Tovolar

Tovolar
Details
Race	Human Werewolf
Birthplace	Innistrad
Lifetime	Mending Era

Tovolar is a powerful werewolf on the plane of Innistrad and the main antagonist of the Innistrad: Midnight Hunt storyline. He was the alpha werewolf of the Mondronen howlpack before their disbandment and later became the leader of the Dire pack.

Description

Tovolar has silver fur and leads his pack in howling songs and revels of carnage. It was long suspected that he was mute and never transforms back to human form. However, this was proven untrue. As it turns out, Tovolar is actually the first werewolf who can retain some of his humanity and hold on to his weapons after his transition. In human form he is a large, muscled man.

History

Twenty years ago, Tovolar encountered a young, reluctant new werewolf named Arlinn Kord. She came under his tutelage, and he tried teaching her not to fear her werewolf nature, but to embrace it in all its joy and savage freedom. Arlinn, however, was unable to accept that path, and after two years they fell out when Arlinn refused to join Tovolar in slaughtering a group of foresters. Arlinn turned on her mentor, challenging Tovolar for command of the howlpack; they fought and wounded each other, though in the end Arlinn fled. Choosing a different, less destructive path than her mentor, Arlinn maintained her distance over the next decades and went on to form her own wolf pack.

Tovolar earned a fearsome reputation throughout Innistrad's Kessig province as leader of the Mondronen howlpack. The howlpack, about 60 in size, was known for using a dark form of magic. They stayed away from civilization, sticking to farmlands, rural communities, and remote monasteries. With Avacyn's protective wards getting weaker due to her absence, the Mondronen got closer to cities. When Avacyn was set free from The Helvault, the Mondronen and other howlpacks disbanded, chased off and hunted down by angels. But now, in the growing darkness since The Travails, Tovolar sees a chance to lead once again.

Midnight Hunt

In the two years since The Travails, the nights of Innistrad were inexplicably getting longer and Tovolar formed a new pack of dire werewolves that was growing rapidly. Driven by his fierce pride in werewolf-kind, he enacted his plan to unify all the howlpacks under his rule. He stood for the freedom to embrace the savage beast within, and many werewolves left their human homes to join him. Once he has a powerful pack behind him, he belived he could stop the Dawnhart Coven and anyone else who wants to bring back the sun.

During the Harvesttide Festival, Arlinn Kord and her planeswalker allies discovered the Moonsilver Key and brought it to the Celestus, seeking to enact a ritual at the height of the festival that would restore the balance between night and day. However, no sooner did Arlinn arrive with the key than Tovolar launched a full-scale attack upon the festival. The grounds around the Celestus were surrounded by magical wards that prevented the advance of his werewolf army for a short time. When the protections failed, Teferi cast a powerful spell to delay the sunset and thereby stall the werewolves' complete transformation. Planeswalkers, witches and cathars fought the werewolf invaders to protect the humans. In the midst of the combat, Arlinn confronted Tovolar, demanding that he cease this invasion. Tovolar refused and goaded Arlinn, urging her to embrace her werewolf nature and join him in battle. Seeing the human defenders crumbling under the werewolf onslaught, Arlinn attacked Tovolar, and they started exchanging blows until Tovolar called upon the wolves of Arlinn's old pack. Seeing her old packmates, Arlinn hesitated for a moment, which allowed Tovolar to overpower her and knock her down. Tovolar boasted that he'd kill her. At that point, Teferi's spell finally ended and the sun set, transforming all werewolves, including Arlinn.

Arlinn and Tovolar fought and both got severe wounds. Arlinn's wolf pack joined Tovolar, except for Patience who stayed apart. During the fight, the alpha kept seducing the planeswalker into abandoning the humans and joining the pack. Arlinn feigned surrender, but then overpowered the unsuspecting Tovolar with a deathgrip in his chest. Crushed by her final betrayal, Tovolar surrendered and retreated with the rest of the pack. The survivors of the Harvesttide Massacre stayed behind.

Gallery

• 

  Werewolf form.

• 

  Arlinn Kord duels Tovolar to protect the Harvesttide festival participants.

Story appearances

Title	Author	Publishing date	Set	Setting (plane)	Featuring
Episode 1: The Witch of the Woods	K. Arsenault Rivera	2021-09-02	Innistrad: Midnight Hunt	Innistrad	Klaus, Arlinn Kord, Agatha, Redtooth, Boulder, Streak, Patience, Katilda, Tovolar
Episode 2: The Motives of the Wolf	K. Arsenault Rivera	2021-09-08	Innistrad: Midnight Hunt	Innistrad, Ravnica	Arlinn Kord, Tovolar, Redtooth, Boulder, Streak, Patience, Katilda, Teferi, Chandra Nalaar, Kaya, Adeline
Episode 4: Harvesttide	K. Arsenault Rivera	2021-09-22	Innistrad: Midnight Hunt	Innistrad	Feuer, Olivia Voldaren, Deidamia, Shana, Arlinn Kord, Kaya, Teferi, Chandra Nalaar, Adeline, Tovolar, Streak, Patience, Redtooth, Boulder
Episode 5: Night Closes 'Round	K. Arsenault Rivera	2021-09-29	Innistrad: Midnight Hunt	Innistrad	Arlinn Kord, Tovolar, Redtooth, Boulder, Streak, Patience, Chandra Nalaar, Adeline, Kaya, Teferi, Katilda, Olivia Voldaren

In-game references

Represented in:

• Tovolar, Dire Overlord
• Tovolar, the Midnight Scourge

Associated cards:

• Tovolar's Huntmaster
• Tovolar's Magehunter
• Tovolar's Packleader

Depicted in:

• Duel for Dominance
• Moonrager's Slash
• Storm the Festival
• Unnatural Moonrise

Quoted or referred to:

• Defend the Celestus
• Foul Play
• Harvesttide Assailant
• Lambholt Harrier
• Mondronen Shaman
• Pack's Betrayal