Averru
| Averru | |
|---|---|
|
Great Conqueror Sanctum | |
| Information | |
| Colors |
 |
| Species | Avatar |
| Affiliation | Numena |
| Birth, Life & Death | |
| Birthplace | Dominaria |
| Lifetime |
Mythohistory (first life) Rift Era (second life) |
| Death | 4306 AR |
Averru was one of the Numena, ancient beings on the plane of Dominaria.
Description
Little is known of Averru's physical description before his rebirth.
As Sanctum, Averru was an ancient city hidden in a ridge of the Corian Escarpment, situated roughly in the middle of Topos to the north and the Grand Coliseum to the south. It was a towering city of stone that glowed gold in the sunlight. It clung to the side of a cliff that rose from a deep valley. A green river ran below the city, and the lowest buildings were overgrown with verdant vines and trees. As the metropolis climbed the cliff, its gleaming walls pulled free of foliage. Towers and battlements, turrets and bastions, amphitheaters and temples piled one atop the other while maze-like streets rose switchbacks and around spirals. Aerial bridges linked raised porticoes, and balconies jutted beneath arched windows. Across all of it, the sun shed golden light. But no one walked the streets or ran the footpaths to the high altars above. The city was not all glory—shadows seeped up from cracks in the walls. The blocks of stone that formed the city were large and regular, though their faces were pitted with age. Windows and doors had elongated with erosion, as had the serpentine paths among them. Sanctum had endured millennia of wind and sand. There was a stone archway beside a ford in the green river, and across the ancient gate were carved savage runes.[1]
Locations
- The Deepwash River - a green flood that flowed lazily through Sanctum, enabling agriculture. [1]
- The Eye of Averru - an indoor stone temple and amphitheater.[2]
- The Gilded Mage - an inn opened by the refugees of the Nightmare War, serving homebrewed beer.[1]
- The Pool of Worship - a pool of clear molten stone appearing as a dried-up fountain.[1]
History
Ancient Dominion
During the Fall of the Primevals, Averru trapped the red Primeval Rhammidarigaaz beneath a caldera in Shiv, and in doing so received the dragon's powers.
During the rule of the Numena, Averru participated in killing the white and the green Numena, leaving only himself, Lowallyn, and Kuberr.
Averru was the mightiest of the three remaining Numena. Together, they claimed dominion over the plane for 1,000 years, until the birth of Karona caused the Fall of the Numena. Averru created a spell to resurrect himself as a giant city, in practice granting himself immortality.
Reawakening
20,000 years later, the city of Averru was rediscovered by Stonebrow and Zagorka in the wake of the Nightmare War. Zagorka named the city Sanctum, and welcomed many settlers, refugees, and deserters there, creating a disparate yet tight-knit community. One of the settlers, the elf Elionoway was able to read the foreboding runes carved on the various arches around Sanctum, foretelling of the return of the three brothers.[1]
Averru's resurrection used Zagorka as his spiritual and titular Mother, but the unplanned-for arrival of Kamahl during the pivotal battle between Akroma, the Mother in essence of Lowallyn, and Phage, the Mother in body of Kuberr, disrupted Averru's plans by triggering the Rebirth of Karona.[1]
Karona's War
During Karona's War, Averru united with the other Numena to destroy Karona, but was killed when the goddess withdrew the world's magic and then assaulted the city, leaving Averru with very little countermagic and not enough power to stay sentient. Karona tried to kill them all by encasing them in a solid block of stone, and while Lowallyn was freed from the block, Kuberr was left trapped inside too long and suffocated. Lowallyn was freed by Kamahl and Stonebrow, but Karona took control of Lowallyn's magma giant and turned it on his creator, stomping Lowallyn to death with his massive burning foot. Next, she faced off against the reawakening Averru. Although Averru almost entrapped her, a stray thought by Kamahl empowered Karona to blast Averru with pure magic.[2]
A world full of magic erupted from her in the explosion, scorching the temple’s interior. Lightning demolished the walls, and rocks rained down in a massive hailstorm. Stones fell upon the cage of towers and shattered it. Streams of ravenous magic pierced Averru’s fist and blew it apart. The temple evaporated, completely vanished, except for a few standing stones. Energy surged across the plaza, leaving only a hundred ragged soldiers alive. Beyond them, the mountain opened to the sky. Not a single tower remained; every last structure blasted into the wastes. Huge boulders rolled down among fragments scattered twenty thousand years ago. The city was razed to its foundations. The only buildings spared were those sheltered by the northern ledge — the very same ruins where Sanctum had begun. But the most notable loss was Averru himself. The city was destroyed, and the god with it. The last numen was dead, and the black peak of the mountain fell into dreadful silence.[2]
Story appearances
| Title | Author | Publishing date | Set | Setting (plane) | Featuring |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Legions | J. Robert King | January 2003 | Legions | Dominaria | Braids, Sash and Waistcoat, Stonebrow, Chester, Zagorka, Averru, Akroma, Virot Maglan, Phage, Brunk, Elionoway, Kamahl, Umbra, Bret, Jaimes, Clive, Gabo, Delda, Kuberr, Stelling, Dereg, Lowallyn (mentioned), Lil, Aioue, Ruhtra, Nagrom, Lindolth, Bluey, Borsoom, Ringer, Clem, Maisy, Delbut Tule, Ixidor, Gattac, Judgment, Purgation, Purification, Execution, Primus, Submit, Surrender, Themeus, Karona |
| Scourge | J. Robert King | May 2003 | Scourge | Dominaria, Mercadia, Serra's Realm, Phyrexia, Argentum | Karona, Averru, Stonebrow, Kamahl, Ixidor, Sash and Waistcoat, Braids, Kuberr, Oswallyn, Balthor, Laquatus, Elionoway, Dereg, Gertrude, Max, Offkirch, Vigor Mortis, Lowallyn, Multani, Fiers, Yawgmoth, Teferi, Verdana, Joaj, Knuckles, Arien, Serra, Macht, Lomius, Lor, The Boy, Gaea, Jeska, Karn, Memnarch |