The Keeper’s Circle (IT ‘19)

“My name is Keeper. I will provide you with safe passage, as long as you stay on the path,” says a voice from behind them. The young couple jump, not expecting anyone to be present, and one of them puts her hand on her dagger.
“Peace,” Keeper continues, “I mean you no harm. You may wish to close your eyes, however. The creation of a portal produces a great deal of light.”
The young couple, one human and one half-elven, both nod and quietly oblige. “Keepers provide safe passage,” the half-elf whispers. “My mother says we can trust her, as long as we obey her instructions and speak only the truth. Her foresight will protect us.” Her partner only nods again and clutches the half-elf’s hand more tightly.
The Keeper smiles and throws back her hood, revealing long brown hair and rounded ears. “If the two of you are ready, we shall now begin.” She removes a golden ring from one side pocket of her dress and breathes on it, rubbing it between her palms. The metal begins to glow softly, and when the Keeper’s hands are both fully illuminated, she slides the ring onto her left index finger, where it tightens and begins to vibrate.
The Keeper waits a moment for her hand to adjust, careful not to let the ring affect its steadiness, before carving a perfect circle into the air directly in front of the couple. As she had promised, a flash of light appears upon the circle’s completion, and the area within it melts away. It is replaced with the view of a twilit clearing, not far from a small cottage. The scent of jasmine begins to emanate from the opening, and startles the couple’s eyes open. They turn to Keeper, who has replaced her hood, in wonderment.
“The portal is stable. You may now proceed. It shall close behind us, but I can reopen it if the need arises,” Keeper says. “Go on. I will be right behind you.”
The transcription of a young couple’s first steps into the realm of Faerie. It was recorded by a half-elven scholar, who wished to document his great-grandparents journey through Faerie, along with the details of their marriage. The Keeper he met looked identical to the one described in his family’s annals.

Item Traits

Keeper’s Circles, also known as Circles of Faerie, are magical items created by a Keeper to allow them to open and close portals to the Realm of Faerie at will. As part of their creation, they are spiritually bound to their owners, meaning they are impossible to steal or misplace, although rituals exist to change a Circle’s form.
Each Circle can only be used by its creator, and will no longer function if the Keeper who created it perishes, loses their title, or revokes its ability.

Appearance

Each Keeper’s Circle has a different appearance, based on the preferences of the Keeper who created it. Historically, many have chosen rings as their Circles, both to pay homage to the First Keeper and out of convenience, but flower crowns, enchanted mushrooms, coils of rope, magical vines, and mirrors are also popular choices, as are scrying bowls, chalk, invisible dust, and river stones. Rituals exist to change the shape of one’s Circle once it has been created, but these are both difficult and costly, as they are subject to the whims of Fae magic, making their reliability inconsistent at best, and lethal at worst.
For this reason, Keepers are recommended to think carefully about which shape they plan to use for the manifestation of their Circle.

Purpose/Usage

As guides through Faerie and guardians of its borders, Keepers are often required to create and remove portals, as well as maintain the ones that already exist. To facilitate these processes, the first Circles of Faerie were created, and have been used by Keepers ever since.

Known Owners

In recent times, only two individuals have borne the title of Keeper, and thus earned the right to a Keeper’s Circle: a human Archmage of War, associated with the Autumn Court, and an elven healer from Spring. Both share the name of Keeper, as a sign of their neutrality among the Courts, instead of their Material names, which could be used to do them harm.
Historically, the majority of Keepers have been of elven or half-elven bloodlines, although several Gnomes have also been counted amongst their ranks. Along with the erasure of their names, their Fae blood grants them partial protection from the caprices of Fae magic, as well as the Fae themselves.

Historical Origin

The First of the Keepers is said to have tricked an Archfae into uprooting a Faerie Circle and binding its essence to a single golden ring, as part of a bargain for free passage in exchange for the Keeper’s protection. From that first Ring of Faerie, the ritual used to create all other Keepers’ Circles was derived, and has been used in a largely-unaltered state ever since.

Rarity

Each Keeper is tasked with creating their own Circle of Faerie, and no two Circles are alike, making each one a completely unique item.

Weight

Anywhere between almost weightless and 1 kg.