Argoth

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Argoth
[[File:{{#setmainimage:1e Terisiare.jpg}}|250px]]
Information
Plane Dominaria (plane)
Status Destroyed
Visions of Argoth

Argoth was a large island off the mainland of Terisiare on Dominaria. It was covered in lush forest,[1][2] rich in natural resources, and home to many elves [3] and human druids. The island was disputed for its resources and obliterated in the last battle of the Brothers' War, when Urza activated the Golgothian Sylex. The few remains of Argoth are now called the Shattered Isles.

History

The island of Argoth was inhabited by elves from as early as the time of the Thran, and later it became a refuge for the descendants of the survivors of the Thran Civil War. It was covered in dense sentient forest and was brimming with natural resources.

During his exile, Yawgmoth turned the Creeping Mold of Argoth into a virulent plague that ate away the elves there. He also kidnapped their priestess, Elyssendril Lademmdrith, and her healers, ordering the elves to pay ransom for their leader and their cure. When the elves paid, he delivered to them only sweetened water and twelve dead healers. Elyssendril survived, and was later part of the delegates sent to Halcyon on behalf of the Thran Alliance against Yawgmoth.[4]

At least during the Brothers' time, the elves lived in the boughs of trees throughout the island. Also, the forest itself was connected with the local lifeforms and could warn them of intruders. Argoth was ruled by Titania. At its center, somewhat like a capital city, was the settlement of Citanul. Here lived an order of druids, composed of descendants of the surviving Thran who had escaped the war and had disavowed technology; Titania herself resided in the city. These druids would later be driven mad by the island's destruction.[5] Another location was Gaea's Cradle, the legendary place from where Argoth was said to have begun growing.

Near the end of the Brothers' War, Urza's son Harbin discovered Argoth when he landed there in a storm, and both Urza and Mishra's drained armies soon moved operations there. Before long, the island's forests were nearly depleted by the two war machines. Argoth's elves and native creatures were unable to stop the Brothers' plundering, and Titania was eventually killed in the midst of their combat. The battle for Argoth saw the fiercest fighting yet in the conflict, and culminated in the Sylex Blast. This nearly wiped the island from the map, split apart the tectonic plate beneath it, and threw Dominaria into an Ice Age.[6]

A few small, scattered islands have remained in Argoth's location, monolithic spires of basalt stone lashed by waves.[7] The few remaining elves eked out a meager existence, until migrating to Fyndhorn many centuries later. The continental plate underneath is completely shattered. Because of this, there's a north–south deep-sea trench that runs almost all the way to Sarpadia.

Disputes over location

With the release of Future Sight, Yavimaya was mentioned as being located where Argoth once stood. This has led to some confusion with readers, due to the fact that this information hadn't been given prior to the book and that Yavimaya had another fixed location on several maps of Dominaria. The release of the official map in 2018 re-confirmed that the main part of Yavimaya was still in its original location, northwest of the Shattered Isles / Argoth.[8]

Gallery

Trivia

  • "Citanul," the city of druids driven mad by the fall of Argoth, is the word "lunatic" spelled backwards.[5]

In-game references

Argoth

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Citanul

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References

  1. ↑ Magic Arcana (November 24, 2009). "Argoth". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  2. ↑ Scott McGough (March 21, 2011). "From the Ground Up". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  3. ↑ Magic Arcana (July 14, 2004). "The Elves of Argoth". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  4. ↑ J. Robert King (1999). Magic: The Gathering - The Thran.
  5. ↑ a b Wizards of the Coast (March 1, 2002). "Card of the Day - March, 2002". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on August 14, 2022.
  6. ↑ Jeff Grubb (1998). The Brothers' War. Wizards of the Coast.
  7. ↑ Miguel Lopez (October 20, 2022). "The Brothers' War - Episode 1: The End". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  8. ↑ Martha Wells (March 21, 2018). "Return to Dominaria, Episode 1". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
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