Simic Combine
Structure
The Combine is, at its heart, a guild of researchers. Members are divided into clades, and each Clade oversees a number of projects. Currently, there are four clades.
Hull Clade, focused on protection and durability.
Fin Clade, focused on movement. The projects involved relate to the physical movement of creatures as well the movement of resources through systems.
Gyre Clade, focused on cyclical patterns and metamagic.
Crypsis Clade, focused on intelligence and counter-intelligence.
The Guardian Project is a notable project shared between the four clades. It is the pinnacle of Simic evolution magic, focused on creating guard monsters and super soldiers.
Over all of the clades and projects is the Speakers' Chamber. All nine zonots are led by a single Speaker, and the Chamber is led by the Prime Speaker, elected from among the Chamber. The position is currently held by the merfolk Zegana.
Public Agenda
The Combine oversees issues of public health and maintains hospitals and clinics throughout the city. They approach their research under the guidance of two main principles: the Holdfast and the Upwelling.
The Holdfast principle, named for the biological mechanism that that keeps kelp and sponges anchored to the sea floor, advises members of the Combine never to stray so far from nature that they become "adrift." It espouses the idea that nature left undisturbed will evolve toward adaptive traits and increased strength. Nature will flourish and grow, and every creature will find its proper niche in the ecosystem where it can thrive.
The Upwelling Principle, named for the phenomenon of nutrient-rich water rising to the ocean surface, advocates that the new and enlivened should replace the old and depleted in an unending cycle, bring constant refreshment and renewal. This principle accounts for the Combine's analytical bent and its emphasis on knowledge as a means of transformation. Learning the secrets of the universe lets you shape the world as you desire. The Upwelling encourages every creature to discover its full potential.
Despite these seemingly clear-cut principles, they are a matter of friction within the guild. Two opposing factions, the Utopians and the Adaptationists, have developed over time. While each accepts the Holdfast and the Upwelling, they interpret them differently.
The Utopians' vision of an ideal world is one in which nature and civilization exist in balance. Natural life adapts to life in the midst of modern civilization, and the civilized world adapts to accommodate these creatures. Utopians generally interpret the Holdfast principle as being about staying rooted in nature, and the Upwelling as concerned with slow, predictable, cyclical improvement. They remain hidden in their subaquatic laboratories, pursing their research while isolated from the volatile interrelationships among the other guilds. Prime Speak Zegana encourages that isolationist attitude.
The Adaptationists believe that an all-out war among the guilds is inevitable, given the growing unrest in the city. These members of the Combine believe that the guilds exist in a fragile ecosystem in which the slightest imbalance can have cascading effects. With an absent Living Guildpact failing to maintain the balance, only catastrophe can result. The Simic must change in order to to survive, and slow, small steps in pursuit of an ideal vision aren't enough. The future of the guilds is in imminent danger, and the Simic need to focus on survival. Adaptationists tend to interpret the Holdfast as being about defense and security, and the Upwelling as a call for sudden, disruptive growth.
The Holdfast and Upwelling are so central to Combine life that some members focus on them entirely. Simic deepsages are members who devote their entire lives to meditating on these principles. They lead ascetic lives and have developed a culture of inscribing their - often paradoxical - meditations on shells, exoskeletons, and stones for other members to contemplate and reflect on.
Assets
History
Technological Level
The biomancers and terraformers of the Combine are masters of natural manipulation. Biomancers focus on affecting life forms, while terraformers focus on water, weather, and atmospheric conditions.
While magical healers are prevalent in the Combine, the guild also boasts the greatest understanding of biochemistry, medicine, and genetics.
Finally, Simic researchers are the most advanced bio-mages in the city. Almost every member has, at some point in their career, created a krasis, the product of the Simic affinity for science and magic. The scientists coax new morphologies from existing creatures or combine traits from multiple organisms into one. Some krasis are unique creatures that can't reproduce. A few multiply and become part of the guild's standard menagerie.
Foreign Relations
Simic View on Other Guilds
The most insular members of the Simic Combine avoid interacting with other guilds entirely. No one but another Simic scientist could ever fully grasp or appreciate the work of the guild, and too many of the other guilds react with fear to what they don't understand.Azorius. "An absurd and inelegant construct, forever trapped in a maze of their own making. They would outlaw evolution if they could. And if any of them truly seek utopia, the rest are far too busy shuffling papers to notice. Avoid their attention at all costs."
Boros. "They stye themselves the agents of 'justice.' But they law is no better excuse for aggression than any other."
Dimir. "We need not compete. Let them be, and they will let us be — but observe them closely."
Golgari. "Less an organization than an infestation. They are nearly as adaptable as we are, and they seem intent on competition. More than any other guild, they pressure us to improve."
Gruul. "the Gruul conceive of nature only in terms of brutality and privation. But their ways are no less a response to civilization than out own. They will survive, barely, and perhaps one day they will understand."
Izzet. "The Izzet have spent ten thousand years mimicking the appearance of research, producing more pyrotechnics than progress. Surely that is a performance to rival Rakdos."
Orzhov. "They hoard their treasure throughout their pointless lives and lengthy afterlives. With such riches, we could swiftly bring about a future in which gold is as irrelevant as death."
Rakdos. "Camouflage, mimicry, resilience, and versatility. If the guilds were species, we would count the Rakdos among the most impressive. But they aren't, and that makes the Rakdos far more erratic — and dangerous."
Selesnya. "Like us, they seek a synthesis between 'natural' and 'artificial' systems. Unlike us, they wish to achieve it by unconditional surrender. They are adequate partners in stable times, but in the present climate they have little to offer."
Education
Infrastructure
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