Order of the Tenth Circle

The Order of the Tenth Circle was an ancient, international Mage's Guild and secret society once renowned for their magical knowledge and aptitude. Though their existence as an organization is a documented matter of (obscure) fact, the ultimate fate of the guild remains mostly unknown, along with the whereabouts of any former members.

Culture

Notoriously secretive despite their vast affiliations with agencies and organizations throughout Lutherios, little is known about the guild's private culture. Publically, they presented an extroardinarily united front despite the varied backgrounds of their most well-known members, and rarely, if ever, expressed even minor dissent among the group. This lead most to speculate that they were, as a whole, a very coordinated group with a strong foundation and a deep understanding of their personal ethos, but how true this assumption is remains to be known.
Many of their values, however, are reflected in their official logo. It depicts a blue shield with gold and white filigree, and three rings surrounding an eye. Behind the shield is a golden, raised wand pointing upwards, and a set of red and white wings.
The shield is believed to represent caution and protection, and the 3 rings are thought to be the 9 spell levels (3 levels per ring). The eye in the center may symbolize discovery, and their thirst for knowledge. Its positioning also suggests that it may symbolize the 10th "circle". The wand faces upwards for control of magic, and progress, while the wings suggest reaching new heights, or striving for discovery and success.

Public Agenda

The official agenda of the guild was the discovery and mastery of magic in all of its forms for the purposes of protection, responsible usage, and the advancement of society as a whole. Publicly, they recognized and acknowledged the marvels of the magical arts, but believed that magic, in all of its sources, was too little-understood not to be considered dangerous. They believed that it was their duty, as an organization of the most powerful and knowledgable mages on the material plane, not only to create regulations and artifacts that safely and securely managed the usage of magic while increasing its usefulness and effectiveness, but to push the boundaries of arcane knowledge and discover its full capabilities.
It was through this mission that members of the tenth circle carried out their duties via the creation of magical tools and weapons with the alleged purpose of preventing disaster, led research expeditions and ran experiments to understand the various sources of magic and how they interacted with the world and each other, traversed the planes, and acted as leaders, guides, and spokespeople for various kingdoms and other organizations across Lutherios.
The guild's secretive nature, however, along with their deep involvement with many different governing bodies throughout the world, led some to suspect that they had motives that went beyond the good of the general public. Many believed that they sought more direct control over the material plane as a whole, and many others took issue with their self-appointed authority over magic.
Specific goals included discovering new sources of magic, protecting the integrity of space-time, enacting laws to prevent abuse of magic, spreading knowledge and awareness of the arcane, and the creation of magical technology for societal advancement.

Disbandment

While the Order of the Tenth Circle is no longer known to be active, no public disbandment was ever made or announced. Gradually, order members ceased to return from missions and errands, or respond to attempts at contact. Despite this, many of their powerful, magical creations remain in active use to this day, leading many to surmise that they may still exist, albeit in a much more esoteric capacity.
There are many conspiricies involving the order's sudden disappearance. Among the most popular is the theory that the guild didn't disappear so much as they evolved - mastering magic with such perfection that they had grown beyond the confines of their mortality. Proponents of this theory believe they are still active on the material plane, and blame various strange events on the Order of the Tenth Circle.
Another theory suggests that the order had encountered magic they were not meant to stumble across, and they were destroyed by yet-unknown divine or extraplanar beings to keep it a secret.

DISBANDED/DISSOLVED

Through knowledge, discovery. Through discovery, boundlessness.

Type

Guild, Mages

Alternative Names

Tenth Circle

What's in a name?

In academia, spells are sorted into different levels based on the power of the magical effect, as well as the complexity and the talent required in order to cast it; these levels are commonly referred to as circles. Universally, they are numbered 0 through 9, with 0 being the simplest and easiest spells, and 9 being among the most powerful a given person is capable of casting.
Members of the Order of the Tenth Circle believed that there was magic even more powerful than what was currently understood, and furthermore, it could and eventually would be discovered by mortal mages. This theoretical magic would therefore become the next level of magic, or the 10th circle. They adopted the name both as a way to easily identify the purpose of the guild, and to keep their ultimate goal always at the forefront of their minds.