The oracle looked at her visitor, perplexed. For one thing, very few people made their way to the temple. And those who did were almost always human, with a few centaurs in the mix. This visitor was neither. In fact, he was nothing like any being she had seen before. At first she had thought that he was Nyxborn, but he didn’t have the otherworldly glimmer that the divine creations carried around them.

“I understand that you have traveled far,” she smiled inwardly at the understatement “but you must understand that no one can simply walk into a temple and get an audience with a God. You have to tell me your question, and I will bring it to Kruphix on your behalf.

The stranger smiled, which only highlighted to the oracle how expressionless his strange features were for the most part. “Why do I have to state my question? I was under the impression that Kruphix should already know why I’m here.”

The oracle returned the smile. Although his appearance had made her uncomfortable at first, she was beginning to like the man. “The asking is not for Kruphix, but for you. We each carry many questions within us, and you and Kruphix might have differing opinions on which one is the most important to get answered. By having you state the question, we make sure that the answer you get is in fact for the question you came to ask.”

“Very well, I can accept those terms.” There was a movement in the stranger’s robe, which the oracle had to assume was a shrug. “But I think it should be obvious to Kruphix which question I truly want answered. And if it isn’t, then that would be an answer in itself.” In response to the oracle’s look, he continued. “You see, my question for Kruphix is this: Are you what I’m looking for?”

The oracle still looked confused. She wondered if what she was feeling now was what she made most of her visitors feel. In any case, she was not used to other mortals being more enigmatic than she was. Deciding that it was best to just get this done, she collected the donation he had brought to the temple, and moved into the inner chamber to seek Kruphix’ answer.

Left alone in the outer room, the young vedalken walked around, looking at the decorations on the temple walls. He had seen many temples in his travels, but this was one of his favorites. It was beautiful yet tasteful. He found himself hoping that this would indeed be where he would find his final answer. Of course, it would seem cruel to bring back news to his friends of an answer they could not benefit from, but at least it would be an answer.

Right then, the oracle returned. Having determined that this stranger wouldn’t be fooled by dramatics, she decided to give him the answer directly. “Kruphix says that he cannot be all that you are looking for, and that you will not find it anywhere in this world.”

The visitor nodded, thanked her for her time, and began to leave. As he was almost at the door, her voice called out again. “He also said that if you ever find it, to please return so that he might now.” As the visitor nodded again, she blurted out what had been eating at her mind. “What are you looking for?”

This time, the visitor shook his head. “I don’t think your God would want me to tell you. And if he does want you to know, he can tell you himself.” Peering into her eyes, he added “Just know that you have truly helped me. Seldom have I gotten an answer so soon and so honestly. Although Kruphix is not the God for me, you do well in serving him. Goodbye.”

And with those words, he walked out of the temple, and ‘walked away from Theros. As his mind reached out through the eternities, he sensed a plane he had never encountered before. As he shifted his being into this new world, he briefly allowed himself to hope that maybe there he would finally find something that was truly worth believing in.

I like this for what it is, a tiny little slice of a larger picture. It doesn't tell us much of anything, really, but it gives a couple of hints at what's going on, which is an interesting choice.

I know it was by design, but I do find it odd that we know so very little about this planeswalker you've created. We have no name, no description, and no origin. We do, however, have a motivation, and I find that sort of fascinating. It's likewise interesting that, if and when this character shows up again, we will have to rely on that motivation in order to recognize him. Interesting stuff.

Two minor notes: One is just a typo, when you say "...to please return so that he might now." when you meant (I presume) "...that he might know."

The other thing is that several times you reference a god using the capital "G," when traditionally gods within a pantheon are presented lowercase. It's not a big deal, just something I thought I'd mention.

Well, to be honest, the motivation is actually the only thing I had really decided on when I wrote it. I'm working on developing the character, and an origin story should be along shortly.

I've mentioned a number of times on these boards that I'm a huge fan of the Planescape AD&D setting. So it should come as relativley little surprise that addressing this sort of idea is something that piques my interest. It's a very small piece, though, and I think the most interesting part is the answer that Kruphix gives. It seems in keeping with Kruphix, the least a-hole of the Therosian gods and the one who seems to understand planes and planeswalkers, but at the same time the second bit was a really nice note.

This is just a personal response, but I see this character's search as either futile, self-fulfilling, or both. He's looking for this external object of faith, and I'm not sure it's possible for him to find it in the Multiverse. Anything with ultimate power seems to also be comparative un-communicative, Gaea striking the best balance between real above-ness and real presence.

Or maybe not Gaea. Gaea, like the Theros gods and most everything else, is damned by being sessile. With the vastness of Dominia open to a 'walker, how can they believe in the divinity of something that can't conceive of, or believe in them? It's strange, but the only way I see this character getting a positive response (at least, in the Dominia with which we are familiar) is if he begins to find something a little more abstract (the search itself? Himself?) or... if he becomes an Eldrazi cultist. Ultimate power. Unbound by the borders of the planes. Unshackled by the realities of color and the rules to which the rest of the multiverse are bound. Infinitley fertile in the form of the Spawn. Infinitley destructive. They're the gods of the blind eternities, and while they're a little more Azathoth than would admit a still sane character falling to their worship, it's a potential end.

Yeah, I'm thinking some of the same things. In fact, the idea for this story and character came out of my personal faith, and the realization that there was nothing like it in the Magic multiverse. But there will be more on the details of the search in his origin story, which I intend to write soon.