Cabal City
| Cabal City | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Information | |
| Plane | Dominaria |
| Colors |
 |
| Status | Destroyed and abandoned |
| Formerly part of | Salt flats, Cabal Holdings, Otaria |
| Scryfall Statistics | |
Cabal City was a city located in Otaria that was controlled by the Cabal, and was the capital of the organization on Dominaria. It was notable for its pit fighting.
Description
Before its destruction, Cabal City was the largest in Otaria's interior, positioned on the salt flats, but only a few signs of its size were visible from far away. Just the roofs of a few buildings and the residential quarters' laundry hanging in the air could be seen from above the rim of the huge rocky crater the city was built into. The crater's sides were uneven, highest on the western outskirts. The glow of torches and the streetlights near the great dome of the arena colored the walls of the buildings. The flare of both ordinary fire and magic lit the streets, but the dark shadow cast by the crater walls shrouded most of the city in darkness. The road led directly into town with only a portcullis to bar the way. The wall was only twelve feet high, and the guards served more to collect tolls than to defend the city. [1] Cabal City hosted over 50,000 citizens, and despite being inland, it featured the continent's biggest port[2], presumably due to the presence of an unnamed river.
The Cabal Patriarch lived in a huge mansion in Cabal City, from which he ran the city. The harbor district of Cabal City was called Docktown.[3] The pit fights were used to entertain the citizens and earn money for the city and the Cabal, and sometimes replaced trials as a justice system in which claimants battled to resolve their cases.
Locations
- The Cabal Coffers - where the prize treasury was stored. The Mirari spent some time here.[1]
- The Cabal Pit - where the pit fights took place.[1]
- The Casters' Quarter - where the pit fighter spellcasters like Braids lived, notorious for its monsters and the dark passions of its inhabitants.[1]
- Docktown - the harbor district of Cabal City, filled with criminals and low-lifes.[3]
- The docks - the largest port on the continent.[2]
- Laquatus's embassy
- where Laquatus lived. Featured a large saltwater pool, and secretly also an underground river connecting to the Mer Empire.[1] - Manor Way - the road which led to the Patriarch's mansion.[2]
- The Patriarch's mansion - a ten-story, two-block building from where the Cabal Patriarch ruled the city.[3][2]
- The Great Hall - the grand reception room.[2]
- The Patriarch's mansion
- Roup's tavern - a single grimy serving room selling foul-tasting grog.[2]
- Skellum's academy, where Chainer trained to become a dementist.[2]
History
The Rise of the Cabal occurred in 4050 AR when Virot Maglan sealed a pact with the god Kuberr and gained the power to kill using touch. In exchange for immortality, Maglan had to give up his name, his family, and all allegiance to anyone other than Kuberr. Maglan obliged, and each of his enemies was given the choice to give up their names and convert to following him and his rising Cabal, or die.[3]
250 years later, in 4305 AR, the city was badly damaged when it was attacked by a Krosan dragon.[1]
Later the same year, Cabal City was completely overrun by dementia creatures when Chainer usurped rulership of the Cabal and exiled the Patriarch to Aphetto. The Battle for the Mirari had returned to the city, and Chainer later lost control of the immense power granted to him by the Mirari in a pit fight against Kamahl and the Order. Cabal power in the area had already been greatly weakened, and the city itself suffered massive damage and was condemned. In the end, the ruined city was completely abandoned by the Cabal, who relocated all their workings to Aphetto and the Grand Coliseum.[2][4][5]
After Karona's War, when both Aphetto and the Grand Coliseum were destroyed, and Virot Maglan, Phage, and Kuberr were all gone, the Cabal was left with no leader and no god. They devolved into a conspiracy of ragged and desperate fanatics, while their commercial and criminal enterprises lay barren. The ruins of Cabal City turned into a refugee camp for cabalists, and for everyone else, it was a ghost town best avoided.[6]
In 4500 AR, Jeska, now a planeswalker, returned to Otaria to view the damage from its time rift. As she looked at Cabal City, she noticed that the arena's dome had long since caved in, and its proud, sharp horns were broken and shattered.[7]
In-game references
- Depicted in:
References
- ↑ a b c d e f Vance Moore. (2001) Odyssey, Wizards of the Coast. ISBN-13 0-7869-1900-0.
- ↑ a b c d e f g h Scott McGough (2002) - Chainer's Torment, Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ a b c d Scott McGough, J. Robert King, ed. (2002) - "Family Man", The Secrets of Magic, Wizards of the Coast. ISBN-13 0-7869-2710-0.
- ↑ Will McDermott. (2002) Judgment, Wizards of the Coast. ISBN-13 0-7869-2743-7.
- ↑ J. Robert King. (2002) Onslaught, Wizards of the Coast. ISBN-13 0-7869-2801-8.
- ↑ James Wyatt (2018), The Art of Magic: The Gathering - Dominaria. VIZ Media.
- ↑ Scott McGough (2007) - Future Sight, WotC.
- ↑ Doug Beyer (September 02, 2009). "The Planes of Planechase". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2019-03-01.