Summarized Lore: What Happened in Innistrad: Crimson Vow

In case you missed what happened in Innistrad: Midnight Hunt, you can check it out here! Olivia knew of Arlinn's actions to disrupt the Eternal Night, but finding the Moonsilver Key was also in her best interest, she had her own plans for the key, so she chose not to interrupt Arlinn, letting the planeswalker handle all the work for her. The Crimson Vow continues from where we left off in Midnight Hunt, with Olivia interrupting the Harvesttide Ritual, stealing the Moonsilve Key, and starting the Eternal Night in Innistrad. Olivia wishes to take control of Innistrad, for which she captured Sigarda sometime after the Archangel's fight against Sorin Markov. She intends to use Sigarda's blood and the powers of the Moonsilver Key to control all of the Plane's angels, but for that, she will need the powers of Edgar Markov, the sleeping vampire that Olivia plans to marry with. And so begins preparations for the greatest vampire wedding in Innistrad's history, the union between the Markov and Voldaren bloodlines.

After the Harvesttide Ritual failed, Arlinn and her group do what they can to help the humans against the dangers of Eternal Night, but she fears that if Innistrad remains in darkness it will be the end of humanity. Arlinn has heard the rumors about the wedding preparations, and knows that Sorin must not be at all happy with Olivia's plans, so she convinces the group to return to the Markov mansion in search of Sorin's help. The group arrives soon after Sorin discovers that the coffin where his grandfather was resting had been stolen, he has just received an invitation to Olivia and Edgar's wedding.

Concerned about Innistrad's future and enraged by Olivia's plans, Sorin joins Arlinn's group, who intend to use the invitation to enter the wedding. When they arrive at the Voldaren Estate, where the wedding takes place, Sorin and the others discover that entry is allowed only for those who have the invitation, the guards make this clear. Teferi realizes that the property is protected by some kind of magic, he witnesses the moment when a bird flies towards the entrance being incinerated when it comes in contact with the protection spell. Sorin sees no alternative but to enter alone, accompanied only by the guards. He walks around the property until he finally finds Olivia, next to her grandfather's coffin. "My dear Sorin", she calls out, "You are just in time". Olivia Voldaren begins to awaken Edgar, she passes the knife into his arm and spills red blood over the white stone coffin.

Sorin, enraged, lunges at Olivia, but is stopped by guards who block his advance by wrapping a chain of Holy Silver around his neck and pulling him back like a dog on a leash. When Edgar exits the coffin, Sorin tries to warn the vampire he is being controlled, but is ignored, instead being warned by his grandfather for ruining the festivities. Sorin watches in horror, he still hoped that Olivia's charms might fail to bewitch his grandfather. He couldn't believe it had been so easy. Olivia announces that she has a present for her fiance before the main event, she shifts her gaze to something hanging from the ceiling. Wrapped in red curtains, the gift is finally revealed: Sigarda, her wings bloodied and battered, held in place by red enchanted ribbons.

The ceremony begins, but Sorin soon interrupts, refusing to accept Olivia's plans, in the middle of the fight that starts with the guards, everyone is surprised by Katilda's spirit that emerges from inside the Moonsilver Key. The witch hid her soul in the key when Olivia captured her, and now, Katilda frees the angel who was trapped in the ceiling of the hall.

Sigarda spreads her wings. A clash of white energy forms around her. “You're all guilty!,” says the angel. And then, she causes a burst of energy that shatters the mansion's stained-glass windows, victimizing many guests. Sorin manages to protect himself. He realizes that Edgar and Olivia also managed to get away almost unscathed. Outside, Arlinn and the group watch the angelic explosion. The protection spells crubmles. Chandra smiles. "Looks like the party is starting." Adeline and Chandra lead the invasion, mounted Cathars charge into the ranks of guards. Kaya senses the presence of spirits in the mansion and frees them to fight the vampires. Chandra, dressed to kill, incinerates her enemies with flames, a veritable battle ensues.

Sorin confronts his grandfather, while Arlinn tries to retrieve the Moonsilver Key from Olivia.

In the duel, Arlinn is seriously injured, and when she thinks it's all over, Tovolar appears with the wolves of Arlinn's pack. They hunt Olivia down and find her with Edgar, who has just escaped death. Sorin, who could have killed his grandfather, decided to let him get away. Edgar tries to convince Olivia to abandon her plans. Despite her wounded pride, Olivia understands that she has lost control of the situation and finds herself cornered. Unceremoniously, she drops the key onto the floor and escapes through one of the windows, Edgar follows, and both manages to escape Tovolar's clutches. In possession of the Moonsilver Key, the Harvesttide Ritual is finally completed. A flash of sunlight appears on Celestus and the moon begins its descent. Together, they all watch the first sunrise over Innistrad in months.

Once the balance between night and day is restored, Katilda allows Teferi to borrow the key to his temporal studies. Arlinn says goodbye to his friends, thanking them for their help. Prior to Teferi's departure, he asks Arlinn to be alert to the return of an old enemy, the Phyrexians. And so ends our third visit to Innistrad and for the first time I had the chance to follow its story a little closer. I hope you enjoyed the article and that I found the balance necessary to summarize the most important events, making the reading lighter, but not forgetting to mention the motivations of the main characters and the main plot lines. Leave your opinion in the comments, and until next time!