Yavimaya

Yavimaya
Information
Plane	Dominaria
Part of	Terisian Isles Urborg
Status	Current
Formerly part of	Yotia Fallajia
Card art	art:"Yavimaya"

Yavimaya is a heavily forested island in the archipelago of the Terisian Isles.^[1] Another part of Yavimaya has been relocated to Urborg.

Description

Yavimaya is an island that is bordered by the South Sea to the southwest, the Shielded Sea to the southeast, and the Sea of Laments to the north. To the west lies the island of Almaaz, and to the east lies New Argive. Both of these islands are connected to Yavimaya with Magnigoth mangals and ocean-crossing groves of giant trees that form giant mangroves.

Yavimaya is a towering forest of ancient, city-sized trees with decaying giants leaning against one another, forming ecosystems of undergrowth and grazing beasts; vast pits in the canopy reveal plunging depths of tangled roots, cascading waterfalls, and dim sunlight, while life thrives in every crevice, from elf villages on bark terraces to ant colonies inside knots, and druids dwell amid the muscular roots that rise above dark, depleted earth.^[2]

History

Yavimaya was a thickly forested mountainous region off the southern coasts of the Dominarian continent Terisiare. It was the domain of the Maro-Sorcerer Multani. The Yavimaya Forest grew into a single sapient mind after the Ice Age, driving out its old and new inhabitants.

After the Ice Age, the forest became home to the gorilla tribes and a refuge for the Fyndhorn elves. These races united to overcome the forest's native hostility. The elves entered into a symbiotic relationship with the forest. This interdependence reached a point where the forest was heavily reliant on the elves for direction. The elves helped to design all sorts of defenses that the forest would need based on their own experiences and acted as a zealous front line of defense. In return, the forest gave them homes, weapons, and food.

After 400 years of evolution the Llanowar elf Rofellos was sent to Yavimaya to foster relations between the two forests by helping build up Yavimaya's defenses for the coming Phyrexian Invasion.^[3] When he arrived, he exchanged places with Multani as voice of Yavimaya, allowing Multani to go abroad in the world.

When Urza journeyed to Yavimaya to enlist its aid against the Phyrexians, Yavimaya and many of its denizens remembered Urza's role in decimating Argoth. Urza was then taken captive by the forest's emissary, Multani. For a time Urza's consciousness merged with Yavimaya's.

During the Phyrexian Invasion Multani transplanted part of Yavimaya to Urborg's edge to have Yavimaya's powerful inhabitants join in on the last great battle of the Invasion.

Yavimayan rift

Urza's earlier Sylex Blast had resulted in Yavimaya's rift. When the rifts worsened, the sentient forest tried to heal the damage, without success. Under the influence of Leshrac, Jeska used Radha to seal the rift, causing the warrior to lose her potential to become a planeswalker.

Revival

Sixty years after the Mending, Multani's mind awakened once more, grasping for consciousness as rage itself rebuilt his body. He spurred Yavimaya to frantic, undirected action.^[4][5] Meanwhile, his child Muldrotha was born into Yavimaya's offshoot on Urborg. She had grown from rot and ruin but bloomed in the recent resurgence of the plane.^[6] Like the land that gave her life, Muldrotha is wild, dark, unpredictable and relentless.

Cast out by the raging spirit of Multani, Yavimayan elves had to live as exiles on the outskirts of their former home.^[7]

Now that Multani has calmed, the elves are free to return to Yavimaya. Most have made the journey, but some have remained, having formed bonds of friendship or marriage with the humans of New Argive.^[8]

Inhabitants

Elves

Yavimayan elves have very spindly, elongated limbs. One notable difference between the elves of Yavimaya and those of other parts of Dominaria is the connection between the elves and Yavimaya itself. While all elves have strong ties to the land, the elves of Yavimaya are part of a hive culture, sharing the thoughts of Yavimaya simultaneously with their own. In addition to the spindly, telepathic elves of Yavimaya, the forest also seemed to be home to some "normal" elves as well, including some barbaric elves with a warlike culture.

Modern Yavimayan elves are Kavu riders. Cast out by the enraged spirit of Multani, the Yavimayan elves lived for a time as exiles, with the largest group surviving in the ruins of Kroog on the outskirts of the forest.^[7] Under their leader Meria, they joined The Coalition against the Second Phyrexian Invasion.^[9]

Since Multani calmed, the elves are once more free to return to Yavimaya. Most have made the journey, but some have remained, having formed bonds of friendship or marriage with the humans of New Argive.^[8]

Faeries

Forest sprites lived in spangled beauty among the deep dew fields of Yavimaya.^[2]

Gorilla tribes

The apes of Yavimaya are sapient and engage in a form of ancestor worship that draws strength from their forebears.^[10]

Humans

Although humans historically have had a contentious relationship with the forest, with several periods of aggressive conflict against lumberers and would-be settlers, there are some exceptions to the rule. The Juniper Order's druids were eventually allowed into Yavimaya during the Flooding of Terisiare, and have since formed a pact with the forest that has lasted until modern times.^[11] Nature-bonded Enchantresses have also been known to be allowed to inhabit the forest. ^[12]

Insects

Twenty-foot-high hives spawned two species of insects that constitute the "eyes of the forest". Marker beetles litter the ground of the forest, and when stepped on, secrete a powerful-smelling fluid that marks the invader. Signal bugs are extremely fast flyers who, when disturbed, flock immediately to the lookout trees, thus notifying the elves of activity.^[3] There are also giant ants that live in the upper parts of the tallest boughs.^[2]

Nymphs

The forest is home to dryads living in folds of bark of the giant trees, and naiads living in the silvery cascades that drop from aerial lakes.^[2]

Shadow Gnomes

The Shadow Gnomes of Yavimaya aren't seen often. Evidence of their existence can be seen in the form of the strange burrows they use for the interment of their dead. They live in dirt-lined tunnels underground, among the roots of the trees. They sometimes emerge at night, startling the other dwellers of Yavimaya with their huge, luminous eyes.^[13][14][2]

Treefolk

Treefolk are very prevalent in Yavimaya, and some of them like Verdeloth are of titanic proportion, taking after the giant magnigoth trees that they protect.

Plant life

Lookout trees

Lookout trees grew to prodigious heights within the forest, allowing the elves and other denizens a safe location to survey the forest.^[3] Yavimaya adapted the foliage of all her trees to communicate via coloration changes. The normal green hues of the leaves shifted to blue where non-violent, alien movement was detected. Yellow-gold leaves signaled that the forest was in battle with an invader. And where the battle was lost, black leaves signaled the forest's wound. At night, the glowing pollen of the seed torches illuminated the forest.

Magnigoth

The magnigoth was a species of long-lived Yavimayan tree that grew thousands of feet tall.^[15] Magnigoth treefolk are awakened trees of the magnigoth species. They were among the foremost to fight the Phyrexians.

Weatherseed

The Weatherseed was the seed of the oldest magnigoth tree, the Heart of Yavimaya. Urza transformed it to form the hull of the Skyship Weatherlight.

Woodmen

Phyrexians who were killed during the Phyrexian invasion, were resurrected as woodmen who fought for the forest.

Known locations

• The Mori Tumulus - a tall rift over a forested valley.^[16][17]
• Rith's Grove - the dwelling of Rith, the Awakener.
• Ruins of Kroog
• The Yavimayan Academy - a canopy school for elves at the top of a magnigoth tree.^[17]
• Yavimaya Hollow, containing the Heart of Yavimaya.
• The Yavimaya River runs through the Yavimaya Valley.

Yavimaya has established colonies on Almaaz and New Argive, and is connected to those islands by Magnigoth Mangals.^[18]

Gallery

• 
  Visions of Yavimaya. Art by Quinton Hoover, Anthony S. Waters, Douglas Shuler, and Michael Sutfin.
• 
  Map of the Terisian Isles, featuring Yavimaya

In-game references

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References