Background
Founded by parun Supreme Judge Azor I, a sphinx lawmage who authored a majority of the original Guildpact, the Azorius Senate functions as the government of Ravnica and creates Ravnican laws. The current guildmaster is Supreme Judge Isperia, a sphinx lawmage. The main guildhall for the Azorius is New Prahv.
Believing their legislation to be the singular force that prevents Ravnica from descending into chaos, the Azorius Senate mediates and regulates the activities of all of the other guilds and of the plane despite their numerous decrees being ignored. The Azorius Senate are characterized as being aloof, bureaucratic, excessively formalistic, and fastidious, spending hours upon hours with legal documents and ensuring action, if any should occur, stringently adheres to protocol. For such reasons, the Azorius are deeply disdained by Ravnicans, whom the Azorius believe will affect a change and subsequent crime, chaos, and general decline in civic life. The Azorius are said to act through inaction.
The Azorius Senate works alongside the Boros Legion and Selesnya Conclave to see to the enforcement of the law, and the Orzhov Syndicate to see to the provision of advocates and lawmages for accusers/claimants/complainants/plaintiffs and defendants. Ultimately, however, the Azorius advocates for blind justice, peace, and the status quo, doing so via their intrinsic involvement in all affairs on Ravnica and with their legions of knights and paladins as well as mages adept in countermagic, magic to disable and hinder those who would break the law, and other law magic.
The Columns
The rigid hierarchy of the Azorius Senate is reflected in the guild's triangle-shaped crest; most Azorius functionaries report to one superior, and are reported to by two subordinates. The Azorius are divided into three Columns: the Jelenn Column, which makes the laws; the Lyev Column, which enforces the laws; and the Sova Column, which judges the law-breakers.
- The Sova Column is led by Leonos II. They act as judges and arbitrators. The column employs legal aides, pages, librarians, experts on precedent, advocates for the accused, public prosecutors, and judges.
- The Jelenn, led by a vedalken lawmage named Uzana, act as scribes and elocuters. The term elocutor covers all communication functions, from simple messengers — who are often spirits — to conflict mediation. The Jelennn write and enact the laws of Ravnica, involving the efforts not just of the designated legislators but also a network of bureaucrats: aides, writers, researchers, lobbyists, clerks, and so on.
- The Lyev, led by Agmand Sarv, work as lawmages, hieromancers, nullmages, investigators and enforcers. The Azorius military, which belongs to this Column, can be broadly separated into hussars (mounted soldiers) and infantry. Arresters specialize in preventing or stopping things from happening. The Lyev Column is also venturing into the work of managing surveillance and precognition.
Azorius builders and architects are among the best in the world, and konstructors are those who enhance and/or accelerate their building projects with magic.