Innistrad (plane)

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Innistrad
[[File:{{#setmainimage:Innistrad art.jpg}}|250px]]
Information
First seen Innistrad
Last seen March of the Machine
Planeswalkers Sorin Markov, Tibalt, Vronos, Arlinn Kord, Tacenda Verlasen
Rabiah Scale 1[1]
Status Corrupted by Emrakul, being invaded by New Phyrexia's Machine Legion

Innistrad is a plane. It takes its inspiration from Gothic fiction set in 18th and 19th century Germany and Eastern Europe.

Description

The plane is primarily populated by Humans but these live in fear of several classical creatures of horror and regularly fall prey to Zombies, Werewolves, Vampires, or Ghosts. Further, Demons are becoming an ever-growing threat. It is the plane where the Innistrad block takes place.

Life on Innistrad is dominated by the single moon in its sky. Though the inhabitants of the plane know little about it, the moon drives the seasons and also the hunting patterns of the monsters, harvests of the Humans, etc.

Human society is dominated by religion with the Church of Avacyn promising protection from the evils that lurk in the night. The church is named for an Archangel who helped to drive back the monsters that preyed on Humans. When she went missing, the power vacuum created was rapidly being filled by Demons. A secret cult of Demon worshipers named Skirsdag also emerged from this. When Avacyn was released from her prison, the Helvault, she rallied her troops to contain the Demonic threat and, ultimately, to cleanse Innistrad of all these infernal creatures.

The common currency on the plane is gold sovereigns (gold coins stamped with Avacyn's collar surrounded by laurels), silvers, and coppers.[2][3] Two to three gold sovereigns can feed a family for several weeks.

It is also the birthplane of the famous Vampire planeswalker Sorin Markov. Innistrad was also home to other native planeswalkers, like the half-devil Tibalt, the deceased Vronos, and the Werewolf Arlinn Kord.

History

Corruption

The planeswalker Nahiri called the Eldrazi titan Emrakul forth to Innistrad to take revenge on Sorin Markov for imprisoning her in the Helvault. Emrakul's corruption led to the death of Avacyn and the creation of many mutated horrors.[4][5]

With the madness of the angels, a variety of new cults sprang up across Innistrad. Some were direct continuations of the Demon cults that had proliferated during Avacyn's absence, but others were entirely new — centered on madness and revering monsters that had arisen in response to the angels' madness. This period later became known as The Travails.[6][7]

In the end, the Archangel Sigarda took control over the uncorrupted angels who stand watch over humanity, while Emrakul was banished into Innistrad's silver moon.

Fear of Eternal Night

Around two years after the Travails, and Emrakul's defeat and sealing, the Eldrazi Titan's direct influence on the plane started to wane. However, when Emrakul entered the Innistrad Moon, the day/night balance of Innistrad was disturbed. With the sun rising later and setting sooner each day, and the days getting colder, Werewolves went mad and tried to take control of the plane.[8][9] With the unnatural darkness came too a weird magical frost that started covering the world. Left without Avacyn, the Humans of Innistrad started to focus on more ancient and traditional means of protection, such as sorcery. Fearing the Eternal Night, the citizens turned to the hope of the Harvesttide festival and a ritual with Warlocks of the Dawnhart Coven to restore the balance.

Reign of Olivia Voldaren

The Dawnhart ritual was disturbed, first by Werewolves, and then by Olivia Voldaren. The Eternal Night commenced, plunging all Humankind into despair. In the dark, the Vampires of Stensia started to collect daily blood tithes from the Humans.[10]

Phyrexian Invasion

Presumably after the balance of night and day was restored, Teferi warned Arlinn to watch out for "mechanical creatures". It was said in The Brothers' War that she and Sorin were working together to protect Innistrad, preparing them for a possible Phyrexian invasion. Eventually Innistrad became an invaded plane. Thalia and the Gitrog monster became allies while Gisa and Geralf Cecani defeated a powerful Phyrexian invasion group attacking Havengul.

Locations on Innistrad

The mainland of Innistrad is split into four provinces called Gavony, Kessig, Stensia, and Nephalia, with much-unexplored wilderness lying beyond these provinces. Beyond the great seas, other continents are rumored to exist that harbor exotic species of lycanthropes.[11]

An Innistrad forest
An Innistrad village

Tribes

On Innistrad, there are five tribes; major creature types that also play a role mechanically. Each tribe is linked to an allied color combination.

  • Humans: Humans occur in all colors but are dominantly aligned with white and green. Humans represent the victims of the other tribes and monster hunters. White aligned is isolated from the other tribes and colors in terms of mechanics and cycles. This is the first set in which Humans are treated as a tribe.
  • Spirits: Spirits occur in white and blue, and sporadically in other colors. White spirits represent guardian spirits and blue spirits are ghosts.
  • Zombies: Zombies occur in black and blue. Blue Zombies (or Skaab) are tied to mad scientists, while black Zombies are more oriented to graveyard recursion.
  • Vampires: Vampires occur in black and red. Some black creatures are double-faced cards, but many others have the "Slith" ability: they get a +1/+1 counter when they deal combat damage to a player. In the Shadows over Innistrad block, they are the tribe most associated with the Madness mechanic.
  • Werewolves: Werewolves occur in red and green. Every Werewolf is a double-faced card with the transform mechanic. Until Eldritch Moon, one side of each of the Werewolf cards was a Human Werewolf, however, Eldritch Moon saw several Werewolf creatures that started as Werewolves conscripted by Emrakul and transformed into Eldrazi. Some of these conscripted werewolves came together and formed a pack known as the Dronepack.

Inhabitants

Sapient races

Artificial

Other

Languages Spoken

  • Common Innistradi

Old Languages

Planeswalkers

Native

Visitors

In-game references

Associated cards:
Referred to:

External links

References

  1. ↑ Mark Rosewater (November 29, 2016). "The Rabiah Scale". Blogatog. Tumblr.
  2. ↑ Ryan Miller, Jenna Helland, Matt Tabak, Bruce Cordell, and Josh Brauer (October 24, 2011). "The Cursed Blade". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  3. ↑ Reinhardt Suarez (November 12, 2021). "Survivors". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  4. ↑ Doug Beyer (May 18, 2016). "I Am Avacyn". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  5. ↑ Kimberly J. Kreines (June 20, 2016). "Emrakul Rises". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  6. ↑ K. Arsenault Rivera (September 2, 2021). "Episode 1: The Witch in the Woods". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  7. ↑ Doug Beyer and Ari Zirulnik (September 9, 2021). "Planeswalker's Guide to Innistrad: Midnight Hunt". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  8. ↑ Magic Showcase 2021 (live) (Video). Magic: The Gathering. YouTube (August 24, 2021).
  9. ↑ Prepare for the Harvesttide Festival – Innistrad: Midnight Hunt (Video). Magic: The Gathering. YouTube (September 2, 2021).
  10. ↑ K. Arsenault Rivera (October 28, 2021). "Tithes and Invitations". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  11. ↑ Magic Creative Team (April 18, 2012). "Planeswalkers Guide to Avacyn Restored Part 2". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  12. ↑ Ollenbock Escort, Savior of Ollenbock
  13. ↑ Rhiannon Rasmussen (October 1, 2021). "The Dusk Returns". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  14. ↑ Seanan McGuire (2022). Magic: Ajani Goldmane. Wizards of the Coast.
  15. ↑ Light Up the Night
  16. ↑ Mairghread, Scott. (2022). Magic: The Hidden Planeswalker. Vol 1, iss 4.
  17. ↑ a b K. Arsenault Rivera (September 8, 2021). "Episode 2: The Motives of the Wolf". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  18. ↑ a b c Greg Weisman (November 2019). "War of the Spark: Forsaken." Del Rey.
  19. ↑ MacKay, Jed. (2021). Magic. Vol 1, iss 8.
  20. ↑ Seanan McGuire (September 03, 2021). "Tangles". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
Innistrad block
Shadows over Innistrad block
Innistrad 2021
Supplemental
Innistrad storyline
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Other
Magic Story
set settings
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plane cards
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