Mikaeus Cecani

Mikaeus Cecani
Details
Race	Human, Zombie
Birthplace	Thraben, Innistrad

Mikaeus Cecani was the highest ranking member of the Church of Avacyn, under Avacyn herself. He held the title of Lunarch, the highest rank within the church of Avacyn a human can attain. Mikaeus and his entourage of bishops lead the people of Thraben as well as preserving the faith of Avacyn in the townsfolk all across the plane of Innistrad, using it to empower the Inquisitors and Cathars who fight against the darkness and monsters.

Imprisonment of Avacyn

As a member of Avacyn's inner circle, he was there to witness the fateful day where the demon Griselbrand and Avacyn dueled, and their eventual imprisonment. Seeing the object of their faith and power sealed away, those present (including the Lunarch himself) chose to swear themselves to secrecy, lest they cause mass panic and lose what little powers brought on by the lingering faith they had.

Mikaeus would spend his days reassuring the populace that all is well and that the archangel was still among them, if not physically. This of course was a lie, for mass panic is the least of their worries. Faith still provided power, and Mikaeus believed that so long as people had faith, their weapons and powers would not falter. Whenever anyone would question the absence of Avacyn, he would issue a calming, but dodgy decree.

The Undead Siege

With the Church's powers waning, the evils of Innistrad sought to strike. The stitcher Geralf and his sister Gisa desired the city of Thraben, both for its status and the many bodies that laid within its walls. Upon their uneasy alliance the two waged an unholy siege upon the city's walls. Mikaeus, already swamped with work from the various townships losing faith and pledging themselves to whatever powers that can save them, could not be bothered to handle the defense of the city. With his general Luthor found dead, he appointed Thalia as the supreme commander of the city's forces, while he himself retreated to the central cathedral to finish his work undisturbed. Geralf, however, had other ideas. While his Skaabs and Gisa's risen ghouls dug under Thraben's walls, Geralf snuck behind the defense. While Mikaeus was making an entry in his journal, he heard a knock on the door. As he answered it, Geralf assaulted him with a letter opener, fatally stabbing the Lunarch and carving out Mikaeus's heart. As Geralf reveled in his victory, Gisa berated him for leaving her on the front lines while their ghoul army fell. Retreating, Geralf found a young necromancer by the name of Liliana within Thraben's walls. Liliana convinced Geralf to tell her about his triumph over the Lunarch, then broke into the crypts where he was buried and raised him as a zombie as part of her plans to discover where the demon Griselbrand had gone.

The Unhallowed

Mikaeus Returns

As the siege died down, Thalia was relieved that they were victorious. However, as she took her report to the lunarch's chamber, she discovered the grisly scene. Bishop Alwin, fearing the loss of Mikaeus would destroy what little faith left in the hearts of the citizenry after the disappearance of Avacyn, decreed that Mikaeus would be interred into the tomb of the Lunarchs unceremoniously, so that no one would learn of his death.

They were able to retrieve his corpse, except his heart which Geralf had promised to give to Gisa. However, the Lunarch would not be entitled to the Blessed Sleep, for Liliana would raise him again to destroy all that he fought so hard to protect in life.

In-game references

Represented in cards:

• Mikaeus, the Lunarch (first printed in From the Vault: Legends)
• Mikaeus, the Unhallowed

Depicted in the cards:

• Nevermore

Quoted or referred to:

• Abbey Griffin
• Angel's Tomb
• Dearly Departed
• Urgent Exorcism
• Walking Corpse (Innistrad)

External information

• Jenna Helland (January 16, 2012). "Preview Article: Mikaeus, the Unhallowed". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
• Doug Beyer (January 25, 2012). "The State of the Faith". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
• Colin Kawakami (August 13, 2014). "The Lunarch's Journal". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.