PLANESCULPTORS.NET

Legacy of Innistrad is a custom-made set taking place on Innistrad; I started working on it quite a long time ago (the first inspiration, flavor-wise, was Avacyn Restored), so even if it should have been a sequel, it can now be considered an alternate reality and doesn't take into consideration post-Tarkir events; Battle of Zendikar never happened, SOI and the Gatewatch never happened, and we take off right after Sorin freed Ugin from his bathtub...

Theme and Mechanics

... and right where we left the plane: this time, it is the forces of evil's turn to be cornered. My objective was experimenting with Auras, trying to come up with something original. Since the plane is Innistrad, I knew that the graveyard was supposed to matter; flavor-wise, this translates in a couple of Aura-and-Equipment-matters mechanics representing the wards reinvigorated by Avacyn's return that protect cathars and peasants, plus a mechanic inspired by Soul Separator, representing the struggle of darkness in a world suddenly too bright for its tastes; Curses also make a return, supporting the Aura theme.

1 – Crusade (/()

This is the mechanic of the forces of good: it symbolizes cathars arming themselves for the battles to come. The ability triggers when the creature itself enters the battlefield and each time an Aura or an Equipment card enters the battlefield.

2 – Hallow ()

There is only so much space for Auras and Equipments in a set: even pushing that space to the limit, I felt Crusade wouldn't have worked as fine as Constellation or Metalcraft without some kind of shenanigan; my solution was experimenting with Aura tokens, thus artificially increasing the number of Auras in the set. Hallow now simply give prowess to the enchanted creatures: the other options I considered all ended up looking too convoluted or just plain boring. NdA: Hallow was called Ward before the name was taken by a real mechanic.

3 – Spectral ()

... I have no proof for it, but I swear that I came up with this mechanic before the coming out of Amonkhet
It was originally named Wraith, before I was reminded that the term exists as an old creature type. As a mechanic, it's similar to Embalm and Eternalize, except it creates a tiny 1/1 black Spirit instead of a fat 4/4 Zombie. Personally, I didn't like Embalm and hated Eternalize with a passion; I find they contributed to clog a set already impossibly aggressive, and didn't let players take a breath during the match. Spectral should put emphasis on the creature's ability without being too oppressive, and works like a simple "flashback for creatures".

4 – Curses (/focus on )

Curses felt at home on the plane that sprouted them; they are a much welcome glue for the Aura theme.

5 – Double-faced cards ()

We're on Innistrad...

Limited Archetypes

: Spirit Tribal

: Lifegain matters

: Crusade Aggro/Token Aggro

: Human Tribal

: Zombie Tribal/Mill

: Prowess Tempo

: Vampire Tribal

: Death matters/self-sacrifice

: Werewolf Tribal

Lore

Avacyn Restored Three years passed since the destruction of the Helvault and the return of Avacyn; following the "algorithm" imprinted on her by Sorin Markov, the archangel quickly rallied the remnants of the angelic hosts, restoring hope in the hearts of humanity. Following her guide, cathars and common people were able to repel the assault of the forces of darkness, restoring balance on the plane: unlike the previous periods of crisis, however, Avacyn's powers didn't begin to fade after evil had been put in check (like Sorin had envisioned), but kept increasing, strengthening wards and spells cast in her name to a point never seen before. Archmages suddenly found themselves wielding an immense power, its strength directly proportional to their faith, while cathars discovered that the mere sight of their blessed weapons under the moon repelled evil spirits, and that they now inflict grievous wounds even to the most resilient of monsters. This anomaly was most evident in the region of Stensia, where for centuries the angels almost couldn't set foot due to the weakness of their powers in that land. The cause of such a radical change in Avacyn's behaviour is unknown; among the few who know the truth about the angel's origins some, like Sorin's grandfather Edgar Markov, believe that the time she spent in the Helvault changed something into her; others, like Olivia Voldaren, think that Sorin finally revealed his true colours and is planning the destruction of their race. Only this is known for certain: the angel's strength keeps increasing, and right now there is probably no force on Innistrad that can hope to challenge her directly.

The effects on the human population were mixed: men and women from all provinces are overjoyed to join the cause, even from those regions where resignation to a grim destiny was most radicated; on the other hand, a veil of paranoia is starting to creep in the most isolated hamlets, since Avacyn started to direct her anger not only against monsters and skaberen, but even towards the traditional ways people used for centuries to protect themselves. This stance deeply worries Sigarda and her host, composed almost entirely by angels not created by Avacyn herself whom, in order to better protect humanity, never hesitated to use the natural and supernatural forces now declared heretic. Gisela, on the other hand, dedicated herself to the Crusade with unyelding passion: she never understood Avacyn's reluctance to eradicate completely the horrors of the plane, and is now overjoyed at the thought of purifying Innistrad with her flames.

Overall, these events were perceived by most as the beginning of a golden age; they became convinced that the angel's recent disappearance had been a test of faith, and this deeply influenced the political balance between the four provinces.

The four provinces

Gavony, a region whose status was put in jeopardy by the events of Dark Ascension, is once again the epicenter of the civilized world. Thraben was rebuilt as the seat of the Avacynian church, and the archangel herself took residence in the cathedral; her presence has become so strong that it keeps evil away from the walls, granting a protection without precedent to its citizens; for maybe the first time in its history, Innistrad has a place that can be considered completely safe. Because of this, many people sought to emigrate from the outer provinces to Gavony, and from the outskirts to the walls of the holy city; this in turn drove the Church first to enlarge an already gigantic settlement, and later to extablish severe immigration laws; the new Lunarch (an iron-willed man by the name of Aginolf, full of hate towards any kind of heresy) didn't lose any time in negating access to the city to Kessigers and Nephalians, on the grounds of their reputation of lukewarm faith. For a while the issue was ignored by Avacyn, who rarely left her quarters in the cathedral; when Bruna and Sigarda, uncertain on how to behave on the matter, asked for her guidance, the archangel's response was swift and brutal: she simply landed in front of the Lunarch during a celebration and accused him of collusion with the Skirsdag cult, then incinerated him on the spot. Then she declared to the masses: "Don't close your heart to those who would join us, don't seek safety for yourselves alone: soon, the seashores will be the walls of Thraben" These words, known as the "Declaration of Hope", marked the beginning of the Crusade: an open war declared by Avacyn against the horrors infesting the world.

In Kessig, the Host of Herons didn't spare efforts in protecting the population during Avacyn's absence, a feat that wasn't forgotten; even after the archangel's return and the gift of the Cursemute bestowed on the wolfir, Sigarda kept a special place in the common people's hearts. The angel feels conflicted: under the wolfirs' watch the forests are undoubtedly safer, and the restoration of the wards made her host's work easier, but Avacyn's actions after the Declaration of Hope alarm her; inquisitors swarmed the country, preaching absolute fealty to the Church's decrees and recruiting many young people into military service, just when villages most need them to rebuild and tend to the crops destroyed by fire and curses; wolfirs, whom Avacyn personally entrusted to her care, have started behaving strangely, hiding from her and neglecting to inform her about the apparition of strange humanoid creatures, never seen before, in the depths of the Ulvenwald; finally, the sudden increase of diabolical activity around the Ashmouth, an occurrence that drove Avacyn to send Gisela in her aid, to investigate the issue. The two sisters never saw eye to eye on a number of matters, and Sigarda is frustrated by Gisela's blind acceptance of the Crusade, and by the inquisitors' efforts in changing her people's way of life.

The inquisition acted even more ruthlessly in Nephalia; Gisela may have been sent in Kessig, but the Goldnight host always had its headquarter in the region, and here cathars and angels doubled their efforts in destroying necromancers and purging the influence of the Stromkirk vampires. Disregarding the unwritten laws that kept in check the complex social tissue of Havengul, Drunau and Selhoff, the troops of the Church started going openly after heretics, skaberen and vampires: the conflict quickly escalated into a civil war, won by the Church only at the cost of grievous losses among the population; Selhoff has been reduced to a ghost town, while Runo Stromkirk barely managed to keep its hold over Drunau, now a grim fortified town where humans openly live as slaves of the few surviving vampires. Most skaberen labs have been burned to the ground, and the "art" survives only in the deep chasms under the Ditch since the upper structures collapsed, extinguishing the black market it once hosted.

Stensia is a land radically altered; here the vampire dominion, absolute here since immemorable times, has been shattered when the restrictions put on Avacyn by Sorin were lifted: the cathar' forces quickly regrouped and invaded the region through Kruin pass, forcing Edgar Markov to forsake its ancient domain. The old vampire was caught by surprise and tried to contact his nephew, to no avail (we'll see that Sorin had left for Zendikar after the Helvault shattered, and is presently "phased out" on Tarkir in the temporal rift opened by Sarkhan when he saved Ugin's life). Sensing something amiss, Edgar had the presence of mind to not challenge the army of the Church directly, but couldn't persuade most of the other bloodlines to do the same; only Olivia Voldaren took his advice, while the Falkenrath family and the lesser houses marched out to meet the enemy on the outskirts of Wollebank; taken by surprise by the descent of Avacyn herself on the battlefield, the vampires' forces were obliterated and their leaders captured and executed; the few survivors scattered at the four corners of the province. After two years of skirmishes, the vampires' situation is more desperate than ever: Edgar and Olivia barely manage to hold the outer valleys, and established their headquarter near the old Maurer Estate.