Excerpts from The Antiquities War

Excerpts from The Antiquities War
Characteristics
Origin	Terisiare
Status	Unknown

Excerpts from The Antiquities War, by Kayla bin-Kroog: A New Translation and Commentary is a two-volume work by Taysir of Rabiah. It is a translation of the fourth and fifth volumes of The Antiquities War.

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.

Volume 1: 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 Mishra 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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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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 complemented him in being smooth and cool, even as

Mishra was rash and hot-headed.

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.

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.

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.

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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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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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.

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.

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.

Thus ends the first section of The Antiquities War.

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Volume 2: The Urza-Mishra War

Facet 1

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.

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.

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 screams of the King of Kroog rose to heaven-- while his seven souls went to their seven hells. Thus did Mishra and his Dragon Engines destroyed the city of Kroog.

Urza returned to find his newborn son mutilated, and then followed the black path of fate. After Mishra destroyed the city of Kroog, years passed, and Urza built a tower and hid it from the eyes of men. In his tower, Urza worked for many moons without rest to build a weapon that would kill his brother. The battles between Urza and Mishra hardened Urza's soul.

Mishra worked for years to build a stronghold far from his brother and the city-states of Terisiare. Here, the cold-eyed Ashnod combined artifacts with human flesh until she tore an abomination-- the transmogrant-- from the very womb of the Goddess of Knowledge.

Far from the city-states of Terisiare-- Korliss and Sarinth-- and the war between Urza and Mishra, the Brotherhood of Gix prayed for the souls of artifacts and offered gifts to their Lord of the Machine, who was very cunning and laid a trap for Urza and Mishra.

Urza offered gifts to the Lord of Korliss. Powerful mechanical men to protect the people of Korliss, who were frequently attacked by the Fallaji. Urza's Yotian Soldiers were built to tell friend from foe, and destroy the Dragon Engines of Mishra.

The Dragon Engines of Mishra attacked Korliss. Urza fashioned the Yotian Soldiers, and they were powerful, but the Yotian Soldiers could not see Ashnod's Transmogrants. At last, the Martyrs of Korliss sacrificed their lives, and then their souls rose to heaven.

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Facet 2

Heaven sacrificed a portion of its glory to bring the Ivory Tower into the world. The Ivory Tower gleamed in the sun, white as bleached bone. Here, the Archimandrite was determined to find a way to halt the battles of Urza and Mishra.

The Archimandrite of the Ivory Tower convened a council, but the delegates could find no solution to the problem of the war between the brothers, so emissaries from the council were sent to the stronghold of Mishra.

Emissaries of the Ivory Tower were sent to Mishra. They asked Mishra to meet with Urza in the Ivory Tower, where all drank from the well of peace. Mishra killed the envoys and no one prayed for their souls.

Emissaries were sent to the tower of Urza. Although Urza was kinder to his guests than his brother, he would not return with them to the council. Urza refused to turn from his path of fate and his vow to destroy Mishra.

Two moons passed before the Ivory Tower council convened again. Since the brothers would not listen to the offer of the council, the council decided that there was no choice but to take the lives of Urza and Mishra. The council of the Ivory Tower decided to travel to the Cave of Koilos to find a way to stop the brothers.

After seven years, the Brotherhood of Gix opened a doorway to another world without the knowledge of the Archimandrite of the Ivory Tower. Without the knowledge of the Ivory Tower, Harbin, the son of Urza, grew to manhood. Harbin went through the initiation of darkness and fire and became a warrior priest for Argive during the war between Urza and Mishra.

The council of the Ivory Tower fought with Mishra in the Great Desert. Mishra struggled with his own black heart under the hot sun. When Urza and his ornithopters joined the battle, many were killed and no one drank from the well.

Urza and Mishra fought with the black heart in the desert. The power of the Mightstone combined with the Weakstone-- each stone a destination on the road of fate-- banished the black heart back to the world from which it came. The path of fate was kinder to Urza than to Mishra.

Urza, back from the desert, celebrated the defeat of the black heart and Harbin's initiation, but not all were thankful for their victories that night. A quiet voice told Tawnos to turn from his path of jealousy, but he would not listen.

Thus was born an alliance which would alter the course of the Urza-Mishra war-- one deserved of a volume all its own. -- Taysir of Rabiah

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