Lorwyn Eclipsed comes out on January 23rd. While we’ve only gotten a glimpse at a few dozen cards in the set so far, the set’s official story came to a conclusion last week. In this article, I’m going to summarize this epic 7-part story into one digestible read.
LORWYN-SHADOWMOOR: A PLANE OF DUALITIES
It’s been a very long time since our last visit to this plane. While we got glimpses of it in 2015’s Magic Origins, and we saw it get invaded by the Phyrexians in 2023’s March of the Machine, we haven’t made a substantial visit to the plane since 2008’s Eventide. I’d venture to guess most Magic players weren’t playing last time we saw the plane. So, here’s a brief introduction to the plane and its lore.
The most notable aspect of Lorwyn-Shadowmoor was exactly that. It is a plane that has two different sides and two different names. Every 300 years, Lorwyn turns into Shadowmoor and vice versa, and despite occupying the same space in the multiverse, they are polar opposites of one another. Lorwyn is a place of eternal summer time and sunlight, while Shadowmoor is a plane of eternal night and autumnal gloom. During each of these cycles even the plane’s residents change, taking on new appearances and personalities.
This isn’t originally how the plane worked. It once had the same normal day-night cycles of most planes, but a powerful Faerie named Oona tampered with the plane’s day-night cycle and caused The Great Aurora, an event that gave the plane its centuries-long days and nights.
In the original Lorwyn-Shadowmoor story, Oona was defeated and the plane’s day-night cycle returned to normal. And that’s more or less where we left things – apart from getting a glimpse of Lorwyn during Phyrexia’s multiplanar invasion.
NEVER CHASE A FAERIE IN THE WOODS, KIDS
Our story begins not on Lorwyn, but on Arcavios – a plane most well-known for Strixhaven, the most elite university in the multiverse. Dina, a former Witherbloom student who is now a teaching assistant, is leading a class on a field trip to gather flowers that pests like to eat.
A group of four students – named Kirol, Abigale, Sanar, and Tamira – encounter a strange being in the woods, one that bears the following description:
It looked like a humanoid insect, almost—bipedal, with long, spindly limbs covered in shining blue chitin. Its wings were broad and shimmering, like sheets of mica flaked off some larger piece of stone. It turned its unnervingly human face toward them and laughed before taking off into the air.
To us readers, that is very clearly the description of a Lorwyn faerie. Fascinated by the strange being, Tam decides to give chase, and the other students decide to pursue him. In doing so, they end up falling through an Omenpath, at which point they find themselves in an unfamiliar brightly lit meadow that prominently features spirals and strange wildflowers. They quickly realize that they aren’t in Arcavios anymore.
To make matters worse, the Omenpath they fell through is suspended in mid-air and too high up for them to return to their home plane.
DON’T TOUCH A MYTHICAL BEAST, EITHER!
They resolve to explore the surrounding area to try to find out more about where they are, and perhaps find a way out. This results in them discovering a gate, behind which is only darkness. Without any other leads, the group goes through the gate and finds themselves in a dark cave.
There, they discover cave paintings that depict two massive creatures. One of them has a sun for a head, and the other a moon. The various paintings told a story – the moon-headed beast roamed during the night, and the sun-headed beast roamed during the day. The sun-headed creature sleeps at night, while the moon-headed one sleeps during the day.
As they continue to explore the cave, they stumble upon the moon-headed beast, who is sleeping. While his three friends all urge him not to do it, Sanar’s curiosity about these legendary beasts gets the better of him, and he approaches the beast and touches it.
It awakens with a mighty roar, before darkness proceeds throughout the entire cave, even blotting out the sunny meadow that they came from. The four students also see the Faerie who lured them to Lorwyn, and they witness it transform when the darkness envelops it. It becomes darker and more insect-like, before flying away into the darkness.
As the students flee from the beast, they see a woman with a bow gesturing for them to come towards her. While there’s some skepticism in the group, they reason that this woman surely can’t be more frightening than the beast they woke in the cave.
The woman reveals herself to be Brigid, a kithkin hero. She guides them away from the rampaging beast, and they eventually arrive at a kithkin settlement called Goldmeadow, where Brigid asks them questions about who they are and where they came from.
They explain their situation to her, and she reveals that she has heard that visitors from other planes have been showing up ever since the Phyrexian invasion, but this was the first time she had encountered them herself. She also identifies the creature that lured them through the Omenpath as a Faerie, and she sends a message to the Queen of the Fae so that they might figure out what that Faerie was up to.
Brigid also explains that the being they encountered was Isilu who brings darkness and turns Lorwyn to night – into Shadowmoor. When that happens, even the people change. She warns them that the kithkin won’t be nearly as welcoming under Isilu’s influence. Just as the explanation is finished, the group sees a mischievous Faerie at the window that has been listening in. After laughing, the Faerie quickly flees. Not long after, Isilu arrived in Goldmeadow, bringing the night with him and transforming the kithkin.
Before transforming herself, Brigid urges them to head east to Glen Elendra and seek out a Faerie named Maralen.
MEANWHILE, ON ARCAVIOS…
The Planeswalker Ajani arrives on Arcavios, in search of his fellow former Gatewatch member Liliana Vess, who is a professor at Strixhaven. He finds her and the two enjoy a brief reunion, with Liliana happy to see that Ajani is alive. However, he comes bearing bad news. He tells her about the events of Tarkir: Dragonstorm, during which her one-time paramour Jace Beleren died, and her mortal enemy Nicol Bolas escaped from his prison.
Liliana expresses doubt that Jace is actually dead, but before they can go much deeper on the conversation, Dina arrives to tell her professor that four Strixhaven students are missing. Dina tells Liliana and Ajani about their disappearance, including the information that a strange insect-like humanoid was seen in the woods. Ajani and Liliana return to the scene of their disappearance, where Ajani finds a strange blue flower petal that he recognizes.
Ajani decides to go to Lorwyn in search of the students, while Liliana and Dina stay behind as a result of their responsibilities at Strixhaven.
THERE’S A NEW QUEEN OF THE FAE
Meanwhile, a being named Maralen awakens in her bed chamber in Glen Elendra – the haven of the queen of the Fae. She was originally an avatar of Oona that was created by that one-time queen to resemble a Mornsong Elf. Despite her origins, she rejects Oona and rules over all the Fae in a very different manner than her predecessor.
Maralen and several other Faeries, as well as the elf Rhys with whom she once worked to overthrow her master, are all frantically searching for a missing Faerie named Aherin.
THIS HAS GOT TO BE THE WORST FIELD TRIP EVER…
As the Strixhaven students continue their long journey east until they find themselves in a forest. Exhausted and straggling behind his friends, Kirol finds themself in the grasp of an Elf. With his arm around their neck and his knife in Kirol’s back, the captor says:
“Struggle or scream, and we’ll see how well your blood can water the flowers here, outsider. Do you understand me?”
Kirol promised not to struggle or stream, and was released from the Elf’s grasp. The Elf introduces himself as Lluwen, and demands to know what is going on with Isilu. Kirol explains their plight, and tells Lluwen everything about who they are and how they ended up on Lorwyn.
Lluwen listens intently to Kirol’s story, before concluding that he would take his new prisoner to see the leader of the Lys Alana Elves – High Perfect Morcant.
After a short journey, Kirol is brought in front of Morcant. After hearing their story, Morcant helps explain what exactly Isilu is and how things work on Lorwyn more broadly:
Our world is defined by day and night…Perfect, beautiful, faultless day, and wicked, twisted, bitter night. Once, the Great Aurora kept the night contained and the day protected so that we were shielded from one another. But the aurora fell, and in its place, two beasts arose, one glorious and good, one embittered and evil. Eirdu and Isilu. Lorwyn and Shadowmoor. Where they walk, night becomes day and day becomes night, and the precious border shifts, ignoring treaties, unmaking oaths.
It quickly becomes clear that Morcant has a very negative view of the night and the beast that brings it, and indeed she wants to return Lorwyn-Shadowmoor to just Lorwyn. She explains that because Isilu woke up ahead of schedule, the beast might be weak, and she proposes finding a way to kill it to return Lorwyn to a plane of eternal day.
To that end, Morcant sees an opportunity in the captive Kirol. She reasons that the Vampire won’t be affected by the plane’s day/night cycle since they aren’t a resident of it, and that means they can go into the darkness and get an incredibly toxic plant called dawnglove, which she wants to use to poison the great beast of the night.
After he gathers the first batch, Morcant attempts to force them to gather some more. Kirol begs her to let them go, and Lluwen agrees that Kirol should be released now. Morcant refuses, but then Ajani arrives and rescues the Vampire.
THESE STUDENTS REALLY NEED TO USE THE BUDDY SYSTEM…
Kirol’s friends halt their journey east after they realize their friend is missing, and begin searching for them. In their search, they encounter a massive beast, and while the trio of students manage to defeat it, Abigale ends up tumbling into a river. With her feathers weighing her down, she can’t escape the river’s current.
Merfolk in the river rescue her, and Abigale informs them that she’s looking for Maralen, the Faerie Queen. The merfolk listen to her, but conclude that there’s something in their settlement – Wanderwine – that she needs to see.
THE RETURN OF OONA?
Back in Lys Alandra, Maralen is experiencing some glaring signs that Oona may be reasserting her control over her. She is hearing laughter that no one else can hear, and there are flower petals scattered all over the room that are made of Oona’s flesh – her flesh – as if she is somehow being unmade.
As Maralen is panicking about the potential return of Oona, Tam and Sanar arrive at her door and explain their situation and ask for Maralen’s help. However, before Maralen can respond, Rhys comes to her bedchamber with the small mischievous Faerie on his shoulder and brandishing a knife.
It’s revealed that the two of them have always had a pact that if it looked like Oona might return, Rhys would kill Maralen to prevent her from being used as Oona’s pawn once again. Maralen attempts to reason with him, saying that she wants more time to get to the bottom of things, but Rhys ignores her plea and attacks her.
Fortunately for Maralen, the petals scattered about the room cause Rhys to trip and fall out the window. Maralen tells Tam and Sanar to come with her, while also ordering the mischievous faerie to join them, and they escape before Rhys can return.
MARALEN’S ESCAPE, AND HER NEW MISSION
Maralen and her new companions escape Lys Alandra by boat and arrive at a boggart settlement where they meet up with Ashling, an elemental that once helped Maralen and Rhys defeat Oona.
Ashling reveals that the Elves are planning to try and kill Isilu. Maralen and Ashling both believe in the importance of the balance of day and night, and they resolve to stop the Elves. In so doing, Maralen feels that she will also be able to negate Oona’s potential influence on her since she will so clearly be directly opposing the kind of world that Oona once created.
Ashling procures a large boat and a crew of boggarts to take them to Goldmeadow, the last place that Isilu was seen. They end up being captured by the Kithkin townsfolk just as Isilu descends upon the area. In almost the same instant, the Elves emerge from the forest. In short, the party is surrounded by enemies on all sides – those of Lorwyn and those of Shadowmoor.
THE MISCHIEVOUS FAERIE’S IDENTITY REVEALED
As the Kithkin-led forces of Shadowmoor and the Elf-led forces of Lorwyn clash, Maralen watches as the mischievous faerie flies around Isilu, and she’s startled to notice that she recognizes him in the darkness of Shadowmoor. It’s her brother.
Just as she makes this realization, she sees Rhys on the battlefield, charging towards her with his knife in hand. He slashes her arm, which at first seems like a minor wound – but then she realizes she’s been poisoned. Rhys quickly realizes his mistake. Because, if Maralen had been Oona, she would have tried to bargain with him. As Rhys tries to apologize to the dying Maralen for his actions, the mischievous Faerie begins to descend, and his shape changes as he does.
By the time he reaches the ground he is incredibly tall and no longer has wings. It’s Oko, the planeswalker.
He reveals that he was originally created as an avatar of Oona, but he abandoned her long ago because he hated her. He had no sisters when he left, so he thought that Maralen was Oona, whom he wanted to kill. To that end, he manipulated Rhys into killing her. But now, like Rhys, he realizes his mistake.
He also told Rhys that Maralen was Oona, but like Rhys he has now realized his mistake. Oko left Lorwyn long ago because he hated Oona, and he didn’t have any sisters at the time, so he assumed Maralen was Oona, and all of his actions were him attempting to kill her.
OKO AND RHYS REPENT
Meanwhile, Ajani arrives on the battlefield with Kirol. He heals Tam, who was wounded in the battle, and then turns towards Oko and the wounded Maralen. Rhys explains he used moonglove to poison her. Kirol asks if it has any relation to dawnglove and Rhys responds that it does, and it’s the only antidote for moonglove, but no one knows where to get it because the elves guard it. Kirol explains where he found it, and Oko departs to find the antidote.
Kirol then explains that Morcant has some dawnglove and is going to try to use it to kill Isilu. Ajani continues to heal Tam, so Kirol and Sanar decide to go off on their own to find Morcant. When they do, they manage to wrestle the vial of moonglove away from her with Lluwen’s help.
Oko returns with dawnglove and combines it with the vial that Kirol and Sanar have procured. He then uses it to revive his sister.
BALANCE RESTORED, FIELD TRIP OVER
Abigale is the next to arrive, and she does so with Eirdu. She reveals that she was rescued by merfolk, who took her to where Eirdu was sleeping, and she woke the sun beast, who followed her because she carried Isilu’s scent. Now, the two great beasts are face to face with one another, and the two gods surprise everyone by greeting one another fondly and begin to wrestle playfully.
With balance restored and Maralen revived, Rhys begins to disappear. He has been kept alive by the pact he made with Maralen, and now, having followed through his promise, he disintegrates. Maralen pleads with him to make a new pact, but he refuses and says it’s his time to move on.
Now that Ajani has gathered the four missing students together, he starts discussing how he’ll get them home. Lluwen also begs to go back with them, as he’s worried that Morcant will kill him if he remains in Lorwyn-Shadowmoor, and Ajani and the four students agree that he should come with them, and he could even enroll at Strixhaven.
EPILOGUE: LILIANA THE…WHITE?
After a time skip, Liliana is in her Strixhaven office scolding Tam for his actions which led to him endangering the lives of himself and his friends. Afterward, a mysterious visitor knocks on her door. When she opens it, she finds herself looking back – except she’s entirely clad in white. This strange twin tells Liliana that they need to have a conversation.
WHAT’S NEXT?
Obviously enough, this story is setting up what we’re going to see in Secrets of Strixhaven, which releases in April. It’s safe to assume we’ll see more of these four students as well as Lluwen, and we’ll probably also get an answer as to what the deal is with Liliana’s twin.
Jacob has been playing Magic for the better part of 24 years, and he especially loves playing Magic’s Limited formats. He also holds a PhD in history from the University of Oklahoma. In 2015, he started his YouTube channel, “Nizzahon Magic,” where he combines his interests with many videos covering Magic’s competitive history. When he’s not playing Magic or making Magic content, he can be found teaching college-level history courses or caring for a menagerie of pets with his wife.