#azorius senat

[lexxlikes]

The invasion of Ravnica

I found it kinda sad, that we didn't get enough "The Multivers fights the Phyrexian" and so I've had the idea to write a little story about the Invasion of Ravnica and what the guilds might have learned after Bolas. Hope you like! (Yeah... there are some more gilds... but I kinda focused on my favorites. And yes: I do like the Azorius-Fun-Police-Senat)

RAVNICA

As the dark-skinned elf roamed the streets of Ravnica to run his errands, he was accompanied by a persistent, uneasy feeling. It wasn't nausea from bad mussels or a night of drinking. It was the feeling that gave you the creeps. The feeling, or rather, the instinct that is anchored in us to immediately take flight without knowing exactly where to go and why. The tension and adrenaline that ensured that all muscles were ready for immediate action. Eule, the courier, could not explain where these almost omen-like thoughts came from. Admittedly, he had survived the invasion by the God-Pharaoh Nicol Bolas and, as a Dimir agent, was entitled to a healthy dose of paranoia. But this feeling was... different. He had spent the whole morning trying to work out the reason for it and logically get to grips with his feelings. But in vain. Perhaps there were so many little things that you didn't even pay attention to in everyday life, but which subconsciously kept you constantly occupied. The fact that more and more of these strange symbols had appeared in the city. A circle divided vertically by a long line. Strange cloud formations. The way the light fell on the tin road. It all didn't feel... right.

Arriving at the Guild's headquarters, he looked at the still large, circular hole gaping in the building. It was a silent memorial to all who had fallen in that battle and a lasting reminder that they were not alone. It wasn't just crazy dragon planeswalkers out there in the multiverse. A millennia-old war was brought to these streets and so many innocent people died. And not only that. The city was forever changed. The hole Eule stood in front of and in the distance you could still see the last remains of Vitu Ghazi. The tree that was forced into an elemental and went down fighting. Many of the inhabitants of Ravnica therefore met the familiar planeswalkers with fear. Ral Zarek, guild leader of the Izzet, didn't care - God knows he had more important problems - but there was a negative mood among the population. The ignorance of what a Planeswalker was mixed with the fear of what else was out there and the shattering realisation that there was an "out there" at all. Ravnica was a planet and a single city. It already made you feel small and sometimes insignificant. But now?

The elf's blue eyes stared at the sky, lost in thought, as if he would find answers there. In a way, this was also true when these strange symbols appeared in the sky. But only for a moment, until the circle simply opened up and a kind of portal appeared. Organic-looking roots clad in whitish-looking metal snaked through it and after a short time the ground broke open. Similar outgrowths erupted here too and while Eule's bag was still falling to the ground and he was running, he realised one thing: Ravnica was being invaded again.

Azorius Senate

It would never quite come out in the open - and frankly, it didn't matter - why the Azorius were able to react so quickly to the attack. Rumour had it that it was the precognition mages, who had fuzzy visions of the future but saw enough for Lavina, the interim guild leader, to prepare for anything. After the invasion of the Mad God, they wanted to be able to act more quickly in the event of future interplanetary conflicts. In a small circle of 30 selected members of the Azorius, various emergency procedures and sub-clauses were drawn up, which made a quick reaction on the part of the Senate possible and also legally legitimised it. It was hoped that these clauses would never have to be invoked, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

This foresight of the clairvoyant magicians made them feel uneasy that morning. Without being able to catch any concrete glimpses of the future, their statement put the entire senate on heightened alert. However, only the relevant members of the "Meeting Committee for the Prevention and Security of Ravnica and its Guilds", or M.C.F.T.P.A.S.O.R.A.I.G for short, were informed of this. Not only did this committee consist exclusively of members of the Azorius Senate, but it was also broadly diversified in order to ideally bundle the individual focuses and specialisations of the guilds and, if necessary - like today - to direct them in an effective action plan against an as yet unknown enemy. So couriers were sent out and - just to be on the safe side - Sonnenheim was put on standby. Maybe it was nothing. Perhaps it was a good exercise, because something like Nicol Bolas should never happen again.

Lavina wasted precious seconds at her office window as her mind tried to interpret what her eyes saw there. Huge, metallic tentacle-like outgrowths seemed to be coming out of holes directly in the ground and sky. These "tendrils" looked as if they were encased in a white metal, but the reflective glow didn't seem to match metal and it looked more like porcelain. Lavina's focus then centred on the portals and what the brown eyes saw behind them was a living nightmare. A nightmare of metal, precision and perfection.

With a quick movement, she opened the tightly closed, metallic tube on her belt and pulled out a piece of parchment. Immediately it unfurled its magic and all of Ravnica was warned.

The three gigantic, triangular pillars surrounding the fountain inside New Pravh immediately shone with a warm, bright light, while all the previous sky runes were extinguished at once. The previous law changes and announcements gave way to the urgent message that Ravnica was once again under siege and all defence protocols had been activated. Citizens were advised to seek shelter calmly and without panic or not to leave their homes. In view of the chaos that had already ensued, these words seemed like a farce.

Seconds later, various airlocks opened in the three towers of the Azorius Senate building and an uncountable number of Thopthers - a retained change from the previous guild leader - swarmed out like a gigantic swarm of bees. The task of the metallic fliers was to warn all the districts of Ravnica, but also to broadcast visually over the entire city - or at least the 10th district. 

At the same time, countless Verdalken mages gathered on the ground at the large, central fountain in New Pravh. Various hand movements followed in practised synchrony and after the nullification mages rose into the air, a transparent dome formed around the Senate headquarters. No spell would now be able to penetrate the seat of the Laws. Runes of pure light flew around the mages, whose concentrated gaze became filled with fear after a moment. From their elevated position, they could see what they were up against. They had survived Bolas. But this was a completely different category of enemy.

The defence of the Senate building against the metallic, insectoid warriors was taken over by the members of the Lyev Column. The trained special unit for internal security immediately streamed out of the main buildings, clad in shining silver and blue capes. Armed with lances, swords and warhammers, the melee fighters positioned themselves around the Senate itself, while other units consisting of battle-hardened paladins and powerful clerics took care of the protection of the citizens. Various units, some even on horseback, were now also spread throughout the city and the first clashes between attackers and defenders could be heard loudly.

Boros legion

Aurelia, the red-haired angel and guild leader of the Boros, read the news of Lavinia with concern. As much as the angel lived for the battle, she hoped for the safety of her city and its inhabitants. And this could never be guaranteed in a war. As the Boros had to reckon with unexpected training sessions every day, the many members were at work with routine safety and, as befitted soldiers, they did not question orders from their superiors.

Aurelia was divided when the invasion began. On the one hand, there was now certainty and action could finally be taken. On the other hand, it was the inhabitants of Ravnica who suffered the most. The city itself. So should the leader be happy that the adjustment and uncertainty was falling away from her? She routinely shook off any feelings and the red-haired angel rose into the air with powerful beats of her wings. An aura of fire enveloped the guild leaders and she allowed the heavy gates of Sonneheim to open. The Boros garrison moved out to defend Ravnica.

The synchronised appearance of the soldiers running in step towards the giant roots shook the cobblestones and served as a warning to many citizens. Minotaurs, giants, humans and vashinos alike charged towards the enemy. Armed with lances, swords and an arsenal of devastating magic, the enemy's ground troops were immediately engaged in battle. But how did one fight something that did not understand fear itself and yet evoked fear in everyone else? Strange creatures that seemed to be more metal than flesh, with unreal eyes and disproportionate mouths, pounced on the legionnaires and soldiers with no regard for their own health. However, the battle-hardened Boros constantly regrouped and were quickly able to set up various defences so that the nearest residents could flee. But even some of them began to wonder whether they stood any chance at all against these creatures. After a while, fellow fighters who were thought to be dead got up again - but changed forever. Cables tore open their skin, metallic lenses literally burst from their eyes as their bodies tried to repel everything organic. Glistening black oil dripped from various pores and while some of the victims screamed in pain, a look of rapture could be seen on their disfigured faces.

While the ground troops suffered losses but were able to hold their positions, they tried to fight the root of the evil in the sky. Through the cloudy sky, another monster burst forth in the direction of the roots. The Parhelion II. The flagship and mobile centre of the Boros garrison. With incredible thrust from two nozzles on the underside of the gigantic building, the object headed slowly but inexorably towards the roots of the worldbreaker. At a suitable distance from the enemy, the many airlocks on the front opened and to the distant observer it looked as if white doves - a sign of peace - had been released. But none of the angels that swooped down on the enemy were meant to bring peace. Only salvation. With merciless precision, the countless heavenly squadrons swooped down on the enemy. The enemy needed several minutes - important minutes that greatly minimised the numbers of the attackers - to adjust to the new danger. When he tried to launch a coordinated counterattack, however, the angels scattered in all directions as if on command. The last thing the enemy saw was the grounded energy weapon of the Parhelion II. Light as pure, bright and hot as the sun itself burst upon the enemy's troops, melting metal and skin alike. All that was left behind were steaming lumps of metal and the almost undamaged "branch" of this strange tree. This naturally dampened the initial euphoria of the sky warriors and it sank almost to the bottomless pit as for every enemy defeated, it felt like two new ones came through the portal on the other side. But as long as even one Boros was standing, they would fight for Ravnica. And this is exactly what Aureila shouted at the top of her lungs as she crashed down on the enemy again: "FOR RAVNICA!“

Izzet league

Lavinia had long struggled with whether the Izzet League should be integrated into the early warning system for Ravnica. On the plus side, the Izzet had a perfect knowledge of the city and enough equipment to cause a lot of damage by exploding. On the downside, they had enough equipment to cause a lot of damage through explosions. And a chemo-voltaic radiation condenser, for example, made no difference between aggressor and inhabitant. But the new guild leader, Ral Zarek, assured the M.C.F.T.P.A.S.O.R.A.I.G that he would proceed with caution for the inhabitants of Ravnica in the event of a potential interplanetary or multiversal threat. Now the leader of the Azorius hoped that she would not regret her decision. The Storm Mage might inspire confidence - but the unpredictable goblins... She didn't want to finish the thought.

In Nivix, the headquarters of the Izzet League, there was no difference to a normal Tuesday afternoon. Explosions could be heard in the distance and, as various goblins rushed around to fulfil orders for their lab leaders, the smell of electricity (and, strangely, barbecued meat) was everywhere. On the rooftops of Nivix, the Storm Mage with the grey mottled hair watched the invasion of enemies not entirely unknown to him. 

New Phyrexia.

Jace had reported it, and as much as he wanted to help and be a part of the rush to the Machine World, he was also Ravnican. This was his home. This was where Tomik lived. This was where he grew up. The multiverse was at stake and perhaps deep down Ral Zarek felt like a coward, a traitor or an egotist. But at that very moment, he had to live with his decision and all the consequences it entailed. As well as the certainty that the invasion meant the failure of the Gatewatch. He fervently hoped that he would not encounter any of his old acquaintances in a nightmarish caricature of themselves. Zarek repeatedly asked himself whether his presence would have made a difference. Whether his abilities would have led to victory. But looking at this enemy, he wasn't sure what would have helped at all. Jace spoke of a Sylex and Kaya was very convinced in the presence of Teferie. But apparently none of that had been enough. The only thing Ral could do now was to fight for his city. He took another deep breath and focussed his entire analytical mind on the here and now. He had to have a clear head. He hadn't been a friend of M.C.F.T.P.A.S.O.R.A.I.G from the start. Too long. Too bulky. Too Azorius. That's why there was the Izzet version CM-LPG. "Activates the counter-motion loss power grid," came Ral's words over the small radios that had been developed some time ago - for just such cases.

What happened next surprised Phyrexians and Ravnicans alike. In a four-shift, three-person rotation, there were houses at strategic points in Ravnica that had been bought by the Izzet League some time ago. Extensive conversion work was carried out there, so that with the obligatory press of a red button, the 13 diesel engines in the house came to life. Four hyper-torque drivers and gyro-stabilisers at the most motion-critical points and cooling by crystallised ice magic ensured that the houses pushed themselves upwards through two hydraulic legs. After a gap opened in the floor on the now exposed underside of the house, four more legs appeared and the three joints made the house look like a gigantic, clumsy spider.

Reinforced by metal on the inside and protected by the natural masonry, the 3 people were able to operate the running bulwarks and keep the enemy at bay. Sufficient armament - partly due to unstable and risky research projects - was part of the basic equipment of the counter-movement loss power grid. It was intended to keep the enemy at bay until either the inhabitants could flee to safe havens or the Boros, Selesnijans or Azorius could dig in.

[elspeth-tirel]

Made this poll on a Discord server but thought it'd be funny to post it here

[xantchaslegacy]

[sun-3-160]

Here are all of my guild playlists lol

[overgrown-estate]

I'm seeing quite a few people suggest Azor is involved somehow seeing as how the Wojek Investigator is studying a blue feather in its main set card. If that were the case, though, wouldn't they have made the feather blue in the alternate art, as well?

Either way, if Azor is involved, I want Arjun involved, also. We need to start establishing all the Legendary Creatures that don't have known planes.

Now, if Azor is involved somehow, I'd say it'd be as posing as Ezrim, a character we've never heard of before.

[1llus1on1st]

Ravnica

Izzet: the future is now whether you want it or not

Orzhov: give us all of your money

Selesnya: one with nature

Golgari: one with psilocybin specifically

Gruul: aren’t you tired of being nice?

Boros: the fun police

Simic: i’m not like other girls. i have crab legs

Rakdos: man, prostitutes cost an arm and a leg these days

Azorius: my dad works at azorius and can get you banned from ravnica

Dimir: what are you talking about? there are only 9 guilds of ravnica. you’re just imagining things again

[skelskeleton]

not a serious thing to add at all but im willing to bet money that they play blue/white

got misgendered at the mtg meetup lads

[vigilantsera]

Transitioning on Ravnica: A Guide

Introduction

Ravnica, the city of guilds. Of all the planes on which to be trans, it is perhaps the one with the widest variety of options on how to transition. Indeed, each of the guilds seems to have their own preferred method by which their members (or guildless with enough coin) can become their true selves. But if transitioning is your aim, or if you are unaffiliated and seeking guidance, which guild should you join? We walk through the most common process each guild’s members use to transition below:

The Azorius Senate

Widely considered the most boring of the guilds to transition with, the process for the Azorius Senate does indeed largely consist of filing a large number of forms. In some jurisdictions, assessments by mind-mages are required to assess if the applicant is ‘truly in need of gender correction’, though these practices have been made unnecessary in most districts as of now.

Most applicants hoping to change their gender with the senate will find themselves having to file the needed forms multiple times to correct minor procedural errors, paying additional filing fees and correction fines each time (the Azorius often give the Orzhov a run for their money in this department). As such, the speed and smoothness of the transition process with the Azorius is in many regards a matter of the skill of the applicant (or their assistant, hired or otherwise) in navigating the endless bureaucracy of the senate.

However, transitioning with the Azorius does have several upsides, contrary to the popular view of them being the worst guild to transition with. For one, the forms by which one applies to revise their gender double as forms by which to amend any unwanted element of one’s body, and if one knows the proper procedure, one can sculpt their ideal body using their process down to precise elements. This is a far cry from most of the other guilds, where one’s post-transition body will often be quite similar to their old one or have a somewhat random element to how it turns out.

Furthermore, though the process of obtaining, correctly filling out, and waiting for the forms to be filed does often take months, once approval is obtained, the actual process of ‘correction of applicant’s misaligned bodily attributes’ is performed instantaneously via magical decree.

House Dimir

The Dimir are perhaps the most efficient and effective at changing one’s gender of all the guilds. They have mastered countless methods of shaping one’s appearance – illusory, transformative, temporary, permanent, magical, alchemical, and countless more besides. Though their methods were devised originally largely for the purpose of disguising oneself, they know quite well that there are those who seek them for personal reasons more than professional ones.

It is even rumored that for those of the genderfluid persuasion, or who simply enjoy flexibility of expression, that they possess methods to transform someone of any origin into a shapeshifter capable of near-instantly rearranging one’s body precisely and at will.

If they have such skill and magic, why then are they not the definitive go-to for all trans Ravnicans? Well, the answer is quite simply that the Dimir are loathe to part with their secrets, and even more loathe to surrender something of value for less than its worth. They will use their methods to allow those outside their guild to transition, to be certain… if the one who seeks their favor can pay the price.

Over the centuries, countless guild secrets have been surrendered, and many an aspiring trans person conscripted into spy work and other clandestine missions in exchange for the Dimir’s gifts of transformation. Interestingly, it is thought by some that this may be at least partially responsible for the fact that each guild has developed their own paths to transition – so that those seeking to realize their gender have options besides betraying their home guilds to the Dimir. Still, the speed and comprehensiveness of the Dimir’s methods still draw in the curious even in this more enlightened modern age….

The Cult of Rakdos

Known by many as the ‘murder clown orgy’ cult, the Rakdos of course have more than a few ways to change one’s gender. The two most widely known and commonly used will be described here.

First is the way most commonly seen by those outside the cult’s membership, as it is a frequent ‘party trick’ of sorts at their gatherings. This method involves ‘cursing’ someone to shift into the form of the greatest sexual fantasy of another linked person. Though the ‘safe’ version of this spell links the cursed to a specific other person, other variants link the cursed’s appearance shift to the most amorous person viewing them at the moment, the last person to touch them, or the person in the world most attracted to them.

This can involve the ‘cursed’ person’s gender to shift if the fantasy of the linked person is of someone of a different sex than them. Normally, this curse is intended to be temporary, used for a wild night of debauchery and nothing more, but permanent variations exist, and aside from that the curse seems to have a habit of ‘sticking’ to people who enjoy the new bodies it thrusts them into.

Like most things the Rakdos create, while this ‘curse’ is not seen as such by many who it is cast upon, it obviously has a lot of potential for misuse, and even when used ‘properly’, can sometimes shift not just the physical body but the actual gender identity of the cursed, causing them to see themselves as the gender of the body they have been made to inhabit, even if they were happy with their body before. As such, this curse is best used with caution, though given where it comes from, it almost never is.

The second most common method of transition is largely reserved for actual cult members and is quite a bit different than the curse described above. This form of transition is done via an enchanted ritual dagger, and most commonly performed in a fittingly ritualistic fashion. The person who wishes to change themselves is restrained on a table while a cultist wielding the enchanted dagger asks them to renounce the aspects of their body they wish to be rid of. Though commonly performed with an audience (as voyeurism is quite prevalent among the Rakdos), it can and is often done in a more intimate one on one setting.

In any case, the process is quite gruesome on the surface. The enchanted dagger is used to carve away the unwanted parts of the body, literally slicing off genitals, secondary sex characteristics, and carving into the skin where changes are to be made. Though intensely painful, the enchantment on the dagger is that of healing, and as the flesh is parted, it regenerates swiftly into the form of the desired sex. A severed penis will grow a fully healthy and functional vagina in its place, sliced off breasts will reform into a masculine chest, cuts along the face will soften or harden the flesh as it regrows, and the like. A sublime torment that ends in a newly idealized form, born in a ritual of blood.

The Gruul Clans

The Gruul clans, despite their reputation as uncivilized barbarians, by and large have fairly enlightened views on gender. Many in the clans see gender as what it is – a societal construct, and laugh in the face of gender norms and the rigid views many others have on the subject.

As such, quite a few in the clans transition socially only, not feeling the need to change anything about their bodies to feel confident that they are the gender they feel.

That said, for those Gruul who do desire to change themselves physically to match their gender identity, options exist. Perhaps the most common is going to clan shamans who prepare alchemical treatments from herbs, which change the body over the course of a few months. This is essentially the same treatment commonly used by the Selesnya, despite the specifics of the preparations varying somewhat.

The other method some clans use is the trial of the true form. Using a spirit-calling spell, shamans transform an aspirant into a being closer to the spirit seen as closest to them. Typically, this is some sort of animal or beast. Though temporary, when one reverts to their original form after the trial is completed, aspects of their ‘true form’ remain – often animalistic features, but for trans people, this commonly includes a full (or at least partial) transition of their sex characteristics in line with their true gender.

The Selesnya Conclave

The Selesnya take a very open and accepting view to gender and encourage those in the conclave to explore their presentation and meditate on what they desire even from a fairly young age. Those who decide they wish to change their bodies in alignment with their thoughts are given one of a wide variety of herbal alchemical concoctions which, when taken over the course of a few months, alters the body towards different sex characteristics.

Those undergoing this process are not simply given the way to change their bodies, however, and the Selesnya place a large emphasis on the social aspect of transition as well. Those in the conclave who transition commonly find themselves a mentor who will guide them on how to socialize as their new gender.

Though the Selesnya are very free with their resources to physically transition, their attitudes also interestingly lead to their ranks containing many who choose to transition solely through social means, or in only minor physical ways. Conclave members often ask the pronouns of those they meet, and are somewhat famous among other guilds for their members using a wide variety of neopronouns rarely seen in the other guilds, especially not in as large of numbers.

Overall, the Selesnya are one of the guilds most freely accepting of trans people, and are a common choice for guildless, as they offer their herbal remedies and guidance freely to any who come to them. The subtle price of course, is having to listen to their recruitment pitch to join their guild, but despite general social pressure, they don’t make any more insistent demands of those who transition with them.

The Orzhov Syndicate

Syndicate members in high standing often have the money to pursue transition through other guilds that meet their specific needs. The services of both the Dimir and Azorius are popular, as both are efficient, customizable experiences whose main issues are access and money, both of which the Orzhov elite have in spades.

That said, there are two methods of transition unique to the Orzhov, though they are unpopular among the elite for reasons that will become clear.

The first is through so-called ‘total possession’. Though the Orzhov deal frequently with ghosts and possession is a rather common occurrence, total possession is a more involved affair. This involves a ghost completely taking over a person’s mind and going so far as to reshape their body as well. Most commonly, they reshape their host into the form the ghost had in life (though often somewhat idealized). This can of course can be a fairly drastic change when the host is a different gender than the ghost.

Now, obviously this is an ineffective method of transition as long as the ghost remains in control, but using it as a method of transition involves allowing the ghost to reach full possession, to reshape the body into the desired form, and then to exercise them. As this involves the host losing control of their body for some time, not getting much if any control over their final form (unless they called a specific ghost whose living form they wished to look like) and then relying on an outside exorcist, it is considered a risky method of transition at best.

The other method of Orzhov-specific transition is known as ‘soul reshaping’. If someone has given their soul over in debt to another, that new holder of the soul, if they know the right spells, can reshape the soul of the one they hold in thrall to whatever they want. This can be extreme – often being used to make the subject’s mind pliable and obedient and to twist their body into a thrull or other pitiable being.

However, it is certainly possible that a kind soul-holder might reshape someone’s soul so that it fits more with what they view themselves as, with their body soon following suit. In cases where a trans person’s soul is held this way, their soul is usually already ‘shaped’ closer to their desired gender anyway (in such a way as a soul can be said to have a shape) and thus the actual effort needed on the soul-holder’s part is minimal.

Like total possession, the fact that this method of transition requires surrendering oneself fully to another makes it all but unheard of among those with other options, but it is a frequent dream of the highly indebted and the desperate.

The Izzet League

The Izzet league is famous for their odd experiments and outlandish inventions, which might lead one to believe that they’d have a wide range of options for those seeking to change their gender. And in a way, that’s not entirely wrong. But the thing to remember is that it is the Simic Combine who focus more on the biological side of experimentation, meaning that options within the Izzet tend to be less varied than one might expect.

Now, given the highly individualized and experimental nature of the league’s countless inventors and mages, likely there are a dizzying array of unique and one-off devices capable of altering one’s body to fit their gender identity. However, we will focus here on the two methods most commonly found that can perform this effect – both of which are quite effective, so long as you don’t care about remaining humanoid.

The first method is the ‘weird’ method. Weirds are ooze-like elemental creations, and the Izzet are (usually) quite good at making them. Transferring one’s mind into a weird, whose body can then be fluidly reshaped to fit whatever gender presentation one desires, is a well-trodden field of Izzet research, which isn’t to say it doesn’t often go wrong in unpredictable ways, but that’s true of basically anything the Izzet work on.

Similarly in the field of mind transfer, uploading one’s consciousness into a robotic construct body, while not extremely popular, is also a burgeoning field of Izzet research. One could sculpt their own ideal construct body in advance this way, and then live out their life outside of humanity, upgrading or changing things as desired.

The Golgari Swarm

The swarm are an interesting situation when it comes to transition resources. As the guild in charge of handling Ravnica’s trash and refuse, they often come across the methods to cobble together close-enough facsimiles of the methods that every other guild uses in their transition methods and rituals, and it is through these second-hand acquisitions that many members of the swarm make their transitions.

The swarm’s primary unique method of transition comes from specially grown fungi. Similar to the herbal transition methods of the Gruul or Selesnya, these fungi alter one’s physical body towards another gender expression. However, unlike those methods which produce a gradual change across several months, the fungi of the Golgari take effect after just a few doses. This rapid shift is accompanied by intense pain and vivid hallucinations, though those who utilize this method often say that they see both the pain and the visions as important steps not just towards a body they can feel more comfortable in, but towards self-acceptance and the abandonment of fears over not ‘truly’ being their desired gender.

The other method of transition within the swarm is through the sting of the shifter wasp. A single sting from this creature causes a total shift of sexual characteristics over a single agonizing day. The wasps are rare however, and the pain is not always survivable, making this a method seen as dangerous and undesirable. It is also one of the few on Ravnica that is commonly inflicted on the unwary and unwilling. Fortunately, there are many ways to alter one���s body back to what it originally was if one finds oneself transitioned against their will.

The Boros Legion

The Boros are perhaps one of the least interested in the process of transition. They aren’t against it, per se, and it is legion policy to treat all as they wish to be treated, a policy actually enforced and with harsh punishments for violation to boot.

That said, legionaries seeking transition often go outside the guild to obtain the transition services of another guild, something the Boros do allow, if not openly encourage. That said, there is an ‘official’ method of transition within the guild, but due to the legion’s practical, militaristic focus, it is quite specific and comes with certain requirements, to which it owes its relative unpopularity.

Despite being egalitarian in their overall forces, official Boros transition resources are split into two distinct paths for female to male and male to female. There is no official Boros resource for nonbinary members, who typically just seek the services of another guild.

Legionnaires who wish to transition from female to male within the Boros go to minotaur program. This program involves drinking a volatile potion brewed from minotaur blood and bottled lightning which transforms one into a male minotaur. As a side effect, the drinker often goes temporarily berserk, but this is a known side-effect and usually well-handled. The potion is somewhat difficult to make, and as a result, those who take this method of transition are typically conscripted into a specialized unit for a period of time as ‘compensation’ for their use of the potion.

The process for legionnaires wishing to transition for male to female also involves a transformation, but this time and even more drastic one. Only a few legionnaires every year are eligible for this process, an honor often reserved only for the most elite and successful soldiers. The process involves being turned into an angel – and, as some know, the angels of the Boros are all clones of the original angel, Razia. As a result, the transformation necessarily involves taking on the physical characteristics of a female, red-haired angel, rippling with muscles and infused with powerful magic.

Like the minotaur program, the transformation into an angel (often referred to as ‘ascension’) can come with mental side-effects though in this case they tend to be more severe, with new angels often finding their mindset shifting to become more practical, focused, and emotionally detached, save for the emotions needed for battle.

The exact process used for ascension is a closely guarded Boros secret, but it is known that it is fairly extensive – certainly much more than the potion required for becoming a minotaur. Persistent rumors, likely spread by the Dimir, say that the hopeful ascendant’s body is slowly burned away by holy flame and remade by the songs of existing angels. Though new angels are sworn to secrecy on the process, their defensiveness over accusations towards the process working that way seem to imply it is at the very least, close to the truth.

The Simic Combine

The Simic Combine is famous for their bioengineering, and of course, this means that altering a body to fit one’s desired gender is trivial for them.

The combine see transition as something desirable, and many in the Simic transition just to see what its like even if its not a deeply held desire of theirs. Transitioning with the Simic often comes with other body modifications (or 'upgrades' as they more commonly refer to them) and so most trans people in the Simic are also sporting gills, claws, and any number of other exotic features in addition to their new gender expression.

Ironically, despite their well-honed mastery of the art of transition and the stunning array of ‘extras’ they have on offer, the Simic are rarely sought out as a path to transition by those outside the guild, as they have a bad habit of including ‘unwanted additions’ in the form of experimental biogenetic alterations to those outside their guild. That said, those who seek to transcend not only their gender but their humanity often see the Simic as their saviors, and the Simic certainly has no shortage of members willing to perform changes for free to those willing to participate in a few experiments along the way.

[wielderofmysteries]

So, the question of taxes on Ravnica came up for no good reason in my house. In your esteemed and learned opinion, does Jace pay his taxes on Ravnica? Also, would he have been subject to taxation during his tenure as Living Guildpact?

NOPE!! Jace is pretty much a canon tax evader. at the time of Agents of Artifice, he was hiding his wealth in 4 separate bank accounts under 4 fake names in 4 different districts. and then as the Living Guildpact, he would not have paid taxes because he was not paid a salary / stipend. the Azorius senate just compensated him for some (but not all) of his expenses.

[racefortheironthrone]

fantasy sometimes doesn't afford itself the ability to fantasize about a better world with many of the same problems of real life. thankfully ive found fantasy thatfantasize about things like gender roles, orientations, social status, etc. being more accepting, and the world kinder more often than not. question is, as hard as it is to find solid urban fantasy, are there anyworks you know of that use itself to imagine a optimal city for us urban nerds? magic public works, free dragon transit?

So there is a real problem in the fantasy and sci-fi genres that they often have a failure of revolutionary imagination, as I’ve termed it. We’re so used to not just the world as it is but also the public historical imagination of how change happens, that even in art that’s supposed to be about radically reimagining our world or new worlds, we often revert back to the familiar. (I find this tic particularly annoying in alternate history, which is supposed to be about imagining how the world could have evolved differently, but often reverts back to a retelling of (often bad) history with the numbers filed off.)

(A sadly rare counter-example.)

You raise a fascinating question about the potential for urbanist fantasy. This is often quite rare in urban fantasy, because often out of a desire to maintain the verisimilitude of urban life, they default to a masquerade scenario which renders it impossible to explore the impact of magic on transit, housing, and other aspects of urbanism because the central conceit is that people with magic are trying to hide and thus have no impact on the mundane world.

However, it does crop up sometimes in Magitech settings, because their central conceit is all about how magic would function in place of science and lead to new ways of organizing societies, urban and otherwise. For a popular example, look at how Arcane examines the social impacts of Hextech and Shimmer. My personal favorite example of urbanist fantasy is the plane of Ravnica from Magic the Gathering.

Ravnica is a ecumenopolis, a city-state that covers the whole planet. The city is governed by a guild council, each of whom are responsible for an aspect of the city’s physical and social infrastructure:

The Azorius Senate is responsible for running the courts and the legal system, and sometimes they run the police as well (although they have a jurisdictional dispute with the Boros Legion on that front).

House Dimir are couriers, messengers, journalists, private investigators, spies, assassins, thieves, and librarians, as well as the city’s clandestine intelligence service - if it deals with information in any way, the Dimir have a hand in it…or do they?

The Cult of Rakdos run the city’s entertainment, food service, retail, and labor recruitment (lots of shanghaing and press ganging goes on in Ravnica) - and they’re also a crazed juggalo bdsm blood cult who are responsible for keeping an ancient arch-demon entertained so he doesn’t try to destroy the city, again.

The Gruul Clans are an anarchist collective responsible for the planet’s wilderness areas, which they try to maximize by violent raids that tear down developed areas any chance they get - which also makes them Ravnica’s main demolition industry. The Boros Legion spends a lot of time defending built-up areas from Gruul rampages.

The Selesnya Conclave are a hippie nature cult commune who manage the city’s parks and other green spaces, as well as providing basic welfare services (food, “shelter,” clothing, etc.) to the city’s poor. They also use magic to do weird hivemind brainwashing in the name of harmony and unity, and they can raise giant Ent-Kaiju to defend the city in times of need.

The Orzhov Syndicate are a vampire banker mafia, and also one of the city’s biggest religions. They believe in debt on a spiritual level, and their religion fully embraces indulgences to their logical conclusion. The Orzhov preach that you can literally buy your way into heaven, and that debts to the (Catholic by way of Prosperity Gospel Evangelical) Church or its many front organizations and legitimate businesses will carry over into the next life; the Orzhov practice debt slavery on both living people and ghosts. And lest you think it’s all a cover for profit-making, they can summon dark angels to conduct rituals, lead services, and make war on their enemies. Something above is answering their prayers…

My personal favorite is the Izzet League, an institute of mad scientists and engineers and elementalist wizards who combine science and magic to research, build, and maintain the city’s infrastructure (as well as funding all tech R&D and theoretical and experimental research in physics, chemistry, and engineering) - the power grid, water and sewer systems, heating and gas lines, as well as the city’s mass transit and transportation/freight system, are all powered by their steam and fire and lightning and Magitech gadgets and robots and cyborgs made out of a magic metal named mizzium. Yes, a lot of their devices explode, and yes their golems and robots and elementals have a tendency to go rogue, but that’s the price of progress!

The Golgari Swarm are a subterranean necromantic cabal who run the city’s waste disposal, burial services, and do the bulk of the agricultural production for Ravnica’s hungry masses. All of Ravnica’s citizens are entitled to a food dole provided by the Golgari’s fungi farms as a form of basic income. Just don’t think too hard about what went into the compost heaps or what your rations might be made of…

The Boros Legion is Ravnica’s main police and military, led by a literal host of warrior angels. Imagine the combination of a police force entirely made up of noir detectives and loose cannon Dirty Harry-esque cops and an army with flying fortresses led by fiery angels who are all deeply dramatic lesbians. True believers one and all, the Boros are here to mete out justice and divine wroth upon evildoers wherever they hide. If they had their way, the Orzhov would all be in prison along with the Gruul and the Rakdos, but the damn bureaucrats in the Azorius Senate keep trying them up in knots with paperwork.

The Simic Combine are responsible for the city’s environmental quality, ensuring biodiversity and sustainability in a global metropolis; they are also the city’s universal health care providers. All Ravnicans have access to free health care, as long as they consent to the Combine’s biomantic research. See, the Simic are the other group of mad scientists/mages in the city, except they went into genetics, environmental science, and (marine) biology and they believe in individual and societal evolution through the use of augmentation, cloning, and splicing. After all, why stop at curing someone’s respiratory illness when you could also give them gills? Or giant crab claws? Or tentacles?

I love the world-building and the attention to urban systems and infrastructure in Ravnica. More than most, they’ve thought about what urban life needs to function and made it magical.

[incorrect-mtg]

Ezrim: Detective Kellan, I was notified by the Azorius that the first trial has been scheduled for one of the cases you were working on. The one about a murder in Gnat Alley?

Kellan: Oh, that's great! We should be all set on that one.

Ezrim: Good. We just need a list of witness to send to the Senate.

Kellan: Ah yes, I had it with my files, one sec... *checks bag* Here!

Ezrim, holding a folder with a giant list of people:

Ezrim: That's a very big folder. How did you get so many people to volunteer as witness?

Kellan, who found a witch for his first quest by just asking around random villages: Oh, I just asked if they could help! The people in Ravnica can be very friendly!

Ezrim:... Ravnicans? Friendly?

[raakdos-battlemap]

[Ravnica Battlemap]Azoruis Chancery

Believing that their legislation is the singular force that prevents Ravnica from descending into chaos, the Azorius Senate mediates and regulates the activities of all of the other guilds and the general populace despite their numerous decrees being ignored in areas that they have too little a foothold in.

Variations of this map:

[mtg-cards-hourly]

Azorius Locket

"Mandatory lockets enable the tracking of all Senate personnel for improved security and efficiency." —Dovin Baan

Artist: Craig J Spearing TCG Player Link Scryfall Link EDHREC Link

[honourablejester]

My thoughts on Ravnica’s Ten Guilds

Since I’m reading through Guildmaster’s Guide to Ravnica for D&D 5e. I have some obvious favourites, but just some general thoughts counting down the line. Also, apparently, some character concepts as well. What I'd play if I was playing this guild. Heh.

Azorius Senate

The Law, capital letters. I have mixed feelings on the Azorius. I tend to have a mildly chaotic bent, so they automatically ruffle my feathers slightly. On an ideological level, they are complicated for me. Especially since they appear, at the moment in time this book is set in, to have lost their foundation and started becoming increasingly autocratic in response. Kneejerk, that inclines me to fight them. Heh.

However. I deeply enjoy investigators, librarians, functionaries and general paper pushers as a character archetype, so I could actually see myself playing an Azorius. An investigator or advocate for the accused or legal secretary who is getting increasingly alarmed at the direction things are going, and who might be looking for ways to investigator or reform the Azorius from within. The Azorius feels like somewhere my favourite knowledge cleric/fey ranger build could do some good. Or a bard. Might be a good place to try a bard. Heh.

Boros Legion

They don’t really spark joy, for much the same reasons as the Azorius. Worse, in some ways, as the Boros are the true enforcing arm. A paranoid military army led by angels that fears it will be undermined from within by corruption and temptation … Not generally my cup of tea, despite being primarily a cleric player.

That being said. A while back I had a thought for a warforged paladin who’d been blasphemously built in the form of an angel. And, well. That could go interestingly with the Boros? Given what they’d likely think about such a creature, especially as paranoid as they are. Did someone commission a blasphemous construct from the Izzet? To what purpose? Sure, she says she only wants to do good, but can we trust her? A warforged redemption paladin who doesn’t know who made her and who genuinely is a good (and trusting) person, but who may actually have been built for a less salubrious purpose. Could be interesting!

House Dimir

Now, see. House Dimir is everything I should adore. Spies! Messengers! Couriers! Lies and secrets and misinformation! Knowledge being power! A guild of assassins and spies disguised as couriers and reporters. Such a juicy tangle. I really should adore them, and kind of do? It’s just. One tiny thing. The Dimir rely on memory magic to hide their dealings, quite casually, and that … can go thorny places for me. They are, in a lot of ways, quite cyberpunk, actually. Mind wiping, implanted memories, orders given by thought transmission. It is cool and thorny and interesting. It just could go bad places for me.

Which is such a shame, as I really want to go play old-school spycraft with these guys. Dead drops and coded messages and deceptively simple orders that have snowballing effects. Maybe not even someone who willingly joined, as such, but who did a favour for someone once and got pulled in progressively deeper, trying desperately to keep their head above water and not let on. Rogue is the obvious first thought, but also I’m thinking GOOlock, because Dimir kind of behave like a warlock patron anyway, in the sense of ‘inscrutable instructions’, and Ravnica also has ‘old gods’, Nephilim, who have equally inscrutable goals. A messenger torn between two equally terrifying and inscrutable masters might be fun! If I play very carefully around the idea that my memories might not be my own.

Golgari Swarm

My far and away favourites! A subterranean undercity built among the sewers and the ruins and the deeper things beneath, full of farmers and sanitation workers and shamans and necromancers. The guild that’s shat on by everyone else, and who patiently wait until the time is right to prove otherwise. Assuming their own factional politics allow, of course. Anyone who knows me, it should be obvious why I love these guys.

Here I would play a rogue. A phantom rogue. Or a gloomstalker ranger. Or a swarmkeeper ranger. Or a spores druid. Or a grave cleric. Or a life cleric. I do suspect this would be the guild I’d play most if I had the opportunity to do so. Lots of options. Though I think swarmkeeper might get first dibs, for, well, obvious reasons. An urchin drawn down into the deeps by the gentle chittering of vermin, the welcome of those equally despised. The artifice and arcane rules of the city above is not for them. There is a simpler, warmer sort of existence down here.

Gruul Clans

Again, mixed feelings here. On the one hand, I feel like Ravnica is playing a little too hard into ‘raging barbarians’ for the Gruul, with the repeated emphasis on just tearing it all down and ‘might makes right’. The Gruul as predators and enemies of all softer or weaker peoples feels reductive. However. This is a power to the image of a people of the wilderness hunted into smaller and smaller reserves, into the rubblebelts and run down sections of the city, into nature restored by tearing the city down to make way for it. There’s something post-apocalyptic about them, both in the sense of their world, the world of nature, having been ended by the city, and then the city in turn being torn down to make way for them again. I feel like if they had a bit more of the Golgari’s ‘it’s all cyclical’ sort of philosophy, plus a little less ‘band of savage warriors led by the toughest and most brutal’, we could really go somewhere with the Gruul. I do quite like the Slizt and Gravel Hide clans, for example.

I would play a Gruul. I don’t know if I’d want to rise within the clans, especially if ‘might makes right’ is the mechanism, but I wouldn’t mind playing a defiant inhabitant of the wastelands, determinedly defending my patch from encroachment, taking pride in survival, in holding to a way of life that the city would destroy. Stars druid, possibly? Or ranger. Or ancestral barbarian. Or wild magic barbarian, the strange, stubborn magic of those places where the city and the wilderness have destroyed each other and become entwined. Yeah, that could be fun.

Izzet League

Ravnica’s mad science guild. BUT. And this is actually the fun part for me. They’re also the guild in (at least nominal) charge of public infrastructure. Plumbing. Transport. Power. Lights. The plumbing for your toilet is in the hands of people who will accidentally clone two million rats in your piping while trying to build a sewage system around the principle of mass shit teleportation relays. Which is fantastic. I love them completely. Second favourite guild after the Golgari. The fact that they’re mostly goblins does not hurt at all. Also, with the current unrest, they’ve all somewhat taken a turn for the Bond villain and are researching superweapons, so that’s extra fun. In the people, again, responsible for your plumbing.

I fully want to start out as a plumber. Attached to the Laboratory of Orientation (aka the teleportation lab). Because, look, a sewage system based on the teleportation of shit is an efficient sewage system! No pooling, no piping, no leaks. Stench teleported away before it gets bad. I’m telling ya, it’s a great idea! Do we necessarily want a bunch of tiny portals honeycombing the structure of our buildings? Absolutely. Don’t even worry about it. I got my engineering degree right here! (Fully a conjuration wizard. Maybe some rogue, maybe some artificer. And yes, they’re a goblin).

Orzhov Syndicate

I mistyped that as ‘sindicate’, which is likely apt, given that they’re mostly an undead banker mafia with a thin veneer of Catholicism on top. Think the Borgias and you’re close. They’re currently getting closer and closer to outright war with the Azorius, because the thin legal veneer over a lot of their racketeering is getting ripped up by the Azorius’ growing paranoia and dedication to writing out loopholes, but for the moment they’re just doing their best to increase the divide between their legal and illegal ventures to hide them better. It’s all very much ambition and greed and a veneer of respectability.

Which is why it baffles me that bard is not a suggested class for them, because whispers bard was my literal first thought. The suggestions are cleric, fighter, rogue or wizard, and I’m baffled, because unless you’re playing a straight enforcer, the Orzhov would seem to be the Charisma-based guild? Deception, Persuasion, Intimidation, no? Whispers bard, conquest paladin if you’re aiming enforcer, assassin or mastermind rogue if you’re aiming for the blackmail route, order cleric or celestial warlock if you want to act the part of churchman better. Orzhov is about vicious social climbing in a system where the top spots are all jealously held by undead oligarchs who most certainly won’t be clearing a path for upward mobility unless forced to do so. My first thought was whispers bard, a lean, handsome young thing who has tasted poverty and will do anything to avoid sinking so low again.

Cult of Rakdos

Not going to lie, I get a strong tang of Warhammer 40K’s dark eldar from the Rakdos. Dark hedonism and violence, the seedy underbelly of the city. They don’t do a lot for me, not gonna lie. They’re probably my least favourite of the guilds. I do like the theatre aspect, the circus of fear, the ideas of ‘backstage’ including basically spycraft, but they’re a chaotic evil guild and it does show.

If I was playing a Rakdos character … guild-owned dark speakeasies are mentioned. And if we’re talking that, something a little noir flavoured … I could be a Rakdos femme fatale, maybe? Less ‘evil’ and more ‘amoral’, a songstress who likes to destroy her enemies in interesting ways. Bard again, possibly glamour bard, although I really like creation bards, and there’s an interesting bit of blasphemy about the song of creation in the mouth of demon-worshipper that could add something. Glamour does work better for the femme fatale, but creation tickles me more. Yeah.

Selesnya Conclave

If the Dimir are giving cyberpunk vibes, the Selesnya are giving me … also cyberpunk vibes, with a solarpunk skin. The ‘city and nature entwined’, green gardens and growing cities, very solarpunk, but the emphasis on collectivism, on the destruction of selfishness and desire, on the subsummation of the individual into the peaceful, coherent whole … there’s a dystopic edge running under them. Less obviously than the Azorius or the Orzhov, but definitely present. (I’m realising that, in MtG terms, I don’t vibe well with White). And, see, I like a lot of their overall goals. I love the natural cities thing, I love striving for overall good. I tend to play neutral good. They just … I get a ‘death of the self’ sort of vibe from them that weirds me out a bit. They seem weirdly more culty than Rakdos to me.

Playing a Selesnya character … I want to be a gardener. No higher ambitions, no greater thoughts. An innocent, who genuinely just wants to help the plants grow. A dreams druid, I think. A gentle druid focused on healing and shelter. And maybe I meet some things for the first time that make me … question. How innocent can you afford to be?

(I am probably being unfair to them, and it probably says a lot about what I’ve been trained to see, given that the Selesnya are broadly good, decent people. I just … I kneejerk distrust it about them. I want to cleave my own path).

Simic Combine

My third favourite guild. Mad science, biology edition! With bonus lovecraftian oceanic vibes. And yes, they are just as dystopic as the Selesnya, and they’ll do it rewriting your body, but I just vibe with them more. I love the zonots. Simic home territories are sinkholes called zonots that pierce through the layers of city and undercity to the buried ocean beneath. Immediately, this adds a whole other layer to Ravnica as a city and a planet for me. The city is at least partly built over top of an ocean. The Simic are also currently divided between the isolationist faction, who believe that slow, cyclical evolution and staying connected to nature will win out, and the adaptationist faction, who believe that we need to evolve now, by hook or by crook, because the system is collapsing and we need to keep up. These are the Simics gearing up for war, by way of aquatic supersoldier experiments.

I think I would like to play an adaptationist spy. Or information-gathering operative, at least, I would want to be a mutated Simic hybrid, so I’m not like Dimir level passing for any old joe soap on the street. I think I’d want to be either an alchemist artificer or a fathomless warlock. Maybe the fathomless, the result of an experiment, more than the one performing the experiments, which would be the alchemist’s wheelhouse.

Other Thoughts

I would so love to play like a Golgari-Simic campaign that’s about exploring the depths of the undercity/underocean for secrets. The zonots and the undercity are so cool. This is a city planet where the city has eaten the world, but strange things lie underneath, and I’m vibing with that so much. We could bring along a Gruul, digging for the foundations of the world that was lost. A Dimir, making sure nobody unearths any superweapons or nothing. Possibly an Izzet, in the hopes that we do. I just really, really, really want an explorer party to go digging under Ravnica.

I also wouldn’t mind a Golgari-Gruul ‘scavengers living on the edges’ sort of campaign, a sort of post-apocalyptic urban scavenger, literal ‘seed of new hope’ where the cycles turn back towards wilderness again.

And then there’s a noir campaign, your Azorius-Dimir-Rakdos sort of game, with possibly some Izzet spice in the sense of ‘why was this Izzet plumber murdered: what did they build or what did they find?’. Heh.

Ravnica does have such a lot to recommend it as a setting. Feelings on WotC aside, this place has such cool, complicated vibes.

This is my VtM Nosfertu talking, though: Golgari for the win!

[dimestoretajic]

THE MAGIC THE GATHERING FACTIONS BRACKET

HELLO EVERYONE! Oh, this is gonna be a fun one! I have semi-randomly set up a 32-faction bracket to see who is the greatest faction in all the Multiverse. What does "greatest" mean? That's up to you! I'm just here to facilitate the squabbles and watch with popcorn in hand, honestly. Can't wait to see what you all decide!

And... yeah, reblog if you like. No pressure, but this is so much more fun when more people participate!

Here are the seeds!

Quandrix College vs. Clan Atarka

House Dimir vs. The Mirrans*

Lorehold College vs. The Sultai Brood

Simic Combine vs. Silverquill College

The Cabaretti vs. The Jeskai Way

Boros Legion vs. The Maestros

Clan Dromoka vs. Izzet League

Selesnya Conclave vs. Clan Kolaghan

Abzan Houses vs. Cult of Rakdos

Orzhov Syndicate vs. Prismari College

Obscura vs. Gruul Clans

The Phyrexians vs. Witherbloom College

Clan Ojutai vs. Golgari Swarm

Brokers vs. Temur Frontier

Mardu Horde vs. Azorius Senate

Clan Silumgar vs. The Riveteers

Have fun, everyone! I know I will! Get voting!

*I know there's a typo on that one. You can't edit polls after you post them and there's SIXTEEN and I was doing them in reverse order, okay? :P

[overgrown-estate]

Niv-Mizzet has decided to appoint an assistant, a figurehead to carry out his orders. It has come down to Commander Mustard of the Boros Legion and Lavinia, Grand Arbiter Pro Tem of the Azorius Senate.