Krenko

Krenko
[[File:{{#setmainimage:KrenkoRender.jpg}}|250px]]
Details
Race	Goblin
Birthplace	Ravnica
Lifetime	Mending Era
Colors

Krenko is a guildless goblin warrior who lives on the plane of Ravnica.

Description

Krenko is an independent goblin mob boss with a faintly nasal voice. He makes a living doing job requests as a mercenary for businessmen, usually undercover, hidden, and questionably legal operations. Most of the proceeds he earns go back into his group, showing surprising compassion for the plight of his fellow goblin — so long as he gets first cut, of course. Though Krenko shows a great deal of savvy for planning, at his heart he is a goblin of action.

History

Working for Mr. Taz

Amongst his many clientele, Krenko has developed something of a patron who continually offers him jobs with very high rewards. Mr. Taz has paid the goblin well for his various endeavors and is always quick to offer him more work. Some of these jobs include the explosive destruction of an Azorius statue and the use of flaming saprolings. Despite the obvious danger, Krenko likes working for Mr. Taz and what he calls his "delicious jobs". As a young goblin starting in this business, he also appreciates having a well-connected "patron" like him.

Later, he accepted a job that involved an incursion in the Boros Legion's guildhall to retrieve a requested item for Mr. Taz. Upon accepting the job, Mr. Taz gave Krenko a tool specially made for that job. Light escaped through the seams of the velvet bag and when Krenko looked inside the bag he found a glowing shiv.

With Taz's enchanted shiv tucked in his boot, Krenko began his surveillance of Sunhome. After several days, Krenko understood that Sunhome was teetering on the edge of violence and that all it needed was just a little push. He provided that push and used the ensuing chaos to cover his actions as he made his way to the top floor and entered the chambers of the contested guildmaster Vinrenn.

Krenko found himself in an empty room under an open skylight. Harsh sunlight shone down on a glassy detention sphere, which hovered above the blood-red fist emblazoned on the tile floor. A white-winged angel hung in magical stasis inside the cell. He broke the sphere, sending the angel tumbling unceremoniously to the floor. When he heard footsteps approaching in the corridor, Krenko quickly plucked two feathers from the angel's wings just as she began to stir and he called for help, saying the angel tried to escape. Suddenly the guards entered the room and subdued her while Krenko escaped. Aurelia was summoned shortly thereafter, but by that time Krenko had long since fled.

At sunset, Krenko met Mr. Taz on an aerial platform. As a reward for a job well done, Mr. Taz offered the goblin yet another job, explaining that there was an Orzhov safebox that held his payment, and so long as he was in the bank, he should pick up another item for Taz. The goblin accepted the job, but the pair discovered getting in would be a much more daunting prospect than they had intended. At that moment though, an Izzet experiment unintentionally opened a portal nearby. Once the frustrated Izzet mage stomped back to wherever he had come from, the pair eagerly anticipated using the stroke of good luck however they saw fit.

In and out of prison

When a goblin gang war erupted on the streets, Krenko killed Dargig, the youngest of the Shattergang Brothers. When he was arrested by Gideon Jura, he managed to injure the planeswalker with his magic shiv. This shiv was confiscated after the arrest and reportedly could punch through force barriers. Krenko would love to get his mitts on it again someday.

Inciting a riot in Sawtooth Prison secured Krenko a transfer to Udzec, a maximum security facility administered by the Azorius Senate. During the transfer, agents of a former associate created a distraction, and he was able to slip away to rendezvous with his gang. He now plots his next move as he reestablishes power over his criminal enterprise.

War of the Spark

During Nicol Bolas's invasion of Ravnica, Krenko and the other goblins stole treasures after the people of Ravnica had evacuated but before Bolas's army had arrived at a location.

Phyrexian Invasion and its aftermath

Krenko fought in defense of Ravnica during New Phyrexia's Invasion of the Multiverse, though he also found ways to profit from the conflict. Similar to his actions in the War of the Spark, he sent his followers to ransack buildings behind Phyrexian lines, hoarded the supplies, and resold them for a premium.

Now sitting comfortably on a foundation of wealth with his criminal enterprise fully rebuilt, he has set his sights on his next goal: joining the ranks of Ravnica's monied elites. He's become a notorious fixture of upper-crust parties, where he determinedly networks with Ravnica's aristocracy. His eventual goal is to one day elevate the rest of his gang of goblins, creating a new stratum of goblin aristocracy that no one will be able to push around.

Murders at Karlov Manor

A year and some months after the invasion, Teysa Karlov threw a large party and invited members of all the guilds to ease political tensions in the city. Krenko acquired an invitation and snuck in to attempt networking, which did not go unnoticed by the party's host, to whom he owed a debt.

After the murder of Zegana later that night, and Teysa herself a few days later, Krenko became paranoid that whoever had planned the murders would come for him next. He attempted to make a deal with Kylox for information, but was turned down. He then kidnapped the scientist, but this plan was thwarted by Alquist Proft and Etrata, who had been relying on Kylox for information as well. Seconds later, Krenko's fears were validated as a Ravnican citizen burst through the window with a dagger and tried to kill Krenko, accidentally killing Kylox first. Krenko helped Etrata subdue the man, who Proft determined had been brainwashed. Krenko was later invited to Vitu-Ghazi by Proft to learn the truth of the murders, where the detective revealed that Oba, the central dryad of Trostani, had organized them in retribution for those she considered traitors to the plane during the Invasion. The mob boss was targeted because he profited from the Invasion. When Oba attacked the guild leaders, Krenko was captured, but was freed after Kaya and Etrata defeated her. He was later arrested by Aurelia, who hoped to find a way to charge him for his crimes during the Invasion.

Gallery

• 

  Krenko, Baron of Tin Street

• 

  Key art for Murders at Karlov Manor featuring Kylox, Aurelia, Massacre Girl, Alquist Proft, Judith, and Krenko.

• 

  Key art for Murders at Karlov Manor featuring Judith, Krenko, Aurelia, Tolsimir, Voja, Proft, Etrata, and Massacre Girl.

Story appearances

Title	Author	Publishing date	Set	Setting (plane)	Featuring
Krenko, Mob Boss	Jenna Helland	2012-07-18	Magic 2013	Ravnica	Krenko, Mr. Taz, Feather
Epic Experiment	Jenna Helland	2012-09-12	Return to Ravnica	Ravnica	Trenz, Mr. Taz, Krenko
The Azorius Ten Most Wanted	Jenna Helland	2012-10-29	Return to Ravnica	Ravnica	Ritjit, Ruzi and Kuma, Senka, Bori Andon, Krenko, Mr. Taz, The Cozen, Damir, Vraska, Massacre Girl
Limits	Ari Levitch	2015-07-15	Prologue to Battle for Zendikar	Zendikar, Ravnica	Gideon Jura, Munda, Dars Gostok, Shattergang Brothers, Krenko, Tazri, Vorik, Jori En, Kendrin
Episode 1: Ghosts of our Past	Seanan McGuire	2023-12-05	Murders at Karlov Manor	Ravnica	Teysa Karlov, Kaya Cassir, Ezrim, Lavinia, Tolsimir Wolfblood, Aurelia, Judith, Tomik Vrona, Kellan, Vannifar, Zegana, Krenko, Yarus
Episode 6: Explosions of Genius	Seanan McGuire	2024-01-12	Murders at Karlov Manor	Ravnica	Alquist Proft, Etrata, Kylox, Kaya Cassir, Kellan, Ezrim, Agrus Kos, Aurelia, Massacre Girl, Krenko
Episode 8: Gods of Chaos	Seanan McGuire	2024-01-16	Murders at Karlov Manor	Ravnica	Judith, Kaya Cassir, Ezrim, Yarus, Krenko, Massacre Girl, Vannifar, Aurelia, Alquist Proft, Etrata, Lavinia, Trostani, Tolsimir Wolfblood, Ral Zarek, Izoni
Episode 9: Beauty in Destruction	Seanan McGuire	2024-01-17	Murders at Karlov Manor	Ravnica	Ezrim, Kaya Cassir, Tolsimir Wolfblood, Alquist Proft, Trostani, Judith, Krenko, Izoni, Aurelia, Lavinia, Vannifar, Etrata, Ral Zarek, Massacre Girl, Yarus, Kellan
Episode 10: Roots of Decay	Seanan McGuire	2024-01-18	Murders at Karlov Manor	Ravnica	Kaya Cassir, Trostani, Krenko, Alquist Proft, Etrata, Ral Zarek, Yarus, Aurelia, Tolsimir Wolfblood, Kellan, Teysa Karlov

In-game references

Represented in:

• Krenko, Mob Boss
• Krenko, Tin Street Kingpin
• Krenko, Baron of Tin Street

Associated cards:

• Krenko's Buzzcrusher
• Krenko's Command
• Krenko's Enforcer

Depicted in:

• Assemble the Players (Murders at Karlov Manor, #3)
• Assemble the Players (Murders at Karlov Manor, #287)

Quoted or referred to:

• Fervor (Magic 2013)
• Spear Spewer

External links

• Jenna Helland (July 18, 2012). "Krenko, Mob Boss". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
• Jenna Helland (September 10, 2012). "Epic Experiment". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
• Jenna Helland (October 29, 2012). "The Azorius Ten Most Wanted". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.