The Flamecasters of The Seventh Circle

Situated amidst the desolate Azari desert, the Seventh Circle is a renowned institution dedicated to the study and mastery of fire magic, being both an organization and a place. Its architecture mirrors its purpose: a twisting complex of obsidian and brass towers that soak up the desert's heat, their surfaces always warm. At the heart of the structure lies a central courtyard where an eternal flame flickers in a huge bronze brazier, said to have been lit by the founders centuries ago.

Attending the Seventh Circle is only possible by crossing the desert alone and surviving without any sort of aid. Those who complete the feat get to join the organization and learn from them. The curriculum unfolds in three distinct phases:

• The Kindling Years focus on mastering basic fire control. Students practice maintaining small flames through prolonged meditation and learn to regulate their internal heat, crucial for surviving the desert's frigid nights. Many apprentices bear burns on their fingertips from these early lessons.

• The Combustion Phase delves into the dual nature of fire as both a destroyer and purifier. Students immerse themselves in ancient texts on thermal alchemy and practice increasingly complex fire spells. Young mages often perform the Dance of Embers, a moving meditation where each movement must be flawless, lest they be consumed by the flames.

• The final stage, Inferno Mastery, remains shrouded in mystery. Few reach this level, and those who do often emerge transformed, with eyes glowing amber. Rumors abound of rituals in underground chambers where initiates commune with primordial fire spirits.

Isolation is key at the school; it believes that true mastery of fire requires freedom from external distractions. Supply caravans, guided by former students who navigate the desert's shifting dunes using heat currents unseen to untrained eyes, arrive monthly. They also have the grim task of collecting the corpses of those would-be students that attempted –and failed– reaching the Circle’s grounds.

Archmagister Kenna Vale, known as "The Unburnt Storm," earned her infamous reputation during the Siege of the Seventh Circle fifty years ago. When a coalition of warmages attempted to seize the school's secrets, Vale demonstrated why she held the highest position in the institution - she transmuted the very desert air into combustible gas and created a swirling tempest of blue flame that raged for seven days, turning the sand to glass for leagues around. The attacking force was utterly annihilated, yet witnesses claim Vale walked through her own inferno unscathed, her white hair and robes pristine amidst the devastation. She still serves as Archmagister today, though some whisper that the display of power changed her - in quiet moments, they say her skin seems to ripple like heat waves over hot sand.

The institution has a history of producing some of the realm's most formidable battle-mages. Despite claiming political neutrality, its graduates are highly sought after by warring factions, leading to intricate relationships with various power brokers seeking the Archmagister’s favor.