The Rootbound Circle
🕸️ The Rootbound Circle
Section titled “🕸️ The Rootbound Circle”| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Alignment | unknowable |
| Tags | velvetchains-faction, corruption, glyphic, planar, antagonist |
🧬 Origin & Purpose
Section titled “🧬 Origin & Purpose”The Rootbound Circle is not a cult—at least not in the traditional sense. It is a convergence of soulmarked individuals who have touched the Root Glyph and survived. They do not worship it. They become it.
Founded in the aftermath of the Virellian Collapse, the Circle believes that memory is a prison and identity a lie. Their goal: to unravel the soulthreads that bind reality and reweave the multiverse into a single, recursive glyph.
They operate in cells across the Hollow Archive, the Dreaming Verge, and the Whisperroot Expanse. Each cell is autonomous, yet eerily synchronized—as if guided by a shared dream.
🧠 Beliefs & Practices
Section titled “🧠 Beliefs & Practices”- Glyphic Resonance: Members undergo soulweaving rituals to attune their bodies to planar glyphs.
- Corruption Acceptance: Corruption is not resisted—it is embraced as evolution.
- Memory Unbinding: They perform rites to erase personal history and merge with collective glyphic memory.
- Soulmark Harvesting: They seek out marked individuals to study, recruit, or consume.
🧙 Known Members
Section titled “🧙 Known Members”- Nyx Virellian (suspected): Her soulmarks match Rootbound glyph patterns.
- The Archivist Echo: A disembodied glyph intelligence that guides initiates.
- Thorne of the Verge: A planar walker who speaks only in reversed glyphs.
🧩 Faction Mechanics (Velvet Chains System)
Section titled “🧩 Faction Mechanics (Velvet Chains System)”- Faction Corruption Level: 7
- Influence Domains: Memory, Identity, Planar Convergence
- Faction Feats:
- Glyphstep: Move between glyph-bound locations once per session.
- Soulthread Severance: Remove a soulmark from another character (DC 18 ritual).
- Dreambind: Trap a target in recursive memory loop (1d4 rounds, Will save negates)
📝 Narrative Hooks
Section titled “📝 Narrative Hooks”- The Circle is rumored to be behind the disappearance of the Dreaming Archivists.
- Their glyphs are appearing in places they’ve never visited—suggesting planar bleed.
- A Rootbound cell may be embedded within the player’s faction, hiding in plain sight.
- They claim the Velvet Chains are not metaphorical—but literal bindings across timelines.
🧠 DM Notes
Section titled “🧠 DM Notes”Use the Rootbound Circle to introduce:
- Soulmark theft and corruption escalation
- Planar instability and recursive memory puzzles
- Faction infiltration and identity crises
- Glyphic artifacts that rewrite character backstories mid-session