The weather tonight is not unlike your previous visit: a strong wind bringing cold air inside the halls of the monastery. Only a pale sliver of the moon hanging in the east differentiates the two. Yet it is enough to bring a feeling of foreboding and creeping danger.

With your hands free of offerings for the old man today, you knock upon your arrival. When no answer returns, you crack the door open. The old man sits with his usual hunched posture, facing away from the door. Thinking that perhaps he is too engrossed in his books, you knock once more, much louder this time. Again, there is no response.

Deciding that the old man is just deaf, you enter in hopes that he will hear you traipsing across his room. When you reach the old man, you are surprised to find him fast asleep.

Ssshhuuuuuuuuuuu . . .

With no responsibilities and no desire to go to your scratchy sleeping pallet, you decide to wait for the old man to wake. As soon as you sit in your usual spot, however, the old man’s eyes open, and he greets you as if you had just arrived.

My, it’s a bit late for a visit tonight. But I am always happy to indulge a curious mind. I was just scanning some historical facts on Phyrexia that my ancient mind seems to have forgotten. We have recently won a small battle against the newest iteration of Phyrexians, and I hope it to be the first of many. But that is a subject I’ve beaten to death lately. You’re here for a tale!

Let’s return to the plane of Ulgrotha tonight. It’s time I tell you of the Baron Sengir, one of the Multiverse’s most devious vampires. I have mentioned him in passing previously, but he deserves his own tale. In fact, I imagine someone could write a book on him if they were willing to risk their life.

The old man’s eyes light up for a moment after his last line, as if an idea has come to him.

So what was Baron Sengir doing on Ulgrotha in the first place? There are no vampires native to the plane. All of them are children of the Baron, and he has not been there for long.

The dirty truth that the Baron would prefer remained lost to the winds of time is that he was brought there by a planeswalker. A duel between two unknown planeswalkers summoned Baron Sengir from his home plane, forcing him into battle. When the Baron’s side proved victorious, his summoner left for other worlds, leaving him stranded.

Alone and with no knowledge of where he was, the Baron began anew what he knew best, a quest for power over others. His first step toward that goal was wresting control of the Castle of Morning Light from the dwarves of the plane. The dwarves were also foreigners to Ulgrotha, and I don’t believe his actions to be a coincidence. Despite what many have said about Baron Sengir, he is very calculated in what he does.

With the dwarven castle now Castle Sengir, the Baron began to build his power. He bit the dwarven princess, and adopted her as his own daughter, naming her Irini Sengir. He then freed Ravi, the bearer of the Apocalypse Chime, from her Basalt Spire. In return, the newly named Grandmother Sengir taught the Baron arcane magic that greatly increased his personal power.

All the while, Baron Sengir began to turn the area around Castle Sengir into a personal kingdom he named the Dark Barony. With the help of Grandmother Sengir, the Baron cursed the land, keeping it in perpetual darkness. Of course, no one would live there willingly. So the Baron began raids on the city-state of Aysen with the dual purpose of abduction and intimidation.

Though he never fought directly against Ulgrotha's planeswalkers Serra and Feroz, the Baron waged a constant battle of will against the two. He constantly terrorized the denizens of Ulgrotha, while the planeswalkers spent their energy uniting and reassuring them. Though Feroz eventually died from unrelated activities and Serra left the plane, many have called it an even match that would have continued for centuries. That alone should be telling of the Baron's power.

Of course, Serra and Feroz were not the Baron's only enemies. Someone as powerful and manipulative as the vampire lord could not help but instill feelings of resistance in the hearts of others. Some fought him, some gave in, but each played a role in the storyline of Ulgrotha while the Baron remained at the very center. Autumn Willow, the Serra paladin Ihsan, and Eron the Relentless were just a few of those who opposed him.

Baron Sengir outlasted or outmaneuvered all of them, and grew stronger after each confrontation.

My sources of information on Ulgrotha these days are few, but I can tell you a bit of the Baron's plans. The obvious—and seemingly inevitable—goal is to rule Ulgrotha. This has been a goal of the Baron's since he arrived on the plane, and he has made it no secret. With resistance against him dwindling, I fear it is only a matter of time before he reaches this step.

What about after he conquers backwater plane? The Baron's ambition does not end there, no. He knows of the planar gate deep within the mountains below Castle Sengir, and intends to put it to use. Once he has control of Ulgrotha's populace, the Baron intends to march an army through the gate to conquer whatever world awaits on the other side.

Where does it lead? Will he succeed? These are questions I cannot answer, as I have never been to Ulgrotha myself. I do fear for those who live wherever the Baron chooses to go, however. He may not be a planeswalker, but that has not hindered him in the past.

So there you are. I have provided you with what you desire. Be off, and do not worry about the Baron's destination. I am quite sure it is not the plane we dwell on.

With his final words, the old man faces the desk once more. No sound escapes his lips, but you can't help the feeling that he has fallen asleep yet again. Curious as to why the old man does not know more about the portal on Ulgrotha, you make to leave the warm study.