Gerrard Capashen
Encyclopedia
Gerrard Capashen is a fictional warrior who commands the crew of the flying ship Weatherlight in the fantasy collectible card game
Magic: The Gathering
. He was the main character of the Weatherlight saga, a storyline that connected expansions to the Magic card game for five years. Gerrard has appeared on a number of cards, both in the artwork and the flavor text
, as well as in the various novels written in the Magic: The Gathering line.
Gerrard was first introduced in the June 1997 Weatherlight
expansion (named after the ship). He continued to be an important character through the Tempest
block, commanding the party attempting to rescue Captain Sisay from the plane Rath. Gerrard appeared only minorly in the Urza
block following the Tempest block, though it did establish Gerrard's origin as a super-soldier specially engineered by the planeswalker Urza to fight the Phyrexians. Gerrard returned as the main character once again for the Mercadian Masques
expansion, but he did not appear in the later expansions of Masques block (which took place elsewhere but at roughly the same time). Gerrard's final appearance was in Invasion
block, where he was one of the major characters to fight off the Phyrexian invasion. In the last set of the block, Apocalypse
, Gerrard was given his own card, the legend . Gerrard perished in Apocalypse in a sacrifice to stop Yawgmoth
, the antagonist of Invasion block.
and editor Michael Ryan. Due to the need of the game to switch locales regularly, the same cast needed to be able to visit a variety of places. This lead into making the main characters the crew of the skyship Weatherlight as their "plot hook."
Rosewater and Ryan began an interest in the works of Joseph Campbell
around this time, and decided that their story would be a telling of the famous archetype "The Hero's Journey." Gerrard would be the archetypical hero taken from his destiny, yet forced to return to it. According to Rosewater, fitting into this role meant "Gerrard needed to be of a noble birth yet have been taken away from it as a baby. We needed a villain that was blood-bound to Gerrard. We needed a dark home for our villain." This villain became Gerrard's dark mirror
Volrath, Gerrard's adopted brother.
As for personality, Rosewater and Ryan decided to make Gerrard a rogue
. Gerrard would be stubborn, independent, and contrary, but would be willing to do the right thing if backed into a corner. For additional dramatic weight, Gerrard would fight to avoid his "destiny" which, in his early life, only killed his loved ones. His destiny was tied to the Weatherlight, which Gerrard learned was part of the Legacy, a collection of artifacts. To escape it, Gerrard abandoned the Weatherlight prior to the beginning of the story. It was only to save his friend Captain Sisay that Gerrard is forced to adventure with the Weatherlight once more, beginning the Weatherlight saga.
Collectible card game
thumb|Players and their decksA collectible card game , also called a trading card game or customizable card game, is a game played using specially designed sets of playing cards...
Magic: The Gathering
Magic: The Gathering
Magic: The Gathering , also known as Magic, is the first collectible trading card game created by mathematics professor Richard Garfield and introduced in 1993 by Wizards of the Coast. Magic continues to thrive, with approximately twelve million players as of 2011...
. He was the main character of the Weatherlight saga, a storyline that connected expansions to the Magic card game for five years. Gerrard has appeared on a number of cards, both in the artwork and the flavor text
Flavor text
Flavor text is the name given to text for action figure character backgrounds, playing cards, or within the pages of a role-playing game's rulebook. While appropriate to the product's or game's story concept, it usually has no effect on the mechanics of the game, but instead serves to add realism...
, as well as in the various novels written in the Magic: The Gathering line.
Gerrard was first introduced in the June 1997 Weatherlight
Weatherlight (Magic: The Gathering)
Weatherlight is the nineteenth Magic: The Gathering set and eleventh expert level set, third and last in the Mirage Block. It was released in June 1997. Its expansion symbol is the Thran Tome...
expansion (named after the ship). He continued to be an important character through the Tempest
Tempest (Magic: The Gathering)
Tempest was the 20th Magic: The Gathering set and twelfth expert level set, and the first set in the Rath Block, released in October 1997. The release of Tempest represented a large jump in the power level of the card set, compared to the previous Mirage block. Many cards from Tempest instantly...
block, commanding the party attempting to rescue Captain Sisay from the plane Rath. Gerrard appeared only minorly in the Urza
Urza's Saga
Urza's Saga is the 15th expert level set, a 350-card Magic: The Gathering expansion set that debuted in October 1998. Some employees of Wizards consider it one of the most powerful sets ever released, with many cards now banned in tournament formats...
block following the Tempest block, though it did establish Gerrard's origin as a super-soldier specially engineered by the planeswalker Urza to fight the Phyrexians. Gerrard returned as the main character once again for the Mercadian Masques
Mercadian Masques
Mercadian Masques is the nineteenth Magic: The Gathering expansion and was released in October 1999 as the first set in the Masques block. It is notable for being the first set not protected by Wizards of the Coast's "Reprint Policy"...
expansion, but he did not appear in the later expansions of Masques block (which took place elsewhere but at roughly the same time). Gerrard's final appearance was in Invasion
Invasion (Magic: The Gathering)
Invasion is the 21st expert level set, and the first set in the Invasion block of cards of Magic: The Gathering. The rest of the block is Planeshift and Apocalypse. It contains 350 cards.-Set History:...
block, where he was one of the major characters to fight off the Phyrexian invasion. In the last set of the block, Apocalypse
Apocalypse (Magic: The Gathering)
Apocalypse is the name of a Magic: The Gathering expansion set, released in June 2001. It is the third set of the Invasion Block.-Storyline:...
, Gerrard was given his own card, the legend . Gerrard perished in Apocalypse in a sacrifice to stop Yawgmoth
Yawgmoth
Yawgmoth, known as the "Father of Machines" and called the Ineffable by his underlings, is a fictional being from Magic, The Gathering, and is the unabated god of the plane of Phyrexia, a universe of untold corruption and mechanical monstrosity. He wields nearly unlimited magical might and...
, the antagonist of Invasion block.
Creation and archetype
Before the Weatherlight saga, characters in the Magic: The Gathering cardgame were generally alluded to only vaguely, and overarching plots were generally kept somewhat simple, such as the fall of an empire. The origin of a continuous storyline where the plot would be relevant and communicated through the cards came from conversations between (at the time) developer Mark RosewaterMark Rosewater
Mark Rosewater is a Magic: The Gathering card designer. He is currently Magics head designer.-Biography:Rosewater grew up in Pepper Pike, Ohio, where he attended the Orange High School. Rosewater has a Jewish background. Rosewater has described himself in his youth as a "social outcast", who did...
and editor Michael Ryan. Due to the need of the game to switch locales regularly, the same cast needed to be able to visit a variety of places. This lead into making the main characters the crew of the skyship Weatherlight as their "plot hook."
Rosewater and Ryan began an interest in the works of Joseph Campbell
Joseph Campbell
Joseph John Campbell was an American mythologist, writer and lecturer, best known for his work in comparative mythology and comparative religion. His work is vast, covering many aspects of the human experience...
around this time, and decided that their story would be a telling of the famous archetype "The Hero's Journey." Gerrard would be the archetypical hero taken from his destiny, yet forced to return to it. According to Rosewater, fitting into this role meant "Gerrard needed to be of a noble birth yet have been taken away from it as a baby. We needed a villain that was blood-bound to Gerrard. We needed a dark home for our villain." This villain became Gerrard's dark mirror
Dark Mirror
Dark Mirror or The Dark Mirror may refer to:In literature:* Dark Mirror , an original novel based on the American TV series Angel* Dark Mirror , a novel by Diane Duane...
Volrath, Gerrard's adopted brother.
As for personality, Rosewater and Ryan decided to make Gerrard a rogue
Rogue (vagrant)
A rogue is a vagrant person who wanders from place to place. Like a drifter, a rogue is an independent person who rejects conventional rules of society in favor of following their own personal goals and values....
. Gerrard would be stubborn, independent, and contrary, but would be willing to do the right thing if backed into a corner. For additional dramatic weight, Gerrard would fight to avoid his "destiny" which, in his early life, only killed his loved ones. His destiny was tied to the Weatherlight, which Gerrard learned was part of the Legacy, a collection of artifacts. To escape it, Gerrard abandoned the Weatherlight prior to the beginning of the story. It was only to save his friend Captain Sisay that Gerrard is forced to adventure with the Weatherlight once more, beginning the Weatherlight saga.