Yavimaya

Yavimaya
Yavimaya and the other Terisian Isles
Information
Plane	Dominaria
Part of	Terisian Isles Urborg
Status	Current
Formerly part of	Yotia Fallajia

Yavimaya is a heavily forested island in the archipelago of the Terisian Isles. 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.

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. 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. 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. 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.

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.

Gorilla tribes

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

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.

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.

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. 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. 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 Yavimaya River runs through the Yavimaya Valley.
• Rith's Grove, the dwelling of Rith, the Awakener.
• Yavimaya Hollow, containing the Heart of Yavimaya.
• The Mori Tumulus
• Ruins of Kroog

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

Gallery

• 

  Visions of Yavimaya. Art by Quinton Hoover, Anthony S. Waters, Douglas Shuler, and Michael Sutfin.

In-game references

Represented in:

• Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth

Associated cards:

• Fires of Yavimaya
• Heart of Yavimaya
• Multani, Yavimaya's Avatar
• The Weatherseed Treaty
• Yavimaya Ancients
• Yavimaya Ants
• Yavimaya Barbarian
• Yavimaya Coast
• Yavimaya Dryad
• Yavimaya Elder
• Yavimaya Enchantress
• Yavimaya Gnats
• Yavimaya Granger
• Yavimaya Hollow
• Yavimaya Iconoclast
• Yavimaya Kavu
• Yavimaya Sapherd
• Yavimaya Scion
• Yavimaya Sojourner
• Yavimaya Steelcrusher
• Yavimaya Wurm
• Yavimaya's Embrace

Referred to:

• Ancient Grudge (Time Spiral)
• Armadillo Cloak (Invasion)
• Bite Down
• Briar Hydra
• Compost
• Defiant Elf
• Elvish Lookout
• Emperor Crocodile
• Evil Eye of Urborg
• Firewake Sliver
• Gaea's Might
• Gaea's Protector
• Giant Spider (Tenth Edition)
• Gorilla Pack
• Heart Warden
• Into the North
• Joint Exploration
• Jokulhaups (Ice Age)
• Jungle Barrier (Apocalypse)
• Juniper Order Ranger
• Kavu Climber (Invasion)
• Kavu Monarch
• Kaysa
• Magnigoth Sentry
• Meria's Outrider
• Primordial Wurm
• Radiant Grove (Dominaria United)
• Raging Kavu
• Saproling Infestation
• Serpentine Kavu
• Silverback Shaman
• Snarespinner
• Spore Swarm
• Swift Maneuver
• Sylvan Anthem
• Sylvan Awakening
• Symbiotic Beast
• Tangled Islet (Dominaria United)
• Taunting Elf (Urza's Destiny)
• Tatyova, Benthic Druid (Dominaria)
• Tatyova, Benthic Druid (Commander Masters, #687)
• Thorn Elemental (Dominaria)
• Wallop
• Whip Silk
• Wing Snare (Urza's Legacy)