You head toward Issar Roon's study the day after your dream – or was it a nightmare?  You wonder if the old man knows anything about it, and plan on asking before he gets started with another story.

As you open the door a peculiar sight greets your eyes.  The old man is standing on a chair precariously balanced upon stacks of books, stretched to his fullest height, trying to reach a book on the topmost shelf.  Afraid of what might happen, you walk over to help.

Ah, thank you.  Your height would be better suited for this task than mine.  The book you are looking for is a dull green and orange one, no wider than your hand.

The old man steps off the chair and makes room for you.  Sure enough, you find a book fitting his description, and hand it down to him.

On the floor again, you realize just how short in stature the old man is.  His head barely reaches the top of your shoulders, allowing you a top view of his white hair.  The old man's demeanor has always made him seem larger than his actual physical size.

This book is full of what you might call fairy tales from the Multiverse.  I am looking for a few small pieces of information, and hope they can be found within one of these tales.  Since you are here, perhaps I should tell you one of the book's tales.

A strange feeling nudges at the back of your mind, like that of something with a desire to be free.  Unsure of what it is and wanting to hear the story, you ignore the feeling and sit down while the old man flips through the book.

Hmm…I suppose I will tell you of Mercadia's myth today.  It's seen as an important piece of that plane's history by many of its inhabitants.  Indeed, they don't consider it a myth at all, but truth; a legend if you will.  It tells of Ramos, a dragon god from another world, and how he brought life to Mercadia.

It is said that Ramos fought his evil brother, Orhop, long ago on some distant world.  Their battle caused such devastation and death that Ramos feared the loss of all who lived on their world.  He gathered what few survivors he could find, and fled.

When Ramos appeared on Mercadia he collided with some unknown object in the sky, and fell to the earth.  Ramos fell from the sky in four pieces; his mind went with a school of merfolk into the sea, his body carried seamen to a sheltered harbor, and the soul took a group of tribesmen to Rushwood.  The remains of Ramos, his bones, crashed into the Deepwood, his final resting place.  Those unfortunate enough to be with Ramos in the end became ghouls, guarding the dragon’s bones for all of eternity.

Over time, the people of Mercadia created new homes.  The merfolk built a glorious city in the ocean, and named it Saprazzo.  The seamen developed trade and a thriving port named Rishada.  Finally, the tribesmen adapted to Rushwood, and allied themselves with the forest itself.  Though each community holds slightly differing tales, they all know Ramos as their creator.

The old man pauses for a moment before continuing.  Switching gears in the clockwork of his story.  Again, a small weight presses against your mind, trying to gain your attention.

Of course, this is all what the Mercadians' myth says.  The tale is true – like all of the other fairy tales in this book – but legends never retain all of the facts.  They get twisted and embellished as time passes.

Ramos did exist – and he was a dragon – but he was no god.  He was created by none other than Mishra in the fires of Phyrexia.  Ramos was a dragon engine, built to wage war on Dominaria.  He was never meant to be more than a tool of Phyrexia.

During the Brothers' War Urza captured Ramos and set him on a new purpose, one of peace.  Urza knew that the Brothers' War was destroying the civilizations of Terisiare, and was determined to prevent what he could.  So he had Ramos stay vigilant in anticipation of a catastrophe, at which time he would protect as many people as he could.

Ironically, it was Urza himself who created the predicted catastrophe by setting off the Sylex Blast.  Knowing the time had come, Ramos gathered merfolk near Argoth, soldiers on the field of battle, and a ship of pirates floating nearby, and fled.  He found a portal to Mercadia on Phyrexia, and took the refuges through.  Using the last of his energy, Ramos dropped off what survivors he could before crashing into the Deepwood – summoning ghouls from the fallen and dryads from the forest to protect his bones.

Ramos' story did not end with his death however.  He continued to live on in the myths of Mercadian stories, and his bones were left undisturbed though many adventurers sought them out.  Indeed, Ramos' foresight was well planned, as his remains would later serve as pieces of the Legacy.

The old man closes the dull book and sets it atop others on his desk.

There is more I could tell you; that of his inclusion in the Legacy, the Weatherlight's crew's attempt to recover his remains, or even of the people who did not believe in his myth.  But I shall leave all of that for another day.  As always, I fear overburdening your limited mind.

For now, be on your way, and leave this old man to his fairy tales.

You suppress a smile at how accurate you believe his statement to be.  Perhaps one day the old man will admit to entertaining fantasies, but you doubt it.

You close the door behind you and return to more inhabited areas of the monastery.  As you reach the living quarters you finally remember what the weight on your mind had been.  Frustrated with yourself, you aim to ask the old man upon your next visit.

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.