Cult of Rakdos
Rules—who needs 'em? Certainly not the Cult of Rakdos.
To a member of the Cult, rules are a great way to waste the all-too-brief spark of life that comes before the inevitability of death. All the "law and order" talk that the Azorius Senate crows on about? It's an illusion. Chaos is inevitable, life is short, death is natural, planning for the future is meaningless; let's party.
To examine the organizational hierarchy of the Rakdos too closely is to miss the point. They used to be loosely organized into Rings, much like a circus, with Rakdos Ringmasters in charge of the Cult's clubs, festivals, performances, and fighting arenas. As the Cult has been pushed further into the margins of Ravnican society, however, they've taken to the streets as a travelling theater troupe.
While many of their performances are purely hedonistic (not to mention highly destructive), the Rakdos love to parody and lampoon authority as well. They don't much care for any guild that seeks power, viewing all external leadership as a threat to their individual freedoms. Beyond their work as entertainers, some of the more respectable Cult members are often shunted into service industry jobs while the less respectable Cultists end up as assassins or laborers. As you can imagine, the Cult of Rakdos doesn't exactly have a great reputation among the rest of Ravnican society. But while the Cult's penchant for anarchy and cruelty is looked down on, it is widely accepted that the Rakdos are incomparable performers and hosts.
In terms of leadership, the Cult of Rakdos lives up to its name. The guild was founded by an ancient demon named Rakdos, who is worshipped by his cultists as the ultimate entertainer. Rakdos is the embodiment of everything that his guild holds dear: hedonism, cruelty, chaos and the power to make an audience rise to their feet and cheer. Since the fickle demon spends much of his time slumbering beneath the guild hall in Rix Maadi, putting on a performance that Rakdos both attends and enjoys is one of the highest possible honors that a member of the Cult can achieve.
To a member of the Cult, rules are a great way to waste the all-too-brief spark of life that comes before the inevitability of death. All the "law and order" talk that the Azorius Senate crows on about? It's an illusion. Chaos is inevitable, life is short, death is natural, planning for the future is meaningless; let's party.
To examine the organizational hierarchy of the Rakdos too closely is to miss the point. They used to be loosely organized into Rings, much like a circus, with Rakdos Ringmasters in charge of the Cult's clubs, festivals, performances, and fighting arenas. As the Cult has been pushed further into the margins of Ravnican society, however, they've taken to the streets as a travelling theater troupe.
While many of their performances are purely hedonistic (not to mention highly destructive), the Rakdos love to parody and lampoon authority as well. They don't much care for any guild that seeks power, viewing all external leadership as a threat to their individual freedoms. Beyond their work as entertainers, some of the more respectable Cult members are often shunted into service industry jobs while the less respectable Cultists end up as assassins or laborers. As you can imagine, the Cult of Rakdos doesn't exactly have a great reputation among the rest of Ravnican society. But while the Cult's penchant for anarchy and cruelty is looked down on, it is widely accepted that the Rakdos are incomparable performers and hosts.
In terms of leadership, the Cult of Rakdos lives up to its name. The guild was founded by an ancient demon named Rakdos, who is worshipped by his cultists as the ultimate entertainer. Rakdos is the embodiment of everything that his guild holds dear: hedonism, cruelty, chaos and the power to make an audience rise to their feet and cheer. Since the fickle demon spends much of his time slumbering beneath the guild hall in Rix Maadi, putting on a performance that Rakdos both attends and enjoys is one of the highest possible honors that a member of the Cult can achieve.
Notable Members
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