Rabiah the Infinite
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In Magic: The Gathering, the desert-plane of Rabiah is the setting for the Arabian Nights-expansion. It is formed by a series of planes linked by a shared culture reminiscent of the mythical lands, creatures and peoples of Earth's own Arabian Nights.
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[edit] 1001 worlds
In ancient times, Rabiah, due to some mysterious force, was split and refracted 1000 times. For every refraction a new Rabiah sprung up, identical to the first. Over the centuries each Rabiah developed an identity of its own. They started to drift apart culturally, forming 1001 planes that were at the same time the same, yet different. There are some general features however that are still consistent throughout the variations. The people of Rabiah worship Allah. This family of planes shifts constantly across Dominia, making it impossible to track any specific plane. Rabian planes occasionally collide with each other, temporarily merging the two worlds. Planar links often appear in the form of giant desert twisters, which propel any who venture near it into the neighbouring plane. Where Rabiah touches another plane, the severe environment often begins the infect its neighbour. Rabiah has portals to Wildfire, and, in ancient times, to equatorial continents on Dominaria. In that time many people crossed through a series of huge, magical cyclone gates to make their home in the magic-rich environment of Jamuraa. Their descendants have formed the Suq'Ata Empire and other empires ruling the continents adjoining Jamuraa.
[edit] Famous Locations
- Alexandria, famous for its library
- Baghdad, famous for its bazaar
- Cairo, home of Ali
- Bassorah, one of the most established cities in all of Rabiah. Boasts a tremendous variety of inhabitants (Bird Maidens, Desert Nomads, Gypsies) and a stupendous bazaar, only surpassed by the Bazaar of Baghdad. Here Fyrah and Pakhit battled the Eater of the Infinite. Strange items from other planes somehow make their way into Bassoran merchants' stalls. Such items are called Scheherazade's gifts, due to their uncanny tendency to fall into the hands of those who most need them.
- City of Brass
- Diamond Valley. A valley in the mountains where merchants who "traffic in diamonds" kill sheep, skin them, and cast pieces of the corpses down into the valley so the gems will stick to them.
- Serendib. The Eater of the Infinite was a Serendib Efreet whose heart was so cold that he tried to destroy all other living beings on Rabiah. He was defeated by Fyrah and Pakhir.
- Island of Wak-Wak. According to legend, the name is derived from the so-called tree of wonders growing on a collection of islands. This tree bears rounded fruit resembling the heads of women suspended by their long hair. When these fruit are ripe, they fall to the ground, making a sound like wak-wak.
[edit] Inhabitants
Although found in other lands of Dominia, Rabiah is the true home of the Bird Maidens. Bird Maidens mate with humans; their offspring is either bird maiden if female, or human if male. All Bird Maiden births are twins of the same gender. The Bird Maidens hold their birth-sisters extremely dear. Legends abound about the male offspring's exceptional strength, luck and magical talent, which is why any village finding abandoned twin boys will almost invariably adopt and honor them.
The city of Brass is inhabited by brass men, creatures created by the planeswalker Fatima to keep her company in her grief and rage. Clumsy and slow, they are mechanical-magical constructs of limited intellect. Phenomenally tough and capable of withstanding extremes of temperature or weather. Can't function without regular infusions of mana.
