Welcome back, Loreseekers! Today we're going to be talking about the next premiere Magic set, and one that is very near and dear to my heart - The Brothers' War! The Brothers' War is actually Magic's third visit to this era in Dominarian history, and as such the story is well covered. It feels weird to be writing about a set for which the story is already well known, but let's dive in!

Diegetics (Not the scientology thing)

Queen Kayla bin-Kroog by Cristi Balanescu

The first thing you should know about the Brothers' War is that Magic's main calendar (and that of Dominaria) begins at 0 Argivian Reckoning (or AR), the birth year of the brothers Urza and Mishra. This is such a formative event in Dominarian history, that the calendar begins with these two. Well, it begins with Urza, who was born on the first day of the year. Mishra was born on the last day of the year. Their poor (unnamed) mother.

The second thing you should know is that canon can get a little tricky. The original Antiquities set was cagey on story details, treating the set like an archaeological find that you had to put together yourself. Both the comics and later the comic that adapted the story kept some of that flavor by making it clear that they were both interpretations of an in-universe work, The Antiquities War, written by Queen Kayla bin-Kroog. The full text of this diegetic work was available... in the text of the 1996 video game Battlemage, in the form of an in-universe book you could find and read. It may seem complicated, and that's because we're looking at it 25+ years later. At the time, the game was the culmination of several story threads from the comics, and the diegetic texts inside the game were easter eggs for the fans.

The History of the Brothers' War

Urza, Planeswalker by Ryan Pancoast

• Antiquities (Card Set)
• The Antiquities War (Except from the Battlemage Video Game)
• Urza's Saga (Card Set)
• The Brothers' War (Ebook)
• The Colors of Magic, Loran's Smile (Short Story)
• The Colors of Magic, Expeditions to the End of the World (Short Story)

The main story of the Brothers' War has been told twice before. The first attempt was part of the early line of Armada comics, which pieced together the lore of the cards into a trilogy. Unfortunately, the comic line was canceled before the conclusion, and only the first two parts of the trilogy, Antiquities War #1-4 and Urza-Mishra War #1-2 made it to print, as well as the bits of story from the Battlemage video game

Just two years later, as a part of a series of novels released to tie into the Urza's Saga block and the ongoing Weatherlight story, The Brothers' War novel was published. This novel became the definitive version of the story, changing some significant details from the comics and tying the overall story closer to the ongoing Phyrexian saga. The retcons were so great that it precipitated the fan term 'The Great Revision' for the period before and after Wizards started publishing their own novels. Amusingly, Lynn Abbey, the author of the excellent follow-up novel to The Brothers' War entitled Planeswalker, lampshades the continuity issues by making it clear that multiple different versions of Kayla's work exist, and no one but Urza is left who knows the real story.

While a lot happens in the story, the overarching plot is simple. The brothers Urza and Mishra are orphans apprenticed to the archaeologist Tocasia, studying the ancient but technologically advanced Thran civilization. After reconstructing a Thran Ornithopter, they discover the Caves of Koilos and recover The Mightstone and Weakstone. But each brother covets the other's, and when their mentor dies during one of their scuffles, each brother is left adrift, eventually finding their way into positions of power on opposing sides of a border conflict.

As the years pass, the brothers ascend into leadership positions thanks to their skill in artifice. Their machines drag the conflict on for decades, eventually engulfing the entirety of the continent until it has been strip mined. When they discover the island of Argoth, each side races to claim its rich natural resources for themselves. But as the battle for Argoth culminates, an evil Phyrexian named Gix reveals himself, and that he has been playing both sides for a chance to seize control. Mishra is also revealed to have been converted into a Phyrexian horror, and Urza detonates a magical Sylex that ushers in the Ice Age, Urza's Ruinous Blast. In the blast, Urza, Lord Protector fuses with The Mightstone and Weakstone and becomes Urza, Planeswalker.

You can read a detailed summary I wrote WAY back in 2016 at Archive Trap: The Brothers' War Part I and Archive Trap: The Brothers' War Part II. No promises on the quality of those articles, that was very early in my writing career.

The Continent of Terisiare

The Brothers' War is centered on the continent of Terisiare (which is also the setting for the story of the Dark and the Ice Age, both events caused by the end of the war). During this era, Terisiare was one large landmass, roughly divided into about eight human civilizations. In the east were the coastal nations of Argive, Korlis, and Yotia. These are your typical (western) fantasy kingdoms. The brothers themselves hail from Argive, the sons of a minor nobles who were disinherited by their stepmother and sent to live in the desert with their mentor, Tocasia (this is the foundation of my 'Urza is a Disney Princess' theory). When Urza is forced to flee to Argive later in the story, the nation's wealth of magical powerstones fuel his war machine. Korlis is a city-state ruled by a merchant council, and Yotia is ruled by a monarch called simply the warlord.

Central to the continent were the disparate Fallaji Tribes of the Great Desert, including the city-states of Tomakul and Zegon. The Fallaji tribe known as the Suwwardi had an ongoing territorial dispute with the Yotians over the region known as the Sword (or Suwwardi) Marches. The Suwwardi eventually, through political maneuvering or conquest, unite the Fallaji into an empire spanning the entire great desert and many of the western nations.

The independent city-state of Sarinth, known for its lush forests and wurmcallers, becomes the most northern territory to fall under the Fallaji during the story. The other border city, Terisia City, becomes home to the Third Path (more on them next week!) before eventually falling to Mishra's armies.

The western nation of Alamaaz allies with Mishra, adding their famous song mages to his arsenal. Meanwhile, the far western island of Lat-Nam is host to the College of Lat-Nam, whose founders join the Third Path and the school is a direct forerunner to the Tolaria Colleges that follow after the Ice Age.

The Great Desert, as well as the bordering Kher Ridges, were home to well-preserved ruins of the ancient Thran Civilization. The ancient Thran capital, Halcyon, was located here, although all that remains is the caverns of the prison colony of Koilos. Unknown to anyone at the time, to the south-east was the island of Argoth, populated by elves, centaur, human druids, and all manner of forest creatures.

Next Time: Factions!

I didn't have enough space to write everything I wanted to write about The Brothers' War here, so guess what? We're going to continue again next week with The Factions of the Brothers' War. Stay tuned!