Orzhov Syndicate

Judgement Without Hope

"All I require is faith, loyalty, obedience, trust, and complete and utter devotion." -High Priest of Penance There’s an old Ravnican saying: “to find the Orzhov, follow the gold.” This guild holds Ravnica’s economic reins, doing everything from minting coin to managing the plane's largest bank, Vizkopa, and they know it too. For the members of the Syndicate, money talks, and the entire guild hierarchy seems to revolve around how many zinos (or lack thereof) a person has. They are likewise one of Ravnica’s largest religious organizations, and they preach the orthodox of wealth and station, of knowing one’s place and paying one’s dues. Hidden behind a golden facade of theocratic pomp and ceremony broods a dark, cold and plotting mentality. The Orzhov specialize in getting one what they need – for the right price, that is. The Guild of Deals is always ready to cut a bargain with anyone willing to sign their contracts, and are always prompt and efficient in providing their services. However, they never forget who owes them dues. And no matter the circumstances, the Orzhov intend to collect. Their legal prowess could rival the Azorius for complexity, as can the guild’s lawmages and advokists, and their deals are always binding. Not even a pesky little thing like death can stop the Orzhov from collecting debt – they deal just as well in ghosts and souls as they do with cash. Running this dark business are the Patriarchs, roughly the wealthiest beings on the plane. These grotesque beings live lives of unending excess and decadence, constantly plotting ways to increase their already vast hordes of riches and ways to buy a postmortem existence, hopeful to join the highest echelons of the Ghost Council. Below the Patriarchs are a set of rigid castes aimed to keep their members in line (and in debt). Citizens trapped in a cycle of endless poverty, indentured servants that continue to pay off ancestral debts, contractually-bound ghosts working from beyond the grave and the wretched faithful dedicated to the guild’s church are but a few of the assortment of beings held in the sway of the Guild of Deals. To rise through the Orzhov ranks is rare, but to those who can manage it, wealth and power await.

Structure

Alignment: Lawful Evil Domains: Charm, Death, Knowledge, Nobility, Wealth Guildmaster: Ghost Council Guildhall: Orzhova Values: Conservatism and agelessness. The Orzhov use their oppressive social order as a means to ensure power – the entire guild is set up to keep the rich rich and the poor poor. The guild’s rites and rituals, its laws and structures, exist to maintain the status quot.

Type

Religious, Organised Religion

Leader

The Obzedat

Controlled Territories

Notable Members