Spoilers: The four Horsemen march towards the Starlight Citadel on their way to Krakoa. Otherworld is the intermediate point between Arakko and Krakoa, their final destination. In the meantime, the Horsemen conquer the Otherworldly Kingdom of Del Di’Lorr, ruled by Dryador. King Dryador sends a messenger to Starlight Citadel in order to warn Saturnyne; however, Pestilence shoots an arrow at the Messenger. Upon arriving at the Citadel, the messenger spreads the disease and dies after warning Saturnyne that Arakko has fallen. Saturnyne decides to draw tarot cards with the aid of her servants. The events of the Free Comic Book Day issue follow, and Saturnyne pulls the cards of Judgment, the Four of Wands, the Hanged Man, the Eight of Cups and the Ten of Swords.
The Summoner returns to Krakoa through the External Gate with an injured Banshee. Rachel takes Banshee to the healing gardens under Healer’s supervision. The Summoner tells Apocalypse that they were ambushed and Unus was captured. Apocalypse has Summoner retell these events before the Quiet Council and asks for help to free Arakko from its daemons invaders. Most of the Quiet Council vote for the destruction of the External Portal; however, Krakoa itself requires the Gate to stay open as it longs to be reconnected with Arakko. Apocalypse and Summoner look for volunteers to rescue Unus and are joined by Polaris, Havok, Archangel, Beast, Rictor, Siryn and Monet.
At the Healing Gardens, Rachel feels something is off and decides to read Banshee’s memories with the help of Cable.
The volunteers walk through the External Gate and face an army of daemons attacking the Starlight Citadel. Apocalypse tears up at the sight of his children, the four Horsemen. Children and father are reunited; however, War drives her spear through Apocalypse’s chest while Summoner stabs him in the back.
Meanwhile, Rachel and Cable pierce through the illusion in Banshee’s mind and find out the Summoner had betrayed Banshee and Unus. Through Sean’s memories, they reach out to Saturnyne, who warns them that if they really want to win, they’d better start looking for a lost item. Rachel sends Cable after Jean and Scott to retrieve such item.
Back at Otherworld, Saturnyne watches the battle between the Horseman and their daemons and the X-Men, who she believes to be the representatives of the Hanged Man card. At the battlefield, the Summoner mocks Rockslide and slices his body in half while Pestilence kills Rictor with an arrow. Archangel, Beast and Siryn take the corpses of their fallen friends back to Krakoa while Havok, Polaris and Monet stay behind to defend the External Gate.
Cable uses the gateway to the Summer House on the moon and shares Saturnyne’s message with Jean and Scott. Cyclops realizes he knows where to find the lost item, an orb-like device. Cyclops, Jean and Cable arrive at an abandoned S.W.O.R.D. station where they find the orb, which is offline. Cable pulls out his sword and use it a power source.
Polaris, Havok and Monet hold off the hordes of daemons as much as they can. Monet asks for Saturnyne’s help, but the Majestrix refuses to take sides. Polaris uses her magnetic powers to bring the Starlight Citadel down. Saturnyne takes a stand and freezes all warriors on the battlefield. The Majestrix turns Death into a child and asks what he wants. Death reveals they wants access to the portal to conquer Krakoa. Saturnyne proposes they fight abiding by the rules of Otherworld: in three days’ time they shall return with their chosen champions of Arakko to fight the champions of Otherworld. Polaris, Havok and Monet realize they don’t have much of a choice and accept to pick their mutant champions of Otherworld. Saturnyne expects the mutant champions to raise ten swords: Muramasa, the Sword of Might, the Starlight Sword, Grascutter, Godkiller, Warlock, the Soul Sword, the Scarab, the Light of Galador and Skybreaker.
Note: Betsy doesn’t appear in this issue, but it’s likely that she will be the one to raise the Starlight Sword, and not her usual psychic sword.
Note: A datapage reveals the hierarchy of Otherworld kingdoms. In addition to Saturnyne ruling the Starlight Citadel and Jamie Braddock ruling Avalon, other key Excalibur characters have their own kingdoms, including Roma, Merlyn, the Fury and Mad Jim Jaspers.
“For so long, my life has been out of control. Chaos and serendipity, wrapped in insanity. I have suffered, I have lost. Not just my life, but my very soul, my self. But no more. Now I know who I am.” – Elizabeth ‘Betsy’ Braddock, daughter of Otherworld, mutant, telepath, telekinetic, defender of the realm and, above all, X-Man.
18 comments:
Wait, Rockslide was killed by being sliced in half? Didn't he explode once and was later revealed to be alive and well, capable of reconstructing his body from rocks? Being sliced in half should be no big deal for him.
Also, I thought Roma, Merlyn, Mad Jim Jaspers and the Fury were all dead...
@FSaker
Yeah, he was destroyed once but put himself back together in the bigger, more rocky body he's had for a few years.
As for the others I could've sworn they died. I know the Fury was supposedly destroyed a while ago but might've been resurrected in some form in the Avengers.
Yeah i dunno what they're doing with Rockslide. Originally he looked like a cheap copy of the Thing so they changed his design after the explodey stuff happened to him in Limbo. So maybe this will lead him to gain yet another form? I doubt he's dead.
Also I think Betsys TK sword is now officially called the Starlight Sword. Love it! Betsy upgraded from a psychic knife to a starlight sword. Ill take it.
Randy, I think it's supposed to be an actual Starlight sword, not the TK one. Leinil posted this on his instastories and quickly deleted. Betsy is holding an actual sword with a star-like emblem. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EinAqEfX0AAMti6?format=jpg
Wow I can barely make out that image but seems you're right! I hope it doesn't replace her regular TK sword!
Or if it does hope she can still use a psyknife occasionally. Is Betsy about to lose her psychic weaponry next? 😒
Merlyn and Roma are denizens and rulers of the Otherworld. Mad Jim Jaspers and his Fury are a surprise. Whatever happened to the Lady of the Lake, Red Lord and Oberon.
House of M brought the Furyjim back to 616. He was combined like Hank Pym with Ultron. Saturnyne cloned him for the trial of Magneto and Albion with Blink killed the real Furyjim.
I really hope we get Jaspers and Fury soon! More interesting, diverse enemies
i hope she didn´t loose her fight..
Thankyou for sharing this information. i will soon visit again.
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Read X-men 12 for the rockslide info....
The Scarab is probably Apocalypse's khopesh.
We've seen Storm on the cover of Marauders #14 dancing with the original horseman of death. Skybreaker seems like a fitting name for a blade wielded by Ororo.
It makes sense that Betsy would carry the Starlight Sword. This concerns me because the "ultimate" sword on the other side seems to be the Twilight Sword. Which means... Betsy fights the final Boss.
I hope she makes it out alive!
I think Magnetos is Skybreaker as his sword is literallt S.W.O.R.D. a large floating base.
Storms is likely the grass cutter
we understand how Rockslide works. We are pondering what will happen with him next now that he's seemingly destroyed
@SoulTapestry, I think she will. Or at least, if she dies, the Five will bring her back right after, as both Howard and White have said they have plans for Betsy after X of Swords.
That said, this style of duels similar to Contest of Champions seems to indicate some swordbearers on both sides will die. But the X-Men side is safe unless one or more of the Five also get killed during the event (now THAT would be a major blow to the Krakoan community).
I just hope all the Four Horsemen can make it out alive; it's been a long time since the X-Men had nice villains. Then again, some of the Black Order members were killed in the Infinity event and now all of them are alive (as far as I know, at least)...
There is speculation for Betsy's life. Not the anorexia and body shaming part, the life and death out of the X of Swords championship. Plenty of reasons exist for not to kill Betsy after she created her body in her duel with Sapphire Styx. Betsy hasn't spent time to test her original body without magic and enhancements. Technically Betsy is a newborn and has to find her strengths and weaknesses from the start. The Amulet of Right can be her guardian until Betsy awakens her potential in her classic form.
The card of the Hanged Man Saturnyne picked in free comic book version has changed. The original art on the card had Banshee, Glob and Trinary. After Apocalypse created the portal to Otherworld by sacrificing four Externals the card illustration has changed. In their place Siryn, Rockslide and Summoner exist. Glob could have died and Trinary was his killer based on the positions. The attacks on Banshee, Unus, Rockslide and the betrayal could be the start of changes to happen in Moira's tenth life that will separate it from the others. The mutant migration to Okkara might be the decider for the future. That or by expanding the event the main plot has changed considerably.
Pull my leg at Fury and Jaspers in Otherworld. Saturnyne keeps them for something.
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