The Brothers' War
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| The Brothers' War | |
 1st edition cover |
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| Author | Jeff Grubb |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Artifacts Cycle |
| Genre(s) | Fantasy |
| Publisher | Wizards of the Coast |
| Publication date | May 1998 |
| Media type | Print (Paperback) |
| Pages | 409 |
| ISBN | NA |
| Followed by | Planeswalker |
The Brothers' War is a Magic: The Gathering novel written by Jeff Grubb, and published by Wizards of the Coast, Inc. It takes place on the fictional world of Dominaria, within the 'multiverse'. It tells the story of the origins of Urza, who plays a significant role in other Magic: The Gathering novels. At 409 pages, The Brothers' War is the longest of any Magic: The Gathering novels.
[edit] Synopsis
The prologue opens on a battlefield, "the night before the end of the world", over the bodies of two fallen giants. The massive machine and wood giant had destroyed one another and were now the meeting place for the lieutenants of the armies preparing for battle. Ashnod the Uncaring and Tawnos meet to discuss matters and reminisce about the war that brought them to that field.
The main story opens at an archaeological dig site. The head archaeologist, Tocasia, sits at her table examining an ancient relic: a metal skull. A student, Loran, comes and delivers the news that a caravan from the city, Argive, has arrived. When she arrives at the caravan, the wagon master is berating two boys around the age of ten. The older boy, lean and tawny-haired, is Urza, while his dark-haired and stocky younger brother is Mishra. Urza tells Tocasia that he and Mishra were born on the same year, he on the first day, Mishra on the last, so that on the last day, they were equal. Tocasia takes the boys into the camp to teach them her archeology. From the beginning, Urza and Mishra show a great aptitude for 'artifacts', machines based on those of the ancient Thran people, and also show a violent capacity for argument curbed only by Tocasia.
Over the next six years the brothers grow up in the camp, Urza becoming lean, wiry, and developing an encyclopedic mind for mechanics. Mishra grew muscular, learning to spend time with the slaves who dug, drinking with them and learning their legends. They become permanent residents of the camp, after receiving word that their father died, and their stepmother does not send for them. After the discovery and rebuilding of an ancient flying machine, on Mishra's birthday, the brothers have a vicious argument over who gets to fly it first. In the end Urza wins, but both get a turn. The bird's eye view allows them to view patterns in the desert, leading to the finding of large artifact deposits. These discoveries lead to a mountain called haunted by the desert natives.
Urza, Mishra, and Tocasia fly to the mountain, and in flight from a ravenous bird come to a cave entrance. The cave led down past troves of machines to a pedestal with a large crystal set into the middle. The brothers break the stone in half, and each has a differing vision when each receives a half. Urza sees a world of metal cables and machines with many melting and burning forms. Mishra saw a long hallway made of lizard skin, with tiny figurines of screaming beings made of gold and mirrors showing him twisted images of a monster. When they both return to the cavern, they are forced to flee from advancing machines. Mishra discovers his stone weakens the machines, while Urza's strengthens them. After escaping, Urza and Mishra get into a heated argument when Urza takes Mishra's stone. In frustration, Urza lashes his hand out to return the stone, while Mishra steps into his reach and is struck in the forehead with the stone. This results in a falling-out of the brothers.
In the months after, the brothers remained angry. Urza deems his stone the Mightstone for its ability to strengthen, and Mishra's the Weakstone for its ability to weaken. One night, an argument between the brothers escalates to a violent pitch, where they begin using the magic of the stones on one another. Tocasia rushes in to stop them and is caught in the cross fire and killed. In grief and pain at the accusations of the other brother, Mishra flees into the night.
After the deadly night, Urza becomes a clockmaker's apprentice, and when he fixes a music box for a princess Kayla bin-Kroog, she falls for him. He builds a mechanical man to win a contest set forth by her father for her hand (or more specifically, her dowry). The mechanical man moves a massive jade stone, and Urza becomes her husband. Mishra, meanwhile, is enslaved by the desert people. He becomes a tutor for the son of the tribe's chief. One night, he draws from another world a massive mechanical dragon that fights against the tribe, killing the chief. Mishra tames it with the stone, and becomes adviser to the Chief.
Urza begins a school, training people in artifacts, and takes on an apprentice, Tawnos. Mishra meets his lieutenant Ashnod when the desert Fallaji begin their war against the other kingdoms. Urza's Yotian kingdom and Mishra's Fallaji begin to war, but hold a peace talk. The brothers are reunited, but the entire situation is ruined by the Yotian and Fallaji surprise attacks. The war erupts, but another peace talk is held. This talk concludes with Mishra sleeping with his brother's wife, and another showdown between the brothers.
The war began with Urza's unsuccessful attack on his brother's forces, Ashnod's slaying of the Fallaji chief, and Mishra setting three dragon-engines to the destruction of Urza's city. In the caverns where the stones were found, men who worshipped machines met a mostly-mechanical demon from another world. He called himself Gix, and they did as well.
Mishra becomes the new leader of the Fallaji, and builds himself an arsenal of machines to conquer other nations. Urza flees, using a machine design to build an army to defend himself and build a system of towers for protection. Tawnos brings his wife and newborn son (possibly nephew) to him, and together they begin to build an opposing army to Mishra. Ashnod creates mutant warriors, transmogrants, to fight. The war continues with each side building bigger, more powerful weapons. Ashnod is exiled from Mishra's side, while Loran joins a group of scholars in unlocking the power of magic in the city Terisia. When Mishra invades, two of his dragon engines vanish into thin air. The Brotherhood of Gix infiltrates both sides and plays them against each other, although winning more power in Mishra's court.
Urza's son Harbin finds an island of Argoth, ruled by elves who worship the goddess Gaia, and was secretly aided to return to land by an elf. Urza and Mishra both learned of the island rich in resources, and both bring their armies to it. They exterminated the elves of the island. After the meeting of Ashnod and Tawnos, the battle begins. The brothers pit their armies against each other on Mishra's birthday. Urza meets Mishra on the battlefield, but Mishra is changed. He tells Urza he no longer needs his stone. He lashes out to give it to Urza, Urza steps to avoid it and is cut by an ankh in the forehead. Urza sends a bolt of energy from his stone and sets Mishra on fire. Mishra flees and Urza sees that his body has been replaced with machines. Ashnod sends a Golgothian sylex to Urza to end the war while she fights the demon Gix. Urza uses the Golgothian sylex to create an enormous blast that cripples the world, ending the war, and devastating all peoples of Dominaria. Gix escaped through the portal to the world Phyrexia in the cave where the stone was found. Urza becomes a Planeswalker, a being able to travel between worlds, and the Mightstone and Weakstone become his eyes. And with his final words to Tawnos, Urza fades off of Dominaria.
