Factions of Lyonesse

Lyonesse is first and foremost a mage city, but also hosts a royal family who serves as part of the ruling council; it's also a city that honors Siarus in his aspect relating to life as the source of magic. All of these factors blend together to make for a place with an intricate balance of power.

The Royal House of Pendragon

Dating back to the ancient mage-king Arthur of legend, the Royal House of Pendragon has played a part in the leadership of Lyonesse for millennia. The king or queen of Lyonesse is the leader and eight member of the city's mage council, serving as the symbolic leader and equal part in decision-making alongside the rest of their councilmembers; the family has always had a gift for natural magic, and almost all members show some degree of magical proficiency that is well-honed by living in a center of magical learning.
The members of the royal family have a good relationship with the people of the city, and don't flaunt their status. Pendragon youngsters train alongside all other would-be mages and neither expect nor receive any special treatment.

The Temple of Siarus

Siarus, god of the Cycle, is considered the patron god of Lyonesse; while all members of the pantheon have well-tended shrines within the Valley of the Gods, Siarus also has a great temple in Sundown Square. The Great God is well-respected here in his life-aspect, particularly among mages who hold the belief that he accordingly represents the source of magic.
While the city's leadership is indisputably governed by practitioners of natural rather than divine magic, the priesthood of Siarus is well-respected and wields a fair bit of authority. Decisions that deadlock the Mage Council are turned over to the High Priest of the temple to act as tiebreaker. The people of Lyonesse have always held a heavy respect for the divine dating back to the days of Arthur, and the attitude hasn't waned over the milennia.

The Seven Circles

Also known as the Major Circles, these Circles are recognized as the dominant authority in the city in their respective magical specializations; they also tend to only focus on a single type of magic, unlike the minor circles which will often teach a broader range of skills. They are typically larger than the Minor Circles, though some are highly selective and keep their numbers low.
ANURIOS CIRCLE
Caller specialized
Named for an ancient Reaper well-known for his magical ability, this circle focuses largely on bonding with elemental spirits and living creatures. Anurios is a relatively small Circle compared to others due to the school of magic being much more limited in daily use, but those who train there thrive due to the lower number of apprentices.
BOREAL CIRCLE
Caster specialized
Located in the mouth of a canyon at the far upper corner of Lyonesse, Boreal Circle is a large circle with a great number of apprentices. Though many of its students go on to be battlemages, it’s known for instilling a sense of morality and discipline similar to the ideals of Pallus Circle. There are a relatively small number of masters—perhaps twenty—in residence compared to the number of apprentices, largely due to the fact that many full-fledged mages go on to leave Lyonesse, finding a place for themselves in other shards.
CIGNAS CIRCLE
Shaper specialized
Both masters and apprentices within Cignas Circle often work closely in combination with the craftsmen of Lyonesse, working together to create wonders of craft and magic. Out of all the circles, apprentices at Cignas alone are not always intended as pure mages; many talented craftsmen seek to enhance their work with the addition of magical knowledge, though admittance to the circle for these reasons is highly selective and rigorous. Within the circle, a large portion of apprentices and masters focused purely on magecraft devote themselves to alteration; many work alongside and train with apprentices of Ilías circle.
CORONAS CIRCLE
Weaver specialized
Coronas Circle enjoys a storied reputation, with some of the finest Weavers in Genesis claiming membership within the circle. Typically those in residence are equally split between practitioners and theoretical scholars, with a total of approximately fourteen full masters and ten apprentices; masters within the circle often travel to Ys and other major cities for the sake of information exchange. Apprenticeship at Coronas is also far longer than most other circles, due to the complexity of the craft.
ILÍAS CIRCLE
Healer specialized
Combining a strong education in mundane knowledge and healing in addition to magical practice, Ilías Circle members are renowned healers well-respected throughout Genesis. This circle often works in combination with Cignas Circle, and apprentices on both sides are encouraged to spend a season training and learning with their peers in the other circle due to the fact that both Shaping and Healing are improved with a strong understanding of the natural world. Of all the circles, Ilías is the largest and hosts a great number of apprentices at any time. Both masters and apprentices in the house work with and offer their services to the city’s poorer residents free of charge through the temple of Siarus.
MORAN CIRCLE
Seer specialized
Named not for its founder, but rather for an archmage in the fallen elven city of Starfall Shard, Moran Circle is one of the oldest circles of Lyonesse; while other circles have risen and fallen, Moran has remained the dominant seer circle for hundreds of years. The circle tends to specialize in the Closed Eye or illusion branch of seeing, but also has a small group dedicated to divination that works in combination with the small temple of Alarand in the Valley of the Gods. Moran Circle also works in partnership with the dominant seer circle in the city of Ys, and students at either circle will often split their apprenticeship between the two cities.
PALLAS CIRCLE
Binder specialized
One of the most selective circles, Pallas is known for typically taking only students already at a moderate level of training. They take on only five or so apprentices at any given time, and maintain only ten full-fledged masters in residence. Though the practice of Binding is often seen as a more questionable school of magic, Pallas Circle mages have an unwavering reputation for morality in the practice of their art. Members of this circle typically retain membership in Pallas rather than founding circles of their own.

Minor Circles

Though not dominant in their specializations, even Minor Circles are still well-respected; many of their founders are graduates from Major Circles, while others have a long history outdating their larger counterparts. This is an incomplete list, and Minor Circles frequently rise and fall.
ARCETH CIRCLE
Healer/Shaper specialized
Healing and Shaping are disciplines with a high degree of crossover, and many who practice either train in both. Mages of Arceth Circle take this one step further and embrace the merging of the two rather than studying one to benefit the other; they work alongside the city's talented craftsmen for the sake of making constructs of living magic, ranging from magical prosthetics to fully autonomous creatures. Their work pushes the leading edge of what's possible merging the mundane and the magical.
AYAS CIRCLE
Caller/Seer specialized
A small circle of only a few members, Ayas Circle specializes in the somewhat old-fashioned practice of 'riding'; merging their minds with spirits or animals in a trancelike state for the sake of insight or visions of distant places.
ISITH CIRCLE
Caller/Healer specialized
Isith is a circle that's more focused on research than hands-on healing, though they don't shy from the latter when the need arises. They work closely with elemental and benign spirits from the Otherlands to help develop new healing techniques and rediscover ancient ones, supporting their fellow healers in other circles. Isith and Arceth circles are considered sister circles in many ways, pushing the envelope on their respective ends of the healing field.
KITH CIRCLE
Binder/Weaver specialized
Mages from Kith Circle specialize in the combination of skills that facilitate teleportation, a difficult practice that's always in demand for facilitating travel between Waystations in the Old World.
NORISK CIRCLE
Caster/Shaper specialized
Norisk Circle is a circle of magical weaponsmiths first and foremost, producing talented craftsmen whose work bears the Circle's famous basilisk imprint. Its students and members excel in imbuing powerfully destructive creations that hold their enchantments for a great deal of time, and graduates are in high demand; the circle suffers periodic controversy due to their focus on weapons, but generally enjoys a good reputation in spite of this.
ORITH CIRCLE
Shaper/Weaver specialized
Orith Circle is a small and highly selective circle that focuses exclusively on the creation of unique magical artifacts, and works primarily on commission for wealthy clients in order to help fund their own individual pursuits. Orith rarely takes apprentices who are just beginning their education unless they show prodigious ability, preferring to recruit fully-fledged graduates of other circles.
VALLUS CIRCLE
Binder/Caster specialized
Rumored to put morals second to ambition, Vallus Circle has a record of producing strong mages but is regarded with disapproval by Binders from other circles like Pallas and Kith. There are some unsettling rumors about its founder, Ashen Vallus, and what exactly he did in order to come to power as the leader of a circle.