Re: Zaichaer Codex (New)
Posted: Mon Feb 26, 2024 7:58 pm
Covens of Zaichaer
Major Covens:
The Myshalarai
Main Magic: Masquerade
Secondary: Mesmer
Number of Members: 30 (Aprox.)
Services Provided: Entertainment, Hedonistic Indulgence, Assassination
Quirk: Mirage
Information:
Myshalarai are seldom as they appear to be and are notoriously difficult to pin down, as individuals or a coven. As a result of their quirk, the Myshalarai have proven notoriously difficult to handle by the Order of Reconciliation. Due to this, they were granted the status of a State-approved coven, given licensure for the group and the right to grant licenses to their own members.
It is well known that the Myshalarai pay homage to the Mistlord Myshala, she who is the Mistress of All Pleasures. The Mistlord of Wishes, Flesh and Bargains seems to have blessed her coven well and they in turn live a life of relative ease. They are known to host the most extravagant parties, the most hedonistic pleasures; one is certain to have a surprising and thoroughly entertaining time in the company of any Myshalarai. They are reputed to be the hands behind many of the gambling dens, brothels and taverns around the city of Zaichaer.
The Myshalarai are a people who are paid well to make problems disappear, whether they be based in boredom, annoyance, or conflict. The unspoken truth, that they are some of the deadliest assassins that the Zaichaeri community has ever known, is a fact that any with the coin to hire them is well aware of. The Myshalarai have never openly acknowledge this but if an individual calls upon their services one can rest assured that the problem will disappear.
Rumor has it that if one calls upon the services of a Myshalarai and presents them with a black rose, it will open up the door to potentially discussing their more select services. It is a careful dance of wordplay and investigation and if done well, the Myshalarai will accept the rose and in doing so, accept the job. Payment is to be rendered upon completion of the job, a fee that is agreed upon before it is accepted. If the client does not pay, the rose they gifted will be returned to them and with it, the promise that the Myshalarai will get their due.
Many members were lost during or after the events of the 34th and only as the city is beginning to repopulate, as of Glade 124, is the coven beginning to offer services of any kind again.
Mirage:
Upon initiation, the Myshalarai are taught a special technique that enables them to channel their aether into manifesting a complete replica of themselves. Normally, a construct created by Masquerade only behaves in the manner in which it was programmed to but the tradition of Mirage enables a Myshalarai to actively project their awareness and magic through their duplicate. As the Myshalarai grows in power, this duplicate can interact with objects and even cast spells by drawing upon the witch’s aether. This includes any other runes of magic that the witch may possess.
Headquarters: The Menagerie
Located in the Coven Market, the Menagerie is a pleasure den for all manner of tastes. Pleasures of the mind, body, emotions, illusions and, some rumor, even the soul, can be found within. The Menagerie caters to the needs of the magical masses and mundane alike, any who dare enter are welcome. Aided by the Myshalarai expertise in illusory magic, the Menagerie is a place where one can experience their wildest dreams and witness things haunting, mesmerizing, and occasionally macabre. The sprawling tavern is a lesson in debauchery where one is encouraged to lose all restraint and indulge in whatever delights. The experience is carefully manicured to the tastes of each guest, ensuring an individual and unforgettable experience. The Myshalarai want visitors to the Menagerie to enjoy themselves but they do not allow things to rage out of their control. They have, over time, learned to become masters of the subtle line between order and chaos.
During the events of the 34th the Menagerie was hard hit, being partly destroyed and shrouded in a particularly dense cloud of Mists which remained there for almost a full year before dissipating for unknown reasons. It has since been rebuilt and is once again operating.
Known Members:
Leader: Unknown
Second in Command: Unknown
Members:
Eshar
Aurin Kavafis
Lain Rudolf Regenborge
The Railrunners
Main Magic: Traversion
Number of Members: 50 (Aprox.)
Services Provided: Information Brokering, Couriers, Smuggling, Black Market Acquisitions
Quirk: Ghostwalking
Information:
The Railrunners are one of the most influential of the Covens of Zaichaer. They remain largely neutral when it comes to conflicts between the various covens themselves and serve as couriers, smugglers, and black market traders for the magical community at large. Practically every coven does business with the Railrunners and their penchant for applying the Rune of Traversion in unique and creative ways, makes them highly sought after. The Railrunners make a single promise to any who do business with them: do right by them and they will do right by you. They are well known for their discretion, impartiality and refusal to breach client confidentiality. No matter the situation, if nothing else remains constant in the magical community of Zaichaer, it is that the Railrunners keep the goods flowing.
After the disaster of the 34th they were the only coven in the city that kept themselves fully together and sustained the fewest casualties. Due to a combination of immediate action by their leadership as well as their unique ability to get themselves out of harm's way, they were able to continue operations even while the Coven Market lay in ruins.
In the aftermath of the disaster, as well as the Eclipse, the Railrunners were instrumental in keeping Zaichaer from descending into complete chaos, offering their services in transportation and keeping people fed, clothed and safe. Due to this, they formed a stronger-than-normal alliance with the new government and their operations are considered (usually) legitimate.
Ghostwalking: Railrunners are trained in the use of Traversion in areas that are warded against teleportation magic. They are introduced to the properties of abjinurium as well as various forms of Negation shielding. Through this exposure, each Railrunner is taught how to assess the structural foundation of anti-escape and blocking wards put in place around them. They achieve this by channeling their aether into opening a pathway into the Slipspace within their own bodies and align the flow of their aether to that portal. This creates a situation where the witch themselves becomes a portal to the exclusion of all else, an act which pulls the witch into the Slipspace, allowing them to escape and then reappear in a place either some ways away or nearby but outside the boundaries of the warded area. This is an extremely dangerous Quirk but those who successfully manage to master it, become stoppable in only very specific ways.
Headquarters: The Coven Market
Overseen and protected by the Railrunners, the Market is perhaps the one place in Zaichaer where magic can be practiced openly without fear of reprisal. At least, without fear of invoking the wrath of the Order. It is a safe zone that is heavily guarded by the most powerful magic that the Covens collectively have to offer. In the Market, visitors can find all manner of arcane shops, wares, tools, and goods. Most of the goods and services being exchanged in the Market are not provided directly by Railrunners, nor were they acquired by them. The Railrunners provide and watch over the space that enables these transactions to take place. They collect a small fee from those who establish businesses in the Market and expect everyone who visits to abide by their rules.
The Market itself is a curiosity and whether or not it is actually located in Zaichaer was long unknown. It is a mixture of hard structure shops, an inn, and an open bazaar that is closed off to the outside world. The ring of shops provides the boundaries of the Market, with the open bazaar located in the plaza at their center. There are no established portals to the Market, though history suggests that there were at one point in time. The Railrunners dismantled these portals following an attack by the Order of Reconciliation a few generations ago. In the present day, the Market is only accessible by finding a Railrunner and paying them to open up a Railway portal to the Junction that leads to the Market itself. This allows the Railrunners to maintain tight control over who can and cannot access the Market. Potential threats that manage to coerce a Railrunner into opening a pathway to the Market Junction are simply ejected from the junction once they are identified. This ends up dooming the would-be invader to drift in the Slipspace until they either perish or find a way out.
The Coven Market was as affected by the disaster of the 34th as was the rest of the city, proving that it does have an actual, physical location as the wards and magic surrounding it were eaten away, corrupted, or destroyed by the category five Mist Storm. Most of the original space was destroyed, though some of the solid buildings remained when the Railrunners returned to reclaim and re-ward the space.
As of Glade 124 it has been mostly rebuilt and is operating again, though at a lesser capacity due to most people still struggling to live and having no income for the magical amenities offered.
Known Members:
Leader: Unknown
Second in Command: Valencia
Members:
Aurin Kavafis
Zhan Dunkle
The Grymalka
Main Magic: Necromancy
Secondary: Summoning
Number of Members: 50 (Aprox.)
Services Provided: Healing, Spirit Appeasement, Containment, or Torment
Quirk: Venerable Ancestor
Information:
The Grymalka are an old coven, perhaps the oldest, their origins stretching back beyond the Sundering. Few who know they face a Grymalkan are willing to challenge them. The Coven is well known in the Zaichaeri magical community as powerful and wise practitioners of arts few outside the coven will attempt. The Grymalkan necromancers employ mastery over the forces of death in ways that make even other witches uncomfortable.
Rumors abound that the true master of the coven is a Lich but this has never been confirmed or even denied by the Grymalka themselves, who do not speak of their structure to outsiders. Despite their grim reputation, the Grymalka are the most skilled of healers, by both magical and mundane standards. They employ their skills most commonly to assist the other Covens in dealing with the fallout of initiations, magical experiments gone awry and the care of the deceased who may have perished due to arcane circumstances. Additionally, aethereal spirits that make their way into Zaichaer often find themselves dealt with by a Grymalka either benevolently or harshly depending on the disposition of the spirit itself. In instances of betrayal to the Covens at large, it is not uncommon for the Grymalka to be summoned in order to exact punishment upon the offender by ripping their soul from their body and trapping them in a soul gem.
Of all the covens, the Grymalka suffered the least from the events of the 34th and subsequent onslaught of the Eclipse. They had long learned to sustain themselves in their underground fortress and, being as most of their members were therein at the time of the Mist Storm, most survived.
In the aftermath the Coven was instrumental in treating the injured and quieting the overwhelming numbers of newly dead souls, ushering them on to the afterlife and preventing Zaichaer from becoming a haunted ruin.
Venerable Ancestor:
Each new Grymalka is taught to respect the traditions of their Coven, its elders and its ancestors. This respect for the wisdom of the past runs so deep that it is the practice of the Grymalka to retain the spirits of their deceased members so that they may continue to educate, serve and protect the generations that follow. Thus the mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, and friends that are lost are never truly gone for the Grymalka. Upon initiation each Grymalka receives a soulbound ancestor to guard, guide and watch over them. Grymalka revere these treasured spirits as close allies, mentors, and confidantes.
Headquarters: The Necropolis
The Necropolis is a hospital, a home base and the repository of ancestor spirits that have been bound by the Grymalka over the generations. Additionally, it serves as a resting place for venerated members of the magical community of Zaichaer. The souls of these individuals are often recalled and remain in the Necropolis to serve as teachers to those that come after them, across all Covens. As such, the Necropolis is considered a sacred place to most of the Covens of Zaichaer where one can seek answers and guidance from elder witches that volunteered to undergo the process. The Grymalka watch over and protect these spirits with dutiful veneration. They are in turn protected by the ghosts that linger with them.
Entrances to this sacred space have been placed in a select number of graveyards throughout Zaichaer. The exact location of these is a Coven secret which is shared with few outside their ranks. Anyone with knowledge of how to open the passageway can access them. If someone without access is in need of the services provided in the Necropolis they may request a Grymalka take them into the underground city. Without such a guide the uninitiated will find making their way through the infinite and senseless seeming tunnels of the Necropolis impossible. Even with the use of magic such as Semblance or Traversion, any unwelcome guest will find themselves hopelessly lost in the catacombs that make up the passageways of Grymalka home. If the Coven chooses to allow a friend to travel through the Necropolis unaccompanied they will given them a token. This token will protect bearers from both the twisting magic that misleads travelers as well as the wrath of the wraiths (vengeful ghosts, undead, and other creatures that stalk the catacombs) that awaits anyone unrecognized.
In the past, the Order of Reconciliation had tried many times to collapse the catacombs or otherwise seal the passageways that led into the Grymalka stronghold. New ones always open.
Known Members:
Leader: Unknown
Second in Command: Priska Everheart
Members:
The Kindred
Main Magic: Summoning
Secondary: Animism
Number of Members: 100 (Aprox.)
Services Provided: Spirit Assistance, Mist Restoration, Natural Healing, Tending the Land
Quirk: Mistbreaker
Information:
The Kindred have existed in the land claimed by Zaichaer since before the State was formed. It was through their efforts that the city and the lands that became the State were cleansed from the taint left by the Dread Mists of the Sundering.
The witches of the Kindred commune with the spirits of the natural world around them, forming strong pacts associated with specific locations that allow them a level of cooperative influence over their chosen domains. Though many Kindred choose to live away from areas where large-scale settlements have taken over the natural environment, others embrace the changes and make their pacts with the local spirits that are drawn to cities and towns.
Though the Kindred are the smallest of the major covens within Zaichaer the full coven is scattered over the entire continent and remain in contact with each other through the interconnection of the spirit planes. Thus they can pursue their goal of harmony and restoration in many places at once. These far-flung connections have allowed the coven to detect and prevent many disasters without Zaichaer as well as elsewhere and their reputation is enough to earn them the ear of most governments.
Individual members earn their own reputations in the areas they choose to claim and those that make their homes in towns or cities often open herbalism shops or offer their services in aiding those who work the land. If one is in need of such aid they will know a Kindred by the simple pendant that they display, either as a necklace or a brooch on their person, when they are currently willing to give it. Their uncanny ability to find herbs, natural mineral and metal deposits, archeological sites and even dragonshards are unparalleled, but their willingness to assist in these endeavors depends greatly on the intent on those seeking.
In times of hardship, the Kindred can work in tandem with each other to coax the earth to bring forth exceeding bounty. This ability was used to great effect in conjunction with the Dornkirk faction when the events of the Eclipse would have otherwise lead to widespread famine and likely to deaths of the entire remaining population. This, combined with their ongoing efforts to cleanse of the land, yet again, in the aftermath of the category five Mist Storm unleashed during the events of the 34th, the Kindred are the most revered and respected Coven in Zaichaer. Even the Order is unlikely to interfere with them, individually or as whole.
Mistbreaker:
Through the long years since the Sundering the Kindred have devoted themselves to restoring the natural world from the effects of the Mists. They are more able than any others, through their connection to the spirits of a place, to understand what corruption has changed that coax it back to its original form. Whether the the corruption has effected an animal, a plant, a person or a swath of land, the Kindred are often only ones capable of curing them.
Headquarters: The Grove
The Grove exists deep within the vast forest that creates the border of easter Zaichaer. While it is a physical space it is protected by magic stronger and older than any other within the city-state, rivaling any other on the continent. Any member close enough to The Grove can create a gateway into the sacred space of the Kindred, but even members are not able to pass into the space with harmful intent.
Within is a green place, a paradise of natural harmony, physical, mental, and spiritual. Many living things, flora, fauna and sentient, make their homes within without conflict. This alone would make it a magical place, but it is the least of what one will experience if one is granted access. The great spirit of The Grove, the soul of the land itself, Dyfndr, creates an aura of communion that allows all minds within to communicate freely. The experience, if one gives themselves fully to it, can cause anything from out-of-body ecstasy to total ego death. Each experience is unique but never singular, as everyone, every thing capable of feeling, within The Grove is experiencing it together. The spirit of The Grove, often considered the spirit of the Coven, bonds as Aidolon to each leader of the Coven, and, upon their death, a new leader is chosen by this bonding.
The Kindred’s ability to work out conflicts, between individuals of the Coven or the group as a whole is only understood by those who experience the oneness of The Grove.
Known Members:
Leader: Sounja
Second in Command: Unknown
Member:
Farza/Muin
Sivan Sunrunner/Exael
Minor Covens:
The Whispers
Main Magic: Semblance
Number of Members: 5
Services Provided: Information Gathering
Quirk: Sending
Information: This small, close-knit coven was barely worth calling a coven when the disaster of the 34th hit Zaichaer. On that day, the entire group disappeared from the city.
Before the disaster, the group had been founded and run by a young man who had grown up as the only child of a well-to-do family that had been disgraced when it was found that both of his parents were the bearers of unlicensed runes. Their son, Jacq, had been given his own rune, Semblance, only weeks before his parents had been discovered and arrested by the Order. He had fled, fearing discovery, and spent the next ten years on the streets, using his magic to survive and, eventually, passing it on to others.
As of Glade, 124, the coven has reappeared in the city as it begins to repopulate. Where they were during the intervening two years and their current agenda remain unknown to the world at large.
The entire coven is young, Jacq being the eldest at 22 (as of Glade, 124), and while they are open to new members they are a family as much as a coven, and new members would be initiated into their ranks only with care.
Sending: The founder developed a quirk that allowed him to send his senses (Hearing, Scent and Sight) with his Semblance rune into other places. Once he realized that this was not normal for others with the same cardinal rune he worked to pass the trait to his small gang.
Known Members:
Leader: Jacq
Second in Command: Viveca ‘Vivi’
Members:
Clover
Ruhig
Bastion