Sarpadian Empires
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| Sarpadian Empires | |
|---|---|
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[[File:{{#setmainimage:Sarpadian Empires.jpg}}|250px]] | |
| Characteristics | |
| Origin | Dominaria |
| Status | Unknown |
Sarpadian Empires is a seven volume tome that depicts the fall of the five dominant kingdoms of Sarpadia on Dominaria.
Description
A vast amount of Sarpadia's history is told through the pages contained in it and excerpts can be found throughout numerous cards in Fallen Empires. Originally, a mere history text, when found during the Time Spiral crisis it had taken on magical properties capable of summoning creatures from the past.
- Vol. I was a basic collection of history setting the context for the set.
- Vol. II dealt with the Order of the Ebon Hand and their creations the thrulls, the cause of their eventual downfall.
- Vol. III told a similar story of the Havenwood elves and their creations the thallids.
- Vol. IV chronicles the orc and goblin attacks on the dwarves and Icatia.
- Vol. V describes the plight of the merfolk as they are driven out of their lands by the homarids' migration to warmer climes.
- Vol. VI told the final chapter of Sarpadia as the final kingdom, Icatia, fell.
- Vol. VII showed that history truly can come alive.
In-game references
Most excerpts from the Sarpadian Empires were presented through flavor text on cards in the Fallen Empires set. The following represents every excerpt from Sarpadian Empires in Magic.
| Excerpt | Volume | Card Source |
|---|---|---|
| "Although fragile, the aeolipile could be quite destructive." | Vol. I | Aeolipile |
| "Not all armies enjoyed the services of a medic. For them, Balm of Restoration was that much more valuable." | Vol. I | Balm of Restoration |
| "Although the Dwarves staunchly defended their walled city-states against the Orcs, their civilization was the first to fall, and its name was sadly lost." | Vol. I | Dwarven Soldier (Fallen Empires) |
| "Born and bred of fungus, thallids were nearly impossible to kill." | Vol. I | Feral Thallid |
| "The cooling climate forced the Elves to experiment with new food sources." | Vol. I | Thorn Thallid (Fallen Empires, #80b) |
| "Orcish armies often employed the smaller, swifter, and less intelligent Goblins as spies." | Vol. I | Orcish Spy (Fallen Empires) |
| "Trained to battle the followers of Tourach, the Order of Leitbur was not as successful in later conflicts with orcish and goblin raiders." | Vol. I | Order of Leitbur |
| "Initially bred for sacrifice, the thrulls eventually turned on their masters, the Order of the Ebon Hand, with gruesome results." | Vol. II | Basal Thrull |
| "The derelor's greatest contribution to the Ebon Hand was the inspirational effect its creator's execution had upon the other thrull breeders." | Vol. II | Derelor (Fifth Edition) |
| "The eerie, wailing Hymn caused insanity even in hardened warriors." | Vol. II | Hymn to Tourach (Fallen Empires, #38a) |
| "Tourach's power was such that his followers deified him after his death." | Vol. II | Hymn to Tourach (Fallen Empires, #38b) |
| "Many Initiates sacrificed a hand to become full members of the Order." | Vol. II | Initiates of the Ebon Hand (Fallen Empires) |
| "Until the Rebellion, thrulls served their masters faithfully—even at the cost of their own lives." | Vol. II | Thrull Retainer |
| "In crafting intelligent Thrulls to assist in sacrifices, Sahr inadvertantly set the stage for the Thrull Rebellion." | Vol. II | Thrull Wizard |
| "The size of the obvious Fortress walls often misled foes. Actually, the Elves enchanted the forest itself to provide the first line of defense with tangling vines and stinging thorns." | Vol. III | Elven Fortress |
| "Elves often tipped their arrows with a drug that caused a deep but harmless sleep." | Vol. III | Elvish Hunter (Fallen Empires, #67a) |
| "As the climate cooled, many elves turned to thallid farming for food, while the hunters honed their skills on what little game remained." | Vol. III | Elvish Hunter (Fallen Empires, #67b) |
| "Thallids could absorb energy from the forest itself. Even elves were at a disadvantage in fighting them." | Vol. III | Fungal Bloom |
| "There were often more Thallids after a battle than before." | Vol. III | Night Soil (Fallen Empires) |
| "The identifying ornamental growths of alpha thallids may be hereditary, or catalyzed by some chemical signal." | Vol. III | Sporecrown Thallid |
| "As the climate worsened, some Thelonites turned to fertilizing with fresh blood in an attempt to keep Havenwood alive and growing." | Vol. III | Thelonite Monk |
| "The danger in cultivating massive plants caught the elves by surprise." | Vol. III | Thorn Thallid (Fallen Empires, #80a) |
| "Scholars still debate whether the Thallids were truly sentient." | Vol. III | Thorn Thallid (Fallen Empires, #80d) |
| "When their community grows cluttered, thallids begin a traditional bobbing dance, then trek out in all directions." | Vol. III | Yavimaya Sapherd |
| "The Brassclaws delighted in lightning raids on Icatian and Dwarven towns; an unprepared enemy is easier to defeat." | Vol. IV | Brassclaw Orcs (Fallen Empires, #49a) |
| "Brassclaws were typical Orcs—quick to laud their own prowess in battle, quick to jeer at their opponents, and quicker still to run away when things started to look slightly dangerous." | Vol. IV | Brassclaw Orcs (Fallen Empires, #49b) |
| "The large brass claws worn by some Sarpadian Orc tribes were among the least feared weapons ever known." | Vol. IV | Brassclaw Orcs (Fallen Empires, #49d) |
| "The few remaining pieces from this period suggest the Dwarves eventually made weapons and armor out of everything, even children's toys." | Vol. IV | Dwarven Armorer |
| "Often greatly outnumbered in battle, dwarves relied on catapults as one means of damaging a large army." | Vol. IV | Dwarven Catapult |
| "Dwarven officers were tireless in battle, moving up and down the lines to rally their troops and boost morale." | Vol. IV | Dwarven Lieutenant |
| "They'd pour out of the warrens to make war (and to make room for the littering matrons)." | Vol. IV | Empty the Warrens (Time Spiral) |
| "According to accepted theory, the grenade held some kind of flammable mixture and was carried to its target by a hapless goblin." | Vol. IV | Goblin Grenade (Fallen Empires, #56a) |
| "Without their massive numbers, the Goblins could never have launched such a successful offensive." | Vol. IV | Goblin Grenade (Fallen Empires, #56c) |
| "It was difficult to tell whether the piles of gore within their warrens were mere trash heaps, sacred altars, or warnings." | Vol. IV | Goblin Oriflamme |
| "The Goblins' dreaded War Drums struck terror into the hearts of even their bravest foes." | Vol. IV | Goblin War Drums (Fallen Empires) |
| "Goblins bred underground, their numbers hidden from the enemy until it was too late." | Vol. IV | Goblin Warrens |
| "By the time their enemies noticed the sea's changing mood, the Vodalians had often shifted formation and were ready to attack." | Vol. V | High Tide (Fallen Empires) |
| "Dwelling in icy mountain streams near goblin and orcish foes, the river merfolk were known for their stoicism." | Vol. V | River Merfolk |
| "Early Vodalians worshipped Svyelun, goddess of the Pearl Moon. Later she became a more abstract figure." | Vol. V | Svyelunite Priest |
| "Vodalian Soldiers had some unique advantages. Often they would ride into battle on war machines rumored to have come from the far northern oceans." | Vol. V | Vodalian Soldiers (Fallen Empires, #31a) |
| "The cooling climate introduced a new threat to Vodalia: the Homarids. Once a minor nuisance, they thrived in the changing environment. Their ceaseless attacks strained Vodalia's defenses to their limit, eventually overwhelming the empire." | Vol. V | Vodalian Soldiers (Fallen Empires, #31d) |
| "Although Icatia's Combat Medics borrowed much of their knowledge from other societies, their skills were their own." | Vol. VI | Combat Medic (Fallen Empires, #1a) |
| "Without combat medics, Icatia would probably not have withstood the forces of chaos as long as it did." | Vol. VI | Combat Medic (Fallen Empires, #1c) |
| "Valiant Icatia was the last of the Sarpadian empires to fall. Its faithful soldiers defended their cities to the very end." | Vol. VI | Icatian Infantry |
| "Because the orc hordes attacked along the entire border, Scouts were essential to Icatia's defense." | Vol. VI | Icatian Scout |
| "Orcs often greeted promotions to Icatian battle with anguished wails and pleas for mercy." | Vol. VI | Orcish Veteran |
| "There are intriguing similarities between the Order and Icatia's Leitbur religion, suggesting the two had a common origin." | Vol. VI | Order of the Ebon Hand (Fallen Empires) |
The last known volume, volume VII, was represented in its namesake card:
External links
- Wizards of the Coast (October 5, 2006). "The History of the Sarpadian Empires". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- Matt Cavotta (October 26, 2006). "The Time Spiral Magic Museum". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- April King (March 29, 2018). "The Fall of Sarpadia. Outtake from Magic: The Gathering - BattleMage". Pokeinthe.io.