Circle of Marak

In the waning days of the Sorcerers Kingdom the Circle of Marak was a secretive coven of liches who controlled nearly all aspects of rule. The members of the circle achieved great command of death and dreams. They used their power to achieve unrivaled control over the empire. It exists a the only time so few had control over so much of humanity. at its peak nearly three-quarters (3/4) of humans were ruled by the members of this circle.

The circle was destroyed by the followers of the elven hero Aegrin after their patron X'toltn killed him. Those closest to the circle not killed by the elves were destroyed in their dreams during the aftermath or killed by those they abused during their rule.

Founded at the turn of the first millennia CA the Circle of Marak was a secret coven of magicians who had transcended death by anchoring their spirits to the world. The coven was originally founded to preserve their secret to only those worthy of eternal life. Any others were killed to preserve their secret.

In less than 200 years, the Circle had solidified their power and controlled the nobility from the shadows. As their command of the magic of undeath grew stronger they were able to even manipulate others in their dreams by using their spirits to enter someone's dreamscape. Trafficking in fear, secrets, and eternal power the Circle of Marak amassed near total control over the kingdom.

In 1246 the Circle found controlling so much land through a fractured structure of nobles and landowners cumbersome. They arranged for the massacre of the nobility and the rise of regional governors. Each governor sent representative to the Imperial Congress where laws were written and debated. The circle no longer had to control a wide nobility - instead they simply controlled the congress.

In order to expand their influence the Circle began to experiment with a strange phenomenon that occurred near the Utmarii Plateau. The veil between this plane and the Shadow Realms was so thin that even the most powerful fae could cross over. Normally the stronger the spirit the more difficult the crossing, but on the plateau strong spirits to live on the mortal plane beyond the rising of the sun.

By 1300 they had complete control over the portals on the plateau and turned their attention to expanding the empire to encompass all of humanity. Through a series of wars and assassinations they eliminated any of the small kingdoms and tribes that stood in their way. The peak of their power was the year 1850 when Aegrin fell in battle.