The Equinox, Earth based wizards community.
- History
Nearly 700 years ago, a group of wizards gathered to fight a rising threat.
K'str'el, a powerful being neither alive nor dead, had been released onto this world, a being whoose sole existance revolved around one thing: ending life, all life. Thus The Equinox was formed, a group of wizards fighting for their own survival and comfort. When the creature first attacked, it came as the Black Plague...
The Equinox fought K'str'el with variyng success over the next five hundred years, always fearing in which form the next attack would come. After nearly a hundred years, around 1430, they found the location of the pocketplane where K'str'el once was locked away. Details regarding the fight is sketchy at best, but we do know that it took 400 more years before they found the Shadow Key. Armed thus, the Equinox finally managed to banish K'str'el permanently to the prison from whence it came. The year was 1849, and the Equinox now had become a group with traditions, codes... and enemies.
During the time of the Inquisition, a group called the Sorcerers of Theros formed to protect Mages against the Catholic Church. And whilst the Equinox remained hidden and did its work from the shadows, the Sorcerors of Theros fought the Church openly. The Equinox however, did not care about the lives lost as long as those lives did not belong to it's members. To this day, they have never forgiven the Equinox for this. They feel betrayed, and blame the Equinox for every mage that got killed in those times. The conflict has been tuned down somewhat, and there now exists some sort of truce. Each group agrees that a second Inquisition would be detrimental to both their causes.
- Allies
Some hundred years ago, The Equinox allied themselves with a japanese group of psionics called Shizuka Ni Ugoku, also called the Silent Walkers. Shizuka Ni Ugoku felt a need to protect themselves against magical beasts and their ilk, so together the Equinox and Shizuka built The Validus Animus Academia. The V.A.A. is protected by powerful magic and psionic forces, and some rumors tell the tale of other things as well.
The Equinox is ruled by the Elder Council, which consists of the Grandmasters and the Elders.
-Path of the Teacher-
Academics of the Equinox follow the Path of the Teacher, they learn their spells and master them so that they can teach others. Predictable in their own way, but still dangerous.
Even if you know what you're up against, they're still very good at what they do. Three categories exists on this Path:
-Apprentice-
-- The first degree, you are placed under a master and is taught about the spells concerning your grouping.
-Master-
-- Has gained a tremendous understanding for magic and the spells he is taught, and now has moved on to teach.
-Grandmaster-
-- Has attained knowledge surpassing all others in hie field and is rewarded with a place amongst the Elder Council.
To start this Path one must also choose one of five groupings within the Equinox to follow:
-The Sages of the Unbroken Circle - Protection magic.
-The Brothers of the Silver Star - magic concerning demons and otherworldy beings.
-The Venerable Seers - Magic concerning Knowledge of future, past and present.
-The Sages of the Unknown Shadows - Nature Magic.
-The Order of Midnight - Magic concerning life and death.
-The Last Order - Mind Magic.
-Path of Experience-
Mages that go into the world, to take care of it. Harldy ever does anyone on the Path of Experience specialize within just one College, although it has happened.
Mages on this path learn spells from the Teachers, but they choose their spells more carefully to maintain diversity and adaptability. Three categories exists on this Path:
-Traveller-
- Protects people from the dark, and the dark from people.
-Pilgrim-
-- Protects Sites or Objects of Power.
-Elder-
-- Protects the Weave of Gloom.
