The Circle Enshadowed
An organisation formerly based in the ruins of a temple to the Everqueen, beneath the extant temple in Cai Shaan. They revered two entities- The Goddess Betrayed (the Shadow Queen) and The Goddess Deceived (the Everqueen.)
A core belief of the Circle is the idea that the Everqueen was deceived into betraying her sister, and now seeks to make amends. The party later learned that the second entity behind the cult was not actually the Everqueen, but rather a fiend impersonating her. It seems the Circle were not aware of this fact.
The Circle used iridilith as a form of punishment or torture. They threatened Usavias with death if they or Lyrelle told others about the Circle Enshadowed and its actions taken against the people of Cai, and attempted to follow through with this threat on the 4th of Stone 15003, only to be thwarted by the Disaster Party. As of the 7th of Stone, the party have cleared the place of all remaining iridilith and handed it over to Aviina at the Institute of the Third Eye.
Several members of the Circle carried unwieldy-looking, chain-like whips. One containing iridilith was retrieved by the Disaster Party and surrendered to the city guards after the attack at the palace, where it was later handed over to the Institute for experimentation. Another (lacking this substance) is currently in the Disaster Party's possession after they entered the temple ruins and broke the Circle on the 5th of Stone 15003.
On the 7th of Stone they returned, seeking out any survivors. They found only Auzynros, the Circle's founder, and after a difficult battle managed finally to slay him.
All members of the Circle Enshadowed are elven: the party encountered wood elves, high elves, and a single drow.
History
When Auzynros fled the Underdark and found the surface unwelcoming, the Shadow Queen accepted him back, and he descended into the temple ruins where he formed the Circle Enshadowed with a group of surface elves. This was around 150 years ago, by his own testimony. Vaan was able to give a little more context when he visited the Party House. When Vaan was growing up among the Circle, it was a place of anxiety and fear, but Volan told him that it hadn't always been this way.
According to the book Tally retrieved, the Circle is an experiment- the Everqueen’s attempt to reconcile with her sister, a shift in perspective the drow as a whole are not yet ready for.
Disbandment
Between the 4th and 7th of Stone 15003 the party killed a large portion of the Circle Enshadowed, including its drow leader Auzynros, effectively destroying the organisation.
Mythology & Lore
The Everqueen betrayed the Shadow Queen, turning the other elves against her with her light. However, a long time later, she realised that some entity (the exact nature of which is currently unknown to the party) had deceived her into betraying her sister. She now seeks to make amends. The Circle Enshadowed, overseen by both goddesses, is part of that process.
Divine Origins
At least some of the Circle's teachings seem to have come from the demon Pahra, who posed as the Shadow Queen in a ritual that ended in failure and the demon's apparent death.
Worship
The day-to-day practices of the Circle Enshadowed remain shrouded in mystery. Tally did find a little information in the book they retrieved from the temple ruins: including instructions for rituals taken in the presence of the Goddess Deceived- the blinded statue. This revolved around the mingling of energies between participants, to come to a shared understanding of their purpose, and reiterating their promise to undo the harm of the surface (who deceived her into betraying her sister) alongside this goddess.
Granted Divine Powers
Members of the Circle demonstrated the ability to teleport when in shadow, and some carried chain-like whips enhanced with radiant energy.
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