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Outside of normal society, and outside of the Chantry, the mages would form their own closed society, the Circle, separated for the first time in human history.
—From Codex entry: History of the Circle


H coenchana 0

A Circle heraldry showing the four accepted schools of magic: Spirit, Primal, Creation and Entropy.

The Circle of Magi is the dominant organization for the training of mages within nations of Thedas. In the south, it had traditionally been governed and monitored by the Chantry, and also guarded and supervised by the Templar Order. In the Tevinter Imperium, they are governed by high ranking Magisters who utilize the The Imperial Templar Order.

Background Edit

The Circle is a prison. You have choices... between joining and suffering various deaths of body or spirit. ―Mouse

The Circle is allowed to take any child (usually age six to twelve) from their families as soon as they show signs of magical ability, including those from royals and nobility. As such, they are taken from their families while still children, and highborn children who are able to use magic will lose all claims to their family's estates and titles when they are taken.

Upon joining a Circle, mages undergo a process as apprentices of having a few drops of their blood taken by the First Enchanter[1] and placed in a phylactery. This ensures the mages' compliance and the ability to track down any mage who decides to run away, since a templar can track anyone through their blood.

The child is then raised and trained by the Circle until they reach adulthood, at which time they must either undergo the Harrowing or be made Tranquil. In contrast, attendance at a Circle in Tevinter is not mandatory, but a privilege.[2] Tevinter Circles of Magi are prestigious academies, not mage prisons.

The Circles, as Circle fortresses are called, tend to be located in remote and difficult to reach areas, but the Formari have outposts in major cities for the purpose of trade.

The Circle maintains a neutrality policy, since the Chantry might take action against them if they regularly became involved in conflict. (A Blight is perhaps the sole exception to this rule.) Nonetheless, it isn't unusual to see the Circle ignore at least one or two mages serving either side of a dispute, either as a courtesy or as a way of not creating too much enmity against the Circle on either side.

The College of Magi, a council of first enchanters from all the Circles in Thedas (excluding Tevinter), routinely convenes in the city of Cumberland, Nevarra to discuss Circle policy and to elect a new Grand Enchanter.

The Circle has a very mixed reception among mages and non-mages alike. Despite the restrictions imposed on its members, it is not a system of slavery, and mages themselves—while not "free"—are not owned by the Chantry and not forced into servitude on its behalf. Nevertheless, due to the limitations on personal freedoms, such as the confinement of the mages in a Circle fortress indefinitely, the Circle is tantamount to a prison. By law each Circle is supposed to respect certain rights of the mages. Ambiguity or inadequacy in regulations, however, such as a weak first enchanter failing to advocate a Circle's rights or the local templars' or priesthoods' penchant for corruption and abuse, can affect how much these laws will be respected.[3] [4]

The daily life of a Circle mage varies by fortress. Many mages come into the Circle with basically nothing and are provided with standard issue robes, education, and room and board- the quality of which may vary. In some Circles, the mages, driven mad by their confinement, attempt to end their misery by jumping to their deaths.[5] The Ferelden Circle allowed its inhabitants a weekly period of supervised outdoor exercise, until one mage used the time to stage an escape attempt. In the same Circle, the punishment for a crime like that earned the perpetrator three years of complete isolation. Those relatively humane conditions can be sharply contrasted by the Kirkwall Circle, where the Templars are heavily implied to sexually abuse mages and Tranquils. The apprentices of all Circles, though, live communally and are taught by the Enchanters in small classes. They are allowed no contact with their families or anyone from outside with the exception of mail privileges. They pass the days studying and researching the different schools of magic and alchemy.

The Circle's livelihood is maintained by the selling of Formari goods or magical services they are allowed to provide. The prices of these goods and services are decided by the regional First Enchanter[6] who handles the commerce and finances of the Circle fortress.

Romantic unions with mages are discouraged by the Chantry, but that doesn't stop the mages of a Circle from carrying love affairs in secret. Should such an affair produce children, any child born to a Circle mage belongs to the Chantry. Should that child be born a mage, as is in the case of Rhys, the child would be sent to a Circle different than that of their parents.[7] The Chantry goes to great lengths to prevent mages from having family bonds within the same Circle. Romantic relationships between mages and Templars are explicitly forbidden, but are still known to occur. Tevinter does not work in such way, since family ties and magic are intertwined. Nevertheless, there is a pecking order in Tevinter Circles as one's social status is dependent mainly on belonging to the noble class and secondly accolades granted by one's magical talent.

Some consider the imprisoning of mages to the Circle of Magi unjust persecution and infringements of the mages' Maker given rights; others believe they are necessary sacrifices to protect both the general populace from the dangers of magic and the mages from the bigotry of the outside world.

History Edit

Before it became the Imperium, Tevinter was ruled by a dynasty of kings. And long before the Chantry there was a Circle of Magi: the society of mages in each city. The titles modern Circles use—enchanter, senior enchanter, first enchanter—all originated here,[8] and the Circles were where the most powerful mages researched and practiced magic.

In the years before the founding of the Chantry and the start of the Divine Age, Thedas was plunged into chaos. The First Blight had ended, the Imperium had broken apart following Andraste's March, and despite the spread of the Maker's teachings, blood mages and Old Gods cults were widespread.[9] The Inquisition was formed around -100 Ancient[10] with the goal of protecting the people from the tyranny of magic in whatever form it might take; blood mages, abominations, cultists or heretics.[11] A loose association of Andrastian hard-liners, the group combed the land in search of these threats and some say theirs was a reign of terror.[12] Others say they were cast in a negative light by history because their investigations and even application of justice, protecting both mages and common people impartially, crossed too many powerful groups. In these accounts it is suggested that the group was already known as the Seekers of Truth and that the "Inquisition" moniker was perhaps pejorative.[13]

In 1:20 Divine, the Chantry and the Inquisition signed the Nevarran Accord, and created the Circle of Magi to regulate the use and systematic training of magic throughout Thedas. The Templar Order was created to catch mages who refused to join the Circle and monitor the mage societies and the Seekers of Truth created to root out corruption.[14]

As magic had been the source of the Imperium's power, it was all but banned when the Chantry became the new dominant force in Thedas. Blood magic was completely forbidden, and those who practised any kind of magic were confined. At first, the Chantry detained mages and had them continually light the eternal flame in every chantry in Thedas, with all other forms of magic forbidden. For such powerful beings to only use their powers in such mundane ways, it surprised almost no one when the mages of the Grand Cathedral protested. Divine Ambrosia was surprised by the mages' insolence and almost ordered an Exalted March on her own Cathedral, until her own templars advised her otherwise. After negotiations, the Circles of Magi established a new precedence of being exiled to remote fortresses far from society where they can practice their magical arts with out too much of the Chantry's overbearing restrictions[15].

Splr daa
“I spent my time cleaning. Like a servant.” — Shale
This article contains spoilers for Dragon Age: Asunder. Click here to reveal them.
With the impending Mage-Templar war, the College of Magi has voted to separate itself from the Chantry sometime between 9:38–9:40 Dragon, effectively dissolving the Circles.
Splr dai
“Whatever we were before, we are now the Inquisition.” — The Inquisitor
This article contains spoilers for Dragon Age: Inquisition. Click here to reveal them.

If Cassandra becomes Divine: The Circle of Magi is reinstated and reformed under Divine Victoria. If the rebel mages are conscripted by the Inquisition, they return to the Circle and form a new College of Magi named the Bright Hand which soon becomes the dominant force of Circle politics, arguing for reform and close ties to the Inquisition.

With the Inquisition no longer the power it had been after the events of the Exalted Council, the College of the Bright Hand floundered. The newly elected Grand Enchanter Vivienne succeeded in pushing it into the margins of the Circle politics. No longer anyone's hands, its leaders reforged it as the College of Enchanters, breaking away completely from the Circle.

If Vivienne becomes Divine: The Circle of Magi is reinstated. Mages rise quickly in the new Circle, having more freedom and responsibility than ever before, even if all true power lies with the new Divine. If the rebel mages are recruited by the Inquisition, they resist joining her Circle of Magi. Vivienne goes to war with the rebel mages and crushes their rebellion; forcing them to either surrender to her or return to the Inquisition. After the events of the Exalted Council and with the Inquisition no longer the power it once was, Vivienne grudgingly allowed the Inquisition mages to remain as the College of Enchanters, as a mark of her regard for the Inquisition.

If Leliana becomes Divine: The Circle of Magi is formally dissolved by Divine Victoria. Yet after the events of the Exalted Council, the end of the Inquisition as it had been sent shock waves through the autonomous College of Enchanters. Madam de Fer ably played on the mages' fear. Her followers united to build a new Circle - with Vivienne as its Grand Enchanter - in direct competition with the College. What the Circle lacked in numbers, they made up for in political connections; soon they were a force to be reckoned with.

Regardless of who was made Divine, the Inquisition's mages eventually pushed for independence from the Circle and formed the College of Enchanters. The Circle of Magi fell under the leadership of Vivienne and though the Circle and the College clashed, they coexisted tenuously.[16]

Known Circles of Magi Edit

There are 14[17]-15[18] Circles of Magi in Thedas under the jurisdiction of the Andrastian Chantry. The seven[19] Circles of Magi in Tevinter are under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Chantry.

NationLocationChantryDetails
AnderfelsHossbergAndrastianSee Codex entry: Rat.
AntivaUnknownAndrastianSee the dialogue between Zevran and Wynne.
FereldenJainenAndrastianIn the Waking Sea Bannorn. See Dragon Age Legends.
FereldenLake CalenhadAndrastianSee Circle Tower.
Free MarchesAnsburgAndrastianSee Codex entry: The Basket of Lost Socks.
Free MarchesHasmalAndrastianSee Answer a Request from Hasmal.
Free MarchesKirkwallAndrastianSee the Gallows.
Free MarchesMarkhamAndrastianSee Codex entry: Air of Confidence.
Free MarchesOstwickAndrastianSee Codex entry: The Maker's First Children.
Free MarchesStarkhavenAndrastianThis Circle was burned to the ground in 9:31 Dragon. Most of its mages and templars were relocated to Kirkwall. Both Captain Rylen (formerly Knight-Captain of Starkhaven) and Commander Cullen Rutherford comment in 9:41 that Templars were sent from Starkhaven's Circle to support the Templars of Kirkwall after the events of 9:37 Dragon, so it appears the Circle was rebuilt in some form by this time, although the mages in Kirkwall were not relocated back to Starkhaven.
NevarraCumberlandAndrastianThe largest and most powerful Circle under the Andrastian Chantry. Seat of power for the Grand Enchanter.
NevarraPerendaleAndrastianSee The Order's Obligations
OrlaisMontsimmardAndrastianSee Codex entry: Enchanter Illana, Dragon Age: Asunder.
OrlaisVal RoyeauxAndrastianSee the White Spire.
RivainDairsmuidAndrastianWas annulled in 9:40 Dragon.
See Codex entry: Shade. [20].
TevinterCarastesImperialOne of the most prestigious academies of magi in the eastern Imperium. See Dragon Age: The World of Thedas Volume 2, pg. 232.
TevinterMinrathousImperialThe oldest Circle in Thedas, housing the largest library of arcane knowledge, the Arcanist Hall. Seat of power for the magisters, the Imperial Senators, and the Imperial Archon.
TevinterVyrantiumImperialSee Codex entry: The Venatori

Hierarchy Edit

See also: Codex entry: Hierarchy of the Circle

Each Circle follows a simple six-tier hierarchy where all residents fit; although the Tranquil seem to stand somewhat outside this progression.

  • The Grand Enchanter, the Circle's direct representative to the Chantry and advisor to the Divine. The grand enchanter is elected by the College of Magi in Cumberland. Lothaire Hardouin was the first Grand Enchanter.[21] As of 9:39-9:40 Dragon, the position is held by Fiona, a former Grey Warden.
  • The First Enchanter, leader of a Circle. First enchanters routinely congregate in the city of Cumberland, at their College, also known as the College of Magi.
  • The Senior Enchanters, a small council of the most experienced mages present in each circle. Newly appointed senior enchanters are presented in a ceremony to the Divine in the Grand Cathedral.[22]
  • The Junior Enchanters, based on their title, can be seen as the deputies of the Senior Enchanters or even their chiefs of staff.[23]
  • The Enchanters, mages who tutor apprentices. They can specialize in a particular field of study.
  • The Mages, all residents who have passed their Harrowing.
  • The Apprentices, all students training for their Harrowing.

In the time of the Tevinter Imperium, the rank of Magister existed above first enchanter as supreme authority in each Circle. After the mage Darinius claimed the title of Archon, the magisters became the only noble rank in Tevinter. All Circles outside Tevinter have abolished this rank.

Wynne is referred to as "Archmage", which seems to be an honorary title outside of the regular hierarchy but nevertheless conveys to her an authority approximating that of a first enchanter in the Circle matters.

Mage-tower-screens-preview-2

Kinloch Hold, location of one of the Fereldan Circle of Magi.

Fraternities of Enchanters Edit

Main article: Fraternities of Enchanters

The mages of the Circle are also divided into several fraternities, the equivalent of political parties, which hold diverse views of how mages should act and their place in society.

The Harrowing Edit

Main article: Harrowing

The Harrowing is a secret rite of passage that the Circle administers, without warning, to adult apprentice mages. The apprentice is exposed to a demon under controlled circumstances in order to prove that they are strong and willful enough to fight off an attempt at possession.

The Tranquil Edit

Main article: Tranquil
Mages who are too weak of will to resist demonic possession or appear to be dangerous are forced (or willingly volunteer) to go through the Rite of Tranquility, which involves the use of a lyrium brand to cut off a mage's connection to the Fade: they can no longer dream. As a side effect, their emotional center is utterly removed. It was believed that demons cannot possess the Tranquil.
Splr daa
“I spent my time cleaning. Like a servant.” — Shale
This article contains spoilers for Dragon Age: Asunder. Click here to reveal them.
This was subsequently proven to be wrong. In the mind of the Tranquil, there is no passion which makes them undesirable to possess in the first place.
They keep to themselves, and, if asked directly, will readily agree that having the opportunity to live out a peaceful and useful existence is far preferable when compared to what their alternatives would have been.

Formari Edit

Formari are composed of individuals who focus on using their talents to create various items, most notably enchantments. Some Formari also create and sell herbal items such as potions. The Tranquil belong to this group and do all of the enchanting on behalf of the Circle. As such enchanters among the Formari are not practicing mages as true mages are unable to enchant. They are less a political organization and more akin to a tradesmen's guild. Owain and Solivitus are both examples of Formari. Formari have more contact with the outside world than other mages and as such maintain trading posts and trade houses in major cities and settlements in order to conduct business for the Circle.[24] An example of such a trade house would be the Wonders of Thedas in Denerim.

Right of Annulment Edit

Main article: Right of Annulment

The Right of Annulment is the right to purge a Circle of Magi that is ruled irredeemable by ordering the templars to kill all the mages within a Circle. All the grand clerics of the Chantry can invoke this right.

Notable members Edit

For a complete list, see :Category:Circle of Magi members.

Apostates Edit

Mages who are not part of the Circle of Magi are considered apostates and are hunted and killed or captured by the Templars if discovered.

Mages who escape from the Circle are also considered apostates and are either killed or brought back to the Circle by the Templars. With enough secrecy, apostates can usually integrate successfully into Thedosian society, as with Malcolm Hawke, Gascard DuPuis, and Anders.

Any apostates that practice forbidden forms of magic such as blood magic are known as maleficarum, and are at even greater risk of being hunted down and slain.

The Dalish Keepers are also considered apostates. However, the Chantry and Templar Order, as a general rule, do not intervene as long as the Dalish move quickly and stay away from larger settlements.

Notes Edit

Gallery Edit

See also Edit

Codex icon DAI Codex entry: Rebel Mages

Codex icon DAI Codex entry: The Circle of Magi

References Edit

  1. According to Ser Thrask.
  2. Dragon Age logo - new Dragon Age: The World of Thedas, vol. 1, p. 103
  3. David Gaider, http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/304/index/6901812&lf=8.
  4. Gaider, David. "Anyone else notice the retcon of the tranquil?". BioWare Social Network. Retrieved March 24, 2012.
  5. Short Story: Paper & Steel
  6. Merchant NPC dialogue in the Gallows Courtyard
  7. Wynne/Dialogue#Wynne and Alistair
  8. Codex entry: Tevinter: The Magisters
  9. Thedas UK (January 14, 2012). "David Gaider Interview". Retrieved September 17, 2012.
  10. Dragon Age logo - new Dragon Age: The World of Thedas, vol. 1, p. 50
  11. "On Templars, Raiders, City Guards and The Coterie". Official BioWare blog. Retrieved September 17, 2012.
  12. Codex entry: The Seekers of Truth
  13. Dragon Age logo - new Dragon Age: The World of Thedas, vol. 1, p. 106
  14. Dragon Age: Asunder, Epilogue.
  15. Codex entry: History of the Circle
  16. Vivienne's epilogue slides in Trespasser
  17. A loading screen during Dragon Age suggests this.
  18. Dragon Age: Asunder, Chapter 18 and Epilogue.
  19. Dragon Age logo - new Dragon Age: The World of Thedas, vol. 1, p. 76
  20. Dragon Age logo - new Dragon Age: The World of Thedas, vol. 1, p. 102
  21. Codex entry: The First Grand Enchanter
  22. As mentioned in Dragon Age: Asunder pp. 297-298.
  23. According to Legacy, Malcolm Hawke was this when he met Leandra.
  24. Dragon Age (tabletop RPG), Player's Guide, set 2, p. 60
  25. According to Dagna during An Unlikely Scholar, if choosing to help her join the Circle.
  26. Dragon Age Comic.

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