Archmage - People and Places of Dominia
Great Wizards
The lives of the Founding Fathers of magic of all colors, including Puce.
Ashnod
Mishra's pet sadist, Ashnod is best-known for his twisted torture
devices. The Black Vice and Cursed Rack are among his best-known
creations, taking much-deserved spotlight away from the Sinister
Thumbscrew and the truly inspired Machine That Makes A Noise Like
Fingernails Going Across The Chalkboard. Ashnod's more lukewarm
creation, the Staff of Zegon, is quite in the style of the uninspired
creations of his contemporaries. Passe' before it was made, you might
say.
Chatzuk
A mighty warrior-mage, and the only wizard to induce teamwork between
Northern Paladins and Stone-Throwing Devils. Chatzuk is most famous for
his magical Helm, a legendary device which could give his armies the
ability to band together and fight as a team when his pep talks just
wouldn't do it.
Drafna and Hurkyl
The Blue mages Drafna and Hurkyl were once the most powerful Husband-
and-Wife team in Dominia. The couple specialized in the teleportation
and restoration of existing artifacts. The enchantress Hurkyl, when
questioned about the tense relationship between the pair, had only
one thing to say: "Drafna's just a normal husband. He leaves his
toys around, and I clean them up. But Drafna's toys can blow up the
house. I've yet to see a set of golf clubs do that."
Lord Ith
Necromancer-King of Dominia during the Dark Ages. It has been said
that the only live monarch is a cautious one, and with the creation
of the Maze of Ith, a labyrinth more complex than a Leviathan's
digestive system, Ith was one of the safest monarchs around. He
took a great many precautions, including his anti-magical wand.
His 130-year reign ended when the Vesuvian Mage Mairsil took over
his throne under a magical disguise. Sages are unsure of when
Ith's reign ended and Mairsil's began. Perhaps just before the
beginning of the Arabia-Kroog war, perhaps not.
Jayendae
"Seventy-Spell Jayendae," the greatest of the Enchantresses of
Antiquity, met her tragic demise in the grip of the Black Vise.
Beyond this, little or nothing is known about Jayendae, the
semi-mythical "Librarian of Leng."
Kormus
According to The Encyclopedia of Music and Musicians, Kormus
was a reclusive disciple of the school of Black Magic. As a sinister
and malignant force of evil, Kormus naturally hated the local church
bell choir. Said bell choir was quite surprised when the landscape
rose to attack during the third movement of "Gregorian Chant
in C Minor." To this day, the members of the Samite Bell Choir shudder
when they hear the word "Swamp."
Mairsil
Mairsil the Pretender, whos indeterminate ancestry apparently
contained some Doppleganger, was the unofficial Wizard-King of
Dominia during the years following the Dark Ages. He was deposed
by Lord Ith and tossed into the great furnaces of Leng, where he
fussed, fumed, and changed into a great Dragon. The ashes of the
North Towers of Leng are now the subject of many myths, and are
even believed to be haunted.
Mox
Often challenged but never defeated, Mox the Conjurer could bring
forth such terrors as the Lord of the Pit and Gaea's Leige whilest
other wizards were still trying to summon a Scryb Sprite. Mox is
best known for his creation of the Mox Pearl (White), Mox Jet (Black),
Mox Emerald (Green), Mox Sapphire (Blue), Mox Ruby (Red), and the
Mox Cubic Zirconium (Puce)
Nevinyrral
A pleasant young lady. Unsubstantiated roumers have linked
Nevinyrral to the creation of Kudzu, the Copper Tablet and the
Chaos Orb, as well as her infamous Disk. According to her
autobiography (the "Diarries of Nevinyrral") the Disk of Nevinyrral
was her attempt to rid herself of pesky scryb sprites. It worked.
Obsianus
Due to his backwater origins, Obsianus the Artificer was considered a
"bit player" in the world of Dominia. While at work as a window
dresser at Mon's Fashion Emporium, Obsianus discovered his first
glimmerings of magical potential and created the Obsianus Window
Dummies--magical manikins that moved as real people. Obsianus
turned towards more destructive pursuits (namely his Golem) when he
saw the complete destruction caused by his Window Dummies as they
gleefully modelled Housewares. Due to the trauma of this event
Obsianus vowed never to give the Golem a bladed weapon.
Modern wizards who animate the Obsianus Golem usually choose to
remove the wigs and designer dresses Obsianus bequeathed upon the
Golem, his greatest creation.
Orn
Greatest of the Enchanters of the Dark Ages, Orn weathered the
ancient War of the Brothers, the Ice Ages and the Age of Legends,
surviving until the age of Modern Dominia through the use of his
life-prolonging enchantments. It seemed that, through some
unfathomable innate ability, he could cast any enchantment but
an instant after it was dispelled. Through a complex battery of
experimentation and dissection, the Artificer Chatzuk found the
source of his power. Orn was, predictably, upset by this, but
his thoughts on this matter were not recorded.
Tawnos
Many myths and legends exist which deal with the famous
wizard/interior decorator Tawnos, but these all seem to lack
any specific information about him. Apparently Tawnos was either
the apprentice to or master of Urza, or possibly both.
Lord and Lady Ursnell
Another well-known husband/wife team, Lord and Lady Ursnell's
marriage broke up after the Battle of Piltdown. The two went
their seperate ways, Lady "Ginsu" Ursnell becoming a military
Artificer and Lord "Monoped" Ursnell moving his posessions to
Mon's Home for Maimed Magicians.
Urza and Mishra
The Two Great Brothers of Puce wizardry. Creators of many
great and mighty artifacts. Commanders of vast magical
armies, flingers of fantastic sorcery, throwers of really nifty
parties. Urza was the near-sighted one.
Voska
Tervish "Tough Luck" Voska, Artificer from the Dark Ages,
was a magician of great ambition, little power and even lesser
intellect. While he lived, a brief enough time, the Mages of
his period learned that the best way to deal with Voska was
to enchant his toys and leave him alone. The poor soul died
a victim of his own cursed devices.
Places to Visit...
Alexandria
Housed in the magical kingdom of Arabia, Alexandria was a never-
ending source of strange new spells and magical research. The great
sorcerers of Arabia once attempted to wage war on nearby Dominia, but were
defeated when Alexandria, the font of their magical might, was struck by
horrible desert tornadoes, showers of stone and hail, attacked by hordes
of demons and turned into a forest (all of these horrible disasters
occuring at roughly the same time). As if to add insult to injury, the
mighty city of Alexandria, now a forest, collapsed into an underground
sinkhole. When later questioned, the lord of Dominia (at the time, a
wizard by the name of Tocasia) denied all involvement with the tragedy.
Arabia
A strange kingdom which is populated entirely by Kird Apes.
Argive
Although the lands of Argive are now barren, they once had verdant
plains and bustling cities. These were destroyed by the strange
mechanical creatures that surrounded their homeland. The armies of
Argive might have had a chance against these mechanized hordes, but
for some unfathomable reason the Blacksmiths of Argive took to
repairing the silly things.
Argoth
Before the Urza-Mishra wars the heavily forested areas of Argoth were
Dominia's premier vacation spot. Now, Argoth has been blasted by the
Mystic Brother's powerful artifact magic. Visiters to Argoth, be warned:
don't drink the water, don't eat the food, and most importantly keep your
dogs as far away from the trees as possible. They bite.
Benalia
Benalia has an intricate, byzantian caste system. Visitors to Benalia are
advised to bring lots of money, as even a commoner can buy himself into
royalty. There is one caste wich cannot be bought into, a caste which
is not handed down from parent to child--the Hero caste. Apparently,
you have to marry into that one.
Dominia
A mythical land wherin great Wizards wage mighty wars over powerful
artifacts and terrible creatures. While land is always a valuable resource
in Dominia, frequent disasters such as sinkholes, ice storms and fast-
growing kudzu can make land development a risky proposition. Consult
your real estate agent.
Kher
A city/battleground continually swept upon by rocs. You can get an
idea of how strongly the citizens of Kher value their military by
examining their choices of troops--Kobolds are the ultimate in
disposable roc fodder.
Kroog
Kroog, a vast metropolis, served as a focal point in the War of the
Brothers of the age of Antiquities. Ironically, the city itself
has no strategic value as it is populated entirely by pacifists. While
Kroog itself is a very safe city to visit, the outlying regions are
literally crawling with Ironclaw Orcs. Very, very content orcs.
Lat-Nam
As with almost any "university-cities," Lat-Nam boasts a wide selection
of self-professed "experts" in almost any field. The great professors
of Lat-Nam Polythurge (Immortalized in that immortal verse,
"Glory to Lat-Nam Polythurge
Just for you our Mage hearts yern
In Your great name we'll cast our spells
Except when we've got Mana Burn.")
specialize in the creation of wonderful magic, but at
a very high price--in any exchange, the student of Art will come out
behind.
One oft-asked question about Lat-Nam is: "If they're so damn smart,
how come they've only got one Sage?" The answer to this question is
still a mystery.
Leng
The greatest city of knowledge in Dominia, Leng is universally
recognized as the foremost receptacle of magical lore in the kingdom.
Before his tragic demise, the great wizard Tawnos described Leng's
libraries as "So big you could die before you learned all that they
contain." Tawnos was found later, stiff as a board, and was buried with
the appropriate ceremonies.
Phyrexia
A hellish land of swirling clouds of steam and smoke, slick and glistening
pools of grease and swarms of sinister creatures bourn of Black magic.
It's rather like Detroit.
Savaen
The lands around the Savaen Woods remained undefiled through three
Ages of Legend. The actions of the Savaen Elves prevented the
pollution of their homeland, though the areas around Savaen Woods have
been reduced to desert. Biased as they were against ANY form of
enchantment, the Elves would even unthread the blessing of the Rite of
Consecration. Urza Enterprises used this to great effect by destroying
the lands with a great snowstorm. Ah, those were the days.
Scarwood Forest
According to A Tourist's Guide To Dominia, by Maeveen O'Donagh, Scarwood
is "A joyous, happy woodland where quaint natives are only too delighted
to lend a helping hand for only the slightest of fees." It has been
suggested that Maeveen O'Donagh is not fond of tourists, but only
time--and the satisfied grins of the local scavengers--will tell.
From: Diana Michelle D'Emeraude; Last updated: August 13, 1994
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