Precinct Five
| Precinct Five | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Information | |
| Plane | Ravnica |
| Part of | Tenth District, Ravnica City |
Precinct Five is the intellectual core of the Tenth District, renowned for its universities, libraries, and secret research labs. It attracts scholars, students, and knowledge seekers from all walks of life who come to study, debate, and experiment. The precinct also hosts information brokers and covert agents who trade in secrets and rare knowledge. Life here revolves around learning, innovation, and subtle intrigue beneath a calm, scholarly surface.
Description
Located in the northwestern part of the Tenth District, Precinct Five borders Precinct Four in the east, and Precinct Six in the southeast. It does not border Precinct One, Precinct Two, or Precinct Three.
Precinct Five is the intellectual heart of the Tenth District, known for its historic universities, old libraries, and secretive labs. Residents and visitors of all ages come here to study, whether they bury themselves in dusty tomes or seek out a mentor for personal guidance. This precinct is also where one finds information peddlers, selling rare secrets not easily found elsewhere. Buildings stand stacked and crowded, occasionally opening into squares and campuses where locals gather by day, while nights see students poring over studies or experimenting with new ideas. Taverns and pubs here are more refined than elsewhere, often hosting music, poetry, and storytelling. The people of Precinct Five live for knowledge and debate, seeing argument and boasting of discoveries as proof of worth. Neighbors keep their projects hidden until ready, as revealing unfinished work is frowned upon.[1]
Zonot Seven, the seat of the Simic Combine, lies at the precinct’s west edge. The Izzet League runs a network of labs and workshops near Nivix in Precinct Four. House Dimir operatives move unseen here, secretly controlling the Ismeri Library. A few Azorius Senate members with interests beyond law live and work here too.
Shops here cater to scholars, scribes, and inventors, with the best apothecaries and arcane suppliers in the Tenth District. Basic adventuring gear and weapons are scarce by comparison. Information is the precinct’s most valuable trade good—besides bookshops, many make a living selling secrets as investigators, rumor peddlers, or spies. Lodging ranges from modest inns to fine apartments, and high-level Simic or senior academics often live at the wealthier end. The poor earn pity, while the wealthy attract envy.
Most crime in Precinct Five is subtle: blackmail, spying, or stolen identities—sometimes literally, thanks to shapeshifters. Locals stay so focused on their studies that these crimes often go unnoticed. Violent crime is rare and quickly hushed by the Azorius Senate to avoid panic.
Locations
Most people in Precinct Five spend their days indoors—or for the Simic, underwater. Students, instructors, researchers, scribes, and university staff pack into dorms and apartments squeezed between research halls, archives, and arcane machinery.
- The Blistercoils
— Enormous waterwheels built by the Izzet League spin near Zonot Seven’s north end. They generate magical power for public works, Simic labs, and Izzet workshops. Few outside the Izzet know they produce more energy than needed, storing the excess in underground batteries that might explode if overloaded. The nearby neighborhood, also called Blistercoils, is packed with labs and workshops.[1]
- Hightower — This western neighborhood brims with schools, from broad universities to niche academies covering everything from metaphysics to fine arts. Many buildings here rise into spires, giving the area its name. Students and faculty live both on and off campus, and small pubs and lecture halls stay busy from afternoon until late night.[1]
- Ismeri Library
— Among Ravnica’s greatest libraries, the Ismeri Library stays open day and night to all. It holds countless books on every subject imaginable. House Dimir uses it as a covert hub, hiding secret messages through mundane and arcane means. Agents piece together coded instructions hidden across many books, with protective spells guarding deeper secrets.[1]
- Prism University — This crystal-walled university teaches general magical theory and practice, drawing would-be mages who want a wide view of magic instead of guild-specific training. Though officially neutral, everyone knows guild agents work here, trying to sway students. Many graduates end up joining guilds, applying their broad knowledge in more focused ways. A spellcasting player might be a Prism alum, explaining skills that cross normal guild lines.[1]
- The Thinktank Enclave - an independent guildless city. It is founded on a thirty-block (but growing) tract of land formed from a raft of Golgari garbage jutting into the river. Formerly run by the Izzet, an emergency prompted the temporary and subsequently permanent sovereignty of this city. It is governed by Grand Arbiter Hendrik "B.H." Azmerak.[2]
- Zonot Seven
— The Simic Combine’s massive sinkhole habitat links to underground waters. Zonot Seven is the only zonot inside Ravnica City and holds Zameck, the Simic guildhall.[1]
- Zameck - unlike the quiet precinct around it, this place bustles day and night. A vast chamber below street level is where Simic speakers gather, and visitors may meet Prime Speaker Zegana or other delegates. Sometimes a land-dweller is invited below, but such invitations are rare. Canals run from the zonot into Precinct Five and farther into Precinct Six.[1]
- Zameck
References
- ↑ a b c d e f g James Wyatt & Jeremy Crawford (November 2018) - D&D Guildmasters' Guide to Ravnica, Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Nicky Drayden (February 27, 2019). "The Ascension of Reza". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
