Nemesis (novel)
| Nemesis | |||||
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| Publishing Information | |||||
| Author(s) | Paul B. Thompson | ||||
| First printing | February 2000 | ||||
| ISBN-13 | 978-0786915590 | ||||
| Masquerade Cycle | |||||
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| Publication chronology | |||||
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Nemesis is the second book in the Masquerade Cycle. It was written by Paul B. Thompson and published in February 2000.
Nemesis was originally named Dark Fortress and envisioned as part III of the Weatherlight cycle. Later Wizards of the Coast decided to pull Rath and Storm out of the cycle, which was then renamed to the Masquerade Cycle.[1] Dark Fortress was renamed to parallel the name of the accompanying set. It became technically part of the cycle that started in Mercadian Masques and continues in Prophecy, but the three books are only connected by the time frame in which the events in them occur.
Overview
| Title | Author | Publishing date | Set | Setting (plane) | Featuring |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nemesis | Paul B. Thompson | February 2000 | Nemesis | Rath, Phyrexia, Dominaria | Tenesi, Avila, Firanu, Dabir, Paax, Abcal-dro, Belbe, Eladamri, Gallan, Ertai, Greven il-Vec, Nasser, Crovax, Kirril, Dorian il-Dal, Davvol (mentioned), Burgess (mentioned), Jova en-Vec, Darsett en-Dal, Sterba en-Dal, Furah en-Kor, Thayer il-Vec, Ulan il-Dal, Shirzod il-Vec, Gunder il-Dal, Valin, Cardamel, Kameko, Darian, Sanyu, Tharvello, Korai, Sivvi en-Vec, Oracle en-Vec, Raydon, Narmer, Teynel en-Dal, Medd en-Dal, Khalil en-Vec, Shamus en-Dal, Theeno en-Kor, Elcaxi, Kelimenar, Vertino, Valmoral, Langwin en-Dal, Garnan en-Dal, Kireno en-Vec, Vellian en-Vec, Takara en-Dal, Drannik, Volrath |
Featured characters, events, and cards
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Blurb
A new threat looms on the horizon.
A long-awaited completion of Rath is approaching. The Dark Lord's plans to invade Dominaria will soon see fruition. Only the struggle for power in this artificial plane remains. Urza Planeswalker will not stop the Phyrexian empire.
Witness the creation of his nemesis.
Plot
Set in the shadowed world of Rath, Nemesis continues the unfolding saga of the Phyrexian threat, the legacy of the Weatherlight crew, and the gradual darkening of the multiverse’s fate. The narrative centers on the struggle for power within Rath, a Phyrexian-controlled plane on the cusp of overlaying onto Dominaria.
Following the escape of the Skyship Weatherlight from Rath, two of its crew members — Crovax and Ertai — are left behind. Ertai is captured and held aboard the Predator, flagship of the sadistic Greven il-Vec. Crovax, now a vampire tormented by guilt and grief, is taken by Phyrexian agents to their home plane of Phyrexia. There, under the manipulation of the vat priest Kirril, and enhanced by dark biotechnology, Crovax is shaped into the successor to Volrath, Rath’s former Evincar who has departed for the events chronicled in Mercadian Masques.
Simultaneously, the Inner Circle member Abcal-dro orchestrates the murder of Avila, daughter of the rebel leader Eladamri. Her body becomes the basis for a new being: Belbe, a constructed emissary of Phyrexia implanted with a device that allows her Phyrexian overlords to observe Rath. Belbe is dispatched to oversee the succession contest for the title of Evincar, a competition meant to embody the Phyrexian principle of survival of the fittest.
Though multiple candidates are proposed, the outcome of the contest is rarely in doubt. Crovax possesses both command of flowstone — the mutagenic substance that forms Rath — and the ability to dominate Greven via his spinal implants. Greven, despite his own fearsome nature, expresses a preference for servitude over rulership. Belbe briefly considers Ertai, who demonstrates magical aptitude and begins augmenting himself through use of the Rejuvenation Chamber. Nevertheless, Ertai proves no match for Crovax's rapid ascent.
Crovax's one significant military failure comes when he leads an assault on Eladamri's Skyshroud elves. Though initially appearing successful, the attack ends in a rout. Undeterred, Crovax returns to the Stronghold and consolidates his power by impaling dissenting tribal leaders on flowstone spikes — acts of horror that paradoxically strengthen him through the Phyrexian alterations to his body. These events mark his descent into total nihilism and sadistic supremacy.
Despite the bleakness, threads of resistance emerge. Ertai and Belbe develop a romantic bond, and Ertai attempts to sever Phyrexia's surveillance through magical obfuscation. Belbe, moved by love and conscience, subtly sabotages Rath’s infrastructure, slowing the production of flowstone necessary for the upcoming planar overlay with Dominaria. Meanwhile, Eladamri is named Korvecdal — a prophesied unifier — by the enigmatic Oracle en-Vec, and, alongside the Vec freedom fighter Lin Sivvi, infiltrates the Stronghold to destroy the Predator and ignite rebellion.
The uprising fails, however. The rebels are slowly cut down, despite initial victories. Takara en-Dal, daughter of Starke il-Vec, is freed, but the remaining fighters are eventually cornered in the Dream Halls. As Belbe is pressured to declare Crovax the new Evincar, an unexpected challenger appears: Volrath, returned from Mercadia. His challenge, however, is thwarted by Ertai, who, fearing Crovax’s wrath and longing for escape with Belbe, sabotages Volrath’s efforts in hopes of securing favor.
Belbe, disillusioned by the slaughter, aids Eladamri and the last survivors in escaping to Dominaria. In a tragic culmination, Eladamri, seeing only the face of his dead daughter on a Phyrexian creation, kills Belbe with poison, extinguishing one of the last sparks of hope for a peaceful Rath.
In the aftermath, Crovax stands as the undisputed Evincar of Rath. Volrath is gruesomely executed, and Ertai, now fully transformed and mutated, becomes Crovax’s twisted servant. Belbe's body is cremated; her skull retained by Ertai, who is haunted by a glimpse of her Phyrexian implant.
Beneath the Stronghold, the flowstone machinery — despite Belbe's sabotage — resumes full operation. As the Rathi overlay onto Dominaria begins, the Phyrexian Invasion to come approaches.