Excerpts from The Antiquities War

Excerpts from The Antiquities War
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Origin	Dominaria
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Excerpts from the Antiquities War, by Kayla bin-Kroog: A New Translation and Commentary is a short work by Taysir of Rabiah.

Text

Excerpts from the Antiquities War, by Kayla bin-Kroog.

A new translation and commentary by Taysir of Rabiah.

Introduction

It is my purpose to provide a contemporary version of The Antiquities War, a classic in Argivian literature. Although "The Story of Urza and Mishra" is well-known throughout Terisiare, a modern interpretation was overdue. The text speaks for itself. I shall therefore confine my expository comments to footnotes.

"The Story of Urza and Mishra" takes place thousands of years after the fall of the mysterious Thran Empire. Some say that the Thran discovered a source of great power, but they were not ready to use this power properly-- and it destroyed them.

During the time of Urza and Mishra, Fallaji nomads routinely searched for Thran artifacts in the Western Desert. With caravans filled with bits and pieces of the past, the Fallaji traveled east-- to the edge of the desert, where they traded with various city-states and schools specializing in the study of Thran antiquities.

Sometimes, the nomads brought more than artifacts to the schools. Following the deaths of their parents, the two brothers came to one of the archeological schools. Here is where the tale of Urza and Mishra begins.

The Story of Urza and Mishra

Facet 1

This is the story of Urza and Mishra, brothers from Argive.

Urza was the older brother, quiet and clever--

While Misha was rash and hot-headed.

With both parents in the land of the dead,

The two brothers made the journey to the School of Tocasia.

The language of The Antiquities War is very compact, like the language of myth. We are told only what is important, and left to uncover the meaning for ourselves. "The Story of Urza and Mishra", the fourth of a five-part cycle, was written in the High Argivian "pictoglyph" language and takes the traditional form of sixty five-line stanzas, which are further divided into groups of five "facets." We will examine this gem symbolism in greater detail as our study progresses.

The School of Tocasia was in the land of Argive.

Urza and Mishra lived for many years at her school,

Where they studied the secrets of a lost race.

One day, after the brothers had learned much from Tocasia,

They found treasure buried beneath the surface of things.

One of the definitions of the phrase, "beneath the surface of things," in High Argivian, is "the world of the senses." In the thinking of the old Argivian scholars, the world of the senses is an "outer world" contrasting with the "inner world" of the soul. The reader should examine how this symbolic process relates to his own "inner world," where jewels may still await discovery.

After Urza and Mishra had studied for many years,

They went with Tocasia deep into the Western Desert,

Where they found the secrets of the Thran in the Cave of Koilos.

Beneath the Earth, Urza and Mishra found what was lost,

And each brother took his first step on the path of fate.

The word "koilos" is a derivation of the High Argivian word for "secret." The brothers and Tocasia traveled deep into the Western Desert-- a place no one else dared go. Only those willing to face the unknown will ever find the stone of power waiting inside their own "inner worlds."

In the cave, Urza and Mishra found the secrets of the Thran.

There, the brothers discovered something long forgotten--

They found the crystal; it gave them power, but they were foolish, and now they're dead.

Two stones of great power left behind in the darkness.

The stones-- each with six facets of five sides, were two halves of a perfect whole.

These Thran stones of power had lain hidden in the cave for a thousand generations. Each half of the twelve-sided gem stone, had six facets of five sides, which represented the five forces of mana. Twelve multiplied by five gives sixty-- the number of stanzas in "The Story of Urza and Mishra."

Urza and Mishra left the darkness of the cave,

As if they had stepped from the world of dreams.

The sun sparkled on the stones and each brother coveted both.

Tocasia was the first to see the path before them--

A dark path of fate that had to be followed.

Facet 2

Urza and Mishra left the cave on a dark path.

Urza's stone was the Mightstone, and he hid it from Mishra.

Mishra's stone was called the Weakstone,

And it complimented him in being smooth and cool, even as

Mishra was rash and hot-headed.

The Weakstone's characteristic is to draw the power from objects. Urza's stone, the Mightstone, possesses the opposite characteristic. The individual stones are halves of a complete whole, each incomplete without the other. As with the stones, so were the brothers. Urza and Mishra were separated by their obsessions and greed. They thought only of their own desires, not the balance of the whole.

Urza's stone was the Mightstone, and Mishra's the Weakstone.

But Urza and Mishra, each determined to possess both stones,

Decided that a contest would best decide the fate of the stones.

After the struggle, Tocasia left Argive for the Land of the Dead.

And the brothers buried Tocasia beneath her school.

We can only speculate about the contest between the two brothers. The narrative is mute regarding the details, except that the victor would possess both stones. As a result of the contest, Tocasia was killed and her school was most likely destroyed. The Mightstone remained with Urza, and the Weakstone with Mishra. Following the death of Tocasia, the brothers chose separate paths... paths that took them in very different directions. But when those paths crossed, the consequences were devastating.

After the struggle, Urza left Mishra and the School of Tocasia.

Urza went far away, to the City of Kroog, where the king

Held a contest of strength to find a husband for the princess.

With the power of the Mightstone, Urza built his Avenger

And Urza found the first secrets on his path of fate.

This is the first reference to the artifact called Urza's Avenger. Little is known about it. It was probably Urza's first attempt at creating an artificial warrior. Urza continued this line of research with the Yotian soldiers, of which we will learn more. In the next stanza, we meet Kayla bin-Kroog, the author of "The Story of Urza and Mishra." Throughout the text, Kayla breaks with the canons of Argivian poetry and never refers to herself in the first person. She also does not present herself in a wholly flattering light. This trait of honesty gives the reader an objective image of Kayla's experience with Urza.

Urza went with his Avenger to the contest of strength.

After the others had failed, the King gave Urza his chance.

Urza missed his brother, and wished that Mishra could see

How Urza's Avenger would more powerful than ten men.

Urza and Mishra were two halves of a perfect whole.

Mishra missed his brother, and wished that Urza

Was with him on his lonely path of fate.

Deep in the Western Desert, Mishra was enslaved by the Fallaji.

Under a cold moon, Mishra dreamed of another world.

Mishra left the world of dreams, and was followed.

This is one of the more puzzling stanzas in the test, as it contains two mysteries. Fallaji records consist of knotted cords which defy analysis. They formed tribes based on a rigid system of kinship. These individual tribes were arranged in a hierarchy of dominance, with each tribe owing fealty to its immediate superior. Over time, Mishra was able to confederate various tribes under his central control. The second mystery concerns Mishra's dream: significant, because it could be our first indication that Mishra was able to travel between planes. How Mishra accomplished this is unknown, but a planeswalking spark could have been fanned to life by his encounter with the Weakstone.

Facet 3

Mishra was deep in the Western Desert, on a lonely path.

Apart from his brother, Mishra found his way among the Fallaji.

...While Urza became Artificer of Kroog, with many apprentices...

But Urza was alone-- a stranger to even his wife.

Urza's stone was the Mightstone, and it complemented him.

This text reveals that Kayla felt ignored by Urza, possibly even jealous of his work, feelings that drove Kayla in a dangerous direction. We also see how the paths of Mishra and Urza diverged. Mishra forged a trading federation among the various Fallaji tribes. Urza, under the patronage of the King of Kroog, developed something akin to a guild structure, wherein apprentices labored for Urza in exchange for an education.

Apart from his brother, Mishra was alone among the Fallaji.

Years passed before a visitor crossed paths with them--

A woman whose eyes were like ice in the desert sun.

Her name was Ashnod, and no man could find her heart,

But Mishra was determined to possess her.

The text gives us little information about Ashnod, except that she is icy and cold, in sharp contrast to the heat of the Western Desert. If Mishra is a hot, feeling character, he is balanced by the cold Ashnod. But when such opposite forces come together, there can often be great misery.

Years passed before Mishra crossed paths with his brother.

The Lord over all Korliss called a conference at his castle,

Attended by merchants and nobles of all the great houses.

Urza came with the King of Kroog, and Mishra with the Fallaji.

Urza and Mishra found the secrets of power.

Korliss had always been a neutral territory, so the trading conference was held there. Its purpose was to address trading issues raised by Mishra's confederation of the Fallaji tribes into a unified trading bloc. The Argivian city states needed the ancient Thran technology and power crystals found only in the Western Desert. The merchants and nobles chafed under the Fallaji terms, and urged desperate action

The conference at Korliss, attended by Urza and Mishra,

Quickly turned to bickering, and no agreement was reached.

Mishra and the King of Kroog fought with each other,

And a treacherous king became the enemy of all.

The powerful failed the contest of strength.

Kayla blames her father for the "attack at Korliss." It provoked the brothers' struggle into open conflict. The incident forced all the parties to choose sides. The Argivian city-states, linked by generations of arranged marriages and economic ties, suddenly found themselves face to face with the newly confederated tribes of the Fallaji.

At Korliss, Mishra fought with Urza and the King of Kroog.

The brothers pitted the forces of the stones against each other.

Urza's stone, the Mightstone, served him well--

While Mishra's stone, the Weakstone, betrayed him.

Enslaved, Urza and Mishra followed the path of Fate.

The word "betrayed" in High Argivian implies purpose and guile, almost as if the Weakstone possessed a kind of volition-- possibly even intelligence. We will see this intelligence of the stones of power, of the inner life, become more pronounced as "The Story of Urza and Mishra" continues.

Facet 4

This facet marks a turning point in the struggle between Urza and Mishra. Both have established themselves as leaders, and their personal conflict includes whole nations. Some historians credit this to their charisma and personal power. I believe that we must resist the temptation to believe that history is only carried on the shoulders of great men. While Urza may have been a resourceful and brilliant artificer, the picture we have of him is anything but charismatic. I think it safe to say that the King and merchants of Kroog would not have thrown their support behind Urza if his conflict with Mishra did not promise great wealth and the opportunity to expand the domain of Kroog trade.

However, history shows that the King and merchants of Kroog may have underestimated their ability to steer the conflict between the brothers in a profitable direction. The conference at Korliss proved that. But by this point, the war had begun and it was too late to turn back.

Urza served the King of Kroog.

And pursued Mishra and the Fallaji into an ocean of sand.

Urza found that the Fallaji were cunning opponents

Who used the desert as a weapon.

Urza, deep in the Western Desert, was alone on his path.

Kayla shows a keen understanding of the Fallaji strategy. By luring the Kroog forces deeper into the Western Desert, the Fallaji accomplished two things-- 1) the desert would take its toll on the Kroog forces, and 2) by pursuing the Fallaji nomads, the city of Kroog would be left without adequate defenses. Even though Kroog had the ornithopters, they had only a short range and needed constant repair. This course of action provided the Fallaji with a significant advantage in the battle of Kroog.

The Western Desert was an ocean of sand,

And only the Fallaji traveled its depths.

But the deep desert had secrets hidden even from the Fallaji.

The Thran guarded their mysteries in the Cave of Koilos,

But Mishra and Ashnod were determined to find them.

Mishra and Ashnod travelled to the Cave of Koilos,

The birthplace of the Mightstone and Weakstone.

In this place of power and destiny buried beneath the sands,

The Weakstone opened a gateway that led to another world.

And Mishra crossed paths with the secrets of power.

Mishra and Ashnod traveled to another world

Where they tamed strange, mechanical beasts.

This world was dark, like no other-- with a sky as black as pitch.

Mishra and Ashnod returned to Argive, but not before they

Fought a powerful enemy.

Other ancient narratives (such as "The Journey of Morath" or "Jarsyl's Journals) could be interpreted as travel between planes, but none are as clear and direct as this stanza in "The Story of Urza and Mishra." It describes Mishra's journey to the plane of Phyrexia, a hideous hell of mechanical beasts and demons. Any planeswalker determined to travel to Phyrexia is urged to exercise the utmost caution. Like the maps of old, this place should be marked "here abide monsters."

Mishra and Ashnod returned to Argive,

And then the beasts from another world followed them--

The Dragon Engines with jaws of steel and eyes of fire.

And a black heart, like a shadow of doom,

Followed Mishra and served well the path of fate.

The war between Urza and Mishra spread across Yotia and the Great Desert-- even to the plane of Phyrexia. As we shall see, Mishra's experience in Phyrexia seems to change him. The "black heart" referred to in the last stanza spreads over Mishra like a "shadow of doom."

Although some scholars believe that the black heart is a symbol of the dark fate that Mishra brought on himself by his greed and his lust for power, I believe that the "black heart" actually refers to a Phyrexian demon that followed Mishra and Ashnod through a planar gate and into the Cave of Koilos.

Whatever the interpretation, it is plain that Mishra's character changes drastically at this point, becoming darker and more dangerous. In the next facet, we will see Mishra's dark heart spread over the land and engulf the city of Kroog in shadow and flame.

Thus ends the first section of The Antiquities War.

The Urza-Mishra War

Facet 1

Editor's note: Due to formatting inconsistency, it is impossible to tell where several lines and even stanzas of the following passage begin and end. As such, line breaks are only used where they are known.

A heart of fire and steel returned to Argive, hardened in the forge of the Western Desert.

Between battles with Mishra, Urza came home to Kroog-- but even there, Urza's soul knew no peace. Urza was alone.

This stanza refers to a point about one year after the conference at Korliss. After a number of early and very bloody battles, the territories of the two brothers had stabilized. Urza and his allies controlled the greater part of the Argivian region while the confederated Fallaji tribes controlled the bordering areas of the western desert. During this time, Mishra's forces raided Argivian outposts, while Urza launched ornithopter sorties from Kroog. This dominance in the air was a continuous threat to the Fallaji.

In the Western Desert, the secrets of the past were born from the very womb that gave birth to the Mightstone and the Weakstone.

The Goddess of Knowledge granted many gifts,

But the mysteries of the Thran were hidden in the Cave of Koilos.

These secrets of the past continue to elude scholars. However, we are told earlier that Mishra and Ashnod crossed over into the world of Phyrexia through a gate that the Weakstone opened for them in the cave of Koilos. When they returned, Dragon Engines followed them. If that gateway remained open, could not a denizen of Phyrexia have followed as well? The Phyrexian Demon could well be the 'dark heart' that plagued Mishra.

The Mightstone and Weakstone, born in the Cave of Koilos, were washed in sand and blood in the war between the brothers.

Mishra, who was very cunning, laid a trap for his brother.

Mishra's dragon engines fell upon Urza and his men,

And Mishra crossed the sands to another destiny.

Mishra and his dragon engines crossed the sands to destroy Urza and the King of Kroog.

Mishra did not hear the first cries of Urza's son-- mere whispers drowned out by the screams of the dying. Mishra returned to Argive with mechanical beasts.

The fearsome Dragon Engines were not strictly 'mechanical,' as the term is used here. In the Engines' native plane Phyrexia. The distinction between organic and artificial life is indistinct. However, some uncovered remains suggest that Mishra might have built copies of the creatures using materials at hand. The scholar Jarsyl's Codex Phyrexia classified these Engines, as well as other he encountered during many trips to Phyrexia. Although Jarsyl never returned from his final trip to Phyrexia, his Codex remains the key to our understanding of this inhospitable region.