Sigarda

Sigarda's History

Sigarda is an Angel from Innistrad associated with purity, birth and the protection of humanity. Where Bruna was thoughtful and reserved to a fault, Sigarda never let the perfect become the enemy of the good. She acted when she knew who was on the side of good and who was on the side of evil. Yet she had none of Gisela's bluster, none of her fire-and-brimstone approach to the sinners. The iron framework keeping Sigarda together was an unabashed love of humankind. According to Sorin Markov, she was too emotional, often offering mercy where ruthlessness might have better served the people of Innistrad in his views.

Sigarda worked diligently to protect the humans of Innistrad even before the coming of Avacyn. When the latter arrived to become the new protector of Innistrad, Sigarda fell in line although with a healthy dose of skepticism about the archangel.

When Avacyn was trapped inside the Helvault, Sigarda and her host did their best to continue their work of protecting the living. Sigarda openly joined in the quashing of evil upon Avacyn's return.

In the Hunter's Moon the year after Avacyn was restored, Sigarda was approached by Gisela and Bruna in her own solar. The two flanked her as Avacyn manifested before her. By now fully corrupted, Avacyn advocated genocide against Innistrad's humans, which Sigarda regarded with fear and disgust. She didn't respond to Avacyn's insane statements, but Avacyn sensed her hesitation and blew up her solar's roof, implying a threat should she fail to comply. Already resentful towards Avacyn for the death of Liesa, Sigarda cried and vowed to fight the archangel.

Upon discovering what her sisters had become, Sigarda could only weep. In Thraben, she chose to fight against the corrupted angels, aiding the Cathar Thalia in slaying the monstrosity that was comprised of her former sisters. Many humans turned to worship Sigarda for protection since she alone had not turned her host against them.

After The Travails, Sigarda and her Flight were the only angels who survived uncorrupted. In the two years since The Travails, this reverence for Sigarda had become a new sect within the Avacynian Church. Some members of the church have begun styling themselves as "Sigardian priests." The Sigardian Sect was 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 another. 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.

Sigarda took up Avacyn's role as best she could, answering the fervent prayers of the lost and endangered. The people gave her many epithets: Sigarda the True, Sigarda the Shadow-Slayer and Sigarda the Hope of the Lost.

Sigarda heard the prayer made by Arlinn Kord and her group, who were about to enter the Markov Manor, to question Sorin about the whereabouts of the Moonsilver Key. During Arlinn and Sorin's talk, she mentioned Avacyn twice and the enraged vampire attacks her twice. The second time, Sigarda appeared and stopped Sorin's sword attack. She told the group that the Key was in Sorin's quarters and that she would battle the vampire, giving the group a chance to reach the Key.

After fighting Sorin, she was captured and imprisoned by Olivia Voldaren, who planned to use the archangel's blood and the powers of the Moonsilver Key to control Innistrad's angels. For this, the vampire also needs the sangromancy powers of Edgar Markov. Sorin tried to block the marriage between Olivia and his grandfather and by attacking Olivia at the altar he ended up awakening Katilda's spirit, who was inside the Key. In spirit form, Katilda came out of the Key and used her powers to free Sigarda, who was bleeding and trapped on the ceiling of the hall by red enchanted ribbons. Upon being released Sigarda exploded her angelic aura in fury, causing the surrounding stained glass windows to explode and injuring or killing many of the wedding guests. This provided Sorin Markov, Arlinn Kord and the Gatewatch with the opportunity to recover the Moonsilver Key and consequently the balance between night and day was restored.