[A-RP] Grand Circle of Mages • The King's Magi and Arcane Knights in service to the Crown and Alliance

The Grand Circle of Mages

“It takes a certain kind of arrogance to be a mage. It is to stand before the vastness of creation and demand that the forces of the Beyond bend to your will. After all, it is we who weave the tangled skeins of reality into the pattern of our own design, who hold within our hands the cosmic forces of the universe. It is right that we fear the power we hold. We do not pledge our lives to the study of petty cantrips and idle incantations, but to unravel the infinite mysteries of the heavens.” – Sibess Delacroix, former Grand Master.

Focus:

OOC

RP: Heavy

PvP/PvE: Casual-Mid

The < Grand Circle of Mages > is a guild built on the idea of supporting established lore and developing fanon to better help support the Alliance mage-rp community. We are founded on the concepts of character development, collaborative writing and giving our members a unique story-driven environment.

It’s important to note that the Grand Circle doesn’t support the idea of hand-waving away every problem or playing characters that are all powerful. We feel that magic should feel weighty and we uphold the Four Laws of the Arcane as important tenants in how we approach this.

Players that don’t feel like this style of approach suits them may want to reconsider application, as we feel it’s important that everyone should be able to enjoy their time in-game. Characters that don’t have room for development, are all powerful or undefeatable will probably not enjoy their time in GCoM. But, please feel free to say ‘hi’ and roleplay with us outside of a guild setting! :slight_smile:

IC

Long ago, three wizards met to discuss and debate topics regarding magic and its use. As time progressed, the three wizards were joined by apprentices and acquaintances; becoming a much larger group. This group began debating the morality of their magic and whether it should be kept a secret or if it should be used openly to help the people of the Seven Kingdoms. After some time, this group of wizards decided to help rather than hide. They formed a Circle of Mages and as they grew in both numbers and influence, they became known as the Grand Circle of Mages.

In the years following the fall of Lordaeron, as the undead claimed that once beloved city and it’s people scattered to the winds, the Grand Circle passed into obscurity for a time. The years had not been kind to the order since their golden halls were ransacked and the treasures contained within were stolen by the scourge and their vile necromancers.

In the years since, the Grand Circle of Mages has worked diligently to heal it’s wounds and return to it’s purpose. New oaths have been sworn and the knee bent to the Kings of Stormwind. In the years since the Fall of Lordaeron, a new path has been forged before them.

Themes:

  • Arcane/Magic/Sorcery/Mages/Battle Mages

  • Chivalric/Arcane/Academic Organisations

  • Mystery

  • Grand Alliance/ Wrynn Dynasty

  • Historical/Archaeological/ Relics

  • Psychological Horror (restricted to certain events)

(Guild)Canon:

The Four Laws of Arcane

The Four Laws of the Arcane are deemed as the most important tenets of the Grand Circle, it is through this lens that the Circle approaches magic both ICly and OOCly. If the Arcane is a structure of infinite laws and order, then to disregard these Four Laws will eventually lead practitioners into the trap of corruption, addiction and arrogance.

The First Law: Magic is Powerful.

Magic in Azeroth is the difference between a slave and a master, a foot soldier and king. Few races and nations can operate without powerful magi. The use of arcane magic is growing; historically, each time this has happened before, a great disaster shortly follows. However, even though the history of the arcane is well known, mages and their patrons invariably came to the same self-serving conclusion; It won’t happen to them.

The Second Law: Magic is Corrupting.

Magic corrupts the soul; if the humblest person in Azeroth became a practitioner of the arcane, by the time the practitioner reached the higher levels in their art, all traces of her humble roots would be lost. Magic breeds pride and arrogance. Those who claim that only necromancy and fel magic have a corrupting influence are fooling themselves.

The Third Law: Magic is Addictive

When one feels the power of an arcane spell coursing through one’s body as it’s being cast, resisting the urge to cast it again is difficult. Frequent use leads to a desire for more, and eventually when one can no longer sate their hunger one may turn to wicked fel energy.

The Fourth Law: Magic is a beacon which attracts the denizens of the twisting nether to those who wield its power.

The Burning Legion has invaded Azeroth three times, first drawn by the power of the Well of Eternity and those who employ it. Those who employ arcane magic must deal with demons and other servants of the Twisting Nether, drawn in by your power.

Paths

College of Esoteric Arts

“The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance”

The College of Esoteric Arts is the wing of the Circle dedicated to the gathering of knowledge, the collecting of artifacts, and the subterfuge necessary to quietly fight the magical enemies of the Alliance. Led by the High Scribe, they make sure all Magi are properly trained in the Art, being a place for new and old to progress to heights that many would not have thought were possible.

It’s purposes are many:

  • To explore the ‘great sea of arcane’ so that it’s mysteries might be understood, categorised and utilised by the Grand Circle and the Alliance in further endeavours.
  • Transcribe the ancient texts into common, learn from the powerful relics of the world and keep them safe from those who do not understand their power.
  • See to the instruction of a new generation of magi, so that they might not make the mistakes of the past.
The Hand of the First Hundred

“In war, the Knights are a fearsome enemy and a powerful ally. It is not nearly enough for them to meet their enemy upon the field of battle, they must take an almost personal hand in their ruin.”

It is not the Hand of the First Hundred’s charge to unravel the infinite mysteries of the arcane but to enforce its will upon the enemies of the Circle and the Alliance. They are the sword and shield, acting as the bulwark into matters that might require a more martial approach.

Their duties are threefold:

  • Serve and protect the Circle - and her Grand Master - with courage and valour, from threats both outside the Circle and lurking within.
  • Uproot corruption and set the enemies of the Circle ( and Alliance ) to the sword or spell.
  • See to the protection of the realm and her citizens from dangers both magical and mundane when called upon by the Grand Master of the Circle or the Ordained High King of the Alliance.

Guild Features:

Unique Approach to Magic

We believe that magic should be weighty and powerful, while also being realistic for the setting. Grand Circle encourages an atmosphere of creativity when it comes to magic, allowing members to further explore the weaknesses and strengths of their characters and drawing upon them in ways that feel unique to the person. After all, if you can hand-wave away every problem; what is the point of conflict?

GCoM draws from elements of old RPG canon (where it doesn’t directly contradict with current lore) and we draw inspiration from resources like D&D, Warhammer and Elder Scrolls.

Magic should have consequences. It’s something we see a lot of in lore, but it isn’t something often explored through roleplay. Arcane is addicting, corrupting and powerful. It fatigues the body (under normal circumstances) and mana is a finite resource.

As previously stated, players that don’t feel like this a preferred play style may wish to reconsider membership and roleplay with us outside the guild instead. We’re friendly, promise!

Alliance Oriented

The Grand Circle of Mages is a dedicated Alliance sub-faction that is not affiliated with the Kirin Tor of Dalaran. Due to the current political climate of the game, Grand Circle honors the armistice between the Horde and the Alliance, but also recognises it for what it is: a cease fire, but not necessarily the end of the war.

Simplified D20 System

In order to integrate new (and veterine) players into our combat and environment /roll system, we have employed (with permission) an altered version of the Warcraft Conquest D20 system that allows us to further elaborate and change with the needs of the guild, but also slip easily into /roll action scenes with other guilds and server events that utilise a similar system of combat.

It’s fast, it’s easy and takes less than 5 minutes to set up.

Rumours and Hooks:

"Diverse Magical Cultures." You are a member of one of the various non-human races of the Alliance. As such, your approach to magic may be different than that of the human ways. You reach out to the Circle to add your own expertise as well as potentially learn from the other cultures that call the Circle home.
"An Old Soul Learns New Tricks." You are no stranger to the arcane. You may be adept in some magic or you may even be a master. Nevertheless, you recognize that one never truly stops learning. Even a master can learn from their apprentice at times. You have heard of the Grand Circle and decide to seek them out, wishing to add your expertise to their membership and see perhaps what knowledge they may hold within.
“A new journey begins.” A new world dawns and a new generation of magi are taking up the sword and the staff. You seek apprenticeship or squireship, and have applied to the Grand Circle to receive your education.

(NOTE: GCoM will only accept characters of 18 years and older and players of 17 and older.)

FAQ:

“Do I have to be a mage in order to join?”

Yes and no. We are generally accepting of most arcane concepts, even if you do not OOCly play a mage; Spellbows, Warmagi, Alchemists, Scholars, etc.

We may ask you to better elaborate on how this works for your character and explain a few details about the guild before we add you to our roster. But, as long as it makes sense for the theme of the guild, we generally aren’t going to knock you back for not being a mage.

“I’m new (or rusty) to arcane/mage lore. Will this be a problem?”

We require all new members (aspirants) to go through a probation period. This ensures that everyone entering the guild has the time to get a feel for the guild, it’s lore and the warcraft canon.

Apply:
Note: Please read the Rules and About section of the site before Applying

WebsiteGrandMages.weebly.com

Contact:

Email

GCoM.moonguard@gmail.com

(GM)Razavian:

Discord: BrightHammer#2426

BNet: BrightHammer#1126283

(Officer)Calista:

Discord: Varliance#3215

BNet: Varliance#1444

(Officer)Andisarth:

Discord: Paint Licking Magnus#7928

BNet: VasiliBeviin#1633

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The Grand Circle of Mages has a number of big events planned for after expansion hits that are aimed at providing an interesting variety of RP to both the guild and the server as a whole. We’re taking this time to plan, organise and get ready so that that once RP starts to return to full swing, we’ll be hitting the ground running!

Razavian is an old soul as far as mage orientated RP is concerned and I’ve had the immense pleasure of knowing them for many years. In that time they’ve managed to lead and officer a number of successful guilds, their dedication to providing a welcoming and interesting space for their guild members is felt and appreciated!

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We have a new literary work out and available for community enjoyment! The Grand Masters of the Circle: A History is available now on our Moon-Guard wiki page.

The most recent edition of a tome once only available to those with the Grand Circle of Mages has been made publicly available for the first time, detailing the rich histories of the Grandmasters of the order, going back hundreds of years.

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The Mages are the reason we won the second war! <3

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We’ve updated our information to reflect our ever expanding history and structure! We’ve also added a section based on our themes and an edited section to better represent our focus.

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I saw this guildname floating around at the recent Conquest campaign in Northrend. Seeing Calista confused me to no end because there’s also someone named Calista in our guild.

BUT, they were a great addition. And Calista seemed pretty cool.

Hoping the best for you guys!

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Let’s be fair. Gul’dan is the reason we won the 2nd war. I guess the mages helped.

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The <Grand Circle of Mages> has officially opened up recruitment!

If you’re interested in joining or would just like to learn more about how we do things, please don’t hesitate to contact either Razavian or myself though the discord links provided above or in game.

We’re looking forward to hearing from you!

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It certainly is an interesting opportunity. But I need to ask if this another one of those Eastern Kingdom only types of guilds?

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While our history and lore is certainly more steeped in the traditions of Lordaeron and the Eastern Kingdoms, the Grand Circle of Mages serves the Alliance and is therefore open to all those who fight under it’s banner.

We encourage collaboration and creativity, constantly growing our IC library and other platforms to allow members to share their unique cultural take on the arcane. This means that while things are more Eastern Kingdoms orientated now, there is plenty of room for you to slip in and teach us ( and others) about the history of the Pandaren ways of magic.

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Firstly, the <Grand Circle of Mages> would like to thank our new members who have started to make this guild like home. Welcome and thank you! :blue_heart:

Secondly, we’re taking this opportunity to tease that we are working on a handful of community project that are aimed at promoting collaborative roleplay and facilitating character development. We’ve been listening to your feedback and we’re very excited to be launching these projects in the coming weeks/months.

Watch this space and stay tuned! Have a magical day :sparkles:

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Great group of people, some impressive world building, and some very fun Mage RP are here!

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Happy patch day, everyone!

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Hello fellow magi. Are you magicing well today?

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We are Magi of the Alliance. Of course we are magicking well today! :wink:

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The Circle is recruiting, so if you’re interested and are a Mage RPr, give one of us in the Conclave a whisper or message over Discord! :slight_smile:

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In the interest of transparency, we just added an additional section to the disclaimer!

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Grand Circle of Mages is excited to announce a few regular events that we’ll be setting into motion over the weekend!

  • Aspirancy Lessons: designed to teach new members about the fundamentals of arcane lore in the Warcraft universe and how we as a guild handle it within our guild canon! This Friday (8pm ST) new aspirants to the Grand Circle of Mages will be delving into the Four Laws of Magic and their applications into the daily lives of arcane practitioners.

  • The Conclave Assembly: The monthly meeting of the Circle is held in a secret location known only to the Conclave. Here the members of the Circle can voice their thoughts, witness new oaths made and welcome new aspirants. This meeting will see the appointment of a new High Scribe; leader of the College of Esoteric Arts.

If you have any further questions, please feel free to reach out! Have a magical day! :sparkles:

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Hey everyone! Just thought I’d give an update on what’s happening within the Circle!

Due to a much higher interest than originally anticipated, we’ve had to temporarily put a hold on further recruitment for the next week or two. This is to allow us to focus on the members we currently have as well as to work diligently behind the scenes to ensure that, when we are recruiting again, the guild has the foundation to maintain the interests of those who seek out Alliance mage oriented RP and to have the flexibility to grow.

Thank you all so much for the support these past few weeks. The Conclave and I are blown away by how many people are interested in our concept and support it. I look forward to announcing our re-opening for recruitment in the very near future!

Stay tuned!

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