brilliance of the noonday sun." —Caparocti Sunborn

Vampires call the gift of flight "exultation." For their enemies, it brings only sorrow.

"The amber sun smokes with fury, gazing on foes that gather like ants invading our home. We are ready! Blade and claw strike as one." —Huatli

"Like the mighty armasaur, we will defend against all who invade our shores." —Itzama the Crested

From the eyes up, it's solid bone and stubbornness.

The glorious city of Pachatupa is the center of the Sun Empire, and Tocatli, the emperor's palace, is its glowing heart.

The Feast of Blood sends new life essence flowing through the vampire who partakes, manifesting as even greater strength and speed.

"Kinjalli's encompassing rays herald new life in the moment of the sun's dawning." —Chitlati, Lightning Rider

As the ship approached, the jade totem rose high overhead. Power rippled. Eyes of stone glowed and crackled. Out hissed a breath of the world, and a windstorm came alive.

"Hold your fire, obviously." —Captain Brandis Thorn

While other pirates prowl for treasure, Captain Parrish plunders secrets.

"They'll never see me coming."

"Welcome aboard, mate! You're going to need this."

A visit to the Deeproot Tree and its ancient spring replenishes a merfolk's connection to nature.

Pockets full of gold, lungs full of brine.

"Seeing the river is not the same as seeing the fish."

The stronger the will, the more bewitching the song.

"Like ribbons of wind and wisdom the coatls fly, twisting mystery into truth, shaping the clouds to suit their inscrutable will." —Huatli

"Captain, I think that island is following us."

"The elders say that if the intruders discovered the secret of the golden city, it would mean an end to our people."

"You might as well try to stop the waterfall."

"I know these waters better than you know yourselves."

Her song plucks the strings of the storm, shifting wind and storm into a harmony that will carry her ship to safety.

"You won't be needing this. Or this. Or these . . ."

"River and sea, jungle and sky. Water flows freely between the two halves of the world. We are creatures of the water." —Shaper Tuvasa

"It's easy to anticipate Captain Storm's orders: take the more dangerous route."

The truth came to Kumena like the Great River's torrent: the only way to keep his enemies away from the hidden city was to claim its power for himself.

For the first time in her life, Vraska tried to prevent death.

Nothing warms the heart like plunder.

The floating city of High and Dry hasn't yet sunk under the weight of gold, but it's not for want of trying.

No ripples, no splashes, no warning.

Carefully following the thaumatic compass Bolas had given her, Vraska blundered straight into the River Heralds' trap.

"That's the first time I've seen the ground do the running." —Captain Brinely Rage

In the Brazen Coalition, the wheels of business are greased with plunder.

The Sunken Ruin houses all the learning of a long-forgotten age.

The River Heralds would wreck a thousand ships to keep intruders from finding the golden city.

One pirate's wreck is another's reward.

Over their long life spans, the larger trilobites accumulate vast treasure troves in their guts.

He's the calm that hides the coming storm.

Deception and misdirection are the heart of the pirate's arsenal.

"A fool's fire is quickly quenched." —Shaper Kumena

"Only one thing beats the freedom of the sea: the freedom of the sky."

"They're searching in the same direction we are. And for the same thing, I'll wager."

In his hands, the wind can become a weapon or a means of escape.

"I am the storm."

The river is a powerful friend.

"Currents are currents, whether in sea or sky."

Inspiration is red as rubies, flowing like honeyed wine.

Arguel's vision led him into the jungles of Ixalan . . .

"They shall give us all they have as penance for their resistance. Their ships. Their goods. Their rebellious blood."

It withers fruit and flesh alike.

When a paladin undertaking the Blood Fast finally gives in to hunger, the violence is sudden, explosive, and complete.

For a price, the floating city of High and Dry offers all the amenities a pirate could want: rest, recreation, and revenge.

No lock of iron is a match for Vraska's will of stone.

Demons lurk in the shadows of ancient ruins, spreading plague and corruption across the land.

Despite their noble heritage, the pirates of the Deadeye Fleet are known for underhanded tactics and despicable trickery.

"Ancient one, we have reached the promised shore. The Immortal Sun is near. Drink and awake."

A pirate crew without a ship is a crew that will do anything to get one.

Among the pirates of the Brazen Coalition, the only thing more dangerous than failure is success.

His fists fume with the decay of death, each strike a plague on the hearts of his enemies.

Solitude and starvation are brutal punishments, but even worse is all that time to think.

"Join me, and take the world for yourself!"

"It was a bad evening for you, mate. Now it's chow time for the sharks."

When the battle is over, the bitterest foes at last find common ground.

"Shadow birthed it. The moon gave it eyes, and the jungle gave it teeth. But it was Death that taught it cruelty." —Huatli

"Through your sacrifice of self, you become holy. Through your strength, all will be saved." —From the Rite of Redemption

The soldiers of the Legion of Dusk have come to the colonies at Queen's Bay in search of glory and riches. They are veterans of centuries of warfare, and they thirst for conquest.

One was spared to tell the gruesome tale.

"This scum is barely worth the trouble."

The Sanctum Seekers were the first of the knightly orders to cross the sea and are still the most zealous.

Dusk follows the light.

It flows like water over the forest floor, as deadly as the swiftest current.

"They're so much more willing to parley once they're hanging from a boom by the ankle!"

From the perpetual shadowsmoke that hung above the ship, a silent form emerged, lips curled with malice and anticipation.

"What is this foul presence that defies the sun's cleansing rays?" —Itzama the Crested

"Take my blood if you want. Just don't take my gold!"

The clerics known as condemners punish those who do not recognize the righteous authority of the church.

"He is ambitious. Tireless. And utterly ruthless. Ideal for the frontier." —Viceroy Elia Sotonores, report to the queen

It wasn't long before the taverns of High and Dry were full of whispers about the new captain who could turn a person to stone with a glance.

When Captain Thorn adds a new ship to his fleet, he gives the crew a simple choice: follow me, or fall in the sea.

"Trust me. The reward's not worth it."

Captain Angrath cares less about treasure than mayhem. If he can't leave Ixalan, he'll burn the plane down.

"You don't tame a horncrest. You convince it that it's easier to destroy something else." —Amautl, knight of Atzocan

"Tilonalli's searing rays carry the spark of life's eventual destruction as all light fades." —Chitlati, Lightning Rider

"We sail. We plunder. Then we dance."

"I knew I should have stayed with the boat. Always stay with the boat!"

What took months for human hands to carve took just seconds for the dinosaur's tail to ruin.

If you're in the way of a ceratops charge and you're made of mere flesh and bone, then you're not really in the way.

"Through me the rage of Tilonalli burns twice as bright."

As she charges into battle, her arcane tattoos stir and crawl like fiery serpents.

Wary of the ferocious dinosaurs, the Legion of Dusk built up the walls of their fort—just in time for the pirates to burn them down.

Though grimed with the dust of centuries, the ancient shrine was not unguarded.

Goblins' fearlessness and diminutive size make them the perfect cannoneers.

Sun Empire warriors are taught to emulate the fearless raptors that fling themselves against towers of horn and muscle a hundred times their size.

"Watch your backs, keep your blades at hand, and let the orc go first!" —Captain Brandis Thorn

Trapped on Ixalan, the Planeswalker Angrath is the only minotaur sailing the seas. No matter how many ships he captures, he cannot break free.

"Storm on the horizon, cap'n!" —Grick Doobin, last words

A pirate ship in battle is a storm of activity.

"Grease up a firecannon good and proper with dinosaur-liver oil, and it'll shoot just about anything."

"These sailors on our shores are like the dinosaurs that plunder eggs from nests. They live on the labors of others." —Itzama the Crested

"Forward! Let the Burning Sun's light guide you to deserving prey!"

All raptors are aggressive, but ferocidons seem to enjoy their prey's pain.

"Every little hatchling has a parent's claws to guard it." —Sun Empire saying

The hook makes him feel brave, and the hat makes him feel fancy.

The enormous can still be at the mercy of the small.

Goblins' eager curiosity leads them to scavenging, petty theft, and the rigging of sleek pirate ships. Some stop at scavenging.

"The visions haunt me. I see the end of the world, brought on by the search for the Immortal Sun." —Shaper Pashona

"Go ahead, build another. I'll burn that down as well."

One alone is dangerous, and they are never alone.

"Everyone has a weak spot."

The pirates of the Brazen Coalition are the descendants of those displaced by the Legion of Dusk, and they are eager for vengeance.

They glide through the undergrowth, drawn to sounds of disturbance. They attack in unison and all share in the kill. And then they move on.

The people of the Sun Empire worship the sun in three aspects. Tilonalli is the Burning Sun, associated with ferocity, fire, and passion.

"I am the ferocity of the Burning Sun. I am hide and feather, fang and claw."

Disputes within the Brazen Coalition can escalate from insult to broadside in the blink of an eye.

With a broadside assault, Captain Vance carved the cliffs to form her new home.

Goblins climb and swing with ease, whether through a pirate ship's rigging or a tree's branches.

It is taller than all but the tallest trees, and older than all but the oldest.

His arrows are fletched with feathers from the greatest of the winged dinosaurs.

"I see you, shiny soldiers, but you won't see me."

The only force on Ixalan not interested in finding the golden city is Ixalan itself.

Sun Empire commanders are well versed in advanced martial strategy. Still, the correct maneuver is usually to deploy the giant, implacable death lizard.

If you feel the ground quake, run. If you hear its bellow, flee. If you see its teeth, it's too late.

The Legion's conquistadors could endure Ixalan's sun. Their forts could withstand a charging ceratops. But nothing can stop a ceratops strengthened by the sun.

"Do not mistake your lofty vantage point for safety." —Shaper Tuvasa

"No good will come from what you seek. Turn back now or suffer an ignoble death far from your home."

"We breathe from our soul and bones to give strength to the jungle. The jungle breathes from its roots and rivers to give strength to us." —Shaper Falani

"I do not lead. They do not follow. We walk together."

"By accepting my smallness I am vast."

Often found browsing on the upper canopies of Ixalan's jungles, whiptails are known to absently bat away anything foolish enough to interrupt their meal.

The people of the Sun Empire worship the sun in three aspects. Ixalli is the Verdant Sun, who fosters growth in all things.

The River Heralds believe that jade gives weight to their magic.

"There is no power too great to be used in the defense of our ancestral lands."

"The same power that drives the river ever onward flows through the roots and branches—to me."

"The jungle was here before any city. It will be here after the last city falls."

The drive to hunt and feed is raw instinct for dinosaurs. The trick is simply to channel it in the right direction.

They cover their territory like a tide of teeth and claws.

A daggertooth's triumphant roar makes all the sounds of jungle life fall silent.

Raptors are clever enough to tear away a hard metal shell to get at the tasty morsel inside.

"We are kin to the trees, and their strength is our own."

Protection is woven into every vine and branch.

The magic of the River Heralds is so great that even a single shaman can fend off a pirate landing party.

Lurking beneath the murky waters of Ixalan's rivers, sailbacks can rip a meal off the shore in the blink of an eye.

The conquistadors surrounded the dinosaur only to find that it had outflanked them.

"It appears that nature has risen against us." —Captain Brinely Rage

"There is always another way."

The dryads of the forest have no stake in Ixalan's conflict, but they hate to see any living being suffer.

"Ixalli's fertile rays enliven us all. Each of us is a testament to the sun's strength and love." —Chitlati, Lightning Rider

She has never touched a loom, yet the tapestries she weaves are vast and beautiful.

"Our foes are many and mighty, but not as many as the trees or as mighty as the sea."

"Hear me, stone, root, branch: be the fist of this land. Turn back those who trample upon your domain." —Song of the Shaper

"You and your ship will make a fine addition to my fleet."

Predators try to separate the young, old, or injured from the rest of the herd. The alternative is crushing defeat.

By the law of church and crown, vampires feed only on the blood of the guilty—those declared heretics, rebels, or enemies of war.

"Keep your friends close and your enemies within range."

Orcs are happiest under captains who steer toward battle. Orcs of the Dire Fleet are downright jovial.

"I'll be taking that."

Carnivorous dinosaurs developed a taste for undead flesh, tracking the vampires by the scent of blood on their breath.

"Seeing a pack of these monsters hunt together, I'm at a loss to imagine the size of their prey." —Adrian Adanto of Lujio

Shapers adapt nature to fit their needs and then return it to the way it was, leaving no trace of their passing.

"Wherever the Threefold Sun shines, great wings may go." —Emperor Apatzec Intli III

"For four hundred years, I have led armies of conquest. These lands hold nothing that can stand against me."

Flotsam held together by optimism.

It loomed up over the horizon, silent and dark as a grave.

The River Heralds fight to keep all others from reaching the golden city. The city has its own defenses.

In the Rite of Redemption, nobles take the same vows as Elenda, the first vampire, and make the same eternal sacrifice.

The pirates had left the open sea behind, but they were still in their element: reckless adventure.

"Clearly, it indicates the aetheric azimuth of . . ." —Jace Beleren

When the Planeswalker Angrath called dinosaurs "dragons," the name stuck in certain pirate circles.

None can tell how many vessels are tangled up on the sea floor—or how much treasure remains unclaimed.

Ships blown north in their voyage across the Stormwreck Sea become trapped in the unmelting ice.

Cliffs echo and branches quake at the roar of life.

To the Sun Empire, any place where daylight brightens the jungle floor is sacred ground.

"Just imagine what's waiting around the bend. Adventure. Discovery. Riches for the taking. This is why I sail." —Captain Lannery Storm

"We drove the Sun Empire out of the forest long ago, and we will not let them return."

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

Don't make the mistake of thinking blunt horns can't kill.

"Run like the wind, fierce one. The hunt has begun."

When Huatli chooses a mount, its eyes glow with the flames of the sun.

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