The Circle of Ash

If the Redeemers want to close the Veil, the Circle of Ash wants to understand it. A secretive cabal of scholars, mystics, and outcasts, the Circle operates in the shadows. They hoard the literature of the old world and the forbidden texts of the new. They make their homes in the Thin Places, studying the Current and cataloging the entities that squirm through.

They are the guardians of the Ley Lines, the invisible scars of magical energy that crisscross the Frontier. While others fear the weirdness of the West, the Circle seeks to harness it. They are neutral in the wars between Consortium and Vulture, trading knowledge for safety. But everyone knows that if you find an artifact that whispers to you, you take it to the Circle.

Organization

The Circle operates in Lodges — hidden libraries often built inside ruins or beneath massive trees. They communicate through coded messages and dreams. Their largest open settlement, Palomera, is cloaked in psionic illusions in a hidden valley of the Graven Plain and serves as a sanctuary for the Hollowborn fleeing Redeemer persecution.

Agenda

The Circle believes the Rupture is irreversible and that humanity must evolve to survive. They seek to facilitate this evolution, often through dangerous experimentation.

Archetypes

The Scholar. The Occultist. The Guardian. The Relic Hunter.

Faction Tactics

The Circle rarely initiates violence. Their Guardians form a defensive perimeter while Initiates and Archivists work rituals or escape with critical texts. If forced into combat, they use Seer predictions to anticipate enemy actions and Mindweaver illusions to control the battlefield. They fight to disengage, not to destroy. They are willing to sacrifice pawns when the knowledge requires it.