Approved Lore The Hearthbound Circle

[Kelora Priestly]

THE HEARTHBOUND CIRCLE

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OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION

• Intent: I was working on something else, got sidetracked and went down a rabbit hole. I decided to just make the Imperial Commonwealth of Dosuun, a full matriarchy. Like let’s be real, I was already flirting with that line. This is just, kicking the can so far down the other line you can’t hear it hit the bottom.
• Image Credit: Midjourney + Photoshop
• Canon: N/A
• Permissions: N/A
• Links: Haudenosaunee. Take A Life With Me.

GENERAL INFORMATION

• Organization Name: The Hearthbound Circle
• Classification:Civic-Ritual Order / Cultural Institution
• Affiliation: Imperial Commonwealth of Dosuun, Kelora Priestly
• Organization Symbol: A circle of seven interlocking braids, with a flickering hearth flame at center
• Description: The Hearthbound Circle is an ancient civic-ritual order native to Dosuun, rooted in the matrilineal customs of the pre-Imperial Dosuunite peoples. Originally a communal institution tasked with maintaining the continuity of lineage, oaths, and civic rites, the Circle functioned as the cultural backbone of Dosuun before the arrival of the First Order.
  
  Buried under centuries of colonial suppression and cultural erasure, the Hearthbound Circle was rediscovered and re-legitimized by High Basileus Kelora upon her ascension in 890 ABY. Now reinstated as the matrilineal and ceremonial heart of the Imperial Commonwealth of Dosuun, the Circle is charged with overseeing state-sanctioned rites of passage (such as Ignis Prima and Ignis Aegis), maintaining dynastic archives, and preserving ancestral continuity through ritual and stewardship.
  
  The Circle is non-religious in doctrine but occupies a civic-mystical role, guiding the cultural, ceremonial, and dynastic traditions of the Commonwealth through symbolic authority and public devotion.
  
  “Memory is not the past. It is the ember we tend in our daughters’ names.”

— Matron of Memory Isareh el-Nesra

GEOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

• Headquarters: The Vaulted Quarter, Avalonia, Dosuun.
  
  • An underground archive beneath the city, the Aurelian Library, now restored and expanded into a ceremonial hearthhall, civic archive, and training center for Flamebearers and Matrons.
• Domain: The Hearthbound Circle holds symbolic and ceremonial jurisdiction across the Imperial Commonwealth of Dosuun. While its origin is rooted in the Home Sector, it is now recognized in all three major sectors:
  
  • Home Sector (Dosuun, Avalonia)
  • Aetos Sector
  • Kaldwin Sector
• Influence: Its influence is non-territorial but deeply embedded in civic structures, youth education, and state ceremonies.
  
  • Relationship with the public: Highly respected, especially among matrilineal families, civic servants, and educators.
  • Common Perception: Seen as both a living archive and a sacred duty, the Circle is embraced for its role in preserving dignity, memory, and unity in a post-First Order world.
  • Presence in Daily Life: Most Commonwealth citizens will interact with Circle rites through youth initiation, naming ceremonies, or state holidays like Grand Moff Day and Day of the Linekeepers.
• Notable Assets: Include but are not limited to:
  
  • Hearthhold Prime (Dosuun): Restored subterranean ritual and archival chamber beneath New Avalonia. Contains:
    
    • Shrine of the Linebound Flame
    • Chambers of Matronal Memory
    • Flamebearer Training Vault
    • Public and sealed dynastic archives
  • The Ember Codex: A bound, hexagonal manuscript containing oral histories, lost rituals, and early Dosuunite civic oaths recovered from suppressed First Order ethnographic files.
  • Hearthshrines: Modest ritual spaces embedded in civic institutions (schools, courts, libraries) across the Commonwealth. Maintained by local archivists or oathkeepers trained by the Circle.

SOCIAL INFORMATION

• Hierarchy: The Hearthbound Circle follows a matrilineal ceremonial hierarchy, based on age, ritual experience, and proven custodianship of memory:
  
  • Matron of Memory – Supreme steward of the Circle; presides over all ritual codices, dynastic records, and sacred oaths. Appointed by the High Basileus.
  • Flamebearers – Senior officiants who conduct rites such as Ignis Prima, Ignis Aegis, and Emberbond. They also serve as ceremonial tutors and linekeepers.
  • Shieldmaidens – Protectors of ritual sites, keepers of oral lineages, often former Flamebearers with combat or security training.
  • Oathkeepers – Local liaisons to schools, civil archives, and family houses; they prepare initiates and maintain oathing chambers.
  • Acolytes of the Circle – Youth or initiates in training, often beginning at age 10, who study ancestral rites and civic ceremony.
• Membership: [IC Below]/[OOC Speak w/ Me]
  
  • Membership is not open to the general public, but individuals may be inducted through:
    
    • Line inheritance (birthright via maternal lineage)
    • Formal apprenticeship (as an Acolyte of the Circle)
    • Recognition of civic excellence, particularly in legacy preservation, education, or public service
    • Invitation by a Flamebearer following observation during an Ignis rite
  • Initiation Rites include:
    
    • Mastery of ceremonial recitation
    • Training in dynastic recordkeeping
    • Witnessing three full rites (e.g., Prima, Aegis, Emberbond)
    • Affirmation at the Shrine of the Linebound Flame
• Climate: The Hearthbound Circle is quiet, reverent, and orderly — like a high court blended with an ancestral archive. It operates with the dignity of a matrilineal noble house and the discretion of a civic institution.
  
  • Internally: deeply respectful, tradition-driven, and emotionally intimate
  • No politics within the circle — loyalty is to the Line, not the crown
  • Public-facing roles are serene and ceremonial; behind closed doors, it can be emotionally intense, especially around memory rituals or dynastic decisions.
• Reputation: As Follows;
  
  • Within the Commonwealth: deeply respected and increasingly celebrated since its restoration by Kelora. Seen as a moral compass and ceremonial anchor.
  • Outside Dosuun: viewed with reverence by some, suspicion by others — particularly in militaristic or patriarchal cultures who misunderstand its matrilineal power.
  • Among historians and civic leaders: invaluable.
  • Among traditionalists or ex-First Order loyalists: quietly resented or dismissed as "pageantry."
• Curios: Members of the Circle often carry:
  
  • A Flameband Ring: a thin braid-stamped metal ring worn on the index or middle finger
  • A Hexagonal Scroll Capsule: carried by senior members, containing sealed oaths or memory statements
  • Braided cords of sweetgrass, worn around the wrist during certain holy days
  • Ceremonial robes in deep navy, cream, and ember-red, each shade denoting status and rite specialization
  • Some Flamebearers carry personal memory boxes of fallen kin or oaths unfulfilled — these are rarely shown, considered sacred.
• Rules: “To forget is to falter. To remember is to reign.”
  
  • Core tenets of the Circle:
  • Memory is sacred.
  • Lineage is civic duty.
  • Flame is not worshipped; it is borne.
  • No one speaks alone; all things are witnessed.
  • A vow made in the Circle must pass three winters before being broken.
    
    • They uphold Oath Concord, a philosophy of communal memory and civic accountability, blending ancient Dosuunite belief in bloodline stewardship with modern Commonwealth ideals of unity.
• Goals: The Circle exists to preserve, guide, and ritualize Commonwealth civic identity. Its goals include:
  
  • Restoring pre-First Order cultural traditions
  • Maintaining dynastic continuity through ceremonial education and memory oaths
  • Training new generations in Ignis rites and Emberbond
  • Documenting and archiving the matrilineal heritage of Dosuun and its Commonwealth sectors
  • Supporting civic healing in post-colonial communities through restorative memory practice
  • Expanding the Circle's presence into the Aetos and Kaldwin Sectors

MEMBERS
Kelora Priestly
Nassira Priestly
Ivalyn Yvarro


HISTORICAL INFORMATION
The Hearthbound Circle is among the oldest civic institutions native to the planet Dosuun, predating both the rise of the First Order and the earlier Galactic Empire’s colonial presence. Formed in the earliest days of settled Dosuunite society, the Circle functioned as a matrilineal council of memory-keepers, oathbinders, and ceremonial stewards, tasked with preserving intergenerational knowledge and kinship through sacred rites, oral traditions, and civic rituals.

Rooted in ancient Dosuunite cultures that closely resembled a blend of various social structures, the Circle was not a religion, but a civic-spiritual institution centered on hearth, household, and memory. Women — especially elder matriarchs — held stewardship over ancestral records, lineage continuity, marriage rites, and youth initiation ceremonies. In early city-states and longhouse communities, the hearth was law, and the Circle served as both custodian and witness to the unbroken line.

Suppression Under the First Order

The arrival of the First Order in the late 800s ABY marked a brutal transition. Their High Human supremacist policies and centralized authoritarian control viewed the Hearthbound Circle as a subversive force:

• Circle rites were outlawed or rebranded as "cultural curiosities"
• Civic shrines were converted into garrisons, storage vaults, and logistics hubs
• Matriarchal lines were severed, memory scrolls sealed in state-controlled archives
• Rituals like Ignis Prima and Linebinding were either hidden or erased from public knowledge

To the First Order, the Circle represented an older, feminine civic power that could not be reconciled with its military-industrial authority.

Restoration Under High Basileus Kelora (890 ABY)

In 890 ABY, newly crowned High Basileus Kelora discovered sealed memory files beneath the Aurelian Library of Dosuun while studying suppressed civic documents related to pre-Order governance. Among them were ritual codices, lineage braids, and fragments of ancient Dosuunite oaths that referenced the Circle, its rites, and its caretakers.

Haunted by the quiet dignity of these fragments, Kelora issued Directive 207-Aleph, formally reinstating the Hearthbound Circle as a civic-ceremonial body under the Ministry of Cultural and Religious Affairs. She appointed the first post-Order Matron of Memory, charged with rebuilding the ceremonial rites, re-opening ancient shrines, and preserving all recovered legacy documents.

Modern Role and Legacy

Since its reestablishment, the Hearthbound Circle has become the matrilineal and cultural heart of the Commonwealth, operating in all three sectors and serving as:

• Ritual stewards for Ignis Prima and Ignis Aegis
• Officiants of Linebinding ceremonies and Emberbond oaths
• Custodians of dynastic memory, lineage seals, and flame-based civic archives

It is also a living symbol of resistance and revival, often seen as the quiet flame that outlasted conquest. Within the Commonwealth, the Circle is honored not only for its ancient roots but for the gentle sovereignty it represents — a power built not on conquest, but on care, continuity, and collective memory.

“They broke our names and sealed our songs — but still the ember burned. The Circle is not reborn. It is remembered.”
— Matron Isareh el-Nesra, 894 ABY


THE FIVE CULTURAL DIMENSIONS OF THE HEARTHBOUND CIRCLE

Norms: The Hearthbound Circle’s norms are centered around ritual behavior, intergenerational respect, and communal memory.

• You do not speak oaths casually — words bind.
• Elders are never interrupted, especially during memory ceremonies.
• Children must be witnessed in rites — nothing sacred is done alone.
• Flames are never extinguished without intention; even a hearthfire is bowed to before being snuffed.
• Certain dates (founding, Linebinding anniversaries, days of mourning) are observed with civic silence, braiding, or flame offerings.
• The left hand is used for truth-sharing, the right for oath-binding.

Beliefs: The Circle’s beliefs are not religious, but they hold powerful sacred truths about memory, duty, and the self:

• Memory is a civic sacred, not personal property.
• Lineage is a vessel for civic duty — not blood purity, but preserved continuity.
• Oaths are living entities — once spoken, they echo.
• Children are not born as blank slates — they are threads from older braids, and they must be raised with awareness of past and future.
• Flame is the symbol of unbroken promise — it represents order, warmth, and the capacity to carry burden.

Worldview: The Hearthbound Circle sees the world as cyclical, ancestral, and layered — not linear or purely material.

• Time is not a line — it is a braid.
• The dead are not gone — they are folded into us, as memory, as echo, as counsel.
• Political power must be rooted in care — the kind of governance that tends, not conquers.
• A well-governed household is a microcosm of the Commonwealth.
• Children are the future’s historians — they must be taught to remember before they are taught to lead.

Classifications of Reality: The Hearthbound Circle’s definition of importance, and what is real.

• Oaths are real things, with lasting weight. Breaking one improperly doesn’t just shame you — it can unmake a line.
• Braids, threads, and flame are more than symbols — they are carriers of memory. A thread from a mother’s robe, a braid tied during a naming, a hearth kept burning — these are active components of reality in Commonwealth civic mysticism.
• There is a difference between truth and testimony. The Circle values both — but considers testimony sacred because it is given.
• Sacred spaces are not temples — they are hearths, archives, braid-chambers, and oathing halls. Even an ordinary home hearth, if ritually consecrated, becomes a Linebinding space.

Values: What the Hearthbound Circle sees as desirable, virtuous and worth preserving.

• Continuity – not just survival, but the carrying forward of meaning
• Memory – as sacred, active, and shared
• Matronal care – as power, not softness
• Witnessing – nothing sacred is done alone; to be seen is to be made real
• Legacy over ego – one's place in the braid matters more than personal glory
• Dignity in ritual – small acts, done with meaning, shape civilization

How This Shapes Ritual & Culture in Practice:

• Because of these five, a marriage isn’t “just” a partnership.
  
  • It’s a civic joining of threads, a ceremony that carries memory forward.
• Because of these five, naming a child isn’t “just” a name.
  
  • It’s a public act of intention — a ritual sealing of the future.
• Because of these five, failure to remember isn’t just sad — it’s dangerous. A forgotten oath is a broken braid. A broken braid invites disunity. And disunity, in the Commonwealth, is a civic shame.

Rituals of the Hearthbound Circle: These rites span coming-of-age, marriage, kinship, memory, and civic life, woven into Commonwealth identity and legacy.

• Rites of Life & Legacy
  
  • Ignis Prima – Rite of Passage for Girls (age 12)
  • Ignis Aegis – Rite of Passage for Boys (age 12)
  • Ignis Minor – Hearth blessing for newborns or adopted children
  • Naming Flame – Formal naming ceremony tied to oaths, witnessed by a Matron
• Rites of Bond & Kinship
  
  • Linebinding – Matrimony rite; civic and ancestral joining
  • Emberbond – Flexible binding ritual for guardianship, adoption, sworn kin
  • Oath Renewal – For couples or bonded kin to renew vows on significant anniversaries
  • Witnessed Severance – Rare public ceremony to release a vow (Linebinding, Emberbond, or guardianship)
• Rites of Memory
  
  • Memorykeeping – Annual ritual of family remembrance; often includes oral testimonies and braid offerings
  • The Braid Offering – Personal rite: individual presents a braided cord (hair/thread) at a shrine as a sign of remembrance or mourning
  • Hearthlighting – Done on Grand Moff Day and other civic holidays; lighting a ceremonial hearth to honor matriarchs or legacy leaders
  • The Archive Flame – Rite to induct personal memory capsules, scrolls, or oaths into public civic archives
• Rites of Protection & Vow
  
  • The Shielding Oath – Protective vow spoken over children or heirs by guardians
  • Matron’s Mantle – Rite marking the rise of a new Matron of Memory
  • Circle of Hands – Group oath for Commonwealth service (common in youth corps, field medics, archivists)

Symbols of the Hearthbound Circle: Primary of these, the Braided Circle – Seven interlocking braids forming a circle with a small, flickering hearth flame at its center. Represents memory, matrilineal lines, and the enduring unity of legacy

Ritual Objects & Markings

• Flameband Ring – Thin, braid-engraved ring worn by initiates or Flamebearers
• Hexagonal Scroll Capsule – Used to store personal oaths, sealed testimony, or memory statements
• Sweetgrass Braids – Placed in shrines, woven into cords, worn during rites; symbol of breath, connection, and remembrance
• Hearth Cords – Braided cords of thread and hair kept in private hearthboxes; used in Linebinding, Emberbond, or as mourning tokens

Ceremonial Robes – Color-coded garments:

• Navy – Shieldmaidens
• Cream – Matrons
• Ember Red – Flamebearers
• Gray – Initiates or Acolytes

Memory Tokens – Small carved objects carried by individuals to remember a vow, person, or ceremony (e.g., a knot of thread, a sigil-stamped wax bead, a stone with braid patterns)

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THE RITE OF LINEBINDING
A civic, ceremonial, and spiritual marriage rite in the Hearthbound Circle

• Core Philosophy: “You do not bind only hands — you bind line to line, memory to memory, future to future.”
  
  This rite does not depend on gender. Two women, a woman and a man, non-binary partners — what matters is the joining of lineages, the carrying of legacy, and the witnessing of the vow.
• Ritual Structure:
  
  • The Sharing of Embers
  • Each partner brings a small vessel of flame, lit from a hearth important to their life (ancestral, adopted, or symbolic).
  • These are joined in a single new flame — symbolic of their shared future.

• The Weaving of the Line
• A ceremonial braid is created with:
  
  • A strand of hair
  • A thread of family cloth (from each partner)
  • A strand of sweetgrass, representing shared breath
  • This Linebind Cord is kept in a sealed hearthbox, placed in their home or a public archive.

• Recitation of the Song: Adapted from “Take the Flame With Me”
  
  • Sung in a whisper-close tone, with hands clasped:

Take the line with me,

Fold it gentle through your thread.

We are not the first to walk—

We walk where others bled.



Take the vow with me,

Say it soft and say it near.

Let the past sit at your feet—

Let the future draw you near.



(Variations allow for insertions of family names, ancestral dedications, or the names of the unborn.)



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• The Circle of Witnesses
  
  • The couple stands in a circle of their chosen kin, who offer spoken blessings or silent memory offerings (letters, objects, oaths).
  • A Matron of Memory records the union in the Ember Archive and blesses the bond with ash from an ancestral hearth.

• Post-Ritual Customs:
  
  • Hearth Naming: Upon union, the couple may choose a Hearthname, a shared identifier for their household within the Circle
  • Memory Flame: A small ceremonial lamp is kept lit in their home for one year and one day
  • Offering to the Unseen Line: Small bits of bread, salt, or tea are left on their window ledge for the “unseen kin who paved the path”
• Kinship Beyond Blood
  
  • In this system:
    
    • You don’t marry into a family — you bind a hearth to a hearth
    • Adoption and chosen family hold equal ritual weight
    • Matrimony is not just sacred — it’s a civic contribution, a promise to remember, raise, protect, and preserve

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THE RITE OF EMBERBOND
A sacred binding ceremony of the Hearthbound Circle. For partners, kin, guardians, or dynastic oaths

• Core Philosophy:
  
  • A mutual binding ritual, used when:
  • Swearing eternal loyalty (personal or dynastic)
  • Claiming or formalizing kinship (adoption, betrothal, house unification)
  • Entrusting legacy (naming an heir, flamekeeper, or successor)
  • Merging bloodlines across Houses (especially in matrilineal transitions)

The rite does not require romantic love, though many lovers use it. It is about duty, devotion, and the mutual carrying of lineage.

• Ritual Structure:
  
  • The Candle of Binding
    
    • Lit from a central hearth, this shared flame is placed between the oath-takers.
    • Traditionally made of sweetgrass, wax, and ancestral ash.
    • Each participant places a thread or lock of hair into the flame as it burns.
  • The Touch of Circling Hands
  • Participants join hands, left palm to right, forming an unbroken circle.
  • If more than two, the circle is extended.
  • A Matron or Keeper may preside.

The Recitation: One speaks, one echoes — or both together.

Take the flame with me,

Hold it quiet in your hand.

Breathe the oath you carry,

Speak the names who stand.



Take the line with me,

Fold it gentle through your thread.

We are not the first to walk—

We walk where others bled.



Take the light with me,

Burn it slow but true.

If I fall before the dawn,

Let the flame pass into you.



Take the vow with me,

Say it soft and say it near.

Let the past sit at your feet—

Let the future draw you near.​

The Binding Seal

• When the song ends, a braided cord of sweetgrass and thread is tied around the joined hands.
• In some regions, a drop of wax from the Candle of Binding is placed on each person’s palm — symbolic, not painful.
• The cord is worn for one week, then burned, buried, or kept in a ceremonial box.

Common Types of Emberbonds:

• Oathmates – sworn political or military partners
• Linebinding – romantic union, including same-gender pairings
• Lifebond – adoption, succession, guardianship
• Heirmarking – naming the one who will inherit the mantle of memory

Cultural Notes:

• The rite is considered sacred but not religious
• Cannot be undone without a Witnessed Severance, which involves public declaration and returning the ashes of the cord
• Used by Kelora and Nassira (documented)
• Rumored to be part of the Matronal Oath Ivalyn Yvarro swore over Iskendyr’s guardianship

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The Hearthbound Circle – A Commonwealth Legacy Restored

Reinstated in 890 ABY by High Basileus Kelora, the Hearthbound Circle is a matrilineal, civic-ritual institution that serves as the cultural and ceremonial heart of the Imperial Commonwealth of Dosuun. Though its origins trace back to the pre-First Order native Dosuunite societies, the Circle was suppressed under High Human colonial rule and thought lost — until its quiet rediscovery in the sealed archives beneath Avalonia.
Its rise reflects a broader shift within the Commonwealth away from First Order-era patriarchal and militarist traditions — toward a world where power is preserved, not seized; remembered, not rewritten. In every braided cord, in every witnessed oath, the Circle asks only one thing of its people: Tend the flame. Carry the line.

Out of Character: In the modern Commonwealth — shaped by Ottoman, Byzantine, and post-war British civic tradition, reimagined through a sleek Atompunk lens — the Circle bridges the ancient with the emerging. It oversees rites of passage, dynastic memory, and lineage-based rituals such as Ignis Prima, Linebinding, and Memorykeeping. Through ceremonial stewardship rather than religious doctrine, the Hearthbound Circle anchors the Commonwealth’s identity in continuity, legacy, and the sacred duty of remembrance.

 

[Zachariah Conway]

As I can tell by the amount of emojis on this, I'm not the only person who loves this. It's taken days of reading on and off but it was honestly worth it.

Kelora Priestly - Enjoy it.

Approved