Arriving at the entrance of Issar Roon's study you find the door wide open. The light from candles inside pours into the dark hall as if it were water spreading on parched land. As you turn towards the light you are startled to find Issar Roon staring directly at you. It seems that the old man was waiting for you.

You are wiser than I previously gave you credit for, not bringing me food this time. For your sake, it is good that you remembered my warning. Now come sit on my carpet and listen to my story.

You wonder why the old man is in an agreeable mood and willing to tell you a story. Making yourself comfortable on the carpet, you hope that the story is one of the old man's longer ones.

Last time you visited I told you of a man named Toshiro Umezawa. Today, I will tell you the tale of his descendent, Tetsuo Umezawa. No, I do not intend on finishing my story of the Kami War. Perhaps one day I will tell you more of that unique event, where deities turned against their disciples, but not today.

It seems that the old man is still his antagonistic self. You shrug off his stubborn ways. It doesn't truly matter what the old man talks about, so long as the story comes from his remarkable imagination.

Tetsuo lived on a very different plane from his ancestor. In fact, it was Toshiro himself who was the first of the Umezawa Clan on this new plane. Perhaps you are wondering how he traveled to a new world when he was not a planeswalker, and had never met one?

When the Kami War ended Toshiro was in the service of a very powerful kami known as the Myojin of Night’s Reach. However, she was displeased with his actions during the Kami War. As punishment, she took Toshiro’s eyesight, and left him on a new plane to live the remainder of his life in darkness. The plane she had brought him to was none other than my home, Dominaria.

You realize that at some point of the old man's story his voice had taken a new tone, almost as if he were speaking proudly of a child.

Over three hundred years after Toshiro arrived on Dominaria, Tetsuo was born. As a young man Tetsuo learned almost every warrior skill taught in the Empire of Madara. He was a formidable opponent for anyone, trained in archery, swordsmanship, martial arts, and even blue, black, and red magic.

At the age of 15 he took the place of his father in a duel. It became a turning point in his life. He was forced to fight for his life instead of in mock battles, and it changed him. Though he left victorious, he had lost much of his roguish demeanor that day. One might say he became an adult, but I believe he already was. The experience didn't bring him to some imagined level of adulthood, but instead changed his personality.

Though the two Umezawa characters were from the same family, you wonder if they were as alike as Issar Roon seems to imply.

A few years later, Tetsuo decided to apply for the office of Imperial Champion when it became vacant. He had proven his skill to many within the Madaran Empire, but there was another who wanted the position. Shasido Mayasi from Madara's army, the Kentsu, had come at the request of a commander. The two fought a ferocious duel, but it was Tetsuo who proved to be stronger. As a reward, he was given the position he desired, that of Imperial Champion.

Tetsuo was a powerful Champion and a devout follower of Madara's emperor, Nicol Bolas, but the dragon-emperor did not favor Tetsuo. Instead, Nicol Bolas supported the Imperial Assassin, a rival from Tetsuo's youth named Ramses Overdark. Ramses, bent only on gaining himself power, sought to replace the two other leaders of the Madaran Empire, Tetsuo and the High General of the Kentsu, with his own minions. Tetsuo soon found himself at the center of a power struggle without the support of his emperor.

The old man finally takes a break from his story. His face seems to betray trouble remembering the story, as if a small fact forgotten would cause the entire picture to fall apart.

As Ramses Overdark tried to gain the throne of Madara, a war started against the Edemi Islands. Though the islands were a part of the Madaran Empire, the inhabitants occasionally rebelled in hopes of gaining independence from the larger nation. Nicol Bolas sent his favored subordinate, Ramses, to squash the uprising.

Seeing an opportunity to further his goals, Ramses attempted to involve Tetsuo in the war. Ramses infected Tetsuo's healer, Kei Takahashi, with an insect larva in an attempt to draw him to the Edemi Islands. At the same time, one of Ramses lieutenants attacked the rebels wearing the Umezawa family crest. Ramses hoped that his two enemies would kill each other, relieving him from having to do it himself.

The old man starts speaking slower, as if the story is draining him of energy. He seems to be aware of the loss, and begins telling his story in broader tones.

Though Tetsuo thwarted Ramses' plans the war continued on, and Nicol Bolas became angry at his subordinates. He punished Tetsuo by forcing him to join the brutal Kentsu in their campaign against the Edemi. Appalled by the Kentsu's methods and feeling his punishment was wrong, Tetsuo's loyalty to the emperor began to waver.

Ramses ignored Nicol Bolas' order to stay out of the war, and again attempted to gain the seats of Imperial Champion and High General of the Kentsu. The Imperial Assassin possessed Marshal Jorgan Hage, second in command of the Kentsu, and sent more agents to the Edemi Islands. During the chaos that surrounded the end of the war, Hage killed Marhault Elsdragon, the High General of the Kentsu, and took his place.

The old man's speech starts getting even slower, almost as if he's talking in his sleep. You wonder if he is ok, but unsure of what you could do to help if there was trouble, you continue to listen.

Instead of punishing Ramses for his disobedience, Nicol Bolas rewarded him by abolishing the old system of leadership in Madara and naming Ramses Imperial Regent. Tetsuo, his faith in the emperor shattered, renounced his now-useless title of Imperial Champion and prepared to face Ramses and Nicol Bolas. To give himself time to train, he fled to a mystical place known as the Meditation Plane.

Seeking to draw him out of hiding, Ramses attacked a town full of innocents. Tetsuo, determined to eliminate the power-hungry man, returned to…

Ssshhhuuuuu……

The old man had fallen asleep! After a moment of shock that he could fall asleep while talking, you quietly get up to leave. Hopefully, the old man will finish his story on 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.