Whispers from the Aeons

Introduction

Welcome to Whispers from the Aeons, and welcome to the plane of Zendikar! Set in the Magic the Gathering universe, this adventure path uses the D&D 5E ruleset. In this adventure path, your character will quest into ancient ruins, bargain with powerful threats, and wrestle against the very land of Zendikar! Before you set out on your adventure, there are some things you should know that will aid you in surviving the harsh terrain. In this guide, you’ll find helpful tips on designing your character, and an overview of the continents and places present on Zendikar, some of which you may even set foot in! Play it safe and stay on your toes, or charge in with reckless abandon to crush your enemies. The choice is yours, brave adventurer!

Character Tips

A mythical threat is emerging on Zendikar, threatening the whole of Zendikar herself. A combination of clever thinking, powerful magic, quick feet, and brute force will be needed to discover its schemes and stop it before it is too late! But beware! The plane of Zendikar has danger lurking around every corner... Here are some tips to consider when designing your character for Whispers from the Aeons!

Perplexing Puzzles and Cryptograms:

Whispers from the Aeons reveals an ancient threat reemerging into the world, so characters proficient in History, Arcana, and Investigation are best suited for putting the pieces together. Access to powerful magic at higher levels could be the key to survival, not just for you, but also the entire world!

Murderous Monsters and Titans:

Your player characters will be brought face to face with hundreds of monstrous threats... perhaps all at once! Characters can expect to face a myriad of enemies, such as elementals, abberations, constructs, monstrosities, beasts, and many more! Only the surest of groups would ever dare venture out into their lairs, so be prepared to fight, or the plane herself will reclaim you as her own.

Dungeon Delving and Traps:

This campaign will take the players throughout the entire plane, visiting many of its windy vistas, deep depths, and treacherous ruins. Characters with skill sets appropriate for adventuring in dungeons and crumbling ruins can give the party an edge. Darkvision will be useful, as many ruins are just that: ruins, without any sources of light the deeper one travels. Since many of these locations have been warded and secured by their long-forgotten builders and architects, a character who can bypass some of those protections just might help the party live to fight another day.

Treacherous Terrain and the Roil:

The journey itself can easily be as dangerous as the destination in Zendikar. Nearly all of Zendikar is an untamed wilderness, so characters who are good at dealing with natural threats and excel at finding their way in forests and mountains would be assets to an adventuring party. There will be moments where the party is scaling the countless floating masses of land, as well as swimming into the great depths of oceans and seas. Skills such as Survival and Athletics will be necessary, the latter for more than one adventurer, so make sure to pick up a proficiency or two! Due to the size of Zendikar and her seven continents, there will be a lot of overland journeying to various destinations. As such, means of travel, either by boat, horse, or other beast, will come in handy. Proficiency in Vehicles, either land or water, could prove beneficial, as could Animal Handling when dealing with native beasts.

Character Creation

In addition to the above character tips, there are a few other things you'll want to know when deciding how you want to go about defeating the innumerous perils found on Zendikar!

What's Allowed in This Campaign?

A great question to ask! There are four sections that need explanation in order to answer this question.

Races

• The only races that will be allowed in Whispers from the Aeons are those presented on Plane Shift: Zendikar. That said, this campaign will allow the stats found in the Player's Handbook, Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide, or Volo's Guide to Monsters for such races. For example, if you wish to play as an elf, you may use the stats of a Mul Daya Elf, a High Elf, a Drow, etc., instead of just the stats presented on Plane Shift: Zendikar.

Classes

• Any class found within the Player's Handbook, Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide, Xanathar's Guide to Everything, or this document is available for use. In addition, this campaign will allow the following from Unearthed Arcana: Revised Class Options; Revised Subclasses; Wizard Revisited; The Mystic Class; Sorcerer Warlock and Wizard; Ranger and Rogue; The Ranger, Revised; Light, Dark, Underdark!; Prestige Classes and Rune Magic.

Feats

• Any feat found within the Player's Handbook, Xanathar's Guide to Everything, or this document is available for use. In addition, this campaign will allow the following from Unearthed Arcana: Feats for Races; Feats for Skills; Feats.

Spells

• Any spell found within the Player's Handbook, Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide, Xanathar's Guide to Everything, or Elemental Evil Player's Companion, is available for use. In addition, this campaign will allow the following from Unearthed Arcana: Starter Spells.

Sanity

This campaign will be using a seventh ability score: Sanity. Sanity represents the ability to think and function in a normal and sane manner: a fact that will only be further and further tested as the campaign continues and you delve into ancient and eldritch lore, or face multiplanar abominations.

When creating your character, each character's base Sanity score will be set at 10, and you will be given an additional five points to spend, putting your maximum point-buy score at 32 instead of 27. Choose carefully! The mind is a precious possession, and not one you would want easily warped...

What might a Sanity score be used for? Characters might make Sanity checks or saving throws to resist the effects of madness, to attempt to decipher a piece of text written by a raving lunatic, when making contact with a maddened or alien mind, etc. Sanity also replaces Wisdom and Charisma saving throws when resisting a Madness effect, such as from contact other plane.

Character Background

A character background details the significant events, people, and life experiences that make up the origin story of a character prior to his or her role in the saga of a campaign. A character's background forms the basis for complex motivations and emotional vulnerabilities, and these past experiences guide the way the character responds to circumstances in his or her present life.

When playing a new character, the details in your background give you a quick handle on your past, making it easier to slip into the character's skin and embrace this mind-set in play. As the campaign proceeds, your early adventures gradually become part of that background—a seamless chain of events that make up your life and contribute to your constantly changing and evolving persona.

• Originality: While original ideas can be hard to come by, every person you meet is unique, shaped by his or her individual experiences. Rather than strive for an original concept, try focusing on the experiences that define your character's life and give him his personality and point of view.
• Opposites: When you're stuck on an characteristic that strikes you as boring, plain, or stereotypical, decide that the opposite is instead true of yourself.
• Steal Shamelessly: Sometimes when starting a new character, you just need a good template or foundation from which to build. The key is to alter various aspects of the model character until you have changed enough to have an altogether different concept.

Above all, don't let creating a background become a burden for you. The goal is to help you play a character, not to paralyze you with decisions you don't want to make right now. So have fun with it!

The Current Timeline

Six thousand years ago, three beings, called Planeswalkers, trapped the Eldrazi titans, Emrakul, Ulamog, and Kozilek, within the plane of Zendikar, turning it into a prison for these abberations from the Blind Eternities. Constructing a network of monuments known as hedrons, the three planeswalkers sealed them away in the bowels of the earth, removing a dire threat from the multiverse.

Time passed, thousands of years, until the bond which bound them weakened, and they were able to escape from their planar prison, wreaking havoc and utter destruction on the plane. One of the planeswalkers, a kor woman named Nahiri, sealed them away once again, and then disappeared. Zendikar purged the plane of the Eldrazi brood like a virus, her cure being the Roil.

Thousands of years passed once again, and the stories turned to legends and myths, time slowly distorting, twisting them until the people began to rever the original Eldrazi titans as gods, separate from their true identity, and the kor woman, Nahiri, as a prophetess and fellow god. The term Eldrazi eventually referred to a lost civilization and people who battled these ancient abberations who threatened all of Zendikar and her people.

The current timeline of Whispers from the Aeons places the party at just months previous to the Worldwake, an event where the Eldrazi titans, by means unknown to Zendikar, broke free from their prison once again, and swarmed across the whole of Zendikar with their brood lineages, bringing total destruction and chaos into the lives of the Zendikari.

The group of adventurers begin in Affa, a small, yet thriving, city located along the southern coast of Akoum. A vampire woman, known as Vielara of the vampire house Ghet, is a well-established figure in the city's "hierarchy", having her hands in almost everything. This has, in turn, brought her much wealth and success, a fact she flaunts with elegant parties and theatrical performances and dramas.

Wanting to expand her horizons and establish her name and reputation throughout the whole of Zendikar, she has made a great risk, deciding to begin her own expedition house, much like the famous expedition houses based in Sea Gate: the Valakut House, the Pelakka Foundation, and the Akoum, Murasa, and Bala Ged Expeditionary Houses. Several months of negotiations, construction, and under-the-table deals went into establishing the base of operations for her expedition house, Tekentlar, Vampire for "Delvers in Mystery". Once it was built and established, she sent the call out amongst all of the largest concentrations of population, recruiting daring adventurers and explorers who might seek fame, fortune, or lore.

You are one of those adventurers. For reasons of your own, you find yourself now in Affa, standing in the Pit of Cakorot, a gladiator stadium, with a large crowd of others who likewise wish to become members of the Tekentlar Expedition House.

Chapter One: The Plane of Zendikar

Zendikar is a dangerous world of lethal risks and priceless rewards. From the perspective of its inhabitants, it is a hostile place that seems to be actively trying to kill any creature that has the audacity to live there. The danger is unrelenting. Precarious terrain, cunning predators, and natural disasters on a massive scale all present a constant challenge to survival— as do the unpredictable ripples of change that wash through the plane, known to its people as the Roil. Even the mana that suffuses the land is wild and hard to tame. It feels almost alive to those who wield it, and sometimes causes the land to manifest magical effects much like spells. Zendikar is a plane of deadly peril, but the denizens of that plane grow up strong and resilient, prepared for the dangers of the only world they know.

The Roil

Zendikar's terrain is racked with violent and erratic changes. The land itself seems alive, and its surface and botanical life often writhe as though in pain, causing tectonic chaos, extreme weather, and sudden destruction. Waves of geological upheaval sometimes wash across the world, leaving nothing unchanged in their wake. All this volatility is collectively referred to as "the Roil".

The Roil always seemed to be a natural phenomenon, one of the peculiar characteristics of Zendikar that was perhaps tied to its unique mana, the hedrons, or its own fierce ecology. Scholars have recognized this volatility as what kept Zendikar dangerous and untamed - free of large cities, sophisticated commerce, and other trappings of well-developed civilizations.

Occasionally the Roil takes on a literal life of its own. Elementals - animated forces of land and nature - are common enough on Zendikar, but when the Roil itself animates as an elemental, the result is a living vortex that devours everything in the vicinity, even the souls of the living.

Most of Zendikar's inhabitants have no way to predict the approach of the Roil, though many animals seem to be able to sense its approach earlier than most humanoids. Flocks of birds might fly screeching out of the trees, or herds of oxen might stampede towards shelter. The Roil sends powerful tremors through water, so swimming creatures - including the merfolk - often have more warning of its approach than those confined to land.

Map of Zendikar

The plane of Zendikar is a spherical world, much like Earth. It is, however, much smaller, being approximately 2,500 miles in circumference.

Akoum

Akoum is a mountainous continent where magma glows from crevasses in the earth. Crystalline fields shimmer beneath the sun, but the sharp edges of most surfaces will slice through skin and bone. In some areas, the temperatures are extreme - burning an explorer's skin during the day and causing frostbite during the night. Gases occasionally spew from the ground, and around these vents, bizarre trees and plant life have arisen in pockets of weird biome. The region is plagued by geological instability caused by the Roil, causing magma geysers to erupt unexpectedly and shards of rock to rain down unexpectedly. Insect-like creatures and carnivorous plants dominate the fauna and flora. The hazardous cliffs of the coasts of Akoum are a deathtrap to travelers. Seismic activity and spires of volcanic glass make landing a ship onto the mainland a near impossibility.

The Life Bloom

Beneath the surface of Akoum is an impossibly old world, and many layers beneath the surface lay trapped pockets from ages past. From time to time a volcanic burst will bring gases and earth trapped for centuries up onto the surface. For a time, the surface of Akoum will burst into beautiful and often-times bizarre flora. The elvish pilgrims that tend these regions refer to the event as a "Life Bloom".

Notable Locations

The Teeth of Akoum

The Teeth of Akoum are a series of northern mountain ranges that are essentially impassable without some means of flight or a very experienced and clever guide. A small settlement of explorers can be found high in the Teeth. It's a small training camp founded by the League of Anowon.

Affa

This is a mostly human settlement at the base of the Teeth, though elves, kor, and even the occasional vampire will call it home for a time. A river flows down from the Teeth of Akoum and provides the town with one of the few safe sources of fresh water in the continent. It serves as the major trading hub in the region, and a launching point for glory seekers who wish to explore the ruins. Goblins, mostly from the Lavastep tribe, bring minerals, materials, and anything that they don't know how to use there. While rare, someone who knows what they're looking for might find an undiscovered treasure amongst the merchandise at the bazaar.

Fort Keff

Fort Keff is a high-walled encampment built at the mouth of a deep ravine. Fort Keff overlooks the Teeth of Akoum, meant to stand as a bastion of defense against whatever threats would arise from that region.

Glasspool

Glasspool, the only fixed body of water of any notable size in the region — a huge lake, strangely hexagonal in shape, over two miles across. Seismic activity somehow fails to affect it. The ruins of a lost civilization lay at the bottom of the lake.

Goma Fada

By far the strangest city in the region is not a traditional city at all. Goma Fada, literally "The City that Walks," is an enormous caravan of wandering kor, humans, and a few elves that moves at a slow pace through Akoum. The several thousand people that make up the caravan actually represent one of the largest "settlements" in all of Akoum. Hundreds and hundreds of huge, sturdy carts comprise homes, shops, eateries, even agriculture—fig trees and similar hardy plants are grown in the dirt-filled backs of wagons.

Tal Terig

Rising hundreds of feet high out of Akoum's basin is the ruin site known as Tal Terig, or "The Puzzle Tower." One of the most famous sites on the continent, the ruin's exterior is a pillar of seemingly randomly assembled geometric shapes of all sizes—ranging from tiny decorative cubes jutting from the surface to enormous tetrahedrons, making up a significant portion of the structure, twenty feet on a side. The angles and lines of the tower appear to defy the bounds of logic; some have reported headaches and nosebleeds after looking at its surface for short spans of time.

Ora Ondar

Ora Ondar, sometimes called "The Impossible Garden", is an exceptional Life Bloom that has lasted almost a hundred years. The plants contain the raw, wild magic of Zendikar and mutate the elves who live there.

Bala Ged

The continent of Bala Ged, seems stuck in time, a primordial throwback to the way Zendikar might have been eons ago. Damp, fetid air, thick vegetation, algae-choked marshes, and mold-covered thickets—these are the elements that define Bala Ged. The subcontinent is also home to the surrakar, a reptilian humanoid race on the cusp of sentience. Few "civilized" humanoids call this place home.

Notable Locations

Guum Wilds

The dense, humid jungle that covers much of Bala Ged is known as the Guum Wilds. This jungle boasts the largest array of carnivorous and poisonous plants on Zendikar. The flora of Guum rivals the titanic jurworrel and jaddi trees of Murasa, wrapping around every surface in a continuous, tentacular crawl.

Surrakar Caves

Deep within the Guum Wilds can be found slick, slimy limestone outcroppings of rock dotted with cave mouths. This is where the surrakar nest, never far from either their caves or a bog. They are very territorial, and even brave expedition groups know to steer clear of the limestone hillocks. There are rumors of deep tunnel systems underneath Bala Ged that the surrakar use for spawning, but these are unconfirmed.

Bojuka Bay

This swampy inlet lies at the edge of the Guum Wilds, protected from the waves by the thousands of trees between it and the ocean. Fed by the Umung River and several waterfalls that cascade down the surrounding cliffs, Bojuka Bay is a watery marsh of vast proportions. The Umung River flows slowly through the bay but provides a clear and deep passage for boats going to or coming from the Guum Wilds. Those who pass through Bojuka Bay must be prepared to bribe or fend off the savage marsh trolls that reside there. Fortunately the Grotag tribe of goblins that reside in the trees can provide assistance in this regard, assuming they too are appropriately bribed or intimidated.

Umung River

The Umung River descends in steps from the interior to sea level as it passes through Bala Ged. Once explorers pass the dangers of Bojuka Bay, reaching the interior of Bala Ged is a matter of slow progress against the current and porting small vessels around or pulling them up the many rapids and falls at each "step." Small villages of humans and Joraga elves can be found along the Umung specifically to aid travelers at such points.

The Tangled Vales

The Tangled Vales are a number of interconnected jungle valleys that run between steep hills that ripple across the southern portion of Bala Ged. Clans of Joraga elves make their homes in the vales along with some human hunters and trappers. The jungles of the Vales are a twisted and dangerous morass of predatory plants infested with bestial dangers, but the Joraga have made relatively safe zones by cultivating antagonistic plants as a defensive barrier around their paths and villages. Even the elves avoid the fungus-choked hilltops, knowing them to be even more deadly. Traveling so high exposes one to the region's unpredictable winds and deadly flying hunters, such as gomazoa.

Bloodbriar

Bloodbriar patches are hungry clusters of nettled vines that react to movement by constricting around it. If the vines constrict on a creature with blood, the thorns pierce the body and siphon the blood directly to the plant's roots. Victims watch in horror as the white veins on the dark vines turn crimson with the blood flowing through them. The Joraga elves of the Tangled Vales have learned how to cultivate and direct the bloodbriar so they can use it as barriers against outside threats. They typically control them by causing regular disturbances in the vines by hurling objects on the sides where they want the plants to grow and by feeding the briars small (and not so small) creatures.

Guul Draz

Guul Draz is a humid continent, with tangled jungles and waterways that twist and spread into vast marshes and lagoons. Guul Draz is home to more ruin sites than other continents, and it's rife with poisonous creatures and diseases. Despite the overall sense of decay, and the foreboding nature of the ruins that jut up out of the swamps, Guul Draz has thriving cultures.

The merfolk move freely along the rivers that make the best highways throughout Guul Draz. The land is overgrown with trees and roots, or is unsound and glutinous, but the water is smooth and easily traversed on barges, or below the surface. Humans have carved out several settlements along the edges of the continent and can be found living in small villages along every major waterway and plying the river trade, which is very profitable, despite the great risks.

Humans and merfolk do great business on the waters, and at the center of it all, the vampires thrive. This is the vampire's homeland. Whereas in other continents vampires tend to live discreetly amongst other living creatures, in Guul Draz they live openly. They are dangerous, sometimes turning on the merfolk and humans that live amongst them, sometimes infiltrating and feeding on the merfolk and humans that attempt to live apart. Despite this, Guul Draz has a significant number of visitors. Although there is risk walking among the vampires, there's also promise of dark power and wealth.

Notable Locations

Malakir

Malakir is the most well-developed city on Zendikar, although still small and simple compared to metropolises on other planes. It is built amongst the swampy lands near a massive ruin known as the Hagra Cistern. It has a reputation for debauchery and decadence, as befits the hedonistic ways of the vampires. The city is divided into five districts, each named after the vampire family that controls it:

• Nirkana District is built on the water and can only be traversed using the rancid canals that wind through the decrepit buildings. The Nirkana lineage are notorious assassins, including a group called the Lacerators who are feared by vampire and non-vampire alike.
• Kalastria District is located on the highest ground in the City and doesn't depend on the dykes and levees to keep it dry. It is the oldest, wealthiest part of the city. The Kalastria are the wealthiest family, and refer to themselves as Highborn.
• Emevera District is in a low point in the city, but it is well protected by giant stone dykes built by the family Emevera.
• Urnaav District is a mix of stone-paved roads and narrow canals, lying between the low point of Emevera District and the high ground of Kalastria District.
• Ghet District is a currently impoverished. The family Ghet suffered a major setback in political fighting that resulted in Emevera diverting water around their dykes and flooding Ghet. Ghet has built temporary dams, but the damage to their holdings was significant.

The Free City of Nimana

A coastal city built by humans, the Free City is ironically named, because it is the major port where slavers arrive and sell their wares. The most hardened denizens of Guul Draz, mostly vampires but also lowlifes of other races, purchase slaves in huge lots to work in their industries, and in the case of the vampires, to provide new food and sport. Likewise Nimana is the major export center for the mercantile products of Guul Draz that are sent to other lands for trade. As such, nearly every vampire that is heading out to infiltrate the rest of the world passes through Nimana.

The Hanging Swamp

The Hanging Swamp is north of the Hagra Cistern, home to several tribes of humans. The Hanging Swamp is a giant sinkhole, 20 miles in diameter, with a floating swamp suspended above it in a glittering arc of water blobs connected by reeds. The entire mass is shot through with roots and creepers, anchoring the whole soggy mass to the ground below. The Hanging Swamp is a maze of floating water globules, and once you enter, it takes an expert guide to find the way back out. Because of a standing effect of The Roil, the entire swamp is in constant motion, the vines twisting and coiling, and the water globules flowing from one location to another. This constant motion means that the path an adventurer followed into the Hanging Swamp is not reversible — the way out is constantly shifting and changing.

The Hanging Swamp is filled with predators that use the terrain to mask their own presence and trap prey. Giant amphibians and insects abound, mixing fluidly with the vines and creepers that make up the "solid" terrain. Many are too small to be a threat to intelligent creatures, hunting smaller prey, but the swamp is home to the deadly Guul Draz Python, which is more than happy to consume man-sized or larger prey.

Murasa

The island continent of Murasa is a vast, steep-walled plateau that rises sharply from the sea. Although smaller than other continents of Zendikar, Murasa conceals an incredible diversity of environments hidden behind its sheer, stony cliffs. Inland from these cliffs, the land drops off sharply, wreathing Murasa in an irregular "wall" of mountainous cliffs. The largest break in this wall is the Sunder Cove, an enormous, tide-wracked bay clotted by the massively trunked harabaz trees.

The interior of Murasa is a rugged landscape of steep, windy hills and precipitous jungle valleys. The most notable exceptions to the interior elevation are the Skyfang Mountains, the Na Plateau, and the canyon lands of Kazandu.

Notable Locations

Sunder Bay

This huge bay is filled with a maze of the multi-trunked harabaz trees. These massive plants grip the seabed in their entwined roots, joining to form one titanic organism. The harabaz trees grow blade-shaped prows on their seaward sides that enable them to cut the giant waves that smash toward land during the worst of the tides, and after the rising of krakens or the great sea monster Lorthos. Ships attempting to make passage through the Harabaz Forest must remain vigilant against submerged harabaz and maintain tight control of their vessels lest they be smashed against a blade-prow. Making passage during the changing of the tides, a storm, or a manifestation of the unpredictable Roil spells sure doom.

Cliffs of Kazuul

These cliffs represent the only maintained cliff-side ascent of the exterior of Murasa's Wall. Set up by the Tajuru elves but now maintained mainly by humans, the Cliffs of Kazuul are named for the pass's current ruler, an ogre slave-master who demands tribute from any who seek passage. Those who pay (including a bribe to the lift operators at various points on the path) are allowed to traverse the steep zig-zagging trails cut into the cliffs between each harrowing vertical ascent using log-and-rope elevators. Those who reach the top without proper tribute for Kazuul are cast out—sometimes literally hurled to their deaths in the crashing ocean.

Kazandu

Kazandu riots across Murasa as a broken landscape dominated by tangles of the mountainous jaddi trees. In a cataclysm lost to memory, the region that is now Kazandu collapsed into the earth as though a bubble burst beneath the skin of the world. This has left the ground a mass of irregular canyons, twisting valleys, and high broken steppes, all dotted here and there by plateaus that tower above the landscape. Only the sheer cliffs at Kazandu's borders keep the titanic jaddi trees from crawling across more of the world. This is the seat of power of a group of elves known as the Kazandu Splinter.

Jaddi Trees

The jaddi trees form a massive web of branches. These enormous plants support whole ecosystems and villages of elves upon their limbs. Countless plants grow upon them, and whole species of creatures live and die in their canopy, many never even seeing the ground. The trees are so tall and their branches so wide that the ground beneath them exists in eternal shadow. Jaddi trees grow slowly but dauntlessly. The wood of a jaddi tree is as hard as stone and grows over cuts, making habitation of the trees a surface affair.

Root Caves

Deep beneath the canopy of Kazandu, in the valleys created by the roots of the jaddis, crevasses open into the earth. Three such dark regions exist within Kazandu. One is the Doom Maw, dominion of demons and bone-hoarding dragons. The second, Silent Gap, is plumbed by a group of vampires that seek some secret beneath the earth. The third is the migratory home of deadly species—caustic crawlers, giant bats, and shadow scorpions—each inhabiting the crevasse at a different time.

Ondu

Ondu is a continent in the southwestern quadrant of Zendikar that juts into the Silundi Sea. The continent shows signs of influence from ancient civilizations, but it is nature that dominates here, taking precedence over small settlements of humans, kor, goblins, and merfolk.

Verticality

The geography of Ondu feels almost vertical. The precarious Makindi Trenches, the skyscraping trees of Turntimber, and the depths of the Crypt of Agadeem and the Soul Stair all contribute to the strange sensation that travel in Ondu runs perpendicular to the horizon rather than toward it.

Notable Locations

Turntimber

Only wild and brave creatures reside in Turntimber, a vast temperate forest on the Ondu mainland. Turntimber's famous corkscrew-like trees twist into staggering heights, tracing lazy circles on the sky and providing the inspiration for the woodland's name. Over decades and centuries, the trees bend and twist around invisible spikes of mana like a climbing vine around a pole. The mana feeds and strengthens the trees, pushing them to ever-greater heights.

Turntimber supports a menagerie of dangerous creatures. The apex predator here is the baloth, a muscular, omnivorous hunter with claws that allow it to climb the spiraling trunks. However, the dominant fauna in Turntimber is the snake, which fills predator roles at all scales in Turntimber. From tiny tree snakes to massive cobras, from the harmless to the lethally venomous, from the mundane to the mana-infused, serpents writhe and hunt throughout the woodland.

Makindi Trenches

The Ondu mainland is crisscrossed by a maze of high-walled canyons called the Makindi Trenches. The canyons represent sheer drops down hundreds of feet, some terminating in whitewater rivers, others ending in bare rock. Mana-fueled winds howl through the canyons at odd intervals, making it important for climbers and builders to attach their instruments carefully to the cliff walls.

The walls of the canyons support a surprising ecosystem of their own. Birds, reptiles, and even humanoids such as goblins and kor nest on the trenches' sheer surfaces. Trench giants scale the walls looking for crunchy animals to eat, and enormous spiders build trapdoors in the overhangs to snare fliers and climbers.

Jwar, Isle of Secrets

Near to the southern coast of the Onduan mainland is the isle of Jwar. Jwar has largely been written off by explorers due to the swirling Silundi Sea currents and territorial sea serpents that constantly encircle it, but archaeomancers contend that magic of great value and power lurks there. A beam of pure blue light can sometimes be seen shooting straight up out of the island—or down on it from above—leading to strange rumors about the significance of the island.

Crypt of Agadeem

Nestled into the canyons on the island of Agadeem is the Crypt of Agadeem, a natural cavern converted into a heavily trapped burial site. The mouth of the cavern is a huge natural archway lined with innumerable small, etched hedrons. The entrance chamber, called the Crypt Maw, is a cavern the size of a cathedral. It is home to thousands of bats and is believed by some to be haunted by malevolent spirits.

The God's Crown

The island of Beyeen is actually several small volcanic landmasses connected by bridges of clinging vegetation. A ring of jagged, volcanic peaks rises from the center of the island, resembling a monarch's crown. The kor call the small range the Crown of Talib, after their god of the earth. The Crown range is home to a number of volcanoes, including Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle, largest and most active peak of the Crown range.

Seijiri

Sejiri is Zendikar's subpolar cap. It is like an enormous mesa; impossibly tall cliffs encircle its entire parameter, and its surface is a rocky, wind-blasted tundra. Expeditions have explored this region but almost no permanent settlements exist here. Of the humanoids that have taken up residence, most are goblins who have no association with a major tribe.

Stark, beautiful, and extreme, Sejiri is a vast, icy tundra. Pelted by storms of ice and wind, its freezing wastes are a breeding ground for natural hazards. Travelers here must contend with brittle ice bridges over rapidly-flowing rivers, frost-breathing predators, and enormous, floating stone "urns" that spill avalanches of ice and snow across the landscape.

In the thawing season, lichens and scrubby grasses appear in patchy meadows across Sejiri. These resilient plants provide just enough sustenance to feed its population of shaggy, velvet-antlered deer, which in turn feed Sejiri's population of drakes, wolves, yeti, and snow rocs. The tundra deer have a layer of special fibers underneath their outer wool, which is thought to allow them to repel the fierce mana that rages in Sejiri's atmosphere. The deer have little to fear from humanoids, as even semi-permanent structures of humans, merfolk, and kor are destroyed by the exposure to the harsh elements or by the marauding ice elementals themselves, keeping the humanoid population low.

Despite the dangers, rugged Sejiri does support a handful of staunch explorers. The kor and human wolf-sledders of this region are known for their especially hardy breed of gray-white wolves, whose hot breaths beat back the wind. The kor have mapped a substantial portion of Sejiri, but the winds and ice storms of the region tend to wipe out known landmarks after months or weeks, rendering most of their maps historical oddities rather than valuable guides. Some kor believe that the ice shelves of Sejiri actually move in regular patterns, and that their maps in fact point to a feasible model of the spiritual forces that lie beneath the tundra.

Notable Locations

Midnight Pass

Aside from climbing sheer rock faces, Midnight Pass is the only way to access Sejiri. The surrounding seas crash into this narrow pass between cliffs, and only ships with a dedicated Ula-creed merfolk navigator have any real hope of successfully steering into the pass. Within the pass, the cliffs loom so high over the waters that virtually no light is admitted. Deep into the pass, once the seawater can no longer churn the waters, ships can dock and begin the slow ascent to the tundra plateau — a path riddled with switchbacks, rockslides, and sheer drops of many hundreds of feet.

Vejuundigar

A lost city of a forgotten civilization of elves with alabaster skin hides. While modern civilization may have forgotten its location, the ruin of Vejuundigar does exist, and is far from empty. It waits deep in the frozen tundra of Seijiri, hidden by rugged cliffs in a magically occluded valley, and grants shelter to ancient evils and savage creatures alike. Fabulous wealth lies there, waiting to be claimed by anyone brave or strong enough to seize it... or so the legend is told by the natives of Seijiri.

Ikiral

Outposts in Sejiri are few and far between, but in the ruins of a massive stone monolith huddles the settlement and trading post called Ikiral. The huge hedron lies awkwardly on its side, partly sunken into the icy tundra, split down the middle. In the split in the architecture, partly sheltered from the elements, cluster the wind-scoured stone buildings of Ikiral. Frequented by wolf sledders, tundra scholars, and the occasional planeswalker, the outpost is the best place to find supplies, rumors, and an up-to-date map of the surrounding area.

Benthridrix

An ancient underwater shrine lying under one of Sejiri's deep riverbeds is one of the ruins recently uncovered by explorers. Called Benthidrix, it was originally built by a lost culture of arctic merfolk who dwelt there before the Eldrazi were ever bound on Zendikar. On the one hand, such a place promises a fanastic wealth of knowledge about an otherwise forgotten era of Zendikar's hisory. On the other, it probably can't offer knowledge of the Eldrazi, so exploring it is hardly a priority while the plane itself is under attack.

Tazeem

Surrounded by unstable, scrub- and lichen-covered calcite flats, Tazeem is a perilous combination of reef-rock forests, a deep inland sea, and a great white-water river that bisects the continent. Some ancient ruins are prominently visible and have been co-opted by the denizens of Tazeem. Others remain hidden and intact, with mysterious artifacts and forces waiting to be discovered by intrepid explorers.

Colossal hedrons choke the sky above many parts of the continent. The rubble obscures direct sunlight and blocks natural rainfall patterns. As light filters through the stones, it moves in constantly shifting patterns across the ground, and objects often have multiple shadows from the diffuse light. The massive stones perpetually turn and tumble across the heavens; in constant motion yet bound by an invisible force that prevents the stones from moving beyond the edges of Tazeem.

Notable Locations

Halimar, the Inland Sea

Halimar isn't a natural sea. Surrounded on three sides by rocky cliffs, the fourth side is enclosed by an ancient Sea Gate. The seawall is more than 500 feet tall with a white-stone cylindrical tower (now used as a lighthouse) that soars an additional 350 feet into the air. Collectively, the seawall and lighthouse are known as the Sea Gate, the largest settlement in Tazeem.

No one knows when the seawall was built, but they believe that Halimar must be an old sea because it is home to many species of brightly colored fish, tusked seals, and massive leviathans that dwell in the depths. Halimar is very deep—around 500 feet deep in some places. When Halimar is placid, the water is a sparkling cerulean. But when The Roil moves across the water, there are white-capped waves and treacherous whirlpools. Tidal waves crash against the sea gate and the cliffs. Despite the tumultuous seas and plethora of carnivorous sea creatures, it is viewed as the safest way to get from the Sea Gate to the mouth of the Umara River Gorge, and there is a substantial maritime trade and traffic on Halimar.

Sea Gate

The city of Sea Gate is the closest thing to a hub of civilization in Tazeem. The city is nominally based around trade houses, with a central house for blacksmiths, coopers, butchers, etc. The flat space at the top of the sea wall is approximately 20 acres, and nearly every inch has been built up with houses and shops. Even the narrow corridors between the buildings are covered because of the risk of attacks from drakes and other aerial predators.

The Lighthouse at Sea Gate

At the eastern side of the sea gate stands the Lighthouse, a cylindrical tower that is the center of all learning in Tazeem. The Lighthouse has 20 floors and is a nexus for merfolk explorers/chroniclers. The walls are lined with leather scrolls filled with maps, spells, archeological finds, lists of plant and animal classifications, and theoretical discussions of The Roil.

Oran-Rief Forest

Much of the interior of Tazeem is an ever-expanding reef-rock forest. The formations of brittle rock are similar to a coral reef: branching plateaus, spiny towers, bristly fringes, and stratified layers with deep crevices and sun wells. This reef-rock forms in pale yellows, greens, and blues. The reef-rock is porous and pockmarked, and water drips through these crevices and holes. The rock itself is infused with magical properties and is continually expanding and growing, like a coral reef, although the rock itself isn't alive. These reef-rocks can grow up to 100 feet tall and merge with surrounding reefs to form stratified plateaus that are hundreds of miles wide and tall.

Magosi Waterfall

Magosi is the largest waterfall along the river at almost 300 feet tall. No one has ever made it over the falls alive in a watercraft. The portage near the top of waterfall is a popular resting point for nomadic groups of various races; there are always traders and other explorers camped at the portage. In the inner continent, this is the best place to trade for pathway stones, supplies, and merfolk spell scrolls. Everyone travelling down the gorge must pass through the Magosi portage, but it is still a dangerous spot to spend the night. People routinely disappear in the night, and there are rumors of a massive, tentacled creature that lives behind the waterfall.

Chapter Two: Mana, the Source of All

All the planes of the Multiverse are suffused with mana, the energy that fuels magic in all its forms. Mana is intricately linked with the physical world, and different types of terrain produce different "colors" of mana. Most pursuers of mana specialize in the use of one or perhaps two colors of mana and the particular types of magical effects that mana can create.

Each of the five colors represents a set of beliefs and principles, giving identity to Magic's characters and organizations. A color's philosophy explains how it sees the world, what objectives it hopes to realize, and what resources and tactics a color has at its disposal.

The basic concepts related to each color are:

• White: Peace, law, structured, selflessness, equality.
• Blue: Knowledge, deceit, cautious, deliberate, perfecting.
• Black: Power, self-interest, death, sacrifice, uninhibited.
• Red: Freedom, emotion, active, impulsive, destructive.
• Green: Nature, wildlife, connected, spiritual, tradition.

The Wheel of Mana

The wheel of mana is portrayed as a circular pattern, clockwise in order: White, Blue, Black, Red, and Green. The combination of these colors represents nearly all of the philosophies and ideologies present in any society. Adjacent colors in the wheel will be relatively similar in ideology and are known as allied colors. In contrast, colors on opposite sides have radically conflicting views and are called enemy colors.

While colors on opposite sides often do have radically conflicting views, when joined with each other, they represent fascinating ideologies, such as the Golgari Swarm from the plane of Ravnica. A combination of both green and black, the Golgari Swarm is the embodiment and amalgamation of life and death. The guild believes that life and death are both natural and are essential to one another, with life and death being natural elements of a cycle with no intermediary break.

Individualism Within Each Color

The Wheel of Mana provides insight and perspective on characters that represent a certain color or color combination at the personal level. When pulled apart from their kin, individuals can be shown to have traits in common with their color or guild, but toned down to a smaller, more 'realistic' scale.

For example, White as a group works toward peace, harmony, and unity. But for White as a lone soldier or citizen, these goals may be considered "too large" for their everyday life. A White organization may believe in order and ethics, enforcing its beliefs through government, religion, and other large-scale institutions. However, a White individual may mirror this on a smaller scale, such as preferring his or her family eat together at the dinner table, putting value in dining etiquette and proper manners. A White group can outcast a troublemaker, but an individual has little to no power to do so on his or her own.

However, there are some guidelines and some rules for determining the identity of a character. First, there are five flexible traits, visible in characters of all colors but primarily represented in one color:

• Organization - White
• Curiosity - Blue
• Self-concern - Black
• Emotion - Red
• Instinct - Green

An organized character is not automatically White. A character that values organization, however, may be. For reference, Black/Red has shown signs of organization and establishment. Green/White has shown self-concern in the form of life gain, but that does not make Green/White selfish — that would be comparable to saying that a person is selfish for brushing his or her teeth. Instinct is unavoidable in all forms of non-artificial life, as even vampires must feed to sate their natural hunger. Wizards cannot learn on an empty stomach and even they are drawn to sexual partners — it is as nature wills, but that does not make them Green. It is the value of these traits that defines a character to a color, not the presence of them.

Second, influence must be taken into account. If the character spends a great deal of time around Black characters, he or she will likely do some things that can be considered selfish or outright Black. This does not make them Black, as they may have been suffering under peer pressure, they may not be entirely aware of what they're doing, or they could perhaps be in the process of reconsidering their own views and making a shift into or towards the color. Typically, when an opposing influence surfaces, it serves only to dilute the character's other colors. For example, a Black/Red character with a White influence would be a much more toned-down version of a Black/Red character.

Using Mana for Spellcasting

Mana is the fuel to all magic within the Multiverse. Spellcasters draw on mana to power their spells, much like how a spellcaster in the Forgotten Realms setting uses the Weave and draws from it to cast spells. A druid on Zendikar might call on green mana and cast spells like enlarge/reduce or earthquake. A cleric would call on white mana to heal their allies with cure wounds, or call on the power of black mana to cast raise dead. A wizard might call on blue mana to gain control of an enemy by casting dominate monster, or call on red mana to bring down fire from above through spells like meteor swarm or fire storm.

Whispers from the Aeons will be using the fifth edition of the D&D rules, and this also applies to spellcasting. D&D is a flexible rules system designed to model any kind of fantasy world. The D&D magic system doesn’t involve five colors of mana or a ramping-up to your most powerful spells, but the goal isn’t to mirror the experience of playing Magic in your roleplaying game. The point is to experience the worlds of Magic in a new way, through the lens of the D&D rules. With that said, utilizing mana will be more for fluff and roleplay than actual mechanics, except as outlined to the right.

Mechanics of Mana

All sentient beings have the ability to use mana at a base level, and the inhabitants of Zendikar are no exception. Such uses of mana are extensive, from casting spells to enhancing ones tactical prowess or skill in speech. Each character gets a number of mana points equal to their proficiency bonus, and the colors of mana you choose should reflect your character's values. For example, at level 12, you have a proficiency bonus of +4, so you would get four mana points to allocate however you'd like, following the rules listed below. You can spend up to your proficiency bonus in mana points to use a mana ability. When using mana points to cast from a small selection of spells, such spells don't require material components. For example, if you spent four black mana points to cast the spell Revivify, you wouldn't have to spend 300 gp in material components. You also regain all expended mana points when you finish either a short or long rest, and can change how you allocate your mana points when you finish a long rest, following the rules listed below.

The various races found on Zendikar also associate better to some colors of mana than others. Vampires are strongly associated with black mana, due their very nature, just as the very nature of Kor push them towards their association with white mana. Humans, however, are more ambiguous, and could associate with any color of mana. Because of this, each race must allocate at least one mana point in a certain color of mana:

• An elf must have at least one mana point in green.
• A goblin must have at least one mana point in red.
• A human can choose to allocate mana points however they wish.
• A kor must have at least one mana point in white.
• A merfolk must have at least one mana point in blue.
• A vampire must have at least one mana point in black.

Lastly, at level one, you must choose either Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma for your spellcasting modifier when using mana points to cast a spell.

Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your chosen modifier

Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your chosen modifier

White, the Color of Organization

White mana comes from plains, meadows, and fields. White magic brings light and order.

The Personality

White puts value in the group, the community, and its civilization as a whole. White's ultimate goal is peace — a world where everyone gets along and no one seeks to disturb the safety and unity that White had worked so long to forge. To govern and protect its community, White makes use of and puts value in a number of broad concepts; morality (ethics, religion), order (law, discipline), uniformity (conformity), and structure (government, planning).

In White's belief, there is very little grey area in morality (as morality is defined, clarified, and guided by rules of ethics) and thus very little room for straying from the path. White does not focus on the individual, but instead on the whole. Individuals are indeed encouraged to act on behalf of White and stop those who oppose it, even inside its own borders, but their personal views and feelings are often disregarded and even discouraged in a manner, in order to preserve the health and bond of the group. To expand on that note, while Red can be perceived as an advocate of the underdog (the individual who stands against the group), White does stick up for the minority, and feels that it deserves fairness as much everyone else.

One can view White as a literal "Ivory Tower." On the surface one sees strength, fortitude, elegance, and purity. Underneath, however, these qualities represent an inherent rigidity. There is little room for change, there is little flexibility, only the iron dictum of the initial design. To those inside the tower, this is as it should be. To those on the outside of the tower, this attitude smacks of fascism, a lack of individuality, and oppression.

White is not a prejudiced color; instead, it is proud to the point that it is elitist. White sees itself and its people as "the chosen people", better than everyone else. White believes itself to be the best because it fights on the side of righteousness. White sees everyone else as unclean or incorrect in some manner and seeks to defend itself from those impurities, as opposed to persecuting and leading an otherwise unjustified assault on them. White doesn't discriminate against anyone directly (like Black; Engineered Plague and other effects) nearly as often as it spends time promoting its own. In doing so, it may even promote its enemies if they happen to share similarities.

Mechanics of White Mana

Blue, the Color of Curiosity

Blue mana comes from islands and bodies of water. Blue magic involves intellect and illusion.

The Personality

Blue's philosophy, like that of each color, is determined by its world view. To Blue, the world is opportunity. Within it, hide wonders and possibilities most fantastic: the stuff of dreams. Blue is characterized by the desire to know the world's secrets and to make those possibilities real. The belief that dream can be reality - to which Blue holds fast - is belief in tabula rasa, the blank slate.

Blue believes that all things begin existence blank, without destiny or purpose. This is contrasted with Green's belief that one's life is predetermined, say, by natural ability. Rather, Blue believes the essence of a thing is given to it, that it is shaped by the storms and eddies of its existence. Those with the knowledge and willpower are masters of this: shaping and changing things at will. To them, essence is as malleable as clay. Mastery of possibility, mastery of essence, is exactly what Blue pursues. Thus, Blue comes to prize knowledge. It is with knowledge that Blue will unlock great possibilities, and changes itself for the better. With all knowledge - omniscience - Blue can make itself perfect.

Recurring themes in Blue are illusion over reality (nurture over nature), thought over action (reason over passion), and the future over the past or present.

Mechanics of Blue Mana

Black, the Color of Self-Concern

Black mana comes from swamps and places of death. Black magic is steeped in darkness and death.

The Personality

Black can be summarized with a well-known phrase: Look out for number one.

Black looks on the world and sees just a plain reality: Power controls. Power says who rules, and who dies. And whether the weak can see it or not, they are no more than slaves for the powerful. The essence of Black is to see one's own ego as so supremely invaluable, that this prospect of enslavement, of subordinating that ego to another, is utterly inadmissible. So, to be in accord with its perceptions and beliefs, Black simply must discard all obligations but to acquire power for itself. It can be no less than the one supreme being who is subordinate to no other, the possessor of all power in the universe - it must become omnipotent.

In order to reach omnipotence, Black's rule is simply to follow no rule. Life is hard enough without putting limitations on oneself. Black looks for opportunities to get ahead, and seizes them without mercy and without shame. Greed and ambition are the largest players in Black's internal psychology - Greed counters shame, always demanding more; ambition counters humility, never permitting compromise. And of course, killing is no trouble for the color sometimes portrayed as "obsessed with Death." It is fortunate for Black how much the planes are populated with living things (not necessarily true in the multiverse). Living things are naturally subject to terror and despair, weaknesses on which Black thrives mercilessly.

There are essentially two pillars to Black's efforts, which play out in mechanics roughly as follows:

Parasitism, which is Black's readiness to steal power, and Amorality, which provides Black direct access to its desires, provided it can pay the price.

Before proceeding, it is worth noting that Black cannot create something out of nothing. Recall that Black's world-view is very unflattering. Black cannot imagine into existence what isn't there. Instead, Black uses liquidation and nullification.

Also, while Black does not limit itself, the world still says power cedes to greater power. As such, the power itself of an adversary cannot be confronted by Black. If such were possible, then power wouldn't be power. Thus, any power consolidated in something irreducible, with no weak pieces to decay internally, cannot be attacked by Black.

Mechanics of Black Mana

Red, the Color of Emotion

Red mana comes from the mountains and rocky places. Red magic calls forth fire and passion.

The Personality

Red looks on the world and sees adventure. Life is a chance to experience something - many things - and for Red, there is no more worthwhile endeavor than to enjoy life by the adventure it offers. Experiences are what life is about, and to appreciate the full range of life's experiences, Red lives by emotion. What makes one laugh, what makes one cry, what one hates and what one loves, these make up what a person is. A person can look only to these, believes Red, to find one's wishes and desires in life. Deny these, and life is meaningless.

To accord with its beliefs, Red seeks out new experiences, and new ways to express itself, and seizes on them. It finds these ends in the complementary pillars of Impulse and Chaos. Impulse, to Red, means emotional action. By acting (doing) as one's heart desires, one can only find happiness with the experience one has to show for it. With Chaos - random action - Red creates the freedom for anyone to express his or her emotions. In a sense, by opening up new possibilities, Red's Chaos frees novel experiences from the "lattice" of the status quo.

In valuing emotion and adventure so greatly, what Red truly prizes is freedom. To live life the Red way - passionately and imminently - Red must be able to act on its impulses, doing what it feels each moment without delay. It doesn't want to be censored or controlled, because when one's passions are shackled from action, a person cannot be who he is. To disallow him to be who he is, is to destroy him; in Red's view, censorship is death. As such, the idea of rules, of pinning someone to one course even if his emotions urge him down another, is atrocious to Red. Where Red can see, those who dare to speak of rules and limits will meet with a furious ultimatum to shut up. All of these things often gets Red into trouble, which Red seems to not really care about. Red will fight against anyone who restrains anyone else, and the tools that Red uses to make this point, and those it uses to seek its own richness of passion, are the basis of card design for Red.

Red's defining characteristic in interacting with other beings is his passion. Love is not hard to define for Red, it is beautifully simple. It is caring about another individual and (to a smaller extent), a sub-group, such as a family, as much as you care about your own self if not more. This can often verge on if not go skittering down the proverbial slippery slope into recklessness. Love is passion to Red; to him, they are one and the same.

Mechanics of Red Mana

Green, the Color of Instinct

Green magic comes from forests and jungles. Green magic conjures growth and might.

The Personality

Green is the color most in tune with nature. Whereas the other colors seek to modify the world around them, green believes that the best course of action is to simply allow nature to take its course. Thus, green is often seen as the least confrontational of the colors: it does not seek to impose its values on others; it just wants to coexist as peacefully as possible. This does not mean that green will not defend itself when it feels threatened, but it generally will not seek to impose its opinion on others.

Green therefore also places value on the concept of community. Although it does not take this as far as white does, green sees intrinsic value in coming together for the benefit of the whole group. It draws this example from nature, having observed such examples as the way that bees gather pollen from flowers to make honey and in doing so allow the flowers to cross pollinate, or the way that thallids produce saprolings, which in turn nourish the thallids again, embodying the circle of life. Green communities seek to live in the same harmonious way, taking only what they need from others and giving back to them in due course. Tying in with green's affinity with nature, another of the color's core principles is strength and the concept of the survival of the fittest. Green sees the struggle between predator and prey as a central part of the natural order and so places great value on strength. When in battle, green does not favor trickery or evasion to steal victory, relying instead on pitting its natural strength against that of its opponents. The strong will triumph, the weak will fall. Whether green wins or loses the contest, it has filled its place in the natural order.

Green also relies on instinct. Green embodies this in the primal sense, being the color most attuned with wild animals. However, even green's more intelligent users dislike over-thinking matters, preferring to rely on their gut instinct to make judgments, rather than wasting time thinking about things. This primal aspect can lead to conflict with others, as green does not restrain the wild animals it is in tune with, allowing them to attack others as their instincts dictate: if they cannot defend themselves, then they were simply filling the role of prey in the natural cycle. Furthermore, green's reliance on gut instinct and first impressions can make it vulnerable to deception.

Mechanics of Green Mana

Chapter Three: Religions of Zendikar

What if everything you knew was an insidious lie? What if your deepest, most ardently held beliefs were founded on a historical mistake? What if, despite your lifelong convictions, an incontrovertible truth arose that could destroy the foundations of your value system?

The Merfolk Deities

The merfolk of Zendikar divide up the world into three realms, each of which they believe is ruled by a divine being: Ula, god of the sea's depths; Emeria, goddess of the sky and wind; and Cosi, the trickster god, ruler of the land and earth. The merfolk recognize these divinities as the forces that drive the world, usually adopting the creed of one of the three as their own.

Emeria, also the name used to refer to the ruined floating castle in Tazeem believed to be where the goddess once dwelt, brings an ethereal wisdom to her devotees. While merfolk are not native to Emeria's sky realm, they connect with her airy mysticism, many of them following her creed and striving to learn ways to restore her to rule in her floating castle once again.

Followers of Ula, the water-realm deity, pride themselves on being blunt and straightforward in their dealings with others. Ula-creed merfolk operate the famed research facility at the Lighthouse at Sea Gate and make excellent navigators and ruin scholars.

Almost no one admits to being an adherent of Cosi, the trickster. Blamed for the misfortunes of the world, Cosi is seen as a force of chaos—and yet the merfolk believe in his dynamic, incredible power.

The Kor Deities

The kor worship a small, simple pantheon of deities, each one based on an aspect of nature. Kamsa, the goddess of the wind, called "the breath of the world," fills the kitesails of the kor and fills the skies with game such as windrider eels. Mangeni, god of the sea, "blood of the world," fills the canyons and streams with pure, rushing water, but also punishes the stagnation of misguided builders who attempt to set down overly permanent roots in one place. Talib, the god of the earth, "body of the world," crushes the unworthy in rockslides and gravity wells but also provides herbs and fungi to forage along the kor pilgrimage routes.

The Human Deities

Humans on Zendikar have taken to worshipping a wide host of angels, such as Iona, Shield of Emeria, or Linvala, Keeper of Silence. Emeria was adopted by the humans of Zendikar as the First among Angels, and is the center of their own faith, always being kind and benevolent.

Religion is thousands of years old on Zendikar. But the Eldrazi came first.

The Truth of the Eldrazi

Eldrazi. A term known by any person proficient in Magic the Gathering. When the Eldrazi titans were first brought to Zendikar, the alien horrors were treated as monstrous gods, and all the races of Zendikar fought the hordes of the titans' brood. This battle persisted long after the titans were imprisoned, until at last all the lesser Eldrazi were wiped out and no new ones could be made. And then, for generations, the peoples of Zendikar passed down their tales of the dark gods' coming.

As the centuries passed and the tales were retold again and again, though, they changed every so slightly - but in terribly important ways. Angels had been among the first creatures to mount a resistance to the Eldrazi, and they fought on the forefront of every great battle. To the people of Zendikar, the defiance of the angels seemd like concrete proof that a benevolent divine force stood between them and the horrors of the Eldrazi. The kor and the merfolk remembered stories of three gods who were present as their ancestors fought hordes of monsters. But in time, they forgot that those gods birthed the monsters.

They forgot that those gods were the monsters.

Mighty Ulamog, who swam through the seas as easily as he walked across the land, became an ocean deity. The merfolk worshipped him as Ula, god of the depths, while the kor called him Mangeni, god of waters and movement and change.

Dread Kozilek, whose presence warped the nature of reality, became a god of chaos - not a friend to mortals, but not their implacable foe. To the merfolk, he is Cosi, the malevolent trickster-god of chaos and misfortune, not so much worshipped as appeased or avoided. To the kor, Kozilek is Talib, god of the earth.

And maddening Emrakul, whose presence in the sky blotted out the sun, became the goddess of the air. The merfolk called her Emeria, goddess of the wind realm, while the kor called her Kamsa, the "breath of the world".

Passed down from generation to generation, the legends of these races told of Emeria/Kamsa sending angels to fight the invading monsters and of Ula/Mangeni providing knowledge and resources to help their followers endure the conflict. Some legends identified the trickster Cosi/Talib as the source of the monsters, as he attempted to scour the earth of the annoying pestilence of mortal life. Others claimed the trickster didn't send the monsters but didn't help in the battle against them either. A few stories even told of how the trickster helped clever and resourceful mortals overcome the dangers they faced.

The stories and legends couldn't have been more wrong.

Monuments to a Lie

The word "Eldrazi" came to mean something entirely different during the time of their long absence. The people of Zendikar believed that the Eldrazi were an ancient civilization, a race not too different from humans or merfolk, who created the hedrons, erected great buildings and monuments from stone, and left behind a legacy of great magical power.

In truth, the Eldrazi were not great builders. The ancient ruins scattered across the plane are indeed remnants of ancient civilizations, but those civilizations belonged to humans, kor, merfolk, and the other races that still inhabit Zendikar. They mastered magic which has long since been forgotten and crafted artifacts of tremendous power. And they warred against the Eldrazi, only to be forgotten and called by their enemies' name.

But What do You Know?

The truths found on this page are not known to Zendikar society and her people. As such, this information is purely for the player's knowledge, and not their respective character.

Chapter Four: Zendikari Homebrew

The Classes of Zendikar

Barbarian Archetypes

Kargan Furymonger

A Furymonger of Kargan is a battlehardened barbarian with a deep reverence and profound respect for dragons. Seeking to emulate these apex predators, he focuses in on an inward power, channeling the fury of a dragon as he leaps towards his foes, his skin shimmering due to his draconic scales. Each tribe is ruled by a Dragonlord who claims a dragon as a companion and mount. Few challengers would dare dispute a Dragonlord's authority in the face of a dragon's wrath, and taming a dragon is virtually impossible without the support of the whole tribe, so challenges to these leaders' authority are extremely rare. Some Kargan shamans can summon and control dragons, though others focus on the powerful elemental forces of earth and fire. The warriors of the Kargan tribes enter a berserk frenzy they call the dragonrage, which is usually induced by the chanting of a battlesinger.

Restriction: Human Only

Only humans can choose the Kargan Furymonger archetype. The Kargan tribes are human nomads, fierce people who revere dragons. The dragonrage is a unique form of raging that, for an unknown reason, can only be channeled by the Kargan humans themselves.

Dragonrage

When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, the flame of the dragon bursts free within you. You can go into a dragonrage when you rage, causing parts of your skin to be covered by dragon-like scales. For the duration of the rage, when you aren’t wearing armor, your AC equals 13 + your Dexterity modifier + your Constitution modifier, and you have resistance to fire damage.

Predator's Sight

At 6th level, your visual acuity becomes heightened by the draconic fury which rages within you. You gain blindsight out to a distance of 5 feet × your proficiency bonus.

Passionate Channeler

Dragons are the ultimate representation of the chaos, the ferocity, and the reckless, irrepressible independence of red mana, and so are you. At 10th level, you gain an amount of red mana points equal to your proficiency bonus. You also can’t be charmed while raging. If you are charmed when you enter your rage, the effect is suspended for the duration of the rage.

Umbra of the Dragon

Reaching 14th level, you command the respect of even the most ancient of dragons which hunt across the continent of Akoum. As an action, by spending 6 red mana points, you invoke the umbra of a dragon – an ancient type of totem armor which surrounds the wielder. While the umbra is active, you gain the following benefits:

• If you're smaller than Large, you also become Large for the duration, and your reach increases by 5 feet.
• You gain 60 temporary hit points.
• You gain the ability to exhale fire in a 30‐foot cone as an action. Each creature in that area must make a DC 17 Dexterity saving throw, taking 56 (16d6) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. You may use this ability once while the umbra is active.

The umbra lasts for 1 minute, or until the temporary hit points it grants disappear – whichever occurs first.

Druid Archetypes

Khalni Heart Invoker

The Khalni Heart Invoker has swayed the raging soul of Zendikar. Stroking the plane's beating heart, she is able to coax the mana from within, utilizing it for a variety of effects. The environment seems to bend to her will, as she summons allies from the elements who work beside her in whatever task she is up against. While mostly calm, the Khalni Heart Invoker is like the plane she invokes: unpredictable. At one moment, she is both calm and beautiful, yet in a flash, she can channel the elements like the Roil in a furious display of power and tear apart her foes.

Mana Savant

When you choose this archetype at 2nd level, you bond with the plane of Zendikar, gaining greater access to the mana within. By spending 1 uninterrupted minute in concentration (as if you were concentrating on a spell), you can regain expended mana points, up to your proficiency bonus. You can use this feature twice. You regain all expended uses of it when you finish a short or long rest.

Friend of the Plane

At 2nd level, you are able to call forth an ally from the plane. By spending 1 uninterrupted hour in concentration (as if you were concentrating on a spell), you can perform a ritual, beseeching the soul of Zendikar for aid. At the end of the ritual, you gain a familiar, chosen from this list, as if you had cast the find familiar spell, following the spell's rules.

Additionally, when you take the Attack action, you can forgo one of your own attacks to allow your familiar to make one attack of its own with its reaction.

Elemental Body

Your talents with the elements grow, as you learn to take on the form of elementals themselves. At 6th level, you can use your Wild Shape to transform into an elemental with a challenge rating as high as your druid level divided by 3, rounded down (you ignore the Max CR column of the Beast Shapes table, but must abide by the other limitations there). Your attacks as an elemental count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.

Primordial Connection

Learning how to connect to the leylines of Zendikar, you are capable of extraordinary feats with mana. At 10th level, you can spend 4 mana points to cast conjure elemental, ignoring any necessary material components. The spell also does not require your concentration to maintain it, and you may spend an additional amount of mana points up to your proficiency bonus. For each additional mana point you spend, the challenge rating of the elemental you summon increases by 1.

Voice of Zendikar

Beseeching the plane of Zendikar, you can merge with the plane herself, gaining extraordinary powers and capabilities, though at great risk. At 14th level, you can expend two uses of Wild Shape at the same time to transform into a manifestation of the Roil itself, resulting in a living vortex that devours everything in the vicinity, even the souls of the living. For one minute, you gain the following benefits:

• You gain immunity to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from nonmagical attacks, as well as immunity to the exhaustion, grappled, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone, and restrained conditions.
• At the start of each of your turns, you deal 5d6 necrotic damage to all creatures in a 20-foot radius, and all creatures within 30 feet of you must succeed on a Strength saving throw or be pulled up to 20 feet towards you. If a creature would die from this damage, they can only be brought back to life from either resurrection or true resurrection.

When your transformation ends, you suffer one level of exhaustion, as well as 5d6 points of necrotic damage. Once you use this feature, you must finish a long rest before you can use it again.

Fighter Archetypes

Runeblade Master

The Runeblade is a master at the art of imbuing weapons with the power of a hedron. Strongly interested in improving his knowledge of hedrons, he focuses on unlocking a hedron's raw power to decimate his enemies. As skilled at forging weapons as he is at studying hedrons, he inscribes his knowledge of the arcane as etched runes along his weapon of preference, using the hedron's power to cause an explosion of arcane might when he strikes his foes.

Rune Weapon

When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you discover the process for creating runic weaponry. In order to create a rune weapon, you must possess a tiny hedron, which is considered the source of power for the weapon. By spending 8 hours of work, you are able to graft the hedron into a melee weapon, as well as inscribe a number of runes equal to your fighter level into the material. In the hands of a runeblade master, it gains several benefits:

• As long as you have at least 1 rune point available, your attacks with your rune weapon count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.
• You are able to access the raw power within the inscribed runes, using them as fuel for your other abilities. You gain a number of rune points equal to the number of runes inscribed on the melee weapon. When you spend a rune point, it is unavailable until you finish a short or long rest, at the end of which the rune's power is able to recharge.

Runic Flare

Harnessing the power of the runes, you can use them for an explosive effect. At 3rd level, when you take the Attack action on your turn and hit a target with a rune weapon, you can expend a number of rune points up to your proficiency bonus to cause an arcane explosion. You are immune to the effects of the flare, and each creature in a 10-foot-radius sphere centered on the target must make a Dexterity saving throw, taking 1d6 force damage per rune spent on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. The target of the flare is considered to have automatically failed the Dexterity saving throw. The saving throw DC for Runic Flare is equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier.

At 7th level, you may choose a number of creatures in the blast equal to your Intelligence modifier, who are immune to the effects of the flare. At 15th level, the radius of the flare increases to 15 feet, and each creature who fails their Dexterity saving throw must succeed on a Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.

Language of the Prophetess

At 10th level, your persistent studying of the runes found on hedrons across Zendikar has given you a unique reward. You can imbue runic weaponry with focused runes, etched onto the weapon's material. By spending 8 hours and 100 gp in materials, you can imbue up to two runes from the following list onto a rune weapon:

• Corrosive Rune. When you hit a creature with this weapon, that creature takes an extra 1d4 acid damage, and at the start of their next turn the creature takes another 1d4 acid damage.
• Necrotic Rune. When you hit a creature with this weapon, that creature takes an extra 1d6 necrotic damage, and the creature can't regain hit points until the end of their next turn.
• Defensive Rune. You gain a +1 bonus to your AC when holding this weapon.
• Regenerative Rune. You gain a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this weapon. When you hit a creature with this weapon, you regain 1 hit point.
• Flaming Rune. When you hit a creature with this weapon, that creature takes an extra 1d8 fire damage. You can use a bonus action to speak this weapon's command word, causing flames to erupt from it. These flames shed bright light in a 60-foot radius and dim light for an additional 60 feet. The flames last until you use a bonus action to speak the command word again.
• Strength Rune. When you hit a creature with this weapon, that creature takes an extra 1d4 force damage and is pushed up to 10 feet away from you.
• Frozen Rune. When you hit a creature with this weapon, that creature takes an extra 1d6 cold damage and its speed is reduced by 10 feet until the end of their next turn.
• Blinding Rune. When you hit a creature with this weapon, that creature takes an extra 1d6 radiant damage. You can choose to cause the creature you hit to be blinded until the end of their next turn. If you choose to do so, this property can't be used again until you finish a short or long rest.
• Lightning Rune. When you hit a creature with this weapon, that creature takes an extra 1d6 lightning damage and can't take reactions until the end of your next turn.
• Thunderous Rune. When you hit a creature with this weapon, that creature takes an extra 1d6 thunder damage and is deafened until the end of their next turn.
• Vile Rune. When you hit a creature with this weapon, that creature takes an extra 1d6 poison damage. You can choose to cause the creature you hit to be poisoned until the end of their next turn. If you choose to do so, this property can't be used again until you finish a short or long rest.

At 18th level, you can imbue up to three runes from the list onto a rune weapon.

Arcane Carnage

Perhaps one of the foremost experts on runic weaponry, you are able to channel the power of the runes to a devastating effect. At 18th level, you may, as an action, make an attack against a creature within the rune weapon's range. On a hit, the target suffers the attack's normal effects, and you may use your Runic Flare feature against the target.

Using the same attack roll, the rune weapon then teleports up to 30 feet from the original target to a number of creatures up to your Intelligence modifier, making an attack against each target creature. On a hit, each target creature suffers the same effects as the original target. A creature can only be targeted once by this feature, and once you use this feature, you must finish a long rest before you can use it again.

Monk Archetypes

Way of the Stoneforge

The Stoneforge sees stone the same way a bladesmith sees metal, or a painter sees a canvas: innumerable possibilities. The Stoneforge is a practitioner of the sacred art of Lithomancy—the mystical ability to shape and alter stone. She can create objects from stone and even transform stone into metal. Her work is exquisite in both form and function—indistinguishable from an item crafted by a skilled artisan over the course of months at the forge. To the Stoneforge, a stone's potential is only limited by her skill and creativity.

Restriction: Kor Only

Only kor can choose the Way of the Stoneforge archetype. Stoneforging is a sacred practice amongst kor society, and they guard it as their most precious secret. Outsiders who steal the secrets of this art are tracked down and brought, willingly or unwillingly, to a tribunal, where they are stripped of their ability to channel ki.

Stone Deflect

Your skill with stone has become near instinctual. At 3rd level, with a flick of your wrist you can interpose a stone between yourself and an attacking enemy. When you or an ally are attacked by a creature within 30 feet of you that you can see, you can spend 1 ki point and use your reaction to force the attacker to roll a second d20 and use the lower of the two d20 rolls.

This feature replaces the Deflect Missiles feature.

Adept of Stone

When you choose this tradition at 3rd level, the countless hours of meditation and strict abstinence from the pleasures of the world pay off, as you learn the secret of forging weapons from stone. You wear a red band over your arm as a symbol of your status as a Stoneforge. You can create any melee weapon your are proficient in, and a stoneforge weapon is identical to its normal counterpart in terms of statistics. To create a stoneforge weapon, you must spend three days and three nights in a deep, meditative state on a stone surface. You are treated as incapacitated during this time, and your ki pool is treated as empty while you focus your ki into the earth beneath you. At the end of the third night, just as the sun begins to rise, you plunge your hand into the stone beneath you, and pull forth the stoneforge weapon you have focused on forging.

In the hands of a Stoneforge, a stoneforge weapon gains abilities as it acts as a channel for your ki:

• As long as you have at least 1 ki point available, your attacks with your stoneforge weapon count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.

Master of Stone

At 6th level, your mastery of stoneforging is nearly unmatched. You are capable of crafting weapons of great power, as you are able to draw into the very leylines of the land beneath you in order to channel tremendous amounts of mana into your stoneforge weapons.

In addition to the process of creating normal stoneforge weapons, when crafting a stoneforge weapon above Common quality, the Stoneforge must also spend an amount of gold pieces equal to the rarity of the weapon, as shown below.

Also, your ability to channel ki into a stoneforge weapon improves.

• When you take the Attack action on your turn and hit a target with a stoneforge weapon, you can spend up to 4 ki points to infuse your ki into the mana within the weapon, dealing an additional 1d10 points of fire damage per ki point spent.

Lithomancy

At 11th level, the secrets of Lithomancy have been revealed to you, furthering your mastery over stone. You are able to augment your martial prowess with the ability to cast a limited number of spells at their lowest level by spending a certain number of ki points. To cast one of these spells, you use its casting time and other rules, but you don’t need to provide material components for it. You also learn the Mold Earth cantrip from the Druid spell list.

Lithomancer

Your skill with stoneforging reaching the pinnacle, you claim the sacred title amongst kor society of Lithomancer. At 17th level, you are capable of summoning forth stoneforge weapons at a moments notice, controlling them with unparalleled focus and precision as you decimate the foes around you.

As an action, you can spend up to 12 ki points, summoning duplicates of a stoneforge weapon in your hand from the ground beneath you. For every 3 ki points you spend, you create a copy of a stoneforge weapon you are wielding, which floats in the air around you. For every copy you create, the number of attacks you can make with your Extra Attack feature increases by one. Each extra attack granted by this feature must be made by a copy, and each copy can also be moved up to 20 feet as part of its attack. This feature lasts for 1 minute, after which the copies return back to the ground beneath you.

Mystic Archetypes

Order of the Chronarch

The Chronarchs are an ancient organization based out of the Lighthouse at Sea Gate. Purveyors of time, they seek to understand the passage of time, both in the past, present, and future. While most chronarchs are simple historians or seers, a true chronarch is able to tap into time itself. He is able to extend his conscious into the flow of time, altering its flow around him, his allies, and his enemies. If time affects everything, then what hope can a chronarch's enemies have against a master of it?

Bonus Disciplines

At 1st level, you learn two additional psionic disciplines of your choice. They must be chosen from among the Chronarch disciplines, found under Zendikari Spells and Disciplines.

Inline Within the Mind

You are able to connect your affinity to blue magic with the reserves of psionic energy you have stored within your body. At 1st level, you are able to spend psi points, up to your current psi limit, as if they were blue mana points. For every two psi points you spend to emulate blue mana, you may spend them as if they were one blue mana point.

Alacrity of the Clock

At 3rd level, your perception of time quickens. You can take a bonus action on each of your turns in combat. This action can be used only to take the Dash, Disengage, or, if you spend one blue mana point, the Dodge action.

Tokens of Time

At 6th level, you gain four dice, called time tokens, which are d6s. A time token is expended when you use it. You regain all of your expended time tokens when you finish a long rest.

You may expend one time token as a reaction in response to an attack that you can see or a saving throw being made, adding or subtracting the time token's roll to the attack or saving throw. You may choose to expend the time token before or after the dice is rolled, but not after the result is revealed.

Chronokeeper

At 14th level, you become a master chronarch, earning the coveted title of Chronokeeper. This prestige marks you apart from the rest of reality, as your perception of time has changed, allowing you to peer into the future and see what happens for brief moments of time. You gain the following benefits:

• You no longer age and cannot be magically aged.
• As a free action, you may take an additional reaction each round. Readied actions can still only be taken once.
• Also, as a reaction, for 10 minutes, you can't be surprised and have advantage on attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws. Additionally, other creatures have disadvantage on attack rolls against you for the duration. When the duration ends, time takes its toll, and you suffer disadvantage on attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws for the next minute as your body temporarily slows down.

Once you use the third part of this feature, you must finish a long rest before you can use it again.

Rogue Archetypes

Nirkana Lacerator

The Lacerators of Nirkana comes from an ancient tradition of vampires who carves runes into their own flesh, using the runes to deepen their capabilities of sangromancy as they drains the lifeforce from their foes with each attack. While he might try to use his macabre powers for the greater good, it is hard for him to maintain his grip on sanity as he becomes accustomed to the taste of vital energy, further craving it as he continues down this dark path.

Restriction: Vampire Only

Unless otherwise specified, only vampires can choose the Nirkana Lacerator archetype. Sangromancy is a skill normally only available to vampires, being something they are born with, though there are other methods of acquiring such a gift. Those who come to possess this gift that are not vampires are at best shunned, and at worst, more often than not, hunted down.

Spellcasting

When you reach 3rd level, you gain the ability to cast spells.

Cantrips. You learn three cantrips of your choice from the sorcerer spell list. You learn another sorcerer cantrip of your choice at 10th level.

Spell Slots. The Nirkana Lacerator Spellcasting table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these spells, you must expend a slot of the spell's level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest. For example, if you know the 1st-level spell false life and have a 1st-level and a 2nd-level spell slot available, you can cast false life using either slot.

Spells Known of 1st-Level and Higher. You know three 1st-level sorcerer spells of your choice.

The Spells Known column of the Nirkana Lacerator Spellcasting table shows when you learn more sorcerer spells of 1st level or higher. Each of these spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots. For instance, when you reach 7th level in this class, you can learn one new spell of 1st or 2nd level.

Whenever you gain a level in this class, you can replace one of the sorcerer spells you know with another spell of your choice from the sorcerer spell list. The new spell must be of a level for which you have spell slots.

Spellcasting Ability. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for your sorcerer spells, since you learn your spells through harvesting your talents in sangromancy. You use your Charisma whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Charisma modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a sorcerer spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.

Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier

Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier

Nirkana Lacerator Spellcasting

Lifeforce Culler

When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you begin your journey down a dark, yet promising, road to power. When you reduce a creature to 0 hit points, you regain hit points equal to half of the excess damage, rounded up, that your attack would've inflicted if their hit points weren't reduced to 0.

Sacrifice of the Flesh

At 9th level, when you take the Attack action on your turn and hit a target, you can inflict up to 3d6 necrotic damage to yourself. This damage ignores any resistances or immunities. You deal extra damage equal to double the damage you dealt to yourself with this feature. Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.

At 13th level, the total amount of necrotic damage you can inflict yourself with increases to 6d6.

Bloodghast

At 17th level, you may, as an action, go into a feral bloodlust. You gain the following benefits for one minute:

• The Extra Attack feature. If you already possess the Extra Attack feature, then the number of attacks you can make with your Extra Attack feature increases by one.
• When you take the Attack action, if you inflict damage to a creature, you regain hit points equal to half the damage dealt. That creature must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or become frightened until the end of their next turn as well.

Once you use this feature, you must finish a long rest before you can use it again.

Cosi's Trickster

Mysterious and mischievous, a trickster of Cosi revels in chaos and unpredictability. He practices an art seen as a both strange and esoteric, whose mysteries are difficult to grasp. Utilizing blue and black mana in unpredictable ways, he dazzles and confounds his enemies, making every battleground the stage of his next performance. While not inherently malevolent, most tricksters of Cosi are amoral and impulsive, believing that is how Cosi would wish them to be.

Restriction: Merfolk Only

Unless otherwise specified, only merfolk who have taken the Cosi Creed can choose the Cosi's Trickster archetype. Cosi is a fickle god and a lover of chaos, illusion, and trickery. Venerated by those who choose his creed, he, in return, watches over and blesses those who follow him, some more than others. A trickster of Cosi is a rogue who has received Cosi's blessing to go out into the world and spread Cosi's chaos and mischief.

Live the Creed

At 3rd level, Cosi's blessings begin to manifest, granting you deeper wells of mana to draw from and confound your foes or impress your allies. You gain an amount of blue mana points equal to your proficiency bonus. At 13th level, you also gain an amount of black mana points equal to your proficiency bonus.

As long as you venerate Cosi and his ideals, you also gain access to a unique set of maneuvers. By spending a black or blue mana point, you are able to perform one of the maneuvers listed below.

• Disturbing Blow. As an action, make an attack against a creature. On a hit, you deal normal damage to the target, and the target suffers disadvantage on all attacks it makes until the end of its next turn.
• Half-Gone. As a reaction, make a Dexterity (Stealth) check contested by the attacker's attack roll. If you win the contest, the attack passes through you, causing the attacker to miss.

At 9th level, this feature improves, granting you the abilities to use black or blue mana in stronger ways. By spending a combination of three black and/or blue mana points, you are able to perform one these maneuvers as well.

• Formless Dance. As an action, for the next minute, you gain the benefits of the see invisibility and blur spells.
• Flicker Strike. As an action, you can teleport up to half your movement speed, make two attacks against a creature, and then teleport up to half your movement speed again.

Trickster's Tongue

When you select this archetype at 3rd level, you gain proficiency in the Deception skill. If you are already proficient in this skill, you add double your proficiency bonus to checks you make with it.

Tides of Chaos

At 9th level, you can manipulate the forces of chance and chaos to gain advantage on one attack roll, ability check, or saving throw. Once you do so, you must finish a long rest before you can use this feature again.

Any time before you regain the use of this feature, you can roll on the Wild Magic Surge table immediately after you spend two or more black and/or blue mana points. You then regain the use of this feature.

At 13th level, whenever you roll on the Wild Magic Surge table, you can roll twice and use either number.

Bend Luck

Starting at 13th level, you have the ability to twist fate using your wild magic. When you or another creature you can see makes an attack roll, an ability check, or a saving throw, you can use your reaction and spend a combination of two black and/or blue mana points to roll 1d4 and apply the number rolled as a bonus or penalty (your choice) to the creature’s roll. You can do so after the creature rolls but before any effects of the roll occur.

Distorting Simulacrum

At 17th level, you learn one of the great secrets of Cosi as a reward for your faithful service. As a bonus action, for 10 minutes, your body splits as a duplicate emerges from you, occupying an available square within 5 feet of your choosing. If no square is available, it occupies your own square. The duplicate is the same as you in both appearance and mannerism: it would act as you would act, though cannot knowingly bring harm to you. It also "wears" the same equipment as you do, though such equipment is mearly an extension of itself and cannot be removed. The simulacrum has half as much health as you, but otherwise its statistics and abilities do not change from the ones available to you upon using this ability. If you exhausted half of your available mana points before using this ability, then it would have that many mana points. Otherwise, the simulacrum acts on your initiative and the player controls what it does, as if they were their own character.

And the end of the 10 minutes, the simulacrum dissipates into a pile of goo. One you use this feature, you must finish a long rest before you can use it again.

Sorcerer Archetypes

Malakir Bloodwitch

A Bloodwitch of Malakir heralds from another sect of vampires which focuses on sangromancy. While the Nirkana Lacerators possess rudimentary skill in sangromancy, the Malakir Bloodwitches believe themselves to be blessed by some unholy force. Born with an innate ability to use sangromancy, she sacrifices life and blood to drain the lifeforce of other beings, place curses on enemies, and even possess the minds of others.

Restriction: Vampire Only

Unless otherwise specified, only vampires can choose the Malakir Bloodwitch archetype. Sangromancy is a skill normally only available to vampires, being something they are born with, though there are other methods of acquiring such a gift. Those who come to possess this gift that are not vampires are at best shunned, and at worst, more often than not, hunted down.

Wound Channeler

Starting when you choose this origin at 1st level, you can channel your spilled blood into arcane energy. When you take piercing or slashing damage, you may, as a reaction, cast one cantrip, even when it normally takes a standard action to cast.

Sanguine Fortitude

At 1st level, your innate talents in sangromancy gives you extra fortitude, as your body produces fresh blood at a quicker rate. Your hit point maximum increases by 1, and it increases by 1 again whenever you gain a level in this class.

Sangromancer

Having delved deeply into the art of sangromancy, you gain the ability to drain both your lifeforce and the lifeforce of others to accomplish horrid feats. At 6th level, you may, as an action, inflict up to 8d6 necrotic damage to yourself. This damage ignores any resistances or immunities. For every 2d6 necrotic damage you inflict to yourself, you gain back 1 sorcery point. Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.

You also are able to siphon the lifeforce from your foes whenever you damage then. If you inflict damage to a creature, you may, as a bonus action, regain hit points equal to your proficiency bonus.

Bound by Blood

At 14th level, you gain the ability to mark others with your blood. Anyone who tastes your blood is considered bonded to you for 24 hours. You may cast spells targeting creatures that are bonded to you regardless of range and line-of-sight limitations, so long as they are on the same plane. This includes spells with a range of "Self".

In addition, as an action, you can see through one bonded creature's eyes and hear what it hears, gaining the benefits of any Special senses that the creature has. You can end this ability as a free action. During this time, you are deaf and blind with regard to your own senses.

Harvester of Wills

At 18th level, your blood is powerful enough to dominate the will of lesser creatures. As an action, you may inflict 4d6 necrotic damage to yourself. This damage ignores any resistances or immunities. Choose a creature within 30 feet of you. That creature must make a Constitution save or be dominated by you for one minute, as the blood you shed infiltrates their body. This feature requires extreme focus, and thus is considered a spell which requires concentration. You take total and precise control of the target on its turns – it takes only the actions you choose, and doesn’t do anything that you don’t allow it to do. At the end of the duration, that creature takes 6d6 necrotic damage as its own body fights to reassert dominance. On a successful Constitution save, the creature is not dominated – it takes 6d6 necrotic damage from your attempted invasion, but is immune from further attempts at this power for 24 hours.

Wizard Archetypes

Spawnbinder Mage

Spawnbinder mages study a specific type of hedron – ones which focus on dominating a creature's mind. Through this studying, she has learned how to bind the minds of creatures to her own, enslaving them. While generally mistrusted due to her perceived scheming and manipulative dealings, the spawnbinder mage's reasons for pursuing such an art are as noble or cynical as she prefers. Whatever her reason, the minds of his enemies are one of his greatest assets.

Silver-tongued Orator

Beginning when you select this archetype at 2nd level, you gain proficiency in either the Deception, Intimidation, or Persuasion skill. If you are already proficient in this skill, you add double your proficiency bonus to checks you make with it.

Utter Domination

At 2nd level, you learn how to tattoo mind-binding runes on other weaker creatures to make them into your subordinates. With a 2 hour ritual, you can bind an unconscious creature with 0 current hit points and a challenge rating of 1 or lower and an Intelligence score of 8 or lower. After the creature is bound to you their Intelligence score permanently becomes 1. After the ritual the bound creature is covered in tattooed runes that grant you control over it. You can bind only one creature at a time. Whenever a new creature is bound to you, the previous creature is released from its bindings and falls into a catatonic stupor, where it eventually dies.

You have a telepathic link with the bound creature as long as the two of you are on the same plane of existence. You can use your bonus action to take total and precise control of the creature. Until the end of your next turn, the creature takes only the actions you choose, and doesn't do anything that you don't allow it to do. During this time, you can also cause the creature to use a reaction, but this requires you to use your own reaction as well. If the creature is not controlled, it is considered incapacitated until you take control of it again.

As you advance in levels, you are able to bind stronger creatures under your control. The table belows shows the necessary character level to bind creatures of certain challenge ratings, as well as the maximum Intelligence score a creature can have.

Binding Prerequisities

Beguiling Will

At 6th level, your mastery of enchantment spells grows. When casting a spell from the Enchantment school which requires a saving throw, you add double your proficiency bonus to the saving throw DC.

Broodmaster

You skill in binding creatures to your will through tattoed runes draws closer to perfection. At 14th level, instead of only being able to bind one creature at a time, you can now bind a number of creatures up to your Intelligence modifier. The combined totals of the creatures' challenge ratings cannot exceed 10, though they may each have an Intelligence score of 14 or lower before being bound to you.

Also, your ability to control your bound creatures improves. You can now use a free action to take total and precise control of a bound creature.

The Equipment of Zendikar

Special Weapons

Weapons with special rules are described here.

Bastard Sword. The bastard sword, also known as a hand-and-a-half sword, is longer than a longsword, but shorter than a greatsword. When wielded with one hand, the attacker has disadvantage on all attack rolls made with the bastard sword, unless their Strength score is 15 or higher.

Explosive Flask. An explosive flask comes in a variety of damage types, and is created by the Lavastep tribe. On impact, the flask detonates in a 5-foot radius. Any creature in that area must succeed on a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw to avoid damage.

Greatbow. This bow is substantial in size, requiring great strength to pull back the draw string. It is a martial weapon for all races excluding elves, who treat it as a simple weapon. The wielder must possess a Strength score of 14 or higher in order to draw back the bowstring and make an attack.

Broadspear. The broadspear is a large spear, aproximately eight feet in length, with a foot-long pointed blade at the tip. It is a common weapon in merfolk society, due to its ease of use while underwater. It is a martial weapon for all races excluding merfolk, who treat them as a simple weapon. You have disadvantage when you use a broadspear to attack a target within 5 feet of you.

Kor Hooks. The kor hook is a pair of sickle-like weapons with hooks on each end of a 20-foot long rope. They are a martial weapon for all races excluding kor, who treat them as a simple weapon. It counts as two weapons for the purposes of two-weapon fighting. If both hooks strike a single target that is a Large or smaller creature, then you may attempt to knock the target down. The attacker makes a Strength (Athletics) check contested by the target's Strength (Athletics) check. If the attacker wins the contest, the defender is knocked prone. You can use the feature only once per round.

Scaling Claws. The scaling claws are a pair of bladed claws with hooks on the end of them. When two-weapon fighting, if both claws strike a single target, then you deal an extra 1d6 damage as you rend the target. The scaling claws also grant you advantage on Athletic checks when climbing. If constructed for that purpose, scaling claws can also be attached to the wielder's feat. You cannot make attacks with them in this manner, but they do grant you advantage on Athletic checks when climbing.

Sword Breaker. An advancement from the standard parrying dagger, the hilt has two sturdy tines adjacent and parallel to the blade. The slot formed between the blade and tine can be used to catch and "bite" (or grab) the opponent's blade. When an opponent fails an attack with any bladed weapon while you are using a sword breaker, you may react by attempting a grapple on them as your reaction.

Thunderstone. A thunderstone is a special ore that has been alchemically treated, and is created by the Lavastep tribe. The thunderstone shatters on impact with a blast of concussive energy. Each creature within 10 feet of the point of impact must succeed on a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or be knocked prone and pushed 10 feet away from that point.

Two-Bladed Sword. The two-bladed sword is a shaft with a broad 18-inch blade at each end. They are a martial weapon for all races excluding vampires, who treat them as a simple weapon. It counts as two weapons for the purposes of two-weapon fighting.

Special Properties

Properties with special rules not found elsewhere are described here.

Climbing. A weapon with the climbing property is specially designed to climb onto a larger opponent. They often have hooks, angled spikes, or wrapping chains. If you are proficient with a climbing weapon, you add your proficiency bonus to climb onto a bigger creature checks (DMG p. 271) while wielding it.

Disarming. A weapon with the disarming property is specially designed to disarm an opponent. They often have hooks, curved blades, angled spikes, or wrapping chains. If you are proficient with a disarming weapon, you add your proficiency bonus to disarm checks (DMG p. 271) while wielding it.

Hollow. A weapon with the hollow property has been designed to help reduce their weight, aiding mobility while climbing and adapting to Zendikar's ever-shifting geography. This makes the weapon lighter and more easily finessed than its normal counterpart, but also more fragile.

If a weapon has the hollow property, then its weight is cut in half, and it gains the Finesse property, as well as the Light property if its new weight is less than 3 lbs. When attacking with a hollow weapon, if the weapon is non-magical and you roll a 1, then the weapon is damaged, and the wielder suffers disadvantage on all attack rolls made with the weapon until they spend a long rest fixing the weapon. Any melee weapon can possess the Hollow property.

Returning. A weapon with the returning property has an aerofoil design that allows it to return to the thrower when thrown. These weapons are favored by hunters for their versatility.

If you make a ranged attack with a returning weapon and miss, you catch it at the end of your turn if you still have a free hand. Returning weapons need lots of space to bank and return to the thrower. There must be no obstructions (such as walls or trees) in a circle around the target of diameter equal to the distance to the target.

Adventuring Gear

This section describes items that have special rules or require further explanation.

Glider. The glider is a lightweight device designed to fly for long periods of time, only propelled by the wind and air. By spending one minute of construction, any Medium or smaller humanoid wearing this gains a glide speed of 50 feet.

Hookshot. The hookshot is a projectile, usually either an arrow of bolt, attached to a long, silk rope, measuring 50 feet. When fired, if the attack is successful, the hook imbeds itself into the target. As a bonus action, the wielder may make a Strength (Athletics) check contested by the target's Strength (Athletics) check. If the attacker wins the contest, the defender is dragged up to 15 feet towards the attacker. If the target is an object, the attacker may either drag the object up to 15 feet to himself, following the rules for doing so (PHB p. 176), or pull himself up to 15 feet to the object if he cannot drag it to himself.

Combat Options & Other Rules

This section describes rules presented either in this document or in the Whispers from the Aeons campaign.

Death. Death in Zendikar will have more of a profound impact on the party, and dropping unconscious will be more difficult to get out of. This campaign will be utilizing the optional "Death Grinder" rules, changing the Death Saving Throw from 10 to 15.

Glide. Some creatures or items are powered simply by the aerodynamics of their shape, and possess no ability to maintain their altitude as they move through the air. Such possess a glide speed. A glide speed assumes that the creature or item falls by 5 feet every turn, and must move their full glide speed movement. The creature or wielder of such an item can choose to dive by converting horizontal movement into downward movement. They can also choose to convert downward movement into upward movement, but only after downward movement has been expended, and the upward movement cannot exceed the total downward movement minus five.

Leveling Up. When gaining a new level, the only things the character gains are the increase in health, as well as any new abilities, spells, feats, etc. Loss of health, spells, or abilities are still lost until the character takes the appropriate actions to recover them.

Movement. When a character or other creature moves in Whispers from the Aeons, they will follow the simplified rules of 1:1. That means that diagonal movement only costs 5 feet of movement, just like moving forwards or backwards, left or right, or up or down.

The Feats of Zendikar

Blood Magic

Prerequisite: Must be of a non-good alignment

Through great struggle, sleepless nights of studying, ruthless interrogation, and/or macabre rituals, you've learned the secrets of sangromancy. You gain the following benefits:

• You gain access to both the Nirkana Lacerator and Malakir Bloodwitch archetypes.
• As a bonus action, can spend one or more Hit Dice, up to your proficiency bonus, per long rest. For each Hit Die spent in this way, you roll the die, subtract your Constitution modifier from it to a minimum of 1, and then deal that much piercing or slashing damage to yourself. This damage ignores any resistances or immunities. For each hit dice you expend, roll 1d4+1 and regain an amount of expended mana points equal to the number rolled.
• Also, when you hit a creature with an attack, you can decide to regain hit points equal to half the amount of damage dealt with the attack to that one creature. Once you use this feature, you must finish a long rest before you can use it again.

Mind Mage Initiate

You have learned to tap into the psionic powers inside you, gaining the following benefits:

• You learn one psionic discipline and one psionic talent of your choice from among those available to the Mystic class. If any feature of a discipline or talent you use requires a creature to make a saving throw, the saving throw DC equals 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier. If they require you to make an attack roll, the attack modifier equals your proficiency bonus plus your Intelligence modifier.
• You gain a number of psi points equal to your proficiency bonus. If you already have psi points, you gain 4 more. If you ever gain psi points, these are added to them. Your psi limit, the maximum number of psi points you can spend at a time, is 2, unless you already have a psi limit.

Monster Anatomist

Prerequisite: Must have at least one level in the Rogue class

You are an expert when it comes to a certain type of monster, and you exploit that knowledge to the best of your abilities. You gain the following benefits:

• You gain proficiency in the Medicine skill. If you are already proficient in the skill, you add double your proficiency bonus to checks you make with it.
• Choose a type of creature. When you use the Sneak Attack feature against that creature, the damage dice from the extra damage increases from d6 to d8.

You can select this feat multiple times. Each time you do so, you must choose a different creature type.

Roilmaster

Prerequisites: The ability to cast at least one spell and the Elemental Adept feat

When you gain this feat, choose one of the following damage types that you have already taken for the Elemental Adept feat: acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder. When you cast a spell the deals your chosen damage type, you ignore resistance to that damage type and treat immunity as resistance and absorption is treated as immunity. Also, you can treat any 1 or 2 on a damage die as a 3. You can select this feat multiple times. Each time you do so, you must choose a different damage type.

Split-Second Timing

You have learned how to react faster than most can think, and this carries over to your combat capabilities with the following benefits:

• Increase your Dexterity score by 1, to a maximum of 20.
• As a free action, you may take an additional reaction this round. Readied actions can still only be taken once. You can use this feature up to three times per rest. You regain all expended uses of it when you finish a short or long rest.
• You can use your reaction to gain advantage on a Constitution saving throw to maintain your concentration on a spell.

Ties to Mana

Your ties to the mana around you amplify from frequent use of it, and you gain the following benefits:

• Choose a color of mana. You gain an amount of mana points of that color equal to your proficiency bonus.
• You also gain the ability to expend mana points when you hit a target with an attack. You can spend up to your proficiency bonus to infuse your attack with raw mana, dealing an additional 1d6 points of force damage per mana point spent to the target.

You can select this feat multiple times. Each time you do, you must choose a different color of mana.

Warcaster

Prerequisites: The ability to cast at least one spell

You've learned to empower your spells, drawing every bit of power you can from the mana around you. You gain the following benefits:

• Before you make an attack roll for a spell, you can choose to take a -5 penalty on the attack roll. On a hit, you add +10 damage to the spell’s damage.
• When you reduce a creature to 0 hit points with a spell attack, you can redirect the remaining damage at another target within 5 feet of the spell effect's initial target using the original attack roll's result.

The Spells and Disciplines of Zendikar

Changed and/or Removed Spells

Some of the spells currently available do not fit into the universe of Magic the Gathering. Such spells are not available to players, unless otherwise stated:

• Gate
• Plane Shift

Other spells have been changed to reflect the mechanics and/or setting the campaign takes place in.

• Lesser Restoration: In addition to what the spell currently does, Lesser Restoration also restores one point to the creature's Sanity modifier.
• The range of spells which require a melee attack with a weapon, such as Booming Blade and Green-Flame Blade, has been changed to reflect the used weapon's range. For example, if someone uses a broadspear for the melee attack for Booming Blade, the spell's range is 10 feet instead of 5 feet. Melee weapons with the Thrown property must still use the weapon's range when not thrown.

Homebrew Spells

Spazzledazzle

1st-level evocation

• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: weapon's reach
• Components: V, M (a weapon)
• Duration: instantaneous

As part of the action used to cast this spell, you must make a melee attack with a weapon against one creature within the spell's range, otherwise the spell fails. On a hit, the target suffers the attack's normal effects and an extra 1d10 damage, and the same chaotic energy leaps from the target to up to two other creatures within 10 feet of your target, dealing 1d10 damage each. The amount of damage dealt determines the type of damage, as shown below.

At higher levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, the damage dealt to each creature increases by 1d10 for each slot level above 1st. When determining the damage type dealt to each creature, only the initial 1d10 dealt to each creature is considered.

Psionic Disciplines by Order

Each psionic discipline is associated with a Mystic Order. The following lists organize the disciplines by those orders.

Chronarch Disciplines

Chronomentum

Time's Torpidity

Discipline Descriptions

The psionic disciplines are presented here in alphabetical order.

Chronomentum

Chronarch Discipline

You are able to increase the flow of time around you, allowing you and your allies to move and act more quickly than those around you.

Psychic Focus. While focused on this discipline, all of your movement speeds increase by 10 feet.

Age Comes to All (1-7 psi). As an action, you can cause temporal celerity against a creature. Choose one creature you can see within 60 feet of you. The target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or take 1d8 force damage per psi point spent and suffers disadvantage on any saving throws using Strength, Constitution, or Dexterity until the end of their next turn. On a successful save, the target only takes half as much damage.

Two Ticks in One (2 psi; conc., 1 min.). As a bonus action, you increase the passage of time of those around you. Choose up to three willing creatures you can see within 60 feet of you. Each target's movement speed increases by 10 feet, and they can, as a bonus action, take the Dash action.

Rewind the Clock (3 psi; conc., 1 min.). For the next minute, you gain the ability to, as a reaction, impose disadvantage on an attack roll against you if you can see the attacker.

Temporal Acceleration (5 psi and 1 blue mana point; conc., 1 min.). Choose up to two willing creatures that you can see within range. Until the spell ends, the targets' speed is doubled, they gain a +2 bonus to AC, they have advantage on Dexterity saving throws, and they gain an additional action on each of their turns. That action can be used only to take the Attack (one weapon attack only), Dash, Disengage, Hide, or Use an Object action.

Chronobreak (6 psi and 5 blue mana points). As an action, you hyperaccelerate time's effect on yourself and your allies. Choose up to six willing creatures. Until the end of the next round, each of those creatures' speed is doubled, and they gain an additional action, bonus action, and reaction on each of their turns.

Time's Torpidity

Chronarch Discipline

Your mastery over time allows you to slow time down for others, as their actions become sluggish while they perceive the world around them more slowly.

Psychic Focus. While focused on this discipline, enemies have disadvantage on their initiative rolls.

Tick-tock Anomaly (1-7 psi). As an action, you may choose up to one creature per psi point spent, making an attack roll against of each of them. On a hit, the target takes 1d4 force damage per psi point spent and must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the target enters a temporal stasis and is stunned until the end of their next turn.

Saved by the Clock (2 psi). As a reaction when you are hit by an attack, you momentarily stop time for the attack, allowing you to move away from the attack, and the attack misses you.

You cannot take reactions until the start of your next turn.

Temporal Lull (5 psi and 1 blue mana point; conc., 1 min.) You alter time around up to six creatures of your choice in a 40-foot cube centered within 60 feet. Each target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or be affected by this discipline for the duration.

An affected target's speed is halved, it takes a −2 penalty to AC and Dexterity saving throws, and it can't use reactions. On its turn, it can use either an action or a bonus action, not both. Regardless of the creature's abilities or magic items, it can't make more than one melee or ranged attack during its turn.

If the creature attempts to cast a spell or use a discipline with a casting time of 1 action, roll a d20. On an 11 or higher, the spell or discipline doesn't take effect until the creature's next turn, and the creature must use its action on that turn to complete the spell or discipline. If it can't, the spell or discipline is wasted.

Chronoshift (6 psi and 5 blue mana points). You briefly stop the flow of time for everyone but yourself. No time passes for other creatures, while you take 1d4 + 1 turns in a row, during which you can use actions and move as normal.

This discipline ends if one of the actions you use during this period, or any effects that you create during this period, affects a creature other than you or an object being worn or carried by someone other than you. In addition, the discipline ends if you move to a place more than 1,000 feet from the location where you cast it.