Innistrad is a world of nightmares. Vampires, werewolves, zombies, and spirits haunt mortals through a night that seems eternal. But a fragile balance allows humanity to survive — a balance maintained by the archangel Avacyn and her Church.
This episode explores the plane of Innistrad in its original state, before the events that would plunge it into total chaos.
The Balance of Darkness
Avacyn was not a natural deity. She had been created by the vampire planeswalker Sorin Markov for a pragmatic purpose: to prevent Innistrad's monsters from devouring all of humanity.
Because without humans, the vampires would starve. Without prey to hunt, the werewolves would lose their purpose. Innistrad's predators needed their human cattle — and Avacyn ensured that this cattle would survive long enough to reproduce.
The Church of Avacyn
The Church of Avacyn was the heart of human civilization on Innistrad. Its priests protected villages with sacred symbols. Its cathedrals offered sanctuaries against the night. Its faith gave humans the strength to survive.
But this protection came at a price. The Church controlled every aspect of human life. Dissent was punished. Questions were discouraged. Blind faith was the only acceptable option.
The Four Scourges
Four types of monsters dominated Innistrad, each with its own hierarchy and motivations:
The Vampires
Innistrad's vampires were organized into noble bloodlines, each with its own traditions and territories. The most powerful were the Markov (Sorin's lineage), the Falkenrath (renowned for their cruelty), the Voldaren (known for their decadent feasts), and the Stromkirk (obsessed with bloody rituals).
The Werewolves
The werewolves were cursed humans, transformed into wild beasts under the full moon. Some embraced their bestial nature, forming packs that hunted humans. Others fought against their curse, searching for a cure that might not exist.
The Zombies and Geists
Innistrad's zombies came from two sources: the dead raised by traditional necromancy, and the skaabs — creatures assembled by mad scientists from pieces of corpses. The geists (spirits) haunted the places of their death, unable to find rest.
The Disappearance of Avacyn
The balance was shattered when Avacyn disappeared. Overnight, the archangel stopped answering prayers. Sacred symbols lost their power. The Church's protections failed.
What no one knew was that Avacyn had been imprisoned in the Helvault — a silver stone prison created by Sorin himself to contain demons. How she had ended up there, and why, remained a mystery.
In her absence, the monsters ran rampant. Vampires hunted openly in the streets. Werewolf packs attacked entire villages. The dead rose from their graves in droves.
The Arrival of the Planeswalkers
This crisis drew the attention of several planeswalkers, each with their own motivations:
Liliana Vess sought information about her demonic pacts. Garruk, cursed by Liliana herself, hunted her across the planes. And in the shadows, other forces watched...
The Liberation
Eventually, the Helvault was destroyed — releasing not only Avacyn, but also the demons she had imprisoned over the centuries. Balance was temporarily restored, but the consequences of this release would be felt for a long time.
And a far more ancient, far more terrible threat was beginning to take an interest in Innistrad. A threat from the Blind Eternities — the Eldrazi.
In the next episode...
Episode 8e: Return to Ravnica
Ravnica, the city-world divided into ten guilds, is in crisis. The Guildpact that maintained the peace has been broken, and civil war threatens to destroy civilization itself. Amid the chaos, Jace Beleren seeks to restore order — but some forces would rather see it burn.
Sources
- MTG Wiki: Innistrad — The plane of gothic darkness
- MTG Wiki: Avacyn — The protective archangel
- Innistrad (Magic expansion, 2011) — First visit to the plane
- Dark Ascension (Magic expansion, 2012) — The rise of darkness
- Avacyn Restored (Magic expansion, 2012) — The return of the archangel
