Jodah

Template:Character Jodah was a powerful archmage during Dominaria's Dark Age and Ice Age, who was present for many of the important historical events on Terisiare during the periods.

Jodah was very influential during the Ice Age in developing and researching the aspects of color magic on Dominaria. He was also a major contributor to the returning of the Shard to the rest of the multiverse.

Jodah's Intro

Jodah was born in 413 AR, several generations after the Sylex Blast that ended the Brothers' War. He was born into a wealthy family that was in fact a direct blood relation of Urza and Mishra themselves, the family line being founded by Kayla bin-Kroog after the war. This wealthy family resided as farm land owners in Giva Province, previously Argive, and had many notable members such as Jarsyl. However, because the ever-shortening summers and the overfarming of the land, the wealth of Jodah's family began to decline. The family finally abandoned their estate when Jodah was just a young man.

Shortly after, Jodah took up an apprenticeship with a small-time mage by the name of Voska, who promised Jodah's mother that he would take care of him. He instructed Jodah in his first spellcasting skills. Voska also gave Jodah a magical mirror which became very influential later in Jodah's history. During a brief skirmish involving magic use (which was illegal at that time, as dictated by the Book of Tal), Voska and Jodah were apprehended by the Church of Tal.

Jodah and Voska were taken to the city of Alsoor where they were charged with the use of magic and interrogated by the Church of Tal under the judgment of Primata Delphine. Jodah and Voska were tortured by her into revealing that Voska was instructing Jodah in how to use magic. Jodah then released a spell that momentarily blinded Primata Delphine and the guards detaining Voska and Jodah, allowing them to escape. During the escape, in an attempt to avoid the Church of Tal, Voska ordered Jodah to flee from Alsoor and seek refuge in the nearest city, Ghed, where he would meet him shortly. Voska also informed Jodah that if he failed to meet him then he should seek out a certain secret society of wizards that would become much more important further on in the story of Jodah.

Jodah in Ghed

Shortly after splitting up with Voska, Jodah found that Alsoor was heavily guarded and was nearly apprehended when trying to escape. In an attempt to avoid guard patrols Jodah hid in an alley way and it was here that he made his first true contact with the Rag Man. It pointed him in the direction of a local fish shop that was preparing to ship out empty fish barrels to the port city of Ghed. These barrels allowed Jodah unfettered transportation out of Alsoor.

Once Jodah reached Ghed he waited for his master, but Voska did not arrive. The city was then struck by disease called the Spotted Plague. This plague allowed Jodah to obtain employment as a deliverer of remedies with a local healer within Ghed known as Mother Dobbs. The remedies that were supplied by her essentially acted at laxatives but Jodah took it upon himself and under secrecy to improve the remedies by infusing them with healing white magic. This infusion later led to the persecution of Mother Dobbs by the Church of Tal.

During the last delivery that Jodah made for Mother Dobbs, he came in contact and had a minor skirmish with a fellow wizard by the name of Sima, who would become very important later in his story. After losing his employment under Mother Dobbs through her being mistakenly accused of use of magic by the Church of Tal, Jodah promptly sought new employment with the army of Ghed.

Jodah's Enlistment

A week after Jodah's enlistment in the Ghedian army, when the plague had lifted, Jodah's regiment marched north towards Alsoor. This march was part of the constant debate over ownership of land by the many city-states that existed during this time in Dominaria. At the same time Alsoorian forces had also been mobolized. In a short time the two forces clashed in what was later known as the battle of Pitdown. During this battle Jodah acheived his first experience of killing and witnessing death. The battle lasted a short while but halfway through an extremely large force of goblins attacked both armies and effectively routed troops from both the Ghed and Alsoor forces. During the confusion, Jodah managed to flee into the nearby fog-filled countryside before collapsing into unconsciousness from exhaustion and blood loss due to injuries suffered during the battle.

After Jodah returned to consciousness he staggered in what he hoped was a southernly direction before stumbling upon an old abandoned town.

Abandoned Town

Jodah wearily searched through this newfound abandoned town and shortly found that their were no remaining citizens, just feral wildlife. The town had very few signs of war as its cause of abandonment, which led Jodah to believe that either magic or disease was responsible. Jodah soon searched out the center of the city and found that a great fountain resided there. The fountain contained few alarming properties, not least being its working condition even after the the city's long abandonment. It was not until many years later that Jodah realised the full magical properties the fountain contained. During Jodah's inspection of the fountain he was alarmed by the presence of the Rag Man yet again. However, he was even more alarmed to hear goblins approaching his position, prompting him to seek a hiding place in the building that the rag man had indicated. However, the proximity of the goblins only allowed Jodah to seek refuge in the fountain itself.

As the goblin troops investigated the town center, Jodah immersed himself in the water of the fountain. One of the goblins soon reached the fountain, which forced Jodah to completely submerge himself. After a short while, shouts from nearby diverted the goblins' attention, allowing Jodah to resurface and seek refuge in away from the town. After Jodah made camp and settled for the night he found that the many wounds inflicted by the previous day's fighting were completely healed.

Sima

After the events in the abandoned town, Jodah continued his journey to Alsoor in an attempt to rescue Voska from the Church of Tal. During Jodah's trek to the city he encountered Alsoorian and Ghedian forces and was informed that the small war between these city-states had been ended in a treaty by the church. During this encounter Jodah also learned that a small caravan of churchmen were camped nearby and were on their way to Ghed. Upon further investigation Jodah found that Primata Delphine was amongst this caravan along with several condemned prisoners that were to be burned at the stake. Jodah, disguised in Ghedian armor, joined this caravan in their march to Ghed.

During his march with the church caravan, Jodah found that his earlier acquaintance from Ghed, Sima, was amongst the Church prisoners. Through bribery and other actions Jodah was stationed as a personal guard for Sima becuase she was considered dangerous by the Church. During his shift guarding Sima he gained entrance to her tent to gather information from her. Amongst other information, Jodah learned that Voska had been killed. Jodah then used a small spell that Sima quickly taught him to release her from her manacles and allow them to escape.

Fleeing the Encampment

Sima tried to convince Jodah to immediately flee the camp but Jodah wished to remain to rescue the other prisoners. Sima and Jodah split up to accomplish this task with greater efficiency and they agreed to meet later outside of the camp after all the prisoners had been freed.

Jodah drifted through the encampment until he came upon a great white tent that he identified as the command tent. Around it, he placed seeds comprised of mana made from a spell of his creation. At nearly the same time as a distant distraction from the other side of the encampment Jodah released his spell, which ignited the tent and a nearby wagon that contained many copies of the book of Tal. After this spell was released, Jodah fled to the center of camp and caused a distraction amongst the troops by informing them that the camp was under attack by goblins.

As Jodah fled he directed fleeing prisoners to safety and caused other forms of confusion. Upon reaching a far end of the camp he procured a couple of horses from the army's temporary stables and met up with Sima who was then fleeing the camp. Just as they were preparing to leave Primata Delphine appeared and attempted to thwart them.

Primata Delphine used a form of holy magic to summon a sword made of fire so that she could kill Jodah and Sima. Because of the previous battle neither Sima nor Jodah and the strength or energy to summon their magical abilities to defend themselves. As Primata Delphine attacked, Jodah attempted to block her magical sword with the use of his own material sword and magical mirror. The mirror reflected the magical energy from the sword back at Primata Delphine, which lit her ablaze and allowed Jodah and Sima to escape.

Lost at Sea

While being pursued by the Church of Tal, Jodah and Sima fled to the coast, were they boarded a skiff bound for the City of Shadows. During the voyage, Sima offered to teach Jodah magic, but the two didn't get along. Jodah was furious that Sima didn't believe in him and wouldn't let him try, while Sima said that Jodah wasn't trying. However halfway during the voyage, the ship was attacked by merfolk raiders, which left the ship to sink but did not kill the crew. Jodah was furious that Sima didn't try to save him but instead his mirror, and the blacked up.

As it turns out, the Rag Man had paid the merfolk to raid the ship. They brought Jodah to him and left with the money. Jodah woke up to find himself sitting on a beach with the Rag Man standing over him. He followed him to a cave, where he was put to sleep.

The Conclave of Mages

To be written

Mairsil's Interest in Jarsyl's Line

To be written

Gate to Phyrexia

Jodah spent days reading Jarsyl's diary and was able to learn a lot from it. His every need was fulfilled by Mairsil. Finally, after ten days of work, he was ready to try the spell, exactly as Jarsyl had described it in his diary. However, Jodah was cut off half-way during the spell, blowing up Mairsil's ceiling. Jodah later learned from Mairisl that the physical matrix refused the mystic source, in other words, the portal would not accept the force, causing it not to open and failing the spell. Mairsil sent Jodah back, telling him to try again.

Later it was revealed that Mairsil was using Jodah to open the gate to Phyrexia, where Mairsil would make a deal with the dark gods that would grant him immortality. He also mentioned that he would give Jodah to the lords of Phyrexia as a gift. His plan would've worked, as it not been for the Church of Tal's intervention.

Sima's Return

To be written

Attack of Tal

To be written

Releasing Ith

To be written

Ascension to Archmage

Jodah thrived in the City of Shadows, eventually becomming the Archmage and marrying Sima. However, the fountain he bathed in had dramatically slowed his aging, so while those around him died, he remained practically unchanged. This grief and dispair mounted, causing Jodah to descend into madness. To retain his sanity, he began to store his memories in his mirror, wipe his memory clean, then restore the memories from the mirror, drained of their emotional attachment. He lived so long that he was granted the title of Archmage Eternal, and oversaw the City of Shadows as it changed into the School of the Unseen.

Abduction and Deceit

To be written

Jaya's Rescue

To be written

Freyalise's Touch

To be written

The Mirror

To be written

Kjeldor

To be written

A Plot Uncovered

To be written

Showdown with Mairsil

To be written

Argoth Repeated

To be written

Twenty Years Later...

To be written

The Hunt for the Ring

To be written

Blood of Urza

To be written

The Spark

To be written

Purifying Ascension

To be written

Family Reunion

Three hundred years after Lat-Nam's destruction, Jodah arrived in a small valley and watched a man and a woman depart a small cottage. Jodah knocked on the door and a third man's voice answers. He tells Jodah to go away, but Jodah grabs his attention by speaking in the language of his childhood, Argivian. The man opened the door, and it was none other than Urza, Jodah's ancestor, working on his spiders to purge Dominaria of Phyrexian Sleeper Agents. Urza sensed Jodah's relation to himself. Jodah explained to the Planeswalker that he had taken it upon himself to protect Terisiare from more powerful beings, and both men sit down while Jodah tells Urza what has happened in his absence.

Planar Chaos

In the Planar Chaos novel he appears in Urborg, searching the origin of a possible new Ice Age. While there he meets Jhoira and decides to help her and the others seal the rifts, since they are the true source of the problems.

During the book, it is revealed that he has created a new magic mirror (which is given to Freyalise, but she drops it in Skyshroud), claims that Jaya Ballard has died, he has found a library of Commodore Guff, and becomes romantically involved with Jhoira.

There is speculation regarding his origin, whether he is the normal Jodah, or from a alternate reality. This is due to his last words to Jaya claiming: He's not the Jodah from the books she's read..