Izzet League

The impulsive and reckless inventor-mages of the Izzet League create magics that power Ravnica's infrastructure and, sometimes, lay waste to city blocks. Though they're responsible for most of the beneficial civic works on Ravnica, their behavior has also led to some spectacular and destructive failures. In the end, despite all of these internal conflicts and odd habits, the Izzet are undeniably the top creators of magic and magical items on the planet.

The undisputed masters of spellcraft and invention on Ravnica, the Izzet are rabid inventors, fusing elemental magics with technology to power their creations. Led by the capricious and unfathomably brilliant dragon Niv-Mizzet, the Izzet magewrights endlessly created and destroyed, driven only by rabid passion for discovery.

The Izzet are obsessive experimenters, the epitome of keen creative intellect combined with an unfortunately short attention span. The original mandate of the Izzet guild was to provide solutions for public works projects (sewers, boilers, roadways), but their experiments often produce mana geysers, spatial rifts, or arcane portals instead. As of late, their guildmaster, the dragon Niv-Mizzet, has driven the Izzet to delve deeper and deeper into more dangerous and experimental magic. The purpose of these experiments is unknown.

The Izzet are responsible for most of the civic works that keep Ravnica going. The Izzet designed the sewers, built the foundries, and stocked the markets with every necessity and every luxury. They are tinkerers and researchers at heart, never satisfied, always working towards a bigger device or better sorcery. In fact, they're the only ones who understand how and why magic itself functions, knowledge that led to their “planar universes” theory, and speculation on how it's affected life and death on Ravnica. The Izzet are intensely focused on their work, making them the guild least interested in Ravnica's politics and daily intrigue. On the other hand, those work interests constantly shift. The Izzet are easily bored, and jump from one inspiration to the next, one theory to the next. As a result, the best Izzet projects usually pass from wizard to wizard multiple times before being completed. This impatience and eagerness for results leaves its mark all the time, usually in the form of huge, burnt-out craters. But they are content to let someone else clean up their messes; they have little interest in anything but their work.

Izzet Roles

The chemisters are alchemists who forge mizzium and other elements into arcane tools. They experiment with new alloys, energies, and runic markings. The chemisters are highly competitive, which often leads to spirited rivalries and petty in-fighting.

Blastseekers are mages who wield and control the arcane tools devised by the chemisters. These tools are not always physical devices or artifacts; sometimes the blastseekers manipulate orbs of elemental energy that float in mutual orbits, crackling concentric disks of power, or streams of lava-bubbling water.

Izzet blastseekers and chemisters might have up to forty attendants, most of whom are vedalken, due to their natural focus and organizational skills. An attendant's duties usually include recording and organizing information (often under dangerous circumstances), acquiring rare items or elements (usually under dangerous circumstances), or completing experiments (always under dangerous circumstances).

Weirds are the product of yet another Izzet experiment whose goal was to combine two opposing elemental types (e.g., fire/ice, smoke/lightning, or steam/stone). Izzet mages hoped that these contradictory combinations might create elementals that were more stable and easier to control, but, of course, true to form for Izzet experimentation, the actual outcome was the exact opposite. Weirds are even wilder and more unpredictable than elementals of their component elements. However, weirds can make potent guardian creatures or fighting familiars.

The servants of Niv-Mizzet who make up his personal court are referred to as the Izmundi. Niv-Mizzet uses this court to guide his machinations and to keep him abreast of the happenings in the wider world. The Izmagnus are the most powerful members of the Izmundi court, which typically has five to seven members (some members are kept secret). Even members of the Izmagnus are not privy to Niv-Mizzet's highest-level plans and goals.

Breaking of the Guildpact

During the Dissention, Niv-Mizzet is wounded in a battle with the nephilim and retreats to an unknown location on Ravnica, presumably to recover. After fighting with the nephilim, Niv-Mizzet was not seen for a while. Former guildmages wonder what use this new-found freedom could mean for the Izzet, but without word from their guildmaster, the Izzet League becomes scattered and chaotic.

Most Ravnicans saw the disappearance of Niv-Mizzet as the end of the Izzet guild. It isn't until the emergence of large Izzet works being built and strange warehouses humming with manacoils throughout the night do Ravnicans begin to change their presumptions. The ancient dragon parun doesn't have to be visible to control his guild. During his absence, he uses the power of the Firemind to reach out to his guildmages with a complex array of new and mysterious projects for the Izzet League to work on.