Stronghold (location)
| The Stronghold | |
|---|---|
| The Citadel | |
 | |
| Information | |
| Plane | Dominaria |
| Part of | Urborg, Burning Isles, the Domains |
| Formerly part of | Bluefire Mountain, Rath |
| Scryfall Statistics | |
|
92 artworks  13%  8.7%  15.2%  33.7%  16.3%  5.4%  7.6% | |
- For the Magic: The Gathering expansion, see Stronghold.
The Stronghold was the central seat of power for the Evincar of Rath. It was located inside a volcano, suspended above the City of Traitors. It could be reached via a treacherous route through the Cinder Marsh, the Sliver Lair, the Death Pits, the Furnace of Rath, and Volrath's Gardens. It was later shifted to Urborg on Dominaria.
Description
Purpose
The Stronghold served a dual purpose: first, as the main Phyrexian military base on Rath, and second, as the center of production of flowstone, the nano-robotic "metal" that was essential for building up the mass of Rath to enable the Rathi Overlay of Dominaria. For the people of Rath, the Stronghold was a symbol of their oppression and the iron will of their Phyrexian overlords.
Appearance
The Stronghold was over a mile-and-a-half high, and the volcanic cone of the Hub that housed it towered a mighty three miles above the surface of Rath.[1][2] The cone's peak touched the maelstrom of energy that functioned as Rath's sky, and the peak's tip was where that energy coalesced and was sucked into the stronghold to power the creation of flowstone. The crater beneath the Stronghold housed the City of Traitors, the grim home to the il-Kor, il-Vec, and il-Dal.
Locations
The Stronghold was partitioned into several different areas. It contained a large carapace that housed several docks for skyships like the Predator, housing warrens for its large contingent of mogg troops, quarters for its human soldiers, private chambers for the evincar, and a network of dungeons and torture chambers where prisoners were experimented upon and turned into monstrosities.
- The Dream Halls (destroyed) - where memories and future desires could be played out. Smashed by Belbe.[3][4]
- The Evincar's Quarters - the personal quarters of the plane's evincar.[3]
- The Evincar's Museum - a collection of taxidermist versions of Rathi species, including kor, humans and elves.[5]
- The Flowstone Bridge - a high arch of flowstone, capable of reforming itself to attack any who attempted to cross it.[4]
- The Flowstone Factory - forming the biggest bulk of the Stronghold and situated at the bottom of the Hub's beam, this production center used the warping energy beam to produce flowstone at a continuous pace.[5][1]
- The Map Room (destroyed) - a large chamber with a globe-shaping mechanism at the center.[3][4]
- The Menagerie - a type of zoo of many unusual animals captured from Dominaria. Volrath performed experiments on them, reworking them in the hopes of finding a place for them in his schemes.[1]
- The Portcullis (destroyed) - the gate of the Stronghold, historically a symbol of oppression. During the reign of Volrath, the Portcullis was shaped to resemble the evincar's face. When he was succeeded by Crovax, the gate was altered to resemble the new evincar by simply welding shark-like teeth onto Volrath's image. Portcullis was destroyed by Eladamri, Sivvi en-Vec and Grizzlegom during the Phyrexian Invasion of Dominaria.[6]
- Volrath's Gardens - a pair of gardens flanking the docking carapace.[1][4]
- Volrath's Dungeon - where the Evincar kept and tortured his prisoners.[4]
- Volrath's Laboratory - where the Evincar placed many of his experiments.[4]
History
On Rath
When the final stage of the Phyrexian Invasion of Dominaria neared completion, the Stronghold was the prison of Captain Sisay and later other members of the Weatherlight crew. Although they were eventually freed, the crew lost Mirri, Ertai, and Crovax; suffered severe damage to the Weatherlight; and left Karn, Tahngarth, and Sisay deeply affected by their experiences there. Despite various incursions by rebel forces led by Eladamri and Liin Sivi, the disappearance of evincar Volrath, the subsequent dispute over his successor, and the attempted sabotage of the reactor by Belbe, the Stronghold remained firmly in control of Rath until its overlay with Dominaria.
On Dominaria
Arrival and destruction
Following the overlay, the Stronghold was placed precariously within a dormant volcano in Urborg. The number of troops stationed within the Stronghold reinforced the Phryrexian advance troops already there and enabled the Phyrexians to gain a dominant position in the region, serving as their central command headquarters. It took a combination of Yavimayan, Metathran, Keldon, Elven, and Talruum forces to successfully besiege the base.
The Stronghold was ultimately destroyed by the stone dwarves, who used their magic to cause the previously dormant volcano to erupt and consume the fortress with lava. However, Stronghold's final purpose had already been achieved: The planar portal within its throne room had allowed Yawgmoth to enter Dominaria personally.
The Weaver King
After the Invasion, from the ruins of the Stronghold emerged the Weaver King, a once-human shadow creature who toyed with the minds of Urborg's people.
Belzenlok
Sixty years after the Mending, Belzenlok's Cabal had gained control of the Stronghold.[7] He found its foundations intact under the magma crust. By conscripting Bogardan lava mages, he was able to raise it again and reawaken the sleeping volcano, putting it back at full power.[8] Its defenses were constantly changing, and the ways in and out were rebuilt on Belzenlok's whim.[9] A long stone walkway bridged the old canals and moats that terraced the sloped ground in front of the volcano. The canals were now filled with muddy water and some extremely hungry scaled creatures, and the walkway was interrupted by walls with heavy gates, all well guarded by armored grimnants and robed clerics, where passwords and other proof of identity would be asked for. One side of the volcano had been carved down smooth, and the walkway led up to the towering half-circle wall built out from it. The gate through that wall was round, still bearing the spiked shape of some Phyrexian weapon.[10] Within, the Cabal built a Fighting Pit.
Maps
-
Citadel Map taken from "Nemesis" by Paul B. Thompson. -
Map of the Stronghold, from the Duelist.
Gallery
-
The Stronghold was located inside the massive volcano called the Hub. -
The Stronghold's ruins. -
Liliana Vess raises Urborg's dead to assault the Stronghold. -
The Portcullis
Trivia
- The Stronghold expansion symbol () represents the Portcullis.
In-game references
- Represented in:
- Associated cards:
- Depicted in:
- Referred to:
- Inside:
References
- ↑ a b c d Pete Venters (March 1998). "Dominian Chronicles: The ❤️ of Rath: The Art of Darkness." The Duelist #23, 24-25
- ↑ Stronghold Poster (1998).
- ↑ a b c Pete Venters (March 1998). "Dominian Chronicles: The Lurker's Guide to the Stronghold." The Duelist #24, 26-27
- ↑ a b c d e f Peter Archer, ed. (1998) - Rath and Storm anthology, Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ a b c Paul B. Thompson (2000), Nemesis, Wizards of the Coast
- ↑ J. Robert King. (2001.) Planeshift, Wizards of the Coast. ISBN-13 0-7869-1802-0.
- ↑ Martha Wells (March 21, 2018). "Return to Dominaria, Episode 1". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ James Wyatt (2018), The Art of Magic: The Gathering - Dominaria. VIZ Media.
- ↑ Martha Wells (April 11, 2018). "Return to Dominaria: Episode 5". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Martha Wells (May 23, 2018). "Return to Dominaria: Episode 11". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Magic Arcana (February 19, 2007). "The Blasted Grave of Yawgmoth". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2021-04-29.