Cursemute
| Cursemute | |||||
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| Era | Mending Era | ||||
| Date | 4558–4559 AR | ||||
| Location | Innistrad | ||||
| Sets | Avacyn Restored, Shadows over Innistrad | ||||
| Outcome | |||||
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The Cursemute was a powerful ritual cast by the archangel Avacyn to transform and suppress the blighted curses of Innistrad. Intended to protect humanity and restore order, the Cursemute changed the fate of the plane’s werewolves forever and weakened other dark magics — but its blessings would not endure once Avacyn herself fell to corruption.
Description
After the sundering of the Helvault, when Avacyn was released back into the world, Innistrad entered a brief time of peace and renewal under her watch. Villages that had long suffered under the threat of werewolves and other monsters sought Avacyn’s aid to break ancient curses once and for all. One such appeal came from the remote village of Gatstaf, where the people pleaded for relief from lycanthropy.
Avacyn appeared before them at the Gatstaf Grotto, where many had gathered to cast out what they saw as their scourge. She delivered a simple truth: the curse of lycanthropy could not be truly broken, for it fused the human spirit with the untamable spirit of the wild, destroying the beast would mean destroying the person too. Instead, Avacyn offered the afflicted a choice: swear loyalty as guardians of humanity, and she would bind their divided natures into one harmonious form, blessing them with a new purpose in her service.
The Gatstaf werewolves accepted Avacyn’s offer, and in a wave of radiant magic that spread far beyond the Grotto, she transformed the willing into the Wolfir — noble, wolf-like protectors devoted to the Church of Avacyn’s cause.[1] This great working, known as the Cursemute, reshaped the balance of night and day across the plane.
In rare cases, the Cursemute’s cleansing force fully cured certain werewolves of their affliction, restoring them wholly to human form and freeing them from the curse altogether.[2][3]
Beyond werewolves, the Cursemute’s blessings weakened or banished other curses. Most famously, its magic dulled the Chain Veil’s hold on Garruk Wildspeaker, granting the planeswalker fleeting relief from the Veil’s corruption.
For the faithful, the Cursemute stood as proof of Avacyn’s power to guard the innocent and tame Innistrad’s darkest terrors. Under its blessing, the nights grew safer, monstrous threats receded, and the Church’s influence reached its peak.
However, this fragile sanctuary would not endure. When Avacyn was driven to madness and ultimately destroyed, the magic she had woven began to unravel. The wolfir faded, and many werewolves regained their savage hunger, while curses thought banished returned in force. With Avacyn gone, Innistrad’s long night began anew.
In-game references
- Represented in:
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References
- ↑ Doug Beyer (July 09, 2015). "Hi Doug, can you give me some insight on how werewolves became wolfir?". A Voice for Vorthos. Tumblr.
- ↑ The Magic Creative Team (April 18, 2012). "Planeswalker's Guide to Avacyn Restored: Part 2". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Ken Troop (March 9, 2016). "A Gaze Blank and Pitiless". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.