Rakdos Cult
Tomorrow is an illusion; everything is ridiculous. Members of the Cult of Rakdos have witnessed the grandiose speeches and self-important plans of other guilds and concluded that their rivals take themselves far too seriously. Since death comes for everyone, and since order tends inevitably toward chaos, the Rakdos believe that unrestrained, moment-to-moment hedonism is the only sane way to live. Of course, few other Ravnicans would describe the Rakdos as sane.
The Cult of Rakdos bears the name of the demon lord who founded it. As laid out in the Guildpact, the guild was intended to fill roles concerning entertainment, mining, and manual labor. Some argue that any effort to give a demonic cult a respectable role in society was doomed to failure, but the cult remains part of Ravnica’s social fabric nevertheless. The Guildpact prohibits the cult’s extermination, and its entertainments — even as dark and destructive as they are — hold broad appeal. From rowdy mobs who love to see the Rakdos skewer the powerful elites to decadent socialites who come to the Rakdos for illicit amusements, most of Ravnica’s people don’t really want the Rakdos to go away, as much as they might publicly protest otherwise.
As one of Ravnica’s original guild founders, the demon Rakdos has been part of Ravnica for millennia. Members of other guilds know Rakdos through his reputation for capricious cruelty and megalomania, but those who join the guild idolize him for his magnetic presence, which inspires art and encourages utter wantonness. Because Rakdos finds destruction entertaining, his cultists incorporate deadly acts into their performances in hopes of catching his eye and earning his favor.
The demon lord slumbers in Rix Maadi, the Rakdos guildhall, a volcanic region found in the Undercity. The passage there from the surface is known as the Demon's Vestibule.
Stages for Rakdos performances appear on streets and plazas throughout Ravnica every night, and they’re gone by morning — carried to and fro on the backs of giants. Permanent establishments that cater to dark desires are tucked away in the seediest neighborhoods of the city, such as the Smelting Quarter in Precinct Six of the Tenth District.
Type
Political, Faction / Party
Leader
Subsidiary Organizations
Location
Controlled Territories
Organization Vehicles
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