zendikar
tomb of the eldrazi
Zendikar is a plane with powerful, primal mana and a rich, varied past. Millenia ago, Zendikar was a stable plane with vibrant life across its landscape. One of the white-aligned native races, the Kor, would eventually come to rule the plane and force all other races upon it into servitude with the use of powerful artifacts. Ruling from bases of power called Skyclaves, the Kor were the de facto power of Zendikar until the rebellion of the sentient races. One by one, the Skyclaves were toppled, and the Kor sent crashing back to the earth, their power forgotten.
Some time later, a trio of powerful planeswalkers (Ugin, Sorin, & Nahiri) used the natural, vibrant nature of Zendikar as bait to lure the three world-devouring Eldrazi Titans into a trap. Using lithomancy and ghostflame, they created an advanced network of hedrons to manipulate the leylines of Zendikar and trap the Eldrazi in the physical world. In doing so, the plane of Zendikar became an ever-shifting plane of chaotic energy, the result of the plane’s “immune system” rejecting the eldritch beings trapped within it. Over time, this chaotic twisting of the natural world became known as the Roil, and the unpredictable nature of its natural inhabitants and environment turned Zendikar into a world of adventure and peril for thrill-seekers and treasure hunters. Floating mountains, living terrain, and mysterious structures from the long-forgotten tomb of the Eldrazi and the downed Skycleaves only added to the mystique of Zendikar, leading it to also become a hiding ground for hidden artifacts of great power from Planeswalkers across the multiverse. It has also functioned a prison for powerful beings such as the demonic planeswalker Ob Nixilis.
In recent times, due to the manipulation of the planeswalker Sarkhan Vol by Nicol Bolas, the three Eldrazi Titans were awakened from their slumber and unleashed upon the multiverse. Zendikar was quickly becoming consumed by the three Eldrazi, the powerful mana of the plane being converted into colorless wastes and the life of the plane annihilated. The combined efforts of the planeswalkers Jace Beleren, Chandra Nalaar, Gideon Jura, Nissa Revane, and Kiora Atua allowed for the rallying of the plane’s defenses and the destruction of the titans Kozilek and Ulamog. This would mark the formation of the planeswalker alliance known as the Gatewatch.
With the Eldrazi threat gone and the return of the planeswalker Nahiri, the Skyclaves of old have begun to rise to the surface of Zendikar. Now floating ruins and tombs, the promised treasure within has called forth the survivors of Zendikar to band together and adventure into their past.
Sets
Zendikar - October 2009
Worldwake - February 2010
Rise of the Eldrazi - April 2010
Battle for Zendikar - October 2015
Zendikar Expeditions - October 2015
Oath of the Gatewatch - January 2016
Zendikar Rising - September 2020
Zendikar Rising Expeditions - September 2020
Gods & avatars
Cosi - God of tricksters, also known as Talib. Actually the eldrazi Kozilek.
Kozilek - The Butcher of Truth and the Great Distortion, one of the three eldrazi titans. He twists reality in on itself, causing those in his vicinity to live alternate realities or cease to exist entirely.
Emeria - Angelic god of the sky, wind, and clouds, also known as Kamsa. Actually the eldrazi Emrakul.
Emrakul - The Aeons Torn and The Promised End, greatest of the three eldrazi titans. She transforms living matter into an infinite refraction of itself and the only of the three to have a will and agenda of her own.
Ula - God of the depths, also known as Mangeni. Actually the eldrazi Ulamog.
Ulamog - The Infinite Gyre and the Ceasless Hunger, one of the three eldrazi titans. He syphons mana from the world around him and reduces matter to an inert, white chalk.
Omnath - The elemental avatar of Zendikar’s primal mana and heart of the plane.
The Soul of Zendikar - A great beast made of moss and hedrons.