Encyclopedia Dominia: Histories and Fables - Return of the Empress, Scalebane's Elite, and Still Waters Deep Roots

   The Encyclopedia Domnia had various stories, lore, and information of the worlds of the multiverse.  Here we're restoring some of the online duelist's tales.  The Encyclopedia was gathered by the planeswalker Taysir, here is the section of "Histories and Fables" with stories: Return of the Empress, Scalebane's Elite, and Still Waters, Deep Roots.  We are continuing our reproducing of them: they are not original content, but created by Wizards of the Coast for the Online Duelist in the 1990s. 

Return of the Empress

by Richard Thames Rowan

 Keening wails of the dying reverberated through the cooling waters of Vodalia as Galina gazed bleakly across the final battlefield of the royal city. Brave warriors and mages held back the mindless army of relentless Homarids by force of will alone.

This is the end of the empire, she thought as she absently rubbed the pearl set in the blue scales of her cheek. I am sorry my husband, may Svyelune's Light shelter you, but I can do no more. Our food is gone, our forces wasted. You were always the strong one, but even you succumbed to the horde . . . .

"Your Serene Highness, the time has come."

Galina turned her piercing gaze on Marshall Karel Volnikov, the only merfolk who would risk disturbing her thoughts. A long silence filled only with the wail of the dying passed between them like a conversation. Karel absorbed her stare impassively until she slowly nodded.

"Gather the survivors, we go to Akoroun's portal," she said curtly.

Karel nodded solemnly, touched his forehead in deference, and jetted away in a flurry of water. Galina's gaze followed thoughtfully after the noble warrior who had led her military forces unfalteringly for so many years and who had lent such astute political savvy to her court. Her thoughts turned to the distant colony of Etlan Shiis, the only colony likely to have escaped the ravages of the Homarids. It was well past time to remind the artisan caste, who founded the distant colony, of the duty they owed to the Empire.

The cold waters swirled around her, chilling her as she made her way up the spire where the mage Akoroun would open a portal to Etlan Shiis. Akoroun was waiting above with Karel, and they both touched their foreheads as she swam up. At least four score survivors gathered about the base of the spire from throughout the royal city as the Homarids began to claim the final stronghold of Vodalia for their own.

"All is ready?"

Akoroun nodded, "Yes, your Serene Highness."

"Then let us begin."

Akoroun motioned half a dozen mages forward, and each pulled a large pearl from their robes. The mages stroked their pearls softly and crooned strangely mournful notes of deep longing. Voices embraced and danced in complex harmonies of delicate intricacy as tendrils of moonlight twisted out of the pearls. At the murmuring command of the voices, the tendrils wove a web of light. Each mage's voice slid with serpentine grace among the strands, pulling them tighter into a pool of glowing brilliance until, one-by-one, the voices slid free of the pool. At last, only Akoroun's tendril remained attached to the portal. He nodded.

"The portal is ready, but I must maintain the weave."

"Very well, let us begin," Galina said, motioning the survivors forward through the portal. With a final glance at a dying Vodalia, she swam through.

---

Warm currents gradually cleared the white haze obscuring Galina's vision, and she glanced around at the remarkable change of scenery. To the west, a vast rolling plain stretched endlessly, broken only by coral formations, deep sea kelp, and darting schools of fish. Rising to the east, and on whose slopes she rested, an impressive island-mountain range stretched from south to north. Further north, the range swept back to the east, hiding itself for a time before reappearing in the distance. For the first time in a long while, she began to feel warm.

Karel swam up and waited for her to speak.

"I see you, Karel."

"Your highness, I have taken the liberty of dispatching scouts to determine the exact location of the colony. They bring some disturbing news." Karel seemed troubled. Galina raised an eyebrow and waited for him to continue.

Karel hesitated. "Etlan Shiis seems somewhat . . . larger than anticipated. Too large, in fact." By way of an explanation, he gestured to the group of mages who were in deep conference.

Galina frowned thoughtfully, then said, "Gather everyone. I would see this 'city' of artisans."

Karel nodded as he moved to collect the remnants of Vodalia and said, "It lies beyond the northern bend of the mountains." After a few minutes, Galina made her way northward in the shadow of the eastern island-mountains.

The Vodalians began swimming after their empress in silence, naturally falling into strict caste order with the warriors immediately behind Galina, then the mages, a few of the merchant caste, and lastly a handful of the lowly artisans--even in battle it was occasionally useful to have servants for demeaning labor.

Galina led the silent entourage, gliding over deep chasms in the slopes of the island-mountains, through coral formations and vast schools of brightly colored fish. She skirted the hot waters surrounding a column of bubbles rising from a steam vent and eventually came to the final mountain separating her from Etlan Shiis. As she crested the last ridge, she suddenly halted in a turmoil of warm waters, gazing at the city below.

Rolling plains sprawled to the north and west until they reached the mountains in the far distance. Unlike the western flats, however, this plain was filled with far more than just coral and kelp. Etlan Shiis began at the base of the island-mountains below her and stretched to the north and west. A slow anger began seeping through her eyes as they traveled the vast expanse of sweeping arches and artistic spires and towers that were so different from the royal city so recently lost to the Homarids. The city stretched on and on to the west until it vanished from sight. Her eyes picked out five enormous spires linked by arches on the far horizon, and her anger erupted.

"How dare they mock the Imperial Towers!" she thundered in rage as her followers cringed in their awe. The city rivaled the Vodalian royal city in size, and exceeded it in grandeur.

"Your most serene highness, if you please, all may not be as it seems," Akoroun touched her lightly on the arm. He was about to continue when he realized what he had done and his eyes widened with alarm.

Galina slowly turned to face the mage who had defiled her by his touch and suddenly gripped his neck with a darting hand. She gazed at him in the calmness of rage as he began to convulse beneath her hand. His eyes rolled back in his head and he began keening as steam bubbled from his skin. He thrashed on briefly after his keening died away; when he grew still, she released him to float upward to Svyelune's Light above the sea.

Her fury abated, she located another mage and calmly demanded, "Explain Akoroun's statement."

Startled, the mage stammered, "Ah, he was saying, ah, that we seem to have arrived in Etlan Shiis some years after we left Vodalia."

Galina absorbed the news impassively and said, "How many years?"

The mage swallowed and said, "About, ah . . . we think it may be as much as three thousand years later." He braced himself and closed his eyes and prepared to receive treatment similar to his predecessor's.

Galina glared at the mage for a long moment, then nodded and said, "Very well. We must re-acquaint this city of artisans with their duty to the Empire." She turned and made her way downward, leaving her entourage to gradually recover from their shock. They followed her.

---

It was almost too easy. She had led the Vodalians into the city of Etlan Shiis without a single challenge and on to the new Imperial Towers. The chamber containing the group of artisans that styled themselves the "Council of Etlan Shiis" was not difficult to find. They had been initially startled by the appearance of their brethren, then outraged at being disturbed. They had reluctantly listened to Karel's introduction, which they found unnerving even as they doubted it. In the end, what decided the matter was one of the councilors' comments.

"Toss this garish riffraff out and let us get on with our business." Oblivious to the effect his words were having on his visitors, he continued. "After all, even if they are who they say, didn't our ancestors leave Vodalia because the caste system put the most violent and unfit to rule in charge of the nation?" Several of his fellow councilors nodded in agreement.

Karel calmly turned to this most vocal of the council, swam forward, and with fluid grace, broke his neck. The council chamber erupted with cries of outrage that became panic as Karel seized the next councilor and dispatched him with equal ease. The council members began scattering in all directions. Within moments, a scythe of energy from a Vodalian battle mage cut the councilors down as they fled. Only one escaped. At Karel's signal, a warrior quietly slipped out of the chamber to apprehend him. Galina gave the order to those remaining to subdue the city immediately and inform the residents that she would be assuming her throne once again. Her lords touched their foreheads and departed in all directions with small bands of warriors and mages. For the next several hours, she heard the occasional sounds of short-lived battle as each objection was squashed and those who objected were brought into line.

Galina gazed thoughtfully across the silent council chamber through the floating bodies of the ex-councilors. In her solitude, she began laying plans for the defense of the city, for the marshaling of military forces, and for the future.

Some day, my husband, may Svyelune's Light shelter you, I will return with hundreds of thousands of warriors to reclaim your Empire. We will utterly destroy the Homarids and dedicate the victory to the memory of your glory. From this day forward, a new Vodalian Empire is born . . . .

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Scalebane's Elite

By Teeuwynn

The following story is a verbatim transcription of an eyewitness account of one of the most important events in recent Jamuuran history. -- Taysir.

I'm not certain where to begin . . . or why you want me to tell this tale. Kulinda or Jerran could tell it better . . . ah, but their wounds are still healing. Well then, I'll tell you what I saw and heard for myself. I can vouch for nothing else, and what I can attest to is fantastic enough for ten tales. Well then, this is the story of how the mage Mangara was set free from his terrible, unlawful prison. And, as you know, if it was not for Mangara's help we would never have beaten Kaervek's magic and undead minions.

I have fought in Scalebane's army for over a year now, and no warrior could wish a more inspiring, brave leader than Rashida Scalebane. I would die for that woman -- indeed, I almost did. Less than a fortnight past, Rashida called three warriors to her tent: myself, Kulinda, and Jerran. Wasting no words, Rashida explained that she had chosen us to accompany her and a few others on a special mission, a mission to save the mage Mangara. At these words Kulinda gasped, and I nearly did as well. Mangara had disappeared many months ago. How could Rashida know he was imprisoned, let alone where he was trapped.

Nodding sharply at Kulinda, Rashida answered only that all would be explained that could be explained by the prophetess Asmira, who had joined our encampment only hours before. "At dawn we will again meet in this tent and Asmira and I shall tell you all we can of our quest." Telling us to prepare to leave immediately after the dawn meeting, Rashida bowed her head over her legendary dragonslaying banesword. The first gathering of Scalebane's Elite was at an end.

Restless and nervous after a troubled night's sleep, we met once more in Rashida's tent at dawn. Asmira was already waiting within, seated upon the floor herder-style. Asmira was smaller than I imagined, but her dark eyes reflected both confidence and conviction. Clad in white and gold garments mixing both Femeref and Zhalfiran styles, the great prophetess Asmira greeted us with the most serene smile I have ever seen. "Greetings and thanks, Children of Fate," the prophetess began. "In recent days great omens have wafted across our land on the wings of dreams. I have felt their feathery touch, as has your leader, Rashida. Now is our chance to free Mangara from the stone in which he has long been imprisoned."

"What sort of stone could imprison a mage?" Jerran asked in his sing-song whisper.

"An amber prison," Rashida answered. "It is a magical stone into which a mage may thrust any single being."

"And the being may remain trapped there for an infinity of eternities if he is not freed," Asmira concluded. "It is our responsibility to free Mangara from this prison. The dreams have told us where Mangara's prison lies . . . a handful or more days travel into the Mwonvuli Jungle. We must begin our journey at once if we are to have any hope of rescuing Mangara before Kaervek's might grows beyond all hope of stopping him."

"But what is our role in all this?" I asked. "We are only warriors and not many in number."

"You are my warriors and the heart of all Jamuura beats in your breasts," Rashida answered.

"And you are so few in number because we do not believe more warriors could avoid many of Kaervek's patrols," Asmira finished. "But come, gather your things, it is time for us to begin the Lion's Eye Quest."

As we gathered our gear together I thought on the ancient saying -- "Caught in the Lion's Eye." Yes, if ever there was a moment of crisis, we were walking into it. And with that thought I joined my fellows to confront our fate.

The next few days are mostly a blur to me. We did our best to avoid Kaervek's patrols, but there were far more than even Rashida had predicted. Attempting evasion in the plains proved difficult. Alternately battling and avoiding the undead patrols, we reached the final hill overlooking the jungle far later than we had hoped. We could all see Rashida's nerves grow raw as time drained away from us. Even Asmira's face began to appear ashen with worry on the third day as we neared the final hill.

But at the end of that day as we crested the final rise, we found new hope in the form of the flying ship, Weatherlight. Rushing up to the ship's captain, Sisay, Rashida demanded to know how and why she was here. The slightly embarrassed captain responded that she had had a dream that bade her come to this very spot. Although I'm sure Sisay thought Asmira and Rashida would think her crazy for flying her ship into the middle of an enemy-infested plain because of a dream, our leaders merely nodded. After all, the Lion's Eye Quest itself was the stuff of dreams.

It took only a few minutes to scramble up rope ladders and climb aboard the Weatherlight. On board, Sisay's crew were fewer in number than I would have expected, but Sisay said she was still rebuilding. I wish there had been time to speak to her crew, particularly the sharp-eyed minotaur, but exhaustion and the need for all hands to man the ship did not give me the chance. Perhaps I will be able to buy Sisay and her crew a round of drinks at a tavern on some future night.

Now, where was I? . . . Oh, yes, Sisay and the Weatherlight immediately set sail through the still jungle air. You'd think flying through sky would be much smoother than riding the ocean's waves, but it really isn't. The Weatherlight constantly hummed and vibrated as we cut our way through the air. We flew in one day what would have taken us five or more on the ground. Without the Weatherlight we would have lost crucial days and perhaps the war.

When we finally landed, we found ourselves outside a small palace just beginning to decay. Vines covered much of the western wall, but the rest of the squat edifice was still relatively unmarred. A large metal door blocked our way into the compound, but it proved little impediment to us. With Asmira leading us into the palace, we passed through two long hallways in complete silence, unbothered by guards of any kind. Then silence became screams and Kaervek's dread minions descended upon our small group.

The battle through the palace seemed to last for days. Have you ever fought continuously for your life for hours on end? It is a constant battle to maintain the shield of hope, to not give in to the terror surrounding you. Yet, we persevered. If it were not for our dragonscale armor and other magical protections, we never would have survived the assault. But survive we did, and made slow progress into the fortress until at last we saw the amber prison floating within a scintillating beam of white light.

As Asmira managed to push closer to the amber prison, Kaervek's forces began to pummel us with magical fire and other terrors. Jerran was badly burned several times over and it is a wonder he survived at all. I remember little of the next few minutes save the struggle to remain standing. I remember seeing Asmira reach the amber prison . . . I remember seeing the holy one bend her head in concentration over the magical stone, her face ghostly in the magical beam's sharp light. Then my sight was overwhelmed by the forces in front of me and I was sure I would fall at any moment.

It was then that a terrible shrieking howl echoed through the chamber and I saw Rashida and Scalebane dancing through the undead with the grace of a thousand cheetahs. Even when fighting dragons, I had never seen Rashida fight so well or so dexterously. On her face she wore a mask crafted of dragonskin, and its eyes, blazing with yellow fury, were not Rashida's. Rashida must have killed two score or more of Kaervek's minions in the time it took me to slay one. But such a display of valor does not come without cost. Just as I reached our leader she collapsed in complete exhaustion. Standing over Rashida's body to keep what remained of Kaervek's forces from harming her, I looked again to Asmira.

And in that moment I forgot the jungle heat as my blood froze in my veins. For as Asmira raised the amber prison in triumph a darkling panther warrior-woman leapt from ambush towards the holy warrior. Even as I screamed a warning, I recognized the legendary slayer Purraj of Urborg. As my scream echoed, too late to warn Asmira, Purraj's knife dug deeply into Asmira's back. Arching backwards Asmira ignored the terrible blow, managing to whisper out the last words of her spell to free Mangara. Her ritual complete, the amber prison suddenly glowed with such ferocity I could no longer bear to look on it.

When the blinding shaft of light faded all of Kaervek's forces lay dead around us and a middle-aged man in strange clothes stood where Asmira and Purraj had grappled seconds before. Of Purraj and Asmira there was no sign. Perhaps they were both consumed in the amber prison's shattering light.

Rashida stirred below me, and as I helped the shaken warrior onto her feet I saw her eyes meet Mangara's. With a deep bow the freed mage disappeared in a glimmer of pale white light.

Of course, you know the rest. Mangara confronted Kaervek and managed to prevail against the dark mage and his overextended resources. Now Kaervek lies within the very stone that so long held Mangara prisoner. It seems a fitting punishment. Asmira has officially been granted the title of Holy Avenger, but I fear it may be a posthumous honor. As for Purraj . . . I have no idea but I am sure if Asmira fell, then so did that Urborg assassin.

I grow tired now, and I must check on Jerran. I hope my tale has been of some use to you.

May you never live in the Lion's Eye.

-- Forena, Scalebane's Elite.

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Still Waters, Deep Roots

The following parable is short, but telling. The elves of Riashil perhaps best reflect the ancient shyness and reticence of the Llanowar elves. Theirs may well be the closest to pre - Ice Age elvish culture. Although the Riashil's insularity grows out of a desire to protect their culture, it also fosters a certain amount of fear. The following story illustrates the latter, reactionary, response to the elfhame's secluded existence.--Taysir

Listen closely, children, and I will tell you a tale while the Glitter Moon gazes upon us and shines down blessings upon the earth. In years before you were born--but not too many years before--there lived a young elf named Finn. Finn was not unlike most children, full of energy and spilling over with questions. "Why does the Glitter Moon shine? Where do maggots come from? Why do I have to be nice to others?"

Most of Finn's questions were answered more or less to his satisfaction, but there was one question his elders could not give him a simple answer to. "Why do we never leave Riashil?" Of course you all know that the boundaries of Riashil are sacred, for we live in the most blessed place under Freyalise's care, yet Finn could not seem to understand this. "I want to see more of the world!" he cried. And the elders just shook their heads and determined to wait with the patience of the trees for Finn's foolishness to come to an end.

But it did not end. Instead, Finn's curiosity grew like a patch of itchweed, and Finn felt bound to scratch. Journeying to the edge of Riashil, where the Moen river marks our southern boundary, Finn found himself staring at a young human across the water. "Ah!" thought Finn. "Perhaps this human can answer my question." Solemnly, Finn hailed the human and asked his question. Staring intently, the young human gestured for Finn to wade across the Moen, made shallow by drought.

So excited was Finn at the prospect of finally finding out why the Riashil never leave their home, that the young elf dove into the chill waters and swam across to where the human waited. Shaking the water from his eyes, Finn repeated his question once more: "Why should elves stay only in Riashil?"

The human gestured again, and Finn edged even closer. Smiling, the human opened a large bag at his side and gestured for Finn to see what was inside. Finn peered closely into the bag's dark interior, hoping to see something that would explain the mystery to him. But before he knew what was happening, the human shoved poor Finn into his bag and took him away forever.

So, you see, Finn got his wish much faster than he would have gotten it if he waited patiently, but the answer was perhaps not what he hoped. You must have still waters to grow deep roots, my children. Rapids wash away only the foolish, not the wise.

 

Encyclopedia Dominia: Early Volumes III - Interrogation, Eater of the Infinite, The Hero's Tale

 The Encyclopedia Domnia had various stories, lore, and information of the worlds of the multiverse.  Here we're restoring some of the online duelist's tales.  The Encyclopedia was gathered by the planeswalker Taysir, here are the Interrogation (of a Phyrexian), the Eater of the Infinite (of Rabiah) and the Hero's Tale (of Benalia).  We are continuing our reproducing of them: they are not original content, but created by Wizards of the Coast for the Online Duelist in the 1990s. 

The Interrogation

The following encounter was recreated from a transcript that is, unfortunately, incomplete, having suffered extensive fire damage. Nevertheless, that only known record of the interrogation of a priest of the entity Yawgmoth sheds a fascinating light on the philosophy of these mysterious beings.--Taysir

He lay shackled in the dark, and the furrows on his wrists and ankles neither bled nor faded. Some of his brothers could summon light from within, during the deepest stages of meditation, but he could not afford to block out his surroundings: he had been delivered into the hands of dangerous fools.

He heard a door thrown open far down the corridor, and the formless void around him receded in the face of an oncoming torch. He heard the moist squeak of wood on wood, and went momentarily blind as the torchbearer threw open the door. He writhed, and the shackles scored his flesh anew. A second bearer entered, creating a bubble of light barely large enough to contain them all. Through the door and into the bubble strode a stern, bookish man in an inappropriately splendid robe.

"Awake, zealot," the man called, insistent but strangely cautious. "We have little time, and I would make the most of the opportunity you represent."

The prisoner remained silent, but stared unblinkingly at the robed figure.

"Vandal," continued the visitor, "you are at the mercy of your most hated enemies. The Order of the Ebon Hand--" he gestured at the torchbearers, who wore initiates' robes-- "will break your body, your spirit, and your mind." He leaned forward slightly, squinting. "I would have words with you before your endless screaming begins."

The prisoner hissed softly. His voice, though soft and monotonous, reeked with casual scorn. "I am Y'sith, Fifth Circle Priest of Yawgmoth. Who do you represent, if not the Order?"

The interrogator smiled. "I am of the Order. But I am here now on my own behalf." He threw his head back, giving the torchlight full play on his features. "I am Endrek Sahr, Master Breeder, Creator of Life, and Race Architect. You are an enemy of the Ebon Hand, and I am here to determine if that marks the limit of the conflict between your goals and mine."

"The Ebon Hand is not our enemy."

"No? Are you not of Phyrexia, false priest? Have not you and your kind stolen and ruined the fruits of artificers' efforts for generations? Does not the worship of your Yawgmoth demand that we make war on each other?"

Y'sith raised his head off the inclined slab and snarled haughtily. "Soft fool. We are a force beyond your ken."

Endrek Sahr smiled once more. "But not our enemy."

"When a swamp insect stings, do you go to war against it? Do you declare it your enemy?" The prisoner lowered his head back onto the slab. "So it is with Yawgmoth and your precious Order. Begone, Master Breeder. You and the Ebon Hand are an annoyance; nothing more."

Sahr's eyes darkened, and drawing a dagger from the folds of his billowing sleeve, he approached with slow, deliberate motions. He rested the knifepoint across the bridge of the captive's nose.

"The bite of some swamp insects can kill," he said, gently inscribing ellipses around Y'sith's eyes. "And some, I think you'll find, bite hard enough to pierce even the hide of a Yawgmoth priest." The dagger tapped solidly on Y'sith's forehead, and clicked as if striking a stone wrapped in velvet. Then it disappeared back into the robe. "Choose your enemies and friends carefully, Y'sith. Though you are sworn to destroy artificial life, my primary interest is in the genuine variety. I have no need of brass cogs or clockworks: my creations are truly alive."

"We do not destroy, soft fool, nor do we accept your distinction between 'true' and 'artificial' life. All life is energy, and we would rather see that energy put to constructive use than allow foolish artificers--or breeders--to make a mockery of it."

"'Constructive use?' No one and nothing has ever returned from your realm, false priest. Is it constructive to consume the work of others, which you find loathsome, and to produce nothing?"

Y'sith hissed again. "No one and nothing ever created on this plane is fit to survive in Phyrexia. We do not destroy your misguided efforts: Phyrexia does. It winnows out the weak and cauterizes the diseased. We no more loathe your artifacts than a surgeon loathes a gangrenous limb. Remember that the best and brightest of your artificers conquered entire cities with a clumsy recreation of a machine he glimpsed in Phyrexia, the height of artifact purity. But your pathetic marveling at his poor copy, this 'dragon engine,' demonstrates the poverty of your imagination and will."

"I see Phyrexian ire still runs deep on that subject. But again, I fail to see why your disdain for mechanical creatures should put you at odds with me. Artificers build machines; Phyrexians destroy them. But I am no artificer." Sahr turned away from the shackled priest, stroking his chin as he spoke. "If, as you say, there is no difference between real and mechanical life in Phyrexia, and if by Phyrexian standards, the greatest of our artificers was a groping child, then perhaps it is time for your faith and my work to intersect."

Sahr drew an armchair alongside the slab, and a torchbearer followed. The Master Breeder sat silently as the second bearer moved to illuminate Y'sith, and then said, "Do you not see how much we have to share with one another? I understand there are machines in Phyrexia that cannot be distinguished from living creatures; here, I build living creatures from nothing. My thrulls are alive, infused with eldrich energy until such time as the Order chooses to release it."

Y'sith spat on the floor, an oily froth, as close to Sahr's feet as he could manage. "You are deluded, Endrek Sahr. The creatures you breed are as inferior and weak as any that are built. They would not survive the First Sphere. 'Infused with energy?'" He sneered and spat again. "The wonders of Phyrexia draw power from the ambient energy around them. Your thrulls are perpetually limited by the single spark of creation. They will never be any more or less than they are at the moment of inception."

The priest's voice cracked with anger, and he fell back, panting softly. "We hold base dabblers such as you in the lowest regard. Just as you would not allow an initiate access to your most powerful secrets, we will not allow you to litter this or any other plane with your jetsam.

"As I lie here now, so does Mishra lie deep in the center of Phyrexia, his body wracked with fresh pain and torments day in and day out. He shrieks and cries in his prison, and begs us to forgive his transgressions against our faith. But he will never be forgiven. He will never be released." Y'sith rose up on his slab. "And when your time on this plane is done, Master Breeder, you will join him."

Endrek Sahr was silent for several long moments. Then, with a short, barking laugh, he rose expansively from his seat. "Thank you, my truculent friend. Though you have unwisely refused my invitation to share knowledge, you have nonetheless given me food for thought." He drew his dagger once more, and rammed it deeply into the arm of the chair, where it quivered. "May the rest of your conversations with the Order be as beneficial."

The Master Breeder turned then, his mind furiously baying after the dark inspiration it had just winded. He made haste from the chamber, leaving his attendants to collect the torch and dagger, and re-bar the door. The light they carried faded as they retreated down the corridor.

Alone, Y'sith listened for a moment, face expressionless, and then briefly smiled. It was a grim smile, one that set his lips like razors against each other. His eyes were alight, reflecting for barely a heartbeat the dark and malevolent brilliance that lies at the heart of Phyrexia itself.

And then, all was darkness. 

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Eater of the Infinite

 as told by Farouk ab Illah

 

I chose this story for inclusion in the encyclopedia because its style is distinctive to the legends of Rabiah. It is also an interesting tale of the creation (or re-creation, if you will) of two important peoples/beings: the Serendib efreets and the desert nomads. -Taysir

Blessed are we who live in Rabiah, which is but one of infinite Rabiahs, for our gods smile upon us and grant us bounty of which other people can but dream. In this time of bounty it is difficult to believe that such a land could ever be endangered, yet there once existed on this very sand a Serendib efreet whose heart was so cold and jealous he could not stand the thought of other beings sharing the same earth as he. This efreet fumed for years, vowing to the winds that one day none but he would walk Rabiah's endless lands, and while he muttered to himself he searched for a way to make his vow complete.

One day, a foreign planeswalker called upon the efreet to aid him in battle. The efreet performed heroically, and when the battle was done the planeswalker agreed to grant the jealous creature a wish. One can only assume granting a wish to an efreet amused the young 'walker, for why else would the magic-wielder make such an offer? Seizing upon this opportunity for which he had waited years, the efreet declared that he wished to be the only creature able to walk the lands of Rabiah.

Taken aback by the efreet's brash desire, the planeswalker pondered the request. Finally, after much thought, he reached out and placed a jewel on the efreet's forehead. Working magic unknown to us in these modern times, the 'walker split the efreet's mouth in two. He then turned his will upon the efreet's left hand, changing it into a hooked knife sharper than a grandmother's tongue.

"With these changes, I grant your wish, efreet!" the 'walker declared. "Anything that you cut with your left hand shall shrink to the size of a sand bug. Any such creature you swallow with your left mouth will disappear from all Rabiahs for all eternity--as will all other creatures of its kind. With enough perseverance, you may soon walk the planes of Rabiah in perfect solitude."

Glorying in his newly granted power, the efreet turned to the first creature he saw and speared it with his left hand. No sooner had he done so than the poor creature shrunk to exactly the size of a sand bug, and the efreet popped it in his left mouth and swallowed it whole. Just what the efreet ate we do not know, for the creature and all its cousins no longer exist in our lands. Greatly pleased with his success, the efreet declared himself Eater of the Infinite. From that moment on, the Eater searched out all the creatures he could find and began casting them and their kin out of Rabiah.

For a fortnight the Eater's appetite ran unchecked. But then a young bird maiden, by the name of Fyhra, witnessed the Eater destroy a whole herd of beasts by merely shrinking and eating one. After quietly following him for a day and a night, Fyhra soon realized that the Eater was destroying untold numbers of creatures. Praying to the all the gods she knew, Fyhra landed on a rocky outcropping near the Eater just as dawn blessed Rabiah with her first blush.

"Why do you eat these beasts, efreet?"

Laughing, the Eater responded: "Why, because I can. And because with every creature I eat, I eat every one of its kin on all the Rabiahs. Soon I shall have Rabiah to myself. Come closer, little bird maiden, that your kind may join the Infinite inside me."

Shaking her head in fear, Fyhra flew off quickly into the morning sun. As he was in a lazy mood, and perhaps because he reveled in Fyhra's fear, the Eater did not pursue the terrified bird maiden.

Flying on the morning winds, Fyhra wondered how she could possibly stop the Eater from casting all creatures out of Rabiah. Although her fear carried her for the entire day, Fyhra finally grew too tired to continue. Alighting upon the cooling evening sands, she sobbed quietly to herself.

"Why do you cry to yourself, winged one?" a voice whispered from the shadows of a large dune.

"Who are you?" Fyhra exclaimed.

"I am but a Watcher, and I see you have met the Eater of the Infinite," the shadowy figure replied.

"Yes, I have, and I fear Rabiah will soon be his and no one else's," Fyhra responded.

"Perhaps. But, then again, perhaps not. Take the gift I leave you and wake the man you shall find asleep on the other side of this dune. The Eater may destroy with his left mouth, but there is balance in all things. There is a right for every left, a beginning for every end. Tell the young nomad you wake of the Eater, and of my words. Together you may yet save your home."

Fyhra was bursting with questions, but before she could ask even one, the shadowy figure shimmered and faded with the wind. Only a small but bulky carpet, neatly rolled, remained. Upon unrolling this, Fyhra immediately realized from its woven pattern of wings and swirls that the stranger's gift was a flying carpet.

Still pondering the stranger's words, Fyhra took up the carpet and flew over the large dune. Lo and behold, exactly where the stranger said he would lie, there rested a young nomad. Fyhra silently thanked the gods for bringing him to this dune. She landed beside the scruffy man and called out softly to him. When he awoke, she introduced herself and poured out the entire story to the solemn nomad.

The man, whose name was Pakhir, listened intently to the bird maiden's story. When she finished, he said, "Thank you for telling me this tale, maiden. When I left my family's camp this morning I went to find a place to die.

"For, you see, I am the last of the nomads. The others have died from a terrible plague. The world will grieve our loss. Yet, perhaps now I may end our family's saga in glory, instead of infamy," Pakhir finished.

"But who was the man who instructed us?"

"Does that matter? Either he tells the truth and we may save our land, or else he lies and all is lost. We can only try."

Nodding her head, Fyhra took to the air with Pakhir following on the flying carpet, and traveled back the way she had come only the previous day. The pair finally found the Eater nearing the city of Bassorah. Stretching her shimmering wings to their fullest, Fyhra swooped round and round the Eater, calling and taunting the would-be world-killer.

The Eater eagerly followed the darting maiden as she maneuvered him away from the city with its teeming multitudes. When the Eater was judged to be far enough removed from the city to ensure no one else was endangered, Pakhir screamed out his family's name and plunged directly at the efreet.

The Eater's two mouths opened wide with glee as he deftly speared Pakhir on his left hand, shrinking and twisting the young nomad. At that moment, Fyhra again swooped down and swiftly shoved the now-tiny Pakhir into the efreet's open right mouth. "A right for every left, a beginning for every end," she chanted as the Eater's eyes grew wide with horror. For when Pakhir's dying body entered the Eater's right mouth all of the nomad's direct ancestors appeared again across Rabiah, alive and well.

But Fyhra and Pakhir weren't finished with the Eater. As soon as the efreet's left hand touched the inside of his right mouth his enormous, unquenchable hunger grew even more immense. Swallowing and swallowing, the Eater's right mouth soon consumed first his hand and then his arm. In rapid order, the Eater of the Infinite swallowed himself piece by piece until only the echoes of his enraged screams were left upon the air. Yet, in the very moment that the Eater consumed himself and disappeared from Rabiah, dozens of other Serendib efreets were reborn upon the land. Each efreet was marked with the double mouth and hook of its progenitor. Yet, fortunately for us, the new efreets did not possess the Eater's dread power.

They do, however, possess a curse. For all Serendib are bitter with the legacy of defeat, and any who wish to summon or command one would do well to think twice on the matter. The Serendib curse those who would use them as did that long-ago planeswalker, causing suffering and pain to the magic-worker so long as they work in his or her service.

And what of Fyhra? She became a heroine of her people, as did Pakhir of his--for Fyhra told the desert nomads of his great sacrifice on their behalf.

And who was the man who told Fyhra how to defeat the Eater? That is something we shall never know. Perhaps it was a god who took pity upon our lands. Or perhaps a planeswalker . . . even the very planeswalker who granted the Eater his fell power. We must be content with our knowledge of how the Serendib efreets came to possess two mouths, and how the nomads will walk forever upon our lands.

 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Hero's Tale

The following excerpt gives an interesting insight into the life of the famed Benalish hero. Usually, one glimpses these renowned warriors only when they are fully trained, as if they had risen full-formed from some god's imagination, the perfect warriors. But, of course, such perfection requires much work and sacrifice. The author of this note, Noira, is but at the beginning of her life's work. --Taysir

Dearest Mother,

We're allowed to send one letter this month, but by this time next year I should be able to write whenever I choose. So, you see, it is not my fault this is the first I've written you. There's so much to tell, and I've so little time. Let's see . . . .

The city of Benalia is huge! Before I arrived here six moons ago I could never imagine such a place existed. Even from the highest of the council's towers at its center, it's impossible to see the city's edges. The census-takers claim there are more than two hundred thousand people here. Can you imagine?

It's funny. We've been learning history until my mind feels as if it's been danced on by the ghost of Tobias Andrion himself! We haven't truly begun arms training yet. In fact, I haven't touched a weapon more fierce than my eating dagger since I arrived. But every morning we practice a strange battle-dance that our instructor, Hero Tavin, promises will make us into the most graceful and deadly of warriors. Hero Tavin says it is the basis for the Fei' th Drange (that's "Soul Dance" in Sheoltun -- See? I have been learning.) The Fei' th Drange is a particularly deadly battle-form only taught to heroes of Benalia. I am honored to learn such a form, but I wish we'd get on to using weapons again!

We've also begun studying philosophy with Hero Wynne. I think the most important thing I've learned so far is that we are the chosen of the gods. Hero Wynne says that the gods' breath graced our brows even before our mothers'. This is why the gods call upon us so often to battle for them wheresoever they need. We must be ready for the call every moment of our lives. Sometimes I'm frightened to think about that . . . but, it's exciting and important too, don't you think?

Hmmm . . . . What else can I tell you? Well, the "blackguards" are a bit odd, but they're not so bad once you get to know them. They're all children of commoners (well, at least one commoner) but they're allowed into the ranks of the heroes anyway. They start younger than us--some aren't even ten when they begin training--and they always wear black leather and go about with shaved heads. They can't grow their hair until they graduate, and even then most of them keep their heads shorn. Some of my friends here think the blackguards are arrogant, but I bet they think the same of us.

I haven't gotten my hero's tattoo yet; I know you were wondering about that. We won't receive them until after our second year of training. So, I wear my clan tattoo, but nothing else yet.

Hug Derryn and give Kitten a treat for me!

Love,

Noira

P.S. I've still got the boar's-hair charm you gave me. So far, its luck is strong!

 

 

Encyclopedia Dominia: Early Volumes II - History of Benalia

 The Encyclopedia Domnia had various stories, lore, and information of the worlds of the multiverse.  Here we're restoring some of the online duelist's tales. The Encyclopedia was gathered by the planeswalker Taysir, here is the History of Benalia with added footnotes of historians restored!  We are continuing our reproducing of them: they are not original content, but created by Wizards of the Coast for the Online Duelist in the 1990s.  

Editor's note:  The 'references' were added in line, but were links to comments as if references in actual notes for an Encyclopedia listed.  

History of Benalia

Benalia is a complex and ever-growing society. In some ways it reminds me of a robust organism, bursting with health. But whether this organism that is Benalia is the heart of Dominaria or merely a cancer upon the land is still in question. Still, this brief treatise, by one of Benalia's clan historians, gives the reader some idea of the nature and origins of Benalish politics, and of the relationship of the seven great clans to one another. --Taysir

On Recent History and the Glory that is Benalia Under the August Leadership of Tamira of Rosecot.
This treatise is humbly presented by Varren, Historian of Clan Rosecot (with additional commentary by Vola, Historian of Clan Deniz; Ebenin, Historian of Clan Tarmula; Fannia, Historian of Clan Ternsev; Cl'eueth, Historian of Clan Capashen; Sytryr, Historian of Clan Joryev; and Havram, Historian of Clan Croger).

As is doubtless already known by those citizens of the empire who live in the capital of Benalia itself, in recent years the leadership of our nation has undergone some restructuring. However, just as doubtless, those citizens not living within sight of the Seven Pillars may not have had opportunity to learn of the Seven Clans' wise accord. As Council Leader Tamira's appointed historian, it is my duty--and my pleasure--to inform all of Benalia of the clans' most recent actions.

But first, a brief overview of pertinent facts leading up to our present glory. [Ref 1]

[Ref 1: The accuracy of Varren's comments is at issue here. There is little evidence that Sheoltun fell swiftly; in fact many documents point to the reverse. He is merely engaging in academic hyperbole for the sake of drama. --Ebenin

One must look outside one's own clan records to learn truth, Ebenin. --Varren

Multiple interpretations of any ancient facts are, in and of themselves, worthy of introduction into discussion, gentlemen. --Vola]

Geography

Ever since Torsten Von Ursus first took up the reins of the great horse Civilization and guided our ancestors out of the ruins of the once-grand Sheoltun Empire, Benalia has been a nation set on a path towards greatness. Even the name Torsten chose for us--Benalia, or "aspiration"--proclaims our intent to the world. Our empire grew in power and size even more rapidly than that of Sheoltun once fell. [Ref 2]

[Ref 2: Once, the Avenant and their peerless archers were a part of our nation, but an unwise Joryev leader insulted the Avenant and we lost the isle. --Fannia

Actually, according to our clan records, it was a Ternsev leader who fell in lust with an Avenant prince's daughter. She did not take well to her kidnapping, and neither did her father. --Sytryr]

Today Benalia stretches from the Spice Isles to the west, matchless in their wealth, to the metal-rich Red Iron Mountains to the east, the Kb'Briann Highlands to the south, and the edge of the Avenant Isle to the north. [Ref 3]

[Ref 3: Once, the Avenant and their peerless archers were a part of our nation, but an unwise Joryev leader insulted the Avenant and we lost the isle. --Fannia

Actually, according to our clan records, it was a Ternsev leader who fell in lust with an Avenant prince's daughter. She did not take well to her kidnapping, and neither did her father. --Sytryr]

Political History

At Torsten's death, his seven lieutenants read the words of instruction their great leader left them. To which of his lieutenants would Torsten pass the reins of leadership? Though the exact wording of this Lost Edict is lost to us, we know the outcome: Torsten chose none of these followers--and all of them.

Under the watchful gaze of three priests of the Church of Angelfire, the lieutenants argued for seven days and as many nights over the true meaning of their dead leader's instructions. Finally, they came to an understanding, and on the eighth morning they addressed the crowds, still dressed in the red of mourning, who waited impatiently outside the temple where the lieutenants had met.

"From this day forward," Ilyana of Rosecot proclaimed,[Ref 4] "we and our families all take on the mantle of responsibility for this greatest of nations. The Seven Clans, as Torsten has written we are to be known, will each lead our nation for one lunar year; the head of that clan will rule all Benalia as well. At the start of each lunar year, our positions will rotate, so that the clan that the previous year was most prestigious is the next year the least of the Seven."[Ref 5]

[Ref 4: Once again, Varren interprets the situation instead of conveying fact. It is unclear just which clan leader first spoke on that historic day. --Cl'eueth

Rosecot is mentioned more often than any other clan, Cl'eueth. --Varren

Only if one counts your clan's handful of "contemporaneous" accounts written over two hundred years later by so-called twiceborn clan members claiming to have seen the ceremony with their own eyes. Only Rosecot gives such claims any credence. --Vola]

[Ref 5: Some students of Von Ursus believe the great leader designed this system to keep any one clan from seizing power, as no one leader could truly fill Torsten's shoes. --Cl'eueth

Still others say he was merely trying to force the issue of leadership, so that one clan would have to compel the others to obedience. If so, his plan failed. --Vola

And yet others claim the entire document was a joke written by Torsten's fool and mistaken for a last declaration by even-more foolish priests. --Fannia]

Clan Membership and Standing

An ancient legend has it that the gods fought for years over the stars in the sky, with each god claiming the sparkling treasures for him- or herself. This quarrel grew more and more grave until some of the gods began to destroy stars rather than let a rival lay claim to them. Finally, one wise godling suggested casting stars across the heavens: Whatever was covered by stardust from each god's throw would belong to that god. Since all the gods believed that they would be superior in any such endeavor, they all swore to abide by its results. Today, when we see the summer star-showers, we know the gods are reenacting their famous contest.[Ref 6]

[Ref 6: A variant of this--a superiorly documented variant, I might add--speaks of the gods drawing comets to choose which constellations would belong to them. --Ebenin]

And thus each god cast his or her stars, and each claimed to have received the best of the glittering sky-jewels for his or her own. At that time, each god also declared a people to be his or her personal charge (unlike today, when the gods have turned to matters of greater import). Thus, any child born under that god's constellations belonged to that god.

Since before the days of the Sheoltun Empire's grandeur, the great families of northwestern Central Aerona have looked to the stars to determine whether a child belongs to them or to some other great family. In later years, only the noble families followed this tradition. Today, such birth-blessing belongs only to the Seven Clans, each striving to ensure its children are born in an appropriate month. Still, accidents happen, and those born outside the assigned time become members of their star-clans (as opposed to birth-clans) upon reaching the age of twelve. Such an accidental birth is always cause for grief.[Ref 7]

[Ref 7: The practice of star-birth determining clan membership is not as counterproductive as it might first appear. Many cross-clan allegiances--sometimes the only things keeping one clan from another's throat--are only made due to a fortunately placed person with mixed birth- and star-clans. --Havram]

Modern Benalia

Today, each of the Seven Clans takes responsibility for a certain area of government--the treasury, navy, army, etc.--while one clan holds leadership of Benalia for the year. A catalog of the exact grouping of responsibilities is available for perusal in the government archives, in Benalia.

And so we move into the next era of Benalish leadership, the largest and most productive society on all of Aerona. Our leaders are to be commended for their judicious decisions, achieved through reasoned consensus, not brute force, as is the unfortunate habit of the leaders of some of our neighboring countries. [Ref 8]

[Ref 8: "Reasoned consensus" is, again, a relative term. Do you call three poisonings, one stabbing, and uncounted bribes, blackmail attempts, and threats "reasoned"? --Vola

There is little, if any, documentation of such "facts," Vola. --Varren]

 

Encyclopedia Dominia: Early Volumes I

 The Encyclopedia Domnia had various stories, lore, and information of the worlds of the multiverse.  Here we're restoring some of the online duelist's tales.  The Encyclopedia was gathered by the planeswalker Taysir, here are Tande's Journal and the City of Brass.  We are continuing our reproducing of them: they are not original content, but created by Wizards of the Coast for the Online Duelist in the 1990s. 

Tande's Journal

Although the mage Tande is perhaps best known for his musings on the principles of artifact consciousness, this particular journal entry is far more pragmatic--and at the same time more fantastical--than his other known writings. Scholars differ strongly on whether Tande and his lover Trebecia actually visited Phyrexia, or whether the entire story is a hoax or a particularly vivid fever dream. After all, Tande was bedridden for almost two years with a mysterious illness around the time he scribed this entry.--Taysir

As I write these words it seems a wonder that my hand can hold even the weight of my quill. Until a few hours ago I was convinced that the impressions of the past day and night would forever be carved into my mind. Yet, already the jagged, knife-edged memories begin to blur. Perhaps it is my mind protecting my sanity? For I am certain no man could carry these images in his mind and not lose himself to the horror. I must record now what I have seen, while it is still clear.

Two days ago I was just entering my workroom when I witnessed my love, Trebecia, an artificer like myself, fall through a Phyrexian portal. Phyrexia, that dreadful plane, is a place I have long known of, and debated and discussed with other artificers. How and why the portal opened I still do not know, but I managed to throw myself through before it closed.

And thus did I enter Hell.

I must have lost consciousness, for I remember nothing of the passage. I awoke lying in a bed of strange silvery vines. If I hadn't been wearing several layers of woolen clothes, the sharp edges of the almost metallic leaves would surely have sliced my skin. As it was, I had to abandon my outer tunic, shredded in my efforts to extract myself from the strange plants.

I looked around in an attempt to regain my bearings. But how can any sane man find his bearings in an insane world? A soot-streaked sky lowered over a broad, dusty plain spotted with clumps of oily trees that could as easily have been machines as plants. A small stream meandered nearby. Apart from myself and the lethargic stream, this plain was silent and stifling and still; the omnipresent haze of grime gummed even the air itself, which left its foul reek as residue in my mouth.

I bent down on one knee to splash water on my face. But I immediately changed my plan, for the water in the stream was slick with oil, while congealed soot clung tenaciously to its rocky bed. Rubbing at the tacky coating with my sleeves only smeared it deep into my pores, and I could feel airborne grit building up on my palms and fingers.

Stumbling away from the stream, I looked down to find in the glittering, sticky soil a series of human footprints staggering away across the plain, as though made by one moving hesitantly. I immediately forgot my own fear at the thought of Trebecia wandering this place alone.

I jogged rapidly across the filthy land, maneuvering around piles of cogs and gears, and the rusting remains of tormented artifacts. Several saurian creatures wandered in the distance, their immense bodies glistening with oil, their motions easy and fluid in the oppressive stillness. They struck me as being both organic and mechanical, as if they were machines grown instead of made. I passed perhaps three, perhaps four of these monstrosities as I crossed the charnel plain.

Although occasionally it seemed that fierce red eyes glowered at me from clumps of metallic vegetation, the only other creature I encountered on the dark plain was a dragon engine. Of course, I have seen a number of the engines Mishra created. Yet none of those clumsy creatures could compare with the lithe form before me. As sinuous and quick as any dragon of flesh and blood, the creature was still, quite obviously, a machine. There is such a thing as horrible beauty, and this personified it.

Moving on, I soon reached a tunnel piercing the very heart of the plain. Here my heart fell, for now Trebecia's footsteps were echoed by those of smaller, clawed feet. A foul, hot wind from the tunnel had obscured those prints closest to its opening, but their implication was inescapable: at least half a dozen creatures had surrounded Trebecia. Their footprints replaced hers en route to the tunnel entrance.

Praying to every god I had ever heard of, I entered the heart of darkness.

The tunnel wound downwards for what seemed hours. My eyes wept constantly, and my skin alternately itched and burned in the choking exhaust that flowed over and past me. Sweat and tears barely kept my vision clear, but finally, I emerged, dazed and half-blind, my lungs burning with sulfur, on another part of Phyrexia. It was as if the tunnel burrowed through this hellish plane to reveal a second layer inside the first. The land I now faced was different from the dread plain above. Here the air burned even hotter, an almost palpable weight to my seared lungs. Within moments, I was indistinguishable from the rest of the blackened, blasted landscape.

Of course, there was no true sky. Instead, twisted beams and metal structures formed a dark ceiling high above my head. Red light spilled balefully across the rusted, pitted metal, casting twisted shadows that somehow managed to look like scenes of torture. The light itself came from vast, smoke-grimed chimneys thrusting upwards almost to the ceiling-sky above. Fire and soot spewed from their tops, and in some unrepaired spots, long fingers of fire scratched through cracks, as if a terrible flame beast sought escape from its metallic prison.

Ignoring the horror of my surroundings as best I could, I followed the small pack of renewed footprints. They led me easily through the ashen wastes, filled with random and numerous piles of broken machinery. Though lighter than the soil above, this ash had been so compressed by the company's passage that not even the constant streaming of the foul air could disturb it.

Somehow I traversed that expanse without stumbling upon any other creatures. Cries and grinding movement echoed near me several times, but never did an actual beast move close enough to distinguish itself from the clouds of soot and ash.

Once again the footprints led me to a tunnel, and once again I followed them. The tunnel floor soon grew rough, and as I neared its end, pipes and tubing also sprouted from the floor, causing me to often stumble and fall. I soon took to crawling like an animal.

At the end of this latest journey I looked out upon a massive labyrinth of ancient metal pipes and beams, begrimed with congealed oil. Staring at the vast, confusing network below me, I at first despaired of following Trebecia and her abductors. Then my eye was caught by one small piece of pale blue cloth, crammed into the juncture of two pipes. Looking further, I saw another piece of cloth. Trebecia was alive! She was leaving me a way to find her through the infernal maze.

Steeling myself, I pressed forward. Even with Trebecia's aid, the journey was terrible: there were brief stretches when I could walk upright, or even slightly hunched, but these infrequent breaks merely underscored the wretchedness of my sojourn. I was often forced to navigate pipe junctures that left hardly enough room for a man to pass. Sometimes I could only partially expand my chest, which made breathing the hot, fetid air still more difficult. I spent an eternity inside a broken segment of pipe without being able to move at all, staring at the hard, close darkness around me while my own pulse boomed in my ears. Had I not been coated in oily grime, I would be there still--but I eventually dragged myself free like a snake shedding its skin.

I know I called upon my magic more than once to survive the long hours, but just what spells I can no longer recall. My thoughts crawl with images of corpses hanging from chains and shoved into tubing; a child-sized figure splayed across a mammoth pipe; two men--one blond, the other dark--forever struggling, each clutching the other's throat; a single skeletal hand reaching out to me from blackness.

I can write no more of this. Suffice it to say that I did, at last, reach another tunnel. For the last time, I went deeper.

Phyrexia undoubtedly contains more rotting spheres, but I at last found Trebecia within the fourth. This one reminded me of a burned-out mansion I once hid within as a child. Everywhere hollowed, decaying structures loomed, while a constant drizzle of oil rained down. Instead of celestial bodies, there were cogs and wheels, gears and clockworks, hanging like macabre trophies from the rusted piping overhead. Fitful bursts of light emanated from the furnaces that dotted the landscape. Their cheerless illumination only served to emphasize the utter blackness of this terrible realm.

And the noise! As the sights reminded me of ruins from my childhood, so the sounds were that constant, jarring din that frightened children hear in fever dreams. Around me, all whirred and crunched fruitlessly, constant creaks and groans producing a ceaseless, agonizing cacophony.

I believe if I had not heard my love's cries only moments after I entered this plane, I would have gone mad. But Trebecia's voice formed a net around my soul, and I followed the strands as desperately as any drowning man ever clung to the rescuer's rope.

When I found Trebecia she was surrounded by over a dozen coal-black creatures with gleaming red eyes and soot-encrusted teeth. These Phyrexian gremlins constantly gibbered, occasionally turning on one another, biting and clawing their neighbors. Several of the feral creatures held tightly to Trebecia, but their true attention seemed focused on a tall, twisted being at their center. It was motionless, but I did not trust it to remain so. The gremlins were a chittering swarm at its feet, kneeling and falling over one another in obscene and frenzied supplication.

Viewing such chaotic motion, unable to separate the creatures' endless chatter from the discordant whine of machinery overhead, I began to sicken and swoon. As I stumbled, I spied the partial and still functioning remains of a hapless brass man between the gremlins and their totem. Although the brass man still seemed conscious, its struggles grew weaker still as I neared the awful scene. With a dreadful certainty I knew that this token offering would soon be replaced with one of considerably more value to their masters . . . and immeasurably more value to me.

At my approach, the gremlins took up a concerted howl of discovery. The pack had at last noticed my presence. As they came away from their ritual, I clearly saw the statue of the Yawgmoth demon they were capering beneath. Its eyes flashed as it grinned at me, though I could not determine if it had always been so oriented, or if the terrible head had actually swiveled to greet me. Meeting its eyes, I was seized with a terrible knowledge: that one day Phyrexia would rise up to yoke all planes to its dark designs.

I truly don't remember how Trebecia and I fought our way through the gremlins to the dying brass man's side. If I had not been granted the sight of her struggling to break free, I daresay I could not have done the same. Snatching up an unfortunate gremlin that had not survived the encounter (or perhaps it had not succumbed to the orgy of worship--I am still unsure), we bound its flesh and the brass man's body in dread ritual. A portal opened before us.

And then we were home.

I know this last piece of narrative makes even less sense than the first, but I can only relate what my poor mind remembers. Even now, the healers come for me. Although they say we will both live, I can tell they are concerned for us. They may even believe us mad. Perhaps we are. But if Phyrexia is madness, then I believe that madness exists within each of us. 

 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The City of Brass

by She Who Watches

It should come as no surprise that the first tales I gathered to place in my encyclopedia come from my birthplace, Rabiah. I find this tale compelling because it leaves the reader with several tantalizing references to a place of power that lies on the cusp of a plane. Of course, it is also a tale of high passion and pain, and my youthful self knew too well where such emotions can lead. -Taysir

While a memory lives, so shall its maker. . . . For those of us who tell stories and write down the great and infamous doings of our people, these words carry greater weight than a hundredfold gold bars. Today, my tale is brief; the lesson drawn from it perhaps a bit longer, perhaps twice as short. Only my readers will know.

Princess Fatima was the wealthiest of women. She had riches galore, camels and silks, and a lover who was one of the most powerful men in her kingdom. She also was rich in magic. In Fatima's land as in many of our backward kingdoms, women have little control over their own lives. Their husband or father controls them. But Fatima's father was dead, no uncles or brothers lived, and she had not yet married. Every night, Fatima whispered in the ear of her lover, al-Abin, "Ask me not to marry you, and I will love you forever." To which al-Abin would reply, "Do not marry me, dear one."

For months, their strange arrangement lasted, until one night Fatima whispered, "Ask me not to marry you, and I will love you forever." To which al-Abin replied, "Marry me and make me the happiest of men." Furious, Fatima declared that she would never marry him. Despite al-Abin's begging, Fatima remained adamant. That very night her lover left Fatima for good.

Furious at al-Abin and the land that birthed him, Fatima went into a rage that lasted for days. At the end of this time, she turned all of her attention to her magic. Determined to build a place where none would ever dare disturb her, Fatima chose to create a City of Brass that blazed with the heat of her fury.

With every month she worked on her city, Fatima's power grew until it was so great she could stride across the planes and leave her people behind. She moved her city to the very farthest edges of Rabiah, where she worked in complete solitude. Yet, after a number of years, Fatima felt a touch of loneliness. Although she did not wish to see her people again, she wished some companionship. Thus, Fatima built the first of the Brass Men.

Fatima cared deeply for her brass creations, who bore the grief she never allowed herself to feel and thus often stopped to mourn after performing any task. As was her city, her brass men were cold as al-Abin's betrayal and hot as Fatima's wrath. Yet they were--and are--her children, and Fatima loves them to this day.

Go not to the City of Brass, unless you can bear great pain. For if you venture within its molten walls you will find yourself burned by the heat of its fires and by the rage and grief of its lone mistress.

 

Lore Compilation for Dominaria United

We return once again, to the hub of the multiverse: Dominaria!  The world connected and the center of all.  Please see our main compilations page for more articles of the history of Dominaria, and past lore from the 2018 expansion.  

 

Planeswalker's Guide To Dominaria United. 

The Legends for Dominaria United.

 

Main Story: 

1. Echoes in the Dark  Karn discovers his worst fears. 

2. Sand in the Hourglass Karn attempts to warn his friends and planeswalkers, with peril

3. The Locked Tower Karn assists in determining who the sleeper agent is.

4. A Brutal Blow The planeswalkers gather forces to draw the Phyrexians on Dominaria out

5. Whispers in the Wind The final battle on Dominaria, and a terrible revelation!

Side Stories: 

 Homecoming - for Liliana, or fans?

The Education of Ulf - in the Tolarian Academy West

Death and Salvation - Squee's future and past reunite

Shades and Nightmares - Darker and Darker

Faith in Birds - Femeref has troubled decisions to make

Synopsis: 

Karn is seeking answers on how to properly use the Golgothian Sylex, in the Caves of Koilos, when he stumbles upon a Phyrexian staging ground.  He attacks and attempts to kill Sheoldred alone, but is defeated by Rona and burned under rock, until Ajani manages to find and uncover him.  He returns to Argive to learn that Jodah and Jaya are helping negotiate an alliance between Keld and Benalia, but when Teferi interrupts with news of Phyrexians, the sleeper agents from New Argive attack. Ajani gives chase to save Aron Capashen, but Karn, Jodah, Teferi, Jaya, and Stenn (the negotiator) are stuck trying to capture the spy among them in the tower.  It's Stenn, and Karn uses deception to draw him out, despite much of New Argive being corrupted already by Phyrexians.  

The walkers call the Weatherlight and they split up to request help to draw out the Phyrexians (with the Sylex as bait, as well as the Mana Rig in Shiv).  There are multiple larger skirmishes, and many races and peoples battle or seek protection (see the side stories), including Squee and his band of goblins being corrupted by Phyrexians and the return of Ertai.  

Even the Weatherlight with its Thran based engine is corrupted into a Phyrexian machine.  The final battle begins, with the Dominarians hard pressed - but they seem to have won until Ajani is revealed to be a sleeper agent Phyrexian (without his awareness), and he destroys the Sylex, kills Jaya, and he and Sheoldred kidnap Karn to Phyrexia.  Otherwise, the Dominarians are victorious in their battle for their plane, for now... 

Videos: 

Building worlds: Dominaria

  

Official Teaser

 

Other Lore:

 Wizards took out an obituary for Jaya Ballard in the Seattle Times Newspaper:

You can also see her respects page at Jayaballard.com

Who the Raven Man is, by Jay Annelli

The r/mtgVorthos subreddit had the preview for Lagamos, and released a fan soundtrack for him, by u/TheDaviday 

Did you see the scroll made for the Korean Magic community?  It's got quite that style!

A header image from Instagram, showcasing the face off in a different way! 

In Australia, Wizards partnered with a Boba company for special drinks!

In Kuala Lampur - KakiTabletop was sent a special media package!  With a map of Dominiaria with notes both of Phyrexia and the Coalition! https://www.instagram.com/p/CiiCd2dJrl5/  Read the whole map on their blog: https://kakitabletop.com/lets-talk-about-dominaria-united/ 

They deciphered the texts: 

Traveller, it is destined that you delve into my humble writings and observations that I have collected over the years. Not all which is written are as it seems, and I am certain you will find the truth.

Coalition	Phyrexian
Dominaria contains the evidence of ___ ancient artefacts scattered in ruins across the landscape. Their function is often a mystery to the people living amongst them. Dominarians live in the shadows of the past.
Dotted with islands and populated by merfolk, the Voda Sea is the crossroads of Dominaria. On its western edge, bordered by the continent of Aerona, which is home to Benalia, the foremost military and economic power on the plane. The forest of Llanowar, populated by ___ elves ___, live just south of Benalia, ___ by the goblins and orcs of the Ironclaw Mountains.	THE UNWORTHY WILL BE PURGED. GAZE UPON THE PERFECTION OF FILIGREE THAT MARKS THE GRATEFUL FLESH WITH INTRICATE SCARS.
The northern extent of the Voda Sea is Stahaan, which is home to a ___ ___ minotaur society.
North and east of Jamuraa stretches Dominaria’s largest ocean, ___ called the Great Ocean. The fiery land of Shiv is northeast of Jamuraa – a rocky and mountainous place inhabited by dragons, the reptilian Viashino, and goblins.	YOUR TRUEST SELF WILL BE REVEALED. IT IS NOT ONE YOU KNEW, BUT INSTEAD ONE THAT YOU MUST FOLLOW.
The humans of Shiv, the Ghitu are largely nomadic. Shiv is also notable for the ruins of an ancient factory, the Thran Mana Rig, which remains capable of producing powerful magic.	BRASS AND BONE, STEEL AND SINEW, WITH THE CLARITY OF VISION AND PURPOSE, COMES CLARITY OF FUNCTION. THAT IS PERFECTION.
Gulmany is separated from New Argive by the Sea of Laments, and from Almaaz by the Sea of Almaaz. Far ___ to the south of Terisiare, the continent of Sarpadia is rumoured to be lost to civilized habitation.	THE GOD OF WASTE IS CALLING. FATHER OF MACHINES. HIS BRETHREN LIE IN WAIT. THEY ARE MANY.
Millenia ago, the artificer brothers Urza and Mishra discovered the secrets of the Thran ___ in a network of caves called Koilos. This marked the beginning of Phyrexian influence on Dominaria. Farthest east lies New Argive, a kingdom of scholars and artificers who ___ learning above all else.
Terisiare lies east of Otaria and west of the Spice Isles. Once a continent, Terisiare has been shattered into five great islands and many smaller ones by the destruction wrought during the Brother’s War and the Ice Age.	YAWGMOTH WILL RETURN. THE WEAK MUST BE PURGED. AWAKEN AGENT. WE EXIST TO CEASE. ASH IS OUR AIR. DARKNESS OUR FLESH. WE RISE ONCE MORE, IT HAS BEGUN.
The Kukemssa Sea stretches to the northwest of Zhalfir, east of the Burning Isles. The island-continent of Corondor is situated just to the north of Jamuraa, and it is ___ entangled in Zhalfir’s history. Southwest of Jamuraa is the island of Madara, home to the Umezawa family and the Talon Gates where Nicol Bolas long ago defeated a primordial, godlike leviathan and ___ ___ he was resurrected after his defeat.

(All translated deciphered text is credit to kakitabletop!)  Please visit their site for more cool images or the photos of the box!)

Did we miss anything?  We'd love to continue to compile all art and lore from the new Dominaria set!