The Circle

The First Archmage

The world trembled as heaven fell to a usurper. Aravandor had long been the seat power for Pyrelord Maleice, and from it his celestial armies clad in gold and steel dictated the order of things. All magic practiced amongst the mortal nations fell into two categories: abilities given by a higher power, such as the different clerical orders, or mutations from exposure to powerful magic like those who call on the Source. This changed when a young scholar and philosopher named Rayzadora Amell made a discovery that would start his journey to godhood: a ritual knife, forged from a metal not found on Thelekar, sharp with enchantment and intent. With this knife Rayzadora could cut between the reality of an object, and the thought that formed it; in layman's terms, he was able to use the knife to manipulate the Weave, and change it to his liking. For a time, he kept this skill secret, only showing his most trusted confidants. 

Eventually, a group of soldiers was passing through the small town of Beodan, his humble home in Nuvenan. Unlike many of the other groups that passed through during his early life, this one caused no trouble, and offered their manual labor to pay for lodging and supplies while they waited to reconnect with their main force. The group was called the Sunfyre Legion, and this was the first meeting of Rayzadora and Khora Voletaria, who would one day be Stormlord. The two spent most of their time arguing, according to Rayzadora’s personal writings. He found Khora’s unwavering idealism annoying and pointless, and saw little chance in changing the current power structure of the world. Khora would find him every morning to “try and make me believe in a better future.” When the squad of legionnaires finally left, Rayzadora pretended to not care, but despite his best efforts, the soldier’s idealism had gotten its hooks into the scholar’s mind. He couldn’t help but hope for a better future, and was in the unique position to help make it happen. He packed his bags, chased after his new friend, and introduced the Sunfyre Legion to the Arcane tradition, magic free from any oaths to the gods they were rebelling against. 

Rayzadora taught his students, and they taught theirs, and soon the Sunfyre Legion had a battalion of battle mages under the command of the first mage himself, the first Archmage. Archmage Amell alone was enough to change the tide of Khora’s most important battle: against the Stormlord and the Seabreaker. As nature gods with ties to the infinite ocean, they were far too powerful for a mortal to defeat, even with the help of his dragon ally. The Archmage, however, devised a plan to give his new commander an opening. Since creation, Thelekar was a flat plane, protected from the Far Realm by a firmament that centered on the World Tower. The ocean stretched on without end, and the gods could use the World Tower to expand the firmament and create new landmasses at will. As a result of this, the Stormlord and Seabreaker could never tire, the base of their domains being infinite in nature. It only took a few spells for Rayzadora to make a side entrance into the World Tower, and a few more to take command of its controls. When Khora began fighting the two gods,the Archmage activated the tower and used his ritual knife to reshape the entirety of Thelekar’s Weave, cutting the infinite into the finite. The flat plane became a globe, a planet floating in the expanse of the Far Realm, just like the rest of the celestial bodies. With Catalysm in hand, Khora was able to kill the two gods and claim their Domains, which gave the Sunfyre Legion the power to directly challenge Aravandor. Without the genesis of Arcane Magic, it would never have succeeded. 

Thanks to the battles that followed and the age of unrest as the new Stormlord attempted to establish order to the cosmos, the man now known as the Weavebreaker recognized that the widespread access to magic he had given the world was dangerous. Anybody could throw a fireball at will, with enough time and study, and nothing was stopping anyone from ascending to godhood like he had with a spell of similar power to the Sundering. With this in mind, he spent much of the period known as Zero Year carefully weaving a new order into the Divine Gate. Spells would be designated into levels determined by the exertion required to cast them, and there would be a hard cap on the levels of magic a mortal can cast within the Divine Gate. This is how so many different arcane schools and traditions all came to the same conclusion regarding spell classification- the new god of magic rewrote reality to fit such a method. 

It is the nature of wizards, of course, to give in to ambition and buck at authority. Knowing this, as he knew himself, the Weavebreaker made sure to begin laying the groundwork for an organization to maintain order in his stead. When the Stormlord finally stabilized a number of cosmic alliances to end the constant fighting and bloodshed across Thelekar, the Circle was ready to take over for Rayzadora.

The Circle

The Circle is the common name for those who practice magic in the Ivory Citadel, and its representatives that travel the world. The Grandmaster, holder of the Seat of Rain, is the head of this continent-spanning organization, and is most often spoken of in the same breath as monarchs and imperial potentates. While in the Chamber, they make decisions with the aid of the seven Hallmasters, each the head of one of the Circle’s main branches. The Chamber simultaneously rules on matters within and outside of the Ivory Citadel’s walls, from promotions and punishments to whether or not to send military aid to a country at war. 

Within the Circle, the membership is divided among seven branches called Halls. They are as follows:

• Hall of History
• Hall of Secrets
• Hall of Artifice
• Hall of Research
• Hall of Keepers
• Hall of Seekers
• Hall of Outreach

Each has a specific duty they practice for the betterment of the Circle at large, and work within their own ranks, often(and unintentionally) at the expense of the rest. It is not uncommon for inter-hall conflicts to cause decades-long feuds, changes in the Chamber’s makeup, or even the deaths of Circle members. Any conflicts, however, are kept private from the outside world, to maintain the Ivory Citadel’s reputation.

On the greater sociopolitical stage, the Circle is generally expected to remain neutral in all matters, as they have agents in hundreds of courts, a private army, and the ability to influence a generation of spellcasters at will. In times of great violence they most often choose to send out agents from the Hall of Outreach to offer healing and restoration services, rather than Knight Enchanters from the Hall of Keepers. There are exceptions to this rule, such as the conflict that took place during the Red Sky Disaster. The Grandmaster elected to aid The Chain in their quest after unchecked firestorms and necromancy ravaged the city of Eaglecrest, leaving it sundered and cursed. Additionally, when news arrived that the Spellbreaker Order had been given their abilities by corrupt forces within the Church of Hope using the new and dangerous art of Astrology, they sent Seekers to help root out their strongholds and inquisit which were accomplices to the false god Kairos, and which were redeemable.

Joining the Circle

When joining the Circle, you first must show some form of magical talent to a proctor from the Hall of Outreach, and are given the rank of novice when accepted. You serve for a year as little more than a servant, but with regular tests of magical competency by your proctor, to make sure you are not only capable of ascending the ranks, but also willing to endure the insult that is scullery work if it means growing as a mage. Once your year is up, you are granted the rank of Initiate, and spend a month with each of the Halls as a student. You will serve as an attendant to a Senior Fellow each month, learning how the Hall functions, and what skills you may have that align with each practice. After serving each Hall as an initiate, you must choose your hall, where you will serve as a Fellow.

Fellows are proper members of the Circle. As a Fellow, you are given your own quarters, access to each of the Hall’s archives, and a monthly allowance for both research and pleasure purposes. Most of the Circle’s membership is made up of Fellows, and this rank is respected alongside lawmen and healers in city governance. While most members are content to remain as Fellows, some aim their eyes on a higher rank, or are encouraged to by their mentors. You must approach your Hallmaster should you wish to test for Senior Fellow, and be willing to put aside personal research as you reenter a period of service to the Circle. Seniors serve as aides to Adepts or Masters, with some pulled away to teach new apprentices instead. You stay in this position until your assigned Adept or Master decides you are worthy of a new rank, and gives you the opportunity to climb the ladder to Adept based on a unique test for each Hall. The specifics for each test are kept secret so there can be no preparation ahead of time- just the Senior and their wits. Should you fail, you are demoted back to Fellow, where you will remain for the rest of your days in the Circle.

Adepts function much like Fellows, but with nicer quarters, a higher monthly allowance, and the ability to request Senior Fellows be assigned to you as aides. Achieving this rank also expands your horizons within your Hall; Adept Seekers can lead hunts, Adept Advisors can be assigned to foreign courts, and Adept Researchers can canonize spells. Finally, when you prove yourself to your Hallmaster, they have the discretion to award you with the title of Master. Only the greatest arcane minds have ever reached the rank of Master. It is purely ceremonial in effect, and does not grant you any particular benefits over being an Adept. Only one aspect of your membership has changed- you may be voted into the rank of Hallmaster by your fellow Masters, should the Hallmaster retire or pass away. This is not a choice. All Masters are eligible for the promotion, and cannot deny it. 

The Grandmaster is chosen by the Chamber for their wisdom, rather than Intelligence. This mandate has been set in stone since the beginning by the Weavebreaker himself; he recognized that though his intellect was unparalleled in his age, an angel on his shoulder might have encouraged him to find another way to help the Stormlord Ascend, rather than throwing billions of lives into jeopardy in the dark years that followed the Siege of Aravandor. The Grandmaster must also be somewhat sociable, and confident enough to travel to kingdoms breaking the Circle’s magical law to argue them down.

The Halls

Hall of History: the first and most well known Hall of the Circle. These are the scholars who discovered the rotation of the planet around the Sun, the intricacies of the twin moons and their orbits, and created a calendar from scratch to make sense of it all. Additionally, they determine when Ages begin and end, and what their subtitles will be. This hall is most famous for its massive Annex within the Ivory Citadel, where Adepts strive to create copies of all known literary texts. Historians are constantly adding their recordings to the shelves, and many mundane academies and universities have working agreements with the Ivory Citadel purely for access to this unparalleled source of knowledge. It is the largest library in the world, larger than even the ancient Halls of Knowledge in Voletaria, or the Imperial Annex. 

Hall of Secrets: a lesser known Hall, yet one of the most influential outside the Citadel walls. Members of this hall train not only their intellect, but their silver tongues and nimble fingers. Advisors and Infiltrators are the two jobs for Fellows within this hall. The Circle maintains its reputation and power thanks to having a Whisperer in near every royal court on the continents, and while their intentions may truly be to aid their assigned kings while keeping an eye out for rogue mages, there's no question that they send whispers back to the Citadel. A common joke among the other Halls is that the Whisperers have an even larger library than the Scholars, purely stocked with pointless gossip and rumors they’ve collected over the years.

Hall of Artifice: a hall of shut ins and introverts, who want nothing more than to test their inventions in peace. The magic item trade is highly profitable, and plenty of deaths each year are caused by faulty or misfiring items such as everburning lamps or cleansing stones. In order to combat this, the Hall of Artifice works with the Hall of Outreach to maintain a number of training halls to make sure artificers are carefully creating each item to last. Additionally, they also run factories to produce many of these commonly used items by governments across the continents, to ensure they can keep track of supply lines and tracking numbers. Adepts and Master within this hall, however, have the far more exciting job of spontaneous invention, attempting to build whatever may capture their minds for a day. 

Hall of Research: the source of all new spells added to the Weavebreaker’s Canon. While the Hall of Artifice works to create fun gadgets and toys, Researchers work to redefine the Weave to their liking. Many of the most famous wizards in history have been members of the Hall of Research, but only those who achieve the rank of Hallmaster have the honor of having their names added to the spells they create for the Canon. Additionally, it is the Hall of Research that maintains the Canon, making sure every spell and its equations are precise and easily translatable, and not prone to disastrous side effects if transcribed slightly incorrectly. For a time in the second age, a rash of immolations was tracked back to a single spellbook with an improperly recorded fireball, leading to the Researchers working tirelessly to rewrite the spell and prevent it from blowing up its caster if pronounced incorrectly. 

Hall of Keepers: the Hall for those with a knack for martial combat. Chief among the problems facing the Circle’s history of magical law enforcement was the simple issue of constitution. The average arcane caster is, for lack of a better word, frail. They can throw a fireball, but if a soldier or beast is dexterous enough, there is little they can do once the gap is closed. Thus, the first Hallmaster of the Keepers decided to recruit a series of different spellswords and battlemages from across the continents to create a martial branch of the Circle. They became Knight Enchanters, Eldritch Knights, Bladesingers, a dozen martial arts blended with the highest of arcane might. Agents of the Hall of Outreach will often pull Keepers when they believe their endeavors might be in danger, while the Hall of History may request Keeper protection while exploring an old tomb or dungeon. More commonly, however, Adepts or Masters from a number of Halls can request a Bonded Guardian to act as their partner in study and application, undergoing a unique magical ritual that connects their minds telepathically and empathetically. Such bonded pairs are a powerful force in combat, and have been known to make names for themselves in history books. 

Hall of Seekers: a Hall for those dedicated to protecting the Canon from those who would abuse it. When rogue mages develop new and dangerous spells they cause chaos, and it is the duty of the Seekers to hunt them down. Those expelled by the Circle for breaking the rules or working on secret projects are guaranteed a life of looking over their shoulder for whoever the Seekers have assigned to keep an eye on them. Its no wonder that the rest of the Halls have little trust for Seekers, and despite their importance to the health of magic as a whole, endeavor not to work with them on projects. This reputation is not entirely unearned, however, as Seekers often have a tendency for zealotry. Not all folk mages are threats to the Canon, yet depending on the Master in charge of a hunt, this fact is often ignored. The most notorious groups to ever splinter off from the Circle, such as the Goldbrands, originated in the Hall of Seekers, adding to their unpopularity at large. 

Hall of Outreach: a Hall for the rest. This is the largest Hall of the Circle by far, made up of those with either no ability to specialize, or no interest. Instead, Agents of the Hall of Outreach perform the duties needed to keep the Circle running. Clerical work, organization, scribing, resource acquisitions, restocking the study halls, rebinding tomes; every chair, every book, every rug in the Ivory Citadel is purposefully chosen by an Agent for its place. This extends outside the walls of the Citadel as well, with negotiators being sent to help find peace between warring magical states. Outreach Agents can find work in mundane universities as arcane theory professors, they are valued in clinics for their knowledge of arcane ailments, and can even aid detectives of the City Watch, able to detect and identify magic at crime scenes. Any competent organization across the continents likely has an Agent on retainer, for any number of jobs a utility based spellcaster can serve. 

Playing a Circle Mage

• Circle of Employment: Player Characters who are members of the Circle will either be from the main Ivory Circle, or a Circle chapter in most likely a capitol city of any nation with open borders. Circle chapters will have their own title, typically named with a descriptive word preceding Circle. The chapter in Voletaria is known as the Marble Circle, while the circle in Karadia is known as the Hidden Circle. You can ask about specific Circle names, but you can more than likely name your own.
• Circle Rank: More than likely, you will be a minimum of Fellow if you are pursuing the adventuring lifestyle. Novices, Initiates, and Apprentices are not permitted to leave their Circles without special permission, or they risk expulsion. Fellows, on the other hand, would have free leave of their Circle, while also retaining access to their quarters, a small monthly allowance, and access to your Circle’s library. All Fellows did their training in the Ivory Citadel, but once you achieved a Fellowship, you were permitted to choose your city of service. You may also be a Senior Fellow, being sent on errands by the Adept or Master you serve as aide to. Higher level characters may also be Adepts.
• Classes and Subclasses: Non-wizards can find themselves with Circle membership far more often than you’d think. Bards of all kinds can study here, artificers are most welcome, and even some subclasses such as the Eldritch Knight or Arcane Trickster find themselves aligned with the Halls of Seekers or Keepers. The single requirement is, of course, the ability to cast spells. Sorcerers and Warlocks often freelance with the Hall of Research to offer their unique skills to projects, and Clerics of the Weavebreaker can be found throughout the different halls. These clerics have a unique relationship with their patron god not of worship, but of study, and venerate him by growing their intelligence rather than offering prayers. Here is a list of easy recommendations for specific Halls and the classes suited to them:
• Hall of History: Scribe Wizard, Knowledge Domain Cleric, Lore Bard
• Hall of Secrets: Illusion and Enchantment Wizard, Arcane Trickster Rogue, Eloquence Bard
• Hall of Artifice: Artificer, Transmutation or Conjuration Wizard, Creation Bard
• Hall of Research: All wizards, Arcana Domain Cleric
• Hall of Keepers: Eldritch Knight Fighter, Hexblade Warlock, Bladesinger and War Magic Wizard, Watcher Paladin
• Hall of Seekers: Horizon Walker Ranger, Vengeance Paladin, any combat-oriented spellcaster
• Hall of Outreach: Any spellcaster with serviceable Charisma and general use utility magic
• Backstory Characters: You would have friends you came up with, a proctor who tested you for your Novice year, and the Senior Fellow who you served under during your Initiate Months. If you are a Senior Fellow, the previous list applies, but you also have an Adept or Master you serve as aide to. If you are an Adept, you may have one or more Aides who are learning from you and helping in your research.