Cult of Rimewind

The Cult of Rimewind was an esoteric order of wizards that operated in Terisiare on Dominaria during the Ice Age. The Rimewind cultists and their families dwelt in the ancient Rimewind Keep and their lives were centered around the worship and study of the eternal ice that gripped the world. The Rimewind cryomancers, or ice wizards, believed that the ice could be used as a lens to amplify magic and that the endless winter was ultimately beneficial to Dominaria.

For most of their history the Rimewind cultists were a benign organization content to remain in their keep without interfering with outside affairs. Following the Thaw, however, the cult became increasingly distressed as temperatures rose, plague proliferated, rivers flooded, and refugees poured into their lands. Gendrin, the leader of the cult, ordered the casting of spells that temporarily halted the Thaw at the advice of his protege Heidar, plunging the continent back into winter, though the spells could not hold off the Thaw forever.

Heidar, gripped with fear at the oncoming summer, descended into the keep's deepest reaches and there discovered ancient Phyrexian etchings beneath the melting ice that may have dated to the Brothers' War. Driven mad by the dark secrets imparted by the runes, Heidar came to believe that by harnessing Phyrexia's power the cult could permanently halt the Thaw and return the world to a new Ice Age. He brought his findings to Gendrin, but the elder wizard refused to consider them; in a fit of pique, Heidar murdered his master and assumed command of Rimewind.

To carry out his plans, Heidar forged an alliance with the undead Order of Stromgald and their leader Haakon, promising them more fodder for their ranks in exchange from New Argive, which had discovered Rimewind's plans and endeavored to end them by force. Rimewind also found itself allied with Krov and its vampire-queen Garza Zol, whose vast libraries Heidar used to locate lost Phyrexian relics.

The cult succeeded in their plans and reanimated many Phyrexian war-beasts with magic-infused ice crystals. When a Balduvian force under Lovisa Coldeyes stormed Rimewind, Heidar activated the Phyrexians, turning the battle into a massacre. The beasts went on a rampage across the frozen north, slaughtering everything in their path. Kjeldor retaliated, but the knights of Stromgald kept them in check.

Driven mad under the influence of Phyrexian magic, Heidar began attacking his enemies and allies indiscriminately. Garza Zol, now aware of the danger posed by Heidar and his machines, ordered assassins planted in Rimewind to kill the mad wizard. Without Heidar's guidance, the Phyrexians ran amok and were easily destroyed by shamans from Yavimaya who arrived at Kjeldor's bidding. The forces of Kjeldor and Yavimaya proceeded to rout the leaderless Rimewind cultists and a Yavimayan ritual permanently ended Rimewind's unnatural winter and restored the Thaw to its proper course.

The Cult of Rimewind, broken and leaderless, did not long survive after their defeat.