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Anafenza
AnafenzaKinTreeSpirit
Details
Race Spirit
Human (alternate timeline)
Birthplace Tarkir
Lifetime Mending Era
Parents Mother and father, both deceased
Relatives Original timeline: Gvar Barzeel (adoptive brother), Oret (disowned cousin), many uncles
Colors
{W}{B}{G} (original timeline)
{W} (alternate timeline)

Anafenza was a valiant woman from Tarkir. She epitomized the unstoppable nature of the Abzan Houses.

History[ | ]

Original timeline[ | ]

Anafenza

Anafenza in the old timeline. Art by James Ryman.

When Anafenza was younger, her family was betrayed and given to the Sultai. Anafenza watched her parents and uncle be slaughtered before her Krumar cousin Gvar Barzeel rescued her.[1] They made their escape and eventually discovered that Oret was the traitor who gave the information to the Sultai. Anafenza spent the next several years building up her reputation in the Abzan until she was elected as Khan. Oret arrived for her coronation as even he could not miss it; just as she planned. She and Gvar, together with her captain of the guard, Kwaro confronted him, and Anafenza publicly and spiritually disowned Oret from her family. She declared that Oret was not her family and that she would kill him the next time they met while acknowledging her Krumar cousin, Gvar as her brother and true family.

As the khan, Anafenza used to lead her army from the front, riding out with her chariot pulled by her prized Ibex goats. Leading from the fortress of Mer-Erk, she waged war not to conquer, but to maintain the trade routes that allowed the clan to function, and to protect her people from the Sultai Brood and Mardu Horde. She was served by an elite of vulture-like Aven. When she held court in Mer-Erk, she sat on the Amber Throne under the First Tree.

Alternate timeline[ | ]

Anafenza never became Khan, instead learning the secrets of spirit necromancy to defeat her Kolaghan enemies. In this timeline, Oret remained loyal to her, and worked as her Captain. In this timeline, Gvar Barzeel was never adopted by her family and indeed in an irony of fate was the one who attempted to kill her during the battle where she revealed the existence of a remaining kin tree, and she in turn was the one to kill Gvar. A Dromokan dragon witnessed her necromancy, and to save her soul, Oret volunteered to execute her. After her death, she returned to the plane as an ancestral spirit herself, aided by Oret, who collected amber from the place of her death and carved her name into a new ancestor tree. [2]

Anafenza fought in defense of Tarkir during New Phyrexia's Invasion of the Multiverse.[3][4]

Story appearances[ | ]

Title Author Publishing date Set Setting (plane) Featuring
Bond and Blood Ari Levitch 2014-12-03 Khans of Tarkir Tarkir Anafenza, Kwaro, Marrit, Oret, Gvar Barzeel, Hakrez
The Guardian Ari Levitch 2015-04-02 Dragons of Tarkir Tarkir Oret, Faiso, Yeffa, Khurz, Ajuf, Taram, Anafenza, Gvar Barzeel

In-game references[ | ]

Represented in:
Depicted in:
Quoted or referred to:

References[ | ]

  1. Ari Levitch (December 3, 2014). "Bond and Blood". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  2. Ari Levitch (April 2, 2015). "The Guardian". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  3. Mark Rosewater (Apr 3, 2023). "March of the Machine Learning, Part 2". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  4. Anafenza, Kin-Tree Spirit (Multiverse Legends)
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