Lunewrought Circle

Maerovyn Thorneveil & the Lunewrought Circle

The Lunewrought Circle is not a coven in the folkloric sense but a deliberate, highly structured order of witches who treat magic as something to be aligned with cosmic rhythm rather than seized or bargained for. They are rooted in Waterdeep yet fundamentally unbound by it, operating as quiet custodians of a philosophy they call the Fourfold Turning—the belief that truth, fate, and consequence must pass through four distinct expressions before they are complete. These expressions are reflected through the shifting authority of Sel没ne, Shar, Celigune, and the enigmatic principle known only as Null. The Circle does not worship these forces equally, nor do they blend them indiscriminately; instead, they allow each to take precedence in its proper phase, creating a rotating system of magical and philosophical authority that governs all decisions. To outsiders, this makes them appear inconsistent, even contradictory. In truth, they are meticulously consistent—just not within any single moral or theological framework recognizable to the rest of the world.

Within Waterdeep, the Lunewrought Circle exists in a state of semi-myth. They are not publicly acknowledged, yet they are quietly known in the same way certain truths about the city are known: never spoken outright, but rarely doubted. Their presence is anchored in the upper reaches of the city—abandoned observatories, sealed towers, and high terraces overlooking the harbor and the Walking Statues. These locations are chosen not for secrecy alone, but for their relationship to sightlines, moonlight, and reflection. The Circle’s primary sanctum is believed to be housed within a repurposed tower whose upper chambers have been hollowed into a series of ritual spaces lined with polished stone, silverwork, and shallow basins of still water. These reflective surfaces are essential to their practice, as the Circle’s magic is often cast indirectly—through mirrors, through reflections, or through refracted light—never in a purely direct expression unless the phase demands it.

Their internal structure is fluid but precise. Authority shifts with the lunar cycle, and with it the tone of the Circle’s actions. When Sel没ne holds sway, the Circle acts in ways that appear benevolent and protective, intervening to prevent disasters or expose hidden dangers. Under Shar, they become something far colder, allowing endings to occur or even ensuring that certain threads are cut cleanly. During the waning phase aligned with Celigune, interpretation becomes paramount; this is when outcomes are weighed, meanings are drawn, and the Circle determines what events truly signify within the broader pattern. In the waxing phase of Null, action often ceases entirely. Plans are suspended, judgments withheld, and the Circle enters a state of deliberate stillness, acknowledging that not all moments are meant to be acted upon. This rotation means that no single member permanently leads. Instead, influence rises and falls with alignment, creating an internal balance that prevents domination by any one philosophy.

At the heart of this system in Waterdeep stands Maerovyn Thorneveil, the Hemlock Matron Mother. She occupies a uniquely stabilizing role as the foremost interpreter of the waning phase, where contradiction must be resolved into coherence. Maerovyn is not the Circle’s ruler, but she is its most trusted arbiter when the others reach impasse. Her magic is deeply rooted in natural cycles—poison, decay, regrowth, and the persistence of things that should have ended but did not. She is often called upon when the Circle encounters anomalies: lingering spirits, curses that resist conclusion, or individuals whose fate has become tangled. Her presence in Waterdeep is both known and misunderstood; some regard her as a reclusive herbalist of immense skill, while others suspect she is something far older and more dangerous. Her past, particularly her connection to her long-dead sister who fell under darker influences, is not openly discussed within the Circle, but it is not forgotten either. There are quiet indications that her sister’s story is not entirely concluded, and that this unresolved thread may yet disrupt the Circle’s carefully maintained balance.

The Circle’s membership reflects a deliberate diversity of perspective, not only in philosophy but in origin. Some members maintain ties beyond Waterdeep, particularly to the planar city of Sigil. Through figures like Aurelian Vaust, who maintains contact with the Fraternity of Order, the Circle has indirect access to legal and metaphysical frameworks that extend beyond any single world. Others, such as Velka Thrice-Buried, carry the influence of the Dustmen, bringing with them an understanding of death as a state to be managed rather than feared. There are also more unusual connections, including Ilmaksar Veyl, whose association with the enigmatic figure Ilmaksar grants the Circle insight into layered realities and alternate outcomes, and Threx of the Unsaid Word, a Shadar-kai whose very existence seems to erode at the edges, embodying the unsettling philosophy of Null. These connections are not incidental; they position the Lunewrought Circle as a node within a much larger network of cosmic and planar forces, allowing them to perceive and respond to events that would otherwise go unnoticed.

Their involvement in Waterdeep’s society is subtle but far-reaching. They do not rule, nor do they openly advise, yet their influence can be felt in moments where events resolve in ways that seem too precise to be coincidental. A noble scandal quietly collapses before it can destabilize the city. A shipment arrives late, avoiding a catastrophe that no one realizes was imminent. A person disappears from public life, leaving behind no trace but a vague sense that something has been corrected. These interventions are rarely attributed to the Circle directly, but those who operate in the city’s deeper currents—masked lords, high-ranking clergy, certain criminal networks—are aware that there are forces in Waterdeep that do not align neatly with any faction or deity. Some seek the Circle’s aid through intermediaries, offering information or resources in exchange for guidance. Others avoid them entirely, recognizing that to be noticed by the Lunewrought Circle is to be placed within a pattern one may not survive.

Ritually, the Circle’s practices are defined by timing, symmetry, and reflection. A typical rite might involve multiple participants positioned around a basin of perfectly still water, each contributing a fragment of incantation that only becomes coherent when heard as a whole. In another, a witch may cast a spell not at a target directly, but into a mirror angled to reflect moonlight onto that target, altering the nature of the magic itself. More complex workings can span entire nights, with phases of silence, speech, and action carefully aligned to the shifting position of the moon. These rituals are not improvised; they are calculated, often planned days or weeks in advance, and executed with a precision that borders on ritualized inevitability. Failure is rare, not because the Circle is infallible, but because they simply do not act until they are certain the moment is correct.

Ultimately, the Lunewrought Circle represents a philosophy that is deeply alien to most of Faer没n. They are not champions of good, nor agents of evil, nor even true neutrals in the conventional sense. They are custodians of process—of the idea that reality unfolds according to patterns that must be respected if it is to remain coherent. This makes them invaluable allies in situations where understanding matters more than power, and deeply unsettling adversaries when their conclusions run counter to the desires of others. In Waterdeep, they are part of the city’s unseen architecture: as real and as influential as its guilds, its lords, and its legends, yet existing just beyond the edge of recognition, waiting for the moment when their intervention is not only justified—but required.

馃寵 The Lunewrought Circle

Keepers of the Fourfold Turning

Each sect reflects a phase. Membership shifts over time, but these are the current anchoring witches in Waterdeep.

馃寱 Sect of Sel没ne — The Full Wrought (Revelation & Protection)

Aurelian Vaust, the Lantern Jurist (they/them, Human)

  • Former barrister in Waterdeep turned occult adjudicator

  • Ensures the Circle’s actions don’t fracture mortal law beyond repair

  • Keeps quiet contact with the Fraternity of Order (Sigil)

  • Known to appear at night trials—cases that “should not exist”

Hook: Holds sealed testimony from a Masked Lord that could collapse a noble house overnight

Thessira Moonfall (she/her, Half-Elf)

  • Star-reader and harbor watcher; predicts disasters before they crest

  • Maintains a hidden observatory overlooking the docks

  • Saved hundreds from a “tidal event that never happened”

Hook: She knows when something erased a timeline—and is terrified of it happening again

Dorran Kestel (he/him, Waterdhavian Noble, Human)

  • Publicly a philanthropist; secretly bankrolls the Circle

  • Devoted to Sel没ne but increasingly strained by the other sects

Hook: His family line is protected by a pact he does not fully understand

馃寫 Sect of Shar — The New Veil (Loss & Necessary Endings)

Velka Thrice-Buried (she/her, Dhampir)

  • Undertaker of things that should not remain

  • Oversees “final endings”—destroying cursed relics and lingering souls

  • Formerly tied to the Dustmen (Sigil)

Hook: She remembers dying three different ways—and all of them are true

Karric Nullhand (he/him, Tiefling)

  • Quiet, unnerving presence; removes people from history cleanly

  • Keeps dossiers on individuals the Circle may one day erase

Hook: He has a file on Maerovyn’s dead sister—and it isn’t marked “closed”

Sister Halwen Ashcloak (she/her, Human)

  • Former priestess of Shar who defected into the Circle’s system

  • Believes the Circle is a “more honest Shar”

Hook: She’s being hunted by orthodox Shar cultists in Waterdeep

馃寴 Sect of Celigune — The Waning Path (Reflection & Inevitability)

Maerovyn Thorneveil (she/her, Human)

  • Hemlock Matron, interpreter of outcomes

  • Speaks last when decisions fracture

Ilmaksar Veyl, the Folded Sage (he/they, Githzerai)

  • Direct link to Ilmaksar—claims to have studied under the “folding of realities”

  • Sees time as layered, not linear

  • Keeps a mirror that shows what almost happened

Hook: He insists one member of the Circle is “out of place in reality”

Syllune Mirrorglen (she/her, Eladrin)

  • Keeper of reflective magic—pools, glass, polished steel

  • Has walked through mirrors into places she refuses to describe

Hook: She once saw Waterdeep without the Walking Statues

馃寬 Sect of Null — The Waxing Silence (Potential & Absence)

Threx of the Unsaid Word (they/them, Shadar-kai)

  • Link to the Shadar-kai and the Shadowfell

  • Speaks rarely; when they do, reality subtly shifts

  • Represents the moment before action

Hook: They are slowly “forgetting how to exist” and may vanish entirely

Nim Vellatrix (she/her, Genasi – Air)

  • Specializes in interrupted magic—spells that almost happen

  • Maintains ties to the Xaositects (Sigil) but in a strangely controlled way

Hook: She once accidentally erased a conversation from ever occurring

Brother Caldus Veil (he/him, Human)

  • Archivist of non-events—things that never came to pass

  • Keeps blank books filled with meaning only under certain moons

Hook: One of his books contains a war that hasn’t happened yet

Arkhavel Nhur (he/him, Shade-touched Human) — Celigune-aligned adjunct

  • Descendant of Netherese survivors

  • Studies lost shadow-weave intersections with lunar magic

  • Not a full member—observed carefully

Hook: Claims Netheril didn’t fall—it was phased incorrectly

馃暞️ Internal Tension Webs:

  • Velka (Shar) vs Thessira (Sel没ne)
    → Whether to save lives or let fate close

  • Ilmaksar Veyl (Celigune) distrusts Threx (Null)
    → “You are not a future. You are an absence pretending to be one.”

  • Maerovyn quietly overrides them all when needed

馃彊️ Reputation in Waterdeep:

  • Nobles: “Useful, but unsettling”

  • Priests: “Heretical… but effective”

  • Common folk: “Don’t lie near moonlight”

“Four moons. Four truths.
If you survive all of them—
then you may understand what we are.”

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