Guilds of Ravnica

• The Guildpact

More than ten thousand years ago, a war tore across the world of Ravnica. Ten armies battled for control of the world in a conflict that ended with the creation of a magical contract of immense power known as the Guildpact.   The leaders of each of the ten armies, ancient beings known as paruns, were the signatories to the Guildpact, they became the first guildmasters of Ravnica.   The text of the Guildpact spelled out specific roles for each guild within the infrastructure of Ravnica, allowing the city to grow while the guilds coexisted in relative peace. But the true power of the Guildpact was the strength of its magically binding force , which absolutely prevented any large scale violence among the guilds   For ten millenia, the city grew and flourished under this structure as the guilds evolved into unique and powerful forces, often venturing far from their original purpose.   The signing of the Guildpact marked the beginning of the modern Ravnican calendar.   Years prior to that pivotal event are denoted as "AI Concordant," or AC, and counted backward from 1 AC. Years after the signing are "Zal Concordant," ZC. The current date is 10,076 ZC, usually referred to as '76.  

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During the Decamillenial Celebration of 10,000 ZC commemorating a monumental anniversary of the Guildpact's signing, the pact was broken, the ancient balance shattered, and Ravnica was thrown into chaos.   It didn't take long for wealthy power-mongers to begin seizing control of elements in the city, turning the guilds to their service instead of the other way around. Eventually, the ten-thousand-year-old guild culture and division of duties reasserted itself. The ten guilds regained their dominant positions, but without the magically binding force of the Guildpact to maintain balance among them.   Years later, in 10,075 ZC, the Izzet guildmaster discovered that Azor, founder of the Azorius senate, had created a contingency plan that would take effect if the magic of the Guildpact were ever broken.   An intricate network of ley lines sprawling across the districts of Ravnica, called the Implicit Maze, offered a test to the guilds: if they could cooperate to solve the maze, they would secure the power of a new Guildpact.   That power was eventually bestowed, incarnated, actually, in the person of Jace Beleren, who became the Living Guildpact. His word became the binding law of Ravnica. Any law he verbally confirmed became magically unbreakable, and the responsibility of keeping the guilds in balance fell to him.  

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Jace is a Planeswalker, with the ability to travel from world to world, and his attention never remains focused on Ravnica for long. Thanks to his involvement with other Planeswalkers, he spends extended periods of time away from Ravnica.   During his absences, Ravnica has to fend for itself, and that means that the guilds return to their old habits of fighting with each other over the smallest scraps of influence that could tilt the balance of power in their favor. These conflicts erupt in a variety of forms.   Sometimes guilds clash violently in the streets: Boros forces try to quell Gruul riots, Azorius arresters raid a Rakdos murder show, or Selesnya forces come together to repel a Golgari incursion.   More often, sinister plots unfold in secret, through infiltration, sabotage, theft, and deception. Schemes are hidden in layers of other schemes, making the intention behind them nearly impossible to discover.   The guildmasters are often the source of these plots, but sometimes subordinates attack other guilds to gain more influence within their own. In the absence of the Guildpact, some people believe it's only a matter of time until these schemes and skirmishes escalate into an all out war on a scale that Ravnica hasn't known for ten millenia.   With the precarious peace always hanging in the balance, opportunities abound for adventurers to serve their guilds or advance their own agendas. Whether delving into the dungeons of the Undercity, pursuing assassins through bustling streets, negotiating accords among the rich and powerful, or sniffing out corruption in the halls of law, the characters in a Ravnica campaign have a world of adventure to explore.