Phyrexia
Phyrexia is an artificial plane of entirely mechanical "life" created by an ancient planeswalker. Little is known of this planewalker, aside from the fact that he preferred to assume the form of a dragon. This world was not so different from Mirrodin until Yawgmoth arrived, brought there by the planeswalker Dyfed. Yawgmoth, with the remnants and descendants of the phthisis-inflicted Thran humans whom he "saved" through the process he referred to as "Phyresis" (essentially the replacement of weak mortality with artifice) came here when they were forced out of the Thran Empire as traitors. The ensuing war destroyed the nation of the Thran.
History of Phyrexia
The Phyrexians' main purpose after their entrapment in the plane was to invade and destroy their old home of Dominaria. Many years were spent preparing for this invasion, with various plans, weapons, and soldiers being created throughout the ages. Also aware that their artificial home plane would collapse after some time, the survival of the Phyrexian way depended upon the successful entrance into Dominaria and the defeat of its lifeforms. However, this transfer was made impossible for five millenniums because of the closing of the portal between Dominaria and Phyrexia in the Caves of Koilos, where the planeswalker Glacian transfused his being into two powerstones that were used by his wife, Rebbec, to seal off the connection. During this time, the Phyrexians waited, plotted, and built up their forces for the time when their way would be clear into the old world.
After some five-thousand years had passed, the nation of Argive was founded and the Argivian Reckoning system of time measurement began. A boy named Urza was born in this new country on the same date. At the very end of this year, Urza's brother Mishra was born. The two were sent off to a camp to study artifice with the archaeologist, Tocasia, after some time. During an outing to survey a new dig site, the two brothers found the two powerstones on a pedestal in a cave, and inadvertently opened the portal to Phyrexia when they took the stones. This event would ultimately be the undoing of Dominaria. Seeing his opportunity, Yawgmoth sent through the Phyrexian demon, Gix, to scout. Eventually, the Brothers became involved in the conflict of the Brother's War, and Mishra eventually made contact with the Phyrexians. Gix had built up a religious following of machine worshipers, and he used his influence to manipulate the two sides. He offered aid and Phyrexian equipment to Mishra, even compleating him. The plans to destroy Urza were foiled when the Golgothian Sylex was activated and Argoth, the site of the war's final battle, was obliterated and split into island chains. After the time of this blast, the Shard of the Twelve Worlds was formed, and the Phyrexians were once again unable to travel to Dominaria.
For some time, Phyrexia was again forced to wait until it could resume its attack. It had also unknowingly encountered its greatest enemy, Urza, who had ascended to become a planeswalker. He had become obsessed with the destruction of those he blamed for his brother's sickening transformation. However, Urza was also locked out of Dominaria for a time, and spent his next years wandering the planes. On one of his travels, he met Xantcha, a Phyrexian sleeper agent that had gone rogue and had been exiled from her home plane. The two were chased for a long time through the Multiverse by Phyrexians, who moved by way of Phyrexian Portals. After a time the two returned to Terisiare, at the end of the Ice Age, when Freyalise cast the World-spell and shattered the Shard. Not long thereafter, Gix returned to Dominaria and created another secretive cult. Phyrexians had also began moving into Dominaria through new portals. Urza learned of Gix through Xantcha and traveled to Koilos to meet and battle him, with his allies, Xantcha and the boy Ratepe. A final battle between Urza and Gix broke out in the ancient caves, and Urza defeated the Phyrexian Demon with the help of his friends. Urza then proceeded to build up a global response to the threat of Phyrexia.
The Phyrexians began another plot to gain them re-entrance. Yawgmoth ordered the construction of the artificial plane of Rath, through the use of a newly created substance called flowstone. A giant refinery was constructed in the center of a pocket universe attached to Dominaria, so well-hidden that no planeswalker would find it. The flowstone helped the Phyrexians to construct an artificial world for use as a staging point for their troops. Eventually, the mass of this plane would grow beyond its own ability to contain, and Rath would overlay onto Dominaria. The violent dimensional barriers of the plane caused creatures and things from other planes to be pulled in, and peoples from Dominaria came to populate Rath along with forests and other creatures, as well. To rule Rath, an evincar was elected. The first evincar was a man named Davvol, but the most famous of their number was the mighty Volrath, onetime blood-brother of Gerrard. Originally named Vuel, Yawgmoth himself transformed the willing Vuel into Volrath and placed him in command of the operations in Rath after his role in defeating the warclan that had housed his adopted brother.
Not long after his instatement, Volrath experimented with control spine technologies from Phyrexia, devices that would empower the host once grafted on to the spinal cord. Only the strongest could survive this implantation. Greven il-Vec was one such person, and he became Volrath's new second-in-command after the operation, losing much of his former human appearance in the process. The Predator, a massive flying ship, was built not long after, and Greven was made its captain, with Vhati il-Dal as his first mate.
One of the other early exploits of Volrath as evincar was to kidnap Sisay through a portal to Dominaria, in order to lure the Weatherlight and its crew to Rath. He also captured Takara en-Dal, the daughter of his old master, Starke. His plan was to get the Legacy, a collection of powerful artifacts created by Urza to combat the Phyrexian threat, to come to Rath with his enemies, where he could fight them easily. When the Weatherlight made the jump and arrived in Rath, they were greeted by Greven and the Predator, and after a confrontation, the Weatherlight fell out of the sky. Believing his enemies to have been defeated, and with the missing pieces of the Legacy in hand, Volrath asked of Greven what face Gerrard had worn before his death, but Greven told him that Gerrard plummeted into Skyshroud. Volrath used his control spine device to cause Greven agony as punishment for his presumed failure to kill Gerrard.
Two of the Weatherlight's crew, Karn and Tahngarth, were also captured and brought to Volrath's dungeon. Here he tortured Tahngarth and warped him with a laser-like device, hoping to use him as Greven's new first mate, as Vhati was killed for disobeying orders during the battle with the Weatherlight. Volrath was familiar with Karn from an earlier meeting, where Volrath frozen him in place. The evincar was amused by the prospect of forcing this now pacifistic golem to kill hundreds of moggs by placing him in a moving chamber filled with them. Knowing that his enemies would come to rescue their friends and the rest of the Legacy, Volrath prepared himself for their arrival.
All did not go as planned, however, as the Elves and the tribes of the Kor, Vec, and Dal, made an allied assault on the front of Volrath's Stronghold. While Stronghold forces made a defensive stance at the front entrance, Mirri, Gerrard, Starke, and Crovax managed to infiltrate the Stronghold from elsewhere. They rescued Tahngarth and Karn, and eventually they faced off with Selenia, Crovax' beloved guardian angel, now Volrath's minion, and were nearly beaten. Crovax and Mirri were carried back to the Weatherlight with Tahngarth and Karn, and Gerrard and Starke went on to face Volrath in the Stronghold's Dream Halls. Volrath escaped and took on the form of Takara, while a brainwashed Sisay awaited Gerrard and Starke in a room near the Dream Halls. After blinding Starke, Volrath began to play the part of Takara, while Sisay eventually returned to normal when Volrath's control over her weakened. After killing a shapeshifter in the guise of the Stronghold's evincar, the group fled to the Weatherlight.
The rulership of Rath began to crumble after Volrath was forced to leave and chase his foes to Mercadia, where the Weatherlight crash-landed after its escape from Rath. Ertai, Crovax, and Mirri were left behind. Once at the new location, Volrath used his disguise to convince Gerrard he has also suffered as Takara, making his brother increasingly more hateful of the evincar, clouding his judgement. Volrath also used his power over Mercadia's Kyren to manipulate Mercadian rulers into chasing down the Weatherlight and its crew.
After manipulating the various members of the expedition for the Legacy for some time, Volrath was thwarted in his plans by an attack on Mercadia by the crew of the Weatherlight and the united peoples of Mercadia: the Ramosians, the Cho-Arrim, the Saprazzans, and the Rishadans. His plan was also uncovered when the Weatherlight crew returned from Deepwood with the Bones of Ramos, finding a secret hangar lodged in the mountain. Here lay Volrath's personal host of Phyrexian ships, a portion of the invasion force into Dominaria. The Weatherlight was also being staged here, and Sisay and Gerrard managed to locate and enter it. Here Volrath himself dueled with Gerrard, ultimately to be outmatched by the Benalish master-at-arms. With massive damage inflicted upon the Phyrexian armada (unbeknownst to them only the tiniest fraction of the full invasion force), and Volrath apparently defeated, the Weatherlight blew its way free of the subterranean dock with new Phyrexian ray cannon technology. The caves collapsed down around the evincar of Rath, but he would not be beaten. Volrath managed to escape the crumbling hangar in his ship, the Recreant. He met the Weatherlight one last time over Mercadia, but was beaten once again when it rammed his own ship and punched a gash into its hull, leaving it falling to pieces in the sky. Volrath, a durable beast and determined survivor, lived through the destruction of his prized ship, and returned Rath in defeat.
Greatly displeased by the old evincar's departure, Yawgmoth decided to choose a new ruler for the plane. The Inner Circle of Yawgmoth sent Belbe, the recreated daughter of the elf-lord Eladamri, to select a new evincar to lord over Rath. There were three possible choices: Ertai of the Weatherlight, stranded on Rath after his friends' escape; Crovax, now a vampire and a twisted mockery of his former self; and Volrath's second-in-command, Greven il-Vec. Both Ertai and Greven were uninterested in the position, leaving the contested leadership of Rath to Crovax. Just as he was to be initiated, the ceremony was interrupted by what appeared to be a Rathi native named Furah, who revealed himself to be the feared Volrath in shapeshifted form. This caught every soldier in the room by surprise, and they all bowed in fear to their old commander. Belbe ultimately let the two would-be evincars fight each other for the title. It appeared that Volrath would be the victor, but he was secretly tripped by the wizard Ertai. Crovax was then able to claim victory, and was finally made the evincar, second to Yawgmoth. As punishment for his defeats and misdeeds, Volrath was undone, robbed of his shapeshifting ability and strong body by vat priests, then returned to Dominaria after flowstone injection. He died there, once again Vuel, now left with nothing.
The Phyrexians were now finally prepared for their climactic siege of Dominaria. Portal ships, large flying machines with expansive Phyrexian portal technology attached, made their way into Dominaria from the skies of Rath, and opened up an entrance for the Phyrexian war fleets. The ships entered Dominaria over the sky of Benalia, the first target of the invasion. This strike was successful and Benalia was destroyed. Later, Tsabo Tavoc led battles at Koilos and Yavimaya, losing those to coalition forces after days of bloody strife. Tolaria was overtaken by Phyrexians and wiped out by the self-destructive wizard Barrin with his most powerful spell. New Argive was besieged and crushed, and the Burning Isles were overtaken, Steel entirely filled with Phyrexian troops and Urborg secured. The Phyrexians' plans in the oceans, however, were stymied by the merfolk of Atlantis. With the destruction of the portals, the first wave of the invasion was finished.
There was time for only a brief repast, then the invasion resumed. The Rathi Overlay signaled the beginning of the second wave of the Phyrexian armies. As Rath placed itself on the surface of Dominaria, battles broke out all across the planet as Coalition forces intercepted more invaders.
(Planeshift/Apocalypse goes here)
(post-Invasion goes here)
Structure of Phyrexia
The plane consisted of nine nested spheres, each with its own purpose and, often, mechanical ecosystem.
First Sphere
The First Sphere of Phyrexia is a mechanical parody of life. It is covered by artificial jungle bedewed by oily rain. Streams of oil also run through the first sphere's landscape. It is home to a few forms of dragon engines and many others mechanical animals simulating true life. Rusting artifact debris lay around long plains filled with metallic dust and soot. Huge furnaces spew ash into the air. Newts are brought to this Sphere, likely to select those worthy for completion.
Second Sphere
Scraps and ruins from the first sphere are contained in the Second Sphere. Metal beams, pipes, and other structures make up the roof. Smokestacks from lower levels also appear in this level of Phyrexia. These are all that offer any source of light. Gargantuan ammunitions dumps as large as entire communities are located here.
Third Sphere
The Third Sphere is filled with metal pipes, which create space distortions that prevent planeswalking to lower spheres. Horrors of Phyrexia stalk this place.
Fourth Sphere
The Fourth Sphere is where the bulk of Phyrexia's population exists. Here are more smokestacks, as well as the vat facilities where newts are grown and compleated. Vat priests work here, monitoring the Phyrexian newborn and performing the operations of transforming them into Phyrexian machines and warriors. Phyrexian warriors are trained in this place as well.
Phyrexian portals, reinvented versions of old Thran portals, were built here and opened to new planes that would be conquered for Yawgmoth. They were opened only through sacrificing artifacts or the use of a great amount of energy.
Fifth Sphere
The Fifth Sphere is an ocean of Glistening Oil used by Vat Priests of Fourth to breed newts, called the Boiling Sea. Massive steam creatures also live here.
Sixth Sphere
The Phyrexian Inner Circle is housed in the Sixth Sphere. It is a realm for the Phyrexian governmental body; here are the most prestigious of Yawgmoth's servants, such as demons, the Praetors, and other officials.
Seventh Sphere
The Seventh Sphere of Phyrexia is an eternal furnace of flames used both to power the plane and punish those who have failed Yawgmoth. Gix is the only Phyrexian known to have survived the Seventh Sphere. It is a hellish place known as the "Punishment Sphere." Prisoners, artificers, and failures of any sort are brought here for torture. Gremlins live on this Sphere.
Eight Sphere
The Eighth Sphere is a place of pure energy. Little else is known of it.
Ninth Sphere
The Ninth Sphere is the control center for all of Phyrexia. Up until the Invasion, it was where Yawgmoth resided, plotting his eventual takeover of Dominaria. Yawgmoth also stayed here, dormant within his sanctum for some time, while his minions acted in his will and saw to it that his plans were executed.
Phyrexian life forms
- Newts — The first stage of any Phyrexian's life is that of the Newt. These creatures are grown in vats of Glistening Oil, and appear as androgynous, hairless humans. They are grown to adulthood then prepared and released for life in the dark plane. Newts are later put through a process called compleation. At this point, they are transformed into other forms of Phyrexians to serve any of a number of purposes for Yawgmoth.
- Sleeper Agents — Sleeper agents are fully grown and sometimes genetically modified newts who have not been compleated, appearing as regular human beings, sent to spy on other planes and perform clandestine operations outside of Phyrexia. Some are completely unaware of their status and task, simply dropped off on other planes to be used as hidden cameras.
- Cults — Yawgmoth and the Phyrexians have active cults around the planes, mainly in Dominaria, who worshiped machines and the power of artifice. The Cult of Gix was one such example, which existed for the later duration of the Brothers' War. Those who participated in the cult would augment themselves with metal, embedding it in their skin in all sorts of ways, as a sign of their willingness to become machine from flesh. Gix orchestrated the Cult from its center and even gave Phyrexian technology and instruction to his worshipers. Similar cults were active on various planes and areas at different times up until the Phyrexian Invasion.
- Gremlins -- Among the least inhabitants of Phyrexia, Gremlins, the Slayer, and the Broodlings.
- Undead — Phyrexia employs zombies, skeletons, and other forms of walking dead in its fight against the Multiverse. Some are made to function through the adding of artificial improvements. The Monitor, Unworthy Dead, Reaper, Scuta, and the Bloodstock are examples of undead in Phyrexia's ranks. Some of them are noxious and harmful to life even through a touch. It is also notable that some of the Phyrexians printed as zombies were intended to be minions, but were changed to zombies for set design reasons.
- Carriers — Biomechanical constructs used to spread Phyrexian-engineered plagues. They can all be utilized as suicide strikers, destroying themselves to release their pathogenic load upon the battlefield. These include the Denouncer, Debaser, Defiler, and Plaguelord.
- Mechanical constructs — Phyrexian inhabitants and creations usually involve mechanical parts and additions, but some are entirely mechanical in nature. These are the massive devices and war machines used to wipe out any resistance left after the initial wave of primary combat troops and the release of the plagues. The Dragon Engines, War Beasts, Hulks, and Colossi all fall under this category. The largest and most brutal of Yawgmoth's monstrosities is the Phyrexian Dreadnought, another totally mechanical part of the arsenal.
- Horrors — Horrors are frightening monstrosities, sometimes combinations of creatures listed above. Many of them are free-willed and may live apart from the other Phyrexians, not taking part in the efforts of the rest of the plane. They can be dangerous to even their peers. The Rager, Witch Engine, Plague Spitter, Devouring Strossus, Gargantua, and Negator are all Horrors.
- Knights — The most elite of warriors, those that are more intelligent and capable than mere killing devices, are the Knights. They have their human mental attributes, such as free will, but still remain under the command of Yawgmoth. Phyrexian Knights are composed of a few different Orders: the Eastern Paladins, dedicated to eradicating all natural life; the Western Paladins, avid destroyers of all societies that are not of Phyrexia; and the Order of Yawgmoth, the prestigious guard of the Ineffable himself. (There also seem to have been human knightly orders known as the Eastern and Western Paladins on Dominaria that are not connected to Phyrexia.) The Sanguine Guard is another of the knightly orders, though its function is unclear.
- Demons — The most powerful and loyal servants of Phyrexia were the Demons, beings of immeasurable evil. These terrible entities made up the greater part of Yawgmoth's Inner Circle, and included the Ineffable's most trusted minion, Gix. Other, lesser Phyrexian demons existed as well, fleshy, mindless things whose only purpose was to scour other worlds for resources to be used on Phyrexia.
Militarization
The plane of Phyrexia had many weapons at its disposal. Aside from the Phyrexians themselves, there were artifacts, biohazardous spores and plagues, and mutational organic implements such as venom sacs.
Typical Phyrexian soldiers made use of nasty blades and saws, though they often were equipped with plenty of claws, fangs, and brute force. Many had venomous fangs implanted in their faces, and others had poisonous stingers. They were stronger and more resilient to pain than the average human being. Power armor, improved upon for centuries from the original suits of the Halcyon Guard, was almost always fitted onto Phyrexians in various ways and appearances, possibly fueled by Phyrexian powerstones. Some Phyrexians had fire-arms, such as those used by the Nightstalkers in Caliman, or the armament of the Reaper. These may have been beam weapons, like the Ray Cannons used in the flying ships of the Thran-Phyrexian War, or perhaps fired projectiles of some sort.
Phyrexians that were entirely compleated were mainly metallic, some of which took entirely different shapes than the newt, becoming huge behemoths of steel, wire, and gears. The Gargantua is one example, using its sheer size to outmatch any opponents it would meet on the battlefield. Its huge claws were large enough to fit as much material and debris as an earthmover, and were capable of crushing down virtually anything in that space. Mechanical devices were one of the potent forces in Phyrexia's armies. Many of Phyrexia's constructs were semi-magical, while others were complex combinations of purely mechanical processes.
One of Phyrexia's greatest weapons was the engineered plague. Nano-technologically improved spores took out entire populations on Dominaria, these plagues were a major threat during the invasion. They were unleashed by Phyrexian carriers, such as the Plaguelord and the Defiler. There were different pathogens created by Phyrexia, but a few may have also been contained or enhanced specimens of the phthisis that inflicted the Thran before their fall. Some plagues were tested on Dominaria around the time of Urza's adventures, as well. These were part of an odd concoction, as described in Phyrexian progress notes; according to the text of other carriers, a disease is described that causes rashes, nausea, fever, cough, muscle aches, then delirium, convulsions, and death. This may have been a generic plague outbreak.
Notable Phyrexians
Diagram of Phyrexia
Note
The forums in Phyrexia.com imitate the nine spheres of Phyrexia.