The Circle is an order of knights, cavaliers, warriors, and paladins from the kingdom of Avallonis. They pledge their unwavering devotion and service to the god Artorius and his agent on Antara - the monarch of Avallonis. The current monarch is Queen Elizabeth the Wise.Many outsiders conflate the knights and soldiers of the Circle with the military forces of Avallonis. The Circle is, in fact, only one order comprising a panoply of military services that serve the monarch and people of Avallonis, although it is the most well-known and prestigious.
The knights and soldiers of the Circle wear distinctive red coats with wide-brimmed helmets and metal bands on their forearms. Knights are identified by a symbolic pauldron of armor and mail worn over their right shoulders. Their symbol is a red cross on a field of white surrounded by a circle of gold.
Knights of the Circle undertake perilous quests ranging from defeating enemies of Avallonis, retrieving artifacts of great magical power, or eliminating those tainted by the undying. Knights of the Circle often ally themselves with the Order of Aeon.
The Erelim is a secret society founded in ancient times for the purposes of finding, collecting, and destroying items of great magical power. They make no distinction between good and evil. They view the use of magical artifacts by anyone as dangerous.The symbol of the Erelim is a circle in an eight-pointed star.
The island city of Ys became wealthy as a central point for traders to meet and exchange goods. The powerful families of Ys banded together to control international trade in the city. The powerful navy of the Ysian League imposes duties in order to fund anti-piracy and anti-smuggling efforts in ports throughout Antara.The flag of the Ysian League is a white merchant ship in a golden shield on a green background.
The Order will take little notice of the felling of a few trees or the hunting of game as long as the overall biological system of the entire biome is not affected. Indeed, members of the Order often act as sages, teaching others to live in balance with the forest. However, any action that threatens that balance will prompt the Order to organize and lead resistance against the source of the disruption.
This Order does not want power for powers sake, nor to gain the abilities the immortal rulers of Atlantis wield, but followers of Hauruss want a free society without a drug induced populace. To flourish and spread the glory and thinking that makes Atlantis great throughout Antara. To lead all of humanity into a new age. They see the current conditions of Atlantis; drugged population, enslavement of other humans, and the destruction of cultures and those people in fighting arenas, as a waste of potential. Their society is stagnant, and their decadent rulers must be cast aside for progress to happen. The Order and its allies seek out any opportunity to disrupt the distrubtion of drugs in order to undermine the power of the Vril-Ya.
To this end The Order of Hauruss has made some progress. They have discovered that living beyond the reach of Atlantean cities for some time purges the mind of the drugs that are an everyday fixture of Atlantean culture. This constant drug use makes the populace vulnerable to the psychic powers of the Vril-Ya. In fact, it is speculated that without the continuous exposure to mind-altering drugs, the Vril-Ya would not have the ability to sway so many people, but only those with which they have direct contact. To this end, the Order operates in the wilderness outside Atlantis.
Since little is known of the Vril-Ya, progression into the upper castes of Atlantean society is needed. Information gatherers and spies are necessary. The most dedicated members of the Order train with the warrior-monks of Daqhal to learn the arts of unarmed defense, should the need arise, and the essential discipline of Still Mind. Only members of the Order that have achieved the Still Mind are allowed to undertake the missions within upper society. However there is much work to be done outside the city.
The Order of Hauruss seek out foreign allies to serve as additional resources to combat the influence of the mind control of the Vril-Ya. Many of their allies are not even human. Others are unaware that they are working on behalf of the Order at all. Secrecy and compartmentalization of information is of the utmost importance for the Order of Hauruss. No agent of the order is expected to withstand interrogation in the face of the formidable psychic abilities of the Vril-Ya.
The modern Atlantean empire is itself an ancient civilization ruled by a noble class of psychic humans known as the Vril-Ya. The Vril-Ya rule over their subjects using mind control and magical technology.
The symbol of the Vril-Ya is the symbol of Atlantis - three concentric circles and a vertical line connecting the bottoms of all three circles. The circles and line represent the canals of Atlantis.
Machimos is a city with a strong martial tradition. Machimesian armies serve as mercenaries in wars across Antara. Machimesian warriors wear utilitarian attire and minimal adornment.
The Corax is an association of criminals who have banded together to provide mutual support.
The Warrior-Monks of Daqhal
The Citadel of Daqual is home to an order of militant monks which welcomes applicants from across Antara. These monks study the art of battle, strategy, and philosophy. The warrior-monks of Daqhal often serve as advisors to generals and kings.
The guild of shadows is a group of professional mercenary assassins who prefer to eliminate targets using poisons, stealth, guile, and deception. Although they are mercenaries whose skills can be purchased for the right price, they are also selective in their clientele and often work for free or at a discount to promote their own philosophical beliefs or political ambitions. It is not unheard of for two members of the guild to work both sides of a conflict. They will not, however, accept a mission to assassinate a member of the guild.
The Knights of Bhamut
The martial order known as the Knights of Bhamut serve the World Serpent, known as Behemoth in Agartta and Boshenlong in Plaksha. The order is an international and inter-racial organization that, despite explicitly promoting a philosophy of equality and equity among the various races of Antara, is primarily composed of azi and humans with its leadership consisting mainly of azi elders.
The Knights of Bhamut operate monastery-like compounds that take in orphans as well as applicants. These applicants apprentice to master blacksmiths and learn the art of weaponsmithing and the creation of armor. A knight-candidate must create their own signature weapon and suit of armor as one of the rights of passage of their knighthood.
Knights spend several years traveling the world, righting wrongs, and defending the oppressed as a knight-errant. Upon the completion of their travels, they are assigned to a monastery to serve as teacher and master blacksmith for a new generation of apprentices.
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