Darien
| Darien | |
|---|---|
| King Darien the Great | |
 | |
| Details | |
| Race | Human |
| Birthplace | Kjeld, Kjeldor, Terisiare, Dominaria |
| Lifetime | Ice Age-The Thaw |
| Born | c. 2900 AR |
| Died | After 2956 AR |
| Spouse | Two unnamed wives |
| Children | Alexandrite |
| Relatives |
Darien the First (ancestor) Darien the Bald (grandson) Darien the Foolish (great-grandson) Darien XLVIII (descendant) |
| Colors | |
 (Darien the Great) | |
| Sources | |
| Ice Age on the World of Magic: The Gathering, The Eternal Ice, The Shattered Alliance | |
Darien the Great was one of many kings to go by the name of "Darien". Darien the Great was among the most important ones, as he ruled over Kjeldor at the end of the Ice Age of Dominaria, and fused his land with Balduvia into New Argive.[1][2]
Description
As a young king, Darien was young and red-blonde, lean but not thin, his eyes bright and his raiment as opulent as the throne room’s. He had a pumpkin-colored mop of hair.[2] 20 years later, his concerned expression had carved deep lines in his face, and his hands seemed overly muscled and tense. His hair had darkened and was already turning silver at the sides. Had Jodah not known him, he would have easily guessed his age at double what he knew it was. Still, there was a fiery liveliness in the king’s eyes.[3]
History
Darien's mother was the queen of Kjeldor, possibly ruling the nation after the reign of the wildly popular steward Lord Rothchild.[4]. Darien ascended to the throne upon the death of his mother in 2933 AR, during the final stages of the Ice Age, and his reign lasted into the first years of the Thaw. He ruled from the capital city of Krov, where the royal castle stood. He was initially generally thought of as a weak king because the splintered factions of the nation all worked for their gains. He was considered naive, and dominated by merchants who saw the military only as a way of settling their internecine rivalries. The royal skyknights were reduced to scouting missions and delivering messages between the merchant houses, which they resented.[2]
This all changed after the Archmage Eternal Jodah and Jaya Ballard prevented an attack on Darien's life by the Knights of Stromgald and revealed that Lim-Dûl was behind it. After the treacherous members of the military were removed from their place, Darien grasped control of the remaining groups and formed them into a single army under General Varchild. Bullying the merchants under his control and gaining the support of the mages via Jodah, Darien made the position of the king stronger than it had been in generations. This allowed him to make an alliance with the Balduvians and lead an army against Lim-Dûl alongside Jodah and Lovisa Coldeyes.[2]
After the battle, Darien married his first wife, who gave him a daughter, Alexandrite. He remarried after his wife's death, but his second wife also died from one of Krov's many plagues.[3]
Twenty years into the Thaw, Darien and Lovisa, once again aided by Jodah, planned for their two nations to be merged into New Argive. This new force fought the Battle of Kjeldor against the forces of Stromgald. Darien fought a duel against the zombie leader Haakon that lasted from dusk till dawn. The duel ended when Darien's men rushed Haakon out of fear for their King's safety. Haakon cut many down but was overwhelmed. His army quickly retreated upon his death, ending the battle of Kjeldor.[5]
Both Darien's Roost (later renamed Epityr), a small mountain town in the Karplusan Mountains, and Lake Darien, a glacial meltwater lake formed after the Flooding of Terisiare, are named in honor of Darien the Great.
Darien the First
Darien the First was an ancestor of Darien the Great. A historical event involving Darien the First is mentioned in the short story "For Want of Ink" in The Secrets of Magic.[6]
Later Dariens
Darien the Great's grandson became known as Darien the Bald. His son became known as Darien the Foolish.[2]
Then Darien disappeared as a name for a few dynasties until it came back into fashion. It also became the favored name for another nation's royal house. At this point, most historians have given up trying to name them and started numbering the Dariens for no other reason than to preserve their sanity.
As of 4562 AR, King Darien XLVIII rules New Argive.[7]
Story appearances
In-game references
- Represented in:
- Depicted in:
- Quoted or referred to:
- Carrier Pigeons
- Enslaved Scout
- Errand of Duty
- False Demise (Alliances)
- Field Marshal (Coldsnap)
- Kjeldoran Escort
- Noble Steeds
- Reinforcements (Alliances)
- Reprisal (Alliances)
- Royal Herbalist
- Seasoned Tactician
- Shield Sphere
- Unlikely Alliance
- Varchild's Crusader
- Veteran's Voice
- Wild Griffin (Tenth Edition)
Notes and references
- ↑ Jeff Gómez & Jeofrey Vita. (August 1995.) "Ice Age #2: The Frozen Dead", ARMADA.
- ↑ a b c d e Jeff Grubb. (2000.) "The Eternal Ice", Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ a b Jeff Grubb (2000) The Shattered Alliance, Wizards of the Coast
- ↑ Tom Leupold - Reprisal, The Colors of Magic (1999), Wizards of the Coast
- ↑ Monty Ashley. (June 2006.) "The Battle of Kjeldor", Daily MTG, magicthegathering.com, Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Ethan Fleischer (September 7, 2022). "Dominaria United Legends Megathread". Twitter.
- ↑ Langley Hyde (August 11, 2022). "Sand in the Hourglass". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Blake Rasmussen (March 28, 2018). "Dominaria Card of the Day: Time of Ice". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2018-03-30.