Cornelius, the all-consuming, holds dominion over two realms. He began as the god of magic, and is the third eldest of the original deities after Genesis and Aldaron. In his union with Xanthe, goddess of vengeance, he shook off the bonds of omnipotence and became sole ruler of the Void, the preternatural force of creation and destruction. He resides exclusively on the flying isle of Fanamar, a place originally wrenched from the earth of Parrius and Pagea. There he sits, watching the world's reflection in Fanamar's sky, divorced from the rest of the world.
There too stands the home of his Order, at the nexus of the five Altars of Magic. The Order of the Abyssal plane and Magic has been closed to new followers since the mid 1300s aDW. General admission is treated with disdain. It is one of the eldest Orders and yet the fewest in number, with rarely a new soul admitted in the last six centuries. Its agenda is rarely known to the rest of the world, but its members all carry a mark of their patron.
Those who have borne the mark of Cornelius openly include, in order of appearance:
Maximillian, erstwhile Guildmaster of the Bards.
Zheredan, rogue mage/seer, early Priest of magic, and erstwhile Baron of Parrius.
Cordon, First Truemystic and erstwhile Guildmaster of the Astrologers.
Erev, Truemystic and erstwhile Guildmaster of the Astrologers.
Tleilaxu, early Oracle Seer.
Goten, erstwhile Guildmaster of the Necromancers.
Narissa, erstwhile Princess of Thakria and Guildmistress of the Thieves.
Illyism, erstwhile Guildmaster of the Bards and Baron of Mercinae.
Gandalph, early Elementalist Wizard and Warlock and Guildmaster of the Warlocks.
Agarwain, erstwhile Prince of Parrius and first High Priest of Magic.
Mysterin, Guildmistress of the Astrologers.
Salvador, erstwhile Prince of Thakria, and ordained as Elmaethor, god of the stars.
Dakh, erstwhile Guildmaster of the Sorcerers and Thaumaturgist.
Kerenas, erstwhile Guildmaster of the Seers and Truemystic.
Necrophona, erstwhile Queen of Thakria, Priestess, and Founder of the Sirens Guild.
Judging by history, Cornelius and his followers have no consistent or simple theology, nor, it seems, any moral compass. They have a love for inciting deep conflicts and yearn for a world purged of its ignoble and passive herds. Yet, their motives are frequently at odds and the followers of Void and Magic war openly amongst each other, without semblance of choreography or camaraderie. Their unity is only apparent during religious war, festivals, and acts of piety. Either the Order is elaborate in its bluffing or theirs is a deliberate, complex puppet-show using all other living mortals as their mannequins. On such a stage as this, every day is an inch closer to the guillotine.
What can be said is that the followers of Cornelius unerringly make a mark on the world, but how each one will do so remains a mystery to all but their patron.
