MTG Salvation

Vorthos Cartography

Hello! Welcome to Vorthos Cartography. I make maps of the various planes of existence. Wizards Creative doesn't have the time or resources to make maps of their worlds, but I do. These are hand drawn from descriptions found in Planeswalker's Guides, Art of Magic books, and story materials.

Current Project:
Innistrad (Avacyn Restored)

Completed Maps
Zendikar (Pre-Eldrazi)

The Short List (Maps I intend to draw in the near future.)
Innistrad (In progress)
Tarkir
Theros
Kaladesh*

*We'll see after the art book is released.

I will do a post-Eldrazi version of Zendikar at some point, but it won't be for at least a year.

I maintain full copyright on all materials in this thread. You can have them for personal use (D&D campaigns, etc.) but absolutely nothing else, espically if it derives revenue from my drawings.

This intro is rather boring. I'll add some more interesting tidbits in the future.

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Innistrad

Map complete! Text and finishing lines are added.

[Full resolution]

Previous versions
Version 3: http://imgh.us/Innistrad_3_full.jpeg
Forests and non-topographical features added. Map is mostly complete, only requires finishing details and lables.
Version 2: http://imgh.us/Innistrad_2.1_full.jpeg
Version 1 with topography added. This only shows physical features of the land: mountains, rivers, cliffs, and hills.
Version 1: http://imgh.us/Innistrad-1._full.jpeg
A basic outline of the continental shape. Area shown is slightly larger than the size of France.

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Zendikar

Map completed! All seven continents are shown, along with an inset of Emeria, the Sky Ruin, as well as a key and scale. Locations are labled with text, instead of my terrible handwriting.

[Full resolution]
[Ultra high-res version] (Version 4, without text)

Previous versions
Version 4: http://imgh.us/Zendikar-4_full.jpeg
Map completed, handwriting needs to be replaced with text.
Version 3: http://imgh.us/Zendikar-3_full.jpeg
Murasa and Emeria are still missing, finishing touches need to be added.
Version 2: http://imgh.us/Zendikar.1_copy.jpeg
Same as version 1, with the addition of Guul Draz and Bala Ged
Version 1: http://imgh.us/Zendikar_map0.1.jpeg
Sejiri, Akoum, and Ondu.

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That's a pretty good list. I'd take a look at the Zen Art book, because you're missing a few places.

Also, there was a similar thread a ways back you should check out:

http://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/magic-fundamentals/magic-storyline/643483-geography-of-zendikar

Darn. What am I missing? I've gone through the Art of Zendikar book, that's what inspired me to start the map in the first place.

Thanks for the link. It has some nice information. Much appreciated.

Hey all, I've edited the OP with an image of the three completed continents on my map. Please check it out.

I'm hoping to get a bigger size art of Expedition Map soon (the artist offers it if you contact him directly), and I might suggest using that as some space of land. Not exactly, of course, because Roil, but similar if you have the time. But that said you're off to a pretty good start. I'm not good with geography, but it looks like your continents are (for the most part) about 500 miles apart. I believe in one story the kor use kitesails to fly to Agadeem to meet Drana. I may be wrong with some details, but even about 250 miles seems like a stretch for kitesailing.
Do you have the Prison of Omnath marked, or is it on the other side of the continent? Maybe it's just too small for the map to mention.
Looks like you wrote "Kabria" instead of "Kabira" for the human settlement on Agadeem.
The Planeswalker's Guide to Zendikar (Akoum) says that the eastern shores of Akoum are the safest place to land a ship, though still not safe. There are no permanent ports, so where you have Fort Keff might be too close to sea.
Tal Terig juts out of the basin by about 20 floors, but it seems that you have it in some mountains.

Things are looking really good. I didn't double-check the art book for this stuff, but it's way better than anything I could have put together. I am working on a Zendikar campaign for 5e with some friends, though, and I'd like to use this art, if it's okay with you. And if you ever want to compare notes, I'd be happy to help, since I'm also researching.

Follow-up: I know you don't have Murasa yet, but it's stated that it's smaller than the other continents. It sort of seems like an "Australia" then, especially with the slopes at its shores. Sejiri would be Antartica, Tazeem seems sort of like South America (Nile River and ruins of Aztecs, etc). Ondu might be Asia, because of Japan, the Phillipines, etc. I was using these ideas as a sort of 'jumping point' for the continents. Zendikar has 7 continents, Earth has 7 continents, I doubt it's a coincidence. Hope that helps a bit, or gives some ideas.

Quote from Sanguivore »

I'm hoping to get a bigger size art of Expedition Map soon (the artist offers it if you contact him directly), and I might suggest using that as some space of land. Not exactly, of course, because Roil, but similar if you have the time. But that said you're off to a pretty good start. I'm not good with geography, but it looks like your continents are (for the most part) about 500 miles apart. I believe in one story the kor use kitesails to fly to Agadeem to meet Drana. I may be wrong with some details, but even about 250 miles seems like a stretch for kitesailing.
Do you have the Prison of Omnath marked, or is it on the other side of the continent? Maybe it's just too small for the map to mention.
Looks like you wrote "Kabria" instead of "Kabira" for the human settlement on Agadeem.
The Planeswalker's Guide to Zendikar (Akoum) says that the eastern shores of Akoum are the safest place to land a ship, though still not safe. There are no permanent ports, so where you have Fort Keff might be too close to sea.
Tal Terig juts out of the basin by about 20 floors, but it seems that you have it in some mountains.

Things are looking really good. I didn't double-check the art book for this stuff, but it's way better than anything I could have put together. I am working on a Zendikar campaign for 5e with some friends, though, and I'd like to use this art, if it's okay with you. And if you ever want to compare notes, I'd be happy to help, since I'm also researching.

Thanks so much. I really appreciate your thoughts. They are quite helpful.

Yeah, I've looked at the Expedition map, and I'm not sure what to make of it. (Here is the highest res I've found) I know there's a theory out there that it's suppposed to be Ondu, with the islands and all, but they seem to be way too small on the map, judging by the size of the city in the center. I'll see if I can incorporate it in southern Guul Drazz.

Regarding the kitesailing: Yeah, that's probably a bit far. I'll put a couple of islets between Agadeem and the mainland.

The art book says the prison of Omanth is built on top of the Soul Stair. After some debate, I decided the Soul Stair looked better on the map, so that's what I used as the label.

I'll consider moving Fort Keff back a little. Remember, one little square is fifty miles. Fort Keff could still be a five or ten miles from the actual coast on the map. Given the constant roil and geological activity, the distance is probably pretty variable. Still, I might pull the coast out a little.

The line of low hills is supposed to be about fifteen or so miles from Tal Terig. I'll move the upper one a little to the west.

Regarding usage: I retain my copyright, however, you absolutely can use it, so long as you don't derive any revenue from the map.

Are you planning on making your own map of Zendikar? If so, what medium are you using? If you're good with digital tools, then I would actually like your help with coloring in the map. I wont be coloring in the hard paper version, but I've been considering using digital to add color. Thoughts?
Also, I might do a post-Eldrazi version at some point in the future, but that probably won't be until after I work on my Innistrad map. In any case, I would love to share notes.

Quote from Sanguivore »

Follow-up: I know you don't have Murasa yet, but it's stated that it's smaller than the other continents. It sort of seems like an "Australia" then, especially with the slopes at its shores. Sejiri would be Antartica, Tazeem seems sort of like South America (Nile River and ruins of Aztecs, etc). Ondu might be Asia, because of Japan, the Phillipines, etc. I was using these ideas as a sort of 'jumping point' for the continents. Zendikar has 7 continents, Earth has 7 continents, I doubt it's a coincidence. Hope that helps a bit, or gives some ideas.

Yeah, Murasa is *supposed* to be the smallest continent, but when I was making my list of named locations in Zendikar, I discovered that Murasa actually had the most locations of any of the continents. I might have to exaggerate the scale a little to make it all fit.

It sounds like editing the scale would resolve many (not all) issues. You make a good point about me losing sense of scale for bits like Tal Terig, Fort Keff.
You could change the scale to be 300 miles, for example, and get away with embellishing what you have just a bit. That way you can have Murasa be bigger than Agadeem yet smaller than the other continents. I stil haven't peeked at the artbook (snowstorm changes priorities), but I want to see if there's mentions of any isthmus or other formations.

Okay, this is from my new archive trap, but it'll really help so I'm posting it here for you:

The new set gave us more clues to how the plane is laid out based on travel times and distances. Sejiri is at one of the poles, while we do not quite know where Murasa is. Akoum is connected to Bala Ged, which is in turn connected to Guul Draz. Because of how quickly and easily people have traveled from one continent to another, it is likely that Ondu is directly across the ocean from Akoum, while Tazeem is across from Guul Draz. If I were to frame it in terms of Earth geography, we believe that Ondu draws a parallel to North America, Tazeem to South America, Akoum to Europe, Guul Draz to Africa, and Bala Ged to the Middle East or Mediterranean. The oceans in between the continents are much smaller (as are the continents themselves).

Quote from Sanguivore »

It sounds like editing the scale would resolve many (not all) issues. You make a good point about me losing sense of scale for bits like Tal Terig, Fort Keff.
You could change the scale to be 300 miles, for example, and get away with embellishing what you have just a bit. That way you can have Murasa be bigger than Agadeem yet smaller than the other continents. I stil haven't peeked at the artbook (snowstorm changes priorities), but I want to see if there's mentions of any isthmus or other formations.

It doesn't really describe the geography in much detail at all. Good idea, re-scaling should fix a lot of stuff.

Quote from Jay13x »

Okay, this is from my new archive trap, but it'll really help so I'm posting it here for you:

Thanks, but what do you think of the map itself?

Quote from Jay13x »

Okay, this is from my new archive trap, but it'll really help so I'm posting it here for you:

The new set gave us more clues to how the plane is laid out based on travel times and distances. Sejiri is at one of the poles, while we do not quite know where Murasa is. Akoum is connected to Bala Ged, which is in turn connected to Guul Draz. Because of how quickly and easily people have traveled from one continent to another, it is likely that Ondu is directly across the ocean from Akoum, while Tazeem is across from Guul Draz. If I were to frame it in terms of Earth geography, we believe that Ondu draws a parallel to North America, Tazeem to South America, Akoum to Europe, Guul Draz to Africa, and Bala Ged to the Middle East or Mediterranean. The oceans in between the continents are much smaller (as are the continents themselves).

Also supports the Murasa = Australia theory, and Sejiri being the Arctic... Antarctic?

That said, keep what you have, because it's great. I can't wait to see it when it's done!

Glamdring the map is gorgeous. I'd move Bala aged clothe to Akoum because you'll need room for Guul Draz (I'm on mobile so It isn't hi res, so if you've planned for that ignore me)

Quote from Jay13x »

Glamdring the map is gorgeous. I'd move Bala aged clothe to Akoum because you'll need room for Guul Draz (I'm on mobile so It isn't hi res, so if you've planned for that ignore me)

Don't worry. The picture above shows less than half the total map. Tazeem, most of Guul Draz, and Murasa are all not shown. Also, I worked on defining the shapes of Bala Ged and Guul Draz a little more. With the rescale Sanguivore suggested, I think I'll be able to get away with making Murasa about the same size as Bala Ged. I think this would be an effective comparison, as Bala Ged is really more of a sub-continent.

I don't have the art book, so I might be wrong on some of these things, but those are two tidbits I've found:

The Na plateau was destroyed in ROE (Contaminated Ground), but that's not necessarlily Eldrazi-related.

Oran-Rief was desrtoyed (Ruins of Oran-Rief).

I know that the map is pre-Eldrazi, but I think that list has some inaccuracies.

The map itself looks great!

Quote from scrad_the_wanderer »

I don't have the art book, so I might be wrong on some of these things, but those are two tidbits I've found:

The Na plateau was destroyed in ROE (Contaminated Ground), but that's not necessarlily Eldrazi-related.

Oran-Rief was desrtoyed (Ruins of Oran-Rief).

I know that the map is pre-Eldrazi, but I think that list has some inaccuracies.

The map itself looks great!

Huh. The art book never said they were destroyed, but I knew from elsewhere they took heavy damage. That left me unsure how to classify them.

Quote from Nightshade1233 »

Nice work.

I might just have missed it, but where is Sea Gate?

In the uncharted realm article Jace and the merfolk (I can't remember her ame) were going to the eye of Ugin by land, so I suppose it is on the coasts of the Akoum continent. But I'm not sure about that.

Then some of the refugee Gideon encountered wanted to go to Zulaport by land and if the Eye of Ugin is in Akoum and Zulaport is an ocean away from that continent it would be quite impossible.

I might be missing things hera and there, of course.

You didn't miss anything, Sea Gate is on Tazeem, which I haven't drawn yet. It's far to the east of where Bala Ged is labeled on the map.

I'm more inclined to say that's an error with the story. Beyeen is supposed to be an island, separate from the Ondu mainland. Even if Akoum and Ondu were connected, it would be impossible to get to Zulaport by land. One does not simply walk to Zulaport.

Quote from Glamdring804 »

I'm more inclined to say that's an error with the story. Beyeen is supposed to be an island, separate from the Ondu mainland. Even if Akoum and Ondu were connected, it would be impossible to get to Zulaport by land. One does not simply walk to Zulaport.

I would add that Zulaport's location has seemingly moved, since Nissa and Sorin walk to Zulaport from mainland Ondu.

Quote from Jay13x »

Quote from Glamdring804 »

I'm more inclined to say that's an error with the story. Beyeen is supposed to be an island, separate from the Ondu mainland. Even if Akoum and Ondu were connected, it would be impossible to get to Zulaport by land. One does not simply walk to Zulaport.

I would add that Zulaport's location has seemingly moved, since Nissa and Sorin walk to Zulaport from mainland Ondu.

Then yes, it has been retconned. Zulaport is now on Beyeen. The largest settlement on the mainland is now Graypelt.

Quote from Jay13x »

Quote from Glamdring804 »

I'm more inclined to say that's an error with the story. Beyeen is supposed to be an island, separate from the Ondu mainland. Even if Akoum and Ondu were connected, it would be impossible to get to Zulaport by land. One does not simply walk to Zulaport.

I would add that Zulaport's location has seemingly moved, since Nissa and Sorin walk to Zulaport from mainland Ondu.

I blame the Roil. Thus not retcon, as it fits story elements...if you squint a little.

Bumping due to recent release of Plane Shift: Zendikar.

Quote from Sanguivore »

Bumping due to recent release of Plane Shift: Zendikar.

Well, to anyone who's wondering, I am still working on this. I just been awfully busy with other stuff recently. I'll try to post an update soon.

Quote from Malachiel »

I made an account for the sole purpose of encouraging you to finish this. I also have that wonderful art book and I'm itching to DM a campaign in Zendikar. Very much looking forward to your finished map =)

I hope you stick around. This was really cool of you to sign up for encouragement.

Quote from Malachiel »

I made an account for the sole purpose of encouraging you to finish this. I also have that wonderful art book and I'm itching to DM a campaign in Zendikar. Very much looking forward to your finished map =)

Oh man. I don't know what to say about this. Words aren't enough to say what this means to me. I have to apologize though, I have been very busy the past three weeks, with finals and everything, and I haven't had the chance to work on the map. I should have more time to spare now, and I am actually planning on sitting down and drawing in a few hours. Believe me, I want to finish this as much as you want me to.

Quote from Malachiel »

Take your time. These are some other attempts at maps that I found. They are quite different but maybe you find something useful in them:

http://s3.gatheringmagic.com/uploads/2015/06/03/AT_14.jpg

http://pyreborn.tumblr.com/post/143806920467/zendikar-made-with-obsessive-dedicated-reference

I prefer your detailed style though and hope you'll upload a high res version when you are done.

Thanks for the links. It's nice to compare notes with other people. The one problem I always find is that everyone gets Tazeem wrong. It's supposed to be crescent shaped, yet everyone else draws the continent as an oblong blob.

Yes, I do plan on uploading a high res version when I am done, at least at the quality of the sample I already posted.

Hey guys! I just added an update to the OP. The updated map now shows Bala Ged and Guul Draz. Only Tazeem and Murasa are left. Yippie!

http://imgh.us/Zendikar.1_copy.jpeg

Note that it is black and white this time, to make it a little less data heavy.

Quote from Malachiel »

Looks great! Is there a reason why Akoum, Ondu an Sejiri are not fully on the map? Is that intended?

Yes. I tried fitting the continents completely on the map, and the result felt way too crowded. Zendikar is supposed to be an entire world, not just a Germany sized chunk of one, like Innistrad. I pushed some of the continents off the edge to make it feel larger.