Kazandu
| Kazandu | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Information | |
| Plane | Zendikar |
| Colors |
  |
| Part of | Murasa |
| Scryfall Statistics | |
Kazandu is a vast, collapsed region sprawling across the continent of Murasa on Zendikar. Shaped by an ancient cataclysm, Kazandu is a maze of sunken canyons, high broken plateaus, and shadowy lowlands ruled by immense, ageless jaddi trees whose dense canopy shelters hidden elf clans and entire ecosystems high above the forest floor.[1]
Description
In a cataclysm lost to memory, the land that is now Kazandu collapsed inward like a bubble bursting beneath the world’s surface. This left behind a broken expanse of irregular canyons, twisting valleys, and towering plateaus — surviving pillars of the old ground level. The lower regions are dominated by the titanic jaddi trees, whose stone-hard trunks and endlessly spreading branches form a tangled canopy so thick that much of the forest floor lies in perpetual shadow. Entire species live and die in the treetops, many never seeing the ground. Within this vast canopy dwell the Kazandu Splinter, a group of elves who have separated themselves from the larger Tajuru nation.[1][2]
The Raimunza River flows into Kazandu from the base of the Na Plateau. There, it famously cascades across miles of jaddi branches, sometimes dropping from one limb only to be caught by another, before finally spilling into Blackbloom Lake, a dark lake at the heart of Kazandu. Beneath the tangled roots and valleys, three great Root Caves open deep into the earth: the Doom Maw, ruled by demons and bone-hoarding dragons; the Silent Gap, explored by a secretive band of vampires; and a third unnamed cavern, inhabited at different times by caustic crawlers, giant bats, and shadow scorpions.
One of Kazandu’s most striking features is the Living Spire — also called the Howling Spire — a natural rock pillar honeycombed with caverns, some natural and some not. Strong winds sweep through these caves, causing the spire to whistle and moan with an eerie, haunting sound. At the pinnacle stands a weathered statue of Talib, the kor god of the earth, glaring balefully down at the jungle canopy while tangled jurworrel trees and bloodbriars claw at its base as if trying to tear it down — yet despite centuries of battering, the statue remains mostly intact.[1][2]
Hidden within the Living Spire is the Grindstone Crucible, where titanic, hovering vines spiral through the caverns to a vast chamber at the spire’s heart. This is a post-Eldrazi ruin, meaning it is less than 6000 years old.[3]Here, huge rune-marked boulders and shards of rock endlessly grind together inside a roaring latticework of living vines. This Crucible is a volatile font of wild mana, but to tap its power one must stand on the shifting vine lattice or close to the grinding stones themselves — a dangerous risk, for when fierce winds howl into the chamber they are sucked into the Crucible with hurricane force, tearing pieces of the vines with them and dragging in anything too near. When the winds calm, the vines regrow, thrash, and writhe in a constant struggle to contain the Crucible before its next violent inhalation.[1][2]
The cliffs ringing Kazandu keep its sprawling jaddi forests contained, preventing their steady advance into the rest of Murasa’s wild landscape.[1][2]
“Kazandu is the last place I'd expect to find myself — literally, I expect it to be my final resting place. Its devouring canyons and immense flora swallow my mind, not letting me rest, drawing me back in expedition after expedition. I have mapped and remapped its corridors and its sheer drops. I have lost friends and allies to its treacherous, broken cliffs. I have found artifacts lost from a distant age and have drunk the earnings from their sale. I orbit Kazandu like a weary satellite, always hoping I can break free from its pull, never liberated.”[1][2]
Gallery
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Kazandu Refuge
In-game references
- Represented in:
- Associated cards:
References
- ↑ a b c d e f Magic Creative Team (February 24, 2010). "A Planeswalker's Guide to Zendikar: Murasa and Sejiri". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2020-11-26.
- ↑ a b c d e James Wyatt (January 5, 2016) - The Art of Magic: The Gathering - Zendikar, WotC.
- ↑ James Wyatt (April 2016) - Plane Shift: Zendikar, WotC