Starke il-Vec was a Rathi native who was once a merchant who had turned on his own people to become a minion for the Lord of the Wastes.

His job was to go to the continent Jamuraa on the plane of Dominaria and bring the person known as Vuel to Phyrexia's side.

Starke went to Vuel and told him about his adopted brother Gerrard's Legacy. When Vuel was to go on a test to see if he was worthy of becoming the successor to the warclan's leader, he had started to slip off of the steep cliffside he had to climb. No one was to interfere, but Gerrard saved Vuel's life by helping him up.

Vuel hated Gerrard for stealing his birthright and disgracing him before the warclan. Starke told him to steal Gerrard's Legacy artifacts and Vuel did. Vuel sold them to build an army which he used to destroy the warclan. He killed hundreds and deactivated Karn before he found out Multani had sent Gerrard away.

Vuel was to go to Rath and fight for leadership of the plane. Starke made Vuel go but stayed in Dominaria. Vuel had defeated the previous evincar but at a horrible price: he had to leave his human body to transform into an evil and powerful one where he could control his plane. He was now Volrath.

Volrath had sent a powerful Keldon warlord named Maraxus to get Starke. Maraxus had tried to kill Starke for not coming to Rath, but Starke had escaped. He betrayed Captain Sisay of the Weatherlight to Volrath when looking for the Legacy item of the null rod. Gerrard had taken over as captain of the ship in Sisay's absence, and was determined to go to Rath and get her back.

Starke switched sides yet again and joined Gerrard. Together they had killed Maraxus and then they journeyed to Rath.

Being a native of Rath, it was Starke's duty to guide the Weatherlight to Volrath's stronghold where Sisay was imprisoned.

Starke had a daughter named Takara of the Dal tribe and he told Gerrard to try to rescue Sisay as well as his daughter. Gerrard agreed and they had made it to Volrath's stronghold.

Volrath had fought Gerrard in the dream halls of the stronghold and Starke used the same trick he did on Maraxus—stab a knife in the back of the enemy when Maraxus was fighting Starke's allies. This trick did not work on Volrath, as Volrath had anticipated Starke would one day betray him. Volrath batted the man aside and ran back to his fortress. Then appeared Sisay and Takara under Volrath's control to fight them.

Gerrard fought Sisay and knocked her unconscious. Takara had found Starke and Starke told her that it was him, her father, but it was no use, she obeyed Volrath. Takara had cut Starke's eyes with her blade, blinding Starke forever. A moment later, Sisay and Takara seemed to have been severed from Volrath's control. The four returned to the ship and had gone into a portal leading to a new plane.

The crew had gone to the city of Mercadia, which lied on an inverted mountain. When the rest of the crew were gone, Takara revealed that she was the shapeshifter Volrath. Starke was horrified the one person he cared about was not rescued from Rath. Finally, Volrath had gotten his revenge and killed Starke.