The Circle

**The Circle** was a subset member body of the Order Partisans, fraternity of students, and was a part of the greater Sovereign Order. Its responsibilities included archiving, guidance of the eldritch, and crafting, to which it acted parallel to a craftsman's guild.

Its members were typically comprised of wielders of eldritch arts, such as Arcane, Fel, and Void.

Generally, the Circle worked in matters that the Sovereign Order would otherwise condemn - They did this with the sanctity of the Council of Hierarchs, until its dissolution during the restructuring of the Sovereign Order.

## History

### Origins

In 36 L.C., the Sovereign Order had been rapidly regrowing in influence and scope. Hierarch Clothair, along with Lord Elton, came to believe in the induction of fitting members of arcane talent, in order to guide them according to their beliefs. One of the first inducted so was Geriadd Llewyn, a half-elven woman who was still a self-described novice to arcana. Seeking to further her own education and the representation of mages within the Order, Geriadd drafted a system of organization by which these goals could be achieved under the guidance of the Council of Hierarchs.

Seeing this, Clothair approved Geriadd's system, placing it under the jurisdiction of the Watchful Hand as a part of the Order Partisans. This union would become known as the Circle. As she was as yet still too inexperienced in arcana, Clothair did not appoint Geriadd as the Circle's Grand Archivist, but instead appointed her as Magister, whereby she would be responsible for the maintenance and reporting of the union.

### Restructuring of the Order

Following the Battle of Lordaeron in 38 L.C., the Sovereign Order underwent a dramatic restructuring. This resulted in the Circle's total subsumption into the Watchful Hand by the order of Lord Grelmont. The new rules present within the Watchful Hand inherently conflicted with the activities of the Circle, and during this time several restrictions and punishments were laid down to its members by the Council of Hierarchs.

#### Dissolution

A week after the Circle's subsumption into the Watchful Hand, Magister Geriadd was brought up on charges of heresy. The Circle was declared dissolved, and Geriadd herself was sentenced to execution, which she escaped by fleeing South.

With the Circle dissolved, its former members were left with the choice of becoming a Seeker of the Watchful Hand, switch branches within the Order, or take the risk of fleeing into the Plaguelands. Roughly half of the body chose to stay, and the other half to leave.

## Structure

Primarily a student body, the Circle's members are seekers of knowledge, and wisdom to temper it. They must complete tests on a regular basis, in order to prove to the Order their continuing dedication and skill. As members advance, further responsibilities are laid upon them. All members are overseen by the Grand Archivist.

### Hierarchy

* **Grand Archivist -** The leader of the Circle. The Grand Archivist is the voice and authority, and are the director of operations; Along with the Magister, they help to guide members of the Circle.
* **Magister -** The Grand Archivist's second in command. They help to ensure the integrity of the Circle, and are responsible for devising tests for its members.
* **Archivist -** The bulk of the student body, Archivists are primarily the craftspeople of the Order; As the name suggests, they also handle the archiving of literature and objects that come to the Order.
* **Incantor -** Aspirant students; Recognized as members of the Circle, but with fewer responsibilities and more to prove.

### Acts of Wisdom

The Acts of Wisdom are paramount to the student member's success; They are a measurement of the member's continuing dedication to the Circle, and to their own betterment - Failure of these Acts will rarely result in expulsion, but may accord a penance, which the Grand Archivist will decide.

Acts are tailored to the individual student in order to be a proper measurement of the member's development.

#### Act of Control

Students of the Circle must be willing to increase their mastery and willpower over their abilities; The Act of Control is both a measurement of this, and an incentive to continue their studies.

#### Act of Moderation

The Act of Moderation is a measurement of the student's ability to find solutions outside of their eldritch power; The work of the mind is always prioritized over the work of magic, which should never be used too hastily.

#### Act of Concordance

In order to quell the corruption eldritch power cultivates, the Act of Concordance must be completed; It is a measurement of the student member's ability to work with others to achieve mutual goals, in a cordial manner.