Having just finished your work for the day, you head toward the old man's study before your evening meal. The sun has set, but the heat from the day's labor has just begun to escape your body. Your breath comes out in slow, even puffs of silver vapor before disappearing into the Darkness beyond the eaves.

A few fallen leaves have found their way into the corridor from the day's strong wind. You carefully step around them as a cat avoids stones on the ground, aware of the work it would take to get the pieces out of the hall's carpet.

A knock on a door and a quick reply, then you find yourself in Issar Roon's study once more.

Good evening. I appreciate you making your last visit a brief one. There are things that require mass amounts of time, and research is most certainly one of them. Luckily, I have a few moments free to tell you a tale today.

You Recall a few days earlier when your visit was spurned by the old man. You don't remember him being so calm then.

Perhaps I could tell you of an important figure on Dominaria, one that was present for almost all of the substantial events on Terisiare after the Brothers' War. His name was Jodah, also known as the Archmage Eternal.

Intrigued by the man's curious nickname, you listen attentively.

Jodah was a direct descendent of Urza himself, and should have been born into a powerful family. Fate intervened, however, for the Ice Age had begun to descend. His family's farmland became useless as the years turned colder and the land was frozen and deprived of important nutrients. As a result, his family abandoned the land, and Jodah was forced to find his own path in life.

That path started when he became the apprentice to a mage named Voska. Voska had an enormous influence on Jodah's life, though their relationship did not last long. He taught Jodah the basics of sorcery, and convinced him to walk the path of magic during a time when practicing the art could be a dangerous occupation. It was also he who gave Jodah the Reflecting Mirror, an artifact with mysterious powers, and an object that would save Jodah's life more than once.

The dark times I mentioned were the result of events centuries before Jodah's birth. The Brothers' War and Sylex Blast caused such ruin and misery upon those of Terisiare and Dominaria that magic and artifice became a heresy. Many organizations and religions scorned those who practiced the arts, and the Church of Tal was the most widely spread of them all. It is no surprise that it was they who captured Jodah and Voska, and sentence the two to death. Jodah escaped, but was left to wander the lands in search of his missing master.

The Church of Tal reminds you of a certain organization in your own world, but you are afraid to bring up the subject. While the old man surely lacks any ties to such an entity, you fear others overhearing anything you have to say about it and keep your mouth shut.

During his search, Jodah was chased by a band of goblins after his mirror. In an effort to hide from the pesky creatures, Jodah dove into an abandoned fountain until they had moved on. Unknown to the young apprentice, the fountain's waters came from a unique source, and caused his body to age at the pace of a snail. These waters, with the help of Voska's mirror, were what gave Jodah the title of Archmage Eternal in the years to come.

Jodah eventually learned of Voska's fate, but soon found a new mage, named Sima, to travel with. Together, they set out for the City of Shadows, a refuge and Training Grounds for wizards and mages fearful of the Church of Tal.

Of course, Jodah never made it to the City of Shadows. He was kidnapped during their journey by merfolk, who then sold him to the Rag Man. The Rag Man told Jodah little, but fulfilled the young mage's quest in a roundabout way. For Jodah was taken to the Conclave of Mages, a secluded group of mages similar to the City of Shadows.

Unknown to Jodah, his arrival was orchestrated by multiple hands, each with their own purpose and desires for Jodah. Lord Ith, the overthrown ruler of the Conclave, had sent the Rag Man to find Jodah, hoping he would be the one to free the powerful wizard. Mairsil, the Pretender, Lord Ith's usurper, wanted to use Jodah to open a portal to the "Dark Lands," a place Jodah's ancestor Jarsyl was said to have visited.

No one's plans went according to their design thanks to an assault by the Church of Tal, but Jodah found his way through the perilous events nonetheless. With Mairsil distracted by the attack, the Rag Man took Jodah to the imprisoned Lord Ith under the Conclave's structure. Helped by a newly arrived Sima, Jodah was able to free Lord Ith before Mairsil could stop him.

Unfortunately, the powerful wizard had gone insane from his imprisonment and went on a rampage, killing Mairsil, the Rag Man, and forces on both sides of the battle. He would have killed the young Jodah as well, if he had not used Voska's mirror to return Lord Ith to sanity. From that day forward, the mirror never left Jodah's side.

After the Church of Tal's forces had been defeated nothing but ruins and mages were left of the Conclave of Mages. Lord Ith chose to abandon the sanctuary, seeking a solitary life traveling across Terisiare. The rest of the mages followed Jodah and Sima to the City of Shadows, seeking a new peace from those who distrusted magic and artifice.

The old man ends his story, seemingly saving the rest of Jodah's story for another day. A bit disappointed, you realize that more than an hour has passed and your stomach is telling you of the late hour.

It seems your anatomy would like me to end my tale as well! Very well, go feed yourself. I must be back to my studies at any rate.

You get up from your usual place on the rug and go out the study door, avoiding leaves as you hurriedly make your way toward the kitchens.

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.