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Lorwyn–Shadowmoor
Visions of lorwyn
Information
First seen Lorwyn
Last seen March of the Machine
Rabiah Scale 6[1]
Status Fused, recovering from New Phyrexia's invasion

Lorwyn–Shadowmoor is a remote plane with two aspects. While Lorwyn represents day, Shadowmoor is night. Lorwyn switched to Shadowmoor cyclically every 300 years,[2] an unnatural event triggered by the Great Aurora.

Lorwyn–Shadowmoor does not stand out in the Blind Eternities; it resides in a region of dream and aether that obscures it from most planeswalkers. It is also one of the few known planes in the Multiverse where humanity has not flourished. The plane is considered to be "spark-blind" (unaware of planeswalkers or of other planes).[3]

Lorwyn[ | ]

Lorwyn is one of two aspects of the plane Lorwyn–Shadowmoor, and the setting of the Lorwyn block. The plane is small, temperate, and believed to be flat.[4] The known portion of the plane, referred to as the Blessed Nation by the elves, is heavily forested and ringed by high mountains, outside of which lays the mysterious Primal Beyond. The world has no oceans or large lakes; all of its water comes from a system of rivers and streams connected by the subterranean Dark Meanders.[5] Lorwyn exists in perpetual midsummer and eternal daytime, though its denizens still operate on a daily cycle.[6] The plane observes dawn, noon, and dusk, with no night, with its day beginning when the sun grazes the eastern horizon and ending as it grazes the western.[7][8][9][10]

Currency on Lorwyn is composed of "threads" of precious metal, in denominations of copper, silver, and gold, grouped in size into threads, ropes, and coils.[11]

Creatures of Lorwyn[ | ]

The indigenous wildlife of the Lorwyn is dominated by eight sapient races: elves, kithkin, merrows, flamekin, boggarts, treefolk, giants and faeries. Lorwyn is one of the few known places in the multiverse where humans do not occur naturally.[3][12][13] In addition, Lorwyn supports a menagerie of animal and supernatural life, including wisents, springjacks, cervins, a semisapient race of mimics known as changelings and the majestic greater elementals. All of them thrive in Lorwyn's temperate environment and unending growing season, preserving the plane's character as an unspoiled natural wilderness.[3]

Each of the nine races (including the Changelings), known as the Tribes, live in an uneasy state of peace; skirmishes and small battles occur from time to time, but full-scale war is unknown. The Tribes are highly provincial and distrustful of those outside their race; all are wary of the cruel and powerful elves, who functions as the plane's de facto rulers.

Lorwyn is a backwater world rarely visited by planeswalkers. Those who know of its existence regard it as an idyllic paradise. Late in Lorwyn's history, the barriers between the Tribes began to break down as individuals from different races came together into new tribes based on common goals (soldiers, wizards, and so on).

Humanoids[ | ]

Wildlife[ | ]

Flora[ | ]

  • Arrowgrass, a plentiful, sturdy wild grass used by elves for arrow shafts.[15]
  • Ash
  • Black Poplar
  • Elder
  • Moonglove, a white, foxglove-like flower with pale-blue pistils cultivated by Lorwyn's elves to derive a potent poison.[16][6] This poison is deadly even in small amounts, taking down even towering giants. The elves use the moonglove aggressively in battle where it is the source of their fame and feared "deathtouch". In precisely controlled, highly diluted trace amounts, its necrotizing properties can be used to etch or carve living tissue — such as skin or bark. Moonglove is also essential in many other important elf rituals and magic.
  • Nettlevine, a parasitic plant that the elves can animate to bind around their victims, creating twisted, but powerful and eminently controllable minions.[17]
  • Nightshade
  • Oak
  • Rowan
  • Yew

Locations[ | ]

Shadowmoor[ | ]

Shadowmoor, the setting of the Shadowmoor block, is the other facet of the plane Lorwyn–Shadowmoor.[22] Whereas Lorwyn was defined by its greenness, especially its forests, its dark reflection is practically devoid of green.[23][24] In contrast to its daytime aspect, the plane of Shadowmoor exists in perpetual dusk, where the sun is never directly visible, and the only light seems to come from unseen sources.[4] Though the sun is always hidden behind a blanket of cloud, Shadowmoor still observes dawn, dusk, and night, albeit with no noon.[10]

The former inhabitants of Lorwyn don't recall their previous lives and remember having always lived in Shadowmoor. There are, however, a handful of beings who retain their memories; for example, in the storyline's latest Great Aurora: Ashling, Brigid Baeli, Maralen, Oona, the Vendilion Clique, Rosheen Meanderer, and The Sapling.

Another difference between the two planes is that some creatures who are dormant in Lorwyn are active in Shadowmoor, while others now hide from sight on the new plane.[5] Ouphes, korrigans, pucas, kelpies, scarecrows, and nightmarish, mythical beings that had slumbered beneath Lorwyn's surface have reemerged in the ambient night. What races have survived the change have been thoroughly altered by the tainted darkness covering Shadowmoor. In particular, the demeanor of each race has taken a turn for the worse.[25] The kithkin have become withdrawn and distrusting of the other inhabitants of the plane and the boggarts are now violent brutes. The flamekin, now called cinders, have lost their passion and become hateful shadows of themselves; giants have lost their intelligence, and rely in their basic instincts;[26] the merrows are spiteful pirates and raiders who lurk in their murky rivers; the treefolk are warped skeletons of bark and branches; and the playful changelings have become the malicious mimics.

The elves, in contrast, were one tribe to experience a more positive difference. They became the last remnant of Lorwyn's older, idyllic environment. Pressed by hostile conditions, the elves were forced to battle for their very existence. Rather than lording over the plane and oppressing the other species to conform to their values of beauty and grace, the ironic reversal in their situation shifted the elves from arrogance to humbled self-preservation.

The only race that remained mostly the same is the fae because they are protected by Oona's magic, and thus have remained mischievous and unpredictable.

Creatures of Shadowmoor[ | ]

Humanoid races[ | ]

Wildlife[ | ]

Flora[ | ]

  • Apples
  • Briarberries
  • Dawnglove
  • Nettle-wheat[29]

Locations[ | ]

Lorwyn–Shadowmoor fused[ | ]

At the end of the Eventide, the Great Aurora is no more, although the resulting plane's structure and races have not been disclosed yet. Maralen was one of the main participants in the return of the natural day/night cycle to the plane.

Phyrexian invasion[ | ]

Lorwyn was a target in New Phyrexia's Invasion of the Multiverse.[30] Although the aspect of Lorwyn appears to be dominant, some elements of Shadowmoor have survived to the present, such as both worlds' versions of kithkin. The Phyrexian appearance was apparently so unsightly to the eyes of the plane's inhabitants that both perfects and eyeblights worked together in unprecedented kinship to repel the invaders.

Languages[ | ]

  • Merrow
    • "Paupurfylln" is the Merrow name for the school called Paperfin by other cultures.

Planeswalker visitors[ | ]

Gallery[ | ]

In-game references[ | ]

Lorwyn[ | ]

Represented in:
Associated cards:
Referred to:

Shadowmoor[ | ]

Represented in:
Associated cards:
Referred to:

References[ | ]

  1. Mark Rosewater (August 5, 2018). "Is it safe to say that now Lorwyn is a 6 on the Rabiah Scale, and not a 7 anymore?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
  2. Planes of Existence: Lorwyn / Shadowmoor
  3. a b c Doug Beyer (October 31, 2007). "Lorwyn Survival Guide". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2007-11-02.
  4. a b Brady Dommermuth (March 19, 2008). "The Known Mutliverse". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  5. a b Doug Beyer (July 09, 2008). "Selkies and Subtypes". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  6. a b (2007). Lorwyn Player's Guide. Wizards of the Coast.
  7. Doug Beyer (January 23, 2008). "Interplanar Voyeurism: The Art of". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  8. Doug Beyer (January 30, 2008). "The Warrior Esthetic". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  9. The Book of Kith and Kin (archived)
  10. a b c d Ken Nagle (May 7, 2008). "I'M IN UR COLUMN, TASTING UR MAGIC". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  11. Brady Dommermuth (January 26, 2016.) "Ask Brady Archive", No Goblins Allowed, Wizards of the Coast.
  12. Magic Arcana (November 14, 2007). "Lorwyn Legend Art". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  13. Jeremy Jarvis (September 17, 2007). "Lorwyn: The Human-Shaped Hole". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  14. a b Stonybrook Banneret (Lost Caverns Commander)
  15. Cory J. Herndon and Scott McGough (2007), "Lorwyn", Wizards of the Coast.
  16. Wizards of the Coast (December 13, 2007). "Mystery Art Descriptions #2". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  17. Magic Arcana (December 20, 2007). "Death and Nettlevine". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  18. a b c Doug Beyer (September 02, 2009). "The Planes of Planechase". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  19. a b Doug Beyer (December 19, 2007). "Folk of the Non-Pines". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  20. a b c d e f (2008). Shadowmoor Player's Guide. Wizards of the Coast.
  21. The Forge-fires of Burrenton
  22. Rei Nakazawa (March 31, 2008). "The Deepening Shadowmoor". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  23. Magic Arcana (May 21, 2008). "Shadowmoor Terrain". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  24. Magic Arcana (May 29, 2008). "Twisted Reflections". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  25. Doug Beyer (June 11, 2008). "Allies in Conflict". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  26. Magic Arcana (June 16, 2008). "Lorwyn to Shadowmoor: Giants". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  27. a b c d e f g h i j k (2008). Eventide Player's Guide. Wizards of the Coast.
  28. Wizards of the Coast (May 7, 2008). "Sketches: Wilt-Leaf Liege". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  29. Wizards of the Coast (August 20, 2008). "Sketchcradle Witch". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  30. First Look at March of the Machine (Video). Magic: The Gathering. YouTube (February 19, 2023).
  31. a b c d e Doug Beyer (October 24, 2007). "Planeswalkers Unmasked". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  32. Doug Beyer (March 5, 2008). "Following a Dream". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  33. Kate Elliott (August 1, 2018). "Chronicle of Bolas: A Familiar Stranger". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  34. Emrakul & Chatterfang!? Koma & Toski!? 62 Unknown Magic Cards! (Video). Good Morning Magic. YouTube (May 10, 2023).

External links[ | ]

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