City of Guilds

A hooded figure looked out a window at a well tended garden. It was an elf wearing rags decorated with bones and scavenged artifacts. His skin was pale, his long hair had a glistening black color resembling tar, his eyes carried the calm look of a simple farmer, yet his face reminded more of that one would expect on a mortician. The Devkarin elf waited for someone to show up at that garden, the garden he had been taking care of ever since he moved to the humble house where he stood.

...

Planeswalking was not a pleasant experience, it felt like a roller coaster ride gone wrong. An unpleasant feeling of motion and vertigo, combined with the uncertainty of having no gravity coursed through the bodies of the two sisters as they moved through the Blind Eternities. There was no need to breathe, yet they felt breathless, it was a torment, fortunately it all lasted less than a second, an extended second of emptiness and motion.

Finally the group reached their destination. They were in the middle of a garden, it was a rather pleasant place, a place they would have enjoyed if they were not feeling sick. “What was that?!” Babs Seed yelled trying to not give in to nausea.

Midnight Edge responded recovering himself from the side effects of planeswalking, he was rather used to it. “Well. We just moved through the Blind Eternities, it was quite a bumpy ride. You get used to it over time. Don't worry, the keys and portals do not have that effect.” As he responded, Sunflower vomited on the floor and fell unconscious. Midnight Edge held her before her face reached the ground. “She will be fine. Just give her time.”

“I didn't expect it to be so...” Before Babs Seed could continue, her gag reflex took over her forcing her to vomit. After relieving herself from her sickness she continued. “Tell me it won't get worse.”

“Well, much likely it won't. You actually endured the worst part. Unlike your sister. She fainted, I did the same the first time Riv took the lead. Let's say passengers always have it worse. It's like seasickness.”

“But painful.” Babs Seed responded, recovering from the trip. Then she looked at a humanoid walking toward them from the threshold of an elegant house, he looked strange, almost dangerous, but he did not seem to pose any threat. He did not seem to fit with their location or the urban landscape around them.

“Edge! You are on time as usual!” The elf was clearly familiar with the stallion, and expected the group's arrival.

“Yevgeny! My favorite rot farmer! Looking healthier than the average Devkarin as usual!” Midnight Edge responded to his friend, who would keep them at guests in his residence.

The elf stood a few meters before them with a wide smile. “Oh. This one must be your little sister I guess.”

“I'm his fiance” The filly replied, surprising their host. “My name is Babs Seed, she's Sunflower, my sister.” She pointed at the unconscious mare.

“Oh! You are younger than I expected. Well. Nice to meet you” Yevgeny extended his pale hand in front of the young pony, an unpleasant smell floated around it.

“Wow! What's that smell! It's awful! It smells like shit!” The filly responded turning away from the elven hand. She found the smell unpleasant.

The rot farmer realized the smell of his craft still lingered on him. “Actually, it's a dead animal. My apologies”

“God damn it Yegveny! You should take a bath after working!” Midnight Edge responded, shocked by the behavior of their host.

“I did. I couldn't get the stench off. My wife will be mad at me.” The young elf felt frustrated by his situation. He loved his wife, but sometimes felt they were not meant to be together, they were too different. As he cursed his fate an elven maiden wearing a long white dress with green accents and wooden decorations approached him.

“There is no need to worry my dear. I do not hold you accountable for it. You keep this city clean after all.” The elven woman embraced her husband from behind, showing a kind and nurturing smile and then kissing him.

“Ulyana. I was hoping for you to show up! I am glad to see my favorite married couple together.” Midnight Edge greeted the elven lady with a smile.

Ulyana noticed the unconscious mare which almost everyone else seemed to ignore for a moment, her attention focused solely on her as she approached. “Your friend seems to need help, let me handle that.” The elven healer placed her hand on the unconscious pony and began to release energy from it, relieving Sunflower from her affliction.

The mare opened her eyes and began to pay attention to her surroundings, the garden which she observed for a few seconds before fainting, the two strange creatures standing close to her, and the unfamiliar city landscape visible from the garden. She knew the creatures she saw posed no threat, but couldn't feel uneasy with the one which seemed to be male, his pale face looked almost unhealthy, he wore patched rags and bones, he reminded her of a grave digger. The female was a contrasting sight, her clothes were clean and looked like some sort of ceremonial dress, her wooden decorations and head dress made her seem like some sort of nurturing priestess.

“Well, I will take you to your rooms, you must be tired.” The Devkarin elf spoke, still slightly worried due to his apparent flaws.

“Wait, let me help you before that.” The Silhana elf gave her husband a flower petal and placed it on his hands. “This will get rid of that smell. You shouldn't be afraid of asking for my help.”

...

Midnight Edge looked out the window, usually he was not pleased with large cities, but Ravnica was different to him, it was a place where adventure waited on every turn, he found the Undercity rather fascinating. In fact his friends and him had chosen the place they were staying at because of its convenient location and size. The house was once a Selesnya communal house which fell in disrepair after years of conflict. Its proximity to the market and its current state made it a surface outpost to the Golgari Swarm, from which they brought fresh produce from the Undercity to the market, connecting both places from its basement.

Babs Seed entered the room after Ulyana guided her around the house. She learned the location of every room inside the place quite fast, and noticed a few rooms were occupied by other guests which were friends of the couple in charge of the place, some of them also acquainted with Midnight Edge. She was amused by the new location, the house was not precisely a fancy place, and it was clear it had been through better years, but the whole city promised new experiences, and the place had a warm feeling.

“So. What do you think? This is where we stay ever since we met Yevgeny. I would rather stay here than at any Orzhov owned in. They would charge for the air there if they could, and might try to drink your blood.” Midnight Edge was extremely cheerful, Babs Seed was used to seeing him in a cheerful mood whenever she was around, but this time it was different. She knew what that glimmer in his eyes meant, adventure.

“It's nice but... It feels a bit weird. There are many... I don't know what to call them, living here.” Babs Seed responded, wondering what were the things she saw inhabiting some of the rooms. They were not humans or elves, she was ready for those, but a skeleton with vines on it sitting on a chair was not what she imagined as a normal guest.

“I guess you mean Yegeny's friends.” The stallion responded. “They are mostly harmless, Yevgeny and Ulyana would not allow troublesome folks in their outpost.”

“What about Yevgeny and Ulyana? They are elves, but they look so different. Yevgeny looks almost like a dead guy.”

“I am glad you asked me. It is a sensitive topic for them. They are from different breeds and guilds. Just like ponies are divided in three groups, so are the elves here. Yevgeny is a Devkarin, Ulyana a Silhana, and there is another group of elves which is almost extinct. Remember when I told you this city is divided in ten guilds?”

“Yes. I remember that. You said I should stay away from some of them” The filly responded wondering how that was related to the elves.

“The Devkarin elves are part od one of the guilds, the Golgari Swarm, the guys with the insect symbol. That guild is in charge of farms and other less pleasant jobs required to keep the city. They take care of the dead, keep sewers clean, and in general act as silent keepers of the city. They accept those who are sick, maimed, and even zombies among their people. Even their farms are less pleasant, they use dead bodies and waste as fertilizers, great to make fresh produce, but the smell is unpleasant.”

“Like dark elves? So the others are the light ones?”

“Sort of. The Silhana are part of the Selesnya Conclave, the ones with the tree symbol. A semi religious group which worships nature and works to preserve it. They were actually a bit evil in the past, and they are seen as religious nuts by some. Their leader is not precisely fond of the Golgari. Imagine how they reacted when one of their own decided to marry a Golgari rot farmer.”

“They had to fight for their love?”

“Not at all. The Golgari leader is a rather pleasant zombie. I have heard back when he was alive he married a Selesnya lady. He managed to convince the Selesnya of allowing the marriage. But both parties were no longer allowed to enter Selesnya territory, and Ulyana would not move to the Undercity. And so Yevgeny came up with the idea of opening this outpost. He noticed it was an abandoned Selesnya communal house, and it was so damaged it connected to the Undercity, where the Golgari live, so it became a common territory for both guilds. Under command of their leaders they began to manage this place, where both guilds meet and cooperate.”

“I don't see why talking about that would make them uncomfortable.” Babs Seed still wondered how could they feel bad after their love managed to overcome so many obstacles.

“Both see the beauty in nature, but one embraced death as part of it, the other sees death as separate from life. They sometimes fail to understand each other, and so the biggest obstacle to their love is not their guilds, but themselves. That makes Yevgeny feel he does not deserve Ulyana's love.”

“So Yevgeny feels he is just what he smells like and thinks Ulyana shouldn't love him because of that?”

“To put it bluntly, yes. Also their disagreements make them doubt the marriage could work. But it will, I know it.” Midnight Edge had more faith in his friends and their marriage than they had, but that was another reason for him to be there. He would prove them how powerful love was.

...