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RTR Dimir

House Dimir a blue-black aligned guild from the plane of Ravnica. House Dimir was founded by parun Szadek, a psychic vampire, to test the strength of the Guildpact by trying to break it.

History[]

Before Ravnica Block[]

When the endless war between the factions that would become the guilds came to a complete standstill Szadek came forward and proposed the Guildpact. Szadek and the other paruns crafted the Guildpact and signed it. A provision in the Guildpact forbade the other paruns from revealing Szadek’s presence and involvement with the Guildpact further concealing the vampire’s existence.

All was not how it seemed, Szadek wanted to gain complete control over the plane of Ravnica and he would be able to do so by breaking the Guildpact. Szadek’s plan was laid out and planned for millennia and, when the time was right, it would be revealed.

Ravnica Block[]

Before the Decamillenial Szadek made an alliance with the matka of the Devkarin elves of the Golgari Swarm Savra. Together they freed the Golgari parun Svogthir so he could defeat the Sisters of Stone Death who were the current Guildmasters. After Savra betrayed Svogthir and took the position of Guildmaster for herself she began the next part of Szadek’s plan which involved replacing leaders within the Boros Legion with lupul and aligning with the Selesnya Conclave and gain their favor.

It was when Savra was promoted to a member of the Chorus of the Conclave that Szadek’s true intentions came to light, he had used her to get close to the Conclave and her death would weaken the guild. It was through Savra’s death Szadek would be able to get close to Mat'selesnya, the parun of the Selesnya Conclave. Szadek snapped Savra’s neck and attacked Vitu-Ghazi.

Szadek’s plan was thwarted by Agrus Kos and Jarad and was arrested by Kos. In arresting Szadek Agrus had unwittingly broke the Guildpact and played right into the hands of Grand Arbiter Augustin IV of the Azorius Senate. Augustin had anticipated Szadek’s plan and wanted to use the breaking of the Guildpact to have the Azorius Senate seize control of Ravnica.

Augustin visited Szadek in his Azorius jail cell and pulled his soul from his body and sent it to Agyrem where he began amassing a large spectral army. The Boros, under the command of Razia parun and Guildmaster of the Boros Legion, tracked Szadek to Agyrem and flew Parhelion into the district where it quickly was besieged by Szadek and his spectral army. In the resulting battle most of the Boros angels were slain and Szadek impaled Razia with her own sword.

Szadek flew Parhelion out of Agyrem and crashed it into Prahv the Azorius Guildhall where Augustin had been revealed to be the real architect behind the breaking of the Guildpact. The spirit of the now deceased Agrus Kos entered the ruins of the downed Parhelion and found Szadek in the control room where he captured him in a grounder, a device meant to trap spirits.

When he returned to Prahv he discovered that Augustin had moved to put Ravnica under martial law with himself in charge. Kos threw the grounder at Augustin causing it to break and release the spirit of Szadek who quickly took revenge on Augustin by tearing his soul from his body and devoured it. Szadek’s spirit was then banished to Agryem where it would be trapped.

After the Ravnica Block[]

With it’s leader gone House Dimir quickly fell into ruins, Duskmantle was put under surveillance and the new non-magical Guildpact would not recognize it as an official guild. House Dimir would soon find a new leader in Lazav, a mysterious shape shifter who claimed he communed with the spirit of Szadek to obtain his knowledge on how to lead the guild.

Purpose[]

The original purpose of House Dimir as defined by the Guildpact is to test the strength of the Guildpact by trying to destroy it. House Dimir is not recognized as an official guild by the new non-magical Guildpact but continues to operate nonetheless.

Structure[]

House Dimir is comprised of a large web of isolated cells which only the Guildmaster knows the full extent of. These cells receive instruction from their mysterious superiors through the necrosages, mysterious beings who can communicate telepathically with others and teleport.

During the Ravnica block House Dimir was a highly secretive organization that closely guarded knowledge of the guild’s existence resulting in most Ravnicans not knowing they exist or believing they are merely a myth.

In the Return to Ravnica block House Dimir is known to exist but the public and maintains three separate levels of operations which are:

Overt Level
The Dimir are just like any Ravnican guild, serving a public purpose for the good of the city. They often serve as couriers, investigators, reporters, and archivists. They serve twin purposes: to give the rest of Ravnica a "friendly" face of the guild and to be the street-level eyes and ears of the Dimir. Many entry-level candidates to the Dimir guild begin as overt agents until they can prove their trustworthiness.

Covert Level
The Dimir are a network of agents, spies, assassins, and mind mages. The covert level of House Dimir uses secret symbols, runes, and signals to communicate, often in plain sight. Covert Dimir also employ various mysterious forms of mind magic, such as telepathic communiqués that are erased from memory as soon as the operation is completed.

Clandestine Level
There is a level of Dimir hidden even from its own members. At its lowest level, the guildmaster Lazav and his direct contacts guide and manipulate the operations of the guild. Members of House Dimir assassinate, extort, and destabilize without knowing who made the order or why. Orders pass through thought trails and mindcouriers, leaving no trace of their connections with this deepest level. This bottommost level of the guild is protected by Lazav's memory wards, powerful one-way enchantments that allow contacts and witnesses to receive their orders but prevent permanent memories from taking hold.

Parun[]

The Parun of House Dimir is Szadek, Lord of Secrets.

Guildmaster[]

For most of the history of House Dimir the Guildmaster was Szadek. This changed when Szadek’s plans at plane-wide domination were thwarted during the Decamillenial and ended when he was killed and his spirit was banished to Agryem.

After House Dimir fell into ruin in Szadek’s absence a shapeshifter named Lazav was able to take control of the Dimir.

Guildhall[]

Duskmantle, House of Shadow
Duskmantle has been the Guildhall for House Dimir since it’s inception. Duskmantle is a large castle protected by memory wards to ensure it remains a secret. Only the residents of Duskmantle and their direct underlings know where it is.

Guild Signet[]

RTR Dimir

"An emblem of a secret guild, the Dimir insignia is only seen by its own members - and the doomed" - Dimir Signet Flavor Text

In Game[]

Creature Types[]

In game the Dimir are composed of the following species and races:
Drakes, Horrors, Humans, Shapeshifters, Skeletons, Spirits, Vampires & Zombies

Creature Classes[]

In game the Dimir are composed of the following classes:
Rogues & Wizards

Mechanics[]

Ravnica Block Mechanic: Transmute
Transmute is the keyword ability of cards in the Ravnica block aligned with the Dimir guild. It works by allowing a player to pay the transmute cost of a given card, discarding the card, then searching his or her library for a card with the same converted mana cost as the discarded card.

Transmute in the Rules
702.51. Transmute
702.51a Transmute is an activated ability that functions only when the card with transmute is in a player’s hand. “Transmute [cost]” means “[Cost], discard this card: Search your library for a card with the same converted mana cost as the discarded card, reveal the card, and put it into your hand. Then shuffle your library. Play this ability only any time you could play a sorcery,”
702.51b Although the transmute ability is playable only if the card is in a player’s hand, it continues to exist while the object is in play and in all other zones. Therefore objects with transmute will be affected by effects that depend on objects having one or more activated abilities.

Transmute Cards
Brainspoil
Clutch of the Undercity
Dimir House Guard
Dimir Infiltrator
Dimir Machinations
Dizzy Spell
Drift of Phantasms
Ethereal Usher
Grozoth
Muddle the Mixture
Netherborn Phalanx
Perplex
Shred Memory
Tolaria West

Return to Ravnica Block Mechanic: Cipher
Cipher is the keyword ability of cards in the Return to Ravnica block aligned with the Dimir guild. It works by allowing a player to exile a spell after it resolves encoded on a creature. Whenever that creature deals combat damage to a player that creature’s controller may cast a copy of the Cipher card.

Cipher in the Rules
702.97 Cipher
702.97a Cipher appears on some instants and sorceries. It represents two static abilities, one that functions while the spell is on the stack and one that functions while the card with cipher is in the exile zone. "Cipher" means "If this spell is represented by a card, you may exile this card encoded on a creature you control" and "As long as this card is encoded on that creature, that creature has 'Whenever this creature deals combat damage to a player, you may copy this card and you may cast the copy without paying its mana cost.'"
702.97b The term "encoded" describes the relationship between the card with cipher while in the exile zone and the creature chosen when the spell represented by that card resolves.
702.97c The card with cipher remains encoded on the chosen creature as long as the card with cipher remains exiled and the creature remains on the battlefield. The card remains encoded on that object even if it changes controller or stops being a creature, as long as it remains on the battlefield.

Cipher Cards
Call of the Nightwing
Hands of Binding
Last Thoughts
Mental Vapors
Midnight Recovery
Paranoid Delusions
Shadow Slice
Stolen Identity
Undercity Plague
Voidwalk
Whispering Madness

Cards[]

Ravnica Block[]

Dimir Cards
Bloodletter Quill
Brainspoil
Circu, Dimir Lobotomist
Clutch of the Undercity
Consult the Necrosages
Dimir Aqueduct
Dimir Cutpurse
Dimir Doppelganger
Dimir Guildmage
Dimir House Guard
Dimir Infiltrator
Dimir Machinations
Dimir Signet
Dizzy Spell
Drift of Phantasms
Duskmantle, House of Shadow
Ethereal Usher
Glimpse the Unthinkable
Grozoth
Induce Paranoia
Lurking Informant
Mindleech Mass
Moroii
Muddle the Mixture
Netherborn Phalanx
Perplex
Psychic Drain
Ribbons of Night
Rise//Fall
Roofstalker Wright
Shadow of Doubt
Shred Memory
Szadek, Lord of Secrets
Tattered Drake
Trial//Error
Twisted Justice
Watery Grave

Referred To
Consult the Necrosages
Dimir Cutpurse
Dimir Signet
Glimpse the Unthinkable
Peel from Reality

Return to Ravnica Block[]

Dimir Cards
Bane Alley Broker
Call of the Nightwing
Coerced Confession
Consuming Aberration
Deathcult Rogue
Dimir Charm
Dimir Guildgate
Dimir Keyrune
Dinrova Horror
Duskmantle Guildmage
Duskmantle Seer
Hands of Binding
Horror of the Dim
Last Thoughts
Lazav, Dimir Mastermind
Mental Vapors
Midnight Recovery
Mind Grind
Mortus Strider
Nightveil Specter
Paranoid Delusions
Psychic Strike
Shadow Slice
Soul Ransom
Stolen Identity
Undercity Plague
Voidwalk
Watery Grave
Whispering Madness

Referred To
Armory Guard
Chromatic Lantern
Destroy the Evidence
Gateway Shade
Incursion Speciailist
Mortus Strider
Perilous Shadow
Stealer of Secrets

All items (2)

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