History of Circle of Fire
From Dragons Exodus
For a detailed account of all the events described below and an indepth account of the history of the Circle, visit the Circle's Chronicles
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Kindling of the Circle
The Clan Discordance was one of the oldest clans of the Realms, lead by Lord Archinus, one of the original four that battled Corin-Mur to obtain immortality. After his untimely death, the leadership of the clan passed to the Lady Kleothera, until then his Archangel. The members of the clan grew many and prosperous and enjoyed the special patronage of King Adrian of Arnath.
One of the mortal Leaders of the Clan was Laren, a drowess. She extended her power over the clan and was able to charm her Goddess into giving her complete control over the Clan. Making use of this trust placed on her, she betrayed and assassinated the Goddess Gwynn of Harmony and then turned against her own clan, breaking it. She lead the minions of the Drow Goddess Natatia into the Clan Hall, burned it to the ground and was rewarded by the position of Mortal leader of Misanthropy. These two actions broke Kleothera's heart and she withdrew her favour from the Clan Discordance.
And yet, there were a few (namely, Gorlim, Ayla, Ciryath and Takori) who remained loyal to the core principles that once held it together and prayed for the Goddess to return. No more could they stand neutral on the question of Good and Evil. They declared unquestionable loyalty to the path of virtue and won the Goddess's heart again. The burning tears of Her's rage quenched the fires that still burned in the ruins, and she created a protective magical lake guarding the holy site, placing a Guardian dragon to protect it.
The Flames of the Circle of Fire were kindled from the fire that burned Discordance. The Oak tree of the old hall and the wolves that roamed the desolation were adopted as emblems of the Clan.
"You who use the fire as an instrument of pain and torture, Shall see it rise and life for ever nurture. You who sent it my people to kill, Shall see it protect them, burning still."
"The Oak shall ever grow, a mark of faith unending, Of Clansmen's commitment and of their will unbending." Thus, the Lady spoke in words of thunder- Her voice did tear the skies asunder.
"The wolf that had stayed with our dead Teaches us the lesson of loyalty", she said. "Wild and free as the wind the wolves run, and yet United with their pack mates, an example of loyalty they set.
In the bowels of the isle was a mighty dragon set To teach us wisdom and from invaders us protect. Thus arose our mist cloaked island fair, Hidden from unbelieving eyes, guarded by his lair."
Many did flock to his banner burning, The Circle grew and one could sense the tide turning. As year into decade, and century into century did pass, The Circle has continued in strength to rise.
(Excerpt from the "Kindling of the Circle" by Ayla Arminius, from the Chronicles of the Circle of Fire).
Early History
Gorlim was the first officer of the Circle and the only officer of Discordance to have made the transition. The Circle started slowly, still haunted by the betrayal of Discordance. Many blamed the Goddess for the disolution of the clan and that she did not do enough to stem the rot within the ranks. The blood feud between Misanthropy and its Goddess Natatia also left its toll. The faith of its followers was severely tested.
The Serpentive Wars
Takori, a monk, was among the few loyal members of Discordance to follow the Lady into the Circle. He rose quickly through the ranks to become it's leader. Soon after, news reached that his home monastery was under siege. He rushed to its aid but was to late as it fell to the hordes of a Necromancer. He was reached by his former mentor's spirit and told of a relic that accomplished the banding of his chaotic host. The relic, the Serpentine Generator, would unleash untold horrors on the realms if not destroyed. Takori searched through the lands until he heard that there were but four souls that knew of the whereabouts of the relic.
Not long afterwards Drow hordes descended on the Clan Hall of the Circle. Takori was kidnapped by a Priestess of the Drow Goddess Lloth; he was rescued, but the Clan's Jarl was mortally wounded. For months there was no respite from wave upon on wave of Drows.
The Order of the Minotaur Knights and the Clan Hall of Harmony were attacked by the same enemies. News reached that of the four that knew about the relic, but one survived. Takori sought counsel with the wise old dragons in the Dragon Valley. Elradu, a Ranger of the clan Harmony asked him to search in a place of great good for the ancient relic of evil. The Gold Dragon told Takori that he followed the wrong path by searching so far from home. He then told him to go away.
While he was away war continued to be waged by the members of the Clan. A shapeshifter in Takori's form tried to lure them to their deaths in the Dark Forest. Frustrated, but still resolved, Takori returned to his Clan Hall only to realise that the young clan member Gerad was the last remaining mortal who knew of the relic's location. The Generator rested in The Order of the Minotaur Knights. Takori rallied the Clan and departed immediately for the Order of the Minotaur Knights. Elradu of Harmony joined the Circle in the final battle.
The Drow attacked the Order yet again. Takori knowing that they must know as much as he about the whereabouts of the relic, led the frantic search. High above in the Marshall's quarters the Generator quietly kept up its work- serpents large and small were spawned. Through the heroic efforts of Takori, Elradu, Throg, Thalius, Gerad, Berit and Parnell, the Drow attack was staved off and the relic found. They debated what was to be done with the indestructable relic. The Goddess Kleothera appeared and informed them that the only way it could be destroyed was by casting it into the fires of it's origins - the Pits of Hell.
The band unwilling to leave Takori to his task, escorted him to the Pits of Hell to see the relic's destruction through. He entered the cave alone and cast the dark relic away. A huge explosion resulted. Takori at first thought himself dead, but instead had been cast to the entrance of the place. Severely injured, sought the others and the band left the accursed place. Always stoic, Takori did not mention to his brethren that day the severity of his injuries but he never recovered and soon retired leaving the realms.
The Abduction of Thrull
As Takori weakened, others stepped up to lead the clan. Berit, formerly the clan's Jarl, rose to be Pendragon jointly with him. Vimyr and Parnell were the clan's other officers. Lord Belidus was grew to be Hero of the Circle, but did not do much in the running of the affairs of the Clan and soon left to assist Shaithus in the newly formed Temple of Salvation.
The Clan's Banker Thrull, formerly the Trainer of the Clan Discordance sought to travel to the City of Einar seeking a cure for the grave injuries suffered by him in the fire that devastated Discordance's Hall. He was, however, waylaid in the Black forest and held for ransom. The Clan sought him in the basement of Dearn Mansion, but instead only found a single thief who lead them to Lower Arnath and its guild of thieves. The Clan fought the thieves, but in the end it was the information offered by a Master Thief and his apprentice who were ready to trade information for profit that won the day. The Clan was taken to the King of Thieves, but he died in the skirmish without revealing Thrull' location. A Prince of the Thieves came along and returned Thrull safe and sound. This captain was soon crowned King and made a peace with the Circle, for since his accession to the throne wasn't exactly orthodox, he preferred to consolidate his position without having Circle's Warband breathing down his neck. Indeed he was grateful to the Circle for it was to it that he owed his rise. The Circle also had the gratitude of King Adrian for ridding him of his old rival.
The Circle During the Ogre War
It was then that the Ogre invasion struck the realms. It was the tip offered by the Circle's young Ogre Orsan that alerted the realm to the impending danger. It was the Circle and Harmony that formed the main bulwark protecting the clan against the evil hordes. It was the Circle's Nante who was among the two who finally brought the invading force's Leader down. It was this war that first created the conditions for the future informal alliance with the Clan Harmony. In those days was the first foundation of the Clan as among the principal bulwarks against evil of the realms laid.
Changing Leaders
The Clan's own leadership underwent a period of change. Takori had withdrawn, leaving Berit, Parnell, Vyahn and Vimyr in charge. They were the Old Guard and represented the old way of doing things. They too, however, soon left following their mentor. For a while Vimyr lead the clan and under him Nante along with Tywen offered guidance to the Clan. But it was Ferria's that was the next leading force of the Clan as Pendragon. The young Troll Throg's time as Prophet and Jarl was remembered for a long time, as was his sad death over the love by his own hand over his unrequited love for an elven damsel. A glorious wake was held in his memory. Lord Sherrivus, formerly of The Ravens was for a promising but alas very brief period Hero of the Clan.
The Demon Wars and the Circle
It was in these days that the realms were again shaken by an invasion. The Demon Queen Irkalla came seeking vengence for the death of her son in the end of the Ogre Wars. It was on the Clan's Pendragon Lilira that fell the burden of leading the Clan through this period of trial. The realms were better prepared this time and jointly with the Clan Harmony and the Temple of Salvation, the Demon Queen was defeated. The fiery dwarf Grysygonth acted as the pillar of steel supporting the Clan at every step. Young Rangek's championing of the Clan throughout the War won him the position of Prophet. But it was the combination of the wisdom of Lilira Silverwolf and passionate dedication of Grysygonth Grimhammer that brought about the Golden Age of the Clan.
The Golden Age of Lilira and Grysygonth and Alastrine
The effort taken to defeat of the Demons seemed to take something out of the Lady Kleothera as she was no longer as frequent in her visits to the realm. Others speculated that it was the knowledge of the rise of the Vampire Goddess Diamante that sapped her strength. As the case may be, over the years it was Lilira and Grysygonth who came to be the real rulers of the Clan. In the absence of the Goddess, Hekaerae came to be the Heroine of the Clan, but her contribution to it was limited and she soon left the realms. The clan saw a period of unprecedented stability. Many of the rules and structures that govern the Clan were laid during the time of Lilira and Grysygonth. Over the years, Rangek, Taymuir and Adahn came to be their fellow officers.
The Circle again stood with Harmony during the war with the Dread Army and sought to oppose the evil that was Diamante. The bonds of closeness with the temple Salvation and Harmony were strengthened. The Circle, however, stood resolute to the idea of not entering any formal alliances with other clans. With time the Lady Lilira grew old and retired, leaving Lord Grysygonth to hold the reins of power.
The Goddess Alastrine came to be Clan's Heroine, without doubt the greatest to hold that title. With her sweet words and wisdom and her kindness, she won the hearts of one and all in the Clan. After serving her apprenticeship as Hero to Traewyn's Temple of Nature, she launched her own Temple of Revelation. The Clan's members felt loyal to her and indeed it was rumoured at the time that the Goddess Kleothera was ready to hand over her powers to this young Goddess. But dark clouds were gathering over the realms as the battle between the Old Gods and Caimen drew near. In the time of the battle Alastrine disappeared. Lord Grysygonth of her Temple was heartbroken and left with her.
The Clan in the Days of the Orc
The Clan faced a crisis without any Leaders. Lord Sasnakra stepped up to the challenge and was declared its Jarl. Adahn and Taymuir came out of retirement and stemmed the tide. Later, young Altrac came to assist them.
The clan was just recovering from this crisis when the Orcs invaded Aden. The Circle as was its wont stood by in the defense of the City and fought to the last until the city was leveled. Uzell, the Troll Lord came to be Hero of the Circle after his departure from the Ravens, but did not stay part of the Clan long, departing after a difference of opinion about how the war with the Orcs had to be fought. Young Rasnevic struck a strange bond of friendship with Korgan, the victorious general of the Orcs and the military commander of the city. After Aden was destroyed the victory of the Orcs seemed complete, the Circle declared its own peace with the Orcs. For his services, and his skills in diplomacy Rasnevic was soon promoted to be Prophet, then Jarl of the Circle. Concolos was promoted as Prophet taking his place.
