Liliana Vess is one of the main antagonists/antihero of the modern era of Magic: The Gathering, being both a main protagonist and the secondary antagonist of the entire War of the Spark event. Hailing from the plane of Dominaria, Liliana went through her early life originally wanting to be a healer, showcasing great skill at it. But her desires and goals would begin to become twisted, and after discovering her exceptional power in black magic, would embrace the dark arts and go on to become possibly the most powerful Human necromancer of all time.
Cunning, treacherous, and willing to do virtually anything to achieve her goals, she would become directly involved throughout pivotal moments across the multiverse. Despite her crimes, which are vast and some even utterly deplorable, Liliana would ally herself, and at times serve the side of good, but this was usually to advance her own agenda. In the climax of the War of the Spark, she would witness firsthand the death and destruction her actions caused, things she would turn a blind eye to her whole life. A line she would never cross was crossed and it was entirely her fault. Unable to bear the guilt and shame, Liliana struck out against Nicol Bolas, turning protagonist for the final time, and remaining one ever since.
Personality[]
For the majority of her unnaturally long life, the only person Liliana ever cared for was herself. The only things that mattered to her was attaining and increasing her power, as well as the completion of her goals by any means necessary. She would backstab, murder and otherwise exterminate anyone and anything in her way, including people who mistakenly mistook her for an ally. Full of charisma, making allies came easy to her, but making enemies came even easier. A sadist and harbinger of the darkness of black mana, Liliana loved to watch her powers corrupt the world around her, and was wholly unrepentant for her crimes.
In her youth, Liliana did genuinely want to aid those around her, seeking out the path to become a healer. But in time, she would become afflicted with an extreme fear of death, which would ultimately lead her down the path of evil. Fearing her own end to the point of possible madness, she would do anything in her power to prevent it. This would lead to her forming pacts with 4 extremely powerful demons, each pact screwing over the previous one, to the point where her power was enough she no longer had a need for any of them. This streak of betrayal would become textbook for her, for even when she did make true and lasting allies, she would ultimately betray them as well.
Despite her cruelty and wickedness, she was capable of feeling love. She fell in love with Jace Belen, perhaps the first true love of her life. She would come to realize that deep down, she truly cared about her allies, perhaps even seeing them as friends for the first time in all her long years. She would do everything she could to protect them, and during her time with the Gatewatch would become a legitimate heroic character. Sadly, her own insecurities and fears would lead to her betraying all of them as well, including Jace. Her heart shattered, because she realized more than simply wanting to protect Belen out of love, but she in fact needed someone to love and care about her in return. This would not stop her as she followed the rule of Nicol Bolas, but upon witnessing innocent children being killed and being directly responsible for it, Liliana would at last see the horror of her ways. Overcome with grief and guilt, she would finally snap, and discarded her allegiance to the dragon god. From this moment on, she would set aside her selfish and dark ways for good, and would devote herself to atonement, starting by rejoining the Gatewatch in the final battle against Bolas.
 Villains
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Planeswalkers Phyrexians Multiversal Threats Villains by Plane Mirrodin/New Phyrexia Kamigawa Ravnica Lorwyn/Shadowmoor Alara Zendikar Innistrad Theros Tarkir Kaladesh Amonkhet Kaldheim Ikoria Arcavios Unknown | ||