What ELSE Happens in Murders at Karlov Manor?

An epilogue chapter was published on February 14th, giving us closure on the events in Murders at Karlov Manor - but do they add to the story? Or ruin what was otherwise Magic: The Gathering's most perfect setting?

[MagicArcanum]

For anyone saying this is "in character for Niv, " or that "it makes sense he would focus on bigger problems, " let me say this: he is the living Guildpact, a physical representation of the magical contract that binds all of Ravnica. He represents all of the guilds, and was chosen for this position during the War of the Spark. If he wants to experiment with the omenpaths, that's fine, but he should have been transparent about it, as it affected all of the guilds.

Furthermore, Ravnica has proven repeatedly that it can survive anything when the guilds are UNITED. Allowing them to fall into hostilities with each other (like Aurelia declaring war on the Cult of Rakdos) would have posed a bigger danger to the plane than anything that could have come through the omenpaths.

In short, while Niv as a "regular dragon" and parun of "just" the Izzet League might be allowed to focus his efforts on the omenpaths, as the Guildpact he is duty-bound to act with transparency and to give consideration to how his actions affect the parties he was chosen to represent and lead.

His behavior was selfish and reckless and makes no sense given his supposed intelligence, and the (assumed) function of the Guildpact's magic. We are often told about how complex and thorough the legal code is for Ravnica. Are we to believe there is nothing in that massive pile of laws that governs how the actual Guildpact must act?

[CenJohan]

Oh god it all makes sense now. Niv-Mizzet wasn’t really present during the events of the story because he was trying to figure out how to bring other IP’s to Magic as opposed to caring for the established world. He already succeeded with Clue, and now even more are being set up for next year. Niv-Mizzet is a hasbro executive.

[MartamisSign]

Honestly I figured Niv Mizzet was up to something when we got a card for him but he didn't impact the stories. Seeing him focus on the omenpaths does kind of make me see him as a disconnected researcher again rather then an arbiter between the guilds. It does also make sense with the only vehicle in the set, if there's another please correct me I didn't see one on a cursory glance, being Kylox's Voltstrider. We know one of the upcoming sets being described as a death race through the omenpaths on multiple planes, so I'm wondering if this is to tie in to that in the end.

As for the set as a whole, I don't mind a Ravinican set that doesn't focus on the guilds and I love the murder mystery of this set, but I feel it doesn't quite land. I feel maybe they both didn't mix well to me.

[davidbrasher]

I don't think this story really offends me too badly. Niv-Mizzet and Proft are both sort of sociopathic, Aspergers syndrome, ivory tower kind of characters with motives unknown and unknowable to the rest of us. They are perhaps more interested in knowledge and puzzles than justice. Like during the War of the Spark, Niv-Mizzet wanted Ravnica to win, but did not really care about collateral damage. If a bunch of little people died, oh well. There would still be enough survivors afterward. Proft is inspired by Sherlock Holmes who would get very depressed and almost suicidal if the newspapers were boring, there was nothing to stimulate his intellect, and he had no tricky mystery to solve. Holmes easily could have gone the other way and ended up as a master criminal like Moriarty rather than a master detective. He was more interested in the game than bringing justice to wrongdoers.

It also seems like Niv-Mizzet might be very concerned about defending his plane. Ravnica has recently been invaded twice in a row by Bolas and his eternals, and then by Phyrexia. So he could argue that external invasions were a much greater threat than a crime wave of murders.

[PDex-rg]

So what I am hearing is this was yet another story where the intelligence of the charactets, emotional or otherwise, was based on the intelligence of the writers. No wonders things have been going downhill at WotC.

[Danothyus]

Proft: So, about my fee to help you.

Niv-Mizzet: What about i don't burn your body to cinders, your mind to smithereens and your reputation to shreds if you help me?

[pwho]

Knowing Niv, after the last chat he had with Jace it makes sense to me that he is obsesed with control over planar trable. And, as a dragon, we must remember he thinks a bit diferently to us. Do I think it could have been better written, yes. But is not destroying Ravnica in my opinion.

[lautarodesimone]

for me, it's coherent. We as players "know" there is no inminent super threat in the other side of an omenpath. But for a megalomaniac with godlike powers dragon, that envy the properties of the planeswalkers, studying the literal paths to imitate those beyond his possibilities is more important than solving murders that do not tear apart the plane itself.

[mietfekatfe]

The Reward you get on arena for "solving the ARG" is some XP and, hold your books, a sleave from New Capenna....

[lordvalefar]

I think what Niv-mizzet just thought the murder mystery was too mundane for his high intellect and left it for the azorius to figure out. He put his focus on something he had to learn about for the betterment and protection of the entire plane and its people.

[AbsolutZero]

Is it really out of character for Mizzet though? He is very vain and would definitely prioritize his pet project over some murders lol

[danieldragotti]

Niv: Im turning ravnica to Disney land.
Prof: your ression for letting a Dryad kill several hundred is good as long as I get a cut.

[YawgmothWasRight]

It seems pretty in character to me for Niv-Mizzet to do that honestly. He's a multi-millenia-old dragon, and he didn't exactly feel threatened by a talking plant killing a few people here and there. On the other hand, the multiverse brings an infinite amount of possibilities, and Niv especially can't afford to let this opportunity go, he's finally become the head of the plane, it's understandable that he'd want to secure a position of power, in the shift that's bound to happen.

All in all, there's a lot of parallels between him and Urza here, and it seems to fit as they already have quite similar personalities to start with.

[ramenkingcruz]

TBF.... the city we once knew had two major planar devastating events within the span of a couple years. It makes sense that the story/set doesn't really follow the old Ravnica formula.

[sashmiel]

So Ravnica becomes Dominaria 3.0.
And yes, I picked up that Karlov felt more like an expansion to New Capenna. Whihc is why I bought some more capenna singles to flesh out Karlov

[wayanbacchiocchi]

This is TOTALLY in-character for Niv-Mizzet:
1. He gets bored with basic things such as solving murders, keeping the peace ecc. Others should take care of these things.
2. He was never intended to be a good incarnation of the guildpact: he behaves like a super-intelligent, fire-breathing spoiled child.
He has always been a chaotic character dancing on the line between good and evil.
3. His massive ego demands that he puts himself at the same level of planeswalkers, if not above them. The goal of controlling the omenpaths makes complete sense.
4. Turning Ravnica into the economic center of the multiverse while keeping a closer eye on the paths is a logic purpose. After a catastrophic war you want the economy to rebuild itself.

Personally, I think this is the Niv-Mizzet we got in a long time, and in general the story has many references to the OG Ravnica.

[MarioJPC]

I am in the minority here, but I am happy knowing a bit more about the Guildless or the burned out from the Guilds. Yes, the Guilds are the more important factions of Ravnika, but allways there were more people alongside them, so I think that the Post-Invasion Ravnika can have a change of Status Quo, specially when many Guilds have important losses, both in lives, in prestige and in resources.
And like sombedy said before, Niv is a long-lived dragon. He is not an evil monster, but still a monster in a way.

[bartoszganko]

honestly I liked the chapter. I don't think not careing about individual deaths is too much out of character for Niv. Guildmasters seemed to not care about them until a guildmaster died. I just see Niv's uninterest as a result of his ego and him seeling himself as higher being.

[jaredtiller]

To be completely fair, I think this is at the very least in character for Niv, he may be the guildpact, but he’s also a millennia old parun dragon, it follows that murders would be beneath him. Not saying I enjoyed this story particularly, but in original ravnica Niv did kill a nephilim and then just STOP FIGHTING because it bored him.

[rennac]

Bold to assume Ravinica hasn’t already been serving as the central hub of the multiverse.

Tezzert’s Consorduim of planeswalkers was based here

The gatewatch took on commissions from other worlds from ravnica

A good portion of the cannon cast was already familiar with the plane, and that was even before the war of the spark called about 65-75% of all planeswalkers