Fall of Castle Melmereth
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Early story warning
Stories prior to Mirage were written by authors outside of Wizards of the Coast.
“We often bury our pasts, and then someone comes along and digs them up.”
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| Fall of Castle Melmereth | |||||
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| Information | |||||
| Era | War with Phyrexia | ||||
| Date | 4195 AR* | ||||
| Location | Castle Melmereth, Ephren, Corondor, Dominaria | ||||
| Storyline Sources | The Shadow Mage | ||||
| Characters | Ezer, Jared Carthalion, Liana of Minorad, Narok, Nikko, Ravidel, Yorgo | ||||
| Outcome | |||||
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| Timeline | |||||
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The Fall of Castle Melmereth was an event in 4195 AR[a] instigated by Jared Carthalion and his crew, seeking the downfall of Ravidel, who had established control over the ancestral Carthalion holding of Castle Melmereth.
Description
Castle Melmereth was originally the seat of power for Adam Carthalion, Jared's father, who had attempted to claim Planeswalker powers through a pact with Ravidel. Unknown to Jared, Adam had planned to sacrifice Jared himself during the catastrophic event known as the Battle of Aster Fall, but in a last-minute act of defiance, Adam turned against Ravidel. This betrayal resulted in his death, the loss of Castle Melmereth to Ravidal, and Jared's childhood as an orphaned street urchin in the ruins of Arathoxia.
Following the Fall of Arathoxia, Jared, alongside his companions Yorgo and Nikko, resolved to confront Ravidel and reclaim his ancestral home. The group approached Castle Melmereth armed with a Black Lotus and a spell scroll provided by the former Grand Sultan of Arathoxia. They were later joined by Liana of Minorad and Ezer, Jared's former mentor, who revealed to Liana that Ravidel served a greater, darker force bent on extinguishing the stars themselves.
As they infiltrated the castle, Ravidel awaited them, revealing to them the dark truth of Jared's father and his treachery. Enraged and devastated, Jared confronted Ravidel directly. During the skirmish, Nikko fell to Narok, Ravidel's orcish enforcer, before Jared killed the orc in a fit of wrath.
In a desperate bid to overpower Ravidel, Jared crushed the Black Lotus, summoning a fearsome Shivan Dragon. For a fleeting moment, Ravidel mistook the dragon for his old companion, Chromium Rhuell, before the beast unleashed its fury on the castle. The dragon's onslaught tore through the fortress, bringing it to ruin.
Ezer was fatally struck by falling debris, his last words expressing pride in Jared's growth. Liana led the survivors — Jared and Yorgo — out of the crumbling stronghold. As they escaped, Liana triggered a powerful spell, detonating the remaining artifacts and reducing Castle Melmereth to rubble.
Though Ravidel survived the castle's destruction, his control over Corondor was shattered. Jared and Liana shared a brief, bittersweet kiss before Jared departed, choosing a new path as a Wayfarer to explore the true ways of magic. The Fall of Castle Melmereth marked the end of Ravidel's reign and the beginning of Jared's journey as a mage of his own making. This event also deepened the tragic legacy of the Carthalion family, as Jared grappled with the revelations of his father's betrayal and the sacrifices that shaped his destiny.[1]
Notes
- ↑ The date of the battle given in the comic the Shadow Mage is 1280 in the Reckoning of the Sages of Minorad. This has later been refuted by placing the battle on the timeline in 4195 AR, which would correspond to 1195 in the Reckoning of the Sages of Minorad, assuming the Reckoning still starts at year 3000 AR.
References
- ↑ Jeff Gomez (1995) - The Shadow Mage volume 4: First Duel, Armada.