Jodah
Encyclopedia
Jodah is a fictional character created by Jeff Grubb
in 1999 for Wizards of the Coast
's Magic: The Gathering
(Magic) franchise. He first appeared in the Ice Age Cycle novels by Jeff Grubb; The Gathering Dark
, The Eternal Ice, and The Shattered Alliance
, based on the card sets
The Dark
, Ice Age
, and Alliances
respectively. Jodah is a powerful, near immortal mage, and is related to Urza
, one of the main characters in the Magic franchise. He appears in two other books, but his only appearance in the customisable card game is in the name of a card.
Planeswalker. Jodah was a very powerful mage capable of commanding all the colors of magic, and was one of the few key figures who delved into the mysteries of magic, and changed the way Dominarians looked at the mystic arts.
He fell into the Fountain of Youth at age 15 while attempting to hide from a gang of goblins, making him age almost imperceveably. His extreme longivity gained him the title of Archmage Eternal, and is incorrectly thought to be a planeswalker
(the most powerful magic users in the Magic franchise). Jodah was given a magical mirror from his teacher, Voska, as a reward for casting his first spell. The mirror is used by Jodah in the second and third books to keep himself sane: the painful memories that accumulated over thousands of years needed to be transferred to the mirror then reabsorbed, to prevent the emotional anguish from overwhelming him. It is also used by Freyalise
in the second book to cast the World Spell that ends the Ice Age. Freyalise casts a spell on the mirror, intended to turn Jodah into a planeswalker.
After destroying Mairsil, Jodah decided to "disappear" from the world, as he was becoming increasingly famous. He went around spreading lies about himself, giving others the credit for his work, and over many generations, the famous Archmage Eternal went from a legend, to a myth, to a footnote in history, forever forgotten and a mystery to all historians in the world.
He no longer has his magical mirror, destroying it to destroy Mairsil, who was possessing Jaya Ballard. This turned her into a planeswalker and he was soon-after blessed by her, as a thank-you for saving/damning her by making her ascend, with the ability to remember his past without the pain of emotion, and to live as long as he wants.
After the events of the Ice Age Cycle, Jodah 'disappears', with quotes appearing in the novels from a fictional scholar who attempts to work out who the mythical Jodah was. Jodah does not appear again in the books until the Time Spiral
story arc, where he appears in Planar Chaos by Scott McGough and Timothy Sanders, based on the card set of the same name
. He becomes a companion of Teferi
, Jhoira, and Venser as they attempt to remove the time rifts threatening to destroy Dominaria, although he leaves near the end of the book after an altercation with Venser involving Jodah's attempt to return to Freyalise. Jodah briefly appears at the end of Future Sight by Scott McGough and John J. Delaney, based on the card set of the same name
, when he is visited by Jhoira, who reveals that he is an alternate-universe Jodah from the one in the Ice Age Cycle.
expansion in February 2007 that Jodah was named on a card. "Jodah's Avenger" is a blue creature card capable of weakening its power and toughness attributes in exchange for certain keyword abilities. Unlike other characters who appeared in the Ice Age books, Jodah does not appear in the flavour text of any Magic card.
Jeff Grubb
Jeff Grubb is an author and game designer. He has worked on a number of computer and role-playing games and has written a number of successful novels, short stories and comics...
in 1999 for Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for games...
's Magic: The Gathering
Magic: The Gathering
Magic: The Gathering , also known as Magic, is the first collectible trading card game created by mathematics professor Richard Garfield and introduced in 1993 by Wizards of the Coast. Magic continues to thrive, with approximately twelve million players as of 2011...
(Magic) franchise. He first appeared in the Ice Age Cycle novels by Jeff Grubb; The Gathering Dark
The Gathering Dark
The Gathering Dark is a fantasy novel in the Ice Age Cycle series. This book was included in the Coldsnap Fat Pack.The book tells the story of Jodah of Giva province and his quest to become a powerful mage as the world becomes a colder, darker place...
, The Eternal Ice, and The Shattered Alliance
The Shattered Alliance
The Shattered Alliance is a fantasy novel published in 2000 by Wizards of the Coast, set in the Magic: The Gathering universe. It is the last book in the Ice Age Cycle....
, based on the card sets
Magic: The Gathering sets
These are tables of Magic: The Gathering card sets. A trading card game published by Wizards of the Coast, Magic is primarily marketed in base/core sets and in expansion sets...
The Dark
The Dark (Magic: The Gathering)
The Dark was the eighth Magic: The Gathering set and the fourth expansion to the game, released in August 1994. The set continued the story begun in Antiquities and recounted the aftermath of the events of that set. The 119-card set had a dark, sacrificial theme, though unlike its predecessor...
, Ice Age
Ice Age (Magic: The Gathering)
Ice Age is the eleventh Magic: The Gathering set and the sixth expansion set, released in June 1995. Set in the years from 450 to 2934 AR, the set describes a world set in perpetual winter due to the events in Antiquities...
, and Alliances
Alliances (Magic: The Gathering)
Alliances is the fourteenth Magic: The Gathering set and eighth expansion set, released on 10 June 1996. It was released 8 months after Homelands, which is the longest gap between expansion sets in the history of the game. It is now the middle set in the Ice Age block since the July 2006 release of...
respectively. Jodah is a powerful, near immortal mage, and is related to Urza
Urza
Urza Planeswalker is a fictional character from the universe of Magic: The Gathering, best known for his millennia-long struggle with Yawgmoth and the plane of Phyrexia...
, one of the main characters in the Magic franchise. He appears in two other books, but his only appearance in the customisable card game is in the name of a card.
Character history
Jodah is the great-great-grandson of Jarsyl, a powerful black mage who managed to open a gateway to Phyrexia. Jarsyl in turn was the grandson of UrzaUrza
Urza Planeswalker is a fictional character from the universe of Magic: The Gathering, best known for his millennia-long struggle with Yawgmoth and the plane of Phyrexia...
Planeswalker. Jodah was a very powerful mage capable of commanding all the colors of magic, and was one of the few key figures who delved into the mysteries of magic, and changed the way Dominarians looked at the mystic arts.
He fell into the Fountain of Youth at age 15 while attempting to hide from a gang of goblins, making him age almost imperceveably. His extreme longivity gained him the title of Archmage Eternal, and is incorrectly thought to be a planeswalker
Planeswalker
In the collectible card game Magic: The Gathering, a planeswalker is a mage with the ability to travel to different planes of existence.-Magic: The Gathering:...
(the most powerful magic users in the Magic franchise). Jodah was given a magical mirror from his teacher, Voska, as a reward for casting his first spell. The mirror is used by Jodah in the second and third books to keep himself sane: the painful memories that accumulated over thousands of years needed to be transferred to the mirror then reabsorbed, to prevent the emotional anguish from overwhelming him. It is also used by Freyalise
Freyalise
Freyalise is a character in the fictional multiverse of Magic: The Gathering. She is a planeswalker.-History:The beautiful half-elven Freyalise is considered to be a goddess by the elves of Llanowar...
in the second book to cast the World Spell that ends the Ice Age. Freyalise casts a spell on the mirror, intended to turn Jodah into a planeswalker.
After destroying Mairsil, Jodah decided to "disappear" from the world, as he was becoming increasingly famous. He went around spreading lies about himself, giving others the credit for his work, and over many generations, the famous Archmage Eternal went from a legend, to a myth, to a footnote in history, forever forgotten and a mystery to all historians in the world.
He no longer has his magical mirror, destroying it to destroy Mairsil, who was possessing Jaya Ballard. This turned her into a planeswalker and he was soon-after blessed by her, as a thank-you for saving/damning her by making her ascend, with the ability to remember his past without the pain of emotion, and to live as long as he wants.
After the events of the Ice Age Cycle, Jodah 'disappears', with quotes appearing in the novels from a fictional scholar who attempts to work out who the mythical Jodah was. Jodah does not appear again in the books until the Time Spiral
Time Spiral
Time Spiral is a Magic: The Gathering expansion set, released October 6, 2006. The set is laden with references to previous Magic: the Gathering sets and is the first to take place in Dominaria since the May 2003 set Scourge...
story arc, where he appears in Planar Chaos by Scott McGough and Timothy Sanders, based on the card set of the same name
Planar Chaos
Planar Chaos is an expansion set, codenamed "Crackle," from the trading card game Magic: The Gathering. The set was released on February 2, 2007. The pre-release events took place on January 20 and 21, 2007. It is the second set in the Time Spiral block...
. He becomes a companion of Teferi
Teferi
Teferi is one of the planeswalkers in the fictional multiverse of Magic: The Gathering-Tolaria:Teferi was a talented human apprentice wizard drafted by Urza to work in the Tolarian Academy, and a notable troublemaker. When a time travel experiment failed, Teferi was caught in the midst of an...
, Jhoira, and Venser as they attempt to remove the time rifts threatening to destroy Dominaria, although he leaves near the end of the book after an altercation with Venser involving Jodah's attempt to return to Freyalise. Jodah briefly appears at the end of Future Sight by Scott McGough and John J. Delaney, based on the card set of the same name
Future Sight
Future Sight is an expansion set, codenamed "Pop", for the trading card game Magic: The Gathering. The set was released worldwide on May 4, 2007. The pre-release events for this set were held on April 21 and April 22, 2007.-Storyline:...
, when he is visited by Jhoira, who reveals that he is an alternate-universe Jodah from the one in the Ice Age Cycle.
Cards
Despite his impact within the fictional universe, it was not until the Planar ChaosPlanar Chaos
Planar Chaos is an expansion set, codenamed "Crackle," from the trading card game Magic: The Gathering. The set was released on February 2, 2007. The pre-release events took place on January 20 and 21, 2007. It is the second set in the Time Spiral block...
expansion in February 2007 that Jodah was named on a card. "Jodah's Avenger" is a blue creature card capable of weakening its power and toughness attributes in exchange for certain keyword abilities. Unlike other characters who appeared in the Ice Age books, Jodah does not appear in the flavour text of any Magic card.