Zendikar (plane)

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For other uses, see Zendikar (disambiguation).
Zendikar
Information
First seen Zendikar
Last seen March of the Machine
Planeswalkers Kiora (former)
Nahiri (former)
Nissa Revane (former)
Rabiah Scale 2[1]
Status Recovering from Eldrazi attacks and New Phyrexia's invasion
Demonym Zendikari[2]
Scryfall Statistics
1604 artworks
{C} 12.2% {W} 15.3% {U} 14.9% {B} 14.8% {R} 15.3% {G} 17% {M} 10.4%
273 originated from
{C} 5.9% {W} 13.2% {U} 8.1% {B} 6.2% {R} 27.5% {G} 19.8% {M} 19.4%
100 references
{C} 16% {W} 14% {U} 11% {B} 13% {R} 10% {G} 28% {M} 8%
Tazeem

Zendikar, the setting for the original Zendikar block and both its sequels,[3] is an "adventure-world"[4] plane with powerful sources of mana, which flows differently there. Its riches in mana and other wealth have made it a destination for Planeswalkers to explore and exploit. This promise is also enough to lure in various local explorers and adventurers.[5]

Geography

Zendikar's landscape is constantly shifting and changing.[6] This process is called The Roil.[7] It makes settlements very scarce and only a few outposts of civilization are present.

The plane consists of seven continents: Akoum, Bala Ged, Guul Draz, Murasa, Ondu, Sejiri, and Tazeem.[8] Bala Ged, Sejiri, and Tazeem were devastated by the Eldrazi, but are now recovering thanks to Nissa Revane's use of the Lithoform Core.

Another geographical feature to note is the large, floating polyhedron-shaped stones called hedrons that litter the landscape. For a long while, nobody was sure what they were. Still, their gravity-defying existence hinted at the strange properties of gravity[9] and mana on the plane. These ancient, rune-carved monoliths are strewn across Zendikar. Up to ten miles long, some of these stones drift in the sky; others are buried in the ground, some whole, some broken.

Trap-riddled ruins can be found on every continent.[10] Mysterious glyphs hint at truths long forgotten. Unspeakable monsters lurk in the quiet of these hidden monuments of a forgotten past. The ruins still emanate power, and both planeswalkers and local explorers will undergo great peril to reap their rewards.[11]

Locations

Known locations across the seven continents include:

Akoum {R} - a geologically unstable, mountainous continent with a supervolcano at its heart.[12]

  • The Akoum Skyclave {R} - a floating ruined fortress forming several individual sky dungeons, inhabited by a dragon and various monsters.[13]
  • Akoum's Belt - a major route through the continent, created by the Goma Fada caravan.[14]
  • Cinder Glade {R}{G} - a glade of bizarre vegetation clustered around gas vents, nestled among jagged mountain peaks.
  • Fort Keff - a high-walled encampment built at the mouth of a deep ravine.[15]
  • Glasspool {U} - a huge, hexagonal lake, the only fixed large body of water in the region, home of amphibious drakes.[16][17][16][12]
    • Glass Haven {W} - a Kor haven near the shore of Glasspool.[17]
    • Ior {U} - a submerged ruined archive at the bottom of Glasspool, sacred pilgrimage site for the Kor.[14][16][12]
  • Goma Fada {R}{W} - "the Walking City", an enormous caravan of wandering kor, humans, and elves that moves at a slow pace through Akoum. With hundreds of carts and several thousand inhabitants, it's one of Akoum's largest settlements.
  • Ora Ondar, the Khalni Garden {G} - known as "the Impossible Garden", an exceptional, almost centennial Life Bloom, home to many elves and mutation-inducing kolya fruit.[14]
    • The Khalni Stone {C} - 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, created by the Goma Fada caravan.[14]
  • Rogah Throughway - a major route through the continent, created by the Goma Fada caravan.[14]
  • Tal Terig, the Puzzle Tower {C} - a famous and mind-bendingly geometrically shaped haunted ruin rising hundreds of feet high out of Akoum's basin, and burrowing far deeper below it.[18][14][12]
  • The Teeth of Akoum {R} - wild and rugged northern mountain ranges that are almost impassable without flight or a very experienced and clever guide.[14][12]
    • Affa {W} - a riverside trading hub at the base of the Teeth.[14]
      • The Affa Inn - a resting place for the region's adventurers.[14]
      • The Akoum Expeditionary House - a place to hire and be hired out as experienced guides.[19]
    • The Eye of Ugin {C} - secret underground cavern[19][12]
    • The League of Anowon training camp {B}{R} - A small, largely unreachable explorer camp and refuge high in the Teeth. Frequently shut down for months at a time due to drake attacks, mana storms, earthquakes, or magical artifact detonations.[19][14]
    • The Spikefields {R} - an area covered with sharp stones.[19]
    • The Windblast Gorge or Drake Ravine - a dangerous drake-filled pass into the mountains.[19][20][21]

Bala Ged {B}{G} - a marsh- and forest-covered region of dense jungles and humid thickets.

  • The Bala Ged Skyclave {G}
  • Guum Wilds {G} - the humid forest that covered most of the continent, home of the Mul Daya.
    • The Bordermire {B} - a swamp on the border of Bala Ged, home of crocodiles.
    • The Khalni Heart {G} - a huge magical flower that is an extension of Zendikar's world soul.
    • Riverroot - a Mul Daya village.
    • The Surrakar Caves {U}{B} - a series of wet limestone caves covered in algae and moss, home to the aggressive and territorial surrakar.
    • The Umung River {U}
      • Bojuka Bay {B} - a giant wet marsh at the mouth of the Umung, home of trolls and goblins.
      • Umungshore - a settlement along the river.
  • The Slim Blade - a tongue of land where two famous rivers meet, at the western edge of Joraga territory.[12]
  • The Tangled Vale {G} - a series of interconnected jungle valleys in southern Bala Ged, home of the Joraga.
    • The Great Hollow Tree {G} - the Joraga home tree. Its hollow trunk serves as a burial ground for the Joraga's dead.[12]

Guul Draz {B} - a humid region of fetid swamps and dark lagoons.

  • Forsaken Monument {C} - a monument to the Eldrazi, likely raised by the Eternal Pilgrims.
  • The Free City of Nimana {B} - a human city on the coast, a trade port for slavers.[22][23]
  • The Guul Draz Skyclave {B} - a floating ruin risen from the swamps.[13]
  • The Hanging Swamp {B} - a large sinkhole north of Hagra, with a floating swamp suspended above it.
  • Malakir {B} - the most developed city on Zendikar, home of the plane's vampire houses.
    • Emevera District {B} - built beneath the waterline, dammed by dikes.[23]
    • Ghet District {B} - the poorest district, flooded and inhabited by the most wretched of Malakir's citizens.[23][12]
    • Kalastria District {B} - oldest and wealthiest, built on the highest ground.[23]
    • Nirkana District {B} - built directly on the water.[23]
    • Urnaav District {B} - a middle ground of canals and cobblestones.[23]
  • Pelakka {B}{G} - badlands surrounding the cistern, home of many dangerous predators.[24][23]
    • Hagra {B} - a ruined cistern full of piranha and aggressive ogres.[24][12]


Murasa {G}{W} - a vast, steep-walled plateau covered by towering trees.

  • Glint Pass - a cave system of glittering flame quartz that is navigable at low tide.[25]
    • The Cipher in Flames - an ever-burning complex glyph carved into the heart pillar of Glint Pass.[25]
    • Visimal, the Hidden City - an underground, ancient vampire city.[25]
  • Kazandu {R}{G} - a huge, collapsed region of irregular caverns, twisting valleys, and broken steppes covered all over by the ever-growing, enormous jaddi trees.[26][25]
    • The Raimunza River {U} - flowing from the Raimunza Falls, plummeting down from the Na Plateau, the Raimunza runs across the branches of the enormous jaddi trees, eventually emptying into Blackbloom Lake.[25]
    • Root caves {B} - three caves formed from the roots of the jaddi trees.[25]
  • The Living Spire {R}{G} - a huge spire covered in enormous vines, where the wind floods in and out of caverns like a breathing lung.[25]
    • The Grindstone Crucible - a font of mana where shards and boulders of rock grind together endlessly in mid-air.[25]
  • The Murasa Skyclave {G} - a floating ruin risen from the sea and covered in foliage.[13]
  • The Murasa Wall {R} - the towering cliffs surrounding the continent[25]
  • The Na Plateau {R}{W} - a mile high plateau in Eastern Murasa, home to statues, goblins and wurms.[25][26]
    • Song-Mad Ruins, the Singing City {R} - an ancient kor ruin emitting a strange noise that eventually drives explorers insane.[25][27]
    • Raimunza Falls {U} - a raging waterfall plummeting off the edge of the Na.[25]
      • Raimunza Hive - a settlement built around the falls, used as a mining operation and threatened by giant wasps.[25]
  • The Pillar Plains {W} - oxen graze on the green mesas lining the top of towering limestone pillars.[25]
    • The Vazi River {U} - tumbling in rapids and waterfalls through the canyons between the Pillar Plains.[25]
      • Thunder Gap - a navigable part of the Vazi which ends in steep and treacherous sets of bridges and ledges. Formerly the safest route into Murasa, it is now abandoned and reputedly haunted.[26][25]
    • The Wall of Omens[25]
  • The Skyfang Mountains {R}{G} - steep, forest-covered mountains full of dangerous predators and deadly sharp floating and falling rocks.[25] or the Shatterskull Mountains[28]
    • Shatterskull Pass {R} - the safest route through the Skyfangs, made less safe by numerous rocs and sharp floating rocks.[25]
      • Zektar Shrine - an elemental-infested shrine.[28]
  • Sunder Bay or Sunder Cove {U}{B} - a break in the cliffs where a mangrove of sharp-bladed trees grows from the water. Treacherous but navigable with the right guide.[29][26][25][12]
    • The Tumbled Palace - capital of the Tajuru elves, located on the cliffs above Sunder Bay.[29][25][12]

Ondu {W} - a big continent dominated by vertical features like dramatic trenches, skyscraping trees, and deep crypts.

  • Makindi {W} - a large stretch of plains riddled with deep treches and soaring mesa-topped pillars.
    • The Makindi Trenches {R} - a maze of high-walled trenches crisscrossing the mainland.[30][12]
      • The Makindi Faduun - huge stone heads of mysterious origin dot the landscape around Makindi.
      • The Makindi Mesas {W} - topping the pillars and soaring above the Makindi Trenches, the mesas are home to both kor and various flying beasts, such as griffins.
        • The Binding Circle - located on a plateau, contains the entrance to the Soul Stair and the former Prison of Omnath.[12]
          • The Prison of Omnath {M} - the former prison of Omnath on a high mesa.[31][30]
          • The Soul Stair {M} - the infinitely long spiral staircase leading into the strange void where Omnath was held prison.[30][31]
      • The Palace of Zemgora - an ancient vampire-built palace raised in honor of the Eldrazi. Its location and position in the trenches are shifted around by the Roil.[12]
      • Piston Mountains {R} - rising up on a mesa next to the Teeterpeaks, the Pistons are partially hovering mountain peaks, known to slowly lift up and then suddenly crash back to the ground at random intervals, causing deadly bursts of rock fragments to fly out.[12]
      • Teetering Stone Canyon {R} - the canyon where the Teetering Peaks are located.[12]
        • The Teetering Peaks or Teeterpeak {R} - infamous large boulders balancing precariously on tiny peaks, though they are far more stable than they appear.[30]
      • The Throne of Makindi {M} - the ancient seat of the Kor Empire can still be found intact somewhere within the trenches.
  • The Ondu Skyclave {W} - an ancient floating ruin.[32]
  • The Silundi Sea {U} - the stormy sea off the coast of Ondu
    • Bay of Beyeen {U} - The Bay where Agadeem and Beyeen lie.[12]
      • Agadeem {B} - a large island in the Silundi Sea
        • The Fields of Agadeem - Covered by a vision-inducing hedron field.[30][12]
        • The Crypt of Agadeem {B} - a natural cavern converted into a massive gravesite full of traps.[30]
          • The Crypt Maw {B} - the haunted, bat-teeming entrance to the Crypt, a natural cave the size of a cathedral.[30]
          • The Cryptlock {B} - the deepest part of the crypt, locked by a magical glyph holding the thousands of dead within.
        • Kabira {W} - a plateau used as hunting grounds for the kor. Former site of a crossroads settlement near the hedron fields, [30] until it was destroyed by Ulamog's brood.[33]
      • Beyeen {U} - a small, temperate, geothermally active island[30]
        • The Crown of Talib {R} - a range of volcanic peaks and piston mountains connected by clinging vegetation bridges.
          • Boilbasin {U}{R} - a series of huge thermal pools coming off the volcanoes, ranging from boiling near the top to merely warm near the sea. A favorite haunt for dragons.[17][30]
          • Mount Valakut {R} - the largest and most active volcano of the range.[34]
        • Zulaport {U}{B} - a trade port with mages, artisans, and explorers of all races.[30]
    • The Serpent's Maw {U}- the stormy waters surrounding Jwar.[22][30]
      • Jwar Isle, the Isle of Secrets {U}{B} - a tiny stormy island constantly swept by the sea.[30]
        • The Jwari Faduun - giant stone heads of mysterious origin litter Jwar Isle.
        • The Jwari Skyclave {U} - an ancient kor ruin filled with pools, laboratories, and traps.[22]
        • The Strand of Jwar {U} - a mysterious pure blue-glowing strand of aether that juts out of a saltwater pool on the island, beaming straight into the sky.[30]
  • Turntimber, the Serpentine Forest {G} - a vast temperate forest with giant corkscrew-shaped trees supporting giant snakes and baloths.[30]
    • Graypelt or Greypelt {G}{W} - a small encampment of druids on the edge of Turntimber, able to draw mana from the forest.[30]
    • Tajuru Home Tree {G} - a huge moss-covered turntimber tree which carries several Tajuru villages in its bows. Former site of Mosscrack, a village which was destroyed by the Eldrazi.[12]
    • Whiteshag {U} - a river coursing through the Turntimber.[12]
    • Wolfbriar {B} - a haunting glade, the home of an elf beastmaster.

Sejiri {W}{U} - the arctic continent, a vast, icy tundra surrounded by cliffs.

  • Benthidrix {U} - a mysterious underwater shrine possibly belonging to a lost tribe of ice merfolk.[35]
  • Chill Depths {U} - a merfolk enclave
  • Ikiral {W} - a trading post hidden in the shadow of a giant fallen hedron.[35]
  • Midnight Pass - the only way to access Sejiri, passing through the titanic cliffs.[35]
  • The Sejiri Skyclave - a floating ruined fortress risen from the ice beneath it.[13]

Tazeem {U}

  • Emeria, or Em's Realm {W} - a large plain of broken land and hedrons.[36][37]
  • Hadatown {W}[16]
  • Halimar {U} - a huge and deep artificial inland sea locked in by the seawall on one side. Safest route between the Sea Gate and Umara.[37]
    • The Halimar Sea Caves {U} - dumping ground of hardened criminals and breeding grounds for giant squid.
    • The Seawall {U} - a 500-foot-tall ancient wall keeping Halimar at a different surface level than the ocean outside.
      • The Lighthouse {U} - a 350-foot-tall tower on top of the Seawall. A center of learning for all of Tazeem.[37][12]
      • Sea Gate {U} - the largest center of culture and commerce on the plane, located on the Seawall[37][12]
  • Jade Room - an underground ruin near the banks of the Halimar, stalked by a faceless monstrosity.[38]
  • The Lun Bulwark {R} - a large mountain range.[16]
  • North Hada - a thieves' den.
  • Oran-Rief, the Vastwood {G} - a twisted, constantly expanding forest in the heart of Tazeem.[37]
    • Umara Skyfalls {U} - the source of the Umara River floats high above Oran-Rief, ever flowing down into the jungle below.[39]
  • Ruins of Ysterid - a ruin at the bottom of a pit cave near Magosi.[37]
  • Sky Rock - a huge hedron floating in the air near Sea Gate.[40][41]
  • The Umara River Gorge {U} - a north-running chasm bisecting the continent in two. Popular place for settlements due to it being unaffected by the Roil.
    • The Umara River {U} - a great, rushing river running north from the Halimar to the sea on the north side of the continent.
      • Coralhelm {U} - a floating coral landmass protected by a large gorge on all sides. It is located further upriver than the Enclave.
      • The Merfolk Enclave {U} - Built on a large island in the Umara, a hive-like structure of bathing halls, corridors, and sleeping chambers. The largest merfolk settlement on Zendikar.
    • The Magosi Portage - a set of cliffs used to carry boats past the Magosi Waterfall.[37]
    • The Magosi Waterfall {U} - a 300-foot dramatic and beautiful waterfall, host to the deadly serpent Verazol.[37]
  • Wren Grotto - a cliff-cave housing the golden temples that serve as training grounds for the merfolk's giant falcons[37]

Unknown Continent

  • Cliffhaven {W}{B} - a cliffside settlement with kor kitesailers and vampire ropewalkers.
  • Hedron Field, a non-canon location.[42] Its name refers to the similarity between the shapes of hedrons and baseball diamonds. Goblins, elves, kor, and vampires make up the audience in their stands.
  • The Knuckle of Forgotten Ones - located in either Ondu or Akoum.[12]
  • Zof {B} - a nasty bloodbog with giant mosquitoes and hungry shades.

Inhabitants

The plane is inhabited among others by goblins, elves, merfolk, humans and vampires.[43] It is also the home of the Kor[44][45] (who have been abducted to other planes from Zendikar). Other races that can be found on Zendikar are angels, ogres, minotaurs, and giants. A reptilian race of questionable sapience, known as the Surrakar, dwelled exclusively on Zendikar but now seems to be extinct. Assorted wildlife, ranging from insects to beasts, also dwell on the plane, posing another threat for explorers not to be eaten or killed. Some of them, like the Gomazoa, have adapted to the flying topography. These look just like regular floating rocks.[46]

Sapient races

Artificial

Other

Non-Native

Culture

A popular game among adventuring parties and expeditionary houses is the game Conquest. Played with a fifteen-card deck, including Cunning, Foe, Victory, and Power, each card is revealed individually, and adventurers take turns sharing true stories related to the shown card. The player with the most impressive story takes the card, and the player with the most cards after the game is the winner.[47]

Flora

  • Asta weed - a plant habitually ingested by the Joraga to make their blood poisonous to vampires.[12]
  • Bloodbriar - a poisonous plant which the elves dip their arrowheads in.[12]
  • Fig trees[12]
  • Gourgi bush - with thick leaves that can be used to fashion containers.[12]
  • Harabaz trees - enormous-trunked trees growing on Murasa.[25]
  • Hedron plant - a low gray plant covered in thorns and roughly shaped like a hedron.[12]
  • Incisor orchid - a glowing purple bloom with a beautiful scent.[12]
  • Jaddi trees - extremely tall white-barked nut trees sacred to the Mul Daya. Jaddi sap is used as flavoring.[12]
  • Jungle orchids - sweet-smelling flowers[12]
  • Jurworrel trees - branches can be used as crutches.[12]
  • Kolya trees - trees in Ora Ondar that grow mutation-inducing fruits. Eating too many can be lethal, as mutations run wild.[12]
  • Lichen[12]
  • Moss[12]
  • Nadi tres - pale nadi wood is used as writing tablets[12]
  • Nula trees[12]
  • Paphian flowers - green flowers that the Joraga bury with their dead.[12]
  • Siffleeb - a plant with sharp canes that suddenly shoot out of the water, impaling unsuspecting victims.[12]
  • Simeon plant - a plant with healing powers.[12]
  • Slaughter shrubs - bushes in Ora Ondar.[12]
  • Snap ferns - a vorpal weed, deadly plants that suddenly slice out with sharp leaves, and then feed on nearby blood or corpses.[12]
  • Sopfruit - an edible fruit.[12]
  • Turntimber trees - giant corkscrewing trees where the Tajuru build their villages[12]
  • Wild linnestrop - an invasive weed that chokes out any nearby plant life.[12]
  • Wolf berries - a food source[12]

History

Murasa.

Ancient civilizations

Before the imprisonment of the Eldrazi, there were various civilizations on all continents, which worshiped a myriad of "unrecognizable" gods. These have been mistaken for Eldrazi ruins, leading to several misconceptions about the latter.[48]

Centuries before the arrival of the Eldrazi, the kor built an empire.[13] Driven originally by a desire to see the world united in peace and harmony, this empire quickly grew into an authoritarian state where the Kor imposed their ideals, laws, and structure upon the unwilling peoples of other continents. This imposition bred resistance among their subjects, and as they met with increasing resistance to their rule, they became more and more oppressive and tyrannical.

The great capital city of Makindi, which gave its name to this kor empire, was in Ondu. To maintain the empire's hold over the world, Kor stoneforgers built seven Skyclaves — military bases, government headquarters, and small cities that floated in the sky above each continent. Each Skyclave was built around a central power source like a miniature sun, designed as dozens of floating platforms that could close tightly into a sealed, hollow sphere for defense. As the world endured centuries under the Kor's oppressive rule, the empire's iron grip began to weaken. Over a century, the Skyclaves began to fall until only Emeria, the Sky Ruin remained in the air.

The Eldrazi

Over six thousand years before the Battle for Zendikar, The Three decided to force the Eldrazi into physical form and trap them on a plane, sacrificing that plane for the well-being of the Multiverse. They searched for a plane with lush ecosystems and uniquely dynamic mana — a powerful lure for the Eldrazi's insatiable hunger. They decided on Nahiri's own Zendikar. Sorin Markov lured the Eldrazi to the plane, directing their hunger to that unique mana, Ugin used his invisible breath to combat the Eldrazi and his colorless magic to bind them to the plane, and Nahiri had constructed a massive network of stone hedrons, whose power would form the bars of a planewide prison, forever preventing the Eldrazi from leaving.[49] Ugin arranged the hedrons to direct leylines of energy, which were not to be disrupted.

The planeswalkers concentrated the power of their imprisonment spell in a secret location deep inside Zendikar's mountains of Akoum: a subterranean chamber called the Eye of Ugin. To make sure that the imprisonment would not be broken, the three planeswalkers sealed the chamber with a mystical lock: the Eye of Ugin could only be reactivated by the presence of three planeswalker sparks—and the colorless, invisible breath of Ugin, the spirit dragon himself. The planeswalkers' trap worked. Emrakul, Ulamog, and Kozilek manifested in physical form on Zendikar, became confined by the magic of the network of hedrons, and thanks to the magic of the imprisonment spell, sank into harmless dormancy. Their mission was complete, and the planeswalkers disbanded. Sorin and Ugin left the plane, while Nahiri remained to watch over Zendikar and protect the Eldrazi's prison.[49]

The first awakening

A few thousand years after the imprisonment of the Eldrazi by The Three, the noxious creative force of Ulamog became an infection that took hold of the people who dared to live in Akoum's mountains despite the tectonic instability of the region.[50] They became a sort of cult devoted to an imagined deity of the mountains, established a temple near the site of the prison, and began performing rituals inspired by their growing madness. The cultists avoided the notice of the increasingly reclusive Nahiri, and over time and multiple generations, their rituals proved effective in loosening the bonds of the Eldrazi prison.

When the hedron network was disturbed, their prison proved tenuous, and they came close to breaking free. A small fraction of their power was able to emerge which let loose legions of Eldrazi drones.[51] Zhulodok was among the first wave to awaken and its name was whispered first into the minds of desperate cultists and later screamed from the mouths of panicked victims.[52]

Zhulodok razed the land and siphoned mana to fuel the eventual return of the three Titans.[52] It marched across the land seeking anything to satiate its hunger. Mountains were crushed in its wake, splintered and carved out by Zhulodok and the monstrous forces at its back. It is said that a single night of feeding carved out the shape of the Windblast Gorge, once a towering range of mountains. Zhulodok's presence was said to inspire hunger and a thirst that could never be quenched, driving its enemies to consume each other ahead of the advance. This caused a famine so powerful that it even affected Ulamog's followers, though they understood this hunger as his gift, and followed it willingly. By following the path of carnage, the cultists who helped free the Eldrazi saw firsthand the power of consumption and how to turn flesh and blood into power. Only twelve of them survived the initial wave of spawn emerging from the prison, but those twelve became the first vampire bloodchiefs, the progenitors of the vampire race.[50] Nahiri, who had remained on Zendikar to keep watch, called for aid from Sorin and Ugin. When her beacon went unanswered, alone, she identified the disturbance in the hedron network and repaired it, returning the Eldrazi to their slumber.[51] Even after Nahiri slew Zhulodok and sealed the Eldrazi in their hedronic prison again, the vampires would whisper the name of Ulamog's prophet for millennia to come as a curse against Zendikar itself.[52]

Urza's visit

At some point, Urza visited Zendikar, hoping that the hedrons' magic could stop Phyrexia. He deemed the matrix's power insufficient, and so, he abandoned this idea.[53]

Meeting at the Eye of Ugin

Hedrons.

The meeting of Vol, Nalaar, and Beleren in the Eye of Ugin chamber loosened the bonds that kept the Eldrazi in torpor, and their minions rose to feed on the life of Zendikar again. The Release of the Eldrazi was completed when Nissa Revane, Sorin Markov, and Anowon arrived at the Eye. Although Sorin intended to reseal the prison, Nissa instead acted by destroying the keylock hedron, and the Release of the Eldrazi was a fact.

The Battle for Zendikar

Thousands of years ago, when the Eldrazi first awoke, the destruction was vast; the natural world nearly perished. The power of the Eldrazi was unfathomable, and humanoids didn't so much as slow down their progress. It took the return of The Three to put the great Eldrazi to sleep again. Since then, the planet created the Roil to battle the drones, and with the new awakening, some humanoids received a mana infusion that enabled them to fight back. Within two years of the release of the Eldrazi, Sea Gate on Tazeem and the entire continents of Sejiri and Bala Ged were overrun.[54][55] However, the adventurers of Zendikar, even severely outgunned as they were, wouldn't fold to the Eldrazi abominations.[56]

Gideon Jura took command, and started gathering allies to take the offensive.[57] Battle-hardened veterans and desperate recruits flocked to his banner. The vampires of Malakir joined in,[58] as well as the Roil-mages of Noyan Dar.[59] Kiora, a Planeswalker native to Zendikar, brought her army of merfolk and colossal sea monsters to the fight. They began an attack on the Eldrazi-controlled Sea Gate, joined soon thereafter by Nissa. The Eldrazi were driven from the city, and Sea Gate's defensive ramparts were rebuilt and fortified. The soldiers of Zendikar celebrated a hard-won victory. Then, Jori En arrived with the news that Ulamog himself was approaching ....[60]

The Planeswalkers enacted a bold new plan. While Gideon's troops and Kiora's forces held the city against this fresh assault, Nissa called on the elemental power of the earth to raise sunken hedrons from the ground and move them into a ring around the Eldrazi titan. Jace activated the hedrons' magic, and Ulamog was trapped! Then everything collapsed. Ob Nixilis appeared, having followed Nissa from Bala Ged.[61] Gleaming with joy, he slaughtered the Kor guards and siphoned the power of the hedrons into himself, reigniting his spark. In one final act of vengeance against Zendikar, he destroyed the hedron network and awoke the slumbering Eldrazi titan Kozilek.[62]

Oath of the Gatewatch

In quick succession, the Planeswalkers dedicated to stopping the Eldrazi were either defeated or went missing. Beset by the distortions of Kozilek, General Tazri was saved by the protection of her halo. She regrouped with Noyan Dar, the vampire queen Drana and the Kor squad leader Munda, and, inspired by the angel she had killed long ago, took command.[63] Meanwhile, Chandra Nalaar showed up and freed her planeswalker friends. Their concerted attack managed to scare Ob Nixilis away from Zendikar.[64]

The four planeswalkers realized that they were helpless against large threats on their own, but that they could stand against just about any force in the Multiverse by working together. Thus, they swore an oath to stand together, and the Gatewatch was created.[65] Seeing that he could not keep his promise to Ugin to neither harm the Eldrazi nor allow them to escape from Zendikar, Jace decided to slay the Titans with the Gatewatch's and Kiora's help. After consulting with Nissa, he described the leyline pattern to her that would bind Kozilek and Ulamog to Zendikar, drawing the bulk of the Titans into the plane so that their energy could be dispersed into Zendikar, killing them in the process. To attract them, the remaining forces of Zendikar's defenders would pose as bait.[66]

While the plan worked at first, with Gideon keeping the Eldrazi swarms away from the army, Kiora clearing out any other swarms, and Chandra supporting them, once the Eldrazi titans were anchored to Zendikar, their destructive essence threatened to assimilate Zendikar into themselves. Afraid, Kiora tried to persuade Nissa to release the Titans and allow them to flee, but Jace objected. Chandra offered to burn the Titans instead, and after preventing Kiora from attacking Nissa, Jace agreed. The pyromancer then connected with the animist, allowing her to channel her pyromantic magic through Zendikar's Ley Lines directly into the Titans. In one brilliant blaze of flame, Ulamog and Kozilek were incinerated and destroyed, leaving only ashes raining from Zendikar's sky.[67] The rebuilding of civilization was lead by General-Commander Tazri.[68]

Zendikar Rising

Like an inflammation that persists after the infection is gone, the Roil remains active even after the destruction of the Eldrazi, and it remains one of the greatest hazards to adventurers who brave the wilds of Zendikar.[13]

In the wake of the Eldrazi's fall, a plan was needed to rebuild Sea Gate. Unfortunately, the Sea Gate Reconstruction Project found itself with too many plans. 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.[13] In the course of their exploration, they triggered the magical defenses of the ancient Skyclave — and awakened the other six. Whatever their ruin and disrepair, all seven Skyclaves rose back into the air and opened. Above every continent, people looked to the sky and saw shattered fragments of cyclopean ruins drifting slowly among the clouds. While the entirety of the ruins took to the skies, broken-off chunks did not necessarily reattach. This resulted in free-floating structures, out of reach of the average adventurer. While Zendikar is rife with talented line-slingers, few were interested in risking their lives to access these obscure ruins, not when the "accessible" Skyclaves were filled with treasures of their own.

Two guardians returned to Zendikar, but they were at odds on how to restore Zendikar to its former glory. Guilt-ridden Nahiri vowed to negate the Roil by using ancient kor technology. She didn't care if this would be accomplished at a massive cost of lives.[69] Nissa Revane opposed her. In the end, Nissa Revane prevailed, and restored the soil and wild nature of Zendikar by use of the Lithoform Core.[70]

Phyrexian invasion

Zendikar was a target in New Phyrexia's Invasion of the Multiverse.[71] 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.[36] 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 bedrock for miles. Once complete, the Skyclave began its work as a Phyrexian engine, merging stone with metal, latticed flesh across the surface, and pouring rivers of oil into Zendikar's waterways. As Phyrexians scurried into Zendikar, Sea Gate was defeated once more.

A party under the command of Tazri attacked Nahiri in the heart of the transformed Skyclave.[36] Though Nahiri at first gained the upper hand with ease, the fight turned as the angels of New Capenna entered the Multiverse and gave angels everywhere access to Halo. With Linvala's newfound strength and Tazri's halo, the party managed to break Nahiri loose from the reformed Hedron network and knock her from her feet. As they escaped, they witnessed the Skyclave breaking and crashing to the ground with Nahiri still inside.[36]

The Aftermath

While the invaders were halted by Norn's demise, the terraforming remained, and Zendikar's leylines were badly damaged.[72] Nahiri, now uncompleated and desparked, worked to remove the metal from the Skyclave, wishing to use it to restore the lands, but the loss of her spark meant the scope of her mission was far greater than could be accomplished.[73]

Languages

  • Ancient Eldrazi - a language spoken by some kor scholars.[12]
  • The Faduun of Jwar Isle speaks a language unknown to modern scholars.
  • The Graypelt tongue
  • The merfolk language, a highly-developed pictographic written language.[77]
  • Ancient Kor, spoken by Nahiri
    • It has its runic writing system[69]
  • Uksil, the druidic term for the language of the trees of Turntimber. It is believed that the creaking of the corkscrew-like trees is a secret language, and many have unsuccessfully attempted to understand it.[30]
  • Vampire tongue - the modern language spoken by the plane's vampires.[12]
    • Middle Vampire, an older version of the vampire tongue.[12]
    • Ancient Vampire, only legible by by a few scholars, such as Anowon.[12]

Planeswalkers

Native

Visitors

Non-planeswalker visitors

From Bloomburrow

Trivia

  • During design and development, Zendikar was codenamed "Endrakar".[84]

Gallery

In-game references

Represented in:
Associated cards:
Referred to:

References

  1. ↑ Mark Rosewater (November 29, 2016). "The Rabiah Scale". Blogatog. Tumblr.
  2. ↑ Flavor text of Scion of Ugin (Dragons of Tarkir).
  3. ↑ Michael Yichao (September 28, 2015). "Zendikar: Then and Now". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2021-04-29.
  4. ↑ Mark Rosewater (April 17, 2023). "Choosing Your Battles, Part 2". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  5. ↑ Doug Beyer (October 14, 2009). "The Journal of Javad Nasrin". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2019-08-12.
  6. ↑ Magic Arcana (February 15, 2010). "Beware the Aftershocks". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2021-04-29.
  7. ↑ Wizards of the Coast (September, 2009). "Deadly Perils, Priceless Treasures". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2020-10-29.
  8. ↑ Wizards of the Coast (September 2009). "The World of Zendikar". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2021-04-29.
  9. ↑ Doug Beyer (September 16, 2009). "Monument to a Lost Age". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2021-04-29.
  10. ↑ Wizards of the Coast (September, 2009). "The Secrets of Zendikar". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2021-04-29.
  11. ↑ Wizards of the Coast (January, 2010). "Dangerous Ruins". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2021-04-29.
  12. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi bj bk bl bm bn bo bp bq br bs bt bu bv bw bx by bz ca cb cc cd ce cf cg ch ci cj ck cl cm cn co cp cq Robert B. Wintermute (2010) - Zendikar: In the Teeth of Akoum, Wizards of the Coast
  13. ↑ a b c d e f g Ari Zirulnik and James Wyatt (September 1, 2020). "Zendikar: Thing Have Changed". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  14. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j Magic Creative Team (January 13, 2010). "A Planeswalker’s Guide to Zendikar: Akoum". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2021-04-29.
  15. ↑ Jenna Helland (2010) - The Battle of Fort Keff, Wizards of the Coast.
  16. ↑ a b c d e (2010). Worldwake Player's Guide. Wizards of the Coast.
  17. ↑ a b c Doug Beyer (September 23, 2009). "The Master at Arms". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2021-04-29.
  18. ↑ Magic Creative Team (December 16, 2009). "A Planeswalker’s Guide to Zendikar: Goblins". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2021-04-29.
  19. ↑ a b c d e Doug Beyer (2009), "Journey to the Eye", Wizards of the Coast
  20. ↑ Doug Beyer (2010), "Awakenings", Wizards of the Coast
  21. ↑ a b Magic Creative Team (September 9, 2009). "A Planeswalker's Guide to Zendikar". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2020-10-31.
  22. ↑ a b c Brandon O'Brien (September 25, 2020). "Hunger". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  23. ↑ a b c d e f g Magic Creative Team (October 21, 2009). "A Planeswalker's Guide to Zendikar: Guul Draz". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2021-04-26.
  24. ↑ a b Doug Beyer (December 9, 2009). "Booster Quest!". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2021-04-29.
  25. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa 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.
  26. ↑ a b c d e Magic Creative Team (January 27, 2010). "The Tyrant of the Cliffs". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2021-04-29.
  27. ↑ A. T. Greenblatt (September 23, 2020). "Episode 4: Of Haunting Songs and Whispered Warnings". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  28. ↑ a b Doug Beyer (October 7, 2009). "The Moment of Discovery". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2021-01-22.
  29. ↑ a b Magic Creative Team (September 30, 2009). "A Planeswalker's Guide to Zendikar: Bala Ged and Elves". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2019-08-12.
  30. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Magic Creative Team (November 11, 2009). "A Planeswalker's Guide to Zendikar: Ondu". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2019-08-12.
  31. ↑ a b The Release of Omnath (Video). Good Morning Magic. YouTube (February 24, 2023).
  32. ↑ As seen in Ondu Skyruins.
  33. ↑ As seen in Corrupted Crossroads
  34. ↑ Doug Beyer (November 25, 2009). "Brooms, Planes, and Valakuts: Tales from the Inbox". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2020-10-22.
  35. ↑ a b c Magic Creative Team (January 27, 2010). "A Planeswalker's Guide to Zendikar: Murasa and Sejiri". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2020-11-26.
  36. ↑ a b c d A. T. Greenblatt (March 27, 2023). "March of the Machine - Zendikar: Battles in the Field and in the Mind". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  37. ↑ a b c d e f g h i Magic Creative Team (December 02, 2009). "A Planeswalker's Guide to Zendikar: Tazeem and Merfolk". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2020-11-11.
  38. ↑ Magic Creative Team (September 9, 2009). "A Planeswalker's Guide to Zendikar". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2020-10-31.
  39. ↑ As seen on Umara Skyfalls
  40. ↑ Kimberly J. Kreines (September 9, 2015). "The Survivors of Sky Rock". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2019-04-23.
  41. ↑ Ari Levitch, Doug Beyer, Kelly Digges, and Kimberly J. Kreines (February 24, 2016). "Zendikar Resurgent". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  42. ↑ Scalefast Inc. (August 28, 2023). "Magic: The Baseballing". Wizards of the Coast Secret Lair.
  43. ↑ Wizards of the Coast (September 2009). "The Races of Zendikar". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2020-09-22.
  44. ↑ Doug Beyer (October 28, 2009). "The Season for Costumes". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2021-04-29.
  45. ↑ Michael Yichao (September 29, 2015). "Eldrazi, Humans, and Kor, Oh My!". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2020-11-25.
  46. ↑ Magic Arcana (October 01, 2009). "Gomazoa". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2021-04-29.
  47. ↑ A. T. Greenblatt (September 9, 2020). "Episode 2: Race to the Murasa Skyclave". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  48. ↑ Plane Shift - Zendikar
  49. ↑ a b Kelly Digges (October 29, 2014). "The Lithomancer". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  50. ↑ a b James Wyatt (2016). The Art of Magic: The Gathering - Zendikar, p. 48
  51. ↑ a b James Wyatt (May 13, 2015). "Stirring from Slumber". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2021-04-29.
  52. ↑ a b c Eldrazi Unbound deck insert
  53. ↑ a b LoreleyWrites. Twitter.
  54. ↑ Ari Levitch (July 15, 2015). "Limits". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2015-07-18.
  55. ↑ Doug Beyer (June 16, 2014). "Checking in on the Planeswalkers". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2020-10-20.
  56. ↑ Doug Beyer (May 12, 2010). "Rising to the Occasion". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2020-09-22.
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  58. ↑ Ken Troop (September 16, 2015). "Memories of Blood". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2015-09-17.
  59. ↑ Ken Troop (October 21, 2015). "Shaping an Army". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2015-10-24.
  60. ↑ James Wyatt (October 28, 2015). "The Liberation of Sea Gate". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2015-10-30.
  61. ↑ Kimberly J. Kreines (November 18, 2015). "Hedron Alignment". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2015-11-20.
  62. ↑ Nik Davidson (November 25, 2015). "At Any Cost". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2015-11-27.
  63. ↑ Ken Troop (January 13, 2016). "The Blight We Were Born For". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2016-01-13.
  64. ↑ Doug Beyer (January 20, 2016). "Up in Flames". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2016-01-20.
  65. ↑ James Wyatt (February 3, 2016). "Oath of the Gatewatch". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  66. ↑ Kelly Digges (February 10, 2016). "Brink of Extinction". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2019-03-28.
  67. ↑ Doug Beyer (February 17, 2016). "Zendikar's Last Stand". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2019-03-28.
  68. ↑ Ari Levitch, Doug Beyer, Kelly Digges and Kimberly J. Kreines (February 24, 2016). "Zendikar Resurgent". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  69. ↑ a b A. T. Greenblatt (September 2, 2020). "Episode 1: In the Heart of the Skyclave". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  70. ↑ A. T. Greenblatt (September 30, 2020). "Episode 5: The Two Guardians". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  71. ↑ First Look at March of the Machine (Video). Magic: The Gathering. YouTube (February 19, 2023).
  72. ↑ No Sparks Allowed – Aftermath Lore ft Rhystic Studies (Video). YouTube.
  73. ↑ Emily Teng (May 2, 2023). "March of the Machine: The Aftermath - Beyond Repair". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
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  75. ↑ Adam Lee (June 25, 2014). "Nissa, Worldwaker". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
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  78. ↑ a b c d Jed MacKay (2023). Magic. Issue 22. Boom!
  79. ↑ Jeremy Wilson (April 14, 2023). "Easter Eggs". Twitter.
  80. ↑ Eli Minaya (April 5, 2023). "The brief provided a list of places, all very different from one another". Twitter.
  81. ↑ Jed MacKay (2021). Magic. Issue 2. Boom!
  82. ↑ Roy Graham (January 13, 2021). "Episode 2: Awaken the Trolls". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2021-03-07.
  83. ↑ Neale LaPlante Johnson (August 12, 2024). "The Legends of Bloomburrow". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  84. ↑ Aaron Forsythe (July 19, 2024). "Original style guide for Zendikar.". Twitter.

Sources

External links

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