Purpose of the Circle
Magic, a force as helpful as it is destructive. A power that so few have, and even fewer understand. Should those with the ability to reach across the fade and communicate with the powerful forces there be allowed to roam free and do as they please? Many think not, especially since it is widely believed that imperial magisters were the cause of the first blight and it is not unheard of for a fledgling mage to get tricked by a demon thus allowing it to wreak havoc in the mortal world. To this end, after the events of the 2nd blight in which the mages were instrumental in the victory won against the darkspawn, the Circle of Magi was born under the watchful eye of the templars of the Chantry in the south and having free reign in the north.
The circle acts as a training ground for mages to practice their magic in an isolated environment. Children who show an affinity for magic are to be reported and turned over to the circle as soon as hints of magical ability are displayed for children are the easiest conduit for any demon looking to reach into the realm of mortals. Some see this practice as necessary to protect the common people, while others see it as a prison. Inside the circle the mages of the south are generally able to govern themselves under the protection of an elected first enchanter, the strongest or wisest mage in a given circle, however a weak first enchanter can see the circle subject to the tyranny of the templars meant to watch over them.
In the north magic is readily embraced and practiced openly even by non-members of the circle. In the south however these very mages are deemed apostates and treated as dangerous rebels who need to be culled at all cost. In their zealotry templars care not for the reasons an apostate exists, this can lead to peaceful mages, or even those unaware they have magic in their blood being hunted and often times turning to the dark allure of blood magic to protect themselves thus causing the templars to create the very thing they are out to destroy. Not all captured mages are killed, some, be they from the circle who are deemed weak or apostates who tried to run go through what is known as the Rite of Tranquility whereby a mage is cut off from their connection to the Fade making them unable to cast magic or even dream as dreaming is a mirror to the fade. Due to this process the tranquil no longer have emotions and thus does not form attachments which allows them to be the only mages that readily interact with the world outside of their respective towers.
