OK, summarizing story stuff.
A lot has changed since the events of Battle for Zendikar. Find out what's in store for the plane of Zendikar this time around!
magic.wizards.com
* Before the Eldrazi came to Zendikar, the Roil didn't exist. Thus, the Kor were able to establish an extensive society called Makindi (after its capital city), though it turned into an authoritative state. They built seven floating structures called Skyclaves to act and military and government centers.
* Over the course of centuries of the Roil and battles, all the Skyclaves fell. The article goes into detail for all seven, but one became the Sky Ruin of Emeria, guarded by the angel Iona.
* After Iona descended to fight the Eldrazi, she left the Sky Ruins unguarded. Following the defeat of the Eldrazi, explorers were free to explore the area without her interference and activated a magical defense system.
* In response, all the Skyclaves rose into the sky once again, whatever their state of ruin. Seven floating ancient ruins triggered a new age of exploration on Zendikar.
* The Skyclave ruins contain not just creatures that moved in when they fell, but ancient lab experiments.
* Tazri and Linvala the angel worked together to rally all expeditionary houses to reconstruct the Sea Gate.
* There is now a sixth expeditionary house, the Sea Gate Expeditionary House, founded by the first person to lead an expedition into the Sky Ruins after Iona left, a kor woman named Kesenya. Unknown to her, the secret benefactor funding the house is Nahiri.
* Many vampires died during the fight with the Eldrazi. Drana is the last of the original generation of vampires and the only bloodchief, thus the only one that can create new vampires. She seeks a way to create new bloodchiefs.
Across Zendikar, millennia-old ruins have risen into the air. Called Skyclaves, they contain powerful artifacts created by the ancient kor. It's time for the planeswalker Nahiri to make her move . . .
magic.wizards.com
* Nahiri is on Zendikar in Akoum, looking up at a newly arisen Skyclave.
* She was alive before the Roil and isn't used to expecting it to happen. There's an earthquake and she angrily uses her lithomancy to stop it.
* Nissa appears; Nahiri asked her to join her on this expedition. They talk about War of the Spark.
* Nissa points out Nahiri tried to destroy Innistrad. Nahiri whataboutisms back with Nissa freeing the Eldrazi.
* Nahiri is angry about the Roil and how sealing the Eldrazi ruined the plane. Nissa never knew a Zendikar without the Roil.
* Nahiri challenges her to a race up to the top. Nahiri is faster with her lithomancy, but the Roil happens again and her structures crumble. Nissa saves her from falling. Annoyed, Nahiri says they can just go up without racing.
* They reach the top. The ruins are huge; they used to house tens of thousands of Kor.
* Nissa is trying her best to make a connection with Nahiri. She thinks about what Gideon would do, and is reminded of his death. She goes ahead and asks Nahiri what they're looking for. She doesn't know exactly, but the stones will guide them.
* Nissa and Chandra breaking up in War of the Spark: Forsaken is still canon, FYI. Nissa doesn't want to think about her.
* Nahiri walks ahead and Nissa worries that helping Nahiri will only hurt Zendikar again. She thinks of Gideon: he'd help Nahiri, but he wouldn't blindly follow her.
* The Roil keeps causing the ruins to shake, reminding Nahiri of her failure to protect her home.
* They were moving silently, but when they reach a set of giant collapsed doors, Nahiri uses her powers to send them flying.
* They're then attacked by a large felidar, hairless with razor protrusions, indicating that it may be modified.
* Nahiri summons red-hot swords to attack it. Nissa fights with unexpected strength and summoned vines. Eventually, Nahiri kills it.
* They reach a big chamber and Nahiri can't figure out the way forward.
* Nissa summons an elemental, surprising Nahiri, and it leads the way. Being with the elemental makes her feel at ease.
* They notice a trap that will drop a big geopede on them. Nahiri says to have the elemental go fight it, but Nissa is upset about this. She sets a vine net under the geopede, has the elemental trigger the trap, and crushes the geopede with the vines. Nissa is surprised when Nahiri crushes the corpse with stone fists, but she says everything born on Zendikar is hard to kill. Nissa reflects that this applies to them too.
* They reach the heart of the Skyclave, where there's a glowing tile on a dais.
* Nahiri reads the ancient ruins, which say it's a lithoform core. Nissa is surprised she can read them, until she remembers how old Nahiri is.
* Nahiri takes it. It's really just a key; the lock is in Murasa's Skyclave. There's still a bit of power left in this chamber, however.
* The Roil happens again, and enraged, Nahiri uses the core's power to stop it. Fully, this time. The ruins also start knitting back together.
* Nissa is happy, until her elemental starts screaming.
* Nissa is horrified as the elemental crumples to ash. Nahiri is like, "Jesus, it was just a plant."
* Nissa reaches out with her powers and realizes that every other living thing in the ruins is dead now.
* Nissa thinks back to Gideon and realizes he wouldn't let this continue. Nahiri says that Zendikar is a shithole now, it used to be
way better. Nissa responds she doesn't realize how wonderful Zendikar is now. She asks her to give her the key.
* In response, Nahiri attacks Nissa with swords. They fight until Nahiri creates a stone wall between them. Nahiri shouts that she's the guardian of Zendikar and she won't stand by as the plane tears itself apart. Nissa says she's Zendikar's guardian too.
* Thinking again about what Gideon would do, Nissa planeswalks away to get help.
* Nissa arrives on Ravnica. People are pretty upset at her for wrecking Vita-Ghazi during the fight with Bolas, with Jace's guard scowling at her.
* Jace is up on his bookshelves, and Nissa is too awkward to interrupt. When he finally notices her, he greets her warmly, to her surprise.
* Nissa tries to explain what happened, but Jace keeps interrupting with, "Hold on, I have a scroll about this somewhere," and such until Nissa forcefully tells him to stop.
* Nissa completes her explanation. Jace says they should bring the core to Ravnica to study it, but Nissa is insistent that they should destroy it and that Jace doesn't understand its danger. Jace insists back that they should hold on and think about this. Nissa is angry, and thinking about what Gideon would do, she thinks he would seize the moment. She goes back to Zendikar to handle this on her own before Jace can finish talking.
* Jace is left alone in the sanctum and reflects on how he could have handled that conversation better. He thinks about how he's already keeping the secret that Nicol Bolas is still alive from everyone else and wants to make up for that.
* He plans his trip to Zendikar.
I thought this story was pretty good. Both major characters are presented well.