Overview
Without the extensive legal code crafted and enforced by the Azorius, society would crumble,
transforming Ravnica into a field of rubble where the Gruul and the Rakdos do whatever they please. The
Azorius carry this weighty responsibility with stoic pride, and they perform their work of legislation, investigation,
and enforcement with steely determination. The first guild master of the Azorius Senate was a sphinx named Azor. He was the author of the original Guildpact, as well as the creator of the elaborate contingency plan that resulted in the creation of the Council of the Guildpact. The Azorius Senate was meant to carry on his legacy by serving as the legislative body of Ravnica.
The Senate are characterized as being aloof, bureaucratic, excessively formalistic, and fastidious, spending hours upon hours with legal documents and ensuring action, if any should occur, stringently adheres to protocol. For such reasons, the Azorius can be deeply disdained by other Ravnicans. Those who decry the Azorius often say that they prefer to act through inaction.
Purpose
The Azorius Senate works alongside
The Boros Legion,
The Selesnya Conclave, Guildless factions, and most of the other guilds to a much smaller extent, in order to see to the enforcement of the law. In addition to serving as the judges in Ravnica's judicial sector, they work alongside
The Orzhov Syndicate to provide Advocates and Lawmages for accusers, claimants, complainants, plaintiffs and defendants.
Core Values
Ultimately, the Azorius advocates for harmony, peace, and the status quo, doing so via their intrinsic and intrusive involvement in all affairs on Ravnica and with their legions of knights and paladins as well as mages adept in countermagic, magic to disable and hinder those who would break the law, and other forms of law magic. Believing that their legislation is the singular force that prevents Ravnica from descending into chaos, the Azorius Senate mediates and regulates the activities of all of the other guilds and the general populace despite their numerous decrees being ignored in areas that they have too little a foothold in.
Goals
The Senate's ultimate goal is the perfection of society. They want to protect the people of Ravnica and foster a community of peace and harmony. A society's values, they contend, are reflected in the laws it creates. Something is good if it is lawful. To the Azorius, the highest virtue is a society built on stability and order, and the guild's elaborate system of laws is structured to prevent wrongdoing first and foremost, even at the expense of certain liberties. The Azorius can act as a benevolent and proactive force that keeps evildoers in check, but it can also act as an oppressive bureaucratic force that stifles freedom and expression.
This Guild embraces the belief that Ravnican society has come too far to succumb to the chaos. Civilization can be saved only through the guidance of a strong safety-focused government. In the mind of the Azorius, chaos is imminent. They believe it is time to face facts and do whatever is necessary to protect the people and preserve the force of law.
Now more than ever the Azorius view agents of disorder as their greatest enemies. They have cracked down on
The Gruul Clans and imposed a variety of creatively written laws outlawing the guild's presence in as many public places as possible. Additionally, they believe the abhorrent shows that
The Rakdos Cult perpetrate are detrimental to pristine societal values (in part because the Azorius are frequently ridiculed by Rakdos Satirists) and attempt to curb them with new decrees about public performances. In response to attempts by other guilds to to edge their way around the system, usually
The Orzhov Syndicate, the Azorius routinely create new laws to support or countermand the old ones.
Organization Structure
The rigid hierarchy of the Azorius Senate is reflected in the guild's triangle-shaped crest; most Azorius functionaries report to one superior, and are reported to by two subordinates. The Senate is supported by three branches called Columns, each lead by an Arbiter. The Arbiters of the three Columns form the Triumvirate, which advises the Grand Arbiter, otherwise known as the Supreme Judge and Guildmaster. The current leader of the Triumvirate is Supreme Judge
Isperia, an ancient and wise Sphinx.
The Senate is divided into three main branches:
• Sova Column
This Column acts as judges and the extensive legal apparatus surrounding them. It is tasked primarily with adjudicating and arbitrating the effects of the law. To do so, this column employs legal aides, pages, librarians, experts on precedent, advocates for the accused, public prosecutors, and judges. Becoming Arbiter of the Sova Column is considered to be one of the most powerful positions anyone in Ravnica can hold next to being a Guildmaster, in fact, there have been multiple Azorius Guildmasters, including the current one, that have come from this Column.
Led by the Arbiter Leonos II, a wise and kind Human Judge and Lawmage who takes pains to consider all perspectives before issuing a judgment - even the perspectives of the spirits of the dead, with whom he can communicate. He is patient and utterly loyal to the guild.
There are a great number of Sphinx that support the Senate in this column. The Azorius revere these wise beings as embodiments of the law and their place in the guild has been a cornerstone of the Sova Column since Parun Azor I founded the guild.
• Jelenn Column
This Column acts as Scribes and Elocutor. The term Elocutor covers all communication functions, from simple messengers — who are often spirits — to conflict mediation. The Jelenn write and enact the laws of Ravnica, involving the efforts not just of the designated legislators but also a network of bureaucrats, aides, writers, researchers, lobbyists, clerks, and so on. These folks may be simple scribes or clerks, but their ability to speak and connect with people coupled with possessing a few tricks to survive outside of Azorius territory makes them ideal to be the face of the guild alongside the very pronounced Lyev Column.
Led by a eccentric Vedalken Lawmage named Uzana. She is renowned for a nearly perfect memory, and has memorized every statute of Azorius law, down to the letter. Most of her speeches are littered with quotations from those statutes.
• Lyev Column
he most prominent face of the Senate present themselves in the ranks of the Lyev Column where the Azorius martial force resides. Present in this Column are a vast number of different ranks and specialties that make an Azorius task force a very real threat to criminals trying to edge into Senate territory or airspace.
Led by the Human Hussar Commander Agmand Sarv who, despite never seeing combat, has earned himself a reputation as a brilliant military strategist, the Lyev work as Lawmages, Investigators and Enforcers in the many-leveled hierarchy of the Column.
Lawmages and their various ranks make up close to half of the Azorius military force with the other half consisting of various forms of Arresters. Lawmages and Arresters both can be assigned the rank of Hussar, which means they are given a mount and are considered distinguished among the others. The Senate primarily uses Griffins as their Skyknight mounts and Horses as their ground based mounts.
The Lyev Column is also venturing into the work of managing surveillance and precognition, creating another special form of Lawmage, the Precognitive Mage. With the growing surveillance and the addition of precognition to their arsenal, the Senate feels it more than makes up for its overall military size being much smaller than the Boros Legion's.
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