Eldrazi/Lineages: Difference between revisions
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Each of the [[Eldrazi]] Titans on [[Zendikar (plane)|Zendikar]] spawned its own '''lineage''', an army of [[drone]]s with various functions. The drones were much weaker than the actual Titans, but had characteristics that resembled them.<ref>[[James Wyatt]] 2016, "''[[The Art of Magic: The Gathering - Zendikar]]''".</ref> Below is a list of all Eldrazi associated with the Titans, including their descriptions and abilities. | |||
==Kozilek's Lineage== | ==Kozilek's Lineage== | ||
The lineage of [[Kozilek]] is characterized by the crowns of obsidian plates that hover above each one's head. The crowns were | [[File:Kozilek's Drone.jpg|left|thumb|176x176px|Kozilek's Drone]][[File:Kozilek lineage concepts.jpg|thumb|215x215px|Kozilek lineage concepts]] | ||
The lineage of [[Kozilek]] is characterized by the crowns of obsidian plates that hover above each one's head.<ref name="Lineages"/> The crowns were holes in space that revealed the [[Blind Eternities]]. However, as the barest touch of the Blind Eternities can kill those without a spark, these sharp projections tear effortlessly through physical substances, including armor and living tissue; though Kozilek-lineage creatures seem not to use them intentionally as weapons. The projections may be defensive growths, organs of communication, or simply decorative features of the species. | |||
Although creatures of the Kozilek lineage often have animalistic skeletal structures, they always have their own horrible divergences from those natural forms, leaving them completely alien.<ref name="Lineages"/> They often have multi-legged, animalistic, or [[insect]]oid body plans. Some Kozilek-lineage creatures have bifurcated arms like the Ulamog lineage, but Kozilek limbs tend to branch at stranger, more awkward angles. The forked elbow structure could indicate an adaptation used for climbing through caves and subterranean ruin passages, although it appears on some greater Eldrazi that are many stories tall. Kozilek Eldrazi usually have many eyes or eyelike protuberances in odd places, such as at limb joints or scattered seemingly randomly along the creatures' flanks, although they do not always have heads. The eyes do seem occasionally to aim and focus, but usually only at empty space. Some have speculated that the eyes were grown as an attempt to mimic the life of Zendikar, the better to hunt such prey, but that the imitation failed or was halted, and only the eyes and vaguely bestial body shapes remain. | |||
Their presence can warp the world around them, a lesser version of Kozilek's reality-destroying powers. When these Eldrazi feed, they leave behind a path of iridescent geometric patterns similar to bismuth crystals in the land, rather than the chalky dust that Ulamog's drones leave. | |||
===Spawn=== | |||
The spawn of the Kozilek lineage are squat, insectile, multi-eyed creatures that skitter on [[crab]]like limbs.<ref name="Lineages"/> These spawn exhibit swarming behaviors that mimic ant or termite colonies. Adventurers have discovered entire dungeons crawling with Kozilek spawn, which often precedes the emergence of new greater Eldrazi. | |||
==Emrakul's Lineage== | ==Emrakul's Lineage== | ||
The spawn of [[Emrakul]] typically have multicolored | [[File:Emrakul lineage concepts.jpg|thumb|Emrakul lineage concepts]] | ||
The spawn of [[Emrakul]] typically have multicolored bodies—they are usually red, green, blue, or purple in coloration.<ref name="Lineages">{{DailyRef|savor-flavor/three-brood-lineages-2010-04-28|The Three Brood Lineages|[[Doug Beyer]]|April 28, 2010}}</ref> This odd coloration is common to most Eldrazi, as their once-astral forms are thought to reflect Zendikar's light in unnatural ways, but the effect is especially prominent in the Emrakul lineage. They also often possess many tentacles, although this is not true for all of them. Their flesh has a sort of lattice-like structure, similar to their creator Emrakul. Some merfolk scholars have speculated that the lattice somehow allows the Emrakul lineage to bend gravity more powerfully than the other lineages. Some of them have mastery over gravity, which allows them to float over the ground. Emrakul's spawn leaves a trail of yellow dust in their wake, and the ground that they drain begins to look as living flesh. | |||
When Emrakul was drawn to Innistrad by Nahiri, most of her spawns were left on Zendikar. In their place, the Titan corrupted the native creatures, resulting in a plethora of spawn that resembled mutated variants of their older selves, often with lattice-like flesh and tentacles covering them. Most of these corrupted Eldrazi had purple colorations.[[File:Emrakul's Drone and spawn.jpg|left|thumb|226x226px|Emrakul's Drone and spawn]] | |||
===Spawn=== | |||
Emrakul's [[spawn]] walk on two stumpy little legs, and have some of the same bizarre coloration and spongy latticework built into their anatomy as other members of their brood.<ref name="Lineages"/> As all small Eldrazi [[Spawn]], they lived to be consumed for mana by larger Eldrazi. | |||
===Eternal Scourge=== | |||
The only true Eldrazi of Emrakul's lineage that appeared on Innistrad was a [[drone]] about the size of a tall human. It appears to be a bigger version of Emrakul's [[spawn]], however, locals were unable to notice the difference between Emrakul's brood and the corrupted native creatures. | |||
===Nest Invader=== | |||
The Nest Invader is a small, green [[drone]] of the size of a human. Their purpose was to infiltrate the forests and to deploy small amounts of [[spawn]] to prepare for the arrival of the larger [[Eldrazi]]. | |||
===Emrakul's Hatcher=== | |||
Emrakul's Hatcher is a red, bipedal [[drone]] of the size of a small bear. Like Ulamog's brood, its arms are split in two and multiple tentacles emerge from what appears to be its head. In contrast to the Nest Invader, it deployed large amounts of [[spawn]] to initiate the full-scale invasion of the Eldrazi. | |||
===Vestige of Emrakul=== | |||
The Eldrazi [[drone]] called Vestige of Emrakul is a big purple, bug-like four-legged being of the size of a house. Its body is split in the middle but the gap is filled with lattice-like matter. It appears to have at least two small arms. Unlike the Nest Invader or Emrakul's Hatcher, it is described to be a deadly threat while in combat. | |||
===Hand of Emrakul=== | |||
The huge red Eldrazi called Hand of Emrakul resembles the Nest Invader. However, its huge size and immense strength even allow it to tear apart huge rocks and to devastate its opponents. | |||
===Eldrazi Conscription=== | |||
[[File:Emrakul's Conscription.png|thumb|293x293px|Example of Emrakul's Conscription]] | |||
[[Emrakul]] has the ability to carry out the <c title="conscription">Eldrazi Conscription</c> of the biology of the native creatures of each [[planes]] through which it passes. It does not affect inorganic matter (rocks, water, metal etc.) but it distorts all living things, [[plant]]s, animals, [[beast]]s, [[human]]s and other sentient beings ([[vampire]]s, [[angel]]s, [[demon]]s, [[Homunculus|homunculi]], [[ooze]]s etc.), transforming these creatures over time into [[Eldrazi]]. [[Zombie]]s and [[spirit]]s are creatures immune to this conscription.<ref>[[James Wyatt]] 2016, "''[[The Art of Magic: The Gathering - Innistrad]]''".</ref><ref>{{DailyRef|magic-story/emrakul-rises-2016-06-20|Emrakul Rises|[[Kimberly J. Kreines]]|June 20, 2016}}</ref> | |||
==Ulamog's Lineage== | ==Ulamog's Lineage== | ||
Creations of [[Ulamog]] usually lacked skin, which exposed their muscle and bone | Creations of [[Ulamog]] usually lacked skin, which exposed their muscle and bone. The most noticeable feature of Ulamog's lineage is the featureless plate of bone that replaced each one's face.<ref name="Lineages"/> It is unknown how they were able to sense their surroundings because they had no visible sensory receptors. They had long, thin limbs that split in two—or bifurcated—halfway down their length. Many propelled themselves along the ground with a set of tentacles. The tentacle growths of this lineage sometimes seem to deteriorate over time, leaving a corroded or rind-like texture to their outer tissue; it is not known whether this is a natural molting process or a reaction of the Eldrazi's confinement in material existence. | ||
Ulamog's lineage exists to consume the land as quickly and efficiently as possible, without any semblance of subtlety. When they devour the land, they leave behind a white, chalky substance. This appears to be what remains of the land when all of the mana is drained from it. [[File:Ulamog lineage concepts.jpg|thumb|270x270px|Ulamog lineage concepts]] | |||
===Spawn=== | ===Spawn=== | ||
Ulamog's [[spawn]] were small creatures with rounded face-plates of bone. They had a set of bifurcated arms | Ulamog's [[spawn]] were small creatures with rounded face-plates of bone. They had a set of bifurcated arms but were virtually harmless in a fight. They, too, lived to be consumed for power by larger Eldrazi. | ||
===Scions=== | ===Scions=== | ||
Two types of Ulamog [[ | Two types of Ulamog [[scion]]s exist; those that lived on land, and those that were aquatic. Like spawn, scions could be consumed by other Eldrazi as food, but they could also fight. The Ulamog scions on land had a purple, worm-like body. The front half of the body was covered in segments of bone plates. The plates at the front of the body opened to reveal a mass of writhing tentacles that the scion used to feed. They had four small legs akin to those of an insect. The legs ended in sharp points that they used to attack. | ||
The aquatic Ulamog scions had long, thin bodies that split in two near the back end. They had bone plates that covered the front half of the top of their body | The aquatic Ulamog scions had long, thin bodies that split in two near the back end. They had bone plates that covered the front half of the top of their body but left the underside vulnerable. They possessed many large tentacles that protruded from below their bodies. These could seize prey or attack enemies. The aquatic scions had four small, bifurcated legs with webbing between the two sections of the leg and each toe on their feet. These were too small and weak to function well on land but were effective for propulsion in water. | ||
===Salvage Drones=== | ===Salvage Drones=== | ||
The small Salvage [[ | [[File:Ulamog's Drone.jpg|left|thumb|269x269px|Ulamog's Drone]] | ||
The small Salvage [[Drone]]s of Ulamog helped the larger Eldrazi consume the land. They could store material that they ate inside them to be recovered if they died. The salvage drone was smaller than most other Eldrazi. It had two bifurcated legs—four feet overall—to move around. It had a bulbous head, which was disproportionately large for its small size, and a large "abdomen," similar to that of an ant. Most of the top of its body was covered by a thin bone plate, rather than just its head. Its underside was exposed, and tendrils and parts of organs could be seen hanging from beneath it. | |||
===Blisterpod=== | ===Blisterpod=== | ||
These were small Eldrazi drones - similar in size to salvage drones - that had one purpose: they spawned an Eldrazi scion when they died. The blisterpod had a fleshy, worm-like body, with eight legs supporting it. Its long tail, which split into smaller tentacles near the end, was one of its weapons in combat. It had several tentacles that protruded from its front. A layer of bone ran along its back to protect it. The blisterpod's head was not on the front of its body; instead, it protruded from | These were small Eldrazi drones - similar in size to salvage drones - that had one purpose: they spawned an Eldrazi scion when they died. The blisterpod had a fleshy, worm-like body, with eight legs supporting it. Its long tail, which split into smaller tentacles near the end, was one of its weapons in combat. It had several tentacles that protruded from its front. A layer of bone ran along its back to protect it. The blisterpod's head was not on the front of its body; instead, it protruded from its back, right at the front of its body. This allowed its head to have a greater view of its surroundings. The head itself had a bone plate that looked similar to Ulamog's--the plate covered its face, and had two extensions that stuck out of where its lower jaw would be. Several small tentacles with an unknown function were behind its head. When a blisterpod died, a scion would be created from its body. The scion could eat the dead body, and then move on to consume other things. This scion was the only purpose for the blisterpod; the drone would often kill as much as it could before dying, at which point the scion would be born and the blisterpod's purpose fulfilled. | ||
===Sludge Crawler=== | ===Sludge Crawler=== | ||
This type of Eldrazi drone helps larger Eldrazi ingest the land. It is so called because it appeared in swampy areas near Hagra, and helped to ingest the muddy land there. The top of the sludge crawler's body is protected by | [[File:Ulamog's Processor.jpg|thumb|295x295px|Ulamog's Processor]] | ||
This type of Eldrazi drone helps larger Eldrazi ingest the land. It is so-called because it appeared in swampy areas near Hagra, and helped to ingest the muddy land there. The top of the sludge crawler's body is protected by a smooth sheath of bone. The sheath surrounds its neck in a sort of spiked "collar," which protects the sides of its head. The front of its head is covered by a simple, featureless bone mask. Ten tentacles extend from its back in two rows of five. The sludge crawler has four legs in the rear half of its body, and two bifurcated arms in the front half. These work together to propel it. The sludge drone has the ability to absorb mana to become stronger for a short amount of time, which allows it to fend off small attacks by suddenly becoming far stronger than its attackers, before returning to its normal state. | |||
===Reaver Drone=== | ===Reaver Drone=== | ||
This type of drone exists not to destroy the land, but to destroy the people who lived on that land. The reaver drone is stronger than other Eldrazi of its | This type of drone exists not to destroy the land, but to destroy the people who lived on that land. The reaver drone is stronger than other Eldrazi of its size—it is only a little larger than a scion. Its torso resembles that of a humanoid skeleton, with an exposed—and empty—rib cage and two arms. The arms bifurcate at the elbows, splitting into two sets of forearms, each which ends in a clawed hand. Instead of legs, their torsos split into thick, powerful tentacles. The bone plates on their head are featureless. Reaver drones work in concert with one another; when no other Eldrazi are nearby, they go on a mindless rampage and harm everything around them. Reaver drones can often be seen attacking people from above—they use their tentacles to grip tree branches or ceilings and then fall upon their prey. | ||
===Culling Drone=== | ===Culling Drone=== | ||
This type of Eldrazi was one of the | This type of Eldrazi was one of the most common species among Ulamog's lineage. They were larger than humans, but a group of survivors could defeat one without trouble. They were unleashed in huge hordes across Bala Ged, leading to that land's consumption. The culling drone had four double-jointed legs that ended in small hooked claws. The only feature on its head was a mass of tentacles; it lacked the bone plating that was present on almost all Ulamog Eldrazi. | ||
===Fathom Feeder=== | |||
The fathom feeder is a small Eldrazi adept at infiltrating the seas. Physically, it is about less twice the size of a scion. Its ability to quickly consume the very life-force of distant animals allowed it to kill even the strongest behemoths of the sea. The fathom feeder has a torso, protected by complex, segmented bone plates, with two bifurcated arms. The lower torso separates into pink tentacles. The front of its head is covered by a bone plate, while tentacles protrude out of the back. While the fathom feeder can ingest objects up close, it has the ability to suck the life-force and mana out of more distant objects. | |||
===Forerunner of Slaughter=== | |||
[[File:Ulamog Brood.jpg|left|thumb|The Power of Ulamog's Brood|242x242px]] | |||
The forerunner of slaughter is an aggressive species of Eldrazi designed to rapidly destroy enemy resistance. The forerunner, unlike many other Eldrazi, has little armor on its body; most of its muscle is exposed to injury. The lack of armor, however, allows it to move faster and strike harder than other armored Eldrazi its size. The forerunner is larger than a human, and has a humanoid torso, with two legs and no exposed organs. its arms bifurcate at the elbow, allowing it to kill four targets at once. Its upper chest, neck, and back are protected by a thick bone plate that doesn't inhibit any movement, while its head is protected by a sheath of bone. The forerunner of slaughter has the ability to make its fellow Eldrazi faster and more aggressive so that they can sweep aside any resistance in their path. | |||
===Mist Intruder=== | ===Mist Intruder=== | ||
This type of Eldrazi was the smallest flying species in the Ulamog lineage. Mist intruders were larger than humans, but not large enough to harm most of Zendikar's creatures. Instead, they flew through the skies, ingesting small floating rocks that they found. They were often used as scouts for other Eldrazi. The mist intruder's main body is colored mostly blue, and its arms are red; this may have been for camouflage purposes. It possessed no visible wings | This type of Eldrazi was the smallest flying species in the Ulamog lineage. Mist intruders were larger than humans, but not large enough to harm most of Zendikar's creatures. Instead, they flew through the skies, ingesting small floating rocks that they found. They were often used as scouts for other Eldrazi. The mist intruder's main body is colored mostly blue, and its arms are red; this may have been for camouflage purposes. It possessed no visible wings or any other means of flight. It has four small arms that allow it to grip prey and other small objects. Its long body splits into many tentacles halfway down its length. Thin bone plating protects the top and bottom of the mist intruder's body from attack. Many tentacles protruded from its head, for grabbing prey. | ||
===Sky Scourer=== | ===Sky Scourer=== | ||
The sky scourer was a larger flying Eldrazi drone that was more physically powerful than the mist intruder, able to ingest larger things. The sky scourer was empowered by the presence of nearby Eldrazi; because of this, it worked with other flying Eldrazi to kill survivors of Zendikar. The sky scourer had a long, thin body that split into many tentacles, | The sky scourer was a larger flying Eldrazi drone that was more physically powerful than the mist intruder, able to ingest larger things. The sky scourer was empowered by the presence of nearby Eldrazi; because of this, it worked with other flying Eldrazi to kill survivors of Zendikar. The sky scourer had a long, thin body that split into many tentacles, similar to the mist intruder. Its whole body was a dark purplish color, rather than the more vivid colors of the mist intruder's body. Its cylindrical head ended in a mass of tentacles that would latch onto a flying object and suck the life out of it. Several thin plates of bone stuck out of the body at an angle. The plates weren't very protective, but they were lighter than full armor plates. The sky scourer also had a pair of small arms that ended in two-fingered claws—these arms were most likely vestigial and served little purpose. | ||
===Tide Drifter=== | ===Tide Drifter=== | ||
This species of Eldrazi was designed simply to empower nearby | This species of Eldrazi was designed simply to use the consumed mana to empower nearby Eldrazi, rather than actively attack enemies. The tide drifter was large but had no means of attacking anything. It was an aquatic Eldrazi, but could still empower allies if it stayed nearby. It makes nearby Eldrazi tougher so that they can kill their enemies without as many casualties. It has a bulbous, blue and purple-colored body, with several large tentacles hanging down from under it, like a jellyfish. Its back is protected by several bone spikes, and an angular bone plate protects its face. The bone plate has a large opening in it, but it is still unknown what is behind it. | ||
=== | ===Benthic Infiltrator=== | ||
The | The depths of Zendikar feared the benthic infiltrator, an aquatic Eldrazi designed to slip into areas controlled by the Zendikar Resistance and ingest the materials and beings there. The infiltrator was physically weak but was tough to kill. It had a snake-like body, with ridged bone armor on the bottom. On the top, tentacles protruded from its back, protected by a plate of bone. It had two thin forearms, which could be used for maneuvering or grabbing objects to ingest. Its head was small, with a rounded plate of bone protecting the bottom, and small tentacles extending from the top. The benthic infiltrator was hard to find in the seas, so it was able to pick off enemy targets and act as an aquatic scout or to eradicate small pockets of resistance. | ||
=== | ===Dominator Drone=== | ||
The | The dominator drone was a small type of Eldrazi that could drain the life from the creatures of Zendikar. The drone's body was about the size of a human head. It was covered in a flat bone plate. Small arms ending in points protruded from the side of its body, and tentacles hung from its underside. The dominator drone was a parasite; it attached itself to living creatures and controlled them while draining their life. The drone would cover the head and face of its victim. It would stab its small arms into the victim's back to anchor itself to the victim. It would then control the victim and use it to ingest the matter on Zendikar. | ||
=== | ===Eldrazi Skyspawner=== | ||
The | [[File:Ulamog's Skyspawner.jpg|thumb|241x241px|Ulamog's Skyspawner]] | ||
The skyspawner is a drone that evolved to spread the lineage of Ulamog over long distances. Its body is larger than that of a human, but small compared to many other Eldrazi. Its body centers around a long, sinuous trunk that contains the spinal cord and is covered by segmented bone armor. At the front end of the central trunk is the head, which is covered by a large bone plate. Just below the head is a collection of small tentacles on the back of the neck, as well as its first set of arms. Unlike most other Eldrazi of the Ulamog lineage, the skyspawner's arms do not branch at the elbow. Farther down its body—about halfway down the central trunk—the skyspawner has a large purple membrane that extends below it. The membrane is held open by bones inside it, acting as a parachute to stabilize the creature. The membrane also probably holds an apparatus that allows the skyspawner to create Eldrazi scions, which is its main purpose. Above the membrane/spawning apparatus is a collection of three more sets of arms. These arms are smaller and mostly vestigial, and similarly to the main arms, they lack the branching trait. Finally, the skyspawner has a group of large, purple tentacles at the end of its trunk that allows it to grab prey from the ground. | |||
=== | ===Flayer Drone=== | ||
The | The Flayer Drone is a mid-sized, four-legged Eldrazi [[drone]]. Instead of arms this Eldrazi has three large tentacles on each side of its body which allow it to attack distant enemies and to grab vulnerable targets behind fortifications. | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||
{{Reflist}} | {{Reflist}} | ||
[[Category:Eldrazi]] | [[Category:Eldrazi|*]] | ||
Latest revision as of 16:58, 12 June 2024
Each of the Eldrazi Titans on Zendikar spawned its own lineage, an army of drones with various functions. The drones were much weaker than the actual Titans, but had characteristics that resembled them.[1] Below is a list of all Eldrazi associated with the Titans, including their descriptions and abilities.
Kozilek's Lineage
The lineage of Kozilek is characterized by the crowns of obsidian plates that hover above each one's head.[2] The crowns were holes in space that revealed the Blind Eternities. However, as the barest touch of the Blind Eternities can kill those without a spark, these sharp projections tear effortlessly through physical substances, including armor and living tissue; though Kozilek-lineage creatures seem not to use them intentionally as weapons. The projections may be defensive growths, organs of communication, or simply decorative features of the species.
Although creatures of the Kozilek lineage often have animalistic skeletal structures, they always have their own horrible divergences from those natural forms, leaving them completely alien.[2] They often have multi-legged, animalistic, or insectoid body plans. Some Kozilek-lineage creatures have bifurcated arms like the Ulamog lineage, but Kozilek limbs tend to branch at stranger, more awkward angles. The forked elbow structure could indicate an adaptation used for climbing through caves and subterranean ruin passages, although it appears on some greater Eldrazi that are many stories tall. Kozilek Eldrazi usually have many eyes or eyelike protuberances in odd places, such as at limb joints or scattered seemingly randomly along the creatures' flanks, although they do not always have heads. The eyes do seem occasionally to aim and focus, but usually only at empty space. Some have speculated that the eyes were grown as an attempt to mimic the life of Zendikar, the better to hunt such prey, but that the imitation failed or was halted, and only the eyes and vaguely bestial body shapes remain.
Their presence can warp the world around them, a lesser version of Kozilek's reality-destroying powers. When these Eldrazi feed, they leave behind a path of iridescent geometric patterns similar to bismuth crystals in the land, rather than the chalky dust that Ulamog's drones leave.
Spawn
The spawn of the Kozilek lineage are squat, insectile, multi-eyed creatures that skitter on crablike limbs.[2] These spawn exhibit swarming behaviors that mimic ant or termite colonies. Adventurers have discovered entire dungeons crawling with Kozilek spawn, which often precedes the emergence of new greater Eldrazi.
Emrakul's Lineage
The spawn of Emrakul typically have multicolored bodies—they are usually red, green, blue, or purple in coloration.[2] This odd coloration is common to most Eldrazi, as their once-astral forms are thought to reflect Zendikar's light in unnatural ways, but the effect is especially prominent in the Emrakul lineage. They also often possess many tentacles, although this is not true for all of them. Their flesh has a sort of lattice-like structure, similar to their creator Emrakul. Some merfolk scholars have speculated that the lattice somehow allows the Emrakul lineage to bend gravity more powerfully than the other lineages. Some of them have mastery over gravity, which allows them to float over the ground. Emrakul's spawn leaves a trail of yellow dust in their wake, and the ground that they drain begins to look as living flesh.
When Emrakul was drawn to Innistrad by Nahiri, most of her spawns were left on Zendikar. In their place, the Titan corrupted the native creatures, resulting in a plethora of spawn that resembled mutated variants of their older selves, often with lattice-like flesh and tentacles covering them. Most of these corrupted Eldrazi had purple colorations.
Spawn
Emrakul's spawn walk on two stumpy little legs, and have some of the same bizarre coloration and spongy latticework built into their anatomy as other members of their brood.[2] As all small Eldrazi Spawn, they lived to be consumed for mana by larger Eldrazi.
Eternal Scourge
The only true Eldrazi of Emrakul's lineage that appeared on Innistrad was a drone about the size of a tall human. It appears to be a bigger version of Emrakul's spawn, however, locals were unable to notice the difference between Emrakul's brood and the corrupted native creatures.
Nest Invader
The Nest Invader is a small, green drone of the size of a human. Their purpose was to infiltrate the forests and to deploy small amounts of spawn to prepare for the arrival of the larger Eldrazi.
Emrakul's Hatcher
Emrakul's Hatcher is a red, bipedal drone of the size of a small bear. Like Ulamog's brood, its arms are split in two and multiple tentacles emerge from what appears to be its head. In contrast to the Nest Invader, it deployed large amounts of spawn to initiate the full-scale invasion of the Eldrazi.
Vestige of Emrakul
The Eldrazi drone called Vestige of Emrakul is a big purple, bug-like four-legged being of the size of a house. Its body is split in the middle but the gap is filled with lattice-like matter. It appears to have at least two small arms. Unlike the Nest Invader or Emrakul's Hatcher, it is described to be a deadly threat while in combat.
Hand of Emrakul
The huge red Eldrazi called Hand of Emrakul resembles the Nest Invader. However, its huge size and immense strength even allow it to tear apart huge rocks and to devastate its opponents.
Eldrazi Conscription
Emrakul has the ability to carry out the conscription of the biology of the native creatures of each planes through which it passes. It does not affect inorganic matter (rocks, water, metal etc.) but it distorts all living things, plants, animals, beasts, humans and other sentient beings (vampires, angels, demons, homunculi, oozes etc.), transforming these creatures over time into Eldrazi. Zombies and spirits are creatures immune to this conscription.[3][4]
Ulamog's Lineage
Creations of Ulamog usually lacked skin, which exposed their muscle and bone. The most noticeable feature of Ulamog's lineage is the featureless plate of bone that replaced each one's face.[2] It is unknown how they were able to sense their surroundings because they had no visible sensory receptors. They had long, thin limbs that split in two—or bifurcated—halfway down their length. Many propelled themselves along the ground with a set of tentacles. The tentacle growths of this lineage sometimes seem to deteriorate over time, leaving a corroded or rind-like texture to their outer tissue; it is not known whether this is a natural molting process or a reaction of the Eldrazi's confinement in material existence.
Ulamog's lineage exists to consume the land as quickly and efficiently as possible, without any semblance of subtlety. When they devour the land, they leave behind a white, chalky substance. This appears to be what remains of the land when all of the mana is drained from it.
Spawn
Ulamog's spawn were small creatures with rounded face-plates of bone. They had a set of bifurcated arms but were virtually harmless in a fight. They, too, lived to be consumed for power by larger Eldrazi.
Scions
Two types of Ulamog scions exist; those that lived on land, and those that were aquatic. Like spawn, scions could be consumed by other Eldrazi as food, but they could also fight. The Ulamog scions on land had a purple, worm-like body. The front half of the body was covered in segments of bone plates. The plates at the front of the body opened to reveal a mass of writhing tentacles that the scion used to feed. They had four small legs akin to those of an insect. The legs ended in sharp points that they used to attack.
The aquatic Ulamog scions had long, thin bodies that split in two near the back end. They had bone plates that covered the front half of the top of their body but left the underside vulnerable. They possessed many large tentacles that protruded from below their bodies. These could seize prey or attack enemies. The aquatic scions had four small, bifurcated legs with webbing between the two sections of the leg and each toe on their feet. These were too small and weak to function well on land but were effective for propulsion in water.
Salvage Drones
The small Salvage Drones of Ulamog helped the larger Eldrazi consume the land. They could store material that they ate inside them to be recovered if they died. The salvage drone was smaller than most other Eldrazi. It had two bifurcated legs—four feet overall—to move around. It had a bulbous head, which was disproportionately large for its small size, and a large "abdomen," similar to that of an ant. Most of the top of its body was covered by a thin bone plate, rather than just its head. Its underside was exposed, and tendrils and parts of organs could be seen hanging from beneath it.
Blisterpod
These were small Eldrazi drones - similar in size to salvage drones - that had one purpose: they spawned an Eldrazi scion when they died. The blisterpod had a fleshy, worm-like body, with eight legs supporting it. Its long tail, which split into smaller tentacles near the end, was one of its weapons in combat. It had several tentacles that protruded from its front. A layer of bone ran along its back to protect it. The blisterpod's head was not on the front of its body; instead, it protruded from its back, right at the front of its body. This allowed its head to have a greater view of its surroundings. The head itself had a bone plate that looked similar to Ulamog's--the plate covered its face, and had two extensions that stuck out of where its lower jaw would be. Several small tentacles with an unknown function were behind its head. When a blisterpod died, a scion would be created from its body. The scion could eat the dead body, and then move on to consume other things. This scion was the only purpose for the blisterpod; the drone would often kill as much as it could before dying, at which point the scion would be born and the blisterpod's purpose fulfilled.
Sludge Crawler
This type of Eldrazi drone helps larger Eldrazi ingest the land. It is so-called because it appeared in swampy areas near Hagra, and helped to ingest the muddy land there. The top of the sludge crawler's body is protected by a smooth sheath of bone. The sheath surrounds its neck in a sort of spiked "collar," which protects the sides of its head. The front of its head is covered by a simple, featureless bone mask. Ten tentacles extend from its back in two rows of five. The sludge crawler has four legs in the rear half of its body, and two bifurcated arms in the front half. These work together to propel it. The sludge drone has the ability to absorb mana to become stronger for a short amount of time, which allows it to fend off small attacks by suddenly becoming far stronger than its attackers, before returning to its normal state.
Reaver Drone
This type of drone exists not to destroy the land, but to destroy the people who lived on that land. The reaver drone is stronger than other Eldrazi of its size—it is only a little larger than a scion. Its torso resembles that of a humanoid skeleton, with an exposed—and empty—rib cage and two arms. The arms bifurcate at the elbows, splitting into two sets of forearms, each which ends in a clawed hand. Instead of legs, their torsos split into thick, powerful tentacles. The bone plates on their head are featureless. Reaver drones work in concert with one another; when no other Eldrazi are nearby, they go on a mindless rampage and harm everything around them. Reaver drones can often be seen attacking people from above—they use their tentacles to grip tree branches or ceilings and then fall upon their prey.
Culling Drone
This type of Eldrazi was one of the most common species among Ulamog's lineage. They were larger than humans, but a group of survivors could defeat one without trouble. They were unleashed in huge hordes across Bala Ged, leading to that land's consumption. The culling drone had four double-jointed legs that ended in small hooked claws. The only feature on its head was a mass of tentacles; it lacked the bone plating that was present on almost all Ulamog Eldrazi.
Fathom Feeder
The fathom feeder is a small Eldrazi adept at infiltrating the seas. Physically, it is about less twice the size of a scion. Its ability to quickly consume the very life-force of distant animals allowed it to kill even the strongest behemoths of the sea. The fathom feeder has a torso, protected by complex, segmented bone plates, with two bifurcated arms. The lower torso separates into pink tentacles. The front of its head is covered by a bone plate, while tentacles protrude out of the back. While the fathom feeder can ingest objects up close, it has the ability to suck the life-force and mana out of more distant objects.
Forerunner of Slaughter
The forerunner of slaughter is an aggressive species of Eldrazi designed to rapidly destroy enemy resistance. The forerunner, unlike many other Eldrazi, has little armor on its body; most of its muscle is exposed to injury. The lack of armor, however, allows it to move faster and strike harder than other armored Eldrazi its size. The forerunner is larger than a human, and has a humanoid torso, with two legs and no exposed organs. its arms bifurcate at the elbow, allowing it to kill four targets at once. Its upper chest, neck, and back are protected by a thick bone plate that doesn't inhibit any movement, while its head is protected by a sheath of bone. The forerunner of slaughter has the ability to make its fellow Eldrazi faster and more aggressive so that they can sweep aside any resistance in their path.
Mist Intruder
This type of Eldrazi was the smallest flying species in the Ulamog lineage. Mist intruders were larger than humans, but not large enough to harm most of Zendikar's creatures. Instead, they flew through the skies, ingesting small floating rocks that they found. They were often used as scouts for other Eldrazi. The mist intruder's main body is colored mostly blue, and its arms are red; this may have been for camouflage purposes. It possessed no visible wings or any other means of flight. It has four small arms that allow it to grip prey and other small objects. Its long body splits into many tentacles halfway down its length. Thin bone plating protects the top and bottom of the mist intruder's body from attack. Many tentacles protruded from its head, for grabbing prey.
Sky Scourer
The sky scourer was a larger flying Eldrazi drone that was more physically powerful than the mist intruder, able to ingest larger things. The sky scourer was empowered by the presence of nearby Eldrazi; because of this, it worked with other flying Eldrazi to kill survivors of Zendikar. The sky scourer had a long, thin body that split into many tentacles, similar to the mist intruder. Its whole body was a dark purplish color, rather than the more vivid colors of the mist intruder's body. Its cylindrical head ended in a mass of tentacles that would latch onto a flying object and suck the life out of it. Several thin plates of bone stuck out of the body at an angle. The plates weren't very protective, but they were lighter than full armor plates. The sky scourer also had a pair of small arms that ended in two-fingered claws—these arms were most likely vestigial and served little purpose.
Tide Drifter
This species of Eldrazi was designed simply to use the consumed mana to empower nearby Eldrazi, rather than actively attack enemies. The tide drifter was large but had no means of attacking anything. It was an aquatic Eldrazi, but could still empower allies if it stayed nearby. It makes nearby Eldrazi tougher so that they can kill their enemies without as many casualties. It has a bulbous, blue and purple-colored body, with several large tentacles hanging down from under it, like a jellyfish. Its back is protected by several bone spikes, and an angular bone plate protects its face. The bone plate has a large opening in it, but it is still unknown what is behind it.
Benthic Infiltrator
The depths of Zendikar feared the benthic infiltrator, an aquatic Eldrazi designed to slip into areas controlled by the Zendikar Resistance and ingest the materials and beings there. The infiltrator was physically weak but was tough to kill. It had a snake-like body, with ridged bone armor on the bottom. On the top, tentacles protruded from its back, protected by a plate of bone. It had two thin forearms, which could be used for maneuvering or grabbing objects to ingest. Its head was small, with a rounded plate of bone protecting the bottom, and small tentacles extending from the top. The benthic infiltrator was hard to find in the seas, so it was able to pick off enemy targets and act as an aquatic scout or to eradicate small pockets of resistance.
Dominator Drone
The dominator drone was a small type of Eldrazi that could drain the life from the creatures of Zendikar. The drone's body was about the size of a human head. It was covered in a flat bone plate. Small arms ending in points protruded from the side of its body, and tentacles hung from its underside. The dominator drone was a parasite; it attached itself to living creatures and controlled them while draining their life. The drone would cover the head and face of its victim. It would stab its small arms into the victim's back to anchor itself to the victim. It would then control the victim and use it to ingest the matter on Zendikar.
Eldrazi Skyspawner
The skyspawner is a drone that evolved to spread the lineage of Ulamog over long distances. Its body is larger than that of a human, but small compared to many other Eldrazi. Its body centers around a long, sinuous trunk that contains the spinal cord and is covered by segmented bone armor. At the front end of the central trunk is the head, which is covered by a large bone plate. Just below the head is a collection of small tentacles on the back of the neck, as well as its first set of arms. Unlike most other Eldrazi of the Ulamog lineage, the skyspawner's arms do not branch at the elbow. Farther down its body—about halfway down the central trunk—the skyspawner has a large purple membrane that extends below it. The membrane is held open by bones inside it, acting as a parachute to stabilize the creature. The membrane also probably holds an apparatus that allows the skyspawner to create Eldrazi scions, which is its main purpose. Above the membrane/spawning apparatus is a collection of three more sets of arms. These arms are smaller and mostly vestigial, and similarly to the main arms, they lack the branching trait. Finally, the skyspawner has a group of large, purple tentacles at the end of its trunk that allows it to grab prey from the ground.
Flayer Drone
The Flayer Drone is a mid-sized, four-legged Eldrazi drone. Instead of arms this Eldrazi has three large tentacles on each side of its body which allow it to attack distant enemies and to grab vulnerable targets behind fortifications.
References
- ↑ James Wyatt 2016, "The Art of Magic: The Gathering - Zendikar".
- ↑ a b c d e f Doug Beyer (April 28, 2010). "The Three Brood Lineages". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ James Wyatt 2016, "The Art of Magic: The Gathering - Innistrad".
- ↑ Kimberly J. Kreines (June 20, 2016). "Emrakul Rises". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.