| Etrata | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Details | |
| Race | Vampire |
| Birthplace | Ravnica |
| Lifetime | Mending Era |
| Colors | |
  | |
- For other uses, see The Silencer.
Etrata is a vampire assassin from Ravnica, and a former champion of House Dimir.[1] She is currently employed as a detective at the Ravnican Agency of Magicological Investigations.[2]
Description[ | ]
Etrata is a dark-skinned woman with impressive vampiric fangs.[3] She is cold, fashionable, terrifyingly competent, and deeply nihilistic. She cares nothing for Ravnica, and barely for her guild. Her only drive is to be the best spy in existence. A professional assassin with dozens of kills, she never kills for free and remembers each of her victims.[4][5] As a member of the Dimir, she infiltrated other Ravnican guilds with ruthless ease and killed when necessary.
Etrata has the vampiric ability to induce fear with her gaze, sobering her victims with psychic power.[6][7] Her footsteps are silent.[8]
History[ | ]
Phyrexian Invasion and aftermath[ | ]
Etrata fought in the resistance to the Phyrexian Invasion, serving as one of Teysa Karlov's contacts.[9] Since House Dimir's seeming destruction and loss of leadership during the Phyrexian invasion, she lost her purpose.[10] For a while, she acted as a free agent, driven by her hunger to be the best spy in existence to sell her services to anyone who could afford them, but soon grew irritated and dissatisfied with the lack of challenge these presented her.
Murders at Karlov Manor[ | ]
A year and some months following the Invasion, she attended the celebration at Karlov Manor in disguise as a Selesnya guild member.[3] After Zegana was assassinated, she was discovered and captured by Alquist Proft, with the assistance of Kaya Cassir and Kellan. Incarcerated and questioned in Azorius verity circles, she maintained her innocence, claiming that she either did not commit or had no memory of the assassination.[11] Three days after her capture, Proft helped Etrata escape Azorius custody to assist in the investigation.
The great assassin of House Dimir.
The two retraced Etrata's path to the safehouse where she had spent the night before the party, which was also the last place she remembered being before she was arrested.[4] They found a yellow-gray powder sprinkled on her bed, which Proft suspected to be some kind of drug. On their way out, they were attacked by Massacre Girl, who had been hired to kill Proft and managed to injure him before Etrata forced her to stand down. The duo set off to see Kylox, a friend of Proft's who he believed would be able to explain the evidence they had found.
Etrata and Proft reached Kylox's laboratory but noticed that it had been ransacked.[6] They accessed a secret passage to find the scientist, who denied them his help unless they could get him to Ezrim. However, he was abducted by a gang of goblins shortly thereafter. The two tracked the goblins to one of Krenko's safehouses, where the criminal demanded everything Kylox knew about the murders. Etrata dispatched Krenko's minions, but before Kylox could divulge anything, a citizen burst into the window bound for Krenko and fatally stabbed Kylox. After the man was subdued, Etrata used her psychic abilities to remove the enchantment on him, revealing that he was oblivious to his actions.
Next, the two visited the undercity of the Sixth Precinct to see Izoni, still hoping that someone would be able to analyze the powder.[12] She cooperated, revealing that the powder was derived from a living thing not native to Ravnica. After Etrata awakened an unconscious Proft, the two left the undercity for Karlov Cathedral, where Teysa Karlov's funeral was being arranged, for a debriefing. Once there, Kaya informed Proft of three clues he hadn't previously had and declared that he knew the true killer's identity. He then invited the guild leaders to Vitu-Ghazi to learn the truth of the murders, where the detective revealed that Oba, the central dryad of Trostani, had organized them in retribution for those she considered traitors to the plane during the Invasion.[13] He also confirmed that Etrata was Zegana's killer, likely given her Selesnya robes by the guildmaster herself.[14] When Oba attacked her accusers, Etrata jumped in the way to save the Gruul centaur Yarus and was stabbed through the chest with a branch of Vitu-Ghazi.[9][15] She used the injury as an opportunity, pretending the hit had killed her until she saw an opportunity to strike and helped Kaya seal Oba in a stasis capsule.[2]
After Oba was apprehended, Etrata told Proft that she had decided to continue serving as his aide, as they had become friends during the investigation.[2] She claimed that her guild had become weak and Lazav had died, but Proft suspected that the latter was a lie.
The Omenpath Project[ | ]
Etrata accompanied Proft to a meeting with Niv-Mizzet who had expressed an interest in the detective's work.[8] Even with the death of Niv-Mizzet’s agent Kylox, Proft concluded that the dragon's attention had been focused on something much more important. With Omenpaths opening across Ravnica and other worlds, Niv-Mizzet recognized their patterns as a significant threat to the plane and began a secret experiment known as the "Omenpath Project." Etrata and Proft were ultimately contracted to assist the Firemind with his work.
When a door to Duskmourn opened on Ravnica, the two assisted Kaito Shizuki, Niko Aris, Tyvar Kell, the Wanderer, and Zimone Wola in retrieving Nashi from the plane.[16]
Trivia[ | ]
- In Murders at Karlov Manor, Etrata fills a "Watson" archetype to Proft's Sherlock Holmes.[7]
Gallery[ | ]
Proft breaks Etrata out of Azorius custody.
Key art for Murders at Karlov Manor featuring Etrata, Kaya Cassir, and Alquist Proft.
Key art for Murders at Karlov Manor featuring Etrata, Kaya, and Proft
Key art for Murders at Karlov Manor featuring Teysa Karlov, Kaya, Kellan, Proft, Agrus Kos, and Etrata.
Etrata helps Kaya and Teysa capture Oba.
Etrata by Wesley Burt
Story appearances[ | ]
In-game references[ | ]
- Represented in:
- Depicted in:
- Quoted or referred to:
References[ | ]
- ↑ James Wyatt (January 2019). "The Art of Magic: The Gathering - Ravnica". Wizards of the Coast
- ↑ a b c Seanan McGuire (January 18, 2024). "Episode 10: Roots of Decay". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ a b Seanan McGuire (January 8, 2024). "Murders at Karlov Manor - Episode 2: Monsters We Became". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ a b Seanan McGuire (January 11, 2024). "Murders at Karlov Manor - Episode 5: Chains of Expectation". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Flavor text of It Doesn't Add Up (Murders at Karlov Manor)
- ↑ a b Seanan McGuire (January 12, 2024). "Murders at Karlov Manor - Episode 6: Explosions of Genius". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ a b Seanan McGuire (January 12, 2024). "Explosions of Genius, the DVD extras". Seanan McGuire.
- ↑ a b Seanan McGuire (February 14, 2024). "Episode 11: Portents and Omens". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ a b Seanan McGuire (January 17, 2024). "Episode 9: Beauty in Destruction". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Emily Teng (February 6, 2024). "The Legends (and characters) of Murders at Karlov Manor". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Seanan McGuire (January 9, 2023). "Murders at Karlov Manor - Episode 3: Shadows of Regret". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Seanan McGuire (January 15, 2024). "Episode 7: Rot Before Recovery". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Seanan McGuire (January 16, 2024). "Episode 8: Gods of Chaos". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Seanan McGuire (January 16, 2024). "Gods of Chaos, the DVD extras". Seanan McGuire.
- ↑ Natalie Kreider and Harless Snyder (January 24, 2024). "Story Spotlight Cards for Murders at Karlov Manor". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Mira Grant (August 19, 2024). "Duskmourn: House of Horror - Episode 1: Don't Go Past the Old Dark House". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
