Guildpact (spell)

For other uses, see Guildpact (disambiguation).

The Guildpact is an ancient and epic piece of magic that reverberates across the plane of Ravnica.

Description

Originally conceived of by the lawmage 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.

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 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.

Teysa's Guildpact

Later, a new non-magical Guildpact was drafted by Teysa Karlov. Since it was not backed up by metaphysical forces, no guild took it seriously.

Living Guildpact

The Guildpact's magic was later reestablished after the events of Dragon's Maze, but this time in the form of a living being: Jace Beleren. Any law that the Living Guildpact verbally confirms or formulates turns into a magical binding force similar to the ones of the old Guildpact.

Second Living Guildpact

In the War of the Spark the power of the Living Guildpact was transfered to Niv-Mizzet.

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 it was the Agyrem, where the laws of the broken guildpact still held sway. Additionally, the inner sanctum of the Obzedat is a dead spot within the law, allowing the Obzedat to even countermand guildpact laws with their own edicts.

As a planeswalker, Jace Beleren's influence as the Living Guildpact is able to extend beyond the plane of Ravnica, so long as the target of his law magic is a member of the guilds. Even on Ixalan, Jace is able to force Azor to spend the rest of his life in solitude, because Azor is still the parun of the Azorius Senate and therefore susceptible to his own Guildpact.

In-game references

Represented in:

• Jace, the Living Guildpact

Associated cards:

• Enemy of the Guildpact
• Festival of the Guildpact
• Glaive of the Guildpact
• Glass of the Guildpact
• Guardian of the Guildpact
• Guildpact Informant
• Seal of the Guildpact
• Sphinx of the Guildpact
• Tome of the Guildpact

Quoted or referred to:

• Amateur Auteur (Unstable, #3a)
• Gateway Plaza
• Pillar of the Paruns
• Spectral Searchlight
• Thespian's Stage
• Vindictive Vampire