The Shadow Mage

The Shadow Mage
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Publication information
Publisher	ARMADA
Publication period	July, 1995
Number of issues	4
Preceded By Serra Angel Followed By Wayfarer

Magic: The Gathering - The Shadow Mage was a comic series published by Armada in four volumes beginning in July, 1995.

Volume 1: The Aster Fall

In autumn of the year 1265 by the reckoning of the Sages of Minorad, Adam Carthalion has brought his army with him to the plains of Ephren to face off against the battlemage Ravidel, a powerful Planeswalker who arrives in a flying barge. Adam puts up a fight but is defeated by Ravidel, and with his dying words, he gives his spelltrove and his infant son Jared Carthalion, marked with the sigil of the new moon, to his spellsquire Ezer to take care of. He then casts an Inferno spell, obliterating Ravidel's barge and himself along with it.

Ten days later, Ezer and Jared shelter in the forest of Krisylthas. As Ezer passes out drunk, they are attacked by two wolves, but the tree they are resting against is a treefolk, who defends the helpless infant, killing one of the wolves and chasing the other off.

Three months later, Ezer and Jared arrive at the city-state of Arathoxia, at the delta of the Tenamis River, on the southwestern coast of Stonehaven. Ezer expects a warm welcome in the deceased lord Carthalion's estate but is rebuffed by the Scarlet Vizier, who calls him a liar and throws him and the infant into the street. The Planeswalker Liana, shapeshifted into the semblance of a child, witnesses this from a window of the estate.

Seven years later, Jared is being chased through the streets of Arathoxia by Yorgo and his pack of urchins for having stolen a pita bread. They catch him and beat him up, but he keeps the bread and returns it to the cramped hovel where he lives with Ezer. Meanwhile, Ravidel discovers their location through a scrying device recently found in Adam Carthalion's dungeon and sends an Aerathi Berserker to murder them. The berserker breaks into their hovel, but Jared quickly reads a scroll from his father's spelltrove and disintegrates the attacker, sending Ravidel reeling on the throne of his father's palace, as well as burning his hand. Ezer joyfully notes that Jared now has access to red magic, and names the child The Shadow Mage.

Volume 2: Desolate Angel

It's been eight years since Ravidel discovered Jared Carthalion's whereabouts and his berserker assassin was defeated. Jared and Ezer have been hiding in the slums of Arathoxia, having found ways to evade Ravidel's continual attacks. Jared is now fifteen years old, and has been training his physical skills, while refusing to hone his magic abilities. As has happened several times before, their home is tracked down and attacked, this time by a Giant Spider, which quickly reduces their home to rubble. Jared finally gives in and uses magic again, summoning a Hurloon Minotaur named Eusomoné "Sings Two Ways". Together, Jared and Eusomoné manage to kill the spider, but the minotaur receives a venom bite and must go to find a healer. Before he leaves, he gifts Jared his sword Foecleaver, an heirloom from Jared's deceased father, Adam Carthalion.

Five days later, Jared spies Liana of Minorad walking the streets of the city. Ezer takes ill and is put into hospice. Jared goes looking for a cure, but is attacked outside by Yorgo and his ruffians. Jared summons goblin raiders to defend him, but when they almost kill Nikko, one of Yorgo's ruffians, Jared unsummons the goblins and lets the rest of the band escape. He heads to his old estate, and is let in by the mistress of the house, the Scarlet Vizier's wife. She tells Jared of his mother, and offers him an alabaster potion to cure Ezer. They are almost caught by the vizier who has been alerted by a guard, but Jared steals the house's Black Lotus and escapes. Outside, he encounters Liana, who offers to meet him in the evening to show him something. Jared goes to the hospice and gives Ezer half the potion, then goes to meet Liana at the sultan's baths, a hangout for young people of the city. Yorgo and his band are there, and Jared guiltily gives the rest of the alabaster potion to Nikko to cure his wounds. Then the baths are attacked by the sultan's death guard and the Scarlet Vizier's men. Jared and Liana escape into the streets, but there encounter Ravidel. Jared immediately attacks him, but is beaten back and only Liana's intervention stops Ravidel from killing him. Liana reveals she has three Moxes, giving her the upper hand in a duel. Ravidel gleefully threatens her, promises to steal her Moxes, and then Planeswalks away from them.

Volume 3: War Child

On the first day of autumn of the same year - 1280 by the Reckoning of the Sages of Minorad - Arathoxia is attacked by Ravidel. His juggernaut smash the city gates while lady Verdenth, mistress of Krysalthus Forest, muses that she saved a life of the infant Jared Carthalion by commanding a treefolk to hold Ravidel's wolves at bay, and now he has come back to repay the debt. Tobias Kavrel, the lord of the Eastern Plains, is attacked by demonic hordes and his ivory tower falls, while more juggernauts savagely destroy the surrounding area. Jared convenes with Yorgo and Nikko battling drudge skeletons, and decide band together despite their differences. They head to Jared's father's estate, while the city's sultan confers with the remaining three house leaders. The blue lord Bikov of the western isles and the green lady Verdenth join forces and destroy the invading zombies and demons, but Ravidel throws a giant Chaos Orb into the city, annihilating Bikov, his sapphire tower, and the entrie port district. Outside his father's estate, Jared finds a dying Scarlet Vizier who tells Jared that the youth's mother Gwendolyn Carthalion was murdered. He also reveals that Liana of Minorad is a shapeshifter, able to change her shape to appear as a child or a matron. Jared realizes the vizier's wife was actually Liana in matronly guise. With his last breath, the vizier releases Liana from his indentured servitude. Jared heads to the hospice where Ezer is still recovering from his illness, while Lady Verdenth casts a cyclone to knock Ravidel out of the sky. Liana destroys the oncoming juggernauts, while Ravidel kills lady Verdenth and destroys her emerald tower. Liana stops Jared from attacking Ravidel in a rage. He confonts her about his parents' death, but she is evasive about what happened. The Lord of House Khone arrives after his black fortress falls, and the battle front moves toward the sultan's palace. Jared swears vengeance against Ravidel for the murder of his parents.

Volume 4: First Duel

Two months after the fall of Arathoxia, Yorgo and his croons have captured the ruined city-state's former sultan. They bring him to Jared Carthalion on a ridge overlooking the ruined city. The sultan explains to Jared that the attack on the baths were due to rumors that a street urchin had seized the Black Lotus from the Scarlet estate, and that he had not realized the true heir to the Carthalion lineage had had to spend his entire childhood as a street urchin in his own city until Ravidel conquered his palace. Yorgo hads Jared a fellwar stone and a spell scroll he can use to enter Castle Melmereth where the battlemage Ravidel resides.

Two weeks later, Jared's band approach the southern border of the plains of Ephren, when they encounter Liana of Minorad. She reveals to him that Ravidel has a soft spot for dragons - a weakness that can be exploited. Jared brushes her off, annoyed by her continuing refusal to attack Ravidel directly.

The group arrives at Castle Melmereth the following evening. While Ezer stays behind, the others charge into the castle, conquering its initial defenses through Jared's improving summoning skills. They arrive to the throne room, where Ravidel lounges on the throne, taunting Jared and taking pleasure in revealing some truths that until now had been hidden from him. Jared's deceased father Adam Carthalion was not the hero others made him out to be - he was a lier, a thief, and a killer. He murdered his wife Gwendolyn Carthalion in the hopes that it would grant him power to become a Planeswalker. This was witnessed directly by the Scarlet Vizier, his spellsquire Ezer, and Liana of Minorad, though none of them had ever told Jared of this. The reason Jared was on the battlefield during Aster Fall was that his father was to sacrifice him to unlock his Planeswalker potential. But in the final hour, Adam had changed his mind. He could not slay his infant son to appease Ravidel, so instead he had opted to rebel against him, and had paid the price.

Outside the castle, Liana catches up with Ezer. He reveals to her that even Ravidel has a master, one who is bent on snuffing the very starts from the sky. He also shares with her that the Scarlet Vizier had released her oath to him upon his death, something Jared had not told her as a petty revenge for her refusal to fight Ravidel. However, this newly discovered freedom from her oath finally does enable Liana to take direct action against Ravidel, and she and Ezer both enter the castle.

Inside, Nikko is killed by Ravidel's orcish man-at-arms Narok. Enraged, Jared annihilates Narok in turn. Ravidel and Jared engage in a duel of spells, and as Ezer and Liana join them, Jared crushes the Black Lotus and summons a Shivan Dragon. Entranced, Ravidel for a moment thinks the dragon is Rhuell, his long-lost Chromium friend. The Shivan dragon proceeds to tear the entire castle down. Ezer is knocked over his head by a falling piece of rubble, and tells the others to run, his last moments spent on pride over Jared's accomplishments. Liana, Jared and Yorgo are the only ones who manage to escape the dragon's destruction. The dragon then blasts itself out of the castle and flies away, just before the entire building explodes in a detonation caused by one of Liana's sorceries. Jared and Liana share a kiss, then he heads out across the plains, on a quest to learn new magic and become a Wayfarer.

Inserts

The first two issues include special printings of Magic cards.

See also Media insert.

Covers

All cover artwork was created by Val Mayerik.

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  Volume 1: The Aster Fall

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  Volume 2: Desolate Angel

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  Volume 3: War Child

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  Volume 4: First Duel