Conclave of the Spheres
Author: Tiago BonifƔcio
Story
Conclave of the Spheres
Author: Tiago BonifƔcio
Bathed by the waters of the eastern shores of Selejia, the Isles of Quinvala are home to the Conclave of the Spheres. These are the wielders of liastrum magic and keepers of the Molech Oracle, a relic that dates back to the time of the Everlasting. The history of the Conclave is inextricably linked to the Oracle and its original erisyr keepers.
The Conclave was born when Ethalizar, a keeper of the Oracle, was given a vision of the calamity that would be the Fall. He warned his people to break their alliance with the Astarian Paradux and the humans who ruled it or face the doom that was to come. The erisyr disassembled the Oracle and absconded with the pieces back to Quinvala. Not every piece returned, but those that did were reassembled into the Oracle as it exists today. The humans of the Order still consider the Erysir traitors to the cause of the Everlasting and relations with the conclave are tense at best, only happening at all because of necessity.
Since the Age of the Everlasting, the erisyr people have inhabited the isles of Quinvala. Once their divine patrons departed the mortal realm, they started to study the inner workings of the universe, unraveling the secrets of magic as no other people could, for some of these secrets were written into their very souls. The erisyr are attuned to the deep magic of the world, thriving when it does and wasting away when it doesnāt. When the Fall took place, over twelve hundred years ago, the erisyr lost much of their power. They do not age as humans or other ancestries do, but their bodies can no longer sustain life for much longer than the middle of their second century. The lifespan of their species has diminished with the passing of the years and the future of the erisyr as a people is uncertain at best. This has been especially true since humans joined the Conclave.
The Conclave organizes itself into Spheres, each working as a center of research and learning, but also as a guild of artisans and merchants. They explore the ruins of the ancient world, recovering from them magics once thought lost to the ages. They go beyond this, daring to improve on the work of the Everlasting. To the Conclave, magic has become a cold science and those who truly master this science can become like gods. Or so they believeā¦ In any case, the Conclave advances the mortal understanding of magic such as no other faction and they sell this knowledge to the highest bidder. They are uninterested in direct conflict with any faction, knowing that if war breaks they can remain safe and profitable in the isolation of their islands.
All of these wonders are accomplished by the use of liastrum, a magical catalyst derived from the Molech Oracle itself. The Relic, incomplete as it is, spews forth an amorphous blue substance, extremely dangerous to organic matter, but when used properly it can empower or enhance magical effects. The masters of the Quinvala have found a myriad of uses for liastrum, but the greatest feat it can accomplish is to give them the control they long for. Without ever declaring war, the Conclave will one day conquer the continent, because they understand that those who control the power, make the rules.