The Circle of Starlight
The Circle of Starlight was founded in 1100 AB in the wake of a violent politcal struggle in Clovergarde between the feuding arcane familes of House Tibur, House Danathor, and House Esposito. Tensions between the mage lords and their houses grew until the fateful arcane battle that would be christened "Blutig Nacht" erupted in the center of Hexer Barrow during a harvest festival that consumed a quarter of the city in mage-fire and killed near 1000 civillians. When dawn broke and the fighting died down, House Tibur and House Danathor had been all but annihilated and House Esposito was a shadow of its former self. Stunned by the violence, the surviving mages were brought before Duke d'Honaire to receive judgment.
When word of the event reached the Empress, in an effort to keep such an arcane tragedy from ever occurring again, the Circle of Starlight was created. Named in honor of the Saint of Silver Stars herself, the Circle consisted of powerful, influential arcanists with two main goals: prevent the Empire from becoming a Magocracy, and regulate arcane power through a deeper understanding of magic and the danger it can pose.
In the centuries since, the Circle's goals have become muddied. Its members have subtly ingrained themselves within most facets of the Empire's government, becoming a force of political power that many whisper might even rival the Empress. This reality is not lost on the royal council, and relations between the Circle and Crown have only grown icier with each passing year. Now, the archmages of the Circle are most known for their extravagant lifestyles and history of subtle political and economic control. Mages associated with the Circle travel the Empire with little fear of argument or resistance.
When word of the event reached the Empress, in an effort to keep such an arcane tragedy from ever occurring again, the Circle of Starlight was created. Named in honor of the Saint of Silver Stars herself, the Circle consisted of powerful, influential arcanists with two main goals: prevent the Empire from becoming a Magocracy, and regulate arcane power through a deeper understanding of magic and the danger it can pose.
In the centuries since, the Circle's goals have become muddied. Its members have subtly ingrained themselves within most facets of the Empire's government, becoming a force of political power that many whisper might even rival the Empress. This reality is not lost on the royal council, and relations between the Circle and Crown have only grown icier with each passing year. Now, the archmages of the Circle are most known for their extravagant lifestyles and history of subtle political and economic control. Mages associated with the Circle travel the Empire with little fear of argument or resistance.
Figures of Interest
The ideologies, personalities, and motivations of the Circle's mages vary, but they are united by their unffettered lust for arcane knowledge and the truths hidden within the Weave.Lord Tybalt Bellgrave, the Cat-sìth
The bastard son of Duke Jonah Bellgrave, commonly referred to as the "Cat Prince". Tybalt excels as a Diviner and uses his abilities as a seer to guide the Circle's actions. Despite this, Tybalt often remains on the periphary of the Circle's activities and works in the background using their connections to acquire arcane secrets, rare artifcats, and other "little trinkets" as he describes them.Headmaster Rafael Esposito, the Gryphon
The current headmaster of the Akademie der Hexer and the oldest of the Circle's current members. Rafael is also the head of House Esposito, the only surviving family involved during the Blutig Nacht feud. He takes his duties as Headmaster and as a member of the Circle seriously, and strives to foster the arcane spark within promising talents, provided they have a suitable pedigree.Marquess Regulus Maddigan, the Jabberwock
Regulus is the head of House Maddigan, one of the Heartland's most prolific noble families. His primary duty within the Circle is to foster positive relations with people of power both within and beyond the borders of the Empire. Because of his ambassadorial duties, he is rarely in the Empire, leaving his family's affairs in the hands of his eldest son Normann.Countess Seraphina Krausser, the Harpy
After the death of her late husband, Seraphina replaced him as the head of House Krausser. The newest member of the current Circle, Seraphina uses her position to indulge in luxury, spending frivolous amounts of coin on unnecessary extravegances. Despite her spending habits and her rampant narcissism, Seraphina is a deeply troubled woman who struggles with bouts of deep depression brought on by the vitriol aimed at her by the masses. She is one of the most brilliant minds in the Empire and excels at illusion magic. Due to her ability to control how one perceives reality, she is distrusted by many in the Circle.Magnetar Clenhe Ra, the Hydra
One of the 31 mysterious Magnetars that oversee the Astromancer's fortress of Weltraumgard, Clenhe Ra is largely a recluse, communicating almost exclusively through arcane means and descending the Steorra Mountains only when absolutely necessary (and always arcanely veiled). Her (their true gender is unknown, but the guise she takes is that of a human woman) business largely concerns the safeguarding of Astromancy's secrets.Magister Eudoris Welf, the Alphyn
Eudoris is the Circle's master of war and conflict, and advises the Crown on matters of arcane warfare. Alhough the two have a mutual dislike of one another, he often finds himself working with his counterpart on the royal council, the Grand Knight, Ser Vincent Florent. Eudoris spends most of his time secretly developing arcane weapons of war and shoring up the military might of the Empire.Lord Scipio Lorraine, the Amphiptere
Once an instructor at the Akademie, Scipio vacated his position to pursue the mysteries of the world. Scipio enjoys studying and unraveling arcane histories and secrets. Always eager to pursue forgotten lore, Scipio is known to vanish for weeks at a time to the Outlands where he "studies" Outlander culture and the secrets held in the savage wilds of the Empire. Scipio is also rumored to have dark connections across Ormodinia which he leverages not only to the Circle's advantage, but also his own.Structure
There are eight "chairs", or ruling positions within the Circle, with each member having a personal retinue of sorts that assists them in their duties. Members are elevated into one of the eight chairs on the death of a member, or when a standing member abdicates their position. The remaining members then recommend replacements and vote on the mage to fill the newly open chair.
Public Agenda
Though the Circle maintains that it's goals have remained the same since its inception, the steady increase in its political, economic, and military power have not gone unnoticed. Though they answer directly to the Crown, its mages often come across as overly ambitious, even two-faced. Popular decisions are often publicly presented as the Circle's own initiatve, while controversial issues are framed to appear as stemming from the Crown, driving a wedge between the two bodies, though they remain closely intertwined and reliant on one another.
Assets
The archmages that comprise the Circle are influential figures within the Empire and are often of noble lineage, or boast impressive pedigree. They want for little and enjoy extravegant lifestyles.
In pursuit of their original goal of fostering a better understanding of the arcane, the first Circle established the Akademie der Hexer, a prestigious school intended to foster blossoming arcane talent in the Empire.
In pursuit of their original goal of fostering a better understanding of the arcane, the first Circle established the Akademie der Hexer, a prestigious school intended to foster blossoming arcane talent in the Empire.
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