Tazeem

Tazeem
[[File:{{#setmainimage:Tazeem.jpg}}|250px]]
Information
Plane	Zendikar
Status	Recovering from the Eldrazi
Formerly part of	Makindi Empire

Tazeem is one of the seven continents of Zendikar. Here, sunlight is obscured by large hedrons that float in the sky.

Description

Surrounded by unstable, scrub- and lichen-covered calcite flats, Tazeem is a perilous combination of reef-rock forests, a deep inland sea, and a great white-water river that bisects the continent. Some ancient ruins are prominently visible and have been co-opted by the denizens of Tazeem. Others remain hidden and intact, with mysterious artifacts and forces waiting to be discovered by intrepid explorers.

Tazeem is the native home to most of the plane's merfolk.

Notable locations

• Emeria, the Sky Ruin, a large plain of floating land and hedrons. The merfolk believe it was once the home of Emeria, the goddess of the sky. For this reason, it is sometimes referred to as Em's Realm. When the sky-castle was destroyed in a cataclysmic upheaval, the enchantment that protected it wasn't completely dispelled, and the shattered remnants remained in the heavens until they were taken over by the compleated planeswalker Nahiri, before being destroyed and falling back to the earth.
• Halimar, a deep artificial inland sea, reaching up to 500 feet in depth. Surrounded on three sides by rocky cliffs, the fourth side is enclosed by an ancient wall standing more than 500 feet tall. No one knows when the seawall was built, but they believe that Halimar must be an old sea because it is home to many species of brightly colored fish, tusked seals, and massive leviathans that dwell in the depths. The sea itself is viewed as the safest way to get from the Sea Gate to the mouth of the Umara River Gorge, and there is substantial maritime trade and traffic. Followers of the merfolk water god Ula believed he swam endlessly through the Halimar, flanked by two massive leviathans known as Ula's Guardians.
  • The Halimar Sea Caves, both the breeding ground of giant squids and the dumping ground of hardened criminals.
  • Built on the roughly 20 acres of flat space at the top of the sea wall, the city of Sea Gate is the largest settlement in Tazeem, and the largest center of commerce and culture on Zendikar. It was also the location where The Gatewatch was formed and after which the group is named.
  • A 20-story white-stone cylindrical tower known as the Lighthouse rose an additional 350 feet above the seawall's eastern edge. It was the center of all learning in Tazeem.
• Sky Rock, a huge hedron floating in the air near Sea Gate. A haven for refugees from the Eldrazi.
• Oran-Rief Forest, a gigantic, twisted, ever-expanding twisted reef-rock forest, occupying most of the interior of Tazeem. Vegetation grows rapidly in the forest's patches of sunlight, this explosive growth is known as Em's Blessing.
• The Umara River, a great rushing river. From its source at the Halimar Sea to the northern edge of the continent, the Umara runs through the deep Umara River Gorge that bisects the continent. It drops over 800 feet over a series of waterfalls, most famously the 300-foot Magosi Waterfall. Although the river is mostly white water, the Gorge is relatively placid and largely unaffected by the Roil, making it a popular location for settlements.
  • The Magosi Portage is a popular resting point for nomadic groups. As all travelers down the gorge must pass through the portage, it is the inner continent's most popular market for pathway stones, supplies, and merfolk spell scrolls. Nonetheless, it is still a dangerous spot to camp, as travelers routinely disappear in the night, likely victims of the serpent Verazol.
  • Built on a large island in the middle of the Umara River, the Merfolk Enclave is a hive-like structure consisting of bathing halls, corridors, and sleeping chambers. It is the largest merfolk settlement on Zendikar.
• Coralhelm, a floating landmass protected by a large gorge on all sides.
• The Lun Bulwark, a large mountain range.
• Jade Room, an underground ruin near the banks of the Halimar, stalked by a faceless monstrosity.
• Hadatown
• North Hada, a thieves' den.
• Ruins of Ysterid, a ruin at the bottom of a pit cave near the Magosi Falls.
• Wren Grotto, a cliff-cave housing the golden temples that serve as training grounds for the merfolk's giant falcons.

History

Tazeem once was part of the ancient Makindi Empire. The Makindi reign ended when the archangel Iona destroyed the Tazeem Skyclave, creating the Sky Ruin of Emeria.

The expeditionary houses

Before the rise of the Eldrazi, five expeditionary houses used the city of Sea Gate as a launch point for regular excursions into the wilds. Named for the destinations of their first expeditions, they are:

• The Valakut House
• The Pelakka Foundation
• The Akoum Expeditionary House
• The Murasa Expeditionary House
• The Bala Ged Expeditionary House

Each maintains hostels in various settlements, serving as resources for adventurers and explorers who need to hire guides or purchase supplies.

Rise of the Eldrazi

Within two years of the release of the Eldrazi, Sea Gate was overrun and destroyed. Oran-Rief died; and the Halimar basin was emptied.

Zendikar Rising

In the wake of the Eldrazi's fall, the waters began to stream again, and a plan was needed to rebuild Sea Gate. Unfortunately, the Sea Gate Reconstruction Project found itself with few plans and too many. Each of the five expeditionary houses presented its vision for a wonderful new city. Fed up with the houses' infighting, Commander Tazri drafted a plan of her own. The angel Linvala immediately stood behind Tazri's proposal, and the word of an angel swayed even the stingiest expeditionary house. Within a year, the city was restored.

Around the same time, an expedition of adventurers ascended through the ruins of Emeria and discovered the remnants of the Skyclave, which the merfolk had once claimed was the castle of their goddess. In the course of their exploration, they triggered the magical defenses of the ancient Skyclave — and awakened the other six.

The discovery of the Skyclaves has set off an exciting furor among the expeditionary houses of Zendikar. The adventurers who first breached Emeria returned with powerful magical weapons crafted by ancient stoneforgers, and they formed the nucleus of a new expeditionary house:

• The Sea Gate Expeditionary House.

This house is made up of the best, brightest, and toughest of Zendikar's adventurers and plays a key role in the exploration of the Skyclaves. The leader of the Sea Gate Expeditionary House is the veteran explorer Kesenya. Unknown to virtually anyone, the house's benefactor is Nahiri who was in search of powerful artifacts to counteract the Roil.

After Nissa Revane's use of the healing power of the Lithoform Core, the recovery of the continent was accelerated.

March of the Machine

Zendikar was a target in New Phyrexia's Invasion of the Multiverse. The now-compleated planeswalker Nahiri arrived at the Emeria Skyclave and began realigning the plane's hedrons to facilitate Realmbreaker's incursion into the plane. As she worked to transform the Skyclave once more into a weapon of war, the Roil rose to meet her and was defeated, until the landscape below shifted to the gray uniformity of bed-rock for miles, eventually replaced with sinew and metal rent with rivers of oil. As Phyrexians poured into Zendikar, Sea Gate was defeated once more.

Gallery

• 

  Oran-Rief concept.

In-game references

Represented in:

• Tazeem

Associated cards:

• Guardian of Tazeem
• Tazeem Raptor
• Tazeem Roilmage

Referred to:

• Dread Statuary
• Giant Mantis
• Netcaster Spider
• Sea Gate Banneret
• Skyclave Aerialist
• Sunken Hollow
• Timber Gorge (Oath of the Gatewatch)

Sources

• Magic Creative Team (December 02, 2009). "A Planeswalker's Guide to Zendikar: Tazeem and Merfolk". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
• Doug Beyer (September 02, 2009). "The Planes of Planechase". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.