House Dimir
A vampire appeared out of the darkness, as quiet as a breeze. He was stripped to the waist despite the chill underground, and his eyes reflected light like a cat’s. He floated effortlessly down from the upper reaches of the chamber, and alighted on the chamber floor near the two of them.A dark secret, the shape in the dark, the knife from the shadows, that is House Dimir, Ravnica's most secret guild. Bearing a facade of respectable messengers and reporters, this association of spies and assassins are generally believed to be nothing more than myth by the people of Ravnica. Secrecy is simultaneously House Dimir's greatest weapon and best defence. Much of the guild's operations are kept hushed from even it's own members, many not knowing who other agents are outside of their cell. Dimir operatives are so covert they leave no trace whatsoever, distorting the minds of any witnesses or even to the point of wiping their own minds. This removes any evidence, in the unlikely event of capture and questioning later. They cannot answer questions they no longer know the answers to. House Dimir's first ever guildmaster was the vampire, Szadek. They agreed to act as the realm's couriers, librarians and information brokers. But Szadek had other plans in mind, instead he put his expertise at gathering information to use to create a vast network of spies. Before long the covert operations of the guild greatly outnumbered it's more legal and above board ones. After some time the guild disappeared into the shadows and most of the population eventually started to believe them nothing more than just stories. Szadek, being an immortal, led the guild for roughly ten thousand years. This came to an end at his arrest and subsequent death in the turmoil that was the Decamillenial Celebration.
Inside House Dimir
House Dimir has a clandestine aspect hidden from all but its most important members. The guildmaster, Lazav, and his direct contacts guide and manipulate the covert operations of the guild. Members of House Dimir ultimately receive their orders from this source without having any idea of who issued the order or why. Messages to agents are funnelled through thought strands and telepathic couriers. By design, agents don’t have much interaction with other members of the guild. They might never meet their primary guild contact face to face, instead receiving assignments and sending reports by way of secret message drops and codes.
Goals of the Dimir
House Dimir is all about secrets and misinformation, even where its own members are concerned. Any given Dimir agent knows of no more than a handful of alleyway contacts and dossier drop spots. One agent knows another only by a code name, or receives communications only at a particular meeting spot at a specific place and time. Every self-proclaimed expert with an opinion on the matter has a theory about the guild’s intentions, and all those guesses about Dimir’s motivations and pursuits contradict each other, frustrating any attempt to get to the truth of things. The public face of Dimir remains inscrutable, which some interpret as the best evidence that the guild’s true plans mean something dire for the Ravnican populace.
To House Dimir, knowledge is power. The guild hungers to learn everything it doesn’t already know, especially the weaknesses of its adversaries, and to exploit those weaknesses for its own gain. Conversely, the house holds its own secrets tightly, because it doesn’t want its enemies to turn the tables. The Dimir lurk in the shadows, methodically gathering the knowledge they need to remake Ravnica to their advantage.
House Dimir’s progress toward its goals depends on a web woven from meticulously gathered intelligence. Unpredictable behavior by other guilds can destabilize that web. If the Boros take sudden, forceful action inspired by an unexpected burst of zeal, the Dimir could be caught off guard. The Selesnya behave predictably on the whole, but the members of the conclave are so numerous that it can be hard for the Dimir to keep track of their activities. Of all the other guilds, the Izzet and the Gruul concern the Dimir the most; their erratic methods of decision-making, combined with their unflinching approach to danger, can quickly undermine any Dimir strategy designed to contain them.
Type
Guild, Assassins
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