MTG Salvation

Even though most Ravnicans think the city begins at ground level and stretches upward, the part of the city that lies beneath the streets impacts the lives of everyone.
Immediately underground are the city works, such as the sewers and the transit system. Below the complex network of tunnels and passages that make up the city works lies the undercity- a realm populated by creatures that shun the surface world.
CITY WORKS
The Izzet League is responsible for constructing and maintaining public works, including sewers and other pipe systems. Many members of the Golgari Swarm live or work here, farming fungus and scavenging for valuable trinkets in the muck. Orzhov crypts and vaults, Dimir hideouts, and Simic laboratories can also be found in the city works.
SEWERS
A vast, winding sewer network runs under the Tenth District, lit by continual flame spells. Some of the tunnels are simply storm sewers, meant to carry rainwater (and the debris it washes from the streets) into great cisterns, where it is purified and sent into the pipes in the plumbing system that serves Ravnica's nicer neighborhoods. Others carry waste and refuse out of those neighborhoods, depositing it in different cisterns or dumping it into the subterranean oceans of the undercity.
PIPE TuNNELS
Around the sewer system, smaller tunnel networks carry steam, distilled magical energy, and water to various places throughout the city. These passages are large enough for a humanoid to walk through but are often quite uncomfortable, filled with impure air and stifling heat.
TRANSIT TuNNELS
Magically charged tracks line the floors of tube-li ke tunnels that send vehicular constructs to major locations in the Tenth District and beyond. The tunnels open into small stations that have staircases leading up to the surface.
CRYPTS
Ancient resting places lie in secret chambers below the surface of Ravnica. Many of them have been magically warded to prevent unauthorized entry. Some of these sites are homes for restless undead or gathering places for thieves, smugglers, and other criminals.

Deep below the Tenth District Jjes a vast, thriving community of folk who have no desire or choice to live under the sky. He re, the Dimir. Golgari, Rakdos, and Simic hold sway in the caverns, causeways, and bodies of water that grace the darkest depths.
NIGHTVEIL
The sprawling resid ence of many of the House Dimir elite, parts of Nightveil overlap the Tenth District in the undercily. An extensive system of natural caverns houses hi gh-walled mansions and sunken crypts that have a grand, sin ister motif. Patrolling specters and other incorporeal undead make it difficult for the unwelcome to enter.
DUSKMANTLE
The Dimir guildhall is protected by memory wards glyphs of warding that store modify memory spells) to ensure that few know of its existence. Those who are called there never remember what transpired, beyond what is necessary. Most assume that the place lies somewhere within Nightveil, but it could lie anywhere in the undercity.
KOROZDA
Also called the Maze of Decay, Korozda is an arched subterranean cathedral surrounded by fungal hedgerows and moss-encrusted ruins. In its center is a great amphitheater where the most important issues are brought to the Golgari's attention. Penvar, the Hanging Keep, is a castle fixed upside down on the ceiling above the entrance to Korozda. Its soldiers, predominantly the insectoid kraul, prevent any unauthorized visitors to the Golgari stronghold.
RIX MAADI
Known as the Dungeon Palace, this is the guildhall of the Cult of Rakdos, and the lava-filled lair of the demon himself. An immense, crumbling, red stone staircase called the Demon's Vestibule begins the journey from the Smelting District down into the depths, treating travelers to terrifying images depicted on banners as they descend. Farther down, the temperature rises and the passage eventually opens up into the Festival Grounds, where the bloodiest performances of the Rakdos and their torturous equipment are on display.
THE UNDERSEA
Rivers, lakes, and oceans run deep below the surface of Ravnica. Several of them connect to the Simic habitats known as zonots. They are also used as thoroughfares by aquatic races and monsters.

The grandeur of Precinct One is the heart of Ravnica's civilization, and visitors gawk at the impressive architecture and rub shoulders with th e rich and powerful. Immaculately maintained avenues and manicured gardens create an impression of order, civility, and high culture.
During the day, the streets a refilled with tourists, government officials, diplomats, and wealthy merchants and financiers. At night, most of Precinct One is quiet, with a few lit carriages drawn by constructs and well -groomed beasts making their way to exclusive nightclubs and restaurants.
The people who live in this precinct are accustomed tohaving high-quality goods and spending a lot of leisure time in social en gagements. Neighbors are polite and affable toward others of their station, but gossip is quite common and accepted.

AFFILIATED GUILDS
All the guilds have interests here. Lawyers, bureaucrats, and soldiers of the Azorius Senate are found throughout the precinct The Orzhov Syndi cate runs many of the clubs and restaurants here, and this is the location of both its guildhall , Orzhova, and its monumental Vizkopa Bank. The Selesnya Conclave helps to maintain the grounds around the plaza and is often involved as diplomatic envoys for meetings and negotiations that take place here.

NEIGHBORHOODS AND LANDMARKS
Precinct One has few permanent residents, except for the very wealthy and some government officials who live in well-appointed apartments. Buildings h er e are of modern construction and well maintained.
TENTH DISTRICT PLAZA
A popular place for meetings, recreation, shopping, and simply being seen, Tenth District Plaza is a beautiful oasis of calm and cleanliness. Kept perpetually clean through magic and constantly patrolled by Azorius arresters, the plaza is consid ere d ne utral ground for every guild, gang, and faction in the city. Drawing a weapon within th e confin es of the plaza is met with a swift response from the arresters and marks the offender as a person who can't be trusted.
CHAMBER OF THE GUILDPACT
The long promenade of Plaza Avenue connects the south end of Tenth District Plaza to the great meeting hall of the guilds. The Chamber of the Guildpact is accessible by a grand staircase leading up into a cavernous hall where visitors and dignitaries from all over Ravnica meet. The Living Guildpact has an office here, but he is seldom present. In his absence, various functionaries who occupy the upper levels of the chamber try to carry out his work of adjudicating disputes between guilds and maintaining a semblance of peace.
PLAZA EAST
This neighborhood is home to many government officials, and it offers temporary housing for diplomats. Stately homes intermingle with more modest apartments. Transportation by carr iage between Plaza East and Tenth District Plaza is r eadily available, especially in the morning and evening.
PLAZA WEST
The best nightclubs and restaurants, most of which are run by the Orzhov, are in this neighborhood. There are few permanent residents in Plaza West, aside from the very rich who reside in spacious, luxurious, multilevel homes.
PLAZA SOUTH
Derogatorily known as Downside by the nobles andelite, this neighborhood is the hub of commerce in Precinct One and ha s more permanent residents than the other neighborhood s . Specialty shops catering to tourists a nd the wealthy line the rou te of the Transguild Promenade as it runs through the a rea. The residents here tend to be well-to-do merchants and c rafter s, makingtheir living off visitors and a few rich clients.
0RZHOVA
The Orzhov Syndicate's lavish guildhall, also known as the Church of Deals, is on the western edge of Tenth District Plaza. The towering spires and stained glass windows house the grand gatherings of the guild and also serve as the quarters for its most elite members, including the ghosts of the Obzedat. Below the cathedral lies the mausoleum, glittering with opulence and serving as a resting place and a gathering point for secret meetings far from prying eyes and the Guildpact.
VIZKOPA BANK
The Orzhov-controlled main bank of Rav nica , and also the place where the Orzhov mint their coins, Vizkopa Bank is a giant, opulents tructure guard ed by gargoyles. Spirits in debt to the Orzhov float within its halls and around the outside of the building .

Small houses, modest apartments, and commercial shops are sprinkled throughout Precinct Two, a place that law enforcement officers, lawyers, retired soldiers, and well-off working families call home. Corner shops cater to everyday needs, and many establishments are run by ex-soldiers. Streets are kept tidy, and buildings are maintained to be serviceable. Under the precinct's urbane veneer, tension simmers between law officers and the opportunistic crime families who call this precinct home.
The folk who live in this precinct believe in performing civic duties, conforming to your role, and maintaining strong friendships and family ties. Good neighbors show respect to one another and enjoy competing among themselves to achieve greater successes.

AFFILIATED GUILDS
New Prahv, the Azorius Senate guildhall, is located at the eastern end of the precinct, and many residents work there. Some active officers and retired soldiers from the Boros Legion make their homes in this precinct. The Orzhov Syndicate has a presence here through its connections to many of the small businesses.

NEIGHBORHOODS AND LANDMARKS
Most of Precinct Two is occupied by small commercial centers and rows of simple houses. It is populous but not stiflingly so.
NEW PRAHV
The tallest structure in the Tenth District, the austere New Prahv consists of three towering columns, reminding everyone of the omnipresence of the Azorius Senate. Each column serves as the headquarters for one of the three branches of the senate. In side, spacious chambers on the lower floors give way to a host of offices upstairs where day-to-day assignments arc issued and the strategy of maintaining law is continually honed.
WHITESTONE
Whitestone is an orderly neighborhood on the northern side of the precinct, named for its rows of alabaster stone houses. It was built up by the Azorius to serve as a housing zone for many who work in New Prahv. To meet the demands of construction, many residents of this section of the city had to be re lo cated to the much more densely populated Griffin Heights.
GRIFFIN HEIGHTS
Two-story houses are nestled in the rolling hills of this neighborhood in the southern section of the precinct. Griffin Heights is rife with corruption , and less scrupulous government officials exchange information and money with the Orzhov in business establishments here. The locals are fiercely loyal to the Orzhov knights who watch over them, dutifully paying their protection fees.
AUGUSTIN STATION
The main airship station for the Tenth District, Augustin Station is located at the western end of Griffin Heights. Travelers from all over Ravnica are carried in various forms of air travel: from gondolas hung from giant balloons to compartments strapped to the backs of enormous floating beasts bred by the Simic Combine. Augustin Station has twenty platforms, with flights arriving and leaving at all hours. The most popular fllight is to the Millennial Platform. Other flights carry passengers to smaller stations in each precinct of the Tenth District, to large stations in each other district, and to various other stations around the world.
STATUE OF AGRUS KOS
A ten-foot-tall granite statue of a Boros Legion soldier stands in a small park in Whitestone, surrounded by weather worn tables. During the Decamillennial Celebration seventy-six years ago, Agrus Kos became a hero by foiling various schemes to undermine the Guildpact. His statue has become a social gathering point for war veterans, mob contacts, and spies who talk as they play various strategy games.

Ample parks, busy stables, and large gardens combine to create a vibrant environment in Precinct Three. Natural and urban life intermingle throughout the precinct, and the people who reside here view it as a respite from most other places in the Tenth District. Folk here tend to live simply, and generations of families have dwelt in the same structures for hundreds of years. During the day, the gardens, small pastures, and stables are tended by young and old. Evenings are given over to communal gatherings, sometim es featuring performances by trained beasts or storytelling.
The people of Precinct Three are comfortable with living around nature. They have no problems with pets or beastly companions sharing their space as well as residing in multifamily structures. Good neighbors help tend to plants, animals, and children whenever necessary.

AFFILIATED GUILDS
The Selesnya Con clave's influence on this area is strong, and its guildhall , the towering tree of Vitu-Ghazi, stands at the northern edge of the precinct. Members of the Gruul Clans sometimes venture into the northern part of the precinct, rarely with peaceful intentions.

NEIGHBORHOODS AND LANDMARKS
Precinct Three is made up of old stone structures partially reclaimed by nature, standing alongside well -preserved woode n buildings that have been enhanced by Selesnya magic.
VITU - GHAZI
The Selesnya guildhall, a towering tree that also serves as a cathedral to Mat'Selesnya, is the epicenter of Selesnya culture and law. Members of the conclave from across Ravnica make pilgrimages to Vitu-Ghazi in hopes of finding a spiritua l connection with the heart of the guild. All who come without ill intent in their heartare welcome to visit the public areas of the tree.
THE CANOPY
The northern neighborhood of the precinct is covered in tall trees, all of which are overshadowed by Vitu-Ghazi.
To accommodate a growing population , buildings are situated around the trees and on the larger branches, making use of a network of ladders and rope walkways.
THE GREAT CONCOURSE
A network of elevated roadways links many of the most important Selesnya communiti es near Vitu-Ghazi. The polished white stone of the roadways gleams in the sun, and the pathways are topped with lush trees, grasses, and flowers. On high holy days, its central hub, called the Great Concourse, serves as a gat hering place for throngs of Selesnya devotees. On most other days, the Concourse is a teeming marketplace where goods transported across the city on the great roadways are bought and sold.
CONCORDANCE
Once known as the Old City, the eastern neighborhood of Concordance is the oldest section of the precinct. Many buildings in this area were once Orzhov structures, but they have been reclaimed by moss, shrubs, and other growth that make them blend in with the homes, parks, and the Selesnya vernadi that fill the rest of the neighborhood. The Great Concourse runs overhead through most of the neighborhood.
BEASTHAVEN
The western neighborhood has many small pastures and stables, some of wh ich a re on open, multilevel structures. The area is filled with the sights, sounds, and smells of beasts of many sorts. Here, beasts are trained for labor and sold to customers from across the city. Every so often, a beast escapes captivity and rampages through the neighborhood, but the tough residents are usually able to bring any disruption under control quickly.

Few days or nights pass quietly in Precinct Four. The frequent din of battle as Boros soldiers guard against Gruul marauders, the strange sounds of volatile magic emanating from Izzet experiments, and the occasional explosive flare-ups of goblin gang wa rs keep the precinct a dynamic and dangerous place. Its buildings include ramshackle tenements damaged by conflict, impregnable fortresses and laboratories, and bustling markets filled with merchants ready to defend themselves and their wares.
The people of Precinct Four are a lways ready for a fight. Being able to defend oneself and adapting to change are the most important qualities in this precinct. Good neighbors are your battle mates when you're fighting for your home or your life.

AFFILIATED GUILDS
The Boros Legion's guildhall fortress, Sunhome, is lo cated here, and that gui ld is the heart of the precinct's defense against the savage forces that come from the northern rubblebelt. The Izzet League often likes to test its latest experiments in this precinct. Its guildhall, Nivix, towers over the south end. The Gruul Clans frequently raid into the rest of the precinct from the rubblebelt in the north. The Cult of Rakdos delights in sowing mayhem here, stoking the fires of conflict and gathering inspiration for future performances.

NEIGHBORHOODS AND LANDMARKS
Precinct Four is home to a wide range of folk, most of whom are used to fighting for a living. Transients, soldiers, goblin gang members, and hardy merchants call this precinct home .
SUN HOME
The seat of the Boros Legion's power, the guildhall known as Sunhome is an imposing structure that serves as a fortress, barracks, and spiritual center. It
is widely believed to be impregnable and serves as a reminder to attackers from the north of the strength of Boros resolve.
NIVIX
One of the tallest towers in Ravnica. this impressive structure crackles with the wild power of the Izzet and serves as their guildhall. Filled with laboratories, testing facilities, and housing for the ir inventors, Nivix is the center of Izzet innovation.
RED WASTES
The rubblebelt to the north is a wasteland filled with ruins, gutted buildings, and debris-ridden streets. Aside from the Gruul Clans, the only citizens who live in the neighborhood are the ones too stubborn to move away. The Gruul share the space with ferocious beasts, elementals, and other monsters.
THE BULWARK
The neighborhood between Sunhome and Nivix is filled with reinforced structures that serve as low-rent apartments and shops. Those who live in the BuJwark are mainly workers or professionals who see opportunity in supporting the Boros garrison.
SKARRG
The Gruul Clans periodically converge on the gutted, cratered remains of a huge palace in the Red Wastes where a great bonfire perpetually burns. Skarrg is the closest thing the Gruul have to a guildhall- a place where their clans can come together, roast giant boars, boast of their exploits, and form something akin to camaraderie before they go their separate, violent ways. It's not neutral ground, though-old grudges frequently boil over into combat. Outsiders are never welcome.

As the home of prestigious universities, ancient libraries, and hidden laboratories, Precinct Five is the hub of information and learning in the Tenth District. People of all ages flock to this precinct to spend time learning, whether by poring over texts and scrolls or finding a mentor who will guide a student. It's also the place to find information brokers, who sell specialized or secret knowledge avai lable nowhere else. Multilevel buildings set next to each other with little regard for planning give way to an occasional square or open campus where socially minded residents congregate during daytime hours. At night, many continue their studies while others tinker with their latest creations or intellectual endeavors.
Taverns and pubs tend to be more urbane than in other parts of the district and often feature poetry readings, storytelling, and musical performances.
People who live in Precinct Five have a zeal for learning and tend to be inquisitive. Getting into a heated debate or touting a recent success to your neighbors is part of s howing your worth. Good neighbors keep their projects and research hidden until a result can be displayed;
it is considered un couth to allow others to view a work in progress.

AFFILIATED GUILDS
Zonot Seven, the home of the Simic Combine's guildhall, is locate d on the western edge of the precinct. The lzzet League maintains a network of laboratories and workshops close to Nivix (in Precinct Four). House Dimir agents are seen and unseen all around the district, and they secretly run the Ismeri Library. Some members of the Azorius Senate who prefer to study disciplines aside from the law make their homes here as well.

NEIGHBORHOODS AND LANDMARKS
Life for residents in Precinct Five is spent mostly indoors, or in the case of the Simic, underwater. The precinct's
occupants- including significant populations of students, instructors, researchers, scribes, and university staff- are crowded into dormitories and apartments squeezed in among laboratories, libraries, and magical machinery.
ZONOT SEVEN
The Simic Combine's watery habitat is made up of huge sinkholes filled with the overflow from a subterranean ocean. Zonot Seven is the only zonoc within Ravnica City proper, and it contains Zameck, the Simic guildhall.
ln contrast to the rest of the precinct, the zonot is a bustling place, with activity at all hours. A huge chamber just below the street surface serves as a gathering place for all the Simic s peakers, as well as a place where visitors can meet with Prime Speaker Zegana or other Simic emissaries. A Simic researcher might invite a land-dwelling colleague to visit the habitat, but such an occurrence isn't common. Canals lead from here farther into the precinct and to Precinct Six.
THE BLISTERCOILS
A series of gigantic waterwheels, built and operated by the lzzet League, turns just outside Zonot Seven in the north end of the precinct. The system generates magical energy to power public works, Simic laboratories, and, of course, Izzet workshops. Few outside the lzzet realize that the amount of e nergy generated in the Blistercoils far exceeds what is actually u sed. with the excess stored in underground batteries that could explode if they became overloaded.
Blistercoils is also the name of the neighborhood near the waterwheels, which largely consists of workshops and private laboratories.
HIGHTOWER
The western end of the precinct is packed with educational institutions of all sorts, from grand universities that cover a broad span of disciplines to specialized schools that instruct students in subjects ranging from theoretical metaphysics to fine arts. The neighborhood takes its name from the fact that most of these schools boast at least one tall spire among their structures. Students and staff live both on and off the various campuses, and several cozy pubs and small lecture halls are busy from afternoons through late in the night.
PRISM UNIVERSITY
A crysta l-paned center of learning that concentrates on magical theory and application , Prism University draws potential wizards and other would-be mages who want to learn about all forms of magic, in contrast to the specialized and practical appli cations of magic espoused by the guilds. Even though the school maintains a formal state of neutrality, ifs an open secret that many guilds have infiltrated the university and planted agents to woo prospective members. Partly as a result of this influence, many graduates of the unive rsity do go on to join a guild , finding a way to apply their broad experience to support the narrower focus of the guild.
lSMERI LIBRARY
One of the greatest libraries on all Ravnica, the Ismeri Library is open to all citizens at all hours. Hundreds of thousands of books covering every conceivable subject are found here. The place is also one of the centers of Dimir communication. Secret messages are hidden within its books by a variety of methods both magical and mundane. Dimir agents might have to gather message fragments hidde n within several diffe rent documents, for example, to find their next assignments or targets . Intricate codes and magical wards protect other secrets .

Large warehouses, major thoroughfares, and nondescript worker tenements make the utilitarian Precinct Six a hub of activity for shipping, storage, and other mercantile concerns in the Tenth District. Wide cobblestone streets allow for the passage of beasts and constructs that transport raw goods from points beyond the Tenth and for the sh ipping of manufactured materials back to those locations. The demands of commerce keep the area constantly active, and the inconspicuous nature of the ware hou ses makes them popular as rendezvous points for all sorts of transactions, legal and illicit. At night, lurking undead and the horrors of the undercity, coming up from Deadbridge Chasm, keep wary citizens indoors, while a few people who deal in sinister magic seek the monsters out for nefarious purposes.
People who live in this working-class precinct are often practical-minded and thus tolerant of some degree of illicit activity. Being a good neighbor means keeping to yourself, unless you live in the Smelting Quarter, where the atmosphere is much more raucous.

AFFILIATED GUILDS
The Orzhov Syndicate owns many of the warehouses in the precinct and controls much of the commerce around Tin Street. Members of the Golgari Swarm often crawl around the edges of Deadbridge Chasm, which is an opening to their sprawling subterranea n network. The Boros Legion rents many of the warehouses to store manufactured goods from the Smelting Quarter, and Kamen Fortress houses a garrison to protect Boros interests. The Cult of Rakdos operates a number of pain clubs throughout the precinct, especially around Tin Street, and Rakdos street performances are more common in Precinct Six than anywhere else in the Tenth District.

NEIGHBORHOODS AND LANDMARKS
Precinct Six is home to many working-class folk, most packed into modest apartments near their place of work. It's also home to more than its share of monsters, most of which are active at night.
SMELTING QUARTER
The heart of the manufacturing industry in the Tenth District is at the north end of the precinct. The Smelting Quarter is smoky. hot, and filled with activity day and night. Goblins often make their homes near the factories on Foundry Street, preferring the constant activity to sleepier neighborhoods. Standing south and east of the quarter, Kamen Fortress is a Boros garrison dedicated to keeping watch on Rakdos activity. Clashes between the Boros Legion, the goblins. and the Cult of Rakdos are common throughout this part of the precinct.
GORE HOUSE
A Rakdos club called the Gore House, run by a viashino named Nyoser, occupies a defunct factory in the south end of the Smelting Quarter- and also houses the main entrance to the Demon's Vestibu le, the stairway down to Rix Maadi.
MEDORI PARK
The western part of the precinct, Medori Park, is named after an Orzhov pontiff who converted a city park into a warehouse lot many years ago. This neighborhood is particularly rife with undead at night, both corporeal and incorporeal. Some serve dark masters and often guard valuables, while others pursue their own evil urges. The Orzhov Syndicate owns many large warehouses here, and the Boros Legion maintains facilities to store a variety of equipment used by their soldiers, including valuable weapons and armor. The most important facilities are heavily guarded-often by angels, whether Boros or Orzhov.
DEADBRIDGE CHASM
A gaping opening in the ground dominates the precinct and is lined with mossy stairs and fungal blooms. Deadbridge Chasm serves as an entrance to the Golgari's undercity realm and their guildhall, Korozda. The area smells of decomposition, an odor that grows particularly intense on hot days. Many kraul make their homes in the walls that line the cavernous descent, and Devkarin elves come up to the surface through this passage to trade on Tin Street.
WAYPORT
The neighborhood of Wayport rises like a pillar from the midst of Deadbridge Chasm, and a number of bridges, large and small, connect it to the surrounding city of multiple vertical levels. Many goods traded with other districts are funneled along Tin Street, often pausing in Wayport's warehouses along the way. But only the wealthiest merchants can afford storage space here.
BENZER'S BRIDGE
This wide bridge is a main thoroughfare for cargo traveling to and from districts beyond the Tenth. A small market is located here, complete with shops and restaurants, all of which close after dark. Secret pain clubs, hidden below the market in dark rooms inside the bridge itself, come alive after sunset.

Elves
They are drawn to guilds that share those ideals, particularly Selesnya (Silhana, “wood elves”), Golgari (Devkarin, “dark elves”), and Simic (“high elves”, original tribal name forgotten). The Gruul Clans revere nature but set themselves in opposition to civilization, so they don't hold much appeal for the typical elf. Most guild less elves can also trace their ancestry to the Silhana.

Centaurs

Centaurs have the upper bodies, down to the waist, of muscular humans, displaying all the human variety of skin tones and features. Their ears are slightly pointed, but their faces are wider and squarer than those of elves. Below the waist, they have the bodies of small horses, with a similar range of coloration- from various s hades of chestnut or bay to dappled or even zebra-like striped patterns. Most centaurs style their hair and their tails in a similar way. Selesnya centaurs favor long, flowing hair. Gruul centaurs cut their hair in rough, spiky styles.
They revere the traditions of the past, and among both the Gruul and the Selesnya they are voices of memory and history, preserving old ways and keeping alive the legends of ancestral heroes. Their love of history and tradition also means that centaurs are more likely than most other Ravnicans to join the same guild that their parents did.
Centaurs' given names are passed down through family lines. The name bestowed on a new foal is typically the name of the most recently deceased family member of the same gender, keeping a live the memory- and, the centaurs believe, some shard of the spirit of the departed. Centaurs don't use family names, but they wear symbols that r epresent their family members hip. These symbols might include graphical representations of plants or animals, printed mottoes, braids and beads worn in the hair and tail. or even specific patterns of woven fabric.

Loxodon
Loxodons are tireless, patient artisans with an unrivaled intuition about their craft. Although they make nurturing spiritual leaders, their gift for stonework is so ingrained that they are often at a loss when they try to impart that knowledge to others. Among the Selesnya, it primarily falls to loxodons to build the guild's magnificent, cathedral-like arboretum structures.
Loxodons believe in the value of community and life, and thus are most often found in the Selesnya Conclave. Some find fulfillment in the cause of order by joining the Orzhov Syndicate or the Azorius Senate.
A loxodon's name includes subtle tones, produced in a loxodon's resonant nasal chambers, that indicate status, family connection, and community role. Since most non-loxodons can't distinguish these underlying tones, let alone produce them. loxodons often translate them into titles, such as Hierarch, Revered, Grandmother, Healer, or Saint when interacting with other races.

Minotaur
Minotaurs are born with long, tufted tails, but minotaurs of the Ordruun clan (and some others) have their tails docked as part of a coming-of-age ceremony; they find the heavy armor of the Boros legion much more comfortable without a long tail in the way. Minotaurs are zealous and love battle. They are found among the Gruul Clans, but the minotaurs of the Ordruun family line, long associated with the Boros Legion, are much better known and respected. Minotaurs tend to vent their outrage through violence. but they aren't generally quick to anger. They are passionate, loving their friends and partners fiercely, and they laugh loud and long at good jokes.
Minotaur legends describe a small pantheon of heroesperhaps they were once thought of as gods-who established the minotaurs' place in the world. Every minotaur in Ravnica claims descent from one of these heroes. The Ordruun line is the most prominent, with thousands
of members descended from an ancient hero who is said to have taught minotaurs the arts of war. Other important family li nes include the Kharran line (primarily associated with the Gruul Scab clan), the Drendaa line (found scattered among the Gruul Clans), and the Tazgral line (divided between the Boros and the Gruul, with a significant number in the Rakdos as well).
Since each family line has so many members, minotaurs don't usually find it helpful to connect the name of the line to their personal names; even though Commander Grozdan of the Boros Legion's Kamen Fortress is a prominent member of the Ordruun line, he would never call himself Grozdan Ordruun the way a human would.
The legends that recount the deeds of ancient minotaur heroes are full of other names as well: those of the retainers, allies, lovers, servants, enemies, and others who played roles, however small, in the lives of the heroes. Almost every minotaur name is drawn from that long list of minor characters of legend, so that those folk are never forgotten.

Vedalken
They are partially amphibious.
Their life span is typically 350 years, with some living to the age of 500.

The first guild master of the Azorius Senate was a sphinx named Azor. He was the author of the original Guildpact, as well as the creator of the elaborate contingency plan that resulted in the creation of the Living Guildpact. The Azorius Senate was meant to carry on his legacy by serving as the legislative body of Ravnica.
The Azorius Senate is supported by three branches, called columns, each led by an arbiter (also called a capital). The capitals of the three columns form the Triumvirate, which advises the guildmaster, Supreme Judge Isperia, an ancient and wise sphinx.
The Sova Column consists of judges and the extensive legal apparatus surrounding them. It is tasked with adjudicating and arbitrating the effects of the law. The column employs legal aides, pages, librarians, experts on precedent, advocates for the accused, public prosecutors,
and judges.
The Jelenn Column writes and enacts the laws of Ravnica, involving the efforts not just of the designated legislators but also a network of bureaucrats: aides, writers, researchers, lobbyists, clerks, and so on.
The Lyev Column enforces the law as Ravnica's police force. The many-leveled hierarchy of the Lyev Column includes arresters, investigators, officers, and lawmages. The Lyev Column is also venturing into the work of managing surveillance and precognition.

THREE CAPITALS
The heads of the three columns of the Azorius Senate are called arbiters or capitals. The arbiter of the Sova Column (the judiciary) is Leonos II, a wise and kind human judge and lawmage who takes pains to consider all perspectives before issuing a judgment-even the perspectives of the spirits of the dead, with whom he can communicate. He is patient and utterly loyal to the guild.
The Jelenn Column (the legislature) is led by a vedalken lawmage named Uzana, renowned for a nearly perfect memory. She has memorized every statute of Azorius law, and much of her speech is quotations from those statutes.
The hussar commander Agmand Sarvis the arbiter of the Lyev Column, the senate's law enforcement branch. Despite the fact that he has never been in combat, he has earned a reputation as a brilliant military strategist. His tactical genius is unquestioned, but his lack of battle experience did cause some controversy among the soldiers and lawmages of the Lyev Column when he was appointed to be its head.

In the absence of the Living Guildpact, the Azorius are uncertain who is supposed to maintain balance among the guilds. As a group, they are convinced that the system can't be disrupted, but they are challenged by the reality that the one person who is meant to hold their world together never seems to be around. The Azorius Senate is invoking emergency powers with increasing frequency, and the Lyev Column's enforcers are wielding an ever-growing amount of influence.

Most creatures associated with the Azorius Senate are humanoids (largely humans and vedalken) and various others that serve as familiars. pets, and mounts. Owls are popular familiars, since they are viewed as symbols of wisdom and sound judgment. Sphinxes and archons are the rare non humanoids that play a significant role in the leadership and operation of the guild.
Azorius lawmages craft one-eyed homunculi to perform menial tasks in Azorius buildings.
Azorius sphi nxes, known as sphinxes of judgment, wield hieromancy- the power of law magic- with the force of a judge's gavel to imprison criminals and compel truth from them.

SUPREME JUDGE ISPERIA
lsperia is the current guild master of the Azorius Senate. As a sphinx, she is aloof and values solitude above all. However, she has been forced to give up her privacy to deal with the increased crime and chaos on Ravnica. Isperia is devoted to her guild's belief that law is the ultimate bulwark against chaos, and it is her steady hand that guides the Azorius through these uncertain times. As guildmaster, lsperia serves as the supreme judge, a role that takes advantage of her encyclopedic knowledge of Ravnica's labyrinthine legal system.
If an encounter turns violent, lsperia refrainsvfrom using lethal force if possible, preferring to subdueva wrongdoing so that the legal system can mete out justice.

LAVINIA, STEWARD OF THE GUILDPACT
Arrester Lavinia, an Azorius arrester, is straightforward and stern. To her, justice is a bird you have to catch, not a dog that willingly walks toward its master. She worked alongside Jace, the Living Guildpact, scheduling appointments and relaying messages. The work was beneath her, but Lavinia's allegiance was to the soul of her city. Jace's disappearance worries her, but she has steadfastly refused to violate the law of the land by stepping into his duties.

GEETRA
Geetra is a precognitive mage who first put her gifts to use as a young thief on the streets ofRavnica. While still a teenager, she was apprehended and then pardoned in exchange for agreeing to use her talents in the service of the Azorius Senate. For decades, she worked in almost
complete anonymity, her gifts unappreciated. But with the senate displaying an increased interest in the talents of precognitive mages, Geetra has been given a more prominent position, which she has embraced with enthusiasm.
She worries about the impact that her guild has on the rest of Ravnica but believes in her heart that she is helping the people. Chaos can only destroy, and her visions are a tool to ensure that society can live in safety in all variants of the future.

The archangel Razia was the original guildmaster of the Boros Legion, which was established to serve as Ravnica's standing army. Razia served as its guildmaster for almost ten thousand years. Legend says that all the other a ngels of Ravnica were created in the image of this semidivine figure, and her death was devastating to the guild. Aurelia, the current angelic guildmaster, is the third to hold that title.
The angels include the wise, strategic warleaders; the holy champions and paragons of war known as firemanes; and battleforce angels, who form the bulk of the legion's angelic warriors.
In addition to Sun home, the Boros m a intain smaller garrisons throughout the Tenth District, at least one in each of the six precincts.
The new recruit to the Boros Legion were sent to the prestigious Horizon Military Academy for training. Combat mages in the Boros Legio are called embermages.

WARLEADER AURELIA
The angel Aurelia leads the Boros Legion. During the years of her leadership, she has shown a strong appreciation for the ordinary citizens who are often caught in the middle of interguild violence. True justice. Aurelia argues, isn't merely the enforcement of the letter of existing laws {let the Azorius fret over that), but the establishment of equitable and compassionate relationships among all of Ravnica's people.
That means protecting the weak from the depredations of the strong, sheltering the innocents who are threatened by war, and ensuring that enforcement of the law doesn't become oppressive. Aurelia actively supports efforts to establ ish a lasting peace among the guilds in the absence of the Guildpact.
Aurelia prefers to lead the Boros Legion from the front. She bri ngs swift and unrelenting punishment to the wicked, and her temper is legendary.

Tajic, Blade of the Legion
Tajic is a firefist who carries the exalted title of Blade of the Legion, putting him just below the angels in rank. He maintains close communication with Aurelia, though recent events in the city have set them at odds. Tajic believes that the Boros can trust only the Boros. He is convinced that any effort at peace among the guilds is doomed to failure without the Guildpact. The Boros, he argues, would be better off spending their energy to make themselves stronger so they can uphold the fragile balance that exists now-and protect the innocent when the balance tilts. Aurelia feels that his negative attitude runs the risk of poisoning the hearts of the other Boros and undermining any peace efforts. For the most part, in deference to the angel, Tajic keeps his views to himself.

Flame-kin are elemental soldiers magically created and animated to serve the legion as scouts and shock troops. Fanatical and inflexible, they are relics of a time when the guild was more concerned with zealotry than justice. They take the field for large military engagements.

The first guild master of House Dimir was a vampire named Szadek, whose organization agreed to serve as Ravnica's courier s, information brokers, and librarians. But Szadek also used his guild's expertise at gathering information to build a vast spy network, and before long, the secret operations of the guil d vastly outweighed its overt ones. Eventually the guild disappeared into the shadows, and most Ravnicans came to doubt its existence. An immortal entity, Szadek ruled the guild for ten thousand years until he was arrested and killed in the turmoil of the Decamillennial Celebration.

LAZAV THE FACELESS
Lazav is uniquely qualified to be the Dimir guildmaster: he is a shapechanger whose mysterious genius is informed by agents from the entire Dimir network. He takes on a tremendous variety of guises as his needs and plans requ ire. He might step out into the Ravnican streets as an elderly widow to eavesdrop at the bazaar, become a vedalken hussar of the Azorius Senate to sidestep a checkpoint, or transform into a Tin Street merchant to deceive a passing noble. His true form might be that of a doppelganger or some other creature; no one has ever seen it.

The original mandate of the Golgari Swarm under the leadership of Svogthir, its Devkarin founder, was to maintain Ravnica's agriculture and manage its waste. But Svogthir's interest in necromancy, and his eventual transformation into a lich, shaped the course of the guild's activities and gave birth to its philosophy of embracing death as part of nature's cycle.
The leadership of the Golgari has undergone several major changes, but the nature of the swarm makes it easily adaptable to the churn of continuous cycles. Being a live isn't a prerequi site for leadership, as demonstrated by the rule of the current guild master, the elf lich Jarad
Yod Savo. Assassination is seen as a perfectly valid means of effecting political change, which is how Jarad's sister, Savra, took control of the guild before him. Various groups of people and monsters coexist within the swarm, their relative power waxing and waning with the years, and through it all, the guild goes on.
The three most important pow er gro ups within the Golgari are the Devkarin elves, the medusas (also called gorgons in Ravnica), and the insectile kraul. Jarad is an undead representative of the Devkarin, so the elves claim a privileged pos iti on within the guild for the moment.
Members of the Golgari Swarm live in the shadow of Jarad and the leaders of th e individual factions. The machinations among elves, medusas, kraul, and other creatures rarely bring any significant improvement to the lives of the s warm's countless members, but often cause disruption a nd occasionally disaster. Most guild members believe it 's best to keep their heads down and stay out of the political conflict and to avoid attracting the disfavor of the Ochran, the guild's order of assassins.
Jarad maintains a council of shamans and rogues to serve as a combination of advisory parliament and spy agency. These high chancellors rarely convene publicly, preferring to disperse themselves throughout the swarm to keep information flowing from the nucleus to
every part of the organism.

They are convinced that Ravnica 's institutions are now on the verge of collapse and that the absence of the Living Guildpact proves it. However, the Golgari are neither surprised nor panicked by this, for they believe that all things eventually rot and die, and from this decay, new life blooms. As such, the Golgari see the looming interguild conflict as a necessary final push to bring about a new era- their era. The Golgari are preparing for upheaval. They have
sealed many of the passages leading in to the undercity, making their territory seem like an impregnable subterranean fortress. Within it, the Golgari domain retains its grandeur, a mysterious and wondrous kingdom.

DARK ELVES OF THE GOLGARI
Also called the elves of shadow, the Devkarin are one of the three branches of Ravnica's elf race. Like other elves, the Devkarin a re adept spellcasters, counting most of the Golgari's shamans among their number.
After being cast out of the nascent Selesnya Conclave millennia ago, the Devkarin found a home amid the corrupted and overgrown places of Ravnica, and the Devkarin necromancer Svogthir became the founder of the Golgari Swarm. Since then, the Devkarin have been a major influence in the guild, even during the times when they didn 't hold absolute power. Regardless of who rules the guild, the Devkarin follow the guidance of a high priest, called the
matka. The matka's spiritual leadership usually aligns with the guildmaster's temporal commands, but during times when the guild is ruled by a non-elf faction, the matka can be a significant dissenting voice.

ERSTWHILE
A significant shift in the Golgari balance of power began when the kraut death priest Mazirek discovered an ancient mausoleum compound. Deep in the undercity, beneath the layers of civilization that had built up over millennia, Mazirek found a hidden network of vaults
called Umerilek, an enormous structure that would have dominated a city block. Inside were hundreds of well-preserved corpses suffused with a latent necromantic power that Mazirek activated, bringing the corpses back to a shambling semblance of life. This new race of
undead is called the Erstwhile.
In their time, the Erstwhile were aristocratic elves of immense wealth and opulence. They still wear their stately attire, despite its moldering condition, and they lend an air of high culture to the undercity court of the Golgari.

STORREV
Storrev is a lich and a leader of the Erstwhile. She is adept at the politics of court, and she is feared for her power to transform dead monsters, from ordinary beetles to the mightiest wurms, into fierce undead horrors. Such creatures accompany her into battle

JARAD VON SAVO
The Golgari guild master is a Devkarin necromancer and lich named Jarad Vod Savo. In life, Jarad was an archer and accomplished hunter, as well as the brother of the previous guild master, the ambitious Savra. Jarad mastered the ways of necromancy so he could rise as a lich after he sacrificed himself to save his son from the demon Rakdos.
As head of the Golgari Swarm. Jarad commands elf and medusa assassins. legions of kraul, brutish trolls, and masses of undercity-dwelling creatures. Thanks to the necromantic power he wields- and with the support of his loyal guards and soldiers- he has survived a number of assassination attempts from various upstarts.

IZONI, DEVKARIN MATKA
The spiritual leader of the Devkarin elves holds the position of matka. lzoni, a Golgari shaman, has recently risen to her position after the suspicious death of her predecessor, Zdenia. lzoni is known for her ability to control insects and spiders, and she is never encountered without the company of one or more swarms of insects crawling over and around her. When she walks, she appears to glide over the ground.

LUDMILLA, THE TUNNEL VIPER
Ludmilla is the last surviving member of the Sisters of Stone Death, the trio of power-hungry medusas who slew Svogthir, the original guild master of the Golgari Swarm. Ludmilla no longer has the collective power of her medusa sisters, so she's been forced to lurk in Ravnica's undercity, surrounded by hundreds of her petrified victims.
She dreams of one day reclaiming control of the Golgari Swarm, or at least causing pain to its current guildmaster, Jarad Vod Savo (whose own sister displaced the medusas from their position).

The first leader of the Gruul was Cisarzim, a cyclops who was purportedly the ancestor of Borborygmos, the current guildmaster. Cisarzim was called the Lord of Chaos, and his guild's original function as maintainers of Ravnica's natural places meant keeping his faction as remote as possible from the civilized parts of the world. The gradual expansion of the city, however, has driven the Gruul into smaller and smaller refuges.

As a collection of di sparate clans, the Gruul have no single leader and no headquarters. But the Gruul respect strength and are willing to follow a strong individual who points them in a direction th ey want to go anyway. For several decades, that position has been held by the
mighty cyclops Borborygmos, chief of the Burning Tree clan. His nihilistic anger inspires the rest of the Gruul, so when he calls on the other clans to join a raid, they usually agree. Even the fractious Gruul can see the Benefit of banding together. The clans sometimes gather at Skarrg, a ruined palace in the rubblebelt adjoining the Tenth District.

CLANS
Burning Tree Clan. The Burning Tree clan is the mostfearsome of the Gruul Clans, as well as the largest and most diverse, with branches in several districts of Ravnica. The fear and awe inspired by Borborygmos unifies its diverse members hip. The Ravnican populace regards the symbol of the Burning Tree clan as the symbol for the entire Gruul guild.
Ghor Clan. The Ghor clan is led by an ettin named Ruric Thar (or, perhaps more properly, Ruric and Thar, since the heads claim separate names). Of all the clans, the Ghor carry out the most frequent and savageassaults on Ravnica's c itizenry. The clan is known for its audacity in forging encampments close to heavily populated districts.
Scab Clan. Members of the Scab clan display scars and body modifications, which they view as expressions of the powerful rage they harbor within themselves. The clan has grown in influence by engulfing or destroying several small er clans in recent years, but the leader of the Scabs, a corpulent giant known as Narbulg Nine Fingers, has not gone so far as to challenge the Burning Tree clan.
Slizt Clan. The Slizt clan is a clutch of sly, skittish warriors, consisting largely of reptilian humanoids called viashino, along with a few wily humans. This clan survives in the rubble be lts by taking up hiding places in high ground and ambushing its enemies with ranged attacks from above. Other Gruul regard the Slizt as skulkers and cowards, but nonetheless all are cautious when entering a reas with elevated ruins. The home ground of the Slizt clan is the Husk, an area at the center of a vast rubblebelt featuring many large, ancient structures that have remained standing for generations.
Gravel Hide Clan. The Gravel Hide clan believes that resilience is the truest measure of strength. Though a relatively new group, its members have already earned a reputation (almost certainly exaggerated) for shrugging off devastating attacks. The clan's leader,
a hot-tempered goblin named Skorik Boulder Tooth, adorns himself with the shattered remnants of weapons that he has rent to bits with his own jaws.
Zhur-Taa Clan. The Zhur-Taa clan advocates an extreme interpretation of the Old Ways. Central to this view is its belief in the imminent awakening of an ancient boar god-Ilharg, the Raze-Boar-who Will lay waste to the overcivilized world. Led by a centaur druid called Nikya of the Old Ways, the Zhur-Taa pile up skulls as offerings to this god, and their druids perform guttural chants before and during battle that are said to be in the language of the old gods.
Zhur-Taa druids are adept at summoning and training beasts as war-companions and mounts, and the clan's warriors wade into battle alongside giant boars, other beasts, and even wurms or hydras.
Bolrac Clan. The most selective of all the Gruul Clans, the Bolrac clan denies membership to the smaller races. Its members are all enormous, lumbering brutes, primarily cyclopes, ogres, and giants. The clan's leadersh ip changes frequently- sometimes daily, since battles for supremacy are as common as meals. The Bolrac clan specializes in bringing down massive structures using mauls and battering rams. The only thing the Bolrac love more than destroying something smaller than them is toppling, overrunning,
and destroying something larger than them.
Trogs. Some wandering hermits, known as trogs, find even the company of a clan to be too suffocating, so they spend their days alone in the wild places ofRavnica. These individuals are fierce, independent warriors who traverse the rubblebelts as apex predators. Trogs are notoriously short-tempered and impatient around others. Occasionally, they heed the call of the guildmaster to join in riots or festivals, but more often they conduct their own ceremonies and celebrations in private.

The rites of becoming Gruul, whether you have come from outside the guild or are marking your entrance into adulthood, center around being buried alive. When you enter the shallow grave, the person you were before is dead. Your past wrongs and errors are forgotten, but so are your past accomplishments. No matter how well you proved yourself in battle before, when you rise from the earth you are untested. The clan leaders recognize you only when you earn glory in battle as a Gruul.

Once a hydra chooses a lair and declares the surrounding land its territory, it's almost impossible to drive the creature out. The Gruul revere these multiheaded predators as vestiges of the ancient times before the guilds took over the world. They don't kill hydras for trophies, but pulling a spine from a hydra's neck is a mark of great bravery among the Gruul.

BORBORYGMOS
For decades, the enormous cyclops Borborygmos has commanded the respect and obedience of the Gruul Clans by defeating all who challenged him. He embodies the raging fire that the Gruul believe burns in their bellies, and his wrath toward the civilization of Ravnica knows no bounds.
Mightiest of the Mighty. Borborygmos leads the Burning Tree clan, which is the largest and most diverse of the Gruul Clans. He is almost always accompanied
by othe r members of his clan- not because he needs their protection, but because they might need his .
His companions include creatures ranging from burly giants to cowering goblins.
The Gruul follow strength, and Borborygmos holds his position only because he has proved stronger than any challenger.

NIKYA OF THE OLD WAYS
The Zhur-Taa leader, Nikya , is a powerful centaur druid of the Old Ways. In fact, she considers herself to be the last
of the true Gruul druids. Though raised to be a warrior, Nikya soon discovered her natural gifts with magic. She can summon enormous constricting vines from the ancient layers of Ravnica's crust. She has little love for Borborygmos, and she believes th at another leader- one who is loyal to the Old Ways will arise among the Gruul before the End-Raze begins.
The End-Raze. The druid s of the Old Ways believe that civilization will never be eradicated by scattered raids and petty skirmishes. They cling to the idea of a coming apocalypse, the End-Raze. when llharg's hoofs will trample every brick and s tone of Ravnica's soarin
skylines to rubble. The world will return to a state of nature in which the lawless cod e of muscle and savagery will reign once again.

The lzzet League is one of the few guilds whose founder, the dragon Niv-Mizzet, remains its guildmaster, just as the guild continues to fulfill its original misión (even as its experiments go far beyond the guild's original mandate). Niv-Mizzet, the original and current guildmaster of
the lzzet League, is a fifteen-thousand-year-old, vain, temperamental, super-intelligent dragon. As he directs experiments throughout the guild, he values results over success, accepting and even anticipating that Izzet experiments will end in gloriously unpredictable ways.
Overseeing the daily operations of the guild is the purview of the Izmundi, a board of directors that assembles teams from among the rank and file of the Izzet League to carry out research according to Niv-Mizzet's directions. The Izmagnus is a smaller board with five to seven members (some members' identities remain secret) who serve as Niv-Mizzet's closest advisors.

The Izzet League is organized into units designated as laboratories that specia l ize in certain fields of research. Though they all operate under the general guidance of the lzmundi, each laboratory is typically left alone to conduct its research.
The Laboratory of Pyro logy has a prominent facility in the guildhall, Nivix. Its emphasis is on heat, fire, and explosion.
The Laboratory of Storms and Ele ctricity focuses on controlling the weather as well as containing and conducting electrical energy. Its headquarters is in a spire atop Nivix, known as the Lightning Rod.
Research into smelting and forging, most often using the magical metal known as mizzium, is conducted at the Laboratory of Metallurgy, which bas a small outpost in the Tenth District's Smelting Quarter.
The magical science of transmuting one substance to another is the study of the Laboratory of Alchemy.
The Laboratory of Orientation, concerned with teleportation and spatial recombination, has multiple Works hops that seem to appear and disappear at random.
The Laboratory of Mimeography studies means of duplication.
The Laboratory of Continuism emphasizes the study of temporal manipulation.
Research into counter-magic and r edirection takes place in the Laboratory of Arcane Geometry, which has a small presence in Prism University in the Tenth District.
The Laboratory of Gravitational Inversion conducts research on means of flight and maintains a workshopnear Augustin Station in the Tenth District.
The Laboratory of Plasma-Dermato logy places emphasis on the combining of opposing elements, with the purpose of creating creatures called weirds.

As Ravnica descends into increasing turmoil, thelzzet have further intensified their frenetic research, though now their efforts are mainly directed toward one outcome: the development of super-weapons. The suspicion that festers in the mind of the Izzet guild master, the ancient dragon Niv-Mizzet, urges him to push his guild's research toward increasingly dangerous and volatile experimentation.

NIV-MIZZET
Possessed of arrogance and vanity that matches his vast intellect and tremendous power, Niv-Mizzet is the ancient dragon who founded and continues to control the Izzet League. From his private laboratory at the top of the lzzet guildhall, Niv-Mizzet directs the research and experiments of his countless underlings. He coordinates a tremendous number of apparently unrelated projects, working toward some mysterious end.
There can be little doubt that this ancient dragon is one of the most intelligem beings on Ravnica and one of the world's most powerful spellcasters. He is just as acquisitive as any dragon, but his treasure is scientific and magical knowledge. His ambition is a looming threat in the minds of all the other guildmasters, but confronting him directly is a lmost unthinkable thanks to the combination of his awesome magical power and the sheer physical threat of a fire-breathing, swordtoothed dragon.

MASTER CHEMISTER GROZCROX
Master Chemister Grozgrox is a viashino (lizardfolk) mage with a talent for shaping mizzium. His genius has earned commendations from Niv-Mizzet himself on two separate occasions , a fact that Grozgrox tries to work into conversation as often as possible.

MIZZIX OF THE IZMAGNUS
Mizzix is a goblin galvanic blastseeker who began her lzzet career as a lowly attendant. But she quickly earned her a place at her own magical forge with a squadron of attendants. Through a comb ination of natural talent, calculated political moves, and fortunate accidents, Mizzix has now risen to the highest position in the lzzet League's court, occupying a seat of the lzmagnus.

The Ghost Council, also ca lled the Obzedat, that leads the Orzhov founded the guild and signed the Guildpact, but it isn't clear which members of the original Obzedat might have faded from existence since then and which current members have joined since.

0BZEDAT, THE GHOST COUNCIL
The ghosts who make up the Obzedat are traditionally called patriarchs, though they can be male or female. They are the oldest, wealthiest, and most influential oligarchs of the Orzhov Syndicate. They have been dead for centuries, but they refuse to let go of the fortunes they amassed in life. Addicted to power and prestige, these patriarchs continue to dominate the guild and accumulate even larger fortunes.
Mostly Unanimous. The ghosts of the Obzedat function as a unit, driven by their shared desire to accumulate ever more wealth for the gujld. In times of disagreement, the eldest of the council exerts his seniority to bend the council to his will.
Grandfather Karlov. The head of the council, who gives final approval to its decisions and breaks ties within the group, is Karlov, known as Grandfather. In life, Karlov was the greediest of Orzhov oligarchs, and his many centuries as a spirit have not diminished his hunger for more wealth.
Its members are Enezesku, Fautomni, Karlov, Vuliev and Xil Xaxosz.

TEYSA KARLOV
Under the authority of the Obzedat, Teysa Karlov (a mage with access to Orzhov guild spells) formerly held the title of grand envoy, serving as the representative of the Orzhov when interaction with the leadership of other guilds was necessary. A defining characteristic of the Orzhov for decades
was the tension between Teysa, living in the complex political realities of the world, and the inflexible, avaricious Obzedat. Teysa argued strenuously that the Obzedat's isolationism and their reluctance to forge alliances that could make them reliant on other gu ilds would lead to the
syndicate's downfall.
That tension reached its boiling point when Teysa enlisted the help of Tajic, Blade of the Boros legion, in an attempt to seize power from the Obzedat. Her attempt failed, and the Obzedat imprisoned Teysa, eliminated the role of grand envoy, and canceled all dealings with other guilds. Teysa remains in prison to this day, and the Ghost Council extorts corrupt officials to make sure they keep her locked away.

The Cult of Rakdos bears the name of the demon lord who founded it. As laid out in the Guildpact, the guild was intended to fill roles concerning entertainment, mining, and manual labor. Some argue that any effort to give a demonic cult a res pectable role in society was doomed to failure, but the cult remains part of Ravnica's social fabric nevertheless. The Guildpact prohibits the cult 's extermination, and its entertainments-even as dark and destructive as they are- hold broad appeal. From rowdy mobs who love to see the Rakdos skewer the powerful elites to decadent socialites who come to the Rakdos for illicit amusements, most of Ravnica's people don't really want the Rakdos to go away, as much
as they might publicly protest otherwise.
As one of Ravnica's original guild founders, the demon Rakdos has been part of Ravnica for millennia. Members of other guilds know Rakdo s through his reputation for capricious cruelty and megalomania, but those who join the guild idolize him for his magnetic presence, which inspires art and encourages utter wantonness. Because Rakdos finds destruction entertaining, his cultists incorporate deadly acts into their performances in hopes of catching his eye and earning his favor.

The Cult of Rakdos was origin ally recognized as a guild as part of an effort to channel the impulses of demons, giants, ogres, and humans into an aceptable direction. That effort has never been completely successful. Now, as tension builds in Ravnica and several guilds attempt to crack down on chaos and criminal activity, the Rakdos cult reacts to this building pressure with increasing violence.
The Cult of Rakdos already serves a megalomaniacal demon of chaos, so its members have no interest in seeing any other ambitious figure achieve supreme rulership over Ravnica. They fear that any other guild might gain enough power to overwhelm all the others and impose its own values on everyone. For this reason, they focus their efforts on subverting other guilds' schemes, by undermining popular and powerful leaders and interfering-often violently- with any effort to build a centralized concentration of authority.

RAKDOS
Rakdos, the demon for whom his cult is named, embodies hedonism. He is also the consummate entertainer, whose mere appearance is an act of grisly performance art. A monstrous fi gure standing thirty feet tall, spreading enormous wings, crown ed with fire and swinging a flaming scythe, Rakdos demands the spotlight. His every entrance is a showstopper.
Sometimes after his grand entrance, Rakdos crouches to witness the performances of those w ho adore him. To them, his opinion is the only one that matters, but he is a demanding spectator. He has seen thousands of years of circus tricks and has no patience for performers who don't give their all. His flaming scythe has brought more than one tepid sh ow to a sudden and spectacular close. jaded as he is, Rakdos attends his cult's performances
only rarely. He often retreats into his lair below the cult's guildhall for months or years at a time, but his followers know that he might emerge at any tim e to witness the latest spectacle.

BLOOD WITCH
Blood witches imagine themsel ves to be the intermediaries between Rakdos and his cult- the pinnacle of his priesthood, hi s trusted advisors, and the messengers who communicate his will to the sca ttered troupes and ringmasters . T he Cult of Rakdos recognizes no authority but Rakdos, and the demon lord requires no advisors. Nonetheless, the blood witches are smart, charismatic, and powerful, so their voices do carry some weight.
Blood witches strive both to protect the cult from external interfer ence and to punish those who bring harm to the guild. They claim grandiose titles, such as Tormentor of the Wojek , as a way of mocking their intended victims.

JUDITH, THE SCOURGE DIVA
Judith appears at Rakdos clubs and street shows as a singer and performance artist, combining dark soliloquies and bizarre pain stunts. She's the grande dame of the Rakdos, and what she says backstage goes.
Judith covets the adoration heaped on Rakdos by his cultists. She does countless performances a week, but the big demon gets all the praise. She has begun to assemble a small entourage of fans, toadies, and understudies who echo her complaints about the guild's leader.

At the heart of the Selesnya faith and philosophy is the Worldsoul, called Mat 'Selesnya, which its devotees believe to be a manifestation of nature itself. At the signing of the original Guildpact, Mat'Selesnya was embodied in an elemental form and acted as the guild's first guildmaster. The current guildmaster, Trostani, three dryads fused together with Mat'Selesnya into a single being- is said to embody the will of the Worldsoul in a similar way. The original mission of the conclave involved conservation and charity, but its focus has long been on expand ing its community, in which all members are cared for and nature is preserved in harmony with civilization.

The Selesnya Conclave is organized into enclaves called vernadi, whi ch are communes built around central trees. The vernadi are smaller versions of the guildhall, the great city-tree Vitu -Ghazi. A dryad, called a voda, is called forth from that central tree to be the leader of the community, connecting the vernadi and its devotees to the Worldsoul and uniting them with the will of the entire conclave.

TROSTANI
The Selesnya guildmaster is an amalgamation of three dryads in body, will, and soul. Each dryad's body extends from a central trunk, so while they possess independent minds. they share a single name-Trostani and a single life force. Usually Trostani communicates the will of the Worldsoul with one voice, but sbe retains three distinct personalities that embody the three parts of the Selesnyan ideal: order, life, and harmony. In the midst of increasing tensions on Ravnica, the three personalities have recently been at odds over how best to navigate the conclave through such difficult times.
Trostani spends most of her time in the towering tree of Vitu-Ghazi, the Selesnya guildhall. There she communes with Mat'Selesnya and with the dryads who lead individual Selesnya communities across Ravnica.

EMMARA TANDRIS
An elf priest, Emmara Tandris is committed to pursuing peace between the guilds with all her heart, even as Trostani hesitates in self-conflict. As a friend of Jace Beleren, she understands that he's never going to be able to settle on Ravnica, so she believes the world needs a replacement for the Guildpact. Emmara plays an active role in her community, and she has many non-Selesnya friends aside from the Guildpact. One of the most active advocates of cooperation among the guilds, she is relying on personal connections with members of other guilds to help that effort.

Historically, the guild's approach to its mission has been one of incremental progress toward a utopian ideal of thriving biology, and it remains more aloof from politics than other guilds. Its fundamental mission remains unchanged by the current political instability, and the isolation of its laboratories protects most Simic guild members from immediate harm.
Little is known about the combine's founder, except that this individual's first or family name was Simic.

Vast sinkholes called zonots are the primary geographic divisions among the Simic. Each zonot pierces layer upon layer of crumbled city as it descends deep below the surface and connects to ancient, long-forgotten ocean waters. A zonot is a distinct Simic habitat with its own culture and ecosystem, as well as a leader called a Speaker. The Speakers of all nine zonots form the
Speakers' Chamber, and they elect a Prime Speaker from among them to serve as the Simic guildmaster. Zegana, the current Prime Speaker, is the Speaker of Zonot One, which is located in a remote, sparsely inhabited part of Ravnica far from the political activity of the Tenth District.
The Simic guildhall, Zameck, is located in Zonot Seven within Precinct Five of Ravnica's Tenth District. A huge chamber just below the street serves as the gathering place for all the Speakers, as well as a location where non-Simic visitors can meet with the Prime Speaker or other combine emissaries.

The Holdfast encourages the Simic to promote nature; the Upwelling urges them to perfect nature. The end result is the same: a hastened system of evolution that brings out the best in every creature's nature. But different factions within the Simic Combine interpret these
principles in their own ways.
The leadership of the Simic Combine represents the traditional philosophy of the Utopians. Their vision is of an ideal world in which nature and civilization exist in balance, in which natural life adapts to life in the midst of modern civilization and the civilized world adapts
to accommodate these creatures. Utopians generally interpret the Holdfast principle as being about staying rooted in nature, and the Upwelling as concerned with slow, predictable, cyclical improvement. So they remain hidden in their subaquatic laboratories, pursuing their research while isolated from the volatile interrelationships among the other guilds. Prime Speaker Zegana encourages that isolationist attitude.
At the same time, a growing faction within the Simic believes that an a ll-out war among the guilds is inevitable, given the growing unrest in the city. These members, the Adaptationists, believe that the guilds exist in a fragile ecosystem in which the slightest imbalance can have cascading effects. With an absent Living Guildpact failing to maintain the balance, only catastrophe can result. The Simic must change in order to survive, and slow, small steps in pursuit of an ideal vision aren't enough. The future of the guild is in imminent danger,
and the Simic need to focus on survival. Adaptationists tend to interpret the Holdfast as being about defensa and security, and the Upwelling as a call for sudden, disruptive
growth.
As befits members of a guild of scientists, the Adaptationists' preparations for war include the creation of soldiers that are magically and biologically adapted.
The Guardian Project has yielded hybrids that combine human, elf, or vedalken stock with the characteristics of crabs, fish, jellyfish, and a variety of other creatures to give them natural armor and weapons, gills, venomous stings, and other combat-focused adaptations.

Simic researchers are part of a clade-a diverse group of individuals combining disparate talents in pursuit of a common goal- or a researcher on a specialized, short-term project focused on addressing an immediate need: Hull Clade, focused on protection and durability; Fin Clade, focused on movement; Gyre Clade, focused on cyclical patterns and metamagic; Guardian Project, focused on creating guard monsters and super soldiers; Crypsis Project, focused on intelligence and counterintelligence. New clades rarely form except in truly exceptional circumstances. Because most clades span multiple zonots, clade leaders have status equal to the Speakers of the zonots. They have no voice on the Speakers' Chamber, unless can persuade one or more of its members to speak on their behalf.

The selection of a new Speaker (in the event of an existing Speaker's retiring, dying, or otherwise leaving the position) takes place through a combination of popular election and the input of the other eight Speakers, with the current Prime Speaker having the final word.
Ravnica's merfolk are unique to the Simic. They emerged from the depths of the plane's long-buried oceans less than a century ago and immediately took on leadership positions in the guild. They claim a deep connection to Ravnica's primal oceans, which are almost untouched by civilization.

PRIME SPEAKER ZEGANA
The regal and reticent Prime Speaker Zegana is the merfolk guildmaster of the Simic Combine. She upholds the traditional ways of the guild and its utopian philosophy, which espouses a vision of an ideal world in which nature and civilization coexist in perfect balance.
Some people in the guild- members of the Adaptationist faction in particular- argue that her ways are outdated and the guild requires more practical leadership. In response, Zegana maintains that she serves as prime speaker only at the sufferance of the Speakers' Chamber, and if the other speakers wish to replace her, they are certainly within their rights to do so.