Magic: The Gathering storylines

Although Magic: The Gathering is essentially just a strategy game that uses decks of cards, an intricate storyline underlies the cards released in each expansion. This storyline is shown in the art, through quotes and descriptions on the bottom of most cards (called flavor text), the novels and anthologies published by HarperPrism and Wizards of the Coast, and the comic books published by Armada Comics.

The majority of Magic's story is set on the plane of Dominaria, and can be broken down into several distinct time periods each detailed in certain sets:

The Thran: The Thran were a race of master artificers who were destroyed by Yawgmoth during the Thran-Phyrexian War about 5000 years before the Brothers. They are only hinted at in the game, but J. Robert King's novel The Thran explores their culture in some depth.

The Brothers' War: The brothers Urza and Mishra waged a vast war utilizing powerful constructs. The war devastated the land of Terisiare on the plane of Dominaria and culminated in a world-devastating climax on the island of Argoth. This story is the basis for Antiquities expansion and later the Urza's Saga Block.

The Dark: The devastation wrought by the Brothers led to the fall of many civilizations and the beginning of a dark age in Dominaria, and the destruction of Argoth caused a nuclear winter that would later lead to the Dominarian Ice Age. This story is portrayed in the Fallen Empires and The Dark expansions.

The Ice Age: The climate-altering effects of the devastation continued leading to a global ice age. Eventually this cooling climate was reversed and life returned to normal. This story is portrayed in the Ice Age and Alliances expansions.

The Phyrexian Invasion: After millennia of peace, the Phyrexians, who originate on a hellish mechanical world, invade the world of Dominaria from the pocket universe of Rath. War ensues; with the aid of Urza (who has been spending thousands of years planning a defense against the Invasion), the Phyrexians are eventually overcome, but several civilizations are decimated or destroyed, creating social chaos in many parts of the world. The backstory is portrayed in the Tempest block, preparation (and Urza's involvement) occurs in the Urza's Saga block, and the Invasion itself occurs in the Invasion block.

The Kami War: Taking place in a plane far removed from those seen so far in Magic: The Gathering, this story is the one currently unfolding in the Kamigawa block, which began in 2004 with Champions of Kamigawa and is to be continued and finished by Betrayers of Kamigawa (early 2005) and Saviors of Kamigawa (mid 2005). It centers on the kakuriyo Kami world (spirit world) and the utsushiyo material world; both worked and operated harmoniously until the Kami began attacking the material world, resulting in a grand struggle. This storyline is interesting in that instead of relying on the "color wheel" to denote conflict (traditionally opposing colors such as White and Red are correspondingly in opposition in stories), it is strictly about the Kami world versus the material world, meaning that it is less important what colors a card has for purposes of synergy, but rather whether it is among the Kami world or the material one. (Example: white and red, as mentioned before, are historically opposed, but in Kamigawa block, they find strong elements of affinity as they both are very strongly opposed to Kami and they both share Samurai as a predominant creature subtype.)

There are numerous other smaller plots and subplots that take place in Dominaria and on the many planes of the multiverse of Dominia as well as events after the invasion of Dominaria by the Phyrexians.

For example:

The sets from Weatherlight up to Apocalypse follow the epic story arc of the crew of the airship Weatherlight, their trek across several planes, and ultimately their role in defending Dominaria from the Phyrexian invasion.
The sets from Odyssey to Scourge, set in the era of upheaval after the Invasion, involve the Dominarian continent of Otaria and the struggle between various factions for the powerful artifact known as the Mirari.
The sets from Mirrodin to Fifth Dawn are set in the world of Mirrodin, where artificial and natural life are inseparably entwined.
Several Magic: The Gathering video games have their own storylines and worlds.

Settings

Dominia

Dominia is the general name for the multiverse, which, in the books, refers to all of the infinite planes.

The Blind Eternities

Also known as The Corridors of Time or The Bastard Plane, this is the space between the planes of Dominia.

Dominaria

A world where the many planes intersect. It is the base setting of Magic: The Gathering. Known as the "Song of Dominia", Dominaria is 2.5 times the surface area of the Earth, but is mostly covered in oceans. Notable continents include Terisiare, setting of the Brothers' War and Ice Age, Corondor, Jamuraa, Shiv, and Aerona (also known as the Domains), as well as the island of Urborg.

Aerona

'Aerona, also known as the Domains, is a continent on the western hemisphere of Dominaria. Some locations include Benalia, Llanowar, Durkwood, and Oneah.

Llanowar

Llanowar is a forest on the continent of Aerona. It covers approximately one million square miles and is inhabited by the Llanowar Elves. The forest is divided into seven elfhames, or elvish kingdoms.

Benalia

Benalia is a militaristic nation in Aerona. It has a caste system that changes with the lunar year; the seven ruling clans, Rosecot, Deniz, Tarmula, Ternsev, Capashen (notable for being the clan of Gerrard, the main character of the Weatherlight storyline), Joryev, and Croger, each rule a different division of the empire each year. Its capital, Benalia City, has a population exceeding 200,000 and is the largest city in Aerona. The most popular religion is the Church of Angelfire, of which over one fifth of all Benalkin identify themselves as menbers of. This is due to its similarity to the Church of Serra, which worshipped a planeswalker named Serra, whose worship was condemned in Benalia. Benalia was founded by Torsten von Ursus.

Otaria

Otaria is a continent about the size of Australia on Dominaria. It was first introduced in the Odyssey expansion, and the storyline is set in Otaria up to the Scourge expansion.

In the story, the Mirari is a mysterious artifact from the land of Otaria that lends great power to the one who possesses it. Its possession by the Cabal and transfer to the pit fighter Kamahl is an important conflict in the storyline.

Sarpadia

Sarpadia is a continent in the southern hemisphere of Dominaria. It was the setting of the Fallen Empires set and is the home of planeswalker Tevesh Szat, Doom of Fools, or Tev Loneglade as he was once known. He changed his name to Tevesh Szat and began his mission to exterminate all life on Dominaria when his sister Tymolin was killed in a battle between the Order of the Ebon Hand and the Order of Leitbur.

Terisiare

Terisiare was one of the largest continents on Dominaria, and location of several important nations over the thousands of years, such as the Thran Empire, Argive and Kjeldor.

The Thran Empire (-5000 A.R.)

The Thran were a race of technologically advanced humans, whose empire stretched across the entire continent five thousand years before the birth of Urza and Mishra. It was ultimately destroyed by Yawgmoth, ruler of Phyrexia. Its capital, Halcyon, would become the location for the Caves of Koilos.

The Brother's War (0-64 A.R.)

Argive was the most northernly of the three coastal kingdoms, and homeland of Urza and Mishra. It was ruled by a monarchy until the outbreak of war, where Urza was all but given the powers of the king. After the war, it eventually crumbled with the rest of the world.

Argoth was a large island off the coast of Southern Yotia, Homeland to the Elves of Terisiare and Descendants of the Survivors of the Fall of the Thran, it was covered in dense forest and was brimming with resources. Its capital was Citanul, a forest-city, where the island was ruled by Titania, Avatar of Gaea, the Spirit of Nature on Dominaria. It was completely obliterated in the last battle of The Brother's War, when Urza activated the Golgothian Sylex.

The Fallaji Empire was a great alliance of several different tribes of desert nomads, united under the Suuwardi tribe. It would later be ruled by Mishra. Its main cities included Tomakul and Zegon, and its nautral territory stretched across The Great Desert in the center of Terisiare, but also had a significant portion of conquered lands at one point or another in the war. Nearly all the Fallaji were killed in the Last Battle, and a few hundred years later, have been wiped out.

Koilos was once Halcyon, the beautiful capital of the Thran Empire. By the time of the Brothers, there was little more than a few crumbling buildings and a network of caves, containing the last technological remnants of the Thran. The most important thing here was a portal that would lead to Phyrexia, sealed and undisturbed for five thousand years, until Urza and Mishra inadvertantly broke the seal. During the War, it was the headquarters of Gix, a powerful Phyrexian Demon, who manipulated both sides in the war for Phyrexia's best interests.

Korlis was one of the three coastal kingdoms. It was ruled by a merchent council, and was heavily involved in trade. The River Kor flows through it. It had a location known as Korlinda, which was the location of an aborted peace conference between Argive, Korlis, Yotia and the Fallaji, two years before the beginning of the Brother's War. After the war, it eventually crumbled with the rest of the world.

The College of Lat-Nam was situated on a small island, off the west Terisian coast. At the time of the Brothers, it was a collection of scholars from all over Terisiare and Dominaria. Its co-founders, Hurkyll and Drafned, would help to establish the Third Way, and became one of the first people on Terisiare for centuries to tap into magic. It would survive the war, and would go on to become the training grounds for many of the world's mages for three thousand years.

The Monestary of Gix was located in the far north of Terisiare, and home to a religious order who worshipped a machine god named Gix. In response to a dream, they travelled to Koilos and activated the portal to Phyrexia. By coincedence or design, they encountered a Phyrexian Demon whose name was Gix. They were his agents among both Urza and Mishra, manipulating both sides. After the war, the monestary was abandoned, and the Order of Gix travelled to Phyrexia.

Terisia City was one of the largest and most ancient cities on Terisiare by the time of the Brothers, having had millenia of peace. It was also the headquarters of the Third Way, a group of scholars dedicated to defending themselves from both Brothers, rather than ally with either. Although it declared neutrality, Mishra's forces laid siege to the city for months. Although it was a peaceful city, it's defenses were formidable, and the city only fell when the Gixian monks betrayed them. It was taken by both sides several times since, but its ultimate fate is not known. It can be assumed that it was eventually destroyed.

Yotia was the most southern of the coastal kingdoms, and the one suffering the brunt of Fallaji raiding parties before the outbreak of the war. It was a Monarchy, whose leader took the Title of Warlord (or Warlady). It is the homeland of Tawnos, Apprentice to Urza, and Kayla bin-Kroog, daughter of the Warlord and wife of Urza. After the death of the Warlord at Korlinda, Kayla became the Warlady, and saw Mishra's forces completely destroy Yotia's capital Kroog. Yotia would remain under Fallaji occupation for ten years, before being liberated by Argive and Korlis. By this time, Yotia had been scarred almost beyond repair by the Fallaji plundering and Mishra's Scorched Earth policy. The Yotians would continue to fight on Urza's side until the end of the war. After the war, it eventually crumbled with the rest of the world.

The Dark (64-450 A.R.)

Giva Province was a northern region of Terisiare, and was once Argive. It was the home of Jodah, who would eventually become one of the most important figures of the coming Ice Age. Giva was eventually completely locked in Ice.

The City of Shadows was on Lat-Nam, and a descendant of the College founded before the Brothers' War. It was a secretive training grounds for mages, in a time where mages were hunted down and killed by the puritanical Church of Tal.

The Conclave of Mages was an impressive Citadel, build on the site of the Monastery of Gix. It was an alternate to the City of Shadows, being much less structured. It was destroyed by a combination of a surprise attack by the Church of Tal, and Lord Ith being freed, afterwhich most of its denizens travelled to the City of Shadows.

The Ice Age (450-2954 A.R.)

Balduvia was less of a country and more of a region, populated by barbarians who hunted the large beasts that were strewn across the frozen wasteland. With the end of the Ice Age, most of these beasts died out, but the land was capable of being farmed. Balduvia eventually united with Kjeldor to form New Argive.

Fyndhorn was a densely forested area in the south of Terisiare. Most of its elven denizens worshipped the Planeswalker Freyalise. Fyndhorn was flooded when the Ice Age ended, and most of the survivors travelled to what is now Yavimaya.

Kelsinko was a city near the southern coast of Terisiare. It was lost to the floods.

Kjeldor was a country in the North of Terisiare, but much more ordered and civilized than Balduvia, with a rich military history. Its three principle cities were Kjeld, Krov and Soldev. Krov was lost to the flooding at the end of the Ice Age, and Soldev was destroyed by Phyrexian Steam Beasts summoned by Lim-Dúl. Kjeldor eventually united with Balduvia to form New Argive.

Tresserhorn was a citadel, built on the site of the Conclave and Monestary of Gix, and headquarters to Lim-Dúl. After his defeat, Tresserhorn fell into disrepair, and was eventually destroyed by flooding and avalanches.

The Unseen School was the descendant of the City of Shadows, and the College of Lat-Nam. It was the largest congregation of magic and artifice in Dominaria at the time. It was destroyed by Phyrexian Steam Beasts summoned by Lim-Dúl. The survivors of the attack spread across the continent.

The Modern Era (2954-4205 A.R.)

In the aftermath of the Ice Age, the advancing seas split the Continent into six islands, known as the Terisian Isles.

Jamuraa

Jamuraa is an Africa-like subcontinent of a larger, unnamed supercontinent on Dominaria. Portals to Rabiah and Wildfire were once common on this continent. The sets Mirage and Visions were set in Jamuraa.

Zhalfir

Zhalfir is a powerful nation on the Dominarian continent of Jamuraa. The planeswalker Teferi, who was one a student at Urza's Tolarian Academy, was once a court mage in Zhalfir.

Femeref

Femeref is a religious state on Jamuraa. It was originally a province created by the church due to a religious dispute in Zhalfir, but eventually grew apart from the militaristic kingdom.

Suq'Ata

Suq'Ata is a trading empire on Jamuraa. In ancient times, it annexed the mountains of Femeref bordering Zhalfir after hearing tales of mineral wealth deep within the mountains.

Kamigawa

A world far removed from the other planes, elements of Kamigawa show a strong Japanese influence. Instead of knights, there are armies of Samurai. Demons are referred to as Oni, and spirits as Kami. Kamigawa has experienced a devastating war between the Kami world and the material world, and the story of Kamigawa is revealed through tattered documents and history books.

Sokenzan

Sokenzan is Kamigawa's largest mountain range. It is inhabited by akki, as well as bandits and ronin ruled by the bandit king Godo. At its heart are the Tendo Peaks.

Tendo Peaks

The Tendo Peaks are the steep mountains in the heart of Sokenzan. One of these mountains, the Heart of Frost, was once haunted by a Yuki-Onna.

Towabara

Towabara a plain on Kamigawa. Its name means "eternal field."

Araba

The Araba is the barren expanse within the plains of Towabara. The name means "ruined land", as the plain is full of craters after the kami attacks.

Eiganjo Castle

Eiganjo Castle is the stronghold of daimyo Konda and is at the center of the Araba. A town called Eigan was built around the castle.

Mercadia

Mercadia is a plane, most notable for its unique mountain, shaped as a giant cone, growing wider as it gets higher, on the top resting a large city. In the story, the city was founded by various Thran officials teleported there to escape Yawgmoth, and Ramos, who reaches god-like status among the natives, is a dragon engine transported there during the Sylex blast of the Brothers' War.

Mirrodin

Originally called Argentum, Mirrodin is the artificial plane created by Karn, and setting for the Mirrodin, Darksteel, and Fifth Dawn expansions. The plane is made entirely of metal, the creatures on the plane having, for example, copper skin.

In the story, Memnarch, the warden of the plane, a creation of Karn, gradually grows insane, causing the near extinction of the blinkmoths, which create the rain, as well as other plot elements. Glissa, an elf, is a prominent figure in this storyline.

Phyrexia

Yawgmoth is the god of the artificial plane of Phyrexia, home to a fiendish race of machine-creatures that were the longest-running villains in Magic lore. This realm is composed of nine nested spheres:

The surface is a complete natural-seeming ecosystem, composed entirely of machines and semi-magical constructs
The second sphere is composed of the debris of the first, and smokestacks from lower levels
The third sphere is a virtually impassible tangle of pipes and ducts
The fourth sphere houses great furnaces, and is used as a training ground for Phyrexian warriors
The fifth sphere is boiling ocean of 'glistening oil,' a corrupt substance that is the Phyrexian equivalent of blood
The sixth sphere is the home of Yawgmoth's Inner Circle of praetors and minions. As Yawgmoth himself is largely imprisoned within the ninth sphere, it is they who see his will done
The seventh sphere is known as the "Punishment Sphere," and is the closest thing to Hell seen in Magic continuity. Personal enemies of Yawgmoth are tortued here for millenia.
The eighth sphere is described as 'pure energy'
Finally, the ninth sphere is home to Yawgmoth himself, a place where he controls reality itself. This is the holy-of-holies for Phyrexians.

Urza, the sworn enemy of Yawgmoth, attacked Phyrexia on several occasions. The first time during the Urza's Saga set, the Phyrexians rebuilt faster than he could destroy. During the storyline of the set Apocalypse, much of Phyrexia was left destroyed, but later storylines have hinted that it is again rebuilding.

Biography of Yawgmoth from Phyrexia.com (http://www.phyrexia.com/continuity/Yawgmoth.shtml)

Rabiah the Infinite

In ancient times, Rabiah, due to some mysterious force, was multiplied 1000 times, across 1000 different worlds. Although identical in the beginning, these planes started to drift apart culturally, forming 1001 planes that were at the same time the same, yet different.

Rabiah was home to the planeswalker Taysir. When the plane refracted, Taysir was created five times- each Taysir skilled in one type of Mana. Nailah, a Rabian sorceress, plotted to use the power of the Taysirs against them, to aid her in her plans of conquering the planes. She convinced the black Taysir to kill the others, but, after merging with his other selves, forming the most powerful planeswalker until Urza. Taysir rebelled against Nailah, but, with her last breath, she banished Taysir from Rabiah forever.

Rabiah today is a drifting family of planes, never staying in one place. It currently has portals to Wildfire, and, in ancient times, to equatorial continents on Dominaria. Rabian planes occasionally collide with each other, temporarily merging the two worlds.

Ravnica

Ravnica is the setting for the Ravnica block (Autumn 2005). Little is known about it to date, other than it appears to be a plane covered largely, if not entirely, in large cities. It would appear that a guild system is the main form of government, and like Invasion, what colour you are is not as significant as earlier sets.

Rath

Rath was an artificial plane, created of flowstone, a strange living stone composed of nanorobots. Made by Phyrexia for their invasion of Dominaria, it eventually became the size of Dominaria, at which point it melded with Dominaria, putting the Phyrexian forces in the middle of the Dominarian forces. Rath no longer exists as a separate plane, instead existing as part of Dominaria.

Shandalar

Shandalar is a small plane, one of the most Mana-rich in all of Dominia. Host of countless planeswalker wars, it is unstable, constantly spinning out of position. It is a rogue plane that was the center of a plan to shatter the Shard of Twelve Worlds, which trapped planeswalkers within the twelve immediate planes of the multiverse, when it briefly entered the Shard.

Ulgrotha

Ulgrotha was the setting of the Homelands expansion, notable for being the presumable origin of Sengir vampires.

The complete history and description of Ulgrotha, from MTGNews.com. (http://forums.mtgnews.com/showthread.php?threadid=2066)

External links

Wizards of the Coast's Magic Expansion Story Summaries (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=magic/products/storylinesummaries)
Phyrexia.com Storyline Central (http://www.phyrexia.com/continuity) - information about major characters, places, and artifacts.
The Legends of Magic (this information is pre-revisionist and occasionally inaccurate) (http://web.archive.org/web/20021020104716/www.ccgnews.com/mtgstory/storyindex.html)

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