District XXIII

> *This article is about a non-canonical location.*
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The **District XXI** (twenty-three), known by some as the **Giant's Step Bridge**, is a district of the City of Ravnica.

## Description

District XXIII is an elevated city built over what appears to be an enormous bridge, supposedly made by giant creatures that have long been extinct. However, the bridge is like most of Ravnica, covered in multiple buildings of various sizes, with wide, winding streets, dark alleyways and passages, and even much smaller bridges that span different buildings and streets. It serves as one of Ravnica's largest sky-ports and is renowned for its vibrant Selesnya gardens, aquatic beauty, and bustling market.

The height of this great bridge makes it a perfect roost for large flying creatures to call it home. Small birds, drakes, rocs, griffons, angels, and other flying beings are a common sight to see in the skies. On a rare occasion, specters astride their gloamwings can be seen; though, most folks prefer to give them a wider berth.

One of the most notable aspects of the district is the abnormal extreme temperature changes due to its seasonal cycles. However, despite the dramatic seasons, the citizens of this district have grown accustomed to this. Along the edges, where the changes are the most noticeable, businesses often migrate, with owners lending their buildings to one another. The plants migrate around the district, following the season that benefits their survival the most. The fauna will follow suit, with some of the herbivores leaving first to follow the plant life and some of the carnivores following suit. This causes everything to tend to have set migratory patterns. The effects of the seasons begin to lessen towards the middle, with the centermost region having the most stable climate due to its isolation. Because of this, residences, personal chambers, and stores are highly valued.

## Affiliated Guilds

The Selesnya Conclave is much more open and welcoming to anyone who can join its ranks, as long as they are able to contribute to the guild and fully accept the Worldsoul. It is not uncommon to see vampires, simic hybrids, merfolk, and kraul members of the Conclave. Your guildhall is within a tangle of massive vines suspended between buildings and bridges in the air. The local Selesnya guild leader is Siefne, the spirit of a dryad who sacrificed herself defending the Conclave. Mat’Selesnya brought her back to continue leading the guild. Her compassion is as big as her sense of forgiveness towards others.

House Dimir operates several safehouses and hideouts across the Bridge, hidden in the district's intricate road system.

The Orzhov Syndicate also operates several checkpoints throughout the district, collecting taxes from citizens and passing transport.

This was also the birthplace of the Order of the Stars and its base is located in the most central precinct.

The Izzet League also have a huge unusual looking building on one of the edges of the district. What it is depends on who you ask. Most of the populace say that it’s a huge guided laser cannon, moved far away from the populace to keep it away from their prying eyes. The Izzet, on the other hand, claim that it is merely an observatory, built far away so that the lights of bridge do not hamper their observations of the stars.

The Ulan, a lesser-known regional Gruul Clan, resides both in the rubblebelt and the underwharfs, sometimes clashing with local gangs and guilds.

A good chunk of the guildless population are vagabonds, travelers, homeless, or in poverty. Despite this, they have formed a tight-knit community, even creating their own symbols to communicate locations to each other. However, the thieves' cant used by the guildless population is secretly implemented by the local Dimir branch to subtely move the community in the direction of their own machinations. This way, a large amount of information can go through the hands of the Dimir, unknowingly feeded by its guildless users.

## Goods and Services

The district operates as one of Ravnica’s largest sky-ports, with the two precincts on the edges of the bridge operating as the docks. The district sees regular traffic from trained sky whales and airships, bringing in tourists as well as imports and exports. There are funiculars at some points on the bridge, connecting them to other elevated buildings. Tram lines connect North End and South End, running across the Bridge also provide additional transportation either by rail or suspension cables. A beautiful series of aqueducts and rain collectors provide water to the buildings high upward from the bridge level. There are open water surfaces, but also hidden tunnels, dams and reservoirs. The aqueducts may overflow sewage and water to the chasm underneath the bridge. A complex system of ancient levers, old gears and waterwheels manipulate the flow. A team of engineers from the Izzet League has recently uncovered ancient machinery that spans sections of the bridge-district. Their initial reports indicate that the machinery resembles components of modern drawbridges.

## Geography

The District XXIII has eleven precincts; with five of then on the “surface” (North End, East Docks, Center Precinct, West Docks, and South End), an Undercity precinct, the Twin Pillars district and the corresponding islands that help support the bridge, the surrounding Rubblebridge, and three precincts underneath the bridge: the North Beach, the South Beach, and the Lake Precinct (which is mostly the lake that’s on the surface).

### Center Precinct

The commercial hub of the city, located in the innermost part of the Bridge, where the rapid changes of the seasons have no effect. It houses a large open-air market whose length rivals that of Tin Street.

### Underbridge Precincts

The Undercity of District XXIII, called **Underbridge**, has a very small presence, with it mostly comprising of many different fungus growing along the bottom of the bridge. Due to this lack of an underground, the Golgari Swarm has the smallest membership, with the bulk of their forces split into two separate factions occupying the Ends of the District (**North End** and **South End**), each vying for power over the other. These precincts host many industrial zones, warehouse precincts, wharfs, ghettos, residential neighborhoods, piers, ports, and Administrative buildings. There is also a considerable presence of the Simic Combine with the Undercity due to this district being one of the first locations where the merfolk rose out of the underground oceans to found the new Combine.

### The Rubblebriedge

A portion of District XXIII is made up of a rubblebelt called Rubblebridge. It surrounds the district and contains a whole host of Gruul Clans. This region is very important for clans. In the distant past, before the creation of the Guildpact, one of the great clans lived here. It was formed by a race of orcs (believed to be descendants of giants) and giant goblins called bugaboo (bugbear). The clan still exists, although it has very few numbers. Their former home acts as a key backbone to the Rubblebridge's economy, forging axes in vast numbers to be distributed throughout the district. Most members were born and raised in the clans, with a few outsiders. However, a little-known regional Gruul clan of humanoids, merfolks, tritons, and sahuagin called the Ulan claimed their territory sprawled within the docks, slums, and underwater dwellings on either side, far from their more traditional dwellings in the Rubble Belt.

### The Lake Preserve

The Lake Preserve is a distinct and charming area within District XXIII. As an integral part of the district's economy and landscape, the Lake Preserve is a true gem that contributes to the diversity and uniqueness of the place. It is characterized by a large lake that extends from the base of the great bridge, one of the few natural bodies of water found on the surface of Ravnica. Its serene beauty is a contrasting sight with the urban and architectural nature prevalent in the district. The lake is surrounded by a variety of flora and fauna, including a kelp forest that extends below the surface of the water. The presence of a true aquatic ecosystem is a rarity in Ravnica's urban landscape, making Lake Precinct a special and legally protected place. Of course, that hasn't stopped the Lake from becoming an active and vibrant place. Many tourists and locals alike come here to relax, have picnics by the lake, enjoy water sports and even take a dip in the crystal clear waters of the lake. Boat trips and leisure activities are popular, especially with travelers who want to escape the hectic urban streets for a while. Lakeside establishments, such as cafes, souvenir shops and water equipment rentals, thrive due to the demand of tourists looking for relaxing and recreational moments. A group of independent merfolk also control the ports and waterways at the base of the District, offering protection to the savvy merchants who pay their fees.

#### Avenue of Lights

The Avenue of Lights is the most famous spot in this district in the rest of the world. It is a wide and airy street located above the bridge, within the centermost precinct, filled with bucolic gardens and patios suspended in the trees healed by the Selesnya Conclave. At night, the avenue is illuminated by thousands of fluorescent crystals arranged in the vaults of the trees. It is known as one of the most beautiful and romantic places in Ravnica and has become a tourist spot for honeymooners.

### The Twin Pillars

Two islands in the middle of the great River Delta form the bases of the Bridge's massive Twin Pillars and are cities in their own right, separate from the Spanners (nickname for those that live on the bridge) who live in the suspended expanse up above. These massive towers, which also serve as residential and commercial buildings, are intertwined with the district's signature architecture.