| Xira Arien | |
|---|---|
| The Glass Mountain | |
 | |
| Details | |
| Race | Eumidian |
| Birthplace | Dominaria |
| Lifetime | War with Phyrexia |
| Born | Before 3334 AR |
| Died | 3607 AR |
| Colors | |
   | |
| Sources | |
| Johan, Assassin's Blade, Emperor's Fist, Champion's Trial | |
Xira Arien has appeared twice in the Magic storyline.
The Glass Mountain[]
In 3334 AR, Xiran Arien was a young human apprentice wizard working for Johan. She was also known as the "Glass Mountain", and she participated in the Battle of Bryce where she faced off against Hazezon Tamar and Jaeger Ojanen, where she summoned Stone-Throwing Devils to defeat Hazezon's Sand Warriors. When the battle turned against her, she fled the scene.[1]
The Eumidian[]
Centuries later, in 3607 AR, Xira Arien was a Eumidian master assassin and wizard working for Ramses Overdark. When Overdark was ordered by Nicol Bolas to stop the uprising of the Edemi Islands he sent Xira to assassinate the leader of the rebellion, Lady Caleria. Xira was also ordered to lure Tetsuo Umezawa to Argenti, for Overdark hoped Umezawa would die fighting against the rebels, making Overdark's position stronger. Xira did this by infecting Kei Takahashi with her offspring. Xira hoped that she could use her offspring against Overdark, who kept her on a very short leash, but Tetsuo and Ayesha Tanaka killed it before it could fully develop. Kei did have to live with horrible insectoid mutations, however, for which Tetsuo later tracked her down and killed her.[2]
Continuity issues[]
Although there are discrepancies between Xira Arien's two appearances, they are not irreconcilable. First, her apparent long life can be explained by the mere fact that she is a wizard, and wizards are frequently long-lived. As examples, Kaervek, Jolrael and Mangara all became several centuries old without any particular known interaction with life-prolonging substances like slow-time water or a fountain of youth. The life spans of Eumidians are also unknown, and they might easily be a long-lived race. Second, her change in appearance can be explained by the specific type of power she uses - Xira was able to transform Kei Takahashi into a Eumidian via biological means, which means she might also have done the same to herself in the intervening centuries. Third, her change in skill set, showing a much more experienced fighter and assassin in the second story, is also explainable as she could easily have adjusted and honed her skills in the time period between her two appearances.
Story appearances[]
Gallery[]
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Xira Arien, the Eumidian.
In-game references[]
- Represented in:
- Associated cards:
References[]
- ↑ Clayton Emery (2001) - Johan (novel), Wizards of the Coast
- ↑ Jay Annelli (January 4, 2024). "Xira Arien was killed by Tetsuo Umezawa". Twitter.
- ↑ Ethan Fleischer (August 23, 2022). "I led the design process for the box toppers". Twitter.