The Geodes

The Circan Mages College is known for raising dedicated druids and clerics to the Botanical Deities, and the Briarhood of the Botanical Deities frequently takes these graduates into their ranks. But there also exists a different kind of graduates, the wizards and magical scholars that partially reject the doctrine of the Briarhood. For centuries, a secret organization started to take these people in, giving them more space to think freely and making their presence known amongst the scholar societies in Kibitann.

Origins

In the time after the Second Warring Era ended, and the Botanical Deities proved their existence to Kibitann by briefly returning to the mortal coil, a group of newly graduated mages started doubting. Even though it was clear as glass that there are gods who created the continent, they were overly concerned with the origins of those gods, and the theories and lore about these deities that lack a true source.
The mages started to suspect that the Briarhood was not as closely connected to the Deities as they claimed, which means that a lot of rules and dogmas the Briarhood enforced might not be the wishes of the Deities at all.
And so in the year 6300, they secretly (since the Old Bark Vows were still active, although not for long) founded the organization called the Geodes, dedicated to unearthing the truth behind the Deities and the origins of Kibitann.

Goals and general influence

The initial goal of the Geodes was to achieve connection with the Deities once more, to contact a god and gain the answers of life. They aimed to debunk the claims of the Briarhood and to truly crack open the proverbial shell that the church built around themselves.
But after the Briarhood changed their course and started to take a step back in terms of continental leadership, this part of the plan was rendered finished. The Geodes now only had one goal left, gaining contact with the Deities.
However, after the Briarhood loosened their dogmatic grip on the Kibitannian population, things changed for the Geodes. From a group of mages wanting to research the gods of the world, the Geodes gradually changed into a way of life, a culture so to speak. The Geodes' way of thinking about reality and the Briarhood giving more freedom has inspired many inhabitants of Kibitann to (partially) reject the ways of religion and devoted themselves to joining the Geodes.

Aftermath

The secret organization was not that secret anymore, and the search for answers gradually became a treasure hunt and a chase for glory. In the year 6728, after a young treasure hunter named Iliphine Ardreth unearthed an ancient artifact of the Deities during a mission for the Geodes and promptly used it for her own gains with world-changing consequences, the organization imploded. Many of its most prominent members were disgusted that the Geodes did not have influence on its own associates, which led to the destruction of a divine artifact instead of its research. The organization's member count shrank severely, and many sympathizers went on for themselves, not mentioning the irrevelant group anymore.
Finally, in the year 6745 the Geodes truly went underground. No sign of life was ever heard from its leaders, and any person who still identified as one was not taken serious.
But recently, the Geodes are making some kind of a comeback in Budston. The Circan Mages College is once again the foundation for a new generation of scholars, who keep their membership of the Geodes a secret, not just because of its original premise, but because of the public ridicule as well. Time shall know what these people will accomplish.

Founding date
6300

Current prominent members

Húron Faestir
Kradus Magirant

Related Locations

• Budston
• Circan Mages College