Stensia

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Stensia
Information
Plane Innistrad
Colors Red mana
Scryfall Statistics
Stensia's coat of arms

Stensia is the shadowed heart of Innistrad, a forbidding province of jagged peaks, perpetual dusk, and ancient vampire rule. Isolated by its towering mountains and shrouded in ever-present mist, Stensia is a land where the sun seldom shines, hope flickers dimly, and humans cling to harsh lives under the watchful gaze of vampiric lords.

Description

The province of Stensia is Innistrad's darkest region, both literally and figuratively, and remains its most unexplored and legendary. Its valleys range from sparse pasture fields to sinister swamps where dead conifers sink slowly into bogs, and its fog-shrouded forests glow with dark green, purple, and gray hues beneath indigo and black mountains that disappear into perpetual cloud.

Clouds of purple and red perpetually shroud the forbidding mountains of the Geier Reach, never allowing the sun's full light to touch the ground below. Jagged spires of vampire castles pierce the peaks, keeping silent watch over the isolated valleys. Stoic and enduring, the people of Stensia cluster in stone-built villages clinging to mountainsides. Wisps of heavy fog curl among black pines in the midlands, thick bogs devour dead trees, and bleak pasturelands yield scant grazing for meager flocks. Accustomed to scarcity of crops, of warmth, and of hope, the Stensians once dared to believe in a brighter future when Avacyn returned. The angel Sigarda and her Host of Herons strove to drive out the vampires, leaving many castles in ruin. But with Avacyn's madness and unmaking, even that fragile hope vanished. Immune to the angels' madness, Sigarda and her host withdrew to Gavony, and the vampires reclaimed their fortresses as the weary Stensians slipped back into stoic gloom. A sense of looming disaster hangs heavy over Stensia's valleys, and even the smallest hamlets have raised fortifications. Abandoned by angels and hunted by vampires, the people of Stensia endure the unending dusk.[1]

The vampiric bloodlines that govern Stensia thrive on the province's isolation. The Geier Reach mountain chain divides the valleys, making them easier to monitor and control. Bound by a stubborn loyalty to home—and with no real path to escape through the narrow mountain passes—Stensia's suffering humans remain attached to their rugged customs and hard lives.

Stensia borders Kessig, with parts lying within sight of Thraben and the Nephalia coastline.

Geography of Stensia

The Geier Reach Red mana - the vast, defining mountain range of Stensia, rising in three ridges from the forested highlands bordering Gavony and Kessig to the province's cloud-shrouded outer peaks. The range's lower slopes are thickly forested, the middle ridge climbs above the tree line into barren rock, and the highest peaks vanish into the clouds, sheltering caves, crevasses, and passes that are few and vital for travel. The Geier Reach is home to vultures, blood-drinking bats, fierce elementals, and, in its remotest heights, dragons that prey on intruders. The passes through Geier Reach are few and precious; all who travel into or out of the province must use them. The livable areas of the Geier Reach are generally divided into three areas - the Inland Valleys, the Midland Range, and the Outer Valleys.[1]

Getander Pass
A mountain pass.
  • The Inland Valleys - scattered dales nestled between the first and second ridges of the Geier Reach, home to small hamlets of shepherds and farms, with only two notable settlements — Silbern and Wollebank.[1]
    • Geier Reach Sanitarium Colorless mana - a containment facility primarily used to confine individuals afflicted with mental illness, particularly those believed to possess supernatural or prophetic abilities. The institution is known for its broad acceptance of such patients, though its conditions and outcomes for the confined remain largely undocumented.[2][3]
    • Getander Pass Red mana - a long, winding route leading from the Inland Valleys into Kessig, heavily guarded and seldom used due to the presence of the predatory Falkenrath vampires.[1]
    • Kruin Pass Red mana - the only reliable, though still steep, route connecting Stensia to Gavony, overlooked by the imposing Markov Manor perched above its treacherous path.[1]
      • Markov Manor - a grand but ruined vampire estate, torn from its mountain perch and left floating above Stensia by Nahiri's magic. Once the seat of the Markov bloodline’s power, it now looms as a grim monument to vengeance and decay.[4][1]
    • Silbern - a small cluster of family farms, distinguished by a solitary stone watchtower manned by fatalistic cathars dedicated to protecting the valley despite the inevitability of their failure. The Silbern Guard is led by Captain Cosper Lowe, noted for his charismatic leadership and his past encounter with a vampire during the time of Avacyn's return.[1]
    • Traublassen - a small village known for its pelt and fur trade. Located half a day's ride along the Kessig border from Silbern.[2]
    • Wollebank - the largest village in Stensia, primarily inhabited by families who sustain themselves through sheep herding and limited agriculture on dry soil. It is the region's best-fortified settlement, surrounded by high stone walls, and led by Mayor Deigenhard, a determined leader who has sought to unite the valley communities since the loss of his son to vampires and Avacyn's disappearance.[1]
    • Ziel Pass Red mana - Stensia’s only access to the sea, a narrow and perilous path descending over 1,600 feet with treacherous switchbacks haunted by the geists of those who perished navigating it.[1]
      • The Lurenbraum Fortress - a massive, mist-shrouded citadel guarding Ziel Pass and serving as the stronghold of Olivia Voldaren and her vast estate. Ancient and austere, its imposing walls and cliff-hewn foundations stand in stark contrast to Olivia's extravagant tastes.[5][1]
      • The Voldaren Estate Multicolored - a huge estate with a view out to the coast of Nephalia, protected by the Lurenbraum Fortress.[5]
  • Maalfeld - the former castle of vampire lord Thatu Reiniger, wielder of the Bloodletter.[6]
  • The Midland Range Red mana - the central ridge of the Geier Reach that separates the Inland Valleys from the Outland Valleys, characterized by steep and forbidding terrain with only two passes crossing it.[1]
    • The Ashmouth Black manaRed mana - a demonic gateway, located between Hofsaddel and Needle's Eye.
      • Devilthorn Lodge - a human watchtower guarding the Ashmouth, frequented by demon hunters and devout cathars.
      • Witch covens - scattered huts inhabited by witches who bargain with demons for magical power.
    • The Farbogs Black mana - twin bogs located on either side of the middle ridge, characterized by pools of dark, stagnant water where once-thriving pine groves now sink into peat muck. The bogs are surrounded by ancient graves whose dissolving remains summon hostile geists, including corpse candles that lure travelers to their deaths in the treacherous waters.[1]
    • The Heron's Grace Monastery Red mana - was an Avacynian sanctuary built by Sigarda into the last standing tower of the ruined Castle Falkenrath, high on the Geier Reach. Crowned by a great heron statue in honor of the arch angel, it drew pilgrims from across Stensia seeking the angel's protection until it was reclaimed by Anje Falkenrath.[1]
    • Hofsaddel Red mana - a wide and well-trodden pass left alone by the vampires, as human interaction is good for the long term, so long as it stays among Stensians. The Somber Road runs through this pass.[7]
    • Mount Baratok Red mana - a mountain whose foothills are reputedly haunted by a mad wizard of great power - an outsider and no friend of the region's vampires. These are exaggerated tales inspired by the presence of Jace Beleren in the area.[7]
    • Needle's Eye Red mana - a narrow, treacherous, and deadly path haunted by vengeful geists near Ashmouth and its devils. Used only in emergencies.[7]
    • The Somber Road - a road that runs through Hofsaddel and connects with the Old Somber Road in the Outer Valleys.[7]
    • The Somberwald Green mana - a dense pine forest serving as a refuge for wildlife displaced by human and supernatural threats. The forest is also home to dangerous predators such as werewolves and hostile spirits, making it a perilous wilderness within Stensia.[1][7]
      The farbogs
  • Outland Valleys - a series of eight small, isolated dales located beyond the second ridge of the Geier Reach. The valleys contain insular communities such as Shadowgrange and Lammas, whose inhabitants are wary of outsiders and maintain tense, often hostile relations with each other.
    • Heron's Light Hold - a haunted keep originally constructed by knights of the Order of Heron's Light. The hold was attacked by Strefan Maurer, and the knights were all killed, forcing Sigarda to flee.[7]
    • Maurer Lake - a lake by the Maurer Estate.[7]
      • The Maurer Estate - an abandoned manor situated above the path connecting Shadowgrange and Lammas. It is notorious as a haunt for newly sired vampires, and travelers only dare pass it when the moon’s reflection appears in the valley brooks, signaling a rare moment of relative safety. Its founder, Strefan Maurer, progenitor of a minor vampiric bloodline, is still said to rule the remote region.[7][1]
    • The Moonsilver Temple - an ancient structure predating any of the known cultures on Innistrad. Evocative of the Helvault, it entraps demons cell lines with moonsilver.[7]
    • The Old Somber Road - passes through the Outland Valleys. Three settlements lie on the road like beads on a string. It connects to the (new) Somber Road, which goes on into the Midland Range.[7]
      • Krezk - a fortified human village built around an old abbey at the west end of the Outland Valleys. Led by a burgomeister.[7]
        • The Abbey of Saint Traft - an abbey doubling as a hospital, which turned into a Eldrazi madhouse during the Travails.[7]
        • The Wizard of Wines - a winery near Krezk which supplies wine to all three settlements of the Outer Valleys. Run by the Martikov family, who are members of the Keepers of the Feather, a local coven of witches.[7]
      • Lammas - a human ranching community in the heart of the Outer Valleys, on the shores of Maurer Lake. The settlement is a strange, paranoid place of fiercely insular people.[7]
        • Blue Water Inn - the inn in Lammas town.[7]
        • Saint Andral's Church - a church dedicated to Avacyn.[7]
      • Shadowgrange - an isolated human village in the eastern end of the Outer Valleys, full of fearful, paranoid people.[7]
    • Rem Karolus's Tower - The base of operations for Rem Karolus during the Travails, as he hunted Eldrazi-corrupted angels.[7]
    • The Ruins of Berez - a ruined village, populated only by an ancient crone dedicated to destroying the witch coven known as the Keepers of the Feather.[7]
    • Yester Hill - a hill occupied by a group of druids and berserkers worshipping a yew spirit occupying a lone Gulthias tree.[7]
  • Vess Manor Black mana - Liliana's estate, positioned to have a view of Thraben in the far distance.[5]

Gallery

In-game references

Represented in:
Associated cards:
Referred to:

References

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o James Wyatt 2016, "The Art of Magic: The Gathering - Innistrad".
  2. ↑ a b Reinhardt Suarez (November 12, 2021). "Survivors". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  3. ↑ As seen on Geier Reach Sanitarium and Sanitarium Skeleton
  4. ↑ Ari Levitch (June 6, 2016). "Campaign of Vengeance". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  5. ↑ a b c Doug Beyer (Jun 29, 2016). "Innistrad's Last Hope". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  6. ↑ Ryan Miller, Jenna Helland, Matt Tabak, Bruce Cordell, and Josh Brauer (October 24, 2011). "The Cursed Blade". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2020-08-13.
  7. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t James Wyatt (2016) - Plane Shift: Innistrad

External links

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