Shadows over Innistrad as Told by Flavor Text

"We pray to Avacyn on high. On snow-white wings fearless you fly. Keep safe our souls. Keep safe our lives. May angels watch us from the skies." —Children's prayer

"We must save you from yourselves."

For some customers, the old apothecary shop still opens its doors.

"We come bearing the word of Avacyn and the Lunarch Council."

"Unwavering and loyal, they represent stability in uncertain times." —Rem Karolus, Slayer of Angels

"There was a time when the purpose of the church was to heal and protect. I would see that time return."

"The harder they try to extinguish my faith, the brighter it burns in the darkness."

The message was clear to Sori ~ Nahiri had paid Markov Manor a visit.

Above the cries, a phrase rang out: "You will all be saved."

On expeditions through Ashmouth, the hunters of Devilthorn Lodge rely on the cleverness of foxes to counteract the mischief of devils.

The barrier between existence and oblivion is thinner than you know.

"The call of the Blessed Sleep is not so strong as the call to protect those in need." —Saint Traft

"Only the pure stand tall in the light." —Sigarda

Her reputation inspires both loyalty and adoration.

"I have given my life to the church, my soul to Avacyn, and my heart to the people."

"The element of surprise only works when it's backed up by a bolt between the eyes."

Many fields now lie fallow in Gavony, as the oxen have been confiscated to perform other duties.

"Our enemies will soon discover that we are not as meek as they had believed."

"I am an instrument of the church wielded against Avacyn's enemies."

It has no apparent purpose or direction. It simply drifts, buoyed by breezes both tangible and otherworldly.

"Sorin, I'm going to take everything from you."

Visit the dead, and they may return the favor.

"Once Avacyn returned, I hoped I'd never need these things again. I didn't think I'd be dusting them off to use against angels."

The mind is perfectly capable of creating its own monsters.

"My faith guides my hand . . ."

"If you refuse to see the light, then you will feel it."

"Shield yourself with faith. Arm yourself with silver." —Slayer Kastinne

The restless geists of common folk often continue their lifelong labors.

"I'm sure you have a story. Everyone has a story. You can tell it to the bars."

"We fight not for Avacyn, but for her ideals; not for the church, but for its people." —Thalia, Guardian of Thraben

The longest nights are measured not in hours, but in heartbeats.

Thalia established the Order of Saint Traft in an effort to bring together cathars who would stand against the corruption of the Lunarch Council.

"If you've been at this as long as I have, nothing can surprise you. That's the hope, at least."

"You'll never believe what I heard."

"Those who aren't welcome will know it!" —Kolman, elder of Gatstaf

Geists seeking redemption must first be given the opportunity.

"Metamorphosis is a process." —Laboratory notes

Some minds bend under pressure. Others break.

"The appearance of these warped stones throughout the provinces is too pervasive to be random. More evidence is needed to determine the reason behind them." —Tamiyo's journal

"So much for neighborly hospitality!"

Everyone has something to hide.

"No matter the cost, I must discover the source of these strange happenings."

When all logical solutions fail, try an illogical one.

"Angels and inquisitors terrorize villages, but no one seems to notice the stirring out at sea."

Seagrafs yield an abundance of resources for stitchers and ghoulcallers alike.

"The tides have begun to ignore the moon." —Tamiyo's journal

"Is this what you found, Tamiyo?" —Jace Beleren

"When all else fails, follow the geist's lantern." —Vallon, Thraben inspector

A spirit is both fettered and free—bound in some ways to its previous existence, yet able to transcend much of the corporeal.

"My earliest work escapes me." —Stitcher Geralf

"In terms of intelligence, homunculi are somewhere between humans and skaabs—clever enough to follow more complex orders, but dim enough to not question them." —Stitcher Geralf

"Sometimes it's best for the lost to stay lost." —Herzag, mayor of Havengul

"Just a collage of images: cryptoliths, the sea, a tangle of shipwrecks."

"There's nothing to worry about."

For stitchers and necro-alchemists, it's important that work can continue at all hours.

It fuels its lanterns by leaching the warmth from its surroundings.

"The clues have begun to reveal a truth I hesitate to accept."

"'I'm certain that the fate of Markov Manor is connected to these cryptoliths . . .' This Tamiyo was on to something."

Progress comes at a price.

"Dear brother, it's sweet that you have chosen to share your toys with Ludevic, but I too have found some new playmates." —Ghoulcaller Gisa

"Your recent work is an inspiration. I have the utmost respect for your approach, and your craft is impeccable. At your convenience, I would be honored to collaborate on a project." —Ludevic, letter to Geralf

Nephalia is home to many hard-shelled creatures of unusual size, the largest of which are either avoided or worshipped.

It's not just a feeling—you are being watched.

Sleep doesn't always mean rest.

"Amazing, isn't it, how scraps can come together to create such a wonder?" —Stitcher Geralf

Thunder isn't all that follows lightning.

"Every answer seems to lead to a more terrifying question." —Jace Beleren

A slow knock at midnight is best left unanswered.

"Write everything down. Trust me." —Vallon, Thraben inspector

"The ravings of the mad are laced with eldritch knowledge."

It does no good to bar the gate when the enemy is already inside.

There is power in the abyss, in blackness more profound than the darkest dreams.

On Innistrad, it is seldom wrong to stay indoors.

At Sorin's appeal, Olivia Voldaren summoned the full might of her bloodline to gather at Lurenbraum Fortress.

"Dungeons and cages offer far too little sport." —Relio Voldaren

Older vampires are usually more cautious than the newly-sired, calling upon ancient magic for which neonates lack patience.

Spiteful geists rise from the muck of the Farbogs, eager to lure travelers to their doom.

"Once in the box, we're all the same."

It once served a cathar roadwatcher, patrolling the crossways between villages. Its hooves still carry it along the same path.

"Soft dirt makes for light work."

Among vampires, there has long been the belief that the urge to feed must be balanced by the poise of nobility.

As you hear it baying in the distance, you'll feel its breath on your neck.

"If you're not surrounded by decadence, my question to you is—why not?"

"I'm not afraid out here, for I know that a higher power protects me."

"Days ago, you came to my door asking for help, Jace. Yet now here you are with accusations?"

Liliana is never one to follow someone else's lead.

The destruction of Markov Manor made the surviving members of the bloodline more dangerous.

"You sought to anger me, Nahiri. Soon you will see how well you have succeeded."

"There's not enough salt in all of Nephalia to wither that thing." —Ghoulcaller Enslow

"Thank you. This blade becomes so hot in my hand, but your blood has quenched it."

"As we muster for war, I have little patience for lethargy or recalcitrance."

"What's worse than being alone on the moors at night? Try not being alone." —Nadila Maas, moor chaplain

"They're in the walls! Can't you hear them?"

"To die failing to save a loved one is just so sad—or, more to the point, pathetic." —Liliana Vess

His mind was lost long before his flesh.

Lost loved ones are never truly gone.

An old family recipe for an old family grudge.

Echoing hoofbeats can no longer be assumed to be help from the Gavony Riders.

The lineage of Runo Stromkirk is known for producing some of Nephalia's greatest fencing masters.

"Victim discovered at dawn with mouth agape and eyes bulging. No evidence of blood loss or dismemberment. Severe bruising around the neck." —Vallon, Thraben inspector

"Where has little Gossamer gone?" —Thaniel, Gatstaf shepherd

"Children, where are your parents?" —Reig, wandering monk, last words

"No emergency is so dire that it cannot be dealt with elegantly." —Olivia Voldaren

From within its prison, the book endlessly whispers words of cruelty and spite.

Only the most skillful riders brave the Breakneck Ride through Kessig.

None are more dangerous than those who have already been sentenced to death.

Devils sow chaos and reap panic.

"The city is overrun. I would say burn it to the ground, but that won't be necessary." —Inquisitor Delmund

"It came on as quickly as taking in a breath of air. Cathars who had fought shoulder to shoulder were at each other's throats. They were not themselves." —Halmig, Order of Saint Traft

There is an eagerness among the Quiver of Kessig to prove they are the equal of the other cathar orders.

No howl. No snarl. Just the roar of flames.

"Let the flames ignore the sinless."

"You must pay for your sin in blood."

The glow in their eyes reveals more than anger or madness.

The cathars realized they had not tracked her—she had led them here.

"There is no place like a rooftop laboratory in a lightning storm. It's where genius strikes." —Renna, Selhoff alchemist

Wolves and werewolves join together for the common cause of the hunt.

Fear the patient devil, the one who is calm in the midst of chaos. Beware the silent devil, the one whose cackle does not mingle with the others.

"Ah, to be young again." —Olivia Voldaren

"Reflect upon your evils lest they reflect upon you." —Inquisitor Laerin

"Manners are for mortals."

Spirits disturbed by ghoulcallers become geists driven by restless anger.

"I have seen it. Seen the end, seen the beginning, the beginning of the end. Not death, no, no. Transcendence!"

The Needle's Eye, a seldom-used passage that winds through Stensia's mountains, carries travelers close to Ashmouth—too close, some would argue.

Its growl is the crackling and popping of a wildfire untamed.

"Nothing will cool the fire in their blood. They are too far gone. We must keep them away from our towns at any cost." —Cosper Lowe of the Silbern Guard

Previously the training center for cathars, the Elgaud Grounds are now used by the Lunarch Inquisition to punish those considered to be heretics.

Scarecrows only go so far in sending the message to stay away.

New cults rising in Nephalia have found allies in the Stromkirk bloodline, whose progenitor worships ancient and terrible forces.

Having infiltrated the Lunarch Council, the Skirsdag await the perfect moment to strike.

"As Zendikar has bled, so will Innistrad. As I have wept, so will Sorin." —Nahiri

"The voice has grown louder, its accusations angrier and more insistent. By morning, it will likely drown out all else. I fear what I will do." —Letter discovered in an abandoned estate

"I am not its master. We are of the same pack." —Ulrich, Krallenhorde alpha

"It's right to fear those that you keep locked away." —Rahilda, Vildin-Pack alpha

"To be honest, I'm not quite sure what's going to happen." —Renna, Selhoff alchemist

"I'm afraid it's bad news."

"I have yet to find my equal."

"How can werewolves be considered abominations next to such creatures?" —Arlinn Kord

"A slayer gets by on wits and reflexes." —Higa, slayer-captain of Gatstaf

A good courier travels fast and asks no questions.

It is a grim duty to save the world from those created to protect it.

"Never flinch from the truth." —Thalia, Guardian of Thraben

The chant was incomprehensible, but its power was unmistakable.

In times of madness, people cling to the familiar, monstrous though it may be.

The old hermit would never say what he fed his mushrooms, and people learned not to ask.

From the jagged peaks of Stensia, to the tangled woods of Kessig, to the bogs of Nephalia, the Gavony Riders prepare for all terrain.

"This is as far as I go." —Beckram, Skiltfolk escort

"An unexpected ally." —Rem Karolus, Slayer of Angels

"Their keen sense of smell draws them to the unnatural. To find one is a boon." —Veka, hinterland inspector

"While the church thinks in terms of legacies, others think in terms of eternities."

He hates company . . .

"There's a forester lives up in the highlands. Tried to sell her one of my finest axes at a bargain, but she wasn't interested." —Old Rutstein

The renewed howling of werewolves announced the end of the Cursemute—and the beginning of Avacyn's madness.

"How do I know where aid is needed? Look around you."

In the quiet of the Somberwald, new horrors stir.

"I've never known dryads to suffer visitors in their woods. Beware the Ulvenwald when she welcomes you." —Alena, trapper of Kessig

"When I was a child, we worried about picking the wrong mushrooms for the cook pot. Now we must worry about being picked ourselves." —Halana, Kessig ranger

Courage alone won't keep you alive.

"I know a ranger that thought to make a cloak of its hide. He ended up losing an eye for his trouble." —Raf Gyel of the Quiver of Kessig

"You should have seen the look on both their faces." —Morkamp, Lambholt innkeeper

The seeds of new life take root in the soil of old.

"The cornfields promise a good yield this season." —Radwick, farmer of Gatstaf

Silverfurs are the last remaining wolfir.

"Making a living in Kessig is hard, but I've learned some tricks of the trade."

Being engulfed is just the beginning of the nightmare.

Some have returned to Hollowhenge, the ruins of Avabruck, to restore the lost capital of Kessig.

"Halana grew brambles to create a barricade around our camp, hoping that it would keep the wolves out. That was a mistake for which we almost paid dearly." —Alena, trapper of Kessig

"Prayers can be powerful, but I prefer to put faith in my own two hands."

"Lost in the woods" is an optimistic way to describe a villager's disappearance. "Found in the woods" is frequently more appropriate.

Sorin had created Avacyn, so it was a cruelty beyond imagining, a pain beyond description, that it fell upon him to end her forever.

The mind can only expand so far before it flies apart.

"Ludevic's laboratory is a veritable wonderland. I have never felt so inspired." —Stitcher Geralf

It is all too easy to disturb the Blessed Sleep.

Many names and many memories bound together in grim purpose.

"Souls are volatile things. When compressed and loaded into a handheld device, their destructive potential is quite impressive." —Dierk, geistmage

The harvest is never finished.

Bear the weight of so many spirits and you'll surrender civility and restraint to savagery and instinct.

Knight-Inquisitors of Saint Raban delve deep into mysteries best left unexplored.

Though the first who raised it in a fit of passion is long dead, the axe still carries memories of bitter scorn.

"There is a rich history in a blade like this." —Old Rutstein

"They left in one piece. I can't speak to how they arrived." —Rupirk, porter at the Rusted Anchor Inn

Entry 434: There's more to Avacyn's madness . . .

Runechanters engrave their strongest wards on those that protect the church.

When there were no more crows to scare, it focused its efforts elsewhere.

"This is it! All the cryptoliths point here!" —Jace Beleren

Sent to find Sorin, Jace ventured to the vampire's ancestral home, only to find evidence of a deeper mystery.

"Prayers will curdle on the tongue and be heard by rotting ears." —Minaldra, the Vizag Atum

"Such a beautiful place for a stroll." —Liliana Vess

With the fate of Innistrad uncertain, some seek solace in remote areas.

A haunted fog known as the Nebelgast shrouds the cities along Nephalia's coast.

In Gavony, headstones come only from quarries that have been blessed by chaplains.

Each cryptolith twists the plane's mana, bending its flow to a singular purpose.

Two creaking waterwheels herald the approach to Briarbridge through the Ulvenwald.