Ondu

Ondu
Information
Plane	Zendikar
Formerly part of	Makindi Empire
Scryfall Statistics
	artworks

Ondu is one of the seven continents of Zendikar, located in the plane’s southwestern quadrant and extending into the Silundi Sea. Ondu consists of a rugged mainland and three major offshore islands: the large southern island of Agadeem, renowned for its hedron-strewn fields and crypts; the smaller Beyeen, marked by volcanic peaks and geothermal basins; and the remote Jwar Isle, notorious for its storms the ancient Ondu Skyclave.^[1]

History

Ondu was once the heartland of the ancient Kor empire, whose capital, Makindi, flourished until a civil war between the city and the Ondu Skyclave caused Makindi’s destruction and the Skyclave’s ruin, which fell onto Jwar Isle.^[2]

Description

Ondu is a vast plateau of jagged cliffs rising sharply from tumultuous seas, crowned by wide mesas and windswept highlands. Rivers rage through narrow canyons, and cavern mouths open into cathedral-like chambers beneath the cliffs.^[3] Fierce winds sweep across this high ground and roar through the canyons, shaping the precarious Makindi Trenches and the abyssal Soul-Mad Stair. Travel in Ondu often means moving up or down as much as heading east or west, with great bergs of striated rock drifting in the sky even above level plains. These floating stones offer whole new realms for exploration by the kor with their kitesails or by adventurers riding drakes and griffins.^[3]

The continent’s landscape is defined by dramatic verticality: sky-scraping trees, sheer-walled canyons, and towering crypts feel like perpetual ascent or descent. Magical or ancient constructed pathways are said to connect the mainland and some islands without the need for boats.^[4]^[5]

After the release of the Eldrazi titans, the canyons and forests of Ondu teemed with their broods. Remarkably, the land itself seemed to resist the invaders — huge crystalline shards erupted from the earth to impale the Eldrazi, canyons yawned open beneath them, and motionless mesas unexpectedly developed limbs to crush them. The defenders of Zendikar found an unpredictable but fierce ally in Ondu’s living terrain.^[3]

Ondu is more hospitable than many parts of Zendikar and supports diverse communities of kor, goblins, elves, and other peoples. The Makindi Trenches suit the climbing skills of the kor and goblins; Turntimber’s spiral forests provide game and edible flora; and the islands of Agadeem and Beyeen offer relatively stable footholds for settlement.^[3]

The Ondu mainland is littered with ancient ruins, worn to gravel by the winds and rivers of Makindi or swallowed by the dense flora of Turntimber. These ruins date back to old Kor and elf civilizations, but the islands hold more intact and significant sites.^[3]

Regions

Ondu is commonly divided into three regions, each with unique geography and cultural significance:

Makindi — A land of sheer canyons, mesas, and cliffhavens, Makindi showcases the Kor’s mastery of rope bridges, kitesails, and stonework.
Silundi — A shifting maze of currents and reefs connects the mainland with the surrounding islands, shaping Ondu’s trade, tombs, and hidden ruins.
Turntimber, the Serpentine Wood — A vast spiral forest of towering corkscrew trees, roaming baloths, giant snakes, and secluded Tajuru elf villages.