Katilda

Katilda's History

Katilda is a strong-willed witch from Innistrad. She is the leader of the Dawnhart Coven.

Katilda was a healer and teacher in the Kessig town of Avabruck, but when the town was destroyed years ago (the ruins of the town are now called Hollowhenge), she retreated into the Ulvenwald Forest. In an area of rocky caves called the Natterknolls, she met hermits and witches who practiced ancient hedge magic. They soon decided to reform the Dawnhart Coven around an ancient forest deity, Ghrin-Danu, and two years later, Katilda had emerged as their leader.

When the Dawnhart Coven first reformed, Katilda was at odds with the young acolyte Saryth. Saryth, a powerful hedgewitch, believed that Ghrin-Danu's power was not enough to restore Innistrad. She expressed a desire to worship additional gods, but the other witches were unflinching in their loyalty. Whether she was expelled from the coven or left on her own depends on who you ask.

Katilda gathered the Dawnhart Coven to reverse the unnatural darkness and cold that had began spreading over Innistrad after Emrakul was trapped in Innistrad's moon. Needing the energy of a large human gathering, she organized the Harvesttide festival. Planning to use the Celestus, Katilda recruited Arlinn Kord and the Gatewatch to find the Moonsilver Key.

During the preparations for the Harvesttide festival Katilda ended up helping Leinore to save her sister Sinnia, who was possessed by the powers of the witch Saryth and would be used in a ritual to summon a creature called the Coiled One.

Arlinn and her group managed to retrieve the Key but upon returning to Celestus, Tovolar began his attack on the Harvesttide festival. Kaya's intangibility let her run through the attack to bring the Key to Katilda, letting the witches begin the ritual. After the battle with Tovolar, Arlinn went to the center of Celestus and offered her blood while Katilda offered her soul for the ritual. But Olivia Voldaren appeared and interrupted the ritual once again, using Katilda as a hostage for the Key. After Olivia obtained the Key she launched Katilda towards the ground, then left with the Key. Arlinn jumped in front of Katilda to cushion the impact, but the extent of their injuries were left unknown.

After ruining the ritual, Olivia left with the Moonsilver Key that, unbenknownst to everyone, contained Katilda's soul. Everyone assumed Katilda had died in the fall. During her marrige ceremony Olivia intended to use a captive Sigarda's blood and the Key's powers to gain control over Innistrad's angels, and for that she would need the powers of Edgar Markov. Sorin Markov tried to block the marriage between Olivia and his grandfather and by attacking Olivia at the altar he ended up awakening Katilda's spirit. Katilda manifested coming out of the Key in the form of a spirit, using her powers to free Sigarda.

The Gatewatch and their allies emerged victorious and successfully retrieved the Moonsilver Key. Their journey back to the Celestus to complete the ritual was accelerated with the help of Teferi. Still in spirit form, Katilda followed along and spoke with Arlinn Kord about Tovolar and their uncertain future. Upon arrival, Katilda was returned to her body and with the combined efforts of the Dawnhart Coven, the balance between night and day was restored. In gratitude for his service, Katilda allowed Teferi to borrow the Moonsilver Key for his temporal studies.