Description
The Orzhov Syndicate is the Ravnican guild of business, where the dead exist solely to rule. Nearly every business in Ravnica ties back to the Orzhov in some way or another. While they bear the facade of a religious group and may have been a true faith at the signing of the Guildpact, they now worship only profit and power.
The Orzhov guild is founded on the beliefs that wealth is power, that structure breeds wealth, and that guilt creates structure. The guild is a combination of a religion, credit-lending agency, and crime syndicate. An ostentatious hierarchy of priests, enforcers, and ghostly councilors rules over a congregation of guilt-bound loyalists, indebted ghosts, and thrull servants. Should somebody be in debt to them, that person must work off their debt even beyond death. Many Orzhov guild members believe that their actions are necessary for making Ravnica the best it can be, and they are unscrupulous in their methods of seizing power. As Ravnica’s principal bank, the Vizkopa Bank, it stores and secures the riches of the city, collecting interest at high rates to expand its own wealth. Although most other Ravnicans see the Orzhov for the corrupt organization it is, many people are still dazzled by the syndicate’s promises of wealth, prestige, and longevity.
One one hand, they have a strong sense of tradition and community, reflected by the fact that they still partake in all of their ancient rituals and customs despite not worshiping any gods. They hoard their wealth, but are shown to share with family members or close friends. On the other, they regularly deal with the dead, they never give to charity if they can help it, and continually violate the spirit of the law merely to meet their own ends. The Orzhov know also how to create thrulls out of remnants of past debtors.
Hierarchy
The Syndicate is presided over by a council of ghosts, the Obzedat, in Orzhova, the Church of Deals. Below the Obzedat stands the olicharchs, elite families who have belonged to the Orzhov for generations, and the pontiffs (executive managers). Orzhov aristocrats move very slowly from magically prolonged life to semi-undeath to ghosthood. Ministrants are the priests and practitioners of Orzhov's religion. This is the highest position anyone can hope to obtain without being born within the guild. On the same level stand the knights. who provide the muscle for collecting money on time and in an orderly fashion. The lowermost position in the guild is taken by the syndics (attorneys, advisors, accountants, couriers etc.). Borrowers are not part of the guild, but they can't escape their debt even after their death.