The Returning Legends of Innistrad: Midnight Hunt

A return to Innistrad means the return of some of our favorite characters! In case you missed it, make sure to check out the new legends of Innistrad: Midnight Hunt from yesterday’s article. Some of these characters have a couple cards under their belts already, while others are making their move from flavor text to the spotlight for the first time. Let’s meet the cast!

Jadar, Ghoulcaller of Nephalia

Once the surgeon of a small township, Jadar turned to necromancy to treat an unfamiliar plague. When the final villager fell, Jadar succumbed to necromancy-fueled madness. He raised the entire town and issued every ghoul a clean writ of health. Jadar is now a particularly infamous ghoulcaller who spends his time fishing bodies out of a marsh called Morkrut. He then reanimates the corpses and sends them on their way with a simple task—one usually designed for his own enjoyment.

Gisa, Glorious Resurrector

Gisa Cecani is one of the most powerful ghoulcallers on Innistrad. She maintains a friendly rivalry with her brother, the stitcher Geralf, that technically meets one or two aspects of the definition of the word “friendly.”

In the battle at the end of The Travails, the planeswalker Liliana Vess raised a massive zombie army to fight Emrakul’s horde. Fortunately, her undead servants helped turn the tide. Unfortunately, her zombies still roam the ruins of the holy city of Thraben. Gisa has moved into the abandoned city, treating it as her own personal undead playground. Stationing herself out of a rather lavish priest’s quarters in the Cathedral of Avacyn, Gisa now does whatever she wants—but she still makes time to send death threats to her brother. Family is important to her.

Jerren, Corrupted Bishop

Jerren was a bishop of Sigarda and a current member of the Lunarch Council—but he was also a secret member of the demon-worshipping Skirsdag Cult.

Before The Travails, Jerren dedicated his life to the restoration of the demon Griselbrand. When Liliana defeated Griselbrand, Jerren grew despondent[nbsp] . . .[/nbsp] and suggestible. The demon Ormendahl whispered in his ear, instructing Jerren to dedicate the cult to him instead. The cultist obliged. When Ormendahl emerged from hiding, Jerren stepped down from his position on the Lunarch Council, handing its reins over to the demon. But Ormendahl succumbed to the Eldrazi’s corruption, and Jerren was killed along with the rest of the Council during the Battle of Thraben.

Ormendahl, the Corrupter

Not all the demons were killed when Avacyn escaped the Helvault, and some of their cults remain intact. The most important of these is the Skirsdag, which hides within the very hierarchy of the church. Upon the death of their first demon lord, Griselbrand, the Skirsdag turned to Ormendahl, the Reaper, a demon who survived the angelic purge by sequestering himself in caverns deep beneath the cathedral.

Back on the surface, Ormendahl became obsessed with expanding his influence, even corrupting Avacyn’s own Lunarch Council. However, his power paled in comparison to the Eldrazi, and when The Travails began, the ambitious Ormendahl fell under Emrakul’s influence and lost his own.

Liesa, Forgotten Archangel

Of all the archangels, only Liesa sought to understand her enemies and, in so doing, mitigate their evil. With her knowledge, she reasoned the monsters could be fought more effectively and bargained with the foul to do good.

One day, a new angel appeared as if from nowhere: Avacyn. She was inflexible in her righteousness and unstoppable in her power. She did not approve of Liesa’s methods, and when Liesa made a pact with a demon lord, Avacyn declared her a heretic and destroyed her along with her entire flight of angels.

On Innistrad, demons reform sometime after being killed. Perhaps due to her demonic dealings, or perhaps because of the shared nature of angels and demons, Liesa has returned to the land of the living. To Liesa, reforming was a hellish ordeal. She struggled over the course of centuries, fighting to keep her very essence intact as the mana that formed her tried to tear itself apart. She has finally returned, albeit worse for the wear, at a time when Innistrad needs archangels more than ever.

Rem Karolus, Stalwart Slayer

Rem Karolus is the most feared and revered of the Thraben inquisitors. At this point, Rem has seen it all. He’s fought vampires, werewolves, angels, and even Eldrazi. Each time, Rem has come ready, and each time, Rem has found his foes wanting.

Rem does not wish for a glorious end in battle. Let’s be clear: Rem very much enjoys living. After all, the longer he lives, the more fights he gets to have. He’s just looking for a little challenge. After being unable to reach the massive, floating Emrakul, Rem tamed the largest wild gryff he could find. The skies are no longer safe from Rem Karolus. However, he has recently been called to face a new challenge—how can he slay an immortal creature?

Ludevic, Necrogenius

Ludevic of Ulm is a necro-alchemist and the most influential merchant on Innistrad. Years of potion consumption and inhalation of toxic vapors forced Ludevic into an early retirement. Still, he could not shake the memory of his earlier successes—specifically the flying, two-headed skaab that escaped his lab years ago.

Ludevic took on an apprentice, the skaberen Geralf, to pass on his knowledge. But he was not content to merely teach. His vision was too lofty to be carried out by someone else. Ludevic has returned to his lab, tinkering with what he calls his “final creation.” Whether he will survive to see it finished remains to be seen.

Tovolar, Dire Overlord // Tovolar, the Midnight Scourge

The werewolf leader Tovolar once led the Mondronen howlpack. When Avacyn was set free from the Helvault, the Mondronen and other howlpacks disbanded, chased off and hunted down by angels. Now, in the growing darkness since The Travails, Tovolar sees a chance to lead once again. Driven by a fierce pride in werewolf-kind, he seeks to unify all the howlpacks under his rule. He stands for the freedom to embrace the savage beast within, and many werewolves have left their human homes to join him. Once he has a powerful pack behind him, he’ll stop the Dawnhart Coven or whoever else wants to bring back the sun.

Sigarda, Champion of Light

The archangel Sigarda was one of the only angels not to be corrupted by Emrakul’s influence during The Travails. She has stepped in to fill Avacyn’s role as a bringer of protection, hope, and a symbolic head of the church. Faith in Sigarda brings the devoted some of the same power that prayers to Avacyn did.

In the two years since The Travails, this reverence for Sigarda has become a new sect within the Avacynian Church. Some members of the church have begun styling themselves as “Sigardian priests.” The Sigardian Sect is a return to a more small-town religion, with less of the grandeur of Thraben. The terror of the mad angels during The Travails has pushed many villagers away from distant symbols of divinity and toward one other. The Lunarch Council still leads the church overall, but the Sigardians are more focused on their parish’s local elder, their local communities, and traditional holidays and practices.

That’s it for returning legends. Don’t worry if your favorite didn’t make the cut—maybe they’ll pop up in Innistrad: Crimson Vow! Of course, Innistrad: Midnight Hunt also features a bunch of new characters. Learn their stories right here.