Azorius Senate

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Azorius Senate
[[File:{{#setmainimage:Azorius Logo.png}}|150px]]
Alternative Names
The High Judges[1]
Lore Information
Parun Azor I
Guild Leader

Augustin I (former)
Augustin II (former)
Augustin III (former)
Konstantin I (former)
Konstantin II (?-3209-?)[2]
Leonos (former)[3]
Lucian I (former)
Lucian II (former)
Lucian III (?-9990)[2]
Augustin IV (9990-10,012)
Leonos II (10,012-10,075)[2][4]
Isperia (10,075-10,076)[4]
Dovin Baan (10,076)

Lavinia (Pro Tem)
Guild Champion Isperia (deceased)
Lavinia
Guild Hall Prahv (destroyed)
New Prahv (current)
Game Information
Colors {W}{U}
Mechanics Forecast
(Dissension)
Detain
(Return to Ravnica)
Addendum
(Ravnica Allegiance)
Featured Sets
Dissension
Return to Ravnica
Ravnica Allegiance
Signet Flavor Text
"The maze-like design embodies the core of Azorius law — strict structure designed to test wills and stall change." — Azorius Signet
Scryfall Search
watermark:"Azorius"

The Azorius Senate is a white/blue guild from the plane and city of Ravnica. Introduced in Dissension, the guild is also featured in Return to Ravnica and Ravnica Allegiance.

Azorius basic lands from Ravnica Allegiance

Background

Founded by parun Supreme Judge Azor I, a sphinx lawmage who authored the original Guildpact,[5][6][7][8] the Azorius Senate functions as Ravnica's official government and creates Ravnican laws.[1][9][10]

Believing their legislation to be 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 plane despite their numerous decrees being ignored.[1] The Azorius Senate is characterized as being aloof, bureaucratic, excessively formalistic, and fastidious,[11][12] spending hours upon hours with legal documents and ensuring action, if any should occur, stringently adheres to protocol.[2] For such reasons, the Azorius are deeply disdained by Ravnicans, whom the Azorius believe will effect a change and subsequent crime, chaos, and general decline in civic life.[2][13] The Azorius are said to act through inaction.[14]

The Azorius Senate works alongside the Boros Legion and Selesnya Conclave to see to the enforcement of the law, and the Orzhov Syndicate to see to the provision of advocates and lawmages for accusers/claimants/complainants/plaintiffs and defendants.[2] Ultimately, however, the Azorius advocates for blind justice, peace, and the status quo,[13] doing so via their intrinsic 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 law magic.[15]

The Columns

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.[10] The Azorius are divided into three Columns:[12] the Jelenn Column, which makes the laws; the Lyev Column, which enforces the laws; and the Sova Column, which judges the law-breakers.[1][note 1] The three columns are together ruled by a "Grand Arbiter," generally a former leader of one of the three columns, who chooses an honorary name from among past leaders and rules until death or retirement.[10]

  • The Sova Column is led by Leonos II. They act as judges and arbitrators. The column employs legal aides, pages, librarians, experts on precedent, advocates for the accused, public prosecutors, and judges.
  • The Jelenn, led by a vedalken lawmage named Uzana, act as scribes and elocuters. The term elocutor covers all communication functions, from simple messengers — who are often spirits — to conflict mediation. The Jelennn 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.
  • The Lyev work as lawmages, hieromancers, nullmages, investigators and enforcers. The Azorius military, which belongs to this Column, can be broadly separated into hussars (mounted soldiers) and infantry. Arresters specialize in preventing or stopping things from happening. The Lyev Column is also venturing into the work of managing surveillance and precognition. The Lyev were commanded by the hussar commander Sarvis, until Dovin Baan removed him from office.

Azorius builders and architects are among the best in the world, and konstructors are those who enhance and/or accelerate their building projects with magic.[12]

History

Ravnica block

Grand Arbiter Augustin IV

For the majority of the Ravnica block storyline, the Azorius Senate was presided over by human lawmage Grand Arbiter Augustin IV, who was later killed by an explosion during an attack by the spirit of the-Dimir guildmaster Szadek.[16]

The seat of the Azorius’ power in the Ravnica block was Prahv, a monolithic structure of white marble.[2] In Dissension, Prahv was destroyed when the Parhelion, fortress-ship of the Boros angels, collided with it.[2]

Return to Ravnica block

Isperia

Following the death of Grand Arbiter Augustin IV, Leonos II became the Arbiter of the Azorius Senate and the sphinx Isperia, whom Grand Arbiter Augustin IV had often consulted, reluctantly became the Azorius guildmaster.[16]

Guilds of Ravnica storyline

In the absence of the Living Guildpact, the Azorius were uncertain who was supposed to maintain balance among the guilds. As a group, they were convinced that the system couldn't be disrupted, but they were challenged by the reality that the one person who was meant to hold their world together never seemed to be around. The Azorius Senate was invoking emergency powers with increasing frequency, and the Lyev Column's enforcers were wielding an ever-growing amount of influence.[17]

Isperia fell victim to Vraska[18] and was replaced by the planeswalker Dovin Baan. As guildmaster, Baan showed the guild how to make spy thopters and to use precognitive mages to arrest people before crimes would be committed.[17] Verity Circle spells are used to encourage detainees to self-incriminate. Small outposts covered in reflective mirrors, called vez, act as surveillance centers throughout the city.[17] The mages inside can see out and compare their views to those of other vez.

After the fight against the Dreadhorde in the War of the Spark, and the flight of Dovin Baan, Lavinia became acting guildleader.[19]

Phyrexian invasion

During New Phyrexia's Invasion of the Multiverse, the planeswalker Vraska led the Phyrexian invasion force against her home plane, first directing Realmbreaker toward the Azorius Senate's guild hall, New Prahv, and the jail in which she once was imprisoned. As vengeance for her fellow gorgons whose eyes were removed, she ordered for Ravnicans to be blinded, letting them scrabble upon the glistening oil-slicked streets.

After the invasion

In the aftermath of the invasion, the Azorius found themselves overwhelmed.[20] Existing laws didn't adequately cover the numerous and various acts committed during and because of an interplanar invasion, and the majority of the Azorius' time and energy is mired in disentangling and updating Ravnica's extensive legal code. With all this focus on the restructuring of the law, only the minimum of resources were devoted to other duties, and courts quickly became clogged with a backlog of pending cases.

To clear the dockets, Azorius set a policy of prioritizing clear-cut cases and straightforward arrests.[20] Complicated crimes that involved more than a moderate investment of time and resources were deprioritized or put permanently on hold, awaiting the indeterminate future time when the Azorius had freed up enough resources to address them. As frustrations mounted, the guild outsourced these cases to the Ravnican Agency of Magicological Investigations, tasking Agency detectives with investigating crimes on their behalf.

In the game

Head Magic designer and design team member Mark Rosewater said on the blending of White and Blue, "Philosophically, the largest overlap between the two colors stems from a similar motivation. Both colors want to improve the world. White does this in its quest to promote peace, while Blue does it out of its interest in reaching perfection. The result is the same. Both colors like to force their rules and ways upon all those around them".[21]

Guild mechanics

Dissension: Forecast

Main article: Forecast

The Forecast ability is an activated ability that a player can play only from their hand. Only cards from the Azorius guild (white, blue, or white-blue) have forecast. Each forecast card has an ability that can be played once per turn during a player's upkeep by revealing it from their hand and paying a cost, somewhat similar to casting a spell with built-in buyback.[22]

The Forecast mechanic was inspired by the ability on the Unglued card Infernal Spawn of Evil.[23]

Return to Ravnica: Detain

Main article: Detain

Detain is a keyword action that prevents a permanent from attacking, blocking, and/or activating its (activated) abilities until the controller of the detainer's next turn.

Initially, the Return to Ravnica block ability for Azorius has developed around "tap a creature" and the development team termed the ability "jail".[23] Influenced by Arrest, with which the ability shares flavor, of "preventing my opponents from doing things",[24] the "jail" ability was later modified to include preventing activated abilities.[23]

Ravnica Allegiance: Addendum

Main article: Addendum

Instants with Addendum have additional or alternative effects if you cast the spell during your main phase.

Creature types

Species and races

Species and races associated with the Azorius Senate include:

Classes

Classes associated with the Azorius Senate include:

Notable members

Gallery

Notes

  1. ↑ These columns approximately correspond to the arms, or branches, of government in numerous real-world nations; the legislature, the executive, and the judiciary, respectively. Fitting for a set inspired by Europe, in particular Slavic and Eastern Europe, the names of the "columns" are Czech for animals, each of which is appropriate for the function of the "column"; Jelenn means "deer", Lyev means lion, and Sova means "owl".

References

  1. ↑ a b c d Wizards of the Coast (August 20, 2012). "Azorius Senate". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g h Cory J. Herndon. (2006.) Ravnica Cycle, Book III: Dissension, Wizards of the Coast. ISBN-13 978-0786940011.
  3. ↑ Jenna Helland (August 28, 2012). "The Shadows of Prahv, Part 1". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  4. ↑ a b Mike McArtor (August 1, 2013). "Card of the Day - August, 2013". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on November 24, 2018.
  5. ↑ Chas Andres (January 3, 2018). "Azor, the Lawbringer". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on January 03, 2018.
  6. ↑ Nicky Drayden (February 27, 2019). "The Ascension of Reza". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  7. ↑ Django Wexler (June, 2019), The Gathering Storm, Chapter One. Del Rey.
  8. ↑ Django Wexler (August 14, 2019), The Gathering Storm, Chapter Ten.
  9. ↑ Matt Cavotta (May 3, 2006). "Makin' the Law, Makin' the Law". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  10. ↑ a b c (2006). Dissension Player's Guide. Wizards of the Coast.
  11. ↑ Aaron Forsythe (May 1, 2006). "Design Diary". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  12. ↑ a b c The Magic Creative Team (September 19, 2012). "Planeswalker’s Guide to Return to Ravnica: Part 3". Magicthegathering.com.
  13. ↑ a b Rei Nakazawa (September 5, 2005). "Life in the Big City". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on August 15, 2020.
  14. ↑ Aaron Forsythe (May 05, 2006). "Azorius B.I.G.". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  15. ↑ Wizards of the Coast (September 7, 2006). "Azorius Law-Magic". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  16. ↑ a b Adam Lee (August 29, 2012). "Ravnica, Then and Now". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  17. ↑ a b c d James Wyatt (January 2019). "The Art of Magic: The Gathering - Ravnica". Wizards of the Coast
  18. ↑ Assassin's Trophy
  19. ↑ Greg Weisman (April 2019). "War of the Spark: Ravnica". Del Rey.
  20. ↑ a b Emily Teng (February 1, 2024). "Planeswalker's Guide to Murders at Karlov Manor". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  21. ↑ Mark Rosewater (May 1, 2006). "Slow and Steady". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  22. ↑ Aaron Forsythe (April 14, 2006). "Clouds in the Forecast". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  23. ↑ a b c Mark Rosewater (October 29, 2012). "Designing for Azorius". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  24. ↑ Dave Guskin (November 2, 2012). "Article I: Fun (See Also Subsections F, J, and V.14.k)". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  25. ↑ Monty Ashley (November 2, 2012). "The Souls of Azorius". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.

See also

External links

Monocolored
Multicolored ({M})
See also
Ravnica block
Return to Ravnica block
Later sets
Related games
Ravnica storyline
Publications
Locations
Characters
Affiliations
Other
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