Kela and Dar Chensal | |
---|---|
Arbiter Twins | |
Details | |
Race | Human |
Birthplace | Jeskai territory, Tarkir |
Lifetime | Original timeline of Tarkir |
Colors | |
Kela and Dar Chensal are a pair of Arbiter Twins of the Jeskai Clan in Tarkir's original timeline. It is unknown if they exist in Tarkir's new timeline.
Description[ | ]
The twins have a special role to fill in Jeskai society, where they are called upon by inhabitants of the regions in cases where the guilt of a crime is in question.[1] They share a magical bond where they enter a meditative state and can ascertain whether the accused person is guilty or innocent. According to the Rules of the Reeds, the siblings perform the Ritual of Arbiter Twins. If the accused person is guilty, Dar makes the announcement of guilt, as the twin born in the darkness of night. If the person is innocent, Kela as the twin born in the light of dawn, makes the declaration of innocence. Their role as twin arbiters is marked as a glowing red dragon's eye symbol on their foreheads.
History[ | ]
Kela and Dar were called to Jigme Village to adjudicate a case of nine baskets of apples that had been stolen.[1] They were welcomed by Elder Ngabo, and she brought them before the accused man, Lotse Taring. During the trial, as Lotse and the villagers talked, Kela and Dar fell into their meditative trance, and they were whisked away to the place where justice dwelled. For Kela, this was the Jigme Tower of Innocence. As usual, Kela felt that she did not know what to do. It was always Dar who placed himself in charge of the judgment, that he would light the lamp of guilt if he knew the accused was guilty, and that she would light the lamp of innocence only if Dar did not light his. After much inner deliberation, Kela's thoughts were interrupted by shouts from the village, revealing that Dar had lit the lamp of guilt, ending the trial.
Later that night, the village was celebrating the successful trial and judgment of Lotse Taring's theft of apples.[1] Fittingly, they were served thick apple soup to mark the occasion. As the elder, Ngabo had her bowl of soup first. She commented that the soup was delicious, then suddenly choked and died. The village went into an uproar, accusing Lotse of murdering the elder with poison, but he loudly proclaimed his innocence. A lynch mob started to form, but Kela objected, demanding the man have a fair trial. This disgusted her brother, who like the villagers, was convinced Lotse was guilty of the murder. After some disagreement, the villagers finally accepted a new trial, but this time both Kela and Dar lit their lamps at the same time. Again, the village went into an uproar, and Kela and Dar flew down from their towers on currents of air, and faced off against each other, each certain of their verdict.
And so began their Combat of Clarity.[1] It was an old, unused tradition of the Arbiter Twins. If ever they disagreed on a verdict, they were to face each other in single combat. It was said on the scrolls that so evenly matched as they were, the only thing that would set the twins apart would be the clarity of their judgment. The twin who was fighting for justice, defending truth, would have the edge, and would therefore be victorious. In the duel, Clarity lay on Kela's side. She knew every strike her brother would make, and see exactly how to dodge and parry him. When the moment was right, Kela leaped into a spinning strike and landed with her knee on Dar's chest and her blade at his throat. Defeated, Dar conceded and Kela let him up - thus proclaiming that Lotse was innocent of the murder of Elder Ngabo. Either someone else had poisoned the soup, or Elder Ngabo died of some other cause than poisoning, but the truth of this was not revealed.
Story appearances[ | ]
Title | Author | Publishing date | Set | Setting (plane) | Featuring |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Chensal Twins | Kimberly J. Kreines | 2014-10-15 | Khans of Tarkir | Tarkir | Kela and Dar Chensal, Ngabo, Lotse Taring |
In-game references[ | ]
- Represented in:
References[ | ]
- ↑ a b c d Kimberly J. Kreines (October 15, 2014). "The Chensal Twins". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.