Ashmouth
| Ashmouth | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Information | |
| Plane | Innistrad |
| Colors |
  |
| Part of | Stensia |
Ashmouth is the largest demonic gateway on Innistrad, a vast magma-lit chasm in Stensia's Geier Reach that spews forth demons and devils into the mortal world. Legends say the vampire progenitor demon Shilgengar emerged from its depths, and its infernal maw has only grown stranger since Emrakul's corruption.
Description
Ashmouth is a demonic gateway that lies in Stensia on Innistrad. Situated in the very heart of the Geier Reach, between the Hofsaddel and Needle's Eye passes, and cloaked by the dense forest of the Somberwald, a huge chasm gapes open in the rock. Clouds of ash billow up from its depths, lit by an infernal glow from the magma below. Legend holds that the depths of the chasm open into whatever infernal region is home to demons and devils, for these fiendish creatures are all too common in the mountains around it. Shilgengar, the demon, whose pact with Edgar Markov created the race of vampires, is said to have emerged from the Ashmouth, and bands of devils seem to spew forth from its depths at unpredictable intervals.[1]
The largest gateway on Innistrad, Ashmouth, is a massive chasm deep enough to glow with magma from below.[2] Ash-ridden smog rises from it, mixing with the dark clouds overhead. An infernal gateway of great importance, it belches forth bands of devils according to some eldritch pattern only the demons understand. The demon Shilgengar is said to have emerged from this pit.
Another threat lurks in the region around the Ashmouth: witches who bargain with demons to gain magical power. They tend to gather in small covens, living in ramshackle huts among the crags and crannies surrounding the Ashmouth. Thanks to the rough terrain, these structures are hard to find, and devil hunters tend to focus their efforts on hunting down their supernatural foes. All too many hunters, though, have stumbled across a witch coven and never returned.[1]
History
When Avacyn emerged from the Helvault, her angels destroyed many of the demons and devils that had plagued humanity in her absence. The most obvious and arrogant of the demons were quickly exterminated, but those that escaped the angels or regenerated after their destruction retreated into hiding places like the Ashmouth and the surrounding caverns. Many devils still romped masterless through the Geier Reach, but many more served demonic masters within the sulfurous pits.[1]
When Emrakul arrived on Innistrad, Ashmouth was utterly transformed.[3] If it once linked to an infernal realm of demons and devils, that connection twisted into an alien passageway where Eldrazi horrors lurked. The ash plumes ceased, and the magma's glow gave way to shifting patterns of eerie, colored light. Warped demons emerged from its depths, sprouting extra limbs, mouths, horns, and lattice-veined tentacles echoing Emrakul's unnatural flesh. These nightmares spread like extensions of Emrakul's will, draining mana and reshaping the land in her likeness.
The devils were less dramatically changed, but their mischief became contagious, spreading Emrakul's creeping madness wherever they roamed.
In-game references
- Associated cards:
- Referred to:
References
- ↑ a b c James Wyatt 2016, "The Art of Magic: The Gathering - Innistrad".
- ↑ Jay Annelli (2022). Magic: The Gathering - The Visual Guide, DK. ISBN-13 978 0744061055.
- ↑ James Wyatt 2016, "The Art of Magic: The Gathering - Innistrad".