Hi there! With the spoiler about Commander and the new O-Kagachi card, I think this is a good moment to post this little fan made map of Kamigawa.
First of all, I didn't draw it, it's the work of a really excellent artist, Francesca Baerald (I'm not sure I can post a link to her site, I didn't read anything about it in the rules). I found all the information needed to give the greatest detail to it in the novels, vignettes, fat pack and cards themselves.
Obviously I had to guess the location of some minor place (like Miren or Tomb of Urami), but the general direction of the major locations are all there. We know that Eiganjo is at the center, Takenuma swamp in the west, Sokenzan in the south, Jukai in the east and Minamo in the north.
Let me know what you think!
(Especially you, Squirle Master )
Minor nitpicks: There were both an east tree and a west tree, which weren't Boseiju. If I remember correctly, the Kodama of the West Tree was a vicious predator (shown on Kodama's Might) while the Kodama of the East was a trickster, I think. (shown on Kodama's Reach)
Anyway, neat map. In my personal headcanon Shizo was part of the Towaraba or at the edge of Jukai, as it was described as once having been a field with flowers or something.
Mmm... I thought that the Five Trees of the Poem of the Five Trees were North Tree, Center Tree, South Tree (represented by the Kodama) Boseiju (with the legendary land card) and Fudaiju (from the vignettes) ... But I can obviously be wrong; I'm sure I didn't find an East and West Tree in any of the sources I read.
About Shizo: in the fatpack booklet for Champions of Kamigawa it is told that the blood of the fallen from Shizo reached a near bamboo forest and transformed it in the bog called Takenuma. So it is true it was once a forest, but on the opposite side of Jukai.
Mmm... I thought that the Five Trees of the Poem of the Five Trees were North Tree, Center Tree, South Tree (represented by the Kodama) Boseiju (with the legendary land card) and Fudaiju (from the vignettes) ... But I can obviously be wrong; I'm sure I didn't find an East and West Tree in any of the sources I read.
It was in an arcana a while back. They went over the different kodamas quoting their information from their internal worldbuilding guide. Unfortunately, the arcanas are pretty much not recoverable at this point.
About Shizo: in the fatpack booklet for Champions of Kamigawa it is told that the blood of the fallen from Shizo reached a near bamboo forest and transformed it in the bog called Takenuma. So it is true it was once a forest, but on the opposite side of Jukai.
Ah, interesting. So it is tied to the Takenuma after all. That's good to know. Personally I find it a bit sad how the world is so strictly divided into the different colours of Magic, but that was the 'good old world building' during the time of Mirrodin and Kamigawa.
Yes, it is a bit odd how the set always seem to have just five big location (one for every color).
With the last sets, things are getting worse, in my opinion: we usually have only a big city and just some info on its whereabouts.
This is the most accurate map we have (the promo one released by Wizards was a mere wrap-around map featuring concept art, and not even an ocean.) I was going to make one myself according to the novels, but Francesca beat me to it, and she's done a bang-out job.
This is almost EXACTLY what I'd always envisioned, only with the sea north of Kamitaki, and Shizo where Numai is and Numai where Takenosu is. Other than that, it's uncanny how well she matched what I envisioned.
The only thing that's missing is the Kamigawa River that the plane is named after, which should feed Kamitaki Falls. Conflicting information says the Yumegawa River fed Kamitaki, but I'm pretty sure that was mistaken and it ought to be Kamigawa. I always envisioned it running down from the sea.
(Also, Jukai is such a tease. We know according to the Guardian novel that more lands lie beyond it, and Konda was planning to set his sights on them after he won the war. What those lands are, we can only speculate--but they're there.)
EDIT: Wait, you say you didn't draw it, but it seems you designed and commissioned it? You are a hero, sir.
About locarions in Takenuma Swamp: yes, as I said I had to guess some locations based on conflicting information. For example, in Outlaw first it is said that Toshi lives in the southeast corner of the swamp, in Numai, and just few pages later it is said that his shack is in the southwest corner. In the same novel it is said that Marrow-gnasher people lives in the northwest of Numai, not too far off, while in Guardian it is said that nezumi chose to live the fartest possible from human settlement. So yes, perhaps I choose some places arbitrariliy, but I dind't really have a choice.
I put the sea where it is because in the first novel Toshi thinks about going on vacation at the seaside, so I thought it should be somewhere near the swamp (it wouldn't be wise to travel around Towabara for the outlaw). But as I said, everything that isn't clearly stated in the books is just speculation on my part.
About Kamigawa River: in the early stages of the set, it was the river in which the Kamitaki falls are contained, it's true. But in the end it wasn't used in any other sources, so I think it is safe to say that Kamigawa River and Yumegawa River are synonimous. Perhaps it happened the same with Otawara and Oboro: in the second novel, the cloud city of the Soratami is called Otawara, but in the third this name is never used and it is called Oboro (just like on the card). I like to think that Otawara was the "working title" and Oboro became the definitive.
About Jukai and the other lands: yes, it is said that just the forest is bigger than the lands sorrounding it. I'm also sure that there are other continents on Kamigawa, because when Mochi shows is "moon vision" to Toshi and Michiko, they see continentale landmasses curving around the globe.
Nope, I didn't draw it, I only researched the lore sources and put them together into a sketch. Francesca Baerald took it and made it a masterpiece (she even followed tha art on the cards!). Look for her other works on the net! http://www.francescabaerald.com/
Well, I really really liked the Kodamas and wished we could see more of them, so when I read that article (which wasn't an arcana, huh) I went and tried to design the missing two trees* based on their descriptions. That's why I remember the characteristics so clearly.
*For some reason I must have read this information after the Kamigawa block was finished. Which could actually mean they did a separate arcana later with only the information on the Kodamas, mmh.
This is amazing work! I've played around on photoshop and made a few fantasy maps myself, and I know how difficult they are. It looks like you did this one all by hand, too, which is even more impressive!
Edit: Also, welcome to the forums! Glad to have you here
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Xantcha, Phyrexian Reject
Jodah, Archmage Eternal
Tovolar, Howlpack Alpha
Pivlic, Orzhov Informant
Crixizix, Master Engineer
Feather, Boros Peacekeeper
Marisi Coilbreaker
O-Kagachi
Gix, Phyrexian Praetor
Karn, Father of Machines
Yawgmoth, Father of Machines
Serra, Mother of All Angels
Tevesh Szat, Doom of Fools
Leshrac the Nightwalker
Jeska, the Thrice-Touched
Elspeth Returned
Crucius the Mad
Taysir the Infinite
Urza's Head (Unglued!)
Well that is very impressive and Francesca Baerald is a very talented map maker. When I decided to visit their deviantart, I recognized quite a few of the maps from novels and games.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
First of all, I didn't draw it, it's the work of a really excellent artist, Francesca Baerald (I'm not sure I can post a link to her site, I didn't read anything about it in the rules). I found all the information needed to give the greatest detail to it in the novels, vignettes, fat pack and cards themselves.
Obviously I had to guess the location of some minor place (like Miren or Tomb of Urami), but the general direction of the major locations are all there. We know that Eiganjo is at the center, Takenuma swamp in the west, Sokenzan in the south, Jukai in the east and Minamo in the north.
Let me know what you think!
(Especially you, Squirle Master )
Anyway, neat map. In my personal headcanon Shizo was part of the Towaraba or at the edge of Jukai, as it was described as once having been a field with flowers or something.
About Shizo: in the fatpack booklet for Champions of Kamigawa it is told that the blood of the fallen from Shizo reached a near bamboo forest and transformed it in the bog called Takenuma. So it is true it was once a forest, but on the opposite side of Jukai.
Thanks for your feedback!
It was in an arcana a while back. They went over the different kodamas quoting their information from their internal worldbuilding guide. Unfortunately, the arcanas are pretty much not recoverable at this point.
Ah, interesting. So it is tied to the Takenuma after all. That's good to know. Personally I find it a bit sad how the world is so strictly divided into the different colours of Magic, but that was the 'good old world building' during the time of Mirrodin and Kamigawa.
http://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/feature/land-ten-thousand-legends-2004-10-04
Incredible... How could you remember in such detail an article form almost fifteen years ago?!
Yes, it is a bit odd how the set always seem to have just five big location (one for every color).
With the last sets, things are getting worse, in my opinion: we usually have only a big city and just some info on its whereabouts.
This is almost EXACTLY what I'd always envisioned, only with the sea north of Kamitaki, and Shizo where Numai is and Numai where Takenosu is. Other than that, it's uncanny how well she matched what I envisioned.
The only thing that's missing is the Kamigawa River that the plane is named after, which should feed Kamitaki Falls. Conflicting information says the Yumegawa River fed Kamitaki, but I'm pretty sure that was mistaken and it ought to be Kamigawa. I always envisioned it running down from the sea.
(Also, Jukai is such a tease. We know according to the Guardian novel that more lands lie beyond it, and Konda was planning to set his sights on them after he won the war. What those lands are, we can only speculate--but they're there.)
EDIT: Wait, you say you didn't draw it, but it seems you designed and commissioned it? You are a hero, sir.
I put the sea where it is because in the first novel Toshi thinks about going on vacation at the seaside, so I thought it should be somewhere near the swamp (it wouldn't be wise to travel around Towabara for the outlaw). But as I said, everything that isn't clearly stated in the books is just speculation on my part.
About Kamigawa River: in the early stages of the set, it was the river in which the Kamitaki falls are contained, it's true. But in the end it wasn't used in any other sources, so I think it is safe to say that Kamigawa River and Yumegawa River are synonimous. Perhaps it happened the same with Otawara and Oboro: in the second novel, the cloud city of the Soratami is called Otawara, but in the third this name is never used and it is called Oboro (just like on the card). I like to think that Otawara was the "working title" and Oboro became the definitive.
About Jukai and the other lands: yes, it is said that just the forest is bigger than the lands sorrounding it. I'm also sure that there are other continents on Kamigawa, because when Mochi shows is "moon vision" to Toshi and Michiko, they see continentale landmasses curving around the globe.
Nope, I didn't draw it, I only researched the lore sources and put them together into a sketch. Francesca Baerald took it and made it a masterpiece (she even followed tha art on the cards!). Look for her other works on the net!
http://www.francescabaerald.com/
Well, I really really liked the Kodamas and wished we could see more of them, so when I read that article (which wasn't an arcana, huh) I went and tried to design the missing two trees* based on their descriptions. That's why I remember the characteristics so clearly.
*For some reason I must have read this information after the Kamigawa block was finished. Which could actually mean they did a separate arcana later with only the information on the Kodamas, mmh.
TerribleBad at Magic since 1998.A Vorthos Guide to Magic Story | Twitter | Tumblr
[Primer] Krenko | Azor | Kess | Zacama | Kumena | Sram | The Ur-Dragon | Edgar Markov | Daretti | Marath
|| UW Jace, Vyn's Prodigy UW || UG Kenessos, Priest of Thassa (feat. Arixmethes) UG ||
Cards I still want to see created:
|| Olantin, Lost City || Pavios and Thanasis || Choryu ||
Edit: Also, welcome to the forums! Glad to have you here
Xantcha, Phyrexian Reject
Jodah, Archmage Eternal
Tovolar, Howlpack Alpha
Pivlic, Orzhov Informant
Crixizix, Master Engineer
Feather, Boros Peacekeeper
Marisi Coilbreaker
O-Kagachi
Gix, Phyrexian Praetor
Karn, Father of Machines
Yawgmoth, Father of Machines
Serra, Mother of All Angels
Tevesh Szat, Doom of Fools
Leshrac the Nightwalker
Jeska, the Thrice-Touched
Elspeth Returned
Crucius the Mad
Taysir the Infinite
Urza's Head (Unglued!)