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Adventure in an alternate version of the city plane Ravnica from Magic The Gathering. |
| On an alternate version of the city plane of Ravnica are two great factions made up of smaller guilds seeking to claim total control of the entire world. These factions have been at a standstill for years but upon the dawning of a new era the balance of power may yet tip. It is up to you to pick a side and shape your destiny in this strange and wonderful place, but first you need to get up to speed... NOTE: If you play Magic The Gathering and already know the setting and mechanics you can go ahead and skip down to the rules at the bottom of the page as most of the rest of this introduction is stuff you probably know. (I would advise you to keep this page open in a different tab for reference if you plan on writing a chapter though, as many guilds are slightly changed from their card game counterparts.) Basic Information Ravnica: The setting of this story is a massive fantasy world, but with an urban twist. Instead of endless plains and forests Ravnica is an entire world almost completely covered in buildings. Some float in the sky overhead, some twist beneath the streets, some have grown around plants, some are built in bodies of water and some are massive enough to be considered artificial mountains. Mana: The fuel to use magic and cast spells. Mages and magical creatures alike can interact with it to wage war, heal the sick or just about anything else they can think up. Mana comes from the land itself and each types has limits to what it can do. White Mana: This mana comes from plains and favors healing, enchanting, protection and equality spells. It is the color of law, order and duty with a heavy focus on light and recovery based magic. Blue Mana: The color of focus, curiosity and intelligence which comes from islands. This mana is excellent at countering other types of magic and granting new knowledge to its users. Blue mana focuses mostly on water, ice and psychic magic. Black Mana: The corrupting, but not outright evil mana produced by swamps. It is the color of ambition, power and death. It's spells tend to focus on necromancy, disease, insanity and assassination. Red Mana: The color of freedom, randomness, and passion. This color comes from mountains and has power over dragons, fire, lightning, goblins, magma and stone. Green Mana: The life giving color of forests that stands for growth, strength and the natural world. It focuses almost entirely on providing and empowering life with a strong focus on healing, animals, raw power, plants and removing artifacts or things that fly. The Factions The two main factions are each broken up into five aligned guilds. The first is the Alliance, which seeks to control and regulate the plane while the second faction, the Resistance, seeks to embrace personal freedom and choice for everyone. The Alliance The Alliance are led by the Azorius Senate and seek to tightly regulate what goes on in the city at all times. Under the command of a dense network of bureaucrats and politicians are several trained soldiers and law enforcement officers seeking to bring peace to the city through a strict code of conduct. Guilds Azorius Senate Colors: White/Blue Leader: The Grand Overseer, a powerful mage dressed in elegant robes and a ceremonial mask. No one has seen their face or knows their true identity, even those working directly under them. The Overseer rarely passes judgment over someone personally, but is a veteran of combat and can easily bind a giant or dragon with their law magic. Role: The Azorius Senate serves as a standing government for most of the city and is in charge of making the laws, funding federal businesses, maintaining order and keeping things running smooth and orderly. Power: The Azorius specialize in powerful counter magic, binding spells and weakening spells. They also have access to and run most of the cities oldest libraries and keep track of all sorts of important files and personal information. If they don't have a record of it, it probably didn't happen. Home Base: The Trigon Of Order, which is a massive courthouse surrounded by thick steel walls and filled with a never ending maze of hallways, conference rooms and courts of law. If not for the highly trained scribes they task with keeping track of guests most visitors would never even find the main hall. Aside from legal appointments the Trigon Of Order is normally unavailable to the general public. Boros Legion Colors: White/Red Leader: Azona The Fireheart. Azona was once a poor girl abandoned on the streets who learned to survive by learning fire magic from a local outcast from the Izzet guild. In her adulthood she spent several long years as a soldier and a city guard before finding a home in the Boros Legion. After many more years of hard work she was promoted to leader last year on her 40th birthday. She is strict and ruthless when it comes to enforcing the law, but has a soft sport for children and animals. Role: Law enforcement and special services. The Boros Legion carry out the law and swiftly deal with troublemakers wherever they appear. Whether the crime is coldblooded murder or a simple pickpocket they show no mercy to criminals and take their jobs deathly seriously. Though they respect the law they have no trouble breaking it if it means serving the greater good. Power: The Boros are hardened soldiers and even their lowest officers are fierce opponents. In addition to well-equipped soldiers and highly trained captains are a handful of skilled battle mages that assist the Legion in combat. They will hunt convicts to the ends of Ravnica and have no problem using lethal force when nessicery. Home Base: The Bronze Keep, a massive police station and maximum security prison rolled into one. Below the series of offices upstairs is a deep underground dungeon filled with dangerous prisoners. Each cell block has more powerful guards and magic runes the deeper it gets, with dragons and deadly wardens guarding the lowest levels. Between the dungeon and offices is a large battle area where recruits train and test their combat prowess. Orzhov Syndicate Colors: White/ Black Leader: Claire Ivoryblood. The heiress to an aristocratic family with a long tradition of membership to the guild Claire was the perfect choice to become the new leader when the past one fell ill and died in his sleep. It was hard work to find the right poison to dispose of him discreetly along with the rest of her immediate family, but the perks of being the guild leader were too big a prize for her to ignore. Claire is corrupt and selfish, but also fair-minded when it comes to her clients and running her guild. She's willing to give second chances and excuse minor failures but those who continue to disappoint her are rarely seen or heard from again. Role: Running loan offices, banks, pawn shops, churches and small clinics. While much of their business is legal they also run many shady businesses on the side like slavery rings and extortion rackets. To them everything has its price, even the human soul. It's just a matter of offering the correct deal to whoever is desperate enough to turn to them. Power: Their massive stockpile of money would normally be a game changer but the Orzhov are so reluctant to spend any of it that it mostly stays locked away in vaults or stacked upon alters. One thing they do have is an army of deadly enforcers to collect their dues on time and make sure those that have no money left still pay a price. They employ everything from haunting spirits of the dead to mindless work thrulls to do their bidding, which makes them a dangerous foe if angered. Home Base: The Platinum Haven, a massive church combined with a bank. Though it offers many services to the common citizen most of the private rooms are kept sealed off and guard thrulls can be found everywhere inside along with normal security. The entire place is literally a fortress just as much as it is a place of worship and kept under the watchful eye of spirits at all times. House Dimir Colors: Blue/Black Leader: The Nameless One. Not much is know about The Nameless One except that he is male, extremely long lived and has an extensive thirst for knowledge and secrets. Few members of even his own guild know he exists and even fewer knows what his plans or long term goals are. Role: Running Ravnca's libraries as a front to their more shady businesses. Their specialties are discreet assassination, espionage, thievery, information gathering and covering up their clients crimes. In addition to this they also run an intricate black market network of forbidden wares all across the city. Power: Their main skill is stealth, to the point that many people doubt that the guild even truly exists. They lack direct combat ability compared to the other guilds, but make up for it with their deadly precision and ghostly assassins. Most enemies don't see them coming until its too late. Home Base: Unlike the other guilds the Dimir don't have many permanent residences and tend to set up temporary outposts near important locations. The closest thing they have to a base is The Forbidden Door, a large library with several floors where many of their members meet in secret to discuss important matters. Selesnya Conclave Colors: White/Green Leader: Father Gavin VIII. Nicknamed "The Great Father" and "The Leader Of The Many" Gavin VIII has been the much beloved ruler of the Conclave for the past 30 years after the death of his sister. He is known to be fair and kind to the public but many rumors have spread that he is not what he seems and will lead the guild to its ruin. Despite this he is friends with many people and treats his son and two daughters very well. Role: Providing extensive healing magic and medical care to the citizens of Ravnica. The Conclave accepts all who enter with open arms and aims to provide and care for everyone regardless of status or wealth. While they may occasionally fall short of their ideals they provide many valuable services to the community to help maintain the wellbeing of the city. Power: They focus heavily on unity and strength and have a massive and diverse army ready to defend their ideals. They lack powerful offensive magic, but their heavy defenses and healing powers give them an edge against any type of foe. In addition to powerful elementals and beasts they have several groups of weaker soldiers to hold off attacks until reinforcements arrive. Home Base: The Hall Of New Life, a massive temple overgrown with plants fused with a massive floating tree grown by the guild's founders long ago. It is one of the more massive bases, but is more lightly guarded and open to the general public at all times. It conjures an air of peace and serenity unlike anywhere else in the city and has many parks and gardens decorated with statues and pillars made by the city's finest artists. The Resistance The Resistance are a massive faction led by the Gruul clans who seek to restore freedom and impose less restrictions on the ability of the average citizen to do what they want. They believe in everyone having the choice to be who they want to be and shun harsh laws in favor of a more lenient system of guidelines that giver greater choice to the common people. Guilds Gruul Clans Colors: Red/Green Leader: Scarlip The Fierce. An orphan raised in the savage wilds beyond the surrounding city Scarlip is a survivor and deadly in battle. Her names comes from her many scars earned during hunts and fights, with the scar on her lip being the most well known due to its magical nature. She received it from a rival barbarian lord who threatened her people when she was just a teen. His blade had been enchanted with burning light that seared her flesh as she slashed his throat with her tribe's ceremonial knife during the ensuing battle between clans. Many believe it gave her the power she wields now in her role as both the leader and head shaman of the Gruul. Role: They serve as rangers and protectors of Ravnica's few remaining wild lands such as forests and seek to preserve what little there is left. While none of them have official jobs they tend to live off the land and offer various goods and services for trade such as homemade weapons and animal meat. They don't get along well with most other people but still allow interaction between their members and traveling merchants. Power: The Gruul rely almost entirely on raw, savage strength and berserker fury along with a handful of basic nature spells and abilities to destroy their opponents in battle. Many of their weapons and equipment are primitive compared to the other guilds but their natural skills, talent and bulging muscle give them an edge in combat. They also have some of the most powerful nature shamans in the world. Home Base: The Behemoth's Claw, a massive tangled fort made of twisting, jagged rock and thick plant life that forms a natural barrier against foes. This base keeps its basic tower form most of the time but is constantly being changed by both enemy attacks and magical improvements. Deadly traps litter the cramped hallways and rooms as well, making it an extremely dangerous place for outsiders. Cult Of Rakdos Colors: Black/Red Leader: The Teeth Of Rakdos. Originally a goblin gifted with barely average intelligence The Teeth Of Rakdos has since become a demonic being through some sort of unknown event that made him smarter, stronger and insanely powerful. He was noticed by Rakdos himself while leading a gang of marauders in causing destruction around his home neighborhood. In exchange for loyalty and sadism he would be blessed with immortality and made the leader of the army of Rakdos. Needless to say, he gleefully accepted the terms and became a full fledged demon under his new master's command. Role: Entertainment mostly, with some assassination, torturing and other shady dealings on the side. They set up everything from circuses to clubs to pit fighting arenas all over the city. They offer many exotic treatments, spells and events that other guilds wouldn't touch, mostly because of the high mortality rate. To their credit, most of their shows are unlike anything else in all of Ravnica so they get plenty of business from eager tourists and unsuspecting partygoers. Power: They have almost no sense of restraint, morality or decency. This makes them completely unpredictable as well as intimidating to most of their foes. They'll use any advantage they can get from spike covered goblins to goblin covered demons to achieve victory. Their only true weakness is their self destructive behavior often means they suffer heavy casualties and destroyed property, though they don't seem to mind much. Home Base: The Rakdos Fairgrounds, a series of tents, booths, stages, torture dungeons and taverns that stretch across miles of hollowed out caves far below the streets of the city above. The crown jewel of this vile place is the Palace Of Rakdos, a massive cathedral adorned with ballrooms to accommodate both parties and sinister rituals. Izzet League Colors: Blue/Red Leader: Niv-Mizzet The Last Dragon Lord. Quite possibly the oldest and smartest being in the entire city Niv-Mizzet is the last of an unusually intelligent breed of dragons that once ruled Ravnica. He isn't actively antagonistic, but very vain and condescending to his servants and guild members. Above all else he craves luxury, nobility and respect. When not working on various projects he has the members of his guild find new ways to represent him in the technology and artwork they create. He also has very otherworldly psychic powers at his command. Role: Creating and maintaining Ravnica's technology as well as researching new ways to use and control magic and the elements. Their jobs are rarely consistent, but always involve working towards advancing technology, be it a new way to gather mana or a clock that runs on emotions. Not everything they create is practical or useful, but it is always unique. Power: Their unpredictability makes it very hard to form a strategy or mount an assault against them. What they lack in raw strength they make up for with their insanely powerful offensive magic. Those that oppose them often end up on the receiving end of deadly thunderstorms, freezing blizzards or fire tornadoes that can make short work of all but the most powerful enemies. They also have many strange elemental creatures that they created to do battle on their behalf. Home Base: Mizzet's Palace, which is a grand network of labs and research facilities ruled over by the guild's leader. The inside of this wondrous place is very alien to the rest of the city with steampipes and robotic constructs lining the halls as machinery hums along to the sound of Izzet magic powering up various new experiments. Unlike most guild strongholds the Izzet don't need to bother with security... the strange noises and lights keep most trespassers away and their powerful wizards can easily protect their secrets from any prying eyes out to steal them. Simic Combine Colors: Blue/Green Leader: Greenroot. As a merfolk child Greenroot was an idealistic student always searching for new ways to explore and alter her underwater home. For years she researched Ravnica's biological life and charted maps of its underground sewers and waterways. Eventually, she grew up and applied to join the Simic whom she had idolized for all of her life. After many unsuccessful experiments and setbacks she unveiled her greatest project: an intricate network of plant life connected with her own nervous system. Amazed at what she had accomplished the Simic made her the guild leader and she used her newfound powers to continue to expand her domain. Through her experiments she has lost her mobility, but has greatly expanded her horizons and continues to explore the depths of the world one small leaf or root at a time. Role: Providing non-magical medicine and treatments as well as finding new ways to biologically improve the lives of everyone in the city. The Simic strive to create new forms of life that can adapt and change to thrive in any type of environment, which often leads to them making powerful hybrid mutants and other fantastic creatures. As such, they have a massive market of living weapons and guardians available to purchase for anyone needing extra protection. Power: They focus most of their magical talent on maintaining habitats for themselves and their creations, leaving combat to their handful of warrior members and massive army of mutant beasts. Their forces are extremely adaptive and deadly even without the use of magic and their monsters have some of the strongest powers and abilities in the entire city. The fact that these abilities can be shared through mutations and evolutions makes the Simic a force to be reckoned with. Home Base: The Heart Of Progress, a massive lab filled with gardens, lakes and various types of organic technology. The entire area is overgrown with moss, algae and too many forms of exotic life to list here. Much like the Izzet, the Simic see little need for guards as their entire facility is overrun with protective hazards such as carnivorous slime or flying lizard plants. People who trespass here tend to end up as lunch for something big and hungry or small and vicious. Golgari Swarm Colors: Black/Green Leader: Dren. The offspring of a Gorgon and a Basilisk Drem is a snakelike entity with deadly abilities both magical and natural. In addition to being covered in deadly poisonous spikes and scales he has masterful control over petrifying magic that can transform his victims into toxic crystal statues. Despite this, he is a relatively benign guild leader who is generally interested in just providing for the city and making his people stronger. He is constantly shapeshifting between two forms: that of a humanoid man and a giant monstrous snake. Role: Providing emergency aid and food to those who need it as well as disposing of the dead and cleaning up garbage. The Golgari believe that everything has value, even rotting corpses, and strive to recycle anything and everything they can. To them the dead are just another resource that can be used to help the living. Power: They lack sheer numbers, but make up for it with their power over life and death. They don't have any particular skill to help them in battle, but their shamans and necromancers can raise the fallen of any of their battles to create new soldiers once the fighting is over. Even in defeat they have the power to grow stronger and contribute to their guild. They also have powerful insects, gorgons and other nasty creatures to help them in combat. Home Base: The Garden Tomb, a massive underground farm used to grow food, herbs and other useful supplies for both the Golgari and the rest of the city. There is little light here, but potent magic and specialized fertilizer ensure the crops grow quickly as well as healthy. Many nightmarish creatures patrol the tunnels and chambers of the surrounding area, but to the members of this morbid guild they are just another resource to be harvested. Rules 1. Try to keep everything in line with what has been established above. You are free to use all forms of mana but keep in mind that each guild has a specific focus. I don't want to see Rakdos cultists using powerful healing spells or Selesnya members shooting fireballs everywhere. You can use a little bit of everything, but not to its full power unless your guild focuses on it. 2. Mild curse words are fine, but should be used sparingly. No really vulgar words or overusing swears, keep things PG. 3. You may quit one guild for another, but your skills stay the same. You can't just become an instant expert in another guild after devoting so much time to a former one. On that note, you start as a low level initiate in your guild of choice and have to earn higher positions. No walking in the front door and becoming the leader. 4. Keep things like they are in the actual card game. No advanced technology or other things that don't belong. Remember that spells and magic cost mana which is absorbed from the land itself. You can store some mana in containers for later use, but not too much at one time. Any really powerful spells will require help from your guild mates or artifacts to cast. (Things like adult dragons, sea monsters, meteor storms, zombie armies, living buildings, tsunamis, extensive mind control...) 5. Keep choices and character descriptions open during the early chapters so that people who come along later can still write the story they want. Any chapters that force readers into being good or evil or having certain physical features will be edited. (Wait until about chapter 9 or 10 before you start giving your character a proper backstory or personality quirks.) Remember, no one likes being railroaded into playing some one else's fantasy. 6. Have fun. |
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