Akoum

Akoum
Information
Plane	Zendikar
Status	Geologically unstable
Formerly part of	Makindi Empire
Scryfall Statistics
	references
	artworks

Akoum is one of the seven continents of Zendikar, mainly aligned to red mana. The sprawling region is geologically unstable; at the center is a massive supervolcano.

Description

The circular Akoum is a mountainous continent where magma glows from crevasses in the earth. Crystalline fields shimmer beneath the sun, but the sharp edges of most surfaces will slice through skin and bone. In some areas, the temperatures are extreme — burning an explorer's skin during the day and causing frostbite during the night. Gases occasionally spew from the ground, and around these vents, bizarre trees and plant life have arisen in pockets of weird biomes. The region is plagued by geological instability caused by the Roil, causing magma geysers to erupt and shards of rock to rain down unexpectedly. Insect-like creatures and carnivorous plants dominate the fauna and flora.

Akoum connects to the subcontinent of Bala Ged through underground rivers. A small sea separates Akoum from Ondu.

The Life Bloom

Beneath the surface of Akoum is an impossibly old world, and many layers beneath the surface lie trapped pockets from ages past. From time to time, a volcanic burst will bring gases and earth trapped for centuries up onto the surface. For a year or two, the surface of Akoum will burst into beautiful and often bizarre flora. The elvish pilgrims that tend these regions refer to the event as a "Life Bloom".^[1]

Often, a life bloom will end when a lava flow erupts nearby. Occasionally, a particularly fast-moving flow will leave behind what's known as an igneous glen; the plant life is essentially "flash fossilized", leaving a region of statues of the plants and animals that once lived there. While kor and humans see these regions as beautiful and a sign of good luck, the elves will often destroy them when found, feeling that monuments to the destruction of life should not stand.^[1]

History

Akoum was once part of the ancient Makindi Empire. As the Empire crumbled, the Kargan tribes mastered the dragons of Akoum and rode them to victory against the kor, shattering the Akoum Skyclave.^[2]

Notable locations

The Akoum Skyclave - a floating ruin of an ancient fortress. Risen from above the mountains again.^[2] Its broken and scattered pieces are uniquely individual sky dungeons, inhabited by various monsters; at least one is a dragon's lair.^[2]
Akoum's Belt - a major route through the continent, created by the Goma Fada caravan.^[1]
Cinder Glade - a glade of bizarre vegetation clustered around gas vents, nestled among jagged mountain peaks.
The Coastal Cliffs - hazardous cliffs which are a deathtrap to travelers. Seismic activity and spires of volcanic glass make landing a ship on the mainland a near impossibility.
Fort Keff - a high-walled encampment built at the mouth of a deep ravine.^[3]
Glasspool - the only fixed body of water of any notable size in the region — a huge lake, strangely hexagonal, over two miles across.^[4] Seismic activity somehow fails to affect it. Most sentient creatures avoid the cool, clean, and clear water, although amphibious drakes are known to make the lake their home, drawn perhaps to the only reliable source of blue mana in the mountain range.^[5] During the eldrazi's return, kor gathered in the area around Glasspool, carving dwellings out of the peaks surrounding the lake and protecting it with a webbing made from hooks and ropes.^[4]
- Glass Haven - a Kor haven near the Glasspool.^[5]
- Ior - a pre-Eldrazi ruin site at the bottom of Glasspool. It is a sacred pilgrimage site for the plane's Kor and is thought to be the archive of an ancient civilization's magical knowledge.^[1]^[4]^[6]
Goma Fada, the Walking City (literally "The City that Walks") - an enormous caravan of wandering kor, humans, and a few elves that moves at a slow pace through Akoum. Composed of hundreds of carts and several thousand inhabitants, it is technically one of the continent's largest settlements. Packbeasts and hurdas pull enormous wagons carrying cisterns full of water or granaries full of food - some even grow fig trees and similar hardy plants directly in dirt-filled carts.
Ora Ondar, the Khalni Garden - an exceptional Life Bloom that has lasted almost a hundred years. The site is also home to a mid-sized settlement of roughly 8,000 inhabitants who are primarily elves. The grove's tenders, called "nourishers," tend its plants. The Kolya trees that grow in Ora Ondar contain the raw, wild magic of Zendikar and mutate those who eat their fruit, causing changes ranging from greater strength or intelligence to phosphorescent blood or changed eye color. After years of eating the fruit, fatal mutations generally develop. A cult of elves, led by the druid Ser Amaran, believes the kolya tree to be a gift from the gods and eats the fruit religiously.^[1]
- The Khalni Heart of Akoum - a gigantic flower that generates enough mana to sustain Ora Ondar through the Khalni Stone.^[7]
- The Khalni Stone - a powerful ancient mana refractor at the heart of Ora Ondar that feeds its Life Bloom.
The Pass of Woe - a major route through the continent, was created by the Goma Fada caravan.^[1]
Rogah Throughway - a major route through the continent, created by the Goma Fada caravan.^[1]
Tal Terig, The Puzzle Tower - a famous ruin site rising hundreds of feet high out of Akoum's basin.^[8] Tal Terig is from the Eldrazi-era, meaning it was created around -1400 AR.^[9] The tower's exterior is a pillar of seemingly randomly assembled geometric shapes of all sizes, ranging from tiny cubes to enormous tetrahedrons. The angles and lines of the tower appear to defy logic; some have reported headaches and nosebleeds after looking at its surface for short periods. The majority of the ruin's height lies below ground: only twenty stories stand above ground, while 200 are buried below it. Spirits haunt the halls, as do many constructs and traps placed to guard against graverobbers. Magical traps line every hall, and magic causes the halls to rotate and cycle, ensuring that no trap stays the same for long. The sound of grinding stone carries for miles from the tower, alerting explorers that the ruin's layout has changed.^[1]
The Teeth of Akoum - a series of northern mountain ranges that are essentially impassable without some means of flight or a very experienced and clever guide. Sentient residents of the Teeth include Zendikar's humanoid races, an occasional sphinx, and a golem that went rogue from its original function.^[1]
- Affa - a mostly human settlement at the base of the Teeth, though elves, kor, and even the occasional vampire will call it home for a time. A river flows from the Teeth and provides the town with one of the few reliable sources of fresh water on the continent. Affa's bazaar serves as the major trading hub in the region, and goblins, especially from the Lavastep warren, bring materials for trade.^[1]
  - The Affa Inn - run by Hion and location of the Names of the Lost Travelers.^[1]
  - The Akoum Expeditionary House^[10]
- The Eye of Ugin - a secret underground cavern^[10] from the Eldrazi era, meaning it was created around -1400 AR.^[9]
- Goblin Havens - spider-silk dwellings built in the dead lattice left behind by Ulamog.^[7]
  - Grip Haven - a goblin haven of spider web pods hanging from stone spires.^[7]
  - Slab Haven - a very exposed goblin haven built on a large flat slab of rock in the middle of the desolation.^[7]
- Kargan Lands - The fierce, nomadic humans of the Kargan tribes live high in the Teeth of Akoum and compete for territory with the dragons that hunt in the mountains. The tribes can hold their own in this competition only by stealing dragon eggs or capturing their whelps and raising the creatures themselves. When they are grown, these dragons serve as mounts and companions for the tribes’ leaders so that other dragons view the tribal lands as dragon territory.^[7]
- The League of Anowon camp - A small training camp of explorers founded by Anowon high in the Teeth.^[10] Largely unreachable save by Griffin from Affa, the camp attracts the most prestigious adventurers. Teachers are usually former adventurers who retired following a career-ending injury. The camp is frequently shut down for months at a time due to drake attacks, mana storms, earthquakes, or magical artifact detonations.^[1]
- The Spikefields - an area covered by sharp stones.^[10]
  - Stone Havens - ancient ruined, hedron-reinforced fortresses turned into refuges during the Battle for Zendikar.^[7]
    - Ghostwatch - a Mul Daya ghost-defended Stone Haven.^[7]
- The Windblast Gorge or Drake Ravine - a dangerous passage into the mountains known for its dangerous drakes.^[10]^[11]^[12] The gorge was originally carved by the passage of Zhulodok through Akoum's mountains.^[13]