The Lucidians
"It was... exciting. I felt like I was part of the future. That drew me in. Yet... there was no restraint. They... we... I... did things, horrible things! Blood-Magic, demon summoning and s- s- sacrefices. Always with the same excuse: We were doing it for the greater good. I believed it; I had to to justify all the things I had done. Only when the light of Sol touched me did I truly understand the magnitude of my crimes. I accept my fate. I have sinned against the divine laws that govern this world. I pray that my victims gain some measure of comfort from my demise. I pray that the good people here gathered learn from these events, and shun my example. I pray that my soul be purified of wickedness in the hereafter.The Lucidians are a secretive anti-establishment mage circle. They seek to end the restrictions placed upon arcane practitioners, and to explore the true depths magic. The Lucidians were founded by the elven sorcerer-savant Rhea Lucidia. The Lucidians must not be confused with the Gens Lucidii.
Structure
The Lucidians are loosely organized. Indeed, some would say they are no true organization at all, but rather a philosophy or political movement among mages.
The core of the Lucidians consist of the movements founder Rhea Lucidia and her apprentices. Much like the Circle of Magi the apprentices themselves keep apprentices. Unlike the circle there are no formal titles among the Lucidians. A pretense of equality is insisted upon among the members of the group. In practice there are ranks and factions among the Lucidians which are just as entrenched as within any other group.
Beyond Rhea Lucidia's immediate circle the remaining Lucidians are scattered. A few cells connected to the central movement is believed to exist. Yet most Lucidians are individuals who identify with the movement's ideology but have little or no connection with the central leadership.
Culture
The Lucidians insist believe that they are an elite group of truth seekers bravely fighting to create a new world. They believe that religious and political organizations are preventing progress. They feel that the Circle of Magi are hampering magical progress and keeping humanity in a dark age. These beliefs engender a certain intellectual arrogance among the Lucidian ranks. Many people would say that the Lucidians are utterly without restraint in the pursuit of their goals.
Most Lucidians follow a utilitarian philosophy. They believe that suffering in the now will alleviate greater future suffering. They see the common moral and legal rules as obstacles in their path, meant to preserve the current corrupt order. Lucidians tend to believe change is favorable to stability. Even when the change is disruptive or dangerous.
Public Agenda
The movement seek to destroy the Circle of Magi and end all restrictions on the exploration and use of magic. In those lands where religion places restraints on mages they furthermore seek to change or extinguish these beliefs. The Lucidians also seek to destroy the barrier which keeps the material plane from being easily accessible from the other planes of existence.
History
The Lucidian movement was founded by Rhea Lucidia, the "golden child" of the Lucidii family in the Republic. Since the founding of the Republic the Lucidii have been attempting to cultivate magical talent among its members through a variety of methods. Rhea was the result of these efforts, becoming at a young age one of the Republic's most prominent mages.
Utterly uninterest in politics Rhea went on to teach at the University of Axendria. Here she soon attracted a following among the bright and ambitious youth. This group - at this stage little more than a particularly devoted study group - nicknamed themselves "Lucidians" in honour of their mentor.
What happened next is shrouded in a layer of mystery. In 933 IC Rhea and some of her students attempted to gain control of the interplanar gateways (the Porta) in Axendria. Fighting erupted which caused the deaths of dozen inside the Porta. At the end of it Rhea and her followers were forced to flee. She and her followers were tried in absentia in an unprecedented closed-to-the-public trial, and exiled on pain of death.
In exile Rhea became a target for the Circle of Magi. An archmage outside their control was utterly unacceptable to them. The Lucidians were given an ultimatum: join, or face destruction. The Lucidians refused to join. Unfortunatly for the Circle they had vastly underestimated the magical prowess of their opponents. Three archmages were killed in the initial encounter, nicknamed the "battle of lights".
Afterwards the Lucidians went on the offensive. They attempted to subvert the Circle by recruiting among their ranks. Mages outside the Circle began to gravitate towards the Lucidians, hoping for safety and knowledge. By 965 the Lucidians and the Circle were effectivly engaged in open warfare. The Circle enlisted help from many governments and temples in their fight.
The city of Minden in Myzia became the site of a decisive encounter between the two groups. In 986 the Circle, aided by the Church of Sol tracked Rhea and her inner circle to the city, and covertly made arrangements to apprehend them there. These efforts very nearly succeeded. Rhea was briefly subdued. Yet her students had managed to alert Lucidians elsewhere, who now descended upon the city to free their mistress.
Savage fighting erupted in the city. Rhea was soon freed. The Lucidians seized the city, killing most of the Circle mages and Redeemers there. Yet the Circle had also summoned reinforcements, and managed to isolate the city. Preventing escape by magical means. The Myzian army was summoned along with the full weight of the Church. The city was stormed. In the battle most of the original Lucidians were killed, and the movement was crippled. Yet Rhea herself somehow escaped along with a handful of companions.
The Battle of Minden ended open warfare between the Circle and the Lucidians. Rhea and her people went into hiding and have remained there since. Occasionally a "Lucidian" is arrested, yet there has been little news about the core group since Minden. Some even believe that Rhea did not escape at all, and that the Lucidians truly did end in the desolated streets of Minden. Other insist that Rhea is hiding somewhere, plotting her revenge.
In around the 1010's the Lucidians once again began visible activities.
Through fire and flame: a new world.
Founding Date
933
Type
Education, Magic
Demonym
Lucidian
Leader
Controlled Territories
Notable Members
Comments