The Phasing of Zhalfir
| The Phasing of Zhalfir | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||
| Event Information | |||||
| Era | War with Phyrexia | ||||
| Date | 4205 AR | ||||
| Location | Zhalfir, Dominaria | ||||
| Sets | Invasion | ||||
| Characters | Teferi, Urza and Barrin, and everyone in Zhalfir at the time | ||||
| Outcome | Removal of Zhalfir from Dominaria | ||||
| Timeline | |||||
| |||||
The Phasing of Zhalfir took place in 4205 AR on Dominaria. Zhalfir, a state in the northwestern corner of the continent Jamuraa, was magically removed from the plane to protect it from the ongoing Phyrexian Invasion, with repercussions on the defense efforts elsewhere.[1] Although isolated and undetected by outsiders, Zhalfir continued to exist and returned to general awareness as an independent pocket plane hundreds of years later.
Description
In the years preceding the Phyrexian Invasion, Zhalfir was led by Queen Wezna, and developed into the most magically and militarily advanced state on Dominaria. Urza intended to exploit this strength by allowing Zhalfir to take the brunt of the Phyrexian attack. The Zhalfirin leadership believed they would defeat the invaders.
Urza's Zhalfirin student Teferi doubted his homeland would survive.[2] The Prophecy War between Zhalfir-aligned city-states in northern Jamuraa and neighboring Keld had caused Teferi to grow distant from Urza. He feared Urza saw people in general, and Zhalfir in particular, as expendable.
During the opening stages of the Phyrexian Invasion, Teferi and Urza worked together to destabilize an interplanar portal from Phyrexia in the sky over Zhalfir by using teleportation magic to overload it. Without Urza's foreknowledge, Teferi used the massive energy released from the collapsing portal to cast a phasing spell of unprecedented scale. Teferi phased out the entire nation of Zhalfir, along with significant portions of northwestern Jamuraa, including the areas bordering Suq'Ata and Femeref. The land, people, and culture were removed from Dominaria and were unreachable, even to planeswalkers.
Impact on Dominaria
Although Teferi’s act ensured the survival of his homeland, it also deprived Dominaria of some of its strongest defenders. Casualties elsewhere on the plane were higher than they might have been otherwise, and Teferi's choice was viewed as a betrayal by Urza and others.[1]
The space Zhalfir had occupied filled from the surrounding ocean, and that body of water was later known as the Zhalfirin Void. Under specific weather conditions, translucent images of Zhalfir's coastline were visible from neighboring regions. Among the Zhalfiran diaspora that remained on Dominaria, whose people lacked a nuanced understanding of how Zhalfir had been moved, Teferi became known as the Destroyer of Zhalfir, and he was subject to multiple assassination attempts.[3]
Teferi hoped to find a means of bringing Zhalfir back to Dominaria, but around 4500 AR, Jeska inadvertently removed the last traces of Zhalfir's presence, apparently destroying it entirely.
Zhalfir alone
Zhalfir did continue to exist outside of Dominaria. It became a pocket plane, distant from and undetected by the rest of the Multiverse. During the early phases of New Phyrexia's Invasion of the Multiverse, Teferi unintentionally arrived on Zhalfir as a consequence of the explosion of the Temporal Anchor.
Compared to more central planes, time ran slowly on Zhalfir during its isolation. By the time of Teferi's arrival, only ten years had passed on Zhalfir, while 360 years had passed on Dominaria. As on Dominaria, Teferi's reputation among his people had suffered. Many Zhalfirins had suffered during the wars at the beginning of the first Phyrexian Invasion of Dominaria, and Teferi's sudden absence was interpreted as a choice to shield himself.[4]
Around 4562 AR, Wrenn and Realmbreaker committed the New Phyrexia-Zhalfir switch. Though still an independent pocket plane, Zhalfir was moved to a more central location in the Multiverse. While no direct connection generally exists, omenpaths create the possibility of travel between Zhalfir and Dominaria.
In-game references
- Represented in:
- Associated cards:
- Quoted or referred to:
References
- ↑ a b J. Robert King (2000) - Invasion, WotC.
- ↑ Martha Wells (April 18, 2018). "Return to Dominaria, Episode 6". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Martha Wells (April 25, 2018). "Return to Dominaria, Episode 7". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Miguel Lopez (January 17, 2023). "Alone". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.