Nazriya Ambergloom

"She donned the mask, the divine gift that Iva herself had crafted for her. As she did, the world around her shifted. The lines which she had seen so faintly her whole life became clear and bright, superimposed upon the world around her. She knew, as she reveled in her newfound power, that she could do powerful things with this mask. If she wanted, she could reach out and move the lines slowly but surely. Nazriya steeled herself with determination. With this, she could save the people of the flatlands."

Nazriya Ambergloom was the founder of the Masked Circle and the original bearer of the Mask of the Circle, given to her by Iva herself. She led a group of other powerful magic users in a crusade to rid the Balihr flatlands of the evils that plagued it, uniting the folk of the flatlands and giving rise to the kingdom of Balihr.

Childhood

Nazriya was born on the Balihr heath sometime around BV 700, when it was only a small port town, to a pair of magic users known only for their home remedies for certain illnesses. But Nazriya had a rare ability which only showed up once in spans of decades or longer. Nazriya could see the vague outlines of leylines, enabling her to use magic more effectively. As she grew, she honed this ability, but only focused on the magic her parents taught her, seemingly destined to simply continue the family's alchemical legacy. Nazriya was very aware, too, of how the monsters and raiders that infested the flatlands were damaging the potential and the livelihood of all who lived there

In her late teens, however, Nazriya was attending a school in Rosewick for magic users, and fell in with a group of other student her age, who pushed her to learn more magic. They were delighted by her prowess, and encouraged her into learning more and more, until Nazriya became one of the school's top students, the first indicator that she would surpass her family's expectations. And as Nazriya's power grew, so too did her feeling that if enough folk stood together, they could fight off the monsters in the flatlands and save their land and their families from the dangers lurking in the darkness.

The Blessing of Rosewick

Nazriya was present in the plaza of Rosewick when Iva pulled all the leylines together. Her ability allowed her to actually see as the lines moved and twisted until they were settled in their new positions. As she and the others bowed in awe of the goddess, Iva caught sight of Nazriya and recognized her power, the potential she had to be more, and her fiercely burning desire to save the flatlands from the darkness. So Iva decided she would help this young woman and the folk of the flatlands. She created from pure magic a mask, impossibly woven, and presented it to Nazriya before the astonished crowd which had gathered. Nazriya donned the mask and Iva gave the wizard her blessing to push back the tides of evil which were threatening Nazriya's homeland.

Nazriya gathered her fellow wizards and together the group set forth, using to its limits their magic to fight off monsters and raiders. They gathered help along the way from the folk of the flatlands and warriors from as far as Rosewick itself, and together the people won their homeland.

The Founding of the Circle

The newly liberated flatlands folk celebrated for a few days, and then decided that they should come together as a kingdom and ensure that no such plague would ever strike the land again. Balihr was founded, and Rosewick was chosen as its capital since it was the only major settlement and the new holy city of Iva. In honor of Nazriya and her friends' role in freeing Balihr, they were chosen by the Balihrans to lead the new kingdom. After much discussion, these chosen wizards formed a council, with Nazriya as the leader and spokesperson. They ruled for many years with intelligence and a firm hand, until they passed their roles on to other wizards. This council became known as the Masked Circle, and whomever was chosen in an unknown ritual by the mask given to Nazriya would be its leader, until the Mask was lost a few centuries later, around the time of the Vanishing. It has not been recovered and its whereabouts are still unknown.