Planeshift (novel)

Planeshift
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Publishing Information
Author(s)	J. Robert King
First printing	February 1, 2001
ISBN-13	978-0786918027
Preceded By Invasion Followed By Apocalypse

Planeshift is the second novel of the Invasion Cycle, continuing to tell the conclusion of the Weatherlight Saga. It was written by J. Robert King and published in February 2001.

Blurb

The first wave is over, but the invasion rages on.

In the midst of an all-out war, the ground shifts and moves. Millions upon millions of invaders appear out of nowhere as the artificial plane of Rath overlays Dominaria, covering the natural landscape with the unnatural horrors of Phyrexia.

There is no rest for the wicked.

Summary

The Rathi Overlay begins while the coalition forces are still recovering from the battle at Koilos. The nine planeswalkers Urza gathered transport the troops to various strategically important locations.

Urza takes the Weatherlight and the metathran forces to Urborg, where the Stronghold now lies. Crovax, the leader of the invasion, cannibalizes Tsabo Tavoc for her failures.

Eladamri, Lin Sivvi and their forces are brought to Keld by Freyalise, where they join forces with the Skyshroud elves, whose forest was transplanted there by the overlay, and the Keldon forces of warlord Astor.

Rhammidarigaaz and the other dragons are transported to the remains of Shiv by Tevesh Szat. Szat tells the dragon-lord of the primevals, ancient dragons that ruled Dominaria before humans stole their power. The red Primeval is already destroyed by Phyrexians, so their chain of power can't be recreated, but Darigaaz sets out to save the others nonetheless.

The nine planeswalkers travel to Phyrexia itself, planning to destroy it with soul bombs. The fight goes well until Tevesh Szat betrays them, killing Kristina of the Woods and Daria. Urza activates the kill rubric in his titan suit, draining all his power to fuel the soul bombs.

On Urborg, Agnate and his metathran forces are caught in quicksand but are saved by the undead of lich lord Dralnu. Dralnu tells Agnate of his underground city in which he gives fallen warriors a second chance at life. Agnate is awed by this, and they forge an alliance against the Phyrexians.

In Keld, the battle fares badly. The Keldon Twilight comes true, as all fallen heroes in the Keldon Necropolis come back to life, but they fight for Phyrexia instead of Keld. Doyenne Tajamin uses her holy cudgel to melt the entire glacier on which the battle is being fought. Phyrexians drown en masse, but most Keldons and elves are saved by the mysterious Golden Argosy, the ship of the first lord of Keld. Astor and his forces leave the Golden Argosy to fight for Keld. The ship then takes Eladamri, Lin Sivvi, and a host of elves and Keldons to Urborg.

While Agnate is in Dralnu's underground city of Vhelnish to forge the alliance, the battle of Urborg fares badly. Weatherlight heads to Hurloon to pick up reinforcements. They save an entire Minotaur army from the mutations Tahngarth had to go through in Rath, and bring them to Urborg. When Agnate and Dralnu return to the battlefield as well, the battle for southern Urborg is quickly won, and the forces head north, to the Stronghold. But Agnate turns out to be dying of what he thinks is the Phyrexian plague. During a battle Agnate and the Minotaur commander Grizzlegom are injured. While in the sickbay it is revealed Agnate doesn't have the Phyrexian plague, but one caused by Dralnu, who wants to take over his army. Agnate signs over his forces to Grizzlegom, who mercy kills the metathran commander and then kills Dralnu.

The Predator attacks Weatherlight. Tahngarth duels with Greven il-Vec and kills him, and Sisay sends the disabled Predator crashing into the Stronghold. But just when they think the battle is won, a Phyrexian who had made himself invisible reveals his presence: Ertai! The mage grabs Gerrards and Squee and teleports them into the Stronghold. There they meet Crovax, who promises Gerrard that Yawgmoth could bring Hanna back from the dead if he joins Phyrexia. To prove it he kills Squee, who is then granted the ability to come back from the dead.

In the meantime, Darigaaz has resurrected Rith, Dromar, and Treva at the expense of the lives of many dragons. Rith reveals the primeval of Shiv wasn't killed by Phyrexians, but that he was already reborn ages ago: Darigaaz himself is the red Primeval. The four of them then sacrifice their own lives in an Urborgan Tar-Pit. This awakens the final Primeval, Crosis, who brings the other back to life and completes their chain of power. The dragons begin to kill everything in their way, Phyrexian or Dominarian. But when Darigaaz attacks Weatherlight, Karn reveals his memory has been coming back and manages to talk sense into the dragon. Darigaaz sees his mistakes and plunges himself into an active volcano to stop the Primeval's complete power.

While Urza is in Phyrexia he is grasped by its beauty. Yawgmoth plays into these feelings, getting Urza to join his side and destroy the master soul bomb that was supposed to set off all the others. When Taysir confronts him, Urza activates the kill rubric in his suit as well. Yawgmoth then shows Urza his brother, Mishra, saying he has been tortured in Phyrexia ever since the Brothers' War. Urza still wants to join Phyrexia and so leaves his brother to his torture and prostrates himself before Yawgmoth. In the Stronghold, Gerrard pledges his allegiance to Yawgmoth as well.

On Urborg, Rith is imprisoned inside Nemata, Grove Guardian, who had followed her ever since Darigaaz awakened her in Yavimaya. Weatherlight then drives Crosis back into his tar pit, but crashes in the process. While the other dragons are taken care of by other troops, The crew looks at their ship, thinking it's all over, but then Karn emerges with the Thran Tome, saying he knows what to do to save the world.