Spellweavers' Circle

The largest and oldest fellowship of magic within the Kingdom of Vern, the Spellweavers' Circle is dedicated to the safe and deliberate study of magic. The main campus is located in the City of Vern, but the organization has offices across the entire kingdom.

Structure

The Circle is headed by the High Council which consists of the Archmage and a series of Deans; one represents each formal school of magic including Divination. Due to the sweeping civil reforms passed by Cornelius Aberator after the Iris Rebellion, the positions of Archmage and Deans are managed internally by the Circle. The Deans convene every 10 years to elect a new Archmage, while the Deans are elected by general assembly of the Circle every 40 years. Modern historians lauded this reform for opening the office of Archmage to promising minds who lack immense magical power, many of whom had fresh ideas that led to a revitalization of the study of magic within the Kingdom of Vern. Furthermore, the Archmage is barred from holding any other political position in the kingdom--both before and after their appointment. This was to prevent the contamination of academic study with civil politics, which had previously led to the development of the Curse of Fealty.

History of the Circle

Nebulous Origins

The Circle traces its roots back to the first Dwarven Empire of Vern, during Utopia. However, the vast majority of records from these early times were obliterated during The Great Aether War and the devastation that followed. Although the current Circle is secular in nature, archaeological evidence suggested that the Circle began as a temple dedicated to Thelia, Goddess of Knowledge and Magic--a hypothesis that was confirmed by the Goddess herself. Since its founding, the Circle has persisted in the City of Vern as a place of study for the magically gifted.

Moroldraso and the Curse of Fealty

Before the Aberator Dynasty began, the kingdom of Vern consisted of feudal states that constantly warred among themselves. However, one powerful elf named Moroldraso seized the position of Archmage in an unprecedented coup. Previously, the Circle refused to allow elves to serve as Archmage as they feared that one could use the Spellweavers' resources, combined with their innately long lifespans, to empower themselves beyond anyone else.
Sure enough, Moroldraso struck down the feudal lord of Vern and made a bid to dominate the lands of Vern as a totalitarian magnocrat. The ceaseless wars between the baronies prevented a unified front against Moroldraso. Eventually, one feudal lord named Rex Aberator managed to slay Moroldraso and end his reign of terror. Rex seized control of Vern and appointed Thadrys Penumbrel, another elf, to the position of Archmage of the Circle and worked with her to form the Curse of Fealty, an oath that bound the Archmage to the royal family with the following stipulations:

1. The holder of the Archmage title owes ultimate fealty to the crowned king, on penalty of swift and painful death.
2. The Curse of Fealty immediately passes to either the next appointed Archmage or whomever kills the Archmage.

The secrets of this powerful binding ritual were swiftly destroyed, but magical scholars know that such powerful magic required immense amounts of Energies.
Wielding the Archmage as a cudgel, Rex swiftly united the feudal states of Vern into the kingdom that it is today. Thadrys proceeded to outlive every following Aberator king, amassing magical power and becoming more powerful than the Archmage before her. However, the Curse of Fealty ensured that her magical power could not be turned against the royal family.

The Old Aberator Dynasty

Documents recovered from the Archmage's tower and later disclosed to the public as part of the Iris Report revealed that Thadrys had goals of her own. First, realizing that the only limit to her power was her mortal coil, Thadrys assembled a phylactery in secret and prepared to ascend to lichdom. Fortunately for the rest of the world, this goal was never realized.
However, the Archmage was more successful in his second goal--to build a magical surveillance network that spanned the entire kingdom. This web of spells was used to identify immense manipulations of Energies. By detecting the translations of Energies across the kingdom, the Thadrys hoped to identify the most powerful magicians who may one day rival her strength. These rivals were then subverted, either through direct or political means. This surveillance network was retrofitted after the Iris Rebellion for use in detecting magical anomalies that require further study.

Iris Rebellion

During the battle of the Iris Rebellion, Lyndis Zelandrosel struck down the Archmage. Once the Archmage was slain, primary accounts from the battle report that an immense cloud of Energies emerged from her corpse and coursed towards Lyndis. Even the most magically-deaf individuals could feel the immense power of this cloud and were driven to their knees with nausea, ceasing any conflicts between ground forces in the Royal Quarter. Although the cloud of Energies threatened to consume Lyndis, she bested them and imprisoned them within an Isocrystal which has since come to be known as the Isocrystal of Fealty. The Spellweavers' Circle hid away the Isocrystal of Fealty, knowing how sinister and powerful the Energies were. Its location is classified beyond top secret. Rumor has it that none other than the Archmage and the High Council are availed this knowledge--not even the King is privy to its location. The binding of the Curse of Fealty represent a turning point in the history of the world. The position of Archmage was once again open to abuse.
As Cornelius Aberator assembled the new Vernish government, all assumed that Lyndis would assume the title of Archmage. She surprised the world when she renounced the title and instead chose to enter public service. She appointed ____, as the next Archmage, and his reforms would carry the Spellweavers' Circle into a renaissance.

Reforms after Rebellion

This new Archmage then reconstructed the Spellweavers' Circle into its modern iteration. The first reform passed by the new Archmage created the High Council, consisting of Deans elected by general assembly of the circle to represent the culmination of knowledge in each formal school of magic. This new governing body then worked to pass the charter of the organization, which lays out some important rules.
The first section of the charter lays out the structure of the High Council and the position of Archmage. The Archmage became an appointed position, and the High Council votes on the next person to have the title of Archmage. As there are an even number of schools of magic, the King of Vern is granted a vote. Deans are elected by general assembly of the Circle and the title is held for forty years or until death. These positions outlive the tenure of Archmage to ensure the passage of important knowledge.
The second section of the charter forbids any Archmage and candidate for the position of Archmage from holding a civil service position--be that a clerk, advisor to the king, or governor in the kingdom--both before and after their tenure as archmage. There was wisdom in Lyndis's refusal of the title; while she held the Isocrystal prison of the Curse, she was the single most powerful force in the world. The strongest mage in modern history, and no one had the power to stop her from killing Cornelius and establishing the totalitarian magnocracy for which her predecessors, Thadrys and Moroldraso, had vied. Furthermore, the last time an Archmage dabbled in politics led to a magical police state and the near-ascension of a lich. These mistakes would not be repeated again.
The rest of the document is hardly of interest to anyone apart from members of the Circle, as it documents rules of membership, dues, and similar administrative laws.

Type

Education, Magic