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The plane of Ravnica is entirely swallowed up by a megapolis, one huge city which shares the name of the dimension it resides in. The city-plane is ruled over by ten Guilds, who exist in uneasy peace enforced by the Guildpact, a powerful spell embodied in an avatar who acts as a neutral arbiter and judge in Guild disputes. Ten thousand years ago, the Guilds were once tribes who warred extensively with each other and formulated the Guildpact to put an end to hostilities. Each Guild took certain roles in governing the realm and specialized in certain forms of magic.
For ten thousand years, the Guilds have ruled Ravnica and bided by the terms of the Guildpact and stayed to their tightly defined social roles, no one Guild ever being able to reach dominance. But such a peace could only truly last so long as there was nothing equally powerful or more powerful on Ravnica than the Guildpact itself. And recently, that's changed.
For the Guildpact was once Jace, The Mind Sculptor, a planeswalker. Planeswalkers are rare, god-like spellcasters with the ability to traverse dimensions. One planeswalker, the gorgon Vraska, has already emerged and challenged his power. The precedent was set. The Guildpact was been shown to be no longer unassailable. As more and more planeswalkers and other powerful beings emerge on Ravnica, the Guilds race to claim their membership and challenge to unnatural balance the Guildpact embodied.
Then Jace, The Living Guildpact, vanished. And an all-out political war is breaking out on Ravnica.
You are the new generation of Ravnican planeswalkers and represent one of the Guilds of Ravnica, who seek to spread their power and influence through the plane.
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This is a game based on one of the settings in the card game Magic: The Gathering, though knowledge of the game won't be necessarily. The game will be about a time of political turmoil and upheaval among magical guilds following the absence of The Guildpact, which enforced a balance between them; now they seek to expand and grow their power across the whole plain.
There are ten Guilds in Ravnica, each with a social role laid out by the Guild pact and each governing having domain over two of the five types of mana. The Guilds are the leaders of of Ravnican society, with Guild leaders meeting to discuss matters that affect the plane as a whole. Not all citizens of Ravnica are Guild members - indeed, most people are "guildless" - but it is impossible to live in Ravnica without dealing with at least one Guild in your day.
The Azorius Senate are the lawmakers and the government of the plane, founded by the ancient Azor. They are tasked with maintaining the status quo of the city; they write the laws, maintain the bureaucracy and run the courts. Their sigil is a pyramid inside of which are circles of arcane text. Their colours are white and blue, the colours associated with law, knowledge, protection and restrictive magic. Their upper echelons are often wise and long-lived creatures such as sphinxes, though anyone who fills in the right paperwork can join.
The Boros Legion are the militaristic order devoted to the actual protection of the people of Ravnica; they are the military and the police, taking to the streets with steel and fire to drive out evil wherever it may lurk. Their sigil is a white fist against a red sunburst. Their colours are red and white, associated with heroism and fiery passion. Their upper echelons are the idealistic and ferocious angels, but members come from all races.
House Dimir is a shadowy Guild that don't officially exist; as far as the man on the street knows there are only nine Guilds on Ravnica. They are spies and assassins, existing in the shadows, trafficking in secrets and poison. Their sigil, used rarely, is a blue spider on a black background. Their colours are blue and black, associated with forbidden knowledge, secrets and lies. Their agents might be anyone, but some of their elite operatives are vampires and shapeshifters.
The Golgari Swarm dwell primarily in the lower regions of the city, especially the sewers. Their members farm rot, recycle waste and produce new growth in an endless cycle of life and death. They are the largest Guild in terms of active members, due primarily to their use of necromantic magic. Their sigil is a green beetle's head on a black field. Their magic is green and black, associated with necromancy, growth and rot. Their members are drawn from all races but elves and trolls are common. Gorgons, such as Vraska, are also to be found in their midst.
The Gruul Clans were once charged with ranging the wilds of Ravnica - but now there are no wilds to range. Bitter and angry, they became scattered tribes and only technically a "Guild" and wage destructive war against the other Clans; they raid regions, smashing down buildings and plundering resources. Though they would hate to admit they do have a role in Ravnican society - demolitions and ground-clearing so that new growth can continue. Their sigil is a green torch burning a red flame. Their colours are red and green, associated with feral aggression and the breaking of chains. Wild and "uncivilized" creatures such as centaurs, minotaurs and orcs are common among their number.
The Izzet League, sparking and temperamental, are the engineers and scientists of Ravnican society. Founded by the narcissistic and brilliant dragon Niv-Mizzet, the Izzet constantly experiment and produce many of the technologies Ravnica uses day-to-day. Of course, that involves a lot of interns blowing up and most Izzet engineers embody the "mad scientist" stereotype quite well. Their sigil is a red dragon wreathed in blue. Their magic is red and blue, associated with lightning, energy and dangerous genius. Many of their numbers are goblins and they create "weirds" - elementals composed of conflicting elements such as fire and ice.
The Orzhov Syndicate are only surpassed by the Azorius in their wealth, being the guild primarily associated with business and commerce. On the surface, the Orzhov more closely resemble a religion and indeed may have once been a true faith when they were formed, but now they are closer to a mafia. Through debt and tithing, they control many of the guildless body and soul. Their sigil is a white sun fringed with black. Their magic is white and black, the colours of taxation, exploitation and manipulation. The heirarchy of the Orzhov is extremely rigid and unchanging, as the upper level members rule on after death - commonly as ghosts.
The Cult of Rakdos are something of a necessary evil, providing most of the manual labour and service industries to Ravnica - but especially the unsavoury ones. Theirs are the brothels and fighting pits, the bloodsports and drug dens. Many maintain respectable faces as restauranteurs and entertainers, but many derive sadistic pleasure and engage in extreme hedonism. Their sigil is a demon's head split, half red and half black. Their magic is red and black, associated with reckless aggression, sadism and masochism. They worship their guildmaster, the demon Rakdos, who slumbers and appoints representatives while hibernating.
The Selesnya Conclave concern themselves with peace, unity and the well-being of Ravnica. Their garden-temples are beautiful uniformity and they provide community support and religious services to the masses. Selfess in the extreme, Selesnya teaches the suppression of individual desire and the maintenance of peace through uniformity. Their sigil is a green tree with white leaves. Their magic, white and green, is associated with healing, growth and mutual prosperity. Their leaders are a collective hive-mind of dryads; their other members are heavily skewed towards elves and loxodon (elephant-men).
The Simic Combine were once druids, tasked with maintaining the health and well-being of nature's wildlife. As Ravnica expanded, Simic and Selesnya stole the nature domain of the Gruul and now the Simic are concerned with provided biomedical services and augmentation to the people of Ravnica. They are also concerned with neogenesis, creating new wildlife that might survive in the urban sprawl of Ravnica; many of their guildhalls are based in the oceanic sinkholes beneath Ravnica and use the marine life as their experimental subjects. Their sigil is a twisting tree that transitions from blue to green. Their magic is green and blue, concerned with shifting, transformation and evolution. They are strongly associated with merfolk and the blue-skinned humanoids known as Vedalken.
The Azorius Senate are the lawmakers and the government of the plane, founded by the ancient Azor. They are tasked with maintaining the status quo of the city; they write the laws, maintain the bureaucracy and run the courts. Their sigil is a pyramid inside of which are circles of arcane text. Their colours are white and blue, the colours associated with law, knowledge, protection and restrictive magic. Their upper echelons are often wise and long-lived creatures such as sphinxes, though anyone who fills in the right paperwork can join.
The Boros Legion are the militaristic order devoted to the actual protection of the people of Ravnica; they are the military and the police, taking to the streets with steel and fire to drive out evil wherever it may lurk. Their sigil is a white fist against a red sunburst. Their colours are red and white, associated with heroism and fiery passion. Their upper echelons are the idealistic and ferocious angels, but members come from all races.
House Dimir is a shadowy Guild that don't officially exist; as far as the man on the street knows there are only nine Guilds on Ravnica. They are spies and assassins, existing in the shadows, trafficking in secrets and poison. Their sigil, used rarely, is a blue spider on a black background. Their colours are blue and black, associated with forbidden knowledge, secrets and lies. Their agents might be anyone, but some of their elite operatives are vampires and shapeshifters.
The Golgari Swarm dwell primarily in the lower regions of the city, especially the sewers. Their members farm rot, recycle waste and produce new growth in an endless cycle of life and death. They are the largest Guild in terms of active members, due primarily to their use of necromantic magic. Their sigil is a green beetle's head on a black field. Their magic is green and black, associated with necromancy, growth and rot. Their members are drawn from all races but elves and trolls are common. Gorgons, such as Vraska, are also to be found in their midst.
The Gruul Clans were once charged with ranging the wilds of Ravnica - but now there are no wilds to range. Bitter and angry, they became scattered tribes and only technically a "Guild" and wage destructive war against the other Clans; they raid regions, smashing down buildings and plundering resources. Though they would hate to admit they do have a role in Ravnican society - demolitions and ground-clearing so that new growth can continue. Their sigil is a green torch burning a red flame. Their colours are red and green, associated with feral aggression and the breaking of chains. Wild and "uncivilized" creatures such as centaurs, minotaurs and orcs are common among their number.
The Izzet League, sparking and temperamental, are the engineers and scientists of Ravnican society. Founded by the narcissistic and brilliant dragon Niv-Mizzet, the Izzet constantly experiment and produce many of the technologies Ravnica uses day-to-day. Of course, that involves a lot of interns blowing up and most Izzet engineers embody the "mad scientist" stereotype quite well. Their sigil is a red dragon wreathed in blue. Their magic is red and blue, associated with lightning, energy and dangerous genius. Many of their numbers are goblins and they create "weirds" - elementals composed of conflicting elements such as fire and ice.
The Orzhov Syndicate are only surpassed by the Azorius in their wealth, being the guild primarily associated with business and commerce. On the surface, the Orzhov more closely resemble a religion and indeed may have once been a true faith when they were formed, but now they are closer to a mafia. Through debt and tithing, they control many of the guildless body and soul. Their sigil is a white sun fringed with black. Their magic is white and black, the colours of taxation, exploitation and manipulation. The heirarchy of the Orzhov is extremely rigid and unchanging, as the upper level members rule on after death - commonly as ghosts.
The Cult of Rakdos are something of a necessary evil, providing most of the manual labour and service industries to Ravnica - but especially the unsavoury ones. Theirs are the brothels and fighting pits, the bloodsports and drug dens. Many maintain respectable faces as restauranteurs and entertainers, but many derive sadistic pleasure and engage in extreme hedonism. Their sigil is a demon's head split, half red and half black. Their magic is red and black, associated with reckless aggression, sadism and masochism. They worship their guildmaster, the demon Rakdos, who slumbers and appoints representatives while hibernating.
The Selesnya Conclave concern themselves with peace, unity and the well-being of Ravnica. Their garden-temples are beautiful uniformity and they provide community support and religious services to the masses. Selfess in the extreme, Selesnya teaches the suppression of individual desire and the maintenance of peace through uniformity. Their sigil is a green tree with white leaves. Their magic, white and green, is associated with healing, growth and mutual prosperity. Their leaders are a collective hive-mind of dryads; their other members are heavily skewed towards elves and loxodon (elephant-men).
The Simic Combine were once druids, tasked with maintaining the health and well-being of nature's wildlife. As Ravnica expanded, Simic and Selesnya stole the nature domain of the Gruul and now the Simic are concerned with provided biomedical services and augmentation to the people of Ravnica. They are also concerned with neogenesis, creating new wildlife that might survive in the urban sprawl of Ravnica; many of their guildhalls are based in the oceanic sinkholes beneath Ravnica and use the marine life as their experimental subjects. Their sigil is a twisting tree that transitions from blue to green. Their magic is green and blue, concerned with shifting, transformation and evolution. They are strongly associated with merfolk and the blue-skinned humanoids known as Vedalken.
In Magic the Gathering, there are five colours of mana and these influence what sort of spells can be cast. Even within the colours, there is variation, so two casters who specialize in the same colour might not be exactly the same. The colours are white, blue, black, red and green. Creatures are also associated with different types of mana and that influences what they can do and how they work.
White mana comes from Plains and is very defensive. It is associated with healing, damage prevention and restrictive effects rather than direct damage. White creatures tend to work well together and are not individually powerful, but might have protective effects. White has the connotation of holiness, heroics and goodness, but is also the colour of restriction and oppressive order; a tyrant would be white-aligned. Common white-aligned creatures are humans and angels.
Blue mana comes from Islands and is very elusive. It is associated with knowledge, illusion and deception. Blue creatures tend to be weak overall but have effects that allow them to slip by enemy defenses or somehow hamper the enemy. Blue also has a strong emphasis on thought, dreams and time; it does not act directly instead plots out elaborate schemes or mimics others. It is powerful but insubstantial, like a wind. Common blue-aligned creatures include merfolk and vedalken.
Black mana comes from Swamps and is very corrupting. It is associated with ambition, amorality and necromancy. The themes of black are "playing dirty" and "victory at any cost" and much of it revolves around hurting oneself in order to hurt the enemy more, or somehow gain another advantage. Thus, black creatures might have effects that only trigger when they die and cause adverse effects against the enemy. If black can avoid killing itself, it is truly dangerous. Note that black is not necessarily evil in and of itself, but is often associated with evil things such as necromancy and betrayal. Common black-aligned creatures are vampires and zombies.
Red mana comes from Mountains and is energetic. It is associated with passion, emotion and the elements of fire and lightning. Red creatures are usually fast and have great attack power but aren't very durable, and that's true of red overall. Much like a flame, red burns itself and the opponent, with the goal of burning the enemy before it burns itself out. This usually takes the form of overwhelming force - fast creatures, direct damage spells and so on. But if you can weather the storm, it won't last long. Common red-aligned creatures are orcs and goblins.
Green mana comes from Forests and is ever-growing. It is associated with nature, beasts and evolution. Green's best monsters are usually brutes, with overwhelming force and great defense but at the cost of speed. Other green effects might bolster weak creatures, accelerate mana generation to summon more creatures or destroy "unnatural" effects such as machinery or enchantments. However, outside of creatures and making those creatures bigger, green doesn't have much going on; it's the giant to be outsmarted, not fought directly. Common green creatures include elves, wurms and elephants.
White mana comes from Plains and is very defensive. It is associated with healing, damage prevention and restrictive effects rather than direct damage. White creatures tend to work well together and are not individually powerful, but might have protective effects. White has the connotation of holiness, heroics and goodness, but is also the colour of restriction and oppressive order; a tyrant would be white-aligned. Common white-aligned creatures are humans and angels.
Blue mana comes from Islands and is very elusive. It is associated with knowledge, illusion and deception. Blue creatures tend to be weak overall but have effects that allow them to slip by enemy defenses or somehow hamper the enemy. Blue also has a strong emphasis on thought, dreams and time; it does not act directly instead plots out elaborate schemes or mimics others. It is powerful but insubstantial, like a wind. Common blue-aligned creatures include merfolk and vedalken.
Black mana comes from Swamps and is very corrupting. It is associated with ambition, amorality and necromancy. The themes of black are "playing dirty" and "victory at any cost" and much of it revolves around hurting oneself in order to hurt the enemy more, or somehow gain another advantage. Thus, black creatures might have effects that only trigger when they die and cause adverse effects against the enemy. If black can avoid killing itself, it is truly dangerous. Note that black is not necessarily evil in and of itself, but is often associated with evil things such as necromancy and betrayal. Common black-aligned creatures are vampires and zombies.
Red mana comes from Mountains and is energetic. It is associated with passion, emotion and the elements of fire and lightning. Red creatures are usually fast and have great attack power but aren't very durable, and that's true of red overall. Much like a flame, red burns itself and the opponent, with the goal of burning the enemy before it burns itself out. This usually takes the form of overwhelming force - fast creatures, direct damage spells and so on. But if you can weather the storm, it won't last long. Common red-aligned creatures are orcs and goblins.
Green mana comes from Forests and is ever-growing. It is associated with nature, beasts and evolution. Green's best monsters are usually brutes, with overwhelming force and great defense but at the cost of speed. Other green effects might bolster weak creatures, accelerate mana generation to summon more creatures or destroy "unnatural" effects such as machinery or enchantments. However, outside of creatures and making those creatures bigger, green doesn't have much going on; it's the giant to be outsmarted, not fought directly. Common green creatures include elves, wurms and elephants.
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