Thanks to a strong wind and biting cold, many of the lights along your current path have died. A new moon in the east offers little illumination for your jaunt through the corridors. Small pools of light mark the way, providing brief relief from the groping darkness. You stop suddenly between two of the distant pools, knowing you have arrived.

Despite the inky darkness, you are able to find the familiar latch and push open the door.??A warmth not wholly physical washes over you as your foot crosses the threshold. A sanctuary from the cold and gloom outside, you feel safe within Issar Roon’s study.

Good evening, my young student. Come for another tale, have you?

The old man is in his customary spot, hunched over his desk like a beggar protecting her only possession. Numerous books are laid out before him, many of them open and showing pages of text, diagrams, and sketches that you cannot fully interpret. You recognize a few of the books from previous visits, their exact topics forgotten.

I have time tonight, and am willing to satisfy your hunger. How about another tale on the illustrious Carthalion line? I told you of Jaeuhl previously, but others have gained much more renown than he. Today's tale shall fit the weather: stormy and chaotic with a hint of tragedy. I will talk of Jaeuhl's descendent, Adam Carthalion.

The old man turns away from his books and rests his gaze upon you. You have never quite gotten used to the unwavering stare, and find it hard to relax while the old man begins his story. Luckily, the words remove you from the warm room and take you to a different world.

Adam was born in a city-state called Arathoxia on the continent of Corondor. Like many of his line, Adam was born into a family of impressive wealth and prestige. At a very young age, Adam became a shipping magnate and advisor to the leaders of Arathoxia, reaffirming his family's status. Not satisfied with this accomplishment, Adam went on to lead House Scarlet, one of the five ruling Houses of Arathoxia, in the following years.

Adam's early life was difficult but simple, and he always sought a larger challenge. After becoming a member of Arathoxia's ruling class, Adam took his search beyond the small city-state. At first, he ventured into neighboring lands to forge new alliances for his home and strengthen relationships, but his excursions soon turned personal.

An imminent danger to Dominaria was foretold, and Adam took it upon himself to defeat the impending evil. He believed it to be the greatest challenge he would face, and wound end up sacrificing everything he had in his quest. But I am getting ahead of myself.

The old man lifts his gaze from your eyes and begins to stare off into the distance.

Soon after Adam heard the whispers of an approaching evil, he was visited by a mysterious and powerful individual. This individual went by the name of Ravidel. Unbeknownst to Adam, he was the very evil that Adam wished to extinguish, and was attempting to rid himself of all resistance. Ravidel convinced Adam that the path to completing his quest was through ascension as a planeswalker. Thereafter, Adam was obsessed with the idea.

Adam's first journey toward becoming a planeswalker was to the Hurloon Mountains. Legend told of a place within the mountains called Dwarven Hold where enough red mana resided to make any mortal being a planeswalker. Along his journey, he met a planeswalker named Marduk Blackwater, who was also in search of the Dwarven Hold. They inevitably dueled, and while Adam gained the upper hand, Marduk Blackwater planeswalked away before victory could be claimed. To prevent Adam from interfering in the future, Marduk wiped his memory just before he 'walked away.

After awaking, Adam was befriended by a minotaur named Eusomone. The two formed a strong friendship, and the minotaur attempted to help the Arathoxian rekindle his past. After healing from his battle, Adam set off with Eusomone in search of something that might help create a spark in his mind. As luck would have it, the pair stumbled upon the Dwarven Hold just as Marduk discovered its location. Adam's memories came rushing back in a torrent, flooding his mind with his quest and determination to become a planeswalker.

All parties were surprised at the turn of events, but they soon recovered and renewed their previous engagement. This time, Adam drew on the large mana pool in the Dwarven Hold, and Eusomone joined the battle. The two friends quickly humbled the planeswalker, and Marduk fled. After they recovered, Adam and Eusomone went their separate ways, remaining friends for the rest of their lives.

Adam's quest after the Dwarven Hold's power proved fruitless, but he continued searching for a way to become a planeswalker in the following years. As each path led to a dead end, the man grew more obsessed with his goal. Adam forsook his home of Arathoxia, and pursued every glint of rumor that related to planeswalkers. When they too ran dry, he turned to Ravidel.

Still unaware of Ravidel's hidden identity, Adam pleaded with the planeswalker to aid him. When Ravidel demanded Adam's wife, Gwendolyn Mor, in payment, he did not hesitate in agreeing. But the planeswalker did not help him. Again Adam pleaded, and this time Ravidel demanded his newborn son, Jared. Mad with a desire to defeat the approaching evil, Adam agreed.

No one is quite sure how or why, but something brought clarity to Adam's mind just before giving up his only son. He refused to complete Ravidel's request, and entrusted the boy's care to his spellsquire, Ezer. Finally understanding Ravidel's true nature, the deceived mage confronted the planeswalker at what became the Battle of Aster Fall. Intent on destroying him, Adam conjured a powerful spell that required his own sacrifice to succeed. Though it found its target, Ravidel avoided any permanent injury and lived on. It was an anticlimactic end to one so possessed with passion for his ultimate challenge.

And that, my young apprentice, is where the tragedy lies. Adam spent his entire adult life attempting to prepare for an evil that stood in front of him all along. He gave up his home, his wife, and his very life, but was unable to accomplish the final challenge he set for himself. If it had not been for a final moment of clarity, his son too would have fallen. Luckily, he did not. For he had a much larger role to play in the events on Dominaria.

The old man looks a bit fatigued after his story. Sensing a deeper connection between it and the old man than as a simple story and storyteller, you make to take your leave. Better to leave the old man alone with his thoughts. You open the heavy door and slip into the darkness beyond the old man's study without a sound.

This is a work of fiction based on the stories and entries provided by Wizards about some of the early characters. The author takes some liberty with the story for dramatic purposes. So the story portrayed here may not be the exact story according to Magic Canon. The author has found references and art to use in the following locations: Encyclopedia Phyrexianna and the MTG Salvation Wiki. Written by Brendan Weiskotten.