Elspeth Tirel

Elspeth Tirel is a planeswalker from the Shards of Alara set.

Elspeth was born on an unknown plane dominated by darkness. It was shown much of her life prior to her ascension was spent as a prisoner along with many other beings. When her dark warden came for her, she responded instinctively with a powerful spell and walked away. She was only 13 at the time. She spent years seeking a place that was safe, suffering unknown hardships until finally she stumbled across Bant.

In Bant, Elspeth found everything that was missing from her life: community, love, and most importantly peace. She settled in the nation of Valeron and at 17 she began her training as a squire. In a short 3 years she was knighted, younger than most. Her fellow knights had no knowledge of her ability to planeswalk or of her origins. She kept the nature her origin and abilities secret and allayed any question concerning her birthplace, only admitting to not being from Valeron.

One day, two years after she had last used her abilities, her peaceful idyll was shattered when the broken body of a planeswalker crashed down near her outpost. With the help of Bant's balmgivers and Rhox monks, she nursed Ajani Goldmane back to health. Given his condition upon arrival, she thought she had found a kindred spirit and sought to convince him to stay upon Bant. Unfortunately, after a confrontation she was rudely proven wrong. Ajani left with only a dire warning to that their worlds were closer than she thought.

After this warning, her mind was continually troubled. Concerned with some of the distressing rumors she had heard, she went out with her squire Aran to search for evidence. At a Rhox monastery they found a Grixis incursion zone. The Conflux had begun for Elspeth. She rushed back to the castle she served and took part in a disastrous defense of her home. Aran fell to the enemy, and something in Elspeth finally broke. She cast aside all the rules of civil warfare that Bant cherished and unleashed her full powers, including bringing Aran back to life. All the members of the castle looked at her with newfound respect and admiration, but she felt as if she betrayed them and stripped herself of her sigils as a result.

Her rank was not so easily given up though. She led her platoon under the Knight-General Rafiq during the battles of Jhess to drive away the forces of Esper but was brought low by her own ally under the command of the Esper mages. As a result of her injuries, she was no longer allowed to fight on the front lines, but she sought some way to help. With that mind, she interrogated Gwafa Hazid in hopes of learning of who had manipulated the events behind the destruction of Giltspire Castle, which marked the start of the problems on Bant. With what she learned, she went to the assembled forces at the ruins of Giltspire Castle and assisted Rafiq in killing Malfegor.

Despite how hard she fought, her feelings had been inexorably changed. She was brutally reminded that Alara was not her world, and she had no right to the position they had asked of her. Worst of all, Bant had been changed forever and was no longer the place she cherished. With a heavy heart she planeswalked away.

In-Game References

Represented in cards:

• Elspeth, Knight-Errant

Associated cards:

• Ardent Plea
• Clarion Ultimatum
• Akrasan Squire
• Crusade (Duel Decks: Elspeth vs. Tezzeret)

Quoted or referred to:

• Dauntless Escort
• Guardians of Akrasa
• Knight of the Reliquary

External links

• Jenna Helland, Brady Dommermuth, Doug Beyer et al. (Thursday, April 23, 2009). "Honor Bound, Part 1". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.