Ravnica (novel)

Ravnica (also called Ravnica: City of Guilds) is the first novel of the Ravnica Cycle. It was written by Cory J. Herndon, and published by Wizards of the Coast in September 2005.

Blurb
A Labyrinth of Intrigue

Lieutenant Agrus Kos enjoys his work. A top-notch officer of the city guard, he's been on the force over fifty years. He works alone. And the League of Wojek never had problems with him or his work. Until now.

They gave him a partner to train, who promptly got himself killed. And the more he looks into the death, the less he likes it.

Something dark is moving within the guilds of Ravnica.

Story
Ravnica: 23rd of Zuun, 9999.

Agrus Kos and his partner/deputy Bell Borca investigate some crimes, and show off the world. Murder, for instance, is not illegal, unless it's a guild member. He's investigating various cases and has been promoted to a semi-desk job. Fonn, meanwhile, is protecting Saint Bayul while he enters the main part of the city (known as the City of Ravnica) for the Decamillennial. Savra meets her brother Jarad and gives him a mission, then speaks with Szadek to find Svogthir and overthrow the Gorgon leadership, by killing two of the three Sisters of Stone Death. Kos sees the ghost of Myczil Zunich, who leads him to witnesses a bombing attack on Saint Bayul and Fonn at a restaurant, and Kos and Borca are caught in the blast. Borca and Saint Bayul are killed, and Kos wakes up in a hospital and is informed of Fonn's disappearance.

Three days later Fonn wakes up with her captor, Jarad, who tells her he was hired to save her from the blast. Jarad and Fonn, while talking, are attacked by harpies, and the last one tells him that Savra had sent them to kill them both. Meanwhile, Kos sees Borca's ghost, who tells him he had an avenger contract in case of his death, and that Kos thus must avenge Borca's death. Feather comes back to help Kos, and they set out to a Orzhov friend of Kos’, Pivlic. Kos and Feather find Fonn and Jarad at Pivlic's arena restaurant, and they form an alliance when Selesnya quietmen attack the arena. Kos receives a falcon that the Saint is actually not dead, and they need him/Fonn there. The Golgari attack the Boros Legion’s headquarters, and it's war. Fonn hears Saint Bayul's last words, and learns that Savra was trying to join the Selesnya conclave, and to do so, she needed the gem in Bayul's forehead. The Dimir Lupul worms attack, and the quietmen fight Wojeks.

Savra had been invited with the Devkarin elves to return to Selesnya, since Vitu-Ghazi has become corrupted (unknown to them, Savra was behind the corruption, and so actually controls the quietmen) and is about to join the conclave (and still control Golgari, and eventually all the guilds). Szadek appears and tells her it's time to join the conclave. She places Bayul's stone on her forehead, and when she's part of the conclave, Szadek snaps her neck. Szadek announces the end of the Guildpact, while Jarad gains control of the Lupul with Savra's staff, and Fonn saves her mount by putting Bayul's stone in her mount's forehead. The battle ends with Kos arresting Szadek for crimes against the Guildpact.