The Guildpact

Description

Originally conceived by the lawmage sphinx Azor I, it serves as a basis for all Ravnican law, setting statutes and ordinances for each guild so that each of the ten guilds has its own place. Its magic is enforced especially in the most significant representatives of the guilds, such as the League of Wojek. For instance, when a Wojek officer wishes to imprison someone who has directly violated a Guildpact law, it is possible to restrain them utterly. Not even Paruns are capable of breaking such a seal.

As a failsafe, the Guildpact could be altered with the agreement of all ten guild leaders, but not to the point of altering the foundation of the pact. The foundation of the pact is, in essence, the part each guild plays in the day-to-day operation of Ravnica.

• The Azorius Senate writes the law and tries lawbreakers in their courts. They have a branch dedicated to enforcement of the law, but this is a task shared by nearly every guild. Advocating for the citizens in these courts is not necessarily the purview of the Senate, but they do have a hand in it as well as a few other guilds.
• The Boros Legion is the standing army and constabulary of Ravnica. They have the largest armed force dedicated to upholding the law in the entire city and many specialized investigative and enforcement squads designed to sleuth out and outright destroy any and every threat to the public's wellbeing.
• House Dimir are, contrary to popular belief, a very vital part of the Guildpact. Their constant attempts to undermine the other guilds and the legendary pact itself is a function that helps it evolve and flourish. It is doubtful that the leaders of this guild act with this in mind, but nonetheless that is the outcome of their meddling.
• The Golgari Swarm serve primarily as processors for the city's waste. They expound upon this by recycling the decay from the surface of the city and using various magical farming techniques to grow food using that very waste. This food, while looked down upon by the rich, is free for anyone should they need it and is fairly nutritious. While their function sounds altruistic and humanitarian, the culture within the Swarm is anything but.
• The Gruul Clans were originally the caretakers of the wild parts of Ravnica. As society progressed and the wilderness was removed from their care, these once noble clans descended into savages whose only goal is a perverted form of their original purpose: to allow the wilds to reclaim their dominance once more.
• The Izzet League are in charge of city works projects and making sure the basic amenities are available for Ravnica's citizens. They maintain the plumbing, electricity, and various other functions necessary to the function of the great city. Over the years they went above and beyond this designation, eventually even developing new technology to make the lives of the citizens easier and more convenient.
• The Orzhov Syndicate are primarily the bankers and loaners of Ravnica with their hands in advocating for citizens in court as well as minting new currency. They approach this responsibility in a religious fashion, creating an entire philosophy behind money, its application, its management, and its worship. The Syndicate's religion of money represents the dark corporate side of Ravnica and those that buy into it are either desperately poor or absurdly rich with almost no in-between.
• The Cult of Rakdos functions as the jester in Ravnica's culture, using performance and satire to skewer the powerful and embolden the weak. With the purpose of providing entertainment to the great city, the fairly disorganized cult opts to fund guildless clubs and theaters in addition to their own directly owned Diversion Clubs. This entertainment association provides much of the lower income guildless citizens with a steady job, but the closer to the Cult one finds themselves, the more they notice attractions and clubs dedicated to more depraved and unhinged pleasures.
• The Selesnya Conclave are charged with maintaining the balance between nature, the city, and its citizens. The culture within this guild promotes a mentality of selflessness and unity with nature, in fact they are the reason there are so many parks in the great city. Going beyond the original function of the guild, the Conclave has also become the main source of transportation around the city because of their proficiency in training beasts, both flying and grounded. The inclusive religion of the Conclave represents the altruistic and well-meaning side of Ravnican society.
• The Simic Combine function as the medical scientists of Ravnican society. For thousands of years, their research into the various biological lifeforms of the city blossomed into groundbreaking medical advancements and the funding of hospital structures as well as sponsoring medical training for the guildless. Once they mastered their primary functions, the Combine began to expand beyond its original purpose, experimenting and, according to them, improving upon their genetic makeup and breeding new species of creatures and plant life. While most of these are shunned by the general population as monsters, the cuter mutants they create have a niche market as expensive pets and the more monstrous creatures they create are utilized in various city functions as guards.

History

The Original Guildpact The Guildpact itself is focused upon an ancient, primeval living document signed with blood and magic by each of the paruns to represent their willingness to work together to hold the city together. The first draft of the Guildpact, pressed under three inches of magic-treated glass and authored by Azor himself, is still kept preserved in the Old Laws Library of the Azorius Jelenn Column complex.
Not surprisingly, since its signing the various leaders since then — including the still-living paruns — have worked hard to find loopholes in which to set forward their own plans. The Guildpact's spell was finally broken when Agrus Kos arrested Szadek for crimes against the Guildpact, when he tried to destroy it by taking control of other guilds. This generated a loophole because the Guildpact dictated House Dimir's task as opposing the Guildpact, making it impossible for Szadek to be legally arrested for crimes against it.
The Empty Guildpact Authored by the Orzhov Syndicate's Teysa Karlov, this document lacked the ancient magical backing of its predecessor but was drafted in a long shot attempt to keep the peace after the breaking of the original Guildpact.

Areas of Influence

While the laws of the Guildpact are metaphysical binding forces across the whole plane, there exist spaces that are exempt from it. One of them is the inner sanctum of the Orzhov Syndicate's Obzedat is a dead spot within the law, allowing the Obzedat to even countermand guildpact laws with their own edicts.