Markov Manor
| Markov Manor | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Information | |
| Plane | Innistrad |
| Colors |
  |
| Part of | Kruin Pass, Inland Valleys, Stensia |
| Scryfall Statistics | |
Markov Manor is one of the most infamous vampire strongholds on Innistrad, long the ancestral seat of the Markov bloodline and now a shattered ruin suspended in the air by ancient vengeance.
Description
Markov Manor is a floating ruin of a hilltop estate that once dominated an inland valley of Stensia, near the border with Gavony. The most prominent holding of the Markov bloodline, it overlooked Kruin Pass and the human villages of Silbern and Wollebank, with the High City of Thraben visible from its tallest spires.[1]
The manor was built by Edgar Markov, creator of the vampire race and progenitor of the Markov line. For centuries, it served as the seat of power for the Markovs, who ruled large parts of Stensia through fear and blood ties. Its grand halls were the site of lavish feasts and secretive gatherings, reinforcing the clan's dominance among Innistrad's vampire families. Unlike many of his kin, Edgar himself lived there in relative simplicity, remaining withdrawn from the excesses of other elder vampires.[1]
History
Following the sundering of the Helvault, Nahiri the Lithomancer came to Markov Manor seeking revenge on Edgar's descendant, Sorin Markov, for imprisoning her millennia ago. When she did not find Sorin, Nahiri turned her wrath on his ancestral home, wrenching the entire structure and a massive chunk of bedrock from the mountainside. The manor now hovers above the peaks in unnatural defiance of gravity, its spires and balconies suspended in a warped pattern shaped by Nahiri's lithomancy.[1]
The vampires inside during Nahiri's attack were trapped within the reshaped stone; petrified hands, heads, and limbs protrude from the warped walls, a grim testament to their fate.[2] Edgar was thought to have perished in the attack,[1] but he survived and later married Olivia Voldaren, allying two of Innistrad's oldest vampire lineages.
After the chaos unleashed by Emrakul, the Markov line remained mostly free of the corruption that claimed many other vampires. Under Sorin's leadership, the surviving Markovs were rallied to reclaim their ancestral seat, but the manor's twisted, floating ruin still stands as a haunting reminder of Nahiri's vengeance and the family's fractured legacy.
In-game references
- Represented in:
- Depicted in:
- Blood Crypt (Secret Lair Drop)
- Blood Tribute (Commander 2017)
- Clue (Shadows over Innistrad, #14)
- Declaration in Stone
- Fateful Absence
- Jace, Unraveler of Secrets
- Markov Baron
- Merciless Resolve
- Moonsilver Key
- Nahiri's Wrath
- Nahiri, the Harbinger
- Pore Over the Pages
- Secrets of the Key
- Structural Distortion
- Tamiyo's Journal
References
- ↑ a b c d James Wyatt 2016, "The Art of Magic: The Gathering - Innistrad".
- ↑ James Wyatt (March 30, 2016). "The Mystery of Markov Manor". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.