Ravnica. The City. The Continent. The World. All is Ravnica, and thus Ravnica is everyone. That is what Varis believes; what motivates many of his decisions. More than the loyalty towards his guilds, he is loyal to that ideal. Maybe it is the fact that he grew apart from his kin, as if without the Selesnyans, the elf's soul looked for another kind of conclave. Bigger, bolder, more beautiful and diverse than what even Trostani could have offered him.
 
Yet he wasn't born with this belief, obviously. The mind of the monk was forged by his experiences throughout his life, even subconsciously. Unbeknownst to him, Varis was born from Simic researchers in one of the many zonots dotting the city. The reason he doesn't know anything from that time is that he got separated from his parents while still an infant.
 
For him, his mentor Lavinia Gerava has filled the role of a parent for as long as he remembers. The elderly woman serves as a priest in the Orzoh curch church and took Varis in. She raised the little elf as her own. Born with a curious mind, the young elf could often be found reading. And once he had depleted his mentor's collection, he was encouraged to visit the libraries. And that he did, from the sacred Orzhovian chapels to the endless halls of Ismeri, he tried to get his hands on as many different writings as possible; and soon learnt that access was often restricted to guildmembers. Alas for all his interests, Varis lacked mastery of most subjects. Being no scholar, many doors were closed on him. That is until he came across the Azorius, the Lyev Column to be precise. Being disciplined yet quick on his feet, getting recruited into law enforcement came a lot easier to the elf.
 
It is during that time that he met and befriended Lilla and Olrik. The former, a vedalken mage with a wit is as sharp as a mizzium blade; the latter, a humble but capable human protector with whom Varis shares a playful rivalry. Even after graduating from the academy and each following their own path (precognitive mage and lawmage respectively), they've stayed in contact and meet every now and then to spend some time together. After Olriks's recent promotion though, the other two noticed that the human has been sharing even less.
 
To be fair, Varis hasn't been telling them everything either. A couple of months ago, he got approached by a dimir courrier who handed him a letter stating that the Tenth Guild had noticed him, and more importantly his thirst for knowledge. They offered to exchange it for intel. After thinking over it for two days, the elf accepted. That was the moment he realized his loyalties don't lie with the Senate, nor any other guild in particular, for Varis believes all ten guilds are vital. Yes, he serves Ravnica.