A Circle is a community of people who recognize your Hero's Reputation.

Circles are not necessarily formal organizations. They may represent professions, cultures, neighborhoods, institutions, shared experiences, or people whose lives naturally intersect.

When a Hero becomes known for something, their Reputation does not immediately spread throughout Rhuna. It begins among the people most likely to hear, witness, or care about what they have done.

A Circle may Trust or Distrust a Hero.

Use the examples below as inspiration. A Circle may be chosen directly, adapted to a particular Origin or Homeland, or created to better represent the Hero's story.

Trade & Travel Copy link

Circle	Who They Represent
Caravan Traders	Merchants, caravan masters, and those moving goods between settlements
Port Communities	Sailors, dockworkers, harbor workers, and ship crews
Couriers	Messengers, dispatch riders, and those who carry information
Caravan Guards	Escorts, mercenaries, and protectors of roads and trade
Inns & Taverns	Innkeepers, workers, regulars, travelers, and roadside rumor networks
Traveling Merchants	Independent traders and merchants who rarely remain in one place
Sailors	Ship crews, navigators, deckhands, and maritime travelers

Cities & Communities Copy link

Circle	Who They Represent
City Watch	Guards, patrols, and local lawkeepers
Merchants	Shopkeepers, market vendors, and everyday commerce
Local Leadership	Nobles, elders, magistrates, and civic authorities
District Communities	Residents of a particular neighborhood or district
Frontier Settlements	Small villages, outposts, and isolated communities
Laborers	Workers, porters, builders, servants, and common tradespeople
Refugees	Communities displaced by war, disaster, Wither, or upheaval

Crafts & Professions Copy link

Circle	Who They Represent
Artisans	Smiths, builders, crafters, and skilled tradespeople
Scholars	Archivists, librarians, historians, and researchers
Healers	Physicians, herbalists, caretakers, and surgeons
Explorers	Guides, navigators, surveyors, and pathfinders
Performers	Musicians, storytellers, actors, and entertainers
Engineers	Architects, builders, planners, and structural specialists
Hunters	Trackers, trappers, gamekeepers, and professional hunters

Culture & Heritage Copy link

Circle	Who They Represent
Homeland	People from the land where the Hero was raised
Origin Kin	Others who share or closely understand the Hero's Origin
Neighboring Cultures	Peoples who regularly interact with the Hero's Homeland
Diasporas	Communities living far from their ancestral Homeland
Mixed Communities	Settlements where multiple cultures and Origins live together
Regional Alliances	Neighboring peoples united through history or common purpose
Traditionalists	Those committed to preserving established cultural practices
Reformers	Those seeking to change established customs, institutions, or beliefs

Authority & Influence Copy link

Circle	Who They Represent
Military	Soldiers, officers, veterans, and martial organizations
Government	Officials, magistrates, administrators, and bureaucrats
Trade Houses	Merchant families, financiers, and organized economic powers
Diplomats	Envoys, negotiators, ambassadors, and political representatives
Orders	Knightly orders, academies, disciplined societies, and sworn organizations
Nobility	Ruling families, aristocrats, and hereditary elites
Lawkeepers	Investigators, judges, enforcers, and those responsible for maintaining law

The Unseen Copy link

Circle	Who They Represent
Smugglers	Illicit merchants and hidden trade routes
Information Brokers	Spies, informants, and professional rumor keepers
Underground Communities	Criminal societies, secret gatherings, and hidden networks
Exiles	Those displaced, banished, or deliberately living beyond society
Wanderers	Nomads, drifters, and those without permanent homes
Salvagers	Scavengers, wreckers, reclaimers, and those who survive on what others leave behind
Outcasts	Those rejected because of Origin, belief, Reputation, circumstance, or identity

Faith & the Threads Copy link

Circle	Who They Represent
Shrine Keepers	Priests, caretakers, and local spiritual leaders
Thread Scholars	Researchers, observers, and students of the Threads
Pilgrims	Travelers seeking faith, purpose, or revelation
Wither Survivors	People and communities forever changed by encounters with the Wither
Dream-Touched	Individuals shaped by visions, dreams, or Thread anomalies
Ritualists	Those who practice or preserve sacred and spiritual traditions
Anomaly Watchers	Those who investigate unusual Thread, Astral, or Wither phenomena

The Wildlands Copy link

Circle	Who They Represent
Forest Wardens	Rangers, wardens, and guardians of wooded lands
Riverfolk	Fishermen, ferrymen, and riverside communities
Plainsfolk	Nomads, herders, and open-country peoples
Mountain Clans	Highland communities, miners, and isolated mountain peoples
Wilderness Guides	Scouts, hunters, and experts of dangerous terrain
Land Stewards	Farmers, growers, foresters, and caretakers of cultivated land
Remote Communities	Peoples living far beyond major roads, cities, and political centers

Trusted & Distrusted Circles Copy link

Trusted Circles are communities in which a Hero has earned respect, goodwill, credibility, or acceptance.

Distrusted Circles are communities in which a Hero has earned suspicion, resentment, fear, hostility, or doubt.

Distrust does not necessarily mean hatred. A community may respect what a Hero has accomplished while remaining wary of their methods, beliefs, allegiances, or intentions.

The same deed may also affect different Circles in different ways. An action that earns the Trust of one Circle may earn the Distrust of another.

Reputation depends upon who is telling the story.

Creating Specific Circles Copy link

Broad Circles may be made more specific whenever a Hero's history calls for it.

Broad Circle	Specific Circle
Homeland	Zaltanye
Origin Kin	Zaltar
Traditionalists	Daathru Traditionalists
Artisans	Vendrathi Builders
Military	Corvian Veterans
Shrine Keepers	Zal Shrine Keepers
Frontier Settlements	Halderin Settlements
Wither Survivors	Frostmarked Survivors
Scholars	Thread Historians
Port Communities	Dalemar Sailors

A specific Circle should still describe a community, not an individual.

Individual friends, family members, mentors, rivals, and enemies are represented through Bonds rather than Circles.

Circles (General)