Forum of Azor
Not to be confused with Guildpact Square, where the Signing of the Guildpact took place.
| Forum of Azor | |
|---|---|
| Maze's End | |
 | |
| Information | |
| Plane | Ravnica |
| Colors |
 |
| Part of | Implicit Maze, Tenth District, Ravnica City |
The Forum of Azor is a monumental public plaza in the heart of Ravnica’s Tenth District, originally established by Azor I, parun of the Azorius Senate, to embody the ideals of unity, law, and public discourse. Once strictly controlled by the Azorius, the Forum has evolved into a vibrant space for open expression and cross-guild interaction.[1]
Description
The Forum of Azor is a vast, open, circular plaza once built as a gathering ground for guild representatives and citizens to deliberate civic matters under the original Guildpact. At its center lies a massive Azorius signet, above which floats the monolithic stone dais — a massive slab of rock suspended by ancient magic — accessible by a spiral staircase built around its rough edges.[1] The dais hums with hidden power, emanating an inaudible resonance that can be felt in the bones of those who stand upon it. Within this monolith dwells "the Bailiff", a magically constructed intelligence left behind by Azor himself: an incorporeal executor of the Implicit Maze’s final judgment. The Forum functions as the locus of the Maze’s end — where the success or failure of the guilds is assessed, and where Azor’s Supreme Verdict would be delivered once the maze was completed.[2]
Radiating from the center are three public speaking platforms (or rostra), arranged in a broad, perfect triangle, allowing citizens to address crowds from multiple angles. Encircling the plaza are nine ancient obelisks carved with the emblems of Ravnica’s guilds — all but House Dimir, which remained unacknowledged when the Forum was built. At the base of each monolith stands a kiosk where guild representatives hand out information and recruit new members, creating a ring of constant civic activity around the open courtyard.[2][1]
History
Commissioned by Azor I following the establishment of the Guildpact, the Forum was intended as a neutral meeting ground and a symbol of lawful harmony. Over time, however, the Azorius Senate's strict enforcement of law in the space—down to minor infractions—made it inhospitable to public life. Its relevance faded, and it became little more than an underused market square.[1]
Years after the original Guildpact's dissolution, Isperia — then the Azorius guildmaster — lifted the rigid magical controls over the Forum. The result was a resurgence of activity: the plaza became a healthy, chaotic, and inclusive space where beings of all kinds could gather, speak, and participate in civic life. The Forum of Azor became one of the city’s few truly open civic spaces. Its rostra hosted debates, protests, and performances. Guild recruiters and hopefuls filled its ring of kiosks, continuing its legacy as both a place of daily life and a monument to Ravnica’s fragile unity.[1]
Soon after the Forum’s revival, it hosted the landmark address known as "the Fathom Edict", delivered by Prime Speaker Zegana of the Simic Combine. Before a crowd of thousands, Zegana announced the rebirth of the Simic under new philosophical principles — the Holdfast and the Upwelling — emphasizing a return to nature and support for the cross-guild Wilds Initiative. Her speech marked the merfolk’s emergence from the depths and the Simic’s reentry into public life, reaffirming the Forum of Azor’s role as a stage for major guild declarations.[3]
The Forum’s deeper significance resurfaced during the unraveling of the Implicit Maze — a network of hidden mana paths linking all ten guildgates. Investigations by Niv-Mizzet, Ral Zarek, and Jace Beleren identified the Forum as the maze’s endpoint, known as Maze's End.[4] Beneath its civic surface lay concentrated ancient power, a failsafe crafted by Azor as the final test of guild unity if the Guildpact ever failed. While everyday visitors treated the Forum like any other square, Jace felt its latent mana and discovered the presence of "the Bailiff", learning from this presence of Azor's intended restoration of the Guildpact if all guilds completed the maze, and of the dangers of the Supreme Verdict. Jace knew then that the prize that could reshape Ravnica’s future was weighted by a terrible cost. As Jace left, Lazav also spoke to the bailiff to learn its secrets.[2]
In the climactic moments of the running of the Implicit Maze, the Forum of Azor became the final gathering place for the maze-runners — the champions from each guild chosen to stand trial on behalf of Ravnica. When Jace Beleren arrived at the Forum, he found chaos: the assembled runners had turned on one another, manipulated by Lazav to betray the Maze’s true purpose. The Forum’s ancient guardian, the Bailiff, emerged and pronounced the Supreme Verdict — granting every runner the power to enact it. To prevent catastrophe, Jace linked the minds of all ten runners within the Forum’s bounds, forcing them to share one another’s thoughts and fears. The strain of the spell nearly tore his mind apart, but the bailiff intervened, recognizing Jace’s unique role. By stabilizing the connection and acknowledging his mediation, the bailiff named Jace the new Living Guildpact — the embodiment of Azor’s vision, able to balance the perspectives of all ten guilds and bind them once more under a single magical accord bound to Jace himself.[2]
In-game references
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References
- ↑ a b c d e Magic Creative Team (September 19, 2012). "Planeswalker's Guide to Return to Ravnica: Part 3". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2019-07-23.
- ↑ a b c d Doug Beyer (2013) - Dragon's Maze: The Secretist, Part Three, WotC.
- ↑ Brady Dommermuth (January 3, 2013). "Uncharted Realms: Fathom Edict". Uncharted Realms. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2013-01-04.
- ↑ Doug Beyer (2013) - Gatecrash: The Secretist, Part Two, WotC.
