Sayings of the first Master
It is not for want of pain or Working of sorrow by which the Carven souls yearn for the wounds they bear. It is not for power unbreeching nor hate unwavering nor a sickly greed seducing. Beneath the flesh, bone and marrow of our beings is a Working so divinely pure that the Carven soul rejects the ties of binding brought by gods of old and charms of new. It knows that to master one’s self, and one’s Work it must not be pilfered of its crystalline treasure by the turbid Tethers of the… external.
Deep in the Western Wastes an ancient Tzelian covered in self made scars presides over a book many centuries older than himself. The Source, kept by the Master is the singular, defacto literature on the rituals and conduct of The Carven. The Source was made by the very first Carven wizard who wove into its pages a strange Working of longevity. The book and its Master less so, does not degrade with the tides of time. It is passed to a successor every couple of centuries, and has an odd balancing effect on the lifecycles of its Masters. The short lives of the Humans are made long, and the Elves’ are reduced to a fraction of their normal span. Inevitably every Carven will make their way to the Master at some point in their journey, for some it is how their journey begins, but some of the greatest Workers of the Carven Circles may only see the Master as the last light dies in their eyes.
Details
The Carven are a very small very esoteric subset of wizards who have rejected the typical forms of Meyda-work and shun the very idea of Contracts with any other being in return for power. This brings with it a set of complications for those who desire to Work Meyda. Lacking Meyda Intercession the Carven are unable to cast spells utilizing the more vague spell usage of others. Instead their Work must be of a precision comparable to Meyda-circles, but this is functionally impossible via the movements of a mortals hands, and the outcomes are either volatile or impotent. So the Carven have taken to a precise form of self mutilation, opening exacting scars on their body that mimic Meyda-circles. A special ritual is used that inhibits the skins normal process of healing, ensuring that the lines do not blur or bend unpredictably. The Crimson Brush involves the traditionally drawn circles with chalk, and must be conducted on a monthly basis to ensure its Working is maintained, and the scars remain consistent.
The Carven in Society
The Carven are so rare that to many they are an urban legend, or ancient myth that once held truth. Most of them play to this, wearing long robes, or wrapping their arms and legs in linen. When they are spotted, the response is most often one of apprehension or suspicion, rarely is it a fearful one though perhaps it should be. The Carven only willingly display their scars when they intend to Work with them.