TEXT:  1
  Sights and Sounds 
   of Ravnica
  Sightseeing in the City of Guilds 
  by Richard Malena-Webber
  
  Sights and Sounds of Ravnica 
  by Richard Malena–Webber 
  Table of Contents 
   
  Always Something to See in Ravnica! 
   
  Azorius & Boros 
   
  Dimir & Golgari 
   
  Gruul & Izzet  
   
  Orzhov & Rakdos 
   
  Selesnya & Simic 
   
  About the Author 
  Page 3    
  Page 4 
  Page 5 
  Page 6  
   
  Page 7 
  Page 8 
  Page 9 
  Credits 
  Design 
  Richard Malena-Webber 
  Art 
  Backgrounds: DevonTT (Flickr Profile) 
  ©2018 Richard Malena–Webber. All rights reserved. First digital printing December 2018 and published under the Community Content 
  Agreement for the Dungeon Masters Guild (http://www.dmsguild.com).  
  DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, Wizards of the Coast, Forgotten Realms, the dragon ampersand, Player’s Handbook, Monster Manual, Dungeon 
  Master’s Guide, D&D Adventurers League, all other Wizards of the Coast product names, and their respective logos are trademarks of Wizards 
  of the Coast in the USA and other countries. All characters and their distinctive likenesses are property of Wizards of the Coast. This 
  material is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or unauthorized use of the material or 
  artwork contained herein is prohibited without the express written permission of Wizards of the Coast. 
  ©2016 Wizards of the Coast LLC, PO Box 707, Renton, WA 98057-0707, USA. Manufactured by Hasbro SA, Rue Emile-Boéchat 31, 2800 Delémont, 
  CH. Represented by Hasbro Europe, 4 The Square, Stockley Park, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UB11 1ET, UK. 
   2
  
  Always Something to See in Ravnica! 
  “Diversity is Ravnica’s greatest strength. Each 
  Guild has a place here, and we could no 
  more do away with the brutality of the 
  Gruul than the law of the Azorius. Our unity 
  is what makes us unique in all the planes."  
   
  —Jace Beleren, Living Guildpact 
  The City That Never Sleeps 
  Ravnica is a vibrant and diverse city, filled 
  with the absolute wonder, near-constant 
  rivalry, and unique challenge that comes 
  from the ten Guilds packed together on a 
  single set of labyrinthine streets. As your 
  players race around this wonderful city, 
  you’ve got to make sure that they’re always 
  looking around corners to find something 
  new and exciting! Give them some fantastic 
  sights to see. 
  My hope in writing this little guide to 
  Ravnica is simply to help flesh out the world. 
  Maybe your players just want to see what the 
  Simic are up to in the middle of their battles 
  against the Cult of Rakdos. Or maybe your 
  team of Boros Guards need to a few quick 
  patrols before they get into the heart of your 
  adventure. Either way, with this book and a 
  quick roll of the dice, you should have plenty 
  of events to get fill your city with some 
  serious Ravnican delights. 
  Enjoy! 
  Sightseeing 
  To bring the city to life, read some of the 
  following events to your party as they travel 
  throughout Ravnica during their adventures. 
  These events are each tied to one of the ten 
  Guilds described in the Guildmaster's Guide 
  to Ravnica. You may also roll randomly using 
  either the Guild Die or a d10 on the 
  following table.  
  Once you’ve selected a Guild, either choose 
  an event within that section or roll 1d4 to 
  select one at random. Each of these prompts 
  has the potential to lead players into new 
  adventures and meet new characters during 
  their travels. Some of these events may make 
  more sense in certain Precincts than others. 
  However, as Guild influence is widespread 
  throughout Ravnica, these have intentionally 
  been left without a specifically tied location. 
  To give players a visual prompt, each of 
  these events contains links to Magic: the 
  Gathering card art from Gatherer, the official 
  online card database. Both the title and 
  bold text link to the same card.  
  1d10
  Guild
  1d10
  Guild
  1
  Azorius
  6
  Izzet
  2
  Boros
  7
  Orzhov
  3
  Dimir
  8
  Rakdos
  4
  Golgari
  9
  Selesnya
  5
  Gruul
  10
  Simic
   3
  
  Haughty Acolytes 
  Two Azorius acolytes dressed head to toe in House 
  blue and white stride through the crowd with 
  imperious faces. As they glance at their clipboards to 
  ensure everything is running to schedule, it becomes 
  hard to ignore their sneers of contempt at the 
  masses beginning to assemble for the upcoming 
  festival. The acolytes attempt to regain a sense of 
  stoicism as they turn towards the Grand Cathedral. 
  Pride of the Clouds 
  Far above the city, a small pride of golden lions 
  leaps from cloud to cloud. Their long manes stream 
  behind as they soar in front of the sun. You shade 
  your hand from the sudden glare and when you look 
  back to the sky, all you can see is a sudden scattering 
  of graceful blue birds. Nearby, two Azorius trainers 
  speak in low tones as they take notes on the 
  performance. One whistles a sharp note, and the 
  birds gather and follow the trainers down the street. 
  Justice of the Arbiter 
  A nearby crowd cheers loudly as a series of halberd 
  hafts slam down onto a wooden platform. Walking 
  the stage is a massive ﬁgure dressed in the robes of 
  an Arbiter. “Since neither claim may be verified, 
  each shall bear the burden of their actions!” With a 
  gesture, the Arbiter’s guards close the stocks around 
  the necks of two distraught ﬁghters. “Maybe shame 
  will teach you respect for the logic of justice.”  
  Hallowed Fountain 
  A momentary silence provides a respite from the 
  usual chaos that ﬁlls the streets. You see a long, wide 
  path leading towards a beautiful statue in a large, 
  marble fountain. The fountain burbles softly in the 
  distance. Though clearly a work of beauty, the 
  celestial sculpture stands in the middle of an empty 
  lane. Suddenly, the statue turns with a shocking 
  grace to look right at you. “You shouldn’t be here.” 
  Patrolling the Streets 
  A trio of well-armored Boros guards haul a grinning 
  jester through the crowd by his blood red cape. The 
  clown hands out grimy pamphlets which invite any 
  and all to come see the delights of Rakdos circus in 
  Precinct Six. Before anyone can read the cryptic text, 
  a fourth Boros guard calmly conﬁscates each 
  pamphlet, saying “Nothing to see here, please move 
  along.” 
  Goblin Recruits 
  “Again!” shouts a Boros sergeant standing near 
  some kind of urban obstacle course. Three young 
  goblins grit their teeth and charge through the 
  debris, leaping skillfully across the course before 
  battling their way up a set of ropes to be the ﬁrst to 
  reach a golden bell. A second soldier laughs and 
  rolls his eyes. “Keep it civil, soldier,” says the 
  sergeant. “All are welcome in the Boros ranks. 
  Especially since those goblins each ran this course 
  faster than you ever could.” 
  Courier Hawk 
  With a piercing cry, a trio of hawks dives and weaves 
  between the chimneys and balconies above the city 
  streets. One hawk veers above a loxodon bakery, 
  ﬂaps to a sudden stop, and carefully drops an 
  envelope of spices through the window. The baker 
  steps out and tosses a morsel of meat into the air. 
  The courier hawks catch the reward and quickly tear 
  it apart before continuing down the street. 
  Firemane Angel 
  Many visitors to Sunhome wonder why the Legion 
  would build a lighthouse in the middle of a city. A 
  beam of radiance shines across Precinct Four from 
  atop the tall spire. As you watch, the light stops and 
  focuses on a point in the distance. Suddenly, the 
  light launches across the sky on wings of golden 
  ﬂame, drawing a sword as the Boros angel prepares 
  for battle.  
   4
      Azorius
        Boros
  
  Memory Merchant 
  You walk past a conversation between a Selesnyan 
  noble and a Dimir merchant. The Dimir claims to be 
  able to “make you forget any memory you wish!” As 
  he further explains that the Selsnyan will have to 
  reveal the secret to the merchant before any 
  transaction can occur, the noble leaves in a huff. The 
  Dimir nods to an accomplice across the street who 
  makes an almost illegible note in a little, black book. 
   Negotiating a Bargain 
  A tall, lanky ﬁgure beneath a midnight blue cloak 
  stands outside a market stall. A merchant sits at a 
  ramshackle table before a parchment covered in tiny 
  letters. In her right hand is a spidery quill, with 
  golden legs that pierce her wrist. The spider legs 
  tremble, drawing small beads of her blood into a 
  small reservoir. With a dusty voice, the shadowy 
  ﬁgure speaks. “Just sign right here and House Dimir 
  will make all your financial troubles just disappear.” 
  The merchant trembles, then signs in blood. 
  Dimir Cutpurse 
  “Where’d the creature go?” Three Gruul soldiers 
  quickly push aside hanging carpets and cabinets 
  ﬁlled with trinkets in a small market stall. “It pinched 
  my gold and it’s hiding somewhere in this mess!” The 
  merchant begins to shout for help as one soldier 
  tears down a a rack ﬁlled with colorful doublets. 
  Across the crowded lane, you see a smiling ﬁgure 
  dressed in rags heft a clinking pouch. It watches the 
  soldiers for a moment longer before fading to dust.  
  House of Shadow 
  A harsh breeze momentarily stops you in your tracks. 
  The winds of Ravnica blow strongest in the Tenth 
  District, drawing dust down through the cold iron 
  grate to the Undercity. Deep below, the augurs of 
  Duskmantle sift through the wind, pulling secrets 
  and whispers from the air. You watch passers-by pull 
  their collars close, shuddering against the ill wind.  
  The Gardeners 
  Three Golgari druids stand beneath a few recently 
  pruned trees in a nearby courtyard. As you watch, 
  the druids run their ﬁngers along the pruned 
  branches, which quickly begin to sprout with new 
  leaf buds. The druids smile to each other, but as they 
  turn and see you watching, their smiles turn to sharp-
  toothed growls before they turn back to their work.  
  Bloodbond March 
  The entrances to the Golgari subterranean home are 
  easy to locate from the overwhelming smell. The 
  stench of centuries-old rot hardly seems to bother 
  the three Devkarin elves guarding a darkened 
  stairwell. Moss grows from the skin around their 
  eyes, and each stands eerily still even in the bright 
  sun. A priest emerges from the stairwell and tips a 
  cup of gruel and blood into each mouth, providing 
  gruesome sustenance for the mostly-dead soldiers. 
  Dowsing Shaman 
  A Selesnya soldier cleans blood from the head of her 
  spear as a pair of Rakdos bodies cool on the city 
  streets. She looks up and nods wearily as an elder 
  centaur strides up and hands her a pile of coins. 
  Finding the sum acceptable, the Selesnya turns and 
  wanders off into the city. The centaur druid moves 
  his gnarled staff along the bodies, smiling slightly as 
  bright, arcane sparks ﬂow from bracelet and 
  necklace, up the staff, and form a silvery halo around 
  the druid’s head.  
  Grave-Shell Scarab 
  You hear a shout up ahead as the crowd in the street 
  comes to a sudden halt. Before you can wonder what 
  the shouting is all about, an enormous beetle rises 
  and towers above the nearby building. A drover sits 
  atop the great scarab, pulling on a long set of reins 
  as the beast clambers forward onto the street. The 
  beetle drags a sledge ﬁlled with corpses, destined 
  for a Golgari rot farm deep in the Undercity. 
   5
        Dimir
      Golgari
  
  Fight Club 
  A small crowd stands around a twenty foot square of 
  barbed wire and tattered red ribbons in an alley 
  behind the market. Inside, a massive loxodon trades 
  punches with a lightning-quick goblin, both dressed 
  in the green and red of the Gruul Clans. With a loud 
  trumpeting blast, the loxodon ﬁnally slams a 
  thunderous stomp down on the goblin, bringing an 
  abrupt but satisfying end to the competition.  
  Shaman of the Burning Tree 
  “Anyone who wishes to join mighty Gruul must first 
  sacrifice to the flames!” An imposing centaur with 
  antlers tied tightly to his head stares down at a long 
  line of nearly naked recruits, each clutching a burlap 
  sack with their belongings. “The Burning Tree only 
  keeps what they can rip and tear from the world! We 
  leave civilization behind.” You watch as bright-eyed 
  recruits in rags throw in their last, lonely possessions, 
  slowly catching ﬂame as they rejoin the wild. 
  Gruul Nodorog 
  An eerie silence falls on the streets around you as 
  everyone stops walking and perks up their ears. A 
  gravelly bark can be heard, just at the edge of 
  hearing, and then another coming swiftly closer. The 
  crowd immediately turns and silently scatters into 
  the buildings around them. One merchant pounds 
  on a house door, and when the matron cracks it 
  open, the terriﬁed merchant speaks a single word. 
  “Nodorog.” Her eyes grow wide as she pulls the 
  merchant inside and bolts the door. 
  Narbulg the Scarred 
  Even from a distance, the guttural cries of Gruul 
  berserkers are completely unmistakable. Loud shouts 
  are punctuated with the shrill screech of metal 
  grinding against metal. Plumes of dust reach into the 
  sky as a small horde shove a cruel, spiked plow 
  through the wreckage of a ruined building. As they 
  race past, you see a towering ogre, scarred from 
  innumerable wounds. The ogre bellows and the 
  horde pushes the war plow onward and out of sight. 
  Museum of the Weird 
  Four wagons are set in a semi-circle, sharing the 
  newest advances from the Izzet League. In the ﬁrst, a 
  model city hovers above a glowing silver plate. The 
  second and third each pulse with elemental energy 
  as the Pyrologists and the Arcane Geometers duel 
  for the crowd’s pleasure. In the last, glass columns 
  house mysterious Weirds, ﬂashing back and forth 
  from bright ﬁre to liquid ice in a chaotic, magical ﬂux.  
  Invoke the Firemind 
  A loud scream sends the crowd racing away from a 
  darkened street, where a magician stands rigidly with 
  her hands held over her eyes. The energy from her 
  ﬁnal spell pours through her ﬁngers, burning its way 
  into the sky like an arcane storm. The magician falls 
  to her knees as ﬁre erupts from her skin. In moments, 
  all that remains is a swirl of ash in the street, blowing 
  slightly as the arcane energy disperses into the sky. 
  Achronal Displacement 
  “This entire area is under quarantine.” Four members 
  of the Izzet League scurry inside a dark house slowly 
  overﬂowing with a foamy green slime. A Chronarch 
  spins an hourglass, allowing the sand inside to 
  strangely begin ﬂowing from the bottom to the top. 
  As you watch, the slime shrinks and constricts, 
  ﬂowing back inside the house and out of sight. 
  “Quarantine under is area entire this,” says the 
  Chronarch as the League members smile and begin 
  walking backwards up the street. 
  Aerie of the Firemind 
  As the sun sets, the streets of Precinct Four remain lit 
  by the crimson energy crackling in the sky above the 
  tower of Nivix. A visitor to the city begins to mutter 
  but his friend quickly laughs and points to the 
  tower’s apex. “Feel free to ask the mighty dragon 
  Niv-Mizzet to calm it down if you like. The Izzet 
  always need new volunteers for their experiments.” 
  The visitor takes a last look at the shining tower 
  before shuddering and turning away.   
   6
   
  Gruul
   
   Izzet
  
  The Honored Dead 
  A covered palanquin moves down the lane, carried 
  by a small troop of acolytes in gray. Beneath the 
  plain cover sits a ghostly ﬁgure, looking out over the 
  crowd with disdain. As the palanquin passes, you 
  hear the ﬁgure speak, complaining about the city’s 
  squalor. “Back when I was alive, this level of filth and 
  chaos would have been a disgrace. Did anyone truly 
  believe the pathetic Boros were up the job?” The 
  acolytes quickly mutter along in agreement and 
  continue down the path. 
  Agent of Masks 
  A narrow doorway leads into a dim shop covered 
  from top to bottom in masks. Grinning wooden 
  masks with curled horns, and painted porcelain 
  masks with the sharp tusks of a loxodon. The wide 
  variety of masks shows a breathtaking span of 
  emotions carved by a master crafter. A woman with 
  an ivory mask steps forward and silently tilts her 
  head at you. She whispers and the door slams shut.   
  Conjurer’s Ban 
  “Your emotions make you weak, my friends. Draw 
  upon the power of your ancestors and find peace.” 
  Standing on the stairs is a cheerful man in the stern 
  robes of an Orzhov pontiff. He gestures, and a 
  ﬁgure staggers out of a nearby alcove, the wisps of 
  ghostly ﬁngers sliding free of his skull and returning 
  to the shadows. The ﬁgure rights himself with a face 
  devoid of feeling and walks away. “Wonderful. Who’s 
  next?” 
  Graven Dominator 
  A sudden movement grabs your attention, but as 
  you look up at the roof of the Orzhov basilica, all you 
  can see is the ring of silent gargoyles along the 
  rooftop. “Best keep clear,” whispers a veldaken as 
  she passes. “They say that when the statues fall and 
  shatter in the street, you go weak in the knees. Easy 
  prey for a hungry ghost.” She hastily casts a 
  defensive cantrip and hurries down the street.   
  Dancing in the Streets 
  With a hoot and a laugh, ﬁve dancers burst forth 
  from the crowd, bringing applause from delighted 
  passers-by at their crazed antics. After a short 
  performance, one dancer grins and brings forth a 
  curved knife, slicing their own arm and holding it 
  aloft. The dancers shout in glee as blood drips to the 
  cobblestone path. The crowd slowly thins as the 
  dancer offers the knife to anyone who wants to join 
  in the entertainment. 
  Anthem of Rakdos 
  As you walk through the city, a slow thumping sound 
  begins to pound in your ears and echo in your chest. 
  A chant pours from a rough chorus, weaving around 
  the drumbeat in a frenetic counterpoint. Suddenly, 
  the street clears as a meandering parade shouts the 
  Anthem of Rakdos in a terrifying harmony. The 
  crowd stands ready to defend themselves, but the 
  chorus merely stomps their way around the corner 
  and disappears in the distance. The crowd breathes 
  a sigh of relief and gets back to work.  
  Walking the Dragon 
  Four Rakdos performers stroll down the street with 
  chilling smiles, each wearing heavy plate greaves and 
  pulling a long chain. “We need the poor girl to get 
  used to people before our show tonight.” As one 
  tugs on the chain, a barrel-sized dragon waddles 
  forward, growling and blowing smoke in the air as 
  she glares into the crowd. “Otherwise, she might 
  accidentally kill someone! See you at the show?” 
  Kraven the Ratcatcher 
  “Hey there. Got any rats?” You quickly turn around 
  to see a dark, hooded ﬁgure grinning at with grime-
  covered teeth. His thick rags are caked with blood, 
  and his hands show a web of bite marks from 
  hundreds of viciously nibbling rats. He steps back in 
  surprise. “Begging your pardon, your highness. 
  Mistook you for someone else.” The ratcatcher turns 
  away, hobbling down the sidewalk.  
   7
      Orzhov
      Rakdos
  
  Heart of the Forest 
  A pair of centaurs stride through the crowd and 
  pound on a large, wooden set of double doors. After 
  a moment, they slide open revealing a gathering of 
  elves and fey, laughing and drinking in the heart of a 
  hidden forest. The centaurs stride through and the 
  doors begin to close of their own accord. A shadowy 
  ﬁgure races from an alley and tries to slip through, 
  but ﬂees from a sudden hail of tiny arrows. 
  Birds of Paradise 
  As you pass down the city streets, a brightly dressed 
  quartet begins performing a beautiful song on a 
  nearby corner. A ﬂute trills while the hum of strings 
  plays a quick, cheerful tune. One of the bards casts a 
  handful of seed into the air, and a ﬂock of birds 
  swoop down on rainbow-colored wings. Only rarely 
  seen within Ravnica, the birds of paradise hover and 
  chirp along with the melody before ﬂuttering away.  
  The Nursery 
  A massive tree stands in the very center of a sapling 
  grove alongside a secluded home. As the sun’s rays 
  beat down, the tree spreads her branches, giving 
  shade to the new growth beneath. Small dryads walk 
  amongst the saplings, watering their roots and 
  cleaning their leaves. All the while, the elder shade 
  tree speaks in a low voice, telling a tale of four 
  ancient treants and the day they allied with Selesnya. 
  Chant of Vitu-Ghazi 
  A circle of hooded druids gather in a desolate street. 
  Against the laws of Ravnica, the Selesnya have torn 
  up the cobblestones to the soil beneath. As the 
  druids raise their voices in harmony, a shimmering 
  curtain begins to form above the dirt. As the chant 
  grows ever louder, a towering tree begins to push 
  through the portal, sending new leaves and branches 
  into the deforested city. Roots embed themselves in 
  the newly turned soil as the song ﬁnally dies out.  
  Harvesting Acolyte 
  You walk beneath an archway and a drop of blue 
  ooze hits your shoulder. You look up to see what you 
  took for ornamental vines were really terrifying rows 
  of hissing teeth attached to a long, wormlike 
  carapace. Suddenly, a Simic acolyte steps in front of 
  you and traps the worm to the roof of the arch with a 
  narrow pitchfork. “Sorry about that. Harvesting 
  always gets a little exciting.” 
  Simic Assault Zeppelid 
  A shadow falls upon the street, and as you look, you 
  see a disturbing form blocking out the afternoon 
  sun. An interconnected net of seedpods has 
  inﬂated and lifted into the air, taking with it an entire 
  city block of Ravnican stone that rains dirt and 
  pebbles back into the street. Striding between the 
  ballooning seed pods, you can just make out a pair 
  of Simic mages using powerful gusts of wind to 
  propel the aerial battering ram across the sky. 
  Prophets of Change 
  As the sun rises to its zenith, the Oracles of Zameck 
  slip from the Simic stronghold and make their way to 
  ﬁve large rocks surrounding a shallow pool. Heating 
  themselves on the sun-warmed stones, the Oracles 
  begin shouting cryptic phrases at the waiting crowd. 
  Each phrase is a minor truth, meant for a single 
  citizen of Ravnica, though the Oracles never reveal 
  the intended audience. The faithful crowd does their 
  best to follow each small prophecy, just in case. 
  Ocular Halo 
  “Pardon me, friends, but have you seen my glasses?” 
  The sudden voice belongs to a lanky veldaken 
  patting his coat and looking at the ground beneath 
  him. Hovering around his head is a ring of ﬂoating 
  eyes of every color, looking outwards and upwards 
  and away at everything except the spectacles resting 
  on his brow. “I’m sure I dropped them, but there’s 
  just so much to see. I’m having trouble focusing…” 
   8
     Selesnya
   
   Simic
  
  About the Author 
  Richard Malena–Webber is an academic, puzzle and game designer, and presenter. He's 
  designed puzzles for everything from the launch of the Tomb Raider movie to live interactive 
  crime-solving mysteries. Rich created and hosts Atomic Game Theory, a video series devoted 
  to game analysis, and he created the Puzzle Keyring, an educational decryption tool for codes 
  and ciphers. In addition to developing his own projects, he's contributed to RPGs and board 
  games like Keith Baker’s Phoenix: Dawn Command and Avalon Hill’s Betrayal at the House 
  On The Hill: Widow’s Walk. Currently, you can find Rich co-hosting the tabletop news podcast 
  Going Last and the RPG actual play podcast Gosh Darn Fiasco, teaching math to high school 
  students, and playing lots and lots of board games. If you can’t find Rich on the internet, you 
  may be able to find him at a convention near you.  
    
   
   
   9
  
  Find my other projects on the DMs Guild!
   10
  The Heart of Svogthos
  Rise of the Champions
  The Monologue Mechanic
  Khyber’s Cursed
  Monsters of the Guild 
  The Faithful of Eberron
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeons & Dragons [multi]/5th Edition (5e)/3rd Party/DMsGuild/Non-Publisher Titles/Sights and Sounds of Ravnica.pdf