Yavimaya

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Yavimaya
[[File:{{#setmainimage:1e Terisiare.jpg}}|250px]]
Yavimaya and the other Terisian Isles
Information
Plane Dominaria
Part of Terisian Isles
Urborg
Status Current
Formerly part of Yotia
Fallajia

Yavimaya was a thickly forested mountainous region off the southern coasts of the Dominarian continent Terisiare. It was the domain of the Maro-Sorcerer Multani. The Yavimaya Forest grew into a single sapient mind after the Ice Age, driving out its old and new inhabitants. In the Modern Era Yavimaya forms a separate island in the archipelago of the Terisian Isles.[1] Another part of Yavimaya has been relocated to Urborg.

History

Visions of Yavimaya. Art by Quinton Hoover, Anthony S. Waters, Douglas Shuler, and Michael Sutfin.

After the Ice Age, the forest became home to the gorilla tribes and a refuge for the Fyndhorn elves. These races united to overcome the forest's native hostility. The elves entered in a symbiotic relationship with the forest. This interdependence reached a point where the forest was heavily reliant on the elves for direction. The elves helped to design all sorts of defenses that the forest would need based on their own experiences and acted as a zealous front line of defense. In return, the forest grew them homes, weapons and food.

After 400 years of evolution the Llanowar elf Rofellos was sent to Yavimaya to foster relations between the two forests by helping build up Yavimaya's defenses for the coming Phyrexian Invasion.[2] When he arrived, he exchanged places with Multani as voice of Yavimaya, allowing Multani to go abroad in the world.

When Urza journeyed to Yavimaya to enlist its aid against the Phyrexians, Yavimaya and many of its denizens remembered Urza's role in decimating Argoth. Urza was then taken captive by the forest's emissary, Multani. For a time Urza's consciousness merged with Yavimaya's.

During the Phyrexian Invasion Multani transplanted part of Yavimaya to Urborg's edge to have Yavimaya's powerful inhabitants join in on the last great battle of the Invasion.

Yavimayan rift

Urza's earlier Sylex Blast had resulted in Yavimaya's rift. When the rifts worsened, the sentient forest tried to heal the damage, without success. Under the influence of Leshrac, Jeska used Radha to seal the rift, causing the warrior to lose her potential to become a planeswalker.

Revival

Sixty years after the Mending, Multani's mind awakened once more, grasping for consciousness as rage itself rebuilt his body. He spurred Yavimaya to frentic, undirected action.[3][4] Meanwhile, his child Muldrotha was born into Yavimaya's offshoot on Urborg. She had grown from from rot and ruin, but bloomed in the recent resurgence of the plane.[5] Like the land that gave her life, Muldrotha is wild, dark, unpredictable and relentless.

Cast out by the raging spirit of Multani, Yavimayan elves had to live as exiles on the outskirts of their former home.[6]

Now that Multani has calmed, the elves are free to return to Yavimaya. Most have made the journey, but some have remained, having formed bonds of friendship or marriage with the humans of New Argive.[7]

Inhabitants

Gorilla tribes

The apes of Yavimaya are sapient and engage in a form of ancestor worship that draws strength from their forebears.[8]

Insects

Twenty-foot-high hives spawned two species of insects that constitute the "eyes of the forest". Marker beetles litter the ground of the forest, and when stepped on, secrete a powerful-smelling fluid that marks the invader. Signal bugs are extremely fast flyers who, when disturbed, flock immediately to the lookout trees, thus notifying the elves of activity.[2]

Shadow Gnomes

The Shadow Gnomes of Yavimaya aren't seen often. Evidence of their existence can be seen in the form of the strange burrows they use to inter their dead. They live in dirt-lined tunnels underground, among the roots of the trees. They sometimes emerge at night, startling the other dwellers of Yavimaya with their huge, luminous eyes.[9][10]

Plant life

Lookout trees

Lookout trees grew to prodigious heights within the forest, allowing the elves and other denizens a safe location to survey the forest.[2] Yavimaya adapted the foliage of all her trees to communicate via coloration changes. The normal green hues of the leaves shifted to blue where non-violent, alien movement was detected. Yellow-gold leaves signaled that the forest was in battle with an invader. And where the battle was lost, black leaves signaled the forest's wound. At night, the glowing pollen of the seed torches illuminated the forest.

Magnigoth

The magnigoth was a species of long-lived Yavimayan tree that grew thousands of feet tall.[11] Magnigoth treefolk are awakened trees of the magnigoth species. They were among the foremost to fight the Phyrexians.

Weatherseed

The Weatherseed was the seed of the oldest magnigoth tree, the Heart of Yavimaya. Urza transformed it to form the hull of the Skyship Weatherlight.

Woodmen

Phyrexians who were killed during the Phyrexian invasion, were resurrected as woodmen that fought for the forest.

Known locations

Yavimaya has established colonies on Almaaz and New Argive, and is connected to those islands by Magnigoth Mangals.[13]

In-game references

Represented in:
Associated cards:
Referred to:

References

  1. ↑ Martha Wells (March 21, 2018). "Return to Dominaria, Episode 1". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  2. ↑ a b c Daneen McDermott. "Forgotten Lore: The Evolution of a Warrior (archived)". wizards.com.
  3. ↑ Flavor text for Ancient Animus
  4. ↑ Magic: The Gathering on Twitter
  5. ↑ Wizards of the Coast (April 21, 2018). "Some of the monstrously cool legendary creatures of Dominaria.". The Official Magic: The Gathering Tumblr. Tumblr.
  6. ↑ Roy Graham, Ethan Fleischer, Jenna Helland, Gerritt Turner (August 31, 2022). "Planeswalker's Guide to Dominaria". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  7. ↑ Ethan Fleischer (September 10, 2022). "The New Argive Megathread". Twitter.
  8. ↑ Magic: the Gathering Twitter
  9. ↑ James Wyatt. (2018.) The Art of Magic: The Gathering - Dominaria, VIZ Media.
  10. ↑ Ethan Fleischer (May 5, 2021). "Shadow Gnomes". Reddit.
  11. ↑ Magic Arcana (October 04, 2006). "Magnigoth Treefolk". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  12. ↑ First named in the Invasion novel
  13. ↑ Ethan Fleischer (April 20, 2018). "Dominarian Cartography". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
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