Stone Brain
| Stone Brain | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Information | |
| Origin | Dominaria |
| Creator | Sages of Lat-Nam |
| User | Towser, Greensleeves |
| Status | Unknown |
The Stone Brain was a living artifact created by the Sages of Lat-Nam in the hope of stopping the Brothers' War on Dominaria. The Brain had the power to compel a wizard to obey another, and is considered one of the most powerful artifacts in Dominarian history.
Description
The Stone Brain was a powerful artifact capable of compelling one wizard to obey another.[1] Chaney considered it the most powerful artifact in Dominarian history. Because the wizard Towser erroneously identified it as a mana vault, it initially disguised itself as one, appearing as a simple pink box.[2] After Chaney revealed its deception, it became brainlike, turning green with brown spots, and grew three eyestalks and a mouth. Sprouting a half dozen thick, green tentacles, it was able to walk. As Greensleeves's students of magic studied it further, it eventually settled into its true form: a round helmet, wrinkled on top like a brain.[3]
History
The Stone Brain was constructed by the sages at the College of Lat-Nam.[1] It held the power to compel one wizard to obey another, although it is unclear if it was intended to bind and punish wizards or to consolidate the sages' power. Created by the combined efforts of all of the sages, they fought over who should possess it.[3] One of them stole it and ran of into a desert to be eaten by vultures. Considering it too powerful to be destroyed, the sages enclosed it in a box and launched into space.
Four thousand years later, Gull and Greensleeves saw the artifact as a falling star descending upon the Whispering Woods.[4] Two months later, the wizard Towser retrieved it with their help, believing it to be a Mana Vault.[2] After he tried to absorb Greensleeves' power with it, they ended up fighting each other.[5]
Thanks to an incident with a student of magic, it was revealed to Gull and Greensleeves how the Stone Brain, which had taken the form of a helmet, worked: once worn, a thousand voices (the voices of the Sages of Lat-Nam) order the wizard to stop using magic, or face madness.[6] Within the artifact are also hidden all the spells known by the Sages. A test was conducted on Haakon, and he became a sort of slave to Greensleeves, just like the creatures summoned by other wizards. Gull confronted Greensleeves about using the Stone Brain, but she was convinced this was the only way to stop the evil wizards.
Haakon managed to free himself from the Stone Brain command just enough to summon some Phyrexian Gremlins, who snatched the artifact and returned to their home plane. After Greensleeves planeswalked to the Stone Brain, she found out that she could resist the voices, as they were similar to the effect of the Whispering Woods.
Days later, they find out that Dacian, the Red, the wizard who once battled with Towser over White Ridge, is at the site of the crater where the Stone Brain had fallen from the sky. The army captures Dacian and puts the helmet on the wizard. Greensleeves resolves to let Dacian and Haakon go. Unbeknownst to Greensleeves, those tagged by the brain can contact one another, so Dacian and Haakon form a truce and seek out other wizards, Karli and Towser, to form an alliance and stop Gull and Greensleeves' crusade.
When Greensleeves finally understands that the evil wizards have found one another thanks to the Stone Brain, she intends to discover every secret of the artifact.[7] She dons the helmet and finds out that its ultimate secret is buried somewhere in the ruins of the College of Lat-Nam, in the long-lost isle of Lat-Nam.
On Lat-Nam, the party discovers a skull of a Sage, to which she asks for the secret of the Stone Brain. Using the secret of the helmet revealed to her by the skull, Greensleeves uses the Stone Brain to strip Towser of his magic. Seeing how the punishment causes Towser to run away, screaming madly, Gull finds the solution too drastic and cruel, so he decides to let the other wizards retain their magic, but only for doing good. Greensleeves keeps to herself the last secret of the Stone Brain, its ability to give magic to anyone, thinking that a similar power is sure to cause another war for control over it.
In-game references
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References
- ↑ a b Clayton Emery (January 27, 1995). "Chapter 8". Shattered Chains, HarperPrism. ISBN-13 978-0061054198.
- ↑ a b Clayton Emery (November 23, 1994). "Chapter 9". Magic: The Gathering - Whispering Woods, HarperPrism. ISBN-13 978-0061054181.
- ↑ a b Clayton Emery (January 27, 1995). "Chapter 10". Shattered Chains, HarperPrism. ISBN-13 978-0061054198.
- ↑ Clayton Emery (November 23, 1994). "Chapter 1". Magic: The Gathering - Whispering Woods, HarperPrism. ISBN-13 978-0061054181.
- ↑ Clayton Emery (1994). Magic: The Gathering - Whispering Woods. Harper Prism.
- ↑ Clayton Emery (1995). Magic: The Gathering - Shattered Chains. Harper Prism.
- ↑ Clayton Emery (1995). Magic: The Gathering - Final Sacrifice. Harper Prism.