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Oret
Scale Blessing
Details
Race Human
Birthplace Abzan/Dromoka territory, Tarkir
Lifetime Both timelines of Tarkir
Relatives Anafenza (cousin)
Sources
[1], [2]

Oret is a cartographer in Tarkir, and cousin of Anafenza. In the original timeline, he was an Abzan traitor, and in the new timeline, he was a Dromoka Captain loyal to his cousin.

Description[ | ]

Oret has a thick, dark beard.

History[ | ]

Original timeline[ | ]

When Anafenza was thirteen, their rolling fortress was two days out of Kavah, on the way to Arashin. Oret had hired Sultai assassin who used four zombie mastodons to topple the entire fortress, killing almost everyone inside. However, he left two survivors - the orc krumar Gvar Barzeel, and his cousin Anafenza.

Several years after Oret betrayed her, Gvar and the captain of the guard Kwaro were present at the ceremony where the clan houses swore allegiance to the newly appointed Khan Anafenza. When Oret was shown in, they waited until he recognized her. As he paled in fear, Gvar stepped up and forced Oret to his knees. Anafenza stepped down and put her sword to the throat of the man who had betrayed her, murdered her entire family, and destroyed her home. Her cousin, who had become prosperous in the ashes of their kin. He pleaded with her, saying he was the last family she had. She refuted him, and cut the side of his face with her blade. Performing a blood rite before the First Tree and the eyes of their ancestors, she disowned him. He was no longer of her blood, and she declared him her enemy. If they should meet on the battlefield, he would not leave it. His spirit would be rootless, wandering alone in agony for all time. Then she bid her brother Gvar to show the traitor out.

Alternate timeline[ | ]

In the alternate timeline, Oret stayed loyal to Anafenza, as there was little personal power to be gained among the Dromoka. He served as her Captain and aided her in fighting the encroaching Kolaghan warriors. When she bid him follow her deep into the desert, he did not understand why, but he followed her nonetheless. When he realized she was using necromantic energies to defeat her foes, it was too late to stop it. Anafenza killed their foes, including the powerful Kolaghan orc Gvar Barzeel, before she was spotted by one of the dragons. To save her spirit, Oret personally killed her, allowing her soul to stay with the ancestor spirits nearby.

Upon his arrival at the city of Kavah, he was greeted as a hero. He was raised to the rank of scout captain, honored with the title of cartographer, and, with it, a life in exile. Soon, his wanderings brought him back to the canyon where Anafenza had died. Nothing remained of her body, but among the remnants of the tree were all those pieces of amber that had carried the spirits of ancestors to the site. Oret collected as many as he could find.

Using his position as cartographer, he tracked down a dead tree in the desert, and placed the amber in a ring around it, carving Anafenza's name into the trunk, and hiding it with sand, then erasing the tree's location from every map in the land. Through his actions, Oret ensured that Anafenza lived on as a fierce kin-tree warrior spirit.

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[ | ]

Depicted in:

References[ | ]

  1. Ari Levitch (Dec 3, 2014). "Bond and Blood". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  2. Ari Levitch (Apr 2, 2015). "The Guardian". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
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