A Study in Blood - Vampires of Magic: The Gathering | MTG Lore

hey lore lovers my name's Eric with the Lord brands YouTube channel and today we'll be taking a study in blood by looking at the history and representation of vampires throughout magic the gatherings multiverse vampires are a dangerous and fear of voguing type of creature and their presence has been documented on several planes despite many regional differences there are several traits all vampires share their hunger for the blood or life force of others despite not having any blood of their own unnatural physical strength enhanced healing powers and the ability to fly many vampires have a preference for darkness and are physically hurt by sunlight but it's not always the case vampires can range from being primal and crazed predators driven by their bloodlust to being aristocratic Nobles caught up in the drama an intrigue of court the appearance of vampires is similarly varied although they all have fangs and cold pale skin we're going to discuss these differences and many more as we learn of the vampires of the multiverse alright let's dive in we begin our study in Vampires on the plains of dhamma Neriah and olga ratha i've combined the two planes because vampires share a common ancestry between them which we'll discuss shortly the creature type vampire has been around since the earliest days of magic appearing in the card sengir vampire in alpha the name Sanger is legendary across both Domon area and old-growth ax invoking fear amongst mortals for centuries the name can trace its roots to the first vampire ever created on Domon area and the progenitor of the vampire race on both planes Baron Sanger singer was the son of a powerful baron that ruled lands on Domon area his father sought control and influence but above all he sought a way to reach immortality so that he may rule forever he dabbled in black magic and began incantations to transform both his son and himself towards vampirism the young singer believed himself to be a more apt ruler and had a young orphan girl from a nearby village send a multitude of plague rats to kill his father his plans backfired however in the rats attacked him ripping his throat and killing him in a flash of paternal instinct his father shouted a spell that washed over the newly dead Sanger the spell brought him back from death and preserved his life transforming the young singer into the first vampire baron Sanger shares many characteristics with the typical vampire he's charismatic handsome and domineering with a painful aversion towards light and a need to feed on blood to sustain his immortality he is capable of enthralling individuals to his will and transforming others into vampires he spent many years accruing more land and power on dominar as well as adding new vampires to his Sanger bloodline before mysteriously vanishing from existence for a time during the Ice Age and subsequent thaw and amun-ra krav the capital city of Kaldor was overrun by plague zombies and vampires these crow V can vampires ruled over the now rotting city led by their queen Garza's all although it isn't explicitly stated this vampire bloodline is most likely descended from the famous Baron Sanger without the influence of the Baron on the plane and over centuries of inbreeding the currents in your bloodline on dominar has degenerated once resembling their progenitor and the physical features of their human state sink your vampires are now vile misshapen and repulsive creatures with bat-like ears long claws and inhuman facial features so what happened to the father of vampires and waited saying ergo a fierce duel between two unnamed planeswalkers erupted on the plain of old growth ax to which the Baron was summoned the planeswalker that summoned him was defeated in with no way to traverse the blind eternities bear and singer found himself trapped on old growth ax also known as the home lands the ancient and powerful vampire saw all growth ax as ripe for the taking and began conquering many settlements of dwarves and humans ruling his holdings from castle singer the Baron began working on a new bloodline of vampires which had not yet existed on the plain and added the Dwarven princess dharini and the elderly planeswalker Ravi or grandmother singer to his family despite intervention from several Planeswalkers it's assumed that singer and his vampire army have conquered old ratha the fate of the plain can be seen in the background of barony vampire interestingly it appears the vampires of the sing your bud line are capable of wielding more than just black mana the red activated ability on Qasr off sang your pure blood suggests they can tap into red mana and the ability of Castle sin gear as well as the casting cost of Garza's all suggest blue is another color these vampires can manipulate the eerie and dark plane of innistrad is home to many creatures of nightmares that prey upon mortals it's a bleak place full of dark mana and reserved for the most wicked of beings as such it has a strong presence of vampires compared to other planes the vampires of innistrad are predominantly located in the region of Sten SIA although that can be found in other locations their powers are strongly tied to both red and black mana vampires see themselves as the undisputed elite and nobility of the plain ruling over their flocks of human citizenry from foreboding castles and manors they believe they are shepherds and saviours of humanity due in part to the nature of their origin and see their conversion to vampirism as a sacrificial act of benevolence giving up on the relationships and ties to humanity in order to protect the masses most are self-indulgent in vain acting as affluent patrons and stewards to the menial a people they have very particular tastes in demand they be surrounded by the finest of everything clothes weapons armor art in architecture humans are their primary source of sustenance and they go to great lengths to protect their flock much the same as a shepherd tends to his sheep they keep ghoul spirits werewolves and other beasts from killing their precious food the vampires of innistrad differ from others in the sense that they aren't cursed or diseased with vampirism they aren't Undead but rather magically created beings which is tied directly to their origins like most vampires however they rely on blood for food and need to consume at least five liters every moon cycle if a vampire doesn't they will quickly starve withering away until they crumble to dust despite village tales and stories of the campfire and a Stradivarius have only three abilities related to their nature immortality slightly enhanced strength and speed and an aura of silence that they can emanate from their bodies at will now many vampires have abilities far beyond these but those come from their centuries long practice and study of magic rather than purely from their condition physically the vampires of innistrad are pale with eerily glowing eyes increased canine size and bat-like features most vampires use mind-altering Glamour's to appear human so that they don't scare away their citizenry in public a prime example of the is the card Lord of lineage whose front side depicts a vampire as he might appear under his glamour well the flip side reveals the true features of a vampire elder vampires of different houses have become quite adept at skills such as flight hypnotism and transformation into animals there are a few weaknesses that all vampires of inner strata living Wood is particularly effective against them and many vampire Slayer's wield weapons of wood silver and the moon of innistrad are deeply tied to faith and angels and can hamper a vampire additionally holy water blessed by the Archangel a bacin can be used like acid to melt them in order for new vampires to be sired vampire blood must be introduced to the body of the victim usually the sire will cut their tongue or cheek then bite the victim sending their blood in their magic coursing through the body once that occurs the victim is now considered anointed but the process is not complete in order for an anointed to become a vampire that first blood thirst must be taken from their sire as they drink in the magic the path to vampirism is finalised if this doesn't happen the anointed will quickly succumb to hunger and turn to dust established vampires have learned to control their thirst and maintain a level of decorum while the newly sired are often blood crazed and glut themselves on victims since vampires hold themselves in such high esteem they are selective of whom they add to their families as such only the creme of the human crop become new vampires but how was the first vampire created thousands of years ago a great famine struck the region that would become Sten sia just as the population was rapidly growing a renowned Alchemist named Edgar Markov sought a way to save his people from starvation and through his experiments learned of the dark magic of Sango man see or blood magic he struck a deal with a demon to create a magic blood ritual that would grant those who partook agelessness and the ability to subsist on blood this would solve the problem in two ways first those who conducted the ritual wouldn't need to eat crop to survive and second they would Coll the population with their need for blood decreasing the number of hungry mouths and so Edgar and a small group of other highborns conducted the ritual becoming the progenitors of the vampire lines the vampires of the current day can trace their origins to one of the blood lines present at the first ritual although 12 families were initially created the four largest and most influential are represented in the sets the Markov family is the most prestigious in numerous and can claim the right of first vampire family its leader is Edgar Markov and his grandson Soren is a powerful planeswalker in the multiverse Markov vampires seem to have more of a taste for gaudy decadence than other families and their elders are adept at psychic magic the planeswalker nájera destroyed their ancestral home of markov manor killing most members of this bloodline the falkenroth family is so named as an homage to the progenitor who is an adept Falconer like the Falcon this bloodline is aggressive and predatory they care little about nobility and finesse claiming their prey in the thrill of the hunt with little self-control they are frequently blinded by a fit of bloodlust falkenroth vampires are bold and rarely used Glamour's preferring to Pires their natural and nightmarish selves as seen on the card falkenroth Marauders the elders are masters of flight although not the creator of the bloodline anya falkenroth is a dangerous and influential member of the family this family was quite vulnerable to the influence of Emma Cole and many transformed into Eldrazi Horrors the voldar and vampires are less known due in large part to their more distant and less social nature their progenitor olivia was a wealthy recluse in life and has built elaborate mansions for her family the elder Vil d'harans are particularly good at transforming into other creatures which we can see in the cards screeching bat unlike the other houses the Strom Kirk's refused to partake in the laboratory gov their culture choosing to build their home on the coastal region of Natalia since there are far fewer vampires in this region the Stromberg's have become the best at creating Glamour's to hide their nature so that they can mingle with their human citizens seen in the cards Strom Kirk Noble the progenitor runo Strom Kirk was a member of a cult that worshipped an ancient god of the sea which is why he chose to settle on the coast the stromberg vampires are excellent patrons funding beautiful artistic creations of their human population the elders of this line are of transforming into mist like the falkenroth family the emergence of the Eldrazi hit the Strom Kurt's particularly hard especially since they viewed a Merkel as the prophesized god of the sea the vampires of innistrad have an elaborate culture and dynamic relationship both with members of other bloodlines and with humans their origins have given rise to a species that has many unique characteristics compared to vampires of other Plains the fetid swamps and humid jungles of the continent of Gold Roz is the perfect hunting grounds for the vampires of zendikar whose blood seekers and pulse trackers are particularly adept at tracking blood scents even among other vampire species the plan of Zendikar is dangerous and unpredictable and its vampires have taken on a similar disposition they appear far more primal and less decadent than the vampires of other Plains wearing minimal amounts of clothing and covering themselves in blood-stained tribal patterns zendikar II vampires don't use Glamour's to hide their true forms or walk among human citizenry and this is mostly due to the chaotic nature of the Royal which leaves zendikar as a whole much less advanced this isn't to say that the vampires of the plan don't enjoy needless excess and grotesque self-indulgence to which their capital city of malok air is a testament they rule from pretentious Thrones much the same as vampires of other Plains the vampires of zendikar are almost exclusively tied to black mana due in large part to their connection to blood and Sango man see the ritual lists and blood witches are unequaled at creating potions or hexes or learning the future from the writings of blood unlike most other vampire races and dakari vampires are not immortal but they are long-lived having lifespans of roughly 200 years their condition is an infection of the blood with a horrible origin that has been passed down from millennia the infection alters their physical appearance creating jagged horns and bony spikes that protrude from their heads shoulders or elbows they have increased speed strength and intellect but are required to subsist on the blood of living creatures it seems that most also have the innate ability to levitate and fly they have long forgotten any sense of morality and believe that the strong have the right to take what they want from the weak in this regard they are brutal and vile even when compared to other vampire species so how exactly did the infection come to be thousands of years ago a triad of Planeswalkers trapped in imprison three otherworldly beings of immeasurable destructive power these Eldrazi titans were held in stasis under the mountains of aku for many years an ancient tribe came to worship the titans and created a religious cult around them leaving them to be gods and saviors the Titan unimog special an aura created an infection within the worshippers who began performing blood rituals that loosened the chains on the eldrazi this allowed their brood lineages to come bursting out and a wave of energy from all amok washed over the cultists amplifying the infection and transforming them into the first vampires of which Rhea ami was one only a handful of cultists survived the transformation and Eldrazi hordes but they became prisoners to Allah MOG and extensions of his will the spikes on their bodies acting as handles for Eldrazi drones to control them when the planeswalker Nahariya resealed the titans the vampires forgot their origins and heritage but retained a shred of memory of their oppression over the centuries the number of vampires has oscillated but thousands existed in the modern era split into five major families the blood chief is the leader of the family and progenitor of its bloodline in fact blood Chiefs are the last members of the first vampires created by Allah MOG and as such are the only creatures that can sire new vampires the infection within them must be passed into the bloodstream of their victim the infection spreads quickly transforming the body and altering the minds until the victim becomes a vampire this process also imprints the blood Chiefs tastes preferences and personality on to the newly sired vampire so members of the same family share similar qualities although lesser vampires can't sire themselves they possess the ability to create nulls mindless undead zombie like creatures that are tied to their masters will they do this by completely draining a creature of blood and then reanimating its corpse humans aren't the only creatures that are reanimated this way and this is seen in the card below the knoll each vampire brings with it a contingent of nulls appropriate of its social status the five major bloodlines rule goal draws from Malek yer the dark City it is a place of debauchery and vice where vampires mingle socially and tout their superiority unlike with most other vampire cultures the streets of malok air are completely devoid of humans or other creatures that may act as peasantry for the vampires the vampires do however still rule over other port cities and villages of gold draws tormenting the poppy elation the city itself is divided into five zones and each is run by one of the bloodlines Houska last Riya is the oldest and wealthiest the vampire houses and it's ruled by the blood chief Drona colosseo vampires view themselves as highborn even compared to other vampires in contrast House get ruled by Kali toss is the poorest and least influential of the houses it has had a tumultuous history of infighting and corruption setting it back in the eyes of other vampires house near Kanna is led by the blood chieftain Ali and this family is notorious for its master assassins known as lacerate errs the final two houses emma vera and urn of aren't mentioned directly on cards but the former is a wealthy rival to house coalesced Rhea and the latter boasts the largest numerical contingent of vampires the devastation wrought by the Eldrazi after they broke free from their prison hit vampires the hardest their very nature and origins are deeply linked to Elam OGG and their ancient history of servitude once again made its way to the forefront the Eldrazi titan called to the vampires piercing their minds and beckoning them to Bala get where it could consume their energy to fuel itself thousands were instantly enthralled by Ulla MOG and perished in a moment that would later be referred to as the colon thousands yet fought against the call of the Eldrazi remembering their past and refusing to be enslaved once more this led to a civil war within the vampires as the pawns of Ulla MOG led by the traitorous kali toss fought and slayed their non-compliant kin this wholesale violence led to the destruction of Malik air city and the dissolution of vampire society the free vampires led by the colossi of blood chief Drona fought against the Eldrazi with other allies of the plain desperately holding on to their freedom the mindless vampires of Illuma can be seen tending to a drazi spawn and acting as drones to greater al drazi extending their will it remains to be seen what befall is the vampires with a defeat of the Eldrazi so their future is up to speculation will they rebuild the fractured Society and repair their old cities or will their infection of the blood whose nature depended on the presence of Woola MOG ceased to exist and revert them back to what they were before on the far-flung plane of exelon exists a race of vampire similar to others in most respects but with one striking novelty they are devoted to church and faith this belief is showcased in the hallmark characteristic of the exelon race the first emergent of mono white vampires vampires across the multiverse have traditionally been mono black duty to their undead state their thirst for blood their use of dark magic and their selfish drive for power black and white vampires are not uncommon or surprising as this color combination most closely relates to the link of life and death and the essence stealing power vampires have to preserve themselves but mono white vampires hint at both a belief in something greater than themselves in the nature of their centuries-old inception although it has been muddied and transformed over the years so how is it that vampires came to be on exelon the mountainous region of tourism on a continent separate from exelon was the resting place of the infamous and powerful immortal Sun and its people were chosen by its creator to act as its stewards a religion of priests and warrior nuns developed around this mysterious artifact whose powers were known to be otherworldly a young woman Olinda of guarana was a nun of this religion and wholly devoted to the immortal sons protection when word of the powerful artifact reached other nations they marched on put us on to claim it for themselves patron the wicked attacked the monastery and killed everyone inside except for a Linda with what shrinks she had left she rushed outside to stop padrone but the mysterious creator of the immortal Sun appeared took it from him and flew to the west Olinda now the only survivor of the religious order entrusted to protect the artifact refused to give up her purpose she sailed west to the Uncharted continent of exelon to search for it for years she looked for the Sun without an inkling of its location and grew fearful she would die before finding it she resorted to black magic and learned of a ritual that would preserve her for centuries at the cost of losing her soul and becoming a creature that was neither dead nor alive as such Olinda became the first vampire of exelon she traveled back to Torres on to find it in the midst of a bloody religious civil war with her newly acquired power she swiftly ended the war the nobility and clergy sought to learn this so she taught them the blood right that would grant them immortality so they too could take on the burden of finding the immortal son this became known as the right of redemption this story can be gleaned from the flavor text of Hierophant chalice Elend assailed West once again to continue her search but never returned she has been remembered through history as Saint Olinda the dust grows and progenitor of vampires over the centuries the vampires have forgotten their true purpose but haven't lost any of their zeal the vampires of the Church of dusk combined with a vampire monarchy of Queen Merida and used their superhuman abilities to conquer the entire continent this new holy order named the Legion of dusk is aggressive expanding its borders ever outward to gain new blood from which to feast in time the nature of vampirism slowly transitioned from a burden of holy sacrifice to a weapon of power and fanaticism with the duality of its existence members of the Legion of dusk are split between their faith to the church and their loyalty to the Queen although matters of church and state almost always overlap regardless some vampires are completely devoted to their religion while others look to conquest for their queen despite this all vampires on tortas own child their superiority and are viewed as holy by their human populations exelon vampires feed only on the blood of the guilty to sustain themselves usually traitors to the crown and rebellious pirates although the term guilty is often defined individually especially with more opportunistic vampires many partake in a religious ceremony known as the blood fast in which they refrain from drinking for weeks to months on end in order to strengthen their religious bonds when a vampire finally gives in to hunger they become bestial and uncontrollable feasting on everything in sight the state is known as rapture and is dangerous to all those around truly devoted members of the Legion have been gifted the ability to fly notice exultation in which their lower body becomes wispy tendrils of mist interestingly the vampires of exelon don't seem affected by light like most others and this could be tied to their deep connection to white mana not satisfied with owning a continent and with a distant memory of their inception the Legion of dusk turned its eyes across the sea to exelon in hopes of recovering the immortal Sun as well saintil Enda they believe the ancient artifact has the power to preserve their immortality but cure them of their undead state and the need to feed on blood they set sail in their dusk Legion dread-nots to claim both history and glory the first vampires to cross were known as the sanctum seekers and are the most zealous religious warriors of the legion eventually they found the golden city of a rosca resting place of the immortal Sun they sacked and pillaged many buildings in search for the Sun and stumbled upon the tomb of the bat god ah closets where a newly awakened Olinda emerged from her coffin enraged to see what her ancient religious order had become a Linda demanded to be taken back to tortas own and confront the Queen the current state of the vampire monarchy is unknown but with the discovery of its progenitor and subsequent loss of the immortal son the religion has been shaken to its core with the major vampire races discussed we'll turn our attention towards a few plans where vampires have less of a presence or influence starting with Ravnica the vampires of Ravnica known as motoroi are an ancient race and different than others in the sense that they aren't actually undead these living vampires are famed for their psionic abilities and drain the youth and memories of their victims rather than their blood this can be seen in the art of the card psychic drain they are slender leathery creatures with wings that allow them to fly and are unaffected by the sunlight they're more feral appearance might be due to their ancient origins in longevity the oldest of more I might actually turn into skeletal vampire seen prowling the night sky the abilities of the more I make them valuable assets to house Damir in fact the founder of house Damir Zedeck was one such vampire although his features were strikingly human perhaps this is suggestive of his hunting prowess as his many victims were able to preserve his youthful look the more traditional vampires that feed on blood are also found on Ravnica and they are most commonly associated with the ores off syndicate acting as tithe takers and enforcers gladly taking their payment in blood the vampires of ours OVA are usually lower ranking syndicate members that have been denied continued existence via the spirit so have settled for the physical immortality offered by vampirism the vampires of Ellora were exclusively found on the shard of Crixus before the conflux and like the senior vampires are tied to black blue and red mana they feed on this the life force of other creatures and the amount of this consumed correlates to the power they wield life on a shard consumed by death is difficult though and many of the vampires are starving and frail with the Conflux they finally have fresh life to feed on on tarkir the vampires are known as Kairu and they're strikingly unique in their physical appearance long slithery tongues emerge from mouths with unusually lengthy tusks and lash out at their victims these vampires are at home in the dank swamps of Tokyo and are associated with a soul tie clan the vampires of mirrodine are named after the putrid and corrosive swamp of the Madras in which they reside it was originally believed that only one mefferd Ross fan PI existed but an entire coven was discovered whose members consist of the once human mouriak that turned to vampirism for survival in the brutal swamps like all creatures of mirrodine the mefferd Ross vampires have integrated pieces of metal within their bodies and they have unusually long claws perhaps their descendants were once vampires of another plane that became trapped on mirrodine by mem gnarrk the vampires of the multiverse can take on vastly different appearances and have disparate cultures but all share in unquenchable thirst for the blood or lifeforce of other beings and all instill a sense of dread in both the beings they rule and those they hunt there are natural abilities in longevity grant them an edge against most other creatures on their respective Plains and solidify their positions near the top of the hierarchy thanks for watching this discussion on the nature of vampires and magic leave a thumbs up if you liked the video and a thumbs down if you didn't this was a bit longer of a video with a different format but I really enjoyed researching and compiling all of this information for you in fact I hope to make this into a series and deeply explore other creatures that span the history of the multiverse but you've heard me talk long enough and now I want to hear from you so let me know in the comments if you are interested in more videos like this and give me your suggestions on topics you'd like to hear I've linked the references used for this video in the description below and be sure to subscribe for weekly content until next time go forth and explore the lore

Channel: The Lorebrarians

Views: 51,288

Keywords: MTG, Magic: The Gathering, Vampire, Lore

Id: YHOVxr7TEEU

Length: 27min 36sec (1656 seconds)

Published: Mon May 11 2020