I've been reading this forum for a few weeks now, after a very long time (six or seven years!) away from the game. It's actually hugely surprising to hear that people are still discussing my old website about the storyline and continuity. I hope you guys have enjoyed it; it was a lot of fun to put together and was my way of trying to collect all the information I could from what used to be a very scattered storyline.
I do want to give some background for those of you analyzing the site--I believe people are accessing it through Internet Archive, which is great because I no longer have ANY of the original files or storyline materials I used originally. Here's the summary:
Some of the storyline, particularly the "prerevisionist" stuff, is hard to source. First of all, I think I did coin that term when my friend Teri McLaren (author of Song of Time) and I realized that there would be a whole new line in the Magic continuity. While the word itself is innocuous in this context, I honestly wished I had chosen a better term if only because of the other, more serious connotations. Anyway, a great deal of the information comes from the Acclaim comics which you guys have found. However, the Arabian Nights background, particularly for mythology (i.e. the djinn and efreets, my favorite part of the cards) was sourced from literature and outside sites. So it's not necessarily reflective of Magic continuity, although I don't recall any of it explicitly contradicting what Pete Venters and other authors developed for the Rabiah setting.
I can't recall exactly what issue, but the old INQUEST magazine once released a whole summary of the MtG storyline all the way to (I believe) the beginning of Mirage). This is the source of The Dark info. Some of the details I recall in this storyline included Lim-Dul being left out in the Adarkar Wastes by Kjeldor, possibly because he had a liaison with a powerful noble's daughter, etc. I believe this stuff doesn't necessarily square with the Acclaim comics, but when I first read the issue, it was the best and most complete synopsis of everything that went on.
Also, there was a calendar which I never was able to get back. This wasn't one of the beautiful large Mirage or Urza's Saga releases, but rather was a flipbook type calendar in which you peeled a page off for each day. About a third of these pages had two or three-line backstories for the Legends, various characters and cards from the old Magic sets, etc. This was a great thing and I remember hoarding all the pages and keeping them for trivia and the site. If anyone is able to find this release, I salute you.
There is also a Mirage storyline file out there somewhere. I really wish that I could find it--if any of you have been able to, please post it if only for nostalgia's sake. This was a text file along with a whole bunch of card spoilers released weeks before the set came out. I remember seeing a very long and detailed history, including how Femeref split off from the other nations, which was far richer than the summary we have now from Wizards. I wonder if it is still available on an archive site somewhere, but it was GREAT. Provided a huge amount of detail and really pumped me up for the set, which I still think of as the "Golden Age" of Magic.
A number of other sources include Pete Venters himself (whom I emailed a few times with random questions), old Duelists (I think I've heard of people wondering where I got the Lotus Vale and Tolaria connection? I believe it should be answered by the back of the postcard that came in the Weatherlight issue) and particularly for the Almaaz setting, my own friend Teri. For what it is worth, Song of Time (the old HarperCollins book she wrote) did have a sequel called Shadows of Time. The book was completed and Wizards had the rights, but after a long struggle on my part and the author's, we were unsuccessful in getting the book actually printed. Teri decided not to pursue the publication once the Brothers' War novel was issued, an amazing job by Jeff Grubb which did square in with the Almaaz timeline established in those old books. I believe there's a post below about the Thaw--this is a term that Teri received when she was writing the book and in fact, in the sequel there is even more detail given about how the glaciers carved Terisiare up, with an area of Almaaz where you can see the layers from the geological process. During the Ice Age, the land was locked in ice by the ancient race she only calls the "Rigida," and at the end the snow kingdom that remained is ruled by the Three Sisters. Some of that detail is in the Shadows sequel, others were reserved for the third book of the planned trilogy that will never be.
Finally, I'd like to add a final note. I worked on the site when I was about 12 or 13 years old. It's a huge honor to have something that I wrote at that age be so definitive for people, but keep in mind that it's been a long time since, I was young when I did the site, and there are a lot of materials and such that might no longer be around. Nevertheless, I hugely enjoyed the story back then and it was a great tool for teaching me HTML, graphics, and how to write, which are all skills that have served me very well since. I'm fascinated by how much the game and the continuity have changed and even though I haven't really kept up with following the story, it seems great that it's still going.
Keep it up and thanks for reading this long message!
Before I address a couple points you brought up, I feel I should introduce myself.
Years ago, your site captivated me. Indeed, when I was 12 or 13 is when I contacted you and wrote the Arabian Nights fan-fiction (perhaps you can recall it) which you posted, along with someone else's Ishan's Shade fan-fiction. Since then, I began posting on MtGNews.com as "Tawnos" and later switched to the username "Zazdor." I headed up a card-making group (HGML--the Home Grown Magic League) with old faces like Jazzfan27, Planeswlk, and Sednezerd. I have been involved in many discussions on Magic continuity theory and plot information. Urza-gc13 (who has begun posting again), Gelcur (who stayed on the MtGNews boards mostly after Salvation was created) and I worked on the Planeswalker's Center of Consciousness theory (which can now be found here). I also began an epic fan-fiction of the Mirage Wars, which I only completed half of. I fell away from continuity for a while (college can have that effect), I haven't played since Apocalyse, and just recently have I been posting here again.
Onto your comments:
I am excited to hear that The Thaw was a term used then as a specific phrase for the period that later turned into the Age of Storms.
While on MtGNews, I recall Gelcur (the leader of storyline information on the boards) and I searching for Teri's contact information to see if she would be allowed or interested in sharing the remainder of the Song of Time plotline. So, since you're here . . . is there any chance?
If I am not mistaken, the Mirage information that you refer to is either on the WotC website, or there may be a link to it in the stickied thread at the top of the forum. If not, I believe I have it.
Anyway--welcome back to the community!
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Dominian Scholar of the Old Guard, specializing in pre-revisionist (Armada comics) and revisionist (Brothers' War through Apocalypse)history
Jeff Lee's "Legends of Magic" website was the largest compiled website of known Dominian lore way back in the mid- to late-1990s. It was affiliated with MtGNews.com. Jeff had a lot of information regarding Arabian Nights, the Dark, Legends, Ice Age, and Mirage, if I am not mistaken. There were card-by-card flavor text and artwork comments as to how they fit into the story (that may have been for Mirage only). There was a glossary--and most of the unfamiliar planeswalker names were originally compiled by Jeff Lee.
I do not have access to any of his website, as it was taken down. I know Gelcur had saved all the information, but he has not posted here in ages (if ever--I knew he has stopped by the Greek Alliance clan thread a while ago).
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Yes, there seems to have been quite some demand for the sequel. I attribute this to the quality of the original vis-a-vis the other HarperCollins books, even though the flavor of the book was very different from the rest of MtG continuity even then. I have gone over the manuscript, because when we were pushing for its publication we wanted to make sure that the continuity remained consistent, but I believe the copyright is still held by Wizards. From what I recall of it, it's a lot more action-packed than Song of Time and wraps up the main storyline, but there is room for the third book. Teri constructed a very complicated and detailed land in Almaaz (which btw is Arabic for "diamond," I believe) and a lot of the passing references such as the Three Sisters, the Black Pearl of Nadrum, the Faces of Night etc. were to be developed in the final book. In the case of the Three Sisters, for example, they are the last of the Rigida race that kept a part of Almaaz frozen even past the Ice Age and the Thaw, and Drufalden is the last (having imprisoned her mother and killed off the other two).
Obviously very frustrating for the author that she completed an entire book, only to see it held up and unable to (possibly ever) be printed, but the small bonus was that Almaaz's continuity was very well-preserved when Jeff Grubb wrote Brothers' War. The battle between Urza and Mishra in the beginning of Song of Time, for example, can be fit into the last part of Grubb's book, and the references to song magic, etc. are great. I know that Teri was very happy when I told her that some elements of her old story survived and were not retro-fitted, but rather mentioned in the new official rendition, and she herself (not being particularly attached to the game or its products) has read Brothers' War.
I do recall where the steel gnomes come from--they are from an old Duelist magazine. There were several columns in the Duelist with storyline bits, including one on the history of Epityr and its Serra Angels (which also references Almaaz!) and I remember this one naming Steel Island as the third of the Burning Isles. And I am positive that the mechanical gnomes come from that article, as I remember thinking it was a weird footnote. At that time, Mirage's storyline made the Isles seem like a creepy, violent place, so the entire paragraph seemed out of place. Anyone have that issue?
Although I did fill in some parts, particularly the Arabian Nights section, with sourced information from mythology, etc. I definitely don't recall actively making up continuity--something that would have bothered me even at that age since I was presenting a site designed to put together everything we had. The 365-day calendar, the old Duelists, the old Magic websites (i.e. Oasis, the Encyclopedia, etc.) and some of the additional continuity I got from authors and PV are pretty key for these points.
For the Mirage storyline, for example, I am looking through the repost on this board from my site which talks about Queen Yormeba in Zhalfirin history, Tulumai being the capital of Femeref, etc. I know these come from old versions of the storyline, because they no longer show up on the very abbreviated synopsis you can get for Mirage on the Wizards site, and for certain these are proper names that were put forth by official continuity (i.e. it is one thing to expand the differences between efreets and djinn, translate the Arabic name of Junun Efreet, etc. and relate that to the card, and another to make up a whole character, relate her to major characters and come up with the backstory around her coronation, etc.)
By the way, if anyone DOES have that Mirage text file...still looking ; )
Mirage began in 1993 as the set Menagerie but hit the shelves in the fall of 1996. The second stand-alone set, Mirage was the largest set of its time and contained a subset of ten cards consisting of seven dragons, two overlords, and Rashida Scalebane. Mirage also introduced the properties of phasing and flanking and the clarified rules of Fifth Edition. Many of the new card effects centered around flexibility of rules, particularly the ten charms that appeared in both Mirage and its follower Visions. In addition, Mirage was the first expansion to introduce an online promotional, called Oasis .
The 350-card set was inspired by a painting of a Nubian warrior. It allowed Wizards to address the issue of ethnic variety in Magic by creating the setting of Jamuraa, part of a gigantic equatorial continent. Although most of the Jamuraan supercontinent is dominated by Arabic peoples, the Jamuraa seen in Mirage has heavy African influences. Figures from the foreign lands of Corondor and the Burning Isles provided Caucasian people.
Although Mirage has many factions, it revolves around three kingdoms, each with their distinctive ethnic and cultural backgrounds. The empire of Suq’Ata is a descendant of the kingdoms of Rabiah, the setting of Arabian Nights . Suq’Ata civilians are thus Arabic in features and clothing. The kingdom of Zhalfir is one of the oldest living civilizations on the planet, is the centerpiece of Mirage , and is based off African people: thus many Zhalfirin are of a darker color. The Zhalfirin dress, however, is Roman (as can be seen in the headpieces of civilians and magicians) with Egyptian touches. And finally, the theocracy of Femeref is of the same ethnic background as Zhalfirin, but Femeref has its own culture and its costuming tends to be more restrained. For example, compare the Suq’Ata woman in the triptych’s left panel, the Femeref women in the center panel, and the Zhalfirin mage in the right. Mirage also has extensive histories. Two of the three major civilizations go back millenia; and each nation has an established historical and literary record. Works such as The One Thousand Questions and the writings of the great Femeref woman Naimah are common sights in the cards. In addition, an extensive poem, “Love Song of Night and Day”, was composed and broken up across cards in both Mirage and Visions .
The symbol for the Mirage stand-alone expansion is a palm tree with three pairs of leaves. All cards are dated 1996 and are black-bordered limited edition. Mirage was sold in two formats: the first was a 60-card starter deck that included a rulebook and was covered by Gerry Grace’s Ivory Charm art. The second was a 15-card booster pack with four varying covers: Grinning Totem, Taniwha, Maro, and Jungle Troll. The boxes for the packs carried cover art of Gerry Grace’s Ebony Charm. THE HISTORY OF JAMURAA
In the 43rd century of modern Dominarian history, a continent wide war would shatter the ancient nations of Jamuraa. Fought between ambitious wizards and armies, the ages chronicled in the Mirage expansion and its followers would mark history on the tropical continent forever. But every war has its roots in previous strife, and this war was no exception... In the equatorial regions of Dominaria is a gigantic supercontinent ruled by Arabic empires and Viashino tribes. This supercontinent is composed of many land masses, but the most prominent is Jamuraa at its northwest tip: home to the three powerful kingdoms of Zhalfir, Femeref, and Suq’Ata. These three countries are separated from the other cultures of the continent by a great desert in the southeast. All three Jamuraan nations have existed for centuries, but the oldest is the kingdom of Zhalfir, which is one of the oldest civilizations on the planet that still survives to this day.
“Unlike Zhalfir, the griffin needs no council to keep harmony among its parts.” - Asmira, Holy Avenger Zhalfir predates virtually all other civilizations of Dominaria today. It has survived for millenia and indeed, became civilized even before the modern calendar began. Before the Brothers War, the Zhalfirin had already mastered the five colors of magic, making them amongst the first Dominarians to use mana in all its forms. With a fertile climate at the equator and generations of wise rulers advised by the planewalker Teferi, Zhalfir was allowed to dominate much of Jamuraa for generations.
During the Ice Age, Zhalfir’s magical protection allowed it to survive the unnatural cold relatively unharmed. Unlike the rest of Dominia, Zhalfir did not experience a Dark Age and was untouched by the Brothers War. The Zhalfirin nation is one of the few in which even the civilians practice magic.
For centuries Zhalfir has had the gift of the planeswalker Teferi. A wise man educated on the isle of Tolaria, Teferi understood the need for balance and order in Zhalfir. However, as a planeswalker the urge of travelling beyond Dominaria became too great and he sought a way to allow his kingdom to remain stable in his absence. This way convinced him to establish the five Guilds of Zhalfir. Zhalfir, with its long history of magic, had established institutions, the Houses of Magic, for each color. Thus, the magic houses bent to Teferi’s will, allowing him to refine them into guilds that would benefit the country as a whole.
The most unusual aspect of Teferi’s guilds was their harmony. Opposing colors worked together, not against each other. With a mutual understanding of each other, the five Guilds of Zhalfir were the greatest pillars of the kingdom and even when the people’s faith diminished in their king, it remained strong in their Guilds. Every city, town, and village had five delegates from the Guild. Ø White became the Civic Guild. The Civic Guild wielded the power of law and justice and used their magic as the arbitrators of truth in Zhalfirin society. Honor, fidelity, and integrity were key principles in the Civic Guild. They were the dispassionate judges and upholders of the nation. Ø Blue became the Shaper Guild. These expert artisans and engineers were named because they molded both matter and society into the shapes they saw fit. Under the Shaper Guild magical paraphernalia such as wands and potions were made, but also large mechanical devices which allowed Zhalfir to mobilize its manual labor force. Many feats of architecture were the works of the Shaper Guild. Ø Red became the Armorer Guild. Responsible for the weapons and warcraft of Zhalfir, the Armorers also worked on strengthening building foundations. Despite their opposing colors, the Armorer Guild and Shaper Guild held cordial relations and worked together to fortify Zhalfirin structures. Ø Black became the secretive Shadow Guild. They were the most distant of the five guilds, and all members wore hooded robes of black and ashen gray to hide their faces. They were responsible for the preparation of the dead, organization of funerals, and all related tasks. They cleared the dead from battlefields and streets, supervised inheritances and wills, and maintained the shrines of ancestors. The Shadow Guild buried the dead in massive catacombs below the cities. However, some in the Guild used their practice to further their art-a choice that would lead to great friction. Ø Green became the most important guild, the Granger Guild. They maintained the fertility of the land, fed the people, and helped with harvests and livestock. The Grangers took great pains to ensure that disease and plague were contained and they have done more for the health of Zhalfirin people than any other guild. Satisfied that he had stabilized Zhalfir, Teferi left Dominaria for other worlds. Soon afterwards, the capital of Zhalfir, Ki’pamu, erupted in civil disorder as the church denounced the Shadow Guild, which had been given full control of the dead and the ancient crypts. The spiritual leaders went east to the city of Tulumai for a great convocation and, unable to move the Zhalfirin King on the issue, seceded from Zhalfir. Unwilling to create war amongst his people, the King agreed and handed over both Tulumai and Nyomba to the new church-state, called Femeref. The word means “Judgement” in Zhalfirin. ”Want all, lose all.”-Zhalfirin aphorism
Several years later Femeref expeditions hit gold. Veins were found in the Femeref territories and soon Zhalfir’s attention was drawn to the newfound wealth. Instead of risking war between the two nations over the metal, Femeref shared enough ore to placate Zhalfir and maintain its growing prosperity. Trade burgeoned as the news spread.
After two hundred years of secession, Femeref became a distinct state from Zhalfir. Magic was seen as spiritual and embraced in daily life, contrasting the careful approach of Zhalfirin guilds. Worship of symbols and totems dominated Femeref. The belief that these objects could influence people's lives was prevalent. Every Femeref citizen wore a Sun Clasp, believed to be the container of the soul. Charms were also exceedingly powerful. The church of Femeref declared its worship aligned around the solar disk, a move that many Zhalfirin guilds felt was nearsighted.
The Suq’Atan empire, descended from inhabitants of Rabiah, heard of the discovery. Its traders soon annexed the northern regions of Zhalfir and pushed southwards, encountering dwarven settlements in the mountains. The dwarves, outnumbered, fled south to Femeref, where they were welcomed, as their mining abilities would allow gold production to double. The dwarves established themselves in the Femeref mining town of Terorq and forged an alliance with Tulumai.
The nobles of Zhalfir heard of the increased production of gold in Femeref but knew nothing of the dwarven alliance. Believing that they were being swindled of their portion, the nobles pressured the King to take the mines by force. However, with an invading army of Suq’Ata entrenched along his northern regions, the Zhalfirin King was unable to stage an invasion of Femeref. Also unwilling to take action against the Suq’Atans, the King soon found himself the target of the noble classes’ anger.
A furious Teferi returned fifty years later to find Zhalfir broken. With its ancient might turned against itself, Zhalfir now faced the Suq’Ata, who pressed against its borders. Using his powers, Teferi tracked down a girl who was a blood relation of the Royal line. He mentored the girl in the art of politics and honed her natural ability to lead others. With his still strong reputation, Teferi convened the royal and magical leaders of Zhalfir at the court of Ki’pamu. At this convocation a long forgotten royal mage called Jolrael made a short, inconspicuous appearance.
The girl, Yormeba, was proclaimed the queen of Zhalfir at the convocation. Soon after her coronation Queen Yormeba brought peace to the country, but failed to reunify it. Tiring of the petty squabbles of his people, Teferi left with a group of trusted advisors, sages, artificers, and sorcerors. They sailed for a hidden realm in the Chaza Isles, where Teferi wanted to manipulate time.
“Stepping through time is like riding a camel. It may get you where you want to go, but the ride is rarely pleasant.” -Teferi
Inspired by the patterns of flames rising from a common torch, Teferi wanted to control time so he could overcome the difficulties of summoning creatures. By moving creatures through the time stream, he attempted to drop them Teferi had been clumsy and had damaged the temporal balance. Although he could have moved to another location, Teferi instead sought to right his wrongs and prevent time from unraveling in Jamuraa. He attempted to correct the problem by unleashing a blast of mana to repair the hole in the stream. Although he had anticipated danger, he did not anticipate the results of his “cure”. The unleashed mana burned into all plants, animals, and buildings on the isle. Instantly everything but the bare rock of the island phased out of existence.
The warring nations of Jamuraa knew nothing of what had happened. The Zhalfirin coalition had pronounced that anyone willing to take the land “stolen” from Zhalfir by Femeref would be rewarded. For eight years skirmishes had erupted along the borders of the country.
But there were three who had noticed temporal energies being released from the island. These three powerful wizards, all very different, thus came to Jamuraa and the mysterious island...beginning the story of the Mirage Wars. “How ironic that the greatest forge of civilization is battle.” - Mangara
First to arrive on Teferi’s isle was Mangara of Corondor. A wise man who was versed in politics and had trained at the feet of the planeswalker Eskil, Mangara was also an ally to the Quirion elves of the White Woods. Mangara understood the desires and vanities of men-allowing him to play political games with impunity.
The second wizard to come to Teferi’s isle was local. Emerging from the Mwonvuli Forest was Jolrael, an ancient Zhalfirin court mage who had forsaken civilization for a solitary life in a jungle palace. As she frequently tired of her home, Jolrael had by this time summoned a great many natural and supernatural creatures to build her palace after palace in the jungle delta. Jolrael was the controller of all animals in the Mwonvuli and beyond, and had formed alliances with two Viashino warlords, allowing her to command mighty dragons from the Great Desert and beyond.
Last was Kaervek of Urborg, a powerful mage that hailed from the vicious Burning Isles. Kaervek had formed many alliances with the evil spirits of Urborg and Bogardan, and now led a coalition of Nightstalkers, fanatical spirits bent on murder and mayhem. Kaervek brought with him Purraj of Urborg, the leader of a faction of dark Cat Warriors.
Within a few weeks all of the mages became aware of each other and the residual energies of the isle. They met on the empty rock but could find no explanation for the blast. Still interested in what secrets the isle might hold, the three wizards agreed to remain in Jamuraa and monitor the isle. Intent on carving a peaceful home for himself, Mangara set upon restoring peace and order to the land. Within a few years his natural gifts of diplomacy and intimidation allowed all three nations to coexist.
The first barrier in his attempts was the border between Femeref and Zhalfir, which had been the site for small battles over the past decade. Mangara created a buffer zone in the Uktabi (noted mistakenly as the Unyaro in certain accounts) jungle and summoned the Quirion elves from Corondor. The elves, faithful allies of Mangara, happily populated the forest and soon the city of Salamzuri was raised.
An agreement with Suq’Ata was harder but within a short time the capitals of Amiqat and Ki’pamu agreed to a trade agreement, the Suq’Ata’s favorite type of pact, and peace set in along the northern border. The new golden age of Jamuraa began within a century, and Mangara’s Harmony allowed an era where all races were equal and commerce and ideas flowed easily across borders.
Meanwhile, Jolrael showed the wilder reaches of her homeland to Kaervek. For a long time both mages were unaware of Mangara’s activities but when they returned, they found Mangara now a leader of the allied nations. As time passed by, the strength of the Age of Harmony only increased. Zhalfirins could be found in Femeref working at the mines or praying before the totems. Elves and dwarves could be found in any city of the three nations. This was the age where many philosophers, artisans, and chroniclers reached the height of their arts.
“The fire breathes while the air burns.”
Kaervek was alarmed at Mangara’s control of the continent. While the seemingly peaceful wizard had thousands of people at his feet, Kaervek failed to achieve rulership of a nation, a dream impossible in his former home. Thinking that Mangara had insidious motives for his control of Zhalfir, Kaervek manipulated Jolrael into believing that Mangara was the enemy. Having been isolated from humans for hundreds of years, Jolrael was easily bent to Kaervek’s machinations and together they summoned beast and undead alike to form a massive army against Mangara.
Kaervek worked on destroying Zhalfir from within. He used the ancient trouble spot for the kingdom-its borders-to ruin relations between the three governments in Ki’pamu, Amiqat, and Tulumai. The wizard also provoked infighting amongst the nobles of Zhalfir and as the disputes flared the danger of war became imminent. Blood finally was spilled and Kaervek unleashed a horde of evil spirits against Zhalfir while Mangara stood helpless. Kaervek then finished the plot by inviting Mangara to the Mwonvuli Delta, in “assistance” during the time of crisis. Mangara agreed...and never returned.
Jolrael and Kaervek ambushed Mangara in the Mwonvuli, sealing him in an Amber Prison that was placed in the throne room of one of Jolrael’s palaces, deep in the jungle. Although the stories varied widely-some believed Mangara had abandoned the people, leaving them to civil war; others believed he had perished in the dim forest-within a short time the Zhalfirins turned their backs on the hope of Mangara returning.
Kaervek seized the initiative and soon his spirits wreaked havoc across the land, alongside Jolrael’s unleashed, feral army. From the Mwonvuli and wild regions of the continent emerged wild cats and dragons. From Urborg arrived Breathstealers, who entered the homes of Zhalfirins and murdered citizens in their sleep. Farmers and herders vanished from their fields. In Femeref, an abundant early harvest was prophesied by the visionary Asmira, who viewed it as a sign of impending war. Her vision would ring true later, but when it was first given it failed to impress any believers and instead caused a religious uproar in Tulumai.
“How ironic that the greatest forge of civilization is battle.” – Mangara
A council was called where the three allied nations discussed the situation. From Suq’Ata came the great storyteller Hakim Loreweaver, who told of what was happening across the land. He attempted to convince the council to put aside territorial squabbles in the interest of restoring order and finding what was wrong. Kaervek, in spectacular bad timing, then appeared before the three nations and demanded their surrender before him. Furious and united, the council refused to pay fealty to him and declared war.
Kaervek chose not to attack the nations immediately with his full force, but rather sent an occasional incursion into Jamuraa. Dragons would sometimes appear suddenly in Zhalfir and destroy villages, but they did not come in any organized pattern. The Uuserk Marshes were blocked after Scout Ekemet of Femeref and her troupe was killed mysteriously in the swamp. However, the greatest blow was yet to come.
From the Burning Isles was summoned the powerful demon known as the Spirit of the Night. Kaervek sent the spirit against Femeref, and soon afterwards the grand assembly of Femeref, the Council of Voices, was struck down in Tulumai. Only one witness, a sewer urchin who had been spying on the governing house, had seen the carnage and reported that a mysterious being with sickly eyes had materialized in the room and slew everybody. Although few gave his story much credence, none could come up with any other explanation.
The attacks became stronger and more determined. Armies of spirits and feral animals attacked all three nations, ravaging Femeref the most. In Zhalfir, reports reached Ki’pamu of armies of undead rising from the land. Jolrael, with her alliances in the Viashino realms, summoned even more dragons to add to her fearsome jungle army. In desperation, Zhalfir raised its armies against the impending invasion, and Suq’Ata summoned its powerful embermages to its cities’ defense as well as called upon the aid of the Wildfire djinns and efreets.
What went unnoticed, however, was far more important. After two hundred years, Teferi’s isle returned. For a long time its people were unaware that any time had passed, but when one of Jolrael’s dragons, drawn by the scent of people, attacked the isle, they began to realize something was terribly wrong on the mainland. Teferi killed the dragon and began experiments to determine the root of the trouble. He discovered that he was not only two centuries into the future, but also that foreign wizards had infiltrated his land.
Soon afterwards, all three nations formed a frail pact while Kaervek usurped Jolrael’s authority and took control of her armies. The evil wizard then sent the combined armies against the three human nations. From the Mwonvuli emerged wild animals. From the Uuserk and Burning Isles came dark swamp spirits. And from the Great Desert arrived the Viashino tribes and their fearsome dragons.
Among the first to oppose Kaervek’s forces was Rashida Scalebane. The sole survivor of a dragon attack on her village, Rashida quickly cobbled together an army of commoners and even nobles against the aggression. Legendary for her skill in slaying dragons, Rashida Scalebane soon became a leader for Zhalfir. Offsetting her was Sidar Jabari, a powerful nobleman who controlled the official standing army of the kingdom. During the first years of the war, both sides failed to make an alliance, and Zhalfir remained split between the two armies.
With the collapse of the Tulumai government the highest spiritual leader of Femeref, Asmira the Visionary, became the ruler of the nation. She became sidar of the Femeref armies but continued her role as a spiritual leader to the people. Meanwhile, in Suq’Ata the nobleman Telim’Tor took up leadership of the army against the forces pressing at his country’s southern border. And so, with all of Jamuraa in war, Mirage draws to a close...
The war for Jamuraa has raged for over a year.
Femeref has been invaded. Suq'Ata has closed its borders. The Zhalfirins are being pushed back across the plains into their heartland. Of course, Kaervek feels assured of victory.
But his ally Jolrael has doubts. Originally, she had only wished to prevent Mangara from dominating Jamuraa, but over time she had begun to wonder if her choice of allies was a wise one - Kaervek seemed bent on exterminating all three nations. He used Jolrael's palaces and creatures as if they were his own, and legions of evil spirits roamed the land at his behest. Jolrael had secretly tried to release Mangara from the amber prison that trapped him, but she had been stopped by wards Kaervek had set, a clear sign of his distrust of her. It was only a matter of time before Kaervek discovered her attempt; she had to find help, and she had to find it now.
Searching the lands in spirit form, Jolrael discovered an energy signature from the isle that had first drawn Mangara and Kaervek to Jamuraa. It was the ancient Zhalfirin royal mage Teferi - a planeswalker powerful enough to crush Kaervek. She magically transported her physical self to the isle, and there she assured Teferi that she bore him no ill, confessing her part in Kaervek's invasion and begging for the planeswalker's aid. Teferi refused to intercede: his experiments were very fragile and if left unattended could threaten Jamuraa far more than Kaervek's plans.
Instead, he offered to guide the leaders of Jamuraa through dreams and visions. He would show them the location of Mangara and the key to unlocking the amber prison. Jolrael's task would be to distract Kaervek, and for that Teferi had just the thing . . .
Within weeks, Asmira, Rashida Scalebane, Sidar Jabari, and Hakim Loreweaver met near the Zhalfirin capital Kipamu. Driven by dreams, none of them knew why they were there - except for the prophet Asmira. She explained that destiny was driving them to rescue Mangara, who was held in enchanted amber in a palace deep in the Mwonvuli Jungle. Asmira's visions were known for their accuracy and clarity; she had been the only person to foresee this war, though her warnings had been ignored.
To free Mangara, the group had to distract Kaervek and his troops. Rashida formed an elite guard for the rescue mission with Asmira as the guard's guide, while Jabari and Hakim set about creating a sufficient distraction.
The opportunity came when Kaervek's armies attacked the Zhalfirin border city of Ufunguo.
The attack crippled the city; only the martyrdom of Sidar Mwigo and her troops allowed the citizens to escape. Led by a dream, Jabari led the survivors to Tefemburu, a city already dangerously overcrowded. Soon, Jabari knew, Kaervek would focus his attentions on Tefemburu, leaving a window of opportunity for Rashida's elite guard.
As Jabari had expected, Kaervek's armies of undead, fell spirits, beasts, and dragons pressed at the city gates. Attackers were cast back and any fliers were cut down by archers, but the sheer numbers of the enemy guaranteed the city would not survive the week.
Hakim kept the citizens' spirits up by telling tales of ancient wonders; finally he began a new tale, of how the inhabitants of a city escaped a siege - a tale not even he had heard before, a tale rooted in a dream. The tale wove a spell that caused the creatures besieging the city to vanish completely at dusk. Hakim and Jabari told the gathered people to flee.
In a hurried meeting, the guildmages decided to leave Tefemburu magically trapped. As dusk fell the next day, the armies of Kaervek reappeared. Unaware of the evacuation, they charged into the city looking for the people that should be there. The trap sprang - a sphere of crackling energy enclosed Tefemburu and exploded, destroying the city and Kaervek's armies.
Kaervek was awoken from a week of scrying distant lands for later conquest by the psychic scream of the death of his armies. Panicked, he summoned reinforcements with his remaining powers. He knew that the citizens of Tefemburu had escaped the explosion, but he could not divine how, so he magically searched Jamuraa. He found that the isle which had drawn him to Jamuraa two centuries before was newly inhabited, and he knew that those newcomers must be responsible for his defeat. He gathered Jolrael and his remaining forces and sailed to Teferi's isle, leaving Purraj and various minions to guard Mangara.
Kaervek's confrontation with Teferi was short-lived. The planeswalker made short work of Kaervek's armada, sending most of the evil mage's forces to the ocean floor. During the battle, Jolrael turned upon Kaervek, severely injuring the mage in a heated arcane battle. Kaervek's ship was capsized by a colossal wave, but one of Teferi's drakes was able to grab the unconscious Jolrael from the wreckage.
Kaervek managed to crawl ashore and limped to the nearby Uuserk marshes to draw upon its rich mana, but he encountered there a vast floating city controlled by the Shaper and Shadow Guild. The guild had created this city, called Aku, as a portable tomb for Zhalfir's nobility. Sensing Kaervek's presence, the city's keepers assumed he had come to seize the city, and they prepared for a fight.
Meanwhile Asmira, Rashida, and the "Scalebane's Elite" group had ridden hard for the Mwonvuli jungle, but frequent encounters with the enemy had slowed their progress. Asmira feared they would not reach Mangara before Kaervek's return. But hope came from above - Sisay and her flying galleon, the Weatherlight, landed before them. Grounded for repairs after a dragon attack, Sisay had felt the strangest compunction to head in this direction. The others understood, much to Sisay's surprise.
The Weatherlight reached Jolrael's palaces in under a day. The amber prison was guarded by Purraj and a variety of foul creatures, and the Elite closed with them. Asmira could not break the prison, for it had been protected with a relic ward. Rashida saw that she and her troops were losing, so she donned a dragon mask to imbue her with superhuman strength and speed. She was able to strike down Kaervek's forces in a dizzying attack before falling to the ground stunned, horrified at what she had to become to succeed. The only survivor was Purraj, who leapt for Asmira. Asmira ignored the lethal blows and managed to complete the ritual with her final words. Her sacrifice was accompanied by a blinding shaft of light that shattered the prison, freeing Mangara.
While imprisoned, Mangara had continued to scrye upon Jamuraa, so he magically transported himself to the Uuserk Marshes to face Kaervek. Kaervek was taken by surprise. The wizards lashed at one another with spells, but the surrounding abundance of black mana gave Kaervek the upper hand. The mages of Aku released several djinn to attack Kaervek, but he stole control from them and turned the djinn upon Mangara - exactly as they had hoped, for the djinn would allow Mangara to gain strength from their attacks. Mangara summoned a unit of Quirion archers, which cut down Kaervek's forces. Kaervek was downed by the first of their arrows; before he recovered, Mangara pinned the mage and sealed him in the Amber Prison.
Across Jamuraa, the combined armies of Jabari and Rashida drove the few remaining allies of Kaervek towards the mountains. Sensing defeat, the Viashino and their dragons returned to the Great Desert.
With Kaervek gone, his few remaining forces went into hiding. Mangara rebuilt Zhalfir and Femeref, aided by the new trust between the two countries. Suq'Ata appeared to be unchanged except for the presence of the Breathstealers.
The martyred Asmira is now honored with the title "Holy Avenger." Purraj is believed to have died in the explosion that released Mangara, but no corpse was ever found. Jolrael has returned to the Mwonvuli, her only company her animals and the occasional visit from Teferi.
Jamuraa lives on, but the corrupting influence of the Burning Isles remains. The people may see the dawn of a new age, but the shadows in the gutters will be darker still.
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Dominian Scholar of the Old Guard, specializing in pre-revisionist (Armada comics) and revisionist (Brothers' War through Apocalypse)history
Zaz, thanks you a lot! I remember reading fragments of this text somewhere, but never in such entirety!!!
I have to read it thoroughly, but just now I have noticed one thing:
Quote from Zaz »
Figures from the foreign lands of Corondor and the Burning Isles provided Caucasian people.
That proves my point made after Mangara's TS illustration became known - that he should have been Caucasian, and Boros-Szikszai's illustration should have stayed in the original version. It also explains why you have portraited him as white man in your fanfic.
Moreover, it implies that even Kaervek should be of Caucasian race. Well, his TS illustration looks equally part tanned Caucasian and Afroamerican, at least.
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100% Vorthos Spike and Storyline Expert
Former Fact Prospector of the Greek Alliance.
Let this great clan rest in peace (2001-2011)
Haha, that ideas has merit, Sheera. There might even be some general interst in the Jamuraan setting thanks to its return in Time Spiral.
Hey, Jeff, have you had a look at our Wiki here? We're still missing a lot of info, but we've got a fair base and could easily become the definatie storyline source, given support and time.
Zazdor, thanks for posting the Mirage summary. If my memory serves me correctly, I actually put most of that together for the old site from the storyline Wizards released back then. The tip-off is the quote from Emberwilde Caliph, my favorite card from the set. So yes, believe it or not, there is an even more detailed background to Mirage out there somewhere!
I am pretty sure that the statement about Caucasian featured characters from Corondor and the Burning Isles was a guess of mine, but I think justified--back then we had some exotic looking characters for Khone and Shikar but everyone else looked white (particularly Kristina, the Carthalions, etc.) There's no indication that Mangara is dark like the native Zhalfirin/Femeref. As for the Burning Isles, I remember talking with Pete Venters about this--Urborg was a much more fascinating place back then because it had not been clearly developed as a setting at all. Mainly I associated it with Gwendlyn di Corci, about as "white" as you can get. Interesting note for those of you who are more up-to-date than I am: I'm not sure if the new Legends books had anything about Gwendlyn, but Pete did email me once and make the definitive statement that she is long-dead before Kaervek's time. Interesting because it seems a lot of the Legends are now placed after the Mirage Wars (? haven't read the books) but damn.
Actually, I think the people at WoTC mentioned he was white in one of their articles after TS came out, too.
As far as Legends being placed after the Mirage War's timeframe... I still find that idea hard to follow. It seems to break parts of the chronology of both.
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Cyme we inne frið, fram the grip of deaþ to lif inne ðis smylte land.
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I've been reading this forum for a few weeks now, after a very long time (six or seven years!) away from the game. It's actually hugely surprising to hear that people are still discussing my old website about the storyline and continuity. I hope you guys have enjoyed it; it was a lot of fun to put together and was my way of trying to collect all the information I could from what used to be a very scattered storyline.
I do want to give some background for those of you analyzing the site--I believe people are accessing it through Internet Archive, which is great because I no longer have ANY of the original files or storyline materials I used originally. Here's the summary:
Some of the storyline, particularly the "prerevisionist" stuff, is hard to source. First of all, I think I did coin that term when my friend Teri McLaren (author of Song of Time) and I realized that there would be a whole new line in the Magic continuity. While the word itself is innocuous in this context, I honestly wished I had chosen a better term if only because of the other, more serious connotations. Anyway, a great deal of the information comes from the Acclaim comics which you guys have found. However, the Arabian Nights background, particularly for mythology (i.e. the djinn and efreets, my favorite part of the cards) was sourced from literature and outside sites. So it's not necessarily reflective of Magic continuity, although I don't recall any of it explicitly contradicting what Pete Venters and other authors developed for the Rabiah setting.
I can't recall exactly what issue, but the old INQUEST magazine once released a whole summary of the MtG storyline all the way to (I believe) the beginning of Mirage). This is the source of The Dark info. Some of the details I recall in this storyline included Lim-Dul being left out in the Adarkar Wastes by Kjeldor, possibly because he had a liaison with a powerful noble's daughter, etc. I believe this stuff doesn't necessarily square with the Acclaim comics, but when I first read the issue, it was the best and most complete synopsis of everything that went on.
Also, there was a calendar which I never was able to get back. This wasn't one of the beautiful large Mirage or Urza's Saga releases, but rather was a flipbook type calendar in which you peeled a page off for each day. About a third of these pages had two or three-line backstories for the Legends, various characters and cards from the old Magic sets, etc. This was a great thing and I remember hoarding all the pages and keeping them for trivia and the site. If anyone is able to find this release, I salute you.
There is also a Mirage storyline file out there somewhere. I really wish that I could find it--if any of you have been able to, please post it if only for nostalgia's sake. This was a text file along with a whole bunch of card spoilers released weeks before the set came out. I remember seeing a very long and detailed history, including how Femeref split off from the other nations, which was far richer than the summary we have now from Wizards. I wonder if it is still available on an archive site somewhere, but it was GREAT. Provided a huge amount of detail and really pumped me up for the set, which I still think of as the "Golden Age" of Magic.
A number of other sources include Pete Venters himself (whom I emailed a few times with random questions), old Duelists (I think I've heard of people wondering where I got the Lotus Vale and Tolaria connection? I believe it should be answered by the back of the postcard that came in the Weatherlight issue) and particularly for the Almaaz setting, my own friend Teri. For what it is worth, Song of Time (the old HarperCollins book she wrote) did have a sequel called Shadows of Time. The book was completed and Wizards had the rights, but after a long struggle on my part and the author's, we were unsuccessful in getting the book actually printed. Teri decided not to pursue the publication once the Brothers' War novel was issued, an amazing job by Jeff Grubb which did square in with the Almaaz timeline established in those old books. I believe there's a post below about the Thaw--this is a term that Teri received when she was writing the book and in fact, in the sequel there is even more detail given about how the glaciers carved Terisiare up, with an area of Almaaz where you can see the layers from the geological process. During the Ice Age, the land was locked in ice by the ancient race she only calls the "Rigida," and at the end the snow kingdom that remained is ruled by the Three Sisters. Some of that detail is in the Shadows sequel, others were reserved for the third book of the planned trilogy that will never be.
Finally, I'd like to add a final note. I worked on the site when I was about 12 or 13 years old. It's a huge honor to have something that I wrote at that age be so definitive for people, but keep in mind that it's been a long time since, I was young when I did the site, and there are a lot of materials and such that might no longer be around. Nevertheless, I hugely enjoyed the story back then and it was a great tool for teaching me HTML, graphics, and how to write, which are all skills that have served me very well since. I'm fascinated by how much the game and the continuity have changed and even though I haven't really kept up with following the story, it seems great that it's still going.
Keep it up and thanks for reading this long message!
-Jeff Lee
Before I address a couple points you brought up, I feel I should introduce myself.
Years ago, your site captivated me. Indeed, when I was 12 or 13 is when I contacted you and wrote the Arabian Nights fan-fiction (perhaps you can recall it) which you posted, along with someone else's Ishan's Shade fan-fiction. Since then, I began posting on MtGNews.com as "Tawnos" and later switched to the username "Zazdor." I headed up a card-making group (HGML--the Home Grown Magic League) with old faces like Jazzfan27, Planeswlk, and Sednezerd. I have been involved in many discussions on Magic continuity theory and plot information. Urza-gc13 (who has begun posting again), Gelcur (who stayed on the MtGNews boards mostly after Salvation was created) and I worked on the Planeswalker's Center of Consciousness theory (which can now be found here). I also began an epic fan-fiction of the Mirage Wars, which I only completed half of. I fell away from continuity for a while (college can have that effect), I haven't played since Apocalyse, and just recently have I been posting here again.
Onto your comments:
I am excited to hear that The Thaw was a term used then as a specific phrase for the period that later turned into the Age of Storms.
While on MtGNews, I recall Gelcur (the leader of storyline information on the boards) and I searching for Teri's contact information to see if she would be allowed or interested in sharing the remainder of the Song of Time plotline. So, since you're here . . . is there any chance?
If I am not mistaken, the Mirage information that you refer to is either on the WotC website, or there may be a link to it in the stickied thread at the top of the forum. If not, I believe I have it.
Anyway--welcome back to the community!
I do not have access to any of his website, as it was taken down. I know Gelcur had saved all the information, but he has not posted here in ages (if ever--I knew he has stopped by the Greek Alliance clan thread a while ago).
Obviously very frustrating for the author that she completed an entire book, only to see it held up and unable to (possibly ever) be printed, but the small bonus was that Almaaz's continuity was very well-preserved when Jeff Grubb wrote Brothers' War. The battle between Urza and Mishra in the beginning of Song of Time, for example, can be fit into the last part of Grubb's book, and the references to song magic, etc. are great. I know that Teri was very happy when I told her that some elements of her old story survived and were not retro-fitted, but rather mentioned in the new official rendition, and she herself (not being particularly attached to the game or its products) has read Brothers' War.
I do recall where the steel gnomes come from--they are from an old Duelist magazine. There were several columns in the Duelist with storyline bits, including one on the history of Epityr and its Serra Angels (which also references Almaaz!) and I remember this one naming Steel Island as the third of the Burning Isles. And I am positive that the mechanical gnomes come from that article, as I remember thinking it was a weird footnote. At that time, Mirage's storyline made the Isles seem like a creepy, violent place, so the entire paragraph seemed out of place. Anyone have that issue?
Although I did fill in some parts, particularly the Arabian Nights section, with sourced information from mythology, etc. I definitely don't recall actively making up continuity--something that would have bothered me even at that age since I was presenting a site designed to put together everything we had. The 365-day calendar, the old Duelists, the old Magic websites (i.e. Oasis, the Encyclopedia, etc.) and some of the additional continuity I got from authors and PV are pretty key for these points.
For the Mirage storyline, for example, I am looking through the repost on this board from my site which talks about Queen Yormeba in Zhalfirin history, Tulumai being the capital of Femeref, etc. I know these come from old versions of the storyline, because they no longer show up on the very abbreviated synopsis you can get for Mirage on the Wizards site, and for certain these are proper names that were put forth by official continuity (i.e. it is one thing to expand the differences between efreets and djinn, translate the Arabic name of Junun Efreet, etc. and relate that to the card, and another to make up a whole character, relate her to major characters and come up with the backstory around her coronation, etc.)
By the way, if anyone DOES have that Mirage text file...still looking ; )
Mirage began in 1993 as the set Menagerie but hit the shelves in the fall of 1996. The second stand-alone set, Mirage was the largest set of its time and contained a subset of ten cards consisting of seven dragons, two overlords, and Rashida Scalebane. Mirage also introduced the properties of phasing and flanking and the clarified rules of Fifth Edition. Many of the new card effects centered around flexibility of rules, particularly the ten charms that appeared in both Mirage and its follower Visions. In addition, Mirage was the first expansion to introduce an online promotional, called Oasis .
The 350-card set was inspired by a painting of a Nubian warrior. It allowed Wizards to address the issue of ethnic variety in Magic by creating the setting of Jamuraa, part of a gigantic equatorial continent. Although most of the Jamuraan supercontinent is dominated by Arabic peoples, the Jamuraa seen in Mirage has heavy African influences. Figures from the foreign lands of Corondor and the Burning Isles provided Caucasian people.
Although Mirage has many factions, it revolves around three kingdoms, each with their distinctive ethnic and cultural backgrounds. The empire of Suq’Ata is a descendant of the kingdoms of Rabiah, the setting of Arabian Nights . Suq’Ata civilians are thus Arabic in features and clothing. The kingdom of Zhalfir is one of the oldest living civilizations on the planet, is the centerpiece of Mirage , and is based off African people: thus many Zhalfirin are of a darker color. The Zhalfirin dress, however, is Roman (as can be seen in the headpieces of civilians and magicians) with Egyptian touches. And finally, the theocracy of Femeref is of the same ethnic background as Zhalfirin, but Femeref has its own culture and its costuming tends to be more restrained. For example, compare the Suq’Ata woman in the triptych’s left panel, the Femeref women in the center panel, and the Zhalfirin mage in the right.
Mirage also has extensive histories. Two of the three major civilizations go back millenia; and each nation has an established historical and literary record. Works such as The One Thousand Questions and the writings of the great Femeref woman Naimah are common sights in the cards. In addition, an extensive poem, “Love Song of Night and Day”, was composed and broken up across cards in both Mirage and Visions .
The symbol for the Mirage stand-alone expansion is a palm tree with three pairs of leaves. All cards are dated 1996 and are black-bordered limited edition. Mirage was sold in two formats: the first was a 60-card starter deck that included a rulebook and was covered by Gerry Grace’s Ivory Charm art. The second was a 15-card booster pack with four varying covers: Grinning Totem, Taniwha, Maro, and Jungle Troll. The boxes for the packs carried cover art of Gerry Grace’s Ebony Charm.
THE HISTORY OF JAMURAA
In the 43rd century of modern Dominarian history, a continent wide war would shatter the ancient nations of Jamuraa. Fought between ambitious wizards and armies, the ages chronicled in the Mirage expansion and its followers would mark history on the tropical continent forever. But every war has its roots in previous strife, and this war was no exception...
In the equatorial regions of Dominaria is a gigantic supercontinent ruled by Arabic empires and Viashino tribes. This supercontinent is composed of many land masses, but the most prominent is Jamuraa at its northwest tip: home to the three powerful kingdoms of Zhalfir, Femeref, and Suq’Ata. These three countries are separated from the other cultures of the continent by a great desert in the southeast. All three Jamuraan nations have existed for centuries, but the oldest is the kingdom of Zhalfir, which is one of the oldest civilizations on the planet that still survives to this day.
“Unlike Zhalfir, the griffin needs no council to keep harmony among its parts.” - Asmira, Holy Avenger
Zhalfir predates virtually all other civilizations of Dominaria today. It has survived for millenia and indeed, became civilized even before the modern calendar began. Before the Brothers War, the Zhalfirin had already mastered the five colors of magic, making them amongst the first Dominarians to use mana in all its forms. With a fertile climate at the equator and generations of wise rulers advised by the planewalker Teferi, Zhalfir was allowed to dominate much of Jamuraa for generations.
During the Ice Age, Zhalfir’s magical protection allowed it to survive the unnatural cold relatively unharmed. Unlike the rest of Dominia, Zhalfir did not experience a Dark Age and was untouched by the Brothers War. The Zhalfirin nation is one of the few in which even the civilians practice magic.
For centuries Zhalfir has had the gift of the planeswalker Teferi. A wise man educated on the isle of Tolaria, Teferi understood the need for balance and order in Zhalfir. However, as a planeswalker the urge of travelling beyond Dominaria became too great and he sought a way to allow his kingdom to remain stable in his absence. This way convinced him to establish the five Guilds of Zhalfir. Zhalfir, with its long history of magic, had established institutions, the Houses of Magic, for each color. Thus, the magic houses bent to Teferi’s will, allowing him to refine them into guilds that would benefit the country as a whole.
The most unusual aspect of Teferi’s guilds was their harmony. Opposing colors worked together, not against each other. With a mutual understanding of each other, the five Guilds of Zhalfir were the greatest pillars of the kingdom and even when the people’s faith diminished in their king, it remained strong in their Guilds. Every city, town, and village had five delegates from the Guild.
Ø White became the Civic Guild. The Civic Guild wielded the power of law and justice and used their magic as the arbitrators of truth in Zhalfirin society. Honor, fidelity, and integrity were key principles in the Civic Guild. They were the dispassionate judges and upholders of the nation.
Ø Blue became the Shaper Guild. These expert artisans and engineers were named because they molded both matter and society into the shapes they saw fit. Under the Shaper Guild magical paraphernalia such as wands and potions were made, but also large mechanical devices which allowed Zhalfir to mobilize its manual labor force. Many feats of architecture were the works of the Shaper Guild.
Ø Red became the Armorer Guild. Responsible for the weapons and warcraft of Zhalfir, the Armorers also worked on strengthening building foundations. Despite their opposing colors, the Armorer Guild and Shaper Guild held cordial relations and worked together to fortify Zhalfirin structures.
Ø Black became the secretive Shadow Guild. They were the most distant of the five guilds, and all members wore hooded robes of black and ashen gray to hide their faces. They were responsible for the preparation of the dead, organization of funerals, and all related tasks. They cleared the dead from battlefields and streets, supervised inheritances and wills, and maintained the shrines of ancestors. The Shadow Guild buried the dead in massive catacombs below the cities. However, some in the Guild used their practice to further their art-a choice that would lead to great friction.
Ø Green became the most important guild, the Granger Guild. They maintained the fertility of the land, fed the people, and helped with harvests and livestock. The Grangers took great pains to ensure that disease and plague were contained and they have done more for the health of Zhalfirin people than any other guild.
Satisfied that he had stabilized Zhalfir, Teferi left Dominaria for other worlds. Soon afterwards, the capital of Zhalfir, Ki’pamu, erupted in civil disorder as the church denounced the Shadow Guild, which had been given full control of the dead and the ancient crypts. The spiritual leaders went east to the city of Tulumai for a great convocation and, unable to move the Zhalfirin King on the issue, seceded from Zhalfir. Unwilling to create war amongst his people, the King agreed and handed over both Tulumai and Nyomba to the new church-state, called Femeref. The word means “Judgement” in Zhalfirin.
”Want all, lose all.”-Zhalfirin aphorism
Several years later Femeref expeditions hit gold. Veins were found in the Femeref territories and soon Zhalfir’s attention was drawn to the newfound wealth. Instead of risking war between the two nations over the metal, Femeref shared enough ore to placate Zhalfir and maintain its growing prosperity. Trade burgeoned as the news spread.
After two hundred years of secession, Femeref became a distinct state from Zhalfir. Magic was seen as spiritual and embraced in daily life, contrasting the careful approach of Zhalfirin guilds. Worship of symbols and totems dominated Femeref. The belief that these objects could influence people's lives was prevalent. Every Femeref citizen wore a Sun Clasp, believed to be the container of the soul. Charms were also exceedingly powerful. The church of Femeref declared its worship aligned around the solar disk, a move that many Zhalfirin guilds felt was nearsighted.
The Suq’Atan empire, descended from inhabitants of Rabiah, heard of the discovery. Its traders soon annexed the northern regions of Zhalfir and pushed southwards, encountering dwarven settlements in the mountains. The dwarves, outnumbered, fled south to Femeref, where they were welcomed, as their mining abilities would allow gold production to double. The dwarves established themselves in the Femeref mining town of Terorq and forged an alliance with Tulumai.
The nobles of Zhalfir heard of the increased production of gold in Femeref but knew nothing of the dwarven alliance. Believing that they were being swindled of their portion, the nobles pressured the King to take the mines by force. However, with an invading army of Suq’Ata entrenched along his northern regions, the Zhalfirin King was unable to stage an invasion of Femeref. Also unwilling to take action against the Suq’Atans, the King soon found himself the target of the noble classes’ anger.
A furious Teferi returned fifty years later to find Zhalfir broken. With its ancient might turned against itself, Zhalfir now faced the Suq’Ata, who pressed against its borders. Using his powers, Teferi tracked down a girl who was a blood relation of the Royal line. He mentored the girl in the art of politics and honed her natural ability to lead others. With his still strong reputation, Teferi convened the royal and magical leaders of Zhalfir at the court of Ki’pamu. At this convocation a long forgotten royal mage called Jolrael made a short, inconspicuous appearance.
The girl, Yormeba, was proclaimed the queen of Zhalfir at the convocation. Soon after her coronation Queen Yormeba brought peace to the country, but failed to reunify it. Tiring of the petty squabbles of his people, Teferi left with a group of trusted advisors, sages, artificers, and sorcerors. They sailed for a hidden realm in the Chaza Isles, where Teferi wanted to manipulate time.
“Stepping through time is like riding a camel. It may get you where you want to go, but the ride is rarely pleasant.” -Teferi
Inspired by the patterns of flames rising from a common torch, Teferi wanted to control time so he could overcome the difficulties of summoning creatures. By moving creatures through the time stream, he attempted to drop them Teferi had been clumsy and had damaged the temporal balance. Although he could have moved to another location, Teferi instead sought to right his wrongs and prevent time from unraveling in Jamuraa. He attempted to correct the problem by unleashing a blast of mana to repair the hole in the stream. Although he had anticipated danger, he did not anticipate the results of his “cure”. The unleashed mana burned into all plants, animals, and buildings on the isle. Instantly everything but the bare rock of the island phased out of existence.
The warring nations of Jamuraa knew nothing of what had happened. The Zhalfirin coalition had pronounced that anyone willing to take the land “stolen” from Zhalfir by Femeref would be rewarded. For eight years skirmishes had erupted along the borders of the country.
But there were three who had noticed temporal energies being released from the island. These three powerful wizards, all very different, thus came to Jamuraa and the mysterious island...beginning the story of the Mirage Wars.
“How ironic that the greatest forge of civilization is battle.” - Mangara
First to arrive on Teferi’s isle was Mangara of Corondor. A wise man who was versed in politics and had trained at the feet of the planeswalker Eskil, Mangara was also an ally to the Quirion elves of the White Woods. Mangara understood the desires and vanities of men-allowing him to play political games with impunity.
The second wizard to come to Teferi’s isle was local. Emerging from the Mwonvuli Forest was Jolrael, an ancient Zhalfirin court mage who had forsaken civilization for a solitary life in a jungle palace. As she frequently tired of her home, Jolrael had by this time summoned a great many natural and supernatural creatures to build her palace after palace in the jungle delta. Jolrael was the controller of all animals in the Mwonvuli and beyond, and had formed alliances with two Viashino warlords, allowing her to command mighty dragons from the Great Desert and beyond.
Last was Kaervek of Urborg, a powerful mage that hailed from the vicious Burning Isles. Kaervek had formed many alliances with the evil spirits of Urborg and Bogardan, and now led a coalition of Nightstalkers, fanatical spirits bent on murder and mayhem. Kaervek brought with him Purraj of Urborg, the leader of a faction of dark Cat Warriors.
Within a few weeks all of the mages became aware of each other and the residual energies of the isle. They met on the empty rock but could find no explanation for the blast. Still interested in what secrets the isle might hold, the three wizards agreed to remain in Jamuraa and monitor the isle. Intent on carving a peaceful home for himself, Mangara set upon restoring peace and order to the land. Within a few years his natural gifts of diplomacy and intimidation allowed all three nations to coexist.
The first barrier in his attempts was the border between Femeref and Zhalfir, which had been the site for small battles over the past decade. Mangara created a buffer zone in the Uktabi (noted mistakenly as the Unyaro in certain accounts) jungle and summoned the Quirion elves from Corondor. The elves, faithful allies of Mangara, happily populated the forest and soon the city of Salamzuri was raised.
An agreement with Suq’Ata was harder but within a short time the capitals of Amiqat and Ki’pamu agreed to a trade agreement, the Suq’Ata’s favorite type of pact, and peace set in along the northern border. The new golden age of Jamuraa began within a century, and Mangara’s Harmony allowed an era where all races were equal and commerce and ideas flowed easily across borders.
Meanwhile, Jolrael showed the wilder reaches of her homeland to Kaervek. For a long time both mages were unaware of Mangara’s activities but when they returned, they found Mangara now a leader of the allied nations. As time passed by, the strength of the Age of Harmony only increased. Zhalfirins could be found in Femeref working at the mines or praying before the totems. Elves and dwarves could be found in any city of the three nations. This was the age where many philosophers, artisans, and chroniclers reached the height of their arts.
“The fire breathes while the air burns.”
Kaervek worked on destroying Zhalfir from within. He used the ancient trouble spot for the kingdom-its borders-to ruin relations between the three governments in Ki’pamu, Amiqat, and Tulumai. The wizard also provoked infighting amongst the nobles of Zhalfir and as the disputes flared the danger of war became imminent. Blood finally was spilled and Kaervek unleashed a horde of evil spirits against Zhalfir while Mangara stood helpless. Kaervek then finished the plot by inviting Mangara to the Mwonvuli Delta, in “assistance” during the time of crisis. Mangara agreed...and never returned.
Jolrael and Kaervek ambushed Mangara in the Mwonvuli, sealing him in an Amber Prison that was placed in the throne room of one of Jolrael’s palaces, deep in the jungle. Although the stories varied widely-some believed Mangara had abandoned the people, leaving them to civil war; others believed he had perished in the dim forest-within a short time the Zhalfirins turned their backs on the hope of Mangara returning.
Kaervek seized the initiative and soon his spirits wreaked havoc across the land, alongside Jolrael’s unleashed, feral army. From the Mwonvuli and wild regions of the continent emerged wild cats and dragons. From Urborg arrived Breathstealers, who entered the homes of Zhalfirins and murdered citizens in their sleep. Farmers and herders vanished from their fields. In Femeref, an abundant early harvest was prophesied by the visionary Asmira, who viewed it as a sign of impending war. Her vision would ring true later, but when it was first given it failed to impress any believers and instead caused a religious uproar in Tulumai.
“How ironic that the greatest forge of civilization is battle.” – Mangara
A council was called where the three allied nations discussed the situation. From Suq’Ata came the great storyteller Hakim Loreweaver, who told of what was happening across the land. He attempted to convince the council to put aside territorial squabbles in the interest of restoring order and finding what was wrong. Kaervek, in spectacular bad timing, then appeared before the three nations and demanded their surrender before him. Furious and united, the council refused to pay fealty to him and declared war.
Kaervek chose not to attack the nations immediately with his full force, but rather sent an occasional incursion into Jamuraa. Dragons would sometimes appear suddenly in Zhalfir and destroy villages, but they did not come in any organized pattern. The Uuserk Marshes were blocked after Scout Ekemet of Femeref and her troupe was killed mysteriously in the swamp. However, the greatest blow was yet to come.
From the Burning Isles was summoned the powerful demon known as the Spirit of the Night. Kaervek sent the spirit against Femeref, and soon afterwards the grand assembly of Femeref, the Council of Voices, was struck down in Tulumai. Only one witness, a sewer urchin who had been spying on the governing house, had seen the carnage and reported that a mysterious being with sickly eyes had materialized in the room and slew everybody. Although few gave his story much credence, none could come up with any other explanation.
The attacks became stronger and more determined. Armies of spirits and feral animals attacked all three nations, ravaging Femeref the most. In Zhalfir, reports reached Ki’pamu of armies of undead rising from the land. Jolrael, with her alliances in the Viashino realms, summoned even more dragons to add to her fearsome jungle army. In desperation, Zhalfir raised its armies against the impending invasion, and Suq’Ata summoned its powerful embermages to its cities’ defense as well as called upon the aid of the Wildfire djinns and efreets.
What went unnoticed, however, was far more important. After two hundred years, Teferi’s isle returned. For a long time its people were unaware that any time had passed, but when one of Jolrael’s dragons, drawn by the scent of people, attacked the isle, they began to realize something was terribly wrong on the mainland. Teferi killed the dragon and began experiments to determine the root of the trouble. He discovered that he was not only two centuries into the future, but also that foreign wizards had infiltrated his land.
Soon afterwards, all three nations formed a frail pact while Kaervek usurped Jolrael’s authority and took control of her armies. The evil wizard then sent the combined armies against the three human nations. From the Mwonvuli emerged wild animals. From the Uuserk and Burning Isles came dark swamp spirits. And from the Great Desert arrived the Viashino tribes and their fearsome dragons.
Among the first to oppose Kaervek’s forces was Rashida Scalebane. The sole survivor of a dragon attack on her village, Rashida quickly cobbled together an army of commoners and even nobles against the aggression. Legendary for her skill in slaying dragons, Rashida Scalebane soon became a leader for Zhalfir. Offsetting her was Sidar Jabari, a powerful nobleman who controlled the official standing army of the kingdom. During the first years of the war, both sides failed to make an alliance, and Zhalfir remained split between the two armies.
With the collapse of the Tulumai government the highest spiritual leader of Femeref, Asmira the Visionary, became the ruler of the nation. She became sidar of the Femeref armies but continued her role as a spiritual leader to the people. Meanwhile, in Suq’Ata the nobleman Telim’Tor took up leadership of the army against the forces pressing at his country’s southern border. And so, with all of Jamuraa in war, Mirage draws to a close...
The war for Jamuraa has raged for over a year.
Femeref has been invaded. Suq'Ata has closed its borders. The Zhalfirins are being pushed back across the plains into their heartland. Of course, Kaervek feels assured of victory.
But his ally Jolrael has doubts. Originally, she had only wished to prevent Mangara from dominating Jamuraa, but over time she had begun to wonder if her choice of allies was a wise one - Kaervek seemed bent on exterminating all three nations. He used Jolrael's palaces and creatures as if they were his own, and legions of evil spirits roamed the land at his behest. Jolrael had secretly tried to release Mangara from the amber prison that trapped him, but she had been stopped by wards Kaervek had set, a clear sign of his distrust of her. It was only a matter of time before Kaervek discovered her attempt; she had to find help, and she had to find it now.
Searching the lands in spirit form, Jolrael discovered an energy signature from the isle that had first drawn Mangara and Kaervek to Jamuraa. It was the ancient Zhalfirin royal mage Teferi - a planeswalker powerful enough to crush Kaervek. She magically transported her physical self to the isle, and there she assured Teferi that she bore him no ill, confessing her part in Kaervek's invasion and begging for the planeswalker's aid. Teferi refused to intercede: his experiments were very fragile and if left unattended could threaten Jamuraa far more than Kaervek's plans.
Instead, he offered to guide the leaders of Jamuraa through dreams and visions. He would show them the location of Mangara and the key to unlocking the amber prison. Jolrael's task would be to distract Kaervek, and for that Teferi had just the thing . . .
Within weeks, Asmira, Rashida Scalebane, Sidar Jabari, and Hakim Loreweaver met near the Zhalfirin capital Kipamu. Driven by dreams, none of them knew why they were there - except for the prophet Asmira. She explained that destiny was driving them to rescue Mangara, who was held in enchanted amber in a palace deep in the Mwonvuli Jungle. Asmira's visions were known for their accuracy and clarity; she had been the only person to foresee this war, though her warnings had been ignored.
To free Mangara, the group had to distract Kaervek and his troops. Rashida formed an elite guard for the rescue mission with Asmira as the guard's guide, while Jabari and Hakim set about creating a sufficient distraction.
The opportunity came when Kaervek's armies attacked the Zhalfirin border city of Ufunguo.
The attack crippled the city; only the martyrdom of Sidar Mwigo and her troops allowed the citizens to escape. Led by a dream, Jabari led the survivors to Tefemburu, a city already dangerously overcrowded. Soon, Jabari knew, Kaervek would focus his attentions on Tefemburu, leaving a window of opportunity for Rashida's elite guard.
As Jabari had expected, Kaervek's armies of undead, fell spirits, beasts, and dragons pressed at the city gates. Attackers were cast back and any fliers were cut down by archers, but the sheer numbers of the enemy guaranteed the city would not survive the week.
Hakim kept the citizens' spirits up by telling tales of ancient wonders; finally he began a new tale, of how the inhabitants of a city escaped a siege - a tale not even he had heard before, a tale rooted in a dream. The tale wove a spell that caused the creatures besieging the city to vanish completely at dusk. Hakim and Jabari told the gathered people to flee.
In a hurried meeting, the guildmages decided to leave Tefemburu magically trapped. As dusk fell the next day, the armies of Kaervek reappeared. Unaware of the evacuation, they charged into the city looking for the people that should be there. The trap sprang - a sphere of crackling energy enclosed Tefemburu and exploded, destroying the city and Kaervek's armies.
Kaervek was awoken from a week of scrying distant lands for later conquest by the psychic scream of the death of his armies. Panicked, he summoned reinforcements with his remaining powers. He knew that the citizens of Tefemburu had escaped the explosion, but he could not divine how, so he magically searched Jamuraa. He found that the isle which had drawn him to Jamuraa two centuries before was newly inhabited, and he knew that those newcomers must be responsible for his defeat. He gathered Jolrael and his remaining forces and sailed to Teferi's isle, leaving Purraj and various minions to guard Mangara.
Kaervek's confrontation with Teferi was short-lived. The planeswalker made short work of Kaervek's armada, sending most of the evil mage's forces to the ocean floor. During the battle, Jolrael turned upon Kaervek, severely injuring the mage in a heated arcane battle. Kaervek's ship was capsized by a colossal wave, but one of Teferi's drakes was able to grab the unconscious Jolrael from the wreckage.
Kaervek managed to crawl ashore and limped to the nearby Uuserk marshes to draw upon its rich mana, but he encountered there a vast floating city controlled by the Shaper and Shadow Guild. The guild had created this city, called Aku, as a portable tomb for Zhalfir's nobility. Sensing Kaervek's presence, the city's keepers assumed he had come to seize the city, and they prepared for a fight.
Meanwhile Asmira, Rashida, and the "Scalebane's Elite" group had ridden hard for the Mwonvuli jungle, but frequent encounters with the enemy had slowed their progress. Asmira feared they would not reach Mangara before Kaervek's return. But hope came from above - Sisay and her flying galleon, the Weatherlight, landed before them. Grounded for repairs after a dragon attack, Sisay had felt the strangest compunction to head in this direction. The others understood, much to Sisay's surprise.
The Weatherlight reached Jolrael's palaces in under a day. The amber prison was guarded by Purraj and a variety of foul creatures, and the Elite closed with them. Asmira could not break the prison, for it had been protected with a relic ward. Rashida saw that she and her troops were losing, so she donned a dragon mask to imbue her with superhuman strength and speed. She was able to strike down Kaervek's forces in a dizzying attack before falling to the ground stunned, horrified at what she had to become to succeed. The only survivor was Purraj, who leapt for Asmira. Asmira ignored the lethal blows and managed to complete the ritual with her final words. Her sacrifice was accompanied by a blinding shaft of light that shattered the prison, freeing Mangara.
While imprisoned, Mangara had continued to scrye upon Jamuraa, so he magically transported himself to the Uuserk Marshes to face Kaervek. Kaervek was taken by surprise. The wizards lashed at one another with spells, but the surrounding abundance of black mana gave Kaervek the upper hand. The mages of Aku released several djinn to attack Kaervek, but he stole control from them and turned the djinn upon Mangara - exactly as they had hoped, for the djinn would allow Mangara to gain strength from their attacks. Mangara summoned a unit of Quirion archers, which cut down Kaervek's forces. Kaervek was downed by the first of their arrows; before he recovered, Mangara pinned the mage and sealed him in the Amber Prison.
Across Jamuraa, the combined armies of Jabari and Rashida drove the few remaining allies of Kaervek towards the mountains. Sensing defeat, the Viashino and their dragons returned to the Great Desert.
With Kaervek gone, his few remaining forces went into hiding. Mangara rebuilt Zhalfir and Femeref, aided by the new trust between the two countries. Suq'Ata appeared to be unchanged except for the presence of the Breathstealers.
The martyred Asmira is now honored with the title "Holy Avenger." Purraj is believed to have died in the explosion that released Mangara, but no corpse was ever found. Jolrael has returned to the Mwonvuli, her only company her animals and the occasional visit from Teferi.
Jamuraa lives on, but the corrupting influence of the Burning Isles remains. The people may see the dawn of a new age, but the shadows in the gutters will be darker still.
Zaz, thanks you a lot! I remember reading fragments of this text somewhere, but never in such entirety!!!
I have to read it thoroughly, but just now I have noticed one thing:
That proves my point made after Mangara's TS illustration became known - that he should have been Caucasian, and Boros-Szikszai's illustration should have stayed in the original version. It also explains why you have portraited him as white man in your fanfic.
Moreover, it implies that even Kaervek should be of Caucasian race. Well, his TS illustration looks equally part tanned Caucasian and Afroamerican, at least.
Let this great clan rest in peace (2001-2011)
Hey, Jeff, have you had a look at our Wiki here? We're still missing a lot of info, but we've got a fair base and could easily become the definatie storyline source, given support and time.
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I am pretty sure that the statement about Caucasian featured characters from Corondor and the Burning Isles was a guess of mine, but I think justified--back then we had some exotic looking characters for Khone and Shikar but everyone else looked white (particularly Kristina, the Carthalions, etc.) There's no indication that Mangara is dark like the native Zhalfirin/Femeref. As for the Burning Isles, I remember talking with Pete Venters about this--Urborg was a much more fascinating place back then because it had not been clearly developed as a setting at all. Mainly I associated it with Gwendlyn di Corci, about as "white" as you can get. Interesting note for those of you who are more up-to-date than I am: I'm not sure if the new Legends books had anything about Gwendlyn, but Pete did email me once and make the definitive statement that she is long-dead before Kaervek's time. Interesting because it seems a lot of the Legends are now placed after the Mirage Wars (? haven't read the books) but damn.
As far as Legends being placed after the Mirage War's timeframe... I still find that idea hard to follow. It seems to break parts of the chronology of both.