The School of the Four Winds
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Group Name: The School of the Four Winds
A.K.A.:
The Way of Siriana, The Way, The Winds
Group Mark: "The Sun Above the Mountain" and "The Mark
of the World"
Group Colors: Each of the four schools wear a specific shade of blue,
ranging from dark to almost white, that they accent in orange with their
personal style (gems, embroidery, trim, etc).
Goals:
Train young sorcerers to embrace the strength that can only be found through
helping others.
Leader's Goals: Siriana Mistweaver works tirelessly to find and train
young sorcerers to learn to use their innate power, and eventually help those
in need.
Individual Goals: The Master of the Desert School, Farandi, believes that
sorcerers should rule, spreading right through might instead of using their
gift to selflessly helping the needy (and unappreciative). He does not actively
seek followers, but his stance is firm and his voice is loud, and he has
attracted a small following of passionate, hot headed sorcerers. Some students
whisper that the Desert School must eventually leave the teachings of Siriana
behind.
History and Motivation: Siriana Mistweaver, an elf, is the daughter of Izmyr
Mistweaver, a lesser noble. She was to wed a nobleman's son, bolstering the
power of her father, but a month before the wedding uncontrollable powers awoke
within her. Fearful of these powers, she hoped to keep them hidden, but sadly that was not to be. On her wedding day, the stress of marrying
someone she did not love caused her to lose control, and one burned down church
later, she was exiled from the realm as a threat to society.
Grieving
and lost, Siriana wandered through human lands, feeling, but doubting, that
life had more in store for her. After traveling for fifteen years she met a
human sorcerer named Miriam. Miriam instantly recognized the elf from a vision
she had received several years earlier of a young elf maid that would save
countless lives if tutored in the ways of sorcery. Believing the gods had sent
this vision, Miriam began to mentor the young elf. Siriana's power grew daily
and within a decade, surpassed that of Miriam's. During their final meeting,
Miriam shared her vision of the elf maiden saving other sorcerers and entrusted
Siriana with an ancient scroll written by a philosopher named Silas.
Siriana
is dedicated to the memory of Miriam and the teachings of Silas. By training
her students well in their powers and the power of compassion, Siriana hopes
that one day sorcerers will not be looked upon as pariahs but fellow members of
the community, able to do their part for the good of all.
Organization: Overtime Siriana established four schools, in remote
locations, led by sorcerers she mentored herself. It is now they who instruct
others in the ways of Siriana and her teachings. The first is located deep in
the heart of a swampy mangrove forests. The second stands at the edge of a
great gypsum desert. The third is perched atop a mountain at the edge of a
retreating glacier. And last is found beneath the streets of a large city. Siriana
chose these locations to keep her young sorcerers safe from backwards
superstitions.
Chain of Command: Siriana and her current apprentice Constance spend their
days traveling the lands in search of new talent. She has developed a number of
magical items to aid her in tracking down young sorcerers, and due to her good
reputation, many towns in the human lands know of Siriana and will actively
seek her aid if they suspect a sorcerer is among them. In addition to magical
items, she has created a series of tests to determine if these children are
actually able to tap into innate arcane ability. Siriana implicitly trusts the Masters
of her schools to tutor the talent she finds.
Farandi [human]: Also known as the Firebrand, Farandi is the master of the Desert
School. His talents lie in the use of fire and wind. He has bright red hair and
green eyes.
Hilg [orc]: Also known as the Patient, Hilg is the mistress of the Swamp
School. Known for a virtue almost non-existent in her kind, Hilg is a pacifist,
using her astonishing command of earth magic for defense and building. She is
most devoted to the teachings of Siriana and follows the scroll of Silas to the
letter. She has dark brown hair and black eyes.
Marduar [dwarf]: Also known as the Hammer, Marduar is the master of the Mountain
School. He channels the powers of storm, especially lightning, and combines
heavy physical activity into his curriculum. His students are battle hardened
once they leave. He has gray hair and blue eyes.
Iniria [elf]: Also known as the Coy, Iniria is the mistress of the Under
School. She possesses an almost godlike beauty, a flirtatious disposition, and
her specialty lies in charms. Many of the male students are hopelessly smitten
by her and constantly shower her with gifts. She has blonde hair and blue eyes.
Thulla [dwarf]: Second Mistress of the Desert School, Thulla has
faithfully served Farandi for almost a decade. Though she is young for a dwarf,
her powers are second only to Farandi's and she runs most of the training
classes. Farandi rescued her from slavery, and she has devoted her life to
pleasing him (having terrible daddy issues as it was her father that sold her
into slavery once discovering her powers). She is tall for a dwarf, with brown hair and
dark brown eyes.
Vilo [human]: Second Master of the Swamp School, Vilo is an individual
of conviction. He has feelings for Hilg, but he hides them, as their devotion
to the school comes first. He is heavily built, with a bald head and brown
eyes.
Rathamar [orc]: Second Master of the Mountain School, Rathamar is as
relentless as the driving rain. He believes the body must be beaten into
subjection before the true path to learning can be found. Many students do not
survived his tutelage, but those that do are a force to be reckoned with. He
has black hair and grey eyes.
Aeolyn [elf]: Second Master of the Under School, Aeolyn is a sight to
behold. She is almost as attractive as Iniria and has wooed some of her
mistress's admirers away (for which Iniria is not pleased). Though not as
flirtatious, Aeolyn carries herself with a grace reserved for celestial
creatures. Her power lies in evocation spells. She is of average height, with
silver hair and purple eyes.
Raw Recruits: The inhabitants of each school are mostly children, with
the older sorcerers-in-training watching over the younger ones through a
"big brother" system. Few will stray far from the school's walls.
Methods and Activities: The school works with local communities to find, test, and
eventually rescue or recruit young sorcerers. Siriana will work with
authorities and even speak directly to families about their children. If a
child has been found and Siriana cannot make it to speak with them, she will
send the first or second master of the closest school to speak on her behalf. In
addition to being trained to harness their magic, students of the schools are
taught a trade that suits them (e.g., alchemy, cartography, adventure, sagely
knowledge etc) so that they can better fit into society. Once they complete
their training and return to the civilized world the sorcerers also assist in
the recruitment process. Even though some sorcerers must keep their true
abilities a secret due to where they live, almost all of them strive to
actively participate in their communities and bolster them in a positive way.
Third Party Abilities: In order to maintain their schools, the sorcerers work
with people from all walks of life. Local farmers will frequently donate food
to the schools (either out of fear or love). Blacksmiths donate nails and
tools, and will often take on recently graduated sorcerers as apprentices,
especially those from the Mountain and Desert schools. Due to the integration
of many sorcerers back into the general populace as positive societal role
models, many local authorities will the schools with information or the
protection of very young "potentials".
Resources and Power: Siriana actively works to ensure that her schools do not
seek power, and because of this (or perhaps despite it) many resources are
given to the schools out of generosity. Two small kingdoms near the gypsum
desert have begun giving large donations of gold to the Desert School in
exchange for battle mages. Siriana is vehemently opposed to this, but Farandi
has worked out these deals behind her back....
Areas of Operation: Siriana works primarily in the human lands as her efforts to
rescue sorcerers from other races have been met with persecution and physical
confrontations. In many cases, other races will quickly kill the young
sorcerers or sell them into slavery, and she will buy and free slaves whenever
she can.
Farandi
has taken a slightly different approach and made it his goal to free all
sorcerer slaves within the 100 miles of the Desert School. If their freedom is
bought, so be it. If their masters are burned, drowned or disintegrated, so be
it. Freedom is all that matters. He also encourages the former slaves to exact
revenge upon their former masters, but no major strikes have occurred yet as
Farandi must do this work in secret since Siriana "doesn't
understand" him. Mistress Thulla, his second in command, is his most
trusted ally in this endeavor as he once freed her from slavery. His kindness
has created in her an obsessive desire to both be the best, and be at his side.
She has excelled in every aspect of her training and became the second in
command at the Desert School after Farandi's previous apprentice disappeared
under mysterious circumstances (yup, she did it).
Allies and Enemies: Manny communities that are not nearby the schools still
view Siriana and sorcery with great superstition and fear. She counts some holy
orders as allies, but is still fighting an uphill battle to gain acceptance
throughout the realm. Due to jealousy of sorcerer's innate power, wizards and
their academies despise Siriana.
The Execution
A young person is being hauled off
to the town square to be publicly executed due to a fire that destroyed the
local mill. A mysterious traveler appears before the axe can fall, disrupting
the event, and possibly saving the child from execution. Vengeance must be had though
and the local authorities will need someone to track down this fugitive.
The Shackles
A
number of the students at the Swamp School have gone missing over the past two
weeks, and panic among the sorcerers of that school is mounting. Curiously,
only sorcerers that could control wind or water have been taken. An evil
sorcerer, Revio, has infiltrated the school and is selling these children to a
group of pirates that dock in a nearby town. He has developed sets of magical
shackles that allow these sorcerers to be chained to the mast of a ship. Their
wind and water magic enhance the ships mobility, but the shackled sorcerer
cannot use their magic in any other way. Hilg suspects Revio but her pacifist
nature has filled her with doubt.
The Civil War
Farandi hates slavery and everything
it entails more than anything in the world. The fury is slowly pushing him away
from Silas' teachings of strength through compassion, and creating a rift in
the schools. He knows that sorcerers are capable of great power, he knows that
kingdoms would grovel at their feet, and he knows that if he chooses to rule,
he can bring about peace through might. He is spending more and more time
actively freeing slaves, and less and less time at the school. This is
troubling to Siriana, but not as troubling as the large number of young
sorcerers that seem to agree with Farandi's vision of a sorcerer's "proper
place".
Farandi has recently been distracted
by the mysterious disappearance of his apprentice Seth and the promotion of Thulla
to his place. Additionally, some of the local kingdoms are feeling pressure
from powerful merchant guilds that thrive off of the slave trade that is being
disrupted. Though they have paid Farandi large sums of coin to have his
sorcerers clandestinely join their armies, they do not know where their
loyalties actually lie. Although much in the desert is uncertain, one thing is
clear, a storm is brewing.
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