Shatterlight Coven

Shatterlight Coven is a community made up mostly of elves in their ancestral woods. Since 1015, they have made themselves known to the rest of Aradia as magic teachers. Their ultimate goal is to learn how to turn one's soul into a repository of mana, so one can draw upon their own inner strength to cast.
== History ==
In 700 BE, the Spreading of Obscura began. Already the Wild Elves of Shatterlight Coven had begun experimenting with weather control in their secluded, magically-protected area of the Wilds. As had they already constructed magical walls to keep the Spiders out. Combining these two magics, they were able to pass the Obscura over themselves, creating a greenhouse effect.
For seven centuries, the Wild Elves lived in true seclusion with no idea whether the rest of the world had survived. In 40 AE, the ice began to thaw. The spiders came out from their long hibernation, and began their vendetta against the Coven with incredible vigor never seen before.
With the ice gone and the spider attacks more and more common, a vast number of the Wild Elves left the Coven. Some came back with stories of Everglow City and houses full of political intrigue, of wars and different races. Others made new lives for themselves among the subjects of these stories, passing themselves off as High, Wood, or Common elves to keep the location of Shatterlight Coven secret.
In 144 AE, news came to Shatterlight Coven of demonic entities rising from the water near Everglow City. There was much debate in the Coven whether they should offer aid. But a decision was finally made to welcome back members of the Coven who had previously left, should they wish the safety of the Coven. Few accepted this offer.
In 264 AE, another smaller spreading of Obscura took place which the Coven was well prepared for. A few former members accepted the offer of almost a century ago.
In 273 AE, the Shatterlight Coven finally had to step up into the Demon War. For once, they and the spiders had a common enemy as unorganized demons began to encroach upon their territories in the Wilds. As a combined force, spiders and the coven decimated the demons. And promptly went back to fighting each other after.
To avoid any surprises such as the demons suddenly appearing as they did from happening again, a spy network was set in place across Aradia. In important settlements, Senders were put in place.
=== Historical Text: Beneath the Wilds ===
Matter cannot come from nothing. It's in the fundamentals of magic. And thus, even the Eventiders had to mine for minerals beneath the ground. This is where the ancient texts of Shatterlight Coven hold some details on what happened although there are no firm dates.
They didn't have to dig far to find the tunnels. Strange tears in the rock that led deep beneath Aradia's skin. And the further the miners went, the stranger the place became. Pockets in the rock were filled with skeletons hewn in strange and ungodly forms. Water was poisonous. The air made the living retch and magic was required to press onwards.
Weeks of travel into the depths, the miners-turned-explorers found the rock walls were hot to the touch. And then they found the bodies. These were not skeletal, they were fresh and they were awful. Piled up atop each other, like dolls spilled from a bag, their corpses seeped. Black ichor ran from their decaying faces - terrible amalgamations of flesh, metal and stone. Some even without true substance, only existing in the shadow of a magic light. Aradia had not graced these beings with a design.
They came from a wound in the rock, now obsidian. And through it, there was a cavern of water. Still, black. Surrounded by more strange corpses, piled even higher, like they had emerged from the water and sought air but found none.
Examination of the bodies proved they were not aquatic beings. An Eventide Elf went into the water, sinking until he felt a strange electricity overcome him. And when he tried to kick to the surface, he came up in another place. A terrible place. The Void.
Unfortunately the text is damaged and the fate of this elf is unknown, as are those of the miners with him.
Over the centuries, more of these tunnels were discovered. And eventually, the Eventide Elves met demons. The two forces clashed brutally, the demons in no way interested in talking. And the more blood spilled in those tunnels, the more demons came. The Eventiders sealed many tunnels, but others had resources they still needed. So they began to research how to close these strange wounds that led to the evil of Aradia's mind.
Unfortunately, the closing required someone on both sides of the wound. So at least one person would be sacrificed to close such a gateway. Often more as few could fight off the demons of the Void with one hand while casting the ritual with the other.
== Beliefs & Traditions ==
=== The Corpse and Mind of Aradia ===
In a time before history, the entity Aradia was created by an unknown force. Existing alone in a strange realm, Aradia was restless. She allowed strange creatures to grow on her skin, feeding from her blood and drawing on her energies - creatures that came to be elves, dwarves, orcs, humans, and every other sentient race in the Isles of Aradia. She created them as entertainment so she would not be so alone in her realm.
But the life that covered her skin was not enough. Her thoughts took form, imprisoned inside her, and fought to get out - they fought to find a way to the place of beauty that Aradia had cultivated for her creations, away from the swirling darkness of her mind. 
Some poked holes between her flesh and mind, and gradually, Aradia lost her sanity. The thoughts became twisted, taking strange forms. But the wounds torn between the fabrics of her realities were what bled mana into Aradia's veins. 
The creatures on her skin, especially the elves, began wielding magic. They discovered it in her veins. They drew it from her breath. They tore it from her flesh. Her creations were now parasites. In her madness, she released her thoughts - demons - onto her skin in a desperate bid to take back control and maybe save herself. But the parasites had grown strong and pushed the demons back to her mind, a place that was fracturing - a place where she no longer had identity, but soon, the only place she could survive. Her flesh died. The mana changed - soon the parasites were only drawing from the Wounds left by the demonic attacks. 
Aradia became the Void - the easiest source of magic to tap.
=== Blood Purity ===
Since the formation of Shatterlight Coven, (however far back that was before recorded history) to roughly the time of the Void Closure in 1015, there was a belief in magical purity. This purity was acquired through strong elven bloodlines, blending the original Dawn, Wildern, and Obscuran elves into something stronger - Eventide Elves, later referred to loosely as 'Wild' elves. The belief was that such a strong braid of elven blood would enhance their magical abilities.
To keep this 'purity', the Eventide Elves remained in seclusion. Those that ventured from the Wilds or were sent on missions were taught ways to resist the temptations of the outside world. One such method was to take a drug called Sender's Leaf which rendered one's libido inert.
Prior to 1015, entering a relationship with a non-elf outsider or bearing a half-breed child would result in immediate expulsion from the Coven. 
=== After the Void Closure of 1015 ===
By the time of the Void Closure, Metheryl Arcaena had succeeding in disproving the theory of Blood Purity - magic strength was not determined by race. Her descendant, Nimbe Webb, was living proof as prior to the closure Metheryl and others had sensed great magic potential in the girl and she was only half-elf. 
After 1015, Shatterlight Coven was made open to outsiders who might wish to learn more of magic or the previously isolated culture of the Eventide Elves. The elves kept the location hidden, but regularly interviewed and accepted outsiders who they believed would respect the sanctity of their home.
== Magic Specialties ==
Shatterlight Coven has always had a great focus on mana sources and different ways of using magic. They consider the use of Void and Nature magics as a necessary evil in the pursuit of discovering a way to build one's soul into a repository of mana wealth.
=== Void ===
Void magic is any magic that uses Aradia's Mind as a focus or mana well. Until the Closure of the Void in 1015, this was the most popular and easiest way to draw magic. Void magic was typically used as a meter for how much magical pull one naturally had, but was also easier to learn via arcane methods for those who had lesser or almost no magical pull. After 1015, Void magic was still usable, but most often only by those who already had experience with it or born prior to the closing.
=== Nature ===
Nature magic is any magic that uses Aradia's Corpse as a focus or mana well. This form of magic became very popular after the Closure of the Void in 1015. It requires much more meditation and study than Void magic and isn't easy to pick up. Certain bloodlines rumored to tie back to the fae have considerably more ease using Nature magic. 
=== Soul ===
Soul magic is any magic where a caster pulls upon their own soul to cast magic. The most difficult form of magic to learn, it is considered to have no masters in Shatterlight Coven. The closest to those who master it might be Blackthornes performing Terromancy, but there is no proof they are the same type of magic. 
=== Sending & Pulling ===
Sending and Pulling are both teleportation spells that require the use of Soul magic. Both difficult and dangerous spells to use, a specialist (typically called a Sender) usually spends decades learning to perfect their craft. Many Senders take on a monk-like approach to life and use Sender's Leaf to calm their emotions and still their thoughts.
Individuals and objects can be sent, but another Sender is required at the destination for Sending. Sending requires that a Sender connect with the soul of the receiving Sender. Pulling can only be done with objects as historically there have been too many issues with Pulling leading to horrific deaths when used on individuals.
There was one known human Sender, Ixium Edelis, although he is suspected to have dissolved his own soul as he has not been seen for some time. 
=== Closing ===
== Location & Remaining Secrecy ==
The location of Shatterlight Coven is not advertised widely. Those interested in an education at Shatterlight Coven are typically interviewed by Senders near Bastion City before being teleported directly to the Coven's woods. 
Shatterlight Coven is located in deep forest in the Wilds. South of Shinbone Ridge in the Silkwoods, the community is mostly within a large shallow valley filled with black-top birch. In the canopies of the silver-barked trees, there are many homes made of silvery-white wood and wicker. On the ground, there are still more buildings. Most buildings do not top more than one level. 
There is one two-story stone structure - a great hall with Wildswood roots twisting up over the ancient stones. It is located in the center of the valley, in the deepest part. There is the main hall, a large room with a long firepit running the middle of it. To the side, there is another large room which is treated as a dormitory for short-term visitors to Shatterlight (but was once a melee training room). At the short end of the hall, there are chambers for the High Enchanter and their duties. Stairs in the main hall lead up to a patio that circles the room, overlooking the firepit - at the short end, there is a spacious bedchamber for the High Enchanter.
In 1037, following the events of Caybourne's Magic Uprising, a two-story boarding house was built to house more students of the magic arts.
A four-classroom structure was erected in 1052 as a schoolhouse to accommodate those families that felt their children should be educated on the outside world, not just in the ways of magic and survival. 
Paths through the Coven's territory are simple, usually made of flat-cut stones or even soft beds of clover. There is a natural connection that is undeniable throughout. Crops are grown with magic. Water flows from an underground stream, accessible at many wells. 
Although there appear to be no discernible walls or fences about the Coven's territory, there is a magical barrier maintained by a group of mages who meditate in a grove near the great hall. This barrier protects from the Spider Queens, the weather, and any other intruders. Excursions out into the Silkwood are discouraged, but there is an archway outside the valley where guards remain at the edge of the magical barrier. They are able to open a section of the barrier for visitors or those needing to leave. 
Along with the underground stream, there are a series of natural caves and tunnels running beneath Shatterlight Coven and the rest of the Wilds. Some of these passages even pass under the river to the east and all the way to the Wound beneath Shinbone Ridge.
== Society ==
* The High Enchanter or Enchantress is the leader of Shatterlight Coven. They are responsible for the well-being and direction of the people, joining those training young mages, and for choosing new Guardians and Web Thinners. When a new leader is needed, the people hold a Choosing. This involves several days, if not weeks, of deliberation while candidates are put forth. In the meantime, the Elders of the Coven govern if the former leader is not able to. At the end of this deliberation period, all adult members of the Coven are allowed to vote for their preferred candidate. There is no political campaign for each of these candidates and they are generally based on their role in the community and how they have lived their life thus far. This High Enchanter or Enchantress gives up the family they had before. There is nothing prohibiting them from continuing relationships with their loved ones, but it is generally accepted that any reliant members of their family are given new guardians to allow the leader to take care of their entire community without bias.
* The Guardians are those mages who maintain the barrier. There are at least 25 Guardians present in Shatterlight. 
* Web Thinners are a small but elite force of battlemages who protect Shatterlight Coven and seek out the death of Spider Queens.
Currency is a new concept, having only being implemented after 1015. Most denizens of the Coven prefer to trade, but will take coin if there is nothing else of worth. Traders allowed inside the Coven are rare and few, most of them going through a Sender and their interviews rather than traveling through the dangerous Silkwoods. If such a brave (or reckless) trader stops by, the Coven rarely turns them away.
Naming conventions have confused outsiders for a while, but a child chooses which of their parents' last names they wish to take. Last names are not surnames, in the sense that they do not claim allegiance to a noble house. A last name is a nod to heritage rather than nobility. There does seem to be a trend of male children taking their father's last name and female children taking their mother's. Rarely, a child will take the last name of an ancestor to promote their memory.
Marriage does not occur within Shatterlight Coven. There is a ritual between two lovers called the 'Binding' which may be considered similar to marriage. Same-sex relationships are accepted. Cousin-marriages or anything close to incest is greatly scorned.
== Members ==
* Metheryl Arcaena (former High Enchantress)
* Winmae Elassore
* Dironthir (former spy, High Enchanter)
* Merethonna (spy, died on the Untamed Isle)
* Elder Whitestrike (former Everglow City Sender)
* Niccou (Briochi Sender)
* Pilkenn (Everglow City Sender)
* Kiefer (missing)
* Eiche (missing)
* Fyrretrae (missing)
* Nou Dura (missing)
* Iolrath Kenris (deceased)
* Theodore Blackthorne
* Ambrosia Holdenhome
* Fluxhart