All Architects, also called the Lords of Sairis, dress in flowing white robes without ornament during the hour of their reign. They are the finest among those who combine the arts of building, sorcery, and leadership. There are exactly eight of them. No more, no less. They are immortal.
It is they who hold within their minds the keys to all spells in the city, and their mental matrix is the universal code for controlling any architectural charms, resident magic, and construction spells. Their consciousness is deeply submerged within the walls and foundations of the city, so they feel it almost as their own body. The architectural lines within the walls and spaces of Sairis are arranged roughly in the shape of a tree. This tree has eight roots—the eight Architects, into whose hands the reins of this extraordinary team lead. The crown of the tree consists of all the individual phenomena of the city—from individual human inhabitants to supernatural beings, active or passive spells, and present powers. Most architectural lines, however, are oriented as building instruments for the city’s eternal transformation.
There exists a place called the Hall of the Tower Designer. It is a magical place hidden somewhere between the walls of the city, where the Architects gather and project their visions of future development. Each is a unique artist, and within this room, a synthesis of their perspectives occurs.
It is said that they sink into a deep meditation and calm their minds until they merge into a single entity: the Great Architect, the Designer of Towers. Once fused into this single being, they perform calculations of which they would be incapable as individuals, determining the future of the city for the next period. No one knows whether they meet thus every day, or only once a month or year. Nor is it known if this moment comes at noon or midnight. The Architects have reasons to hide this; it is whispered that the moment of Merging is the only instant in their eternal lives when they are easily defeatable, despite the immense power they enjoy within the walls of their city.
One of the primary functions of the Architects, beyond construction and control, is the management of energy. This energy is drawn into the lines from the Diamond as a form of payment for the city’s communal functions and through several other paths. This immense energy is converted into labor for the city’s reconstruction, the maintenance of all communal spells in functional form, and last but not least, the upkeep of many magical mechanisms and the preservation of order.
Although all eight Architects are always present in the city and engaged in its administration, they do not spend all their time sitting upon the eight Needle Towers where they have their thrones; instead, only one sits there at any given time. They alternate in presidency and the management of affairs at regular intervals; for only one at a time sets the overall order of things while seated upon his Needle Tower. Only in times of the greatest threat, it is said, did all eight Architects ascend their hanging thrones and firmly seize their reign. In those days, the city supposedly rose to the heavens to escape the ancient flood.
A day in Sairis is thus counted in eight periods—four light and four dark. A week has eight days, and years close in cycles of eight. These periods are named after the names of the currently presiding Architects. It is therefore evident that they are the most important figures of this city. We now present these strange personalities:
VALMOS AR ANGIRAS (Gen. Valmont) is an Aiurnant Maghavan of noble Azharian lineage. It is his indomitable power that holds Sairis and the Architects together in times of twilight. His stature—three meters tall with the proportions of a warrior—his thick grey hair and beard, and his deep, melodic voice are equally fearsome and admirable.
GARYAS AR KAVIR (Gen. Garyant) is a Gandharnant Maghavan. Contrary to the common perception of these somber warriors against dark gods, Garyant’s broad-shouldered, comfortable frame, red hair, and cheerful, talkative nature are a true exception. This Gandharan has long dealt with daemonology and the astral plane, and to this day, he is entrusted primarily with control over this domain.
LAURES AR SARWIL (Gen. Laurent) is a Kirlanant Maghavan of the royal house of High Elves. He is more famous for his beauty than his power—primarily because he is very stingy in displaying it. He is said to be the “Master of the Drop,” meaning he can achieve with a small amount of anything what others expend a vast amount of strength to do.
CORIS AR DRUVENIEN (Gen. Corinta) is a Kirlanant Maghavan originally of the Mountain Dryads. Corinta has been entrusted with all the plants, groves, and beasts upon the soil of Sairis. It must be noted that under the magical hands of this sensitive and wise woman, nature within the city truly flourishes and is harmonized with it.
RAWÍLLA AR ALMANSUR (Gen. Rawílla) is a Queen and High Archmage of the Djinn race inhabiting Sairis. She is a specialist in three very different domains of magic: firstly, psionic magic of telepathy and collective consciousness; secondly, heavy-duty mana magic of local meridians; and thirdly, she is a master of the artifact-alchemical school. Her abilities, alongside Valmont’s, contribute most to the functionality of Sairis’s internal system. Her stature—four and a half meters tall—is equal in beauty to a goddess; her skin has the appearance and color of silver, and her eyes see into the depths of human minds.
SUMITRA (Gen. Sumitra) is an Azharian Mage of Space, Master Calculator, originally a Commander of the Paladin Order, and later a monk of the Silent Brotherhood. Until recently, he lived as an unknown abbot of a remote monastery. In a time of need, however, he assumed the role of Architect and is now one of the most reliable and powerful members of the corps. He is “still water that runs deep.”
ALKENAR (Gen. Alkenar) is an Aiurnant Paramaghavan, the wild card in Sairis’s hand. In the past, he was as often on the side of Order as of Chaos. He spent the last century as a court jester in Sirgon. His sophisticated practical jokes are still alive in the tales of both burghers and nobility. His role in managing the Construction of the City is unknown.
AURAZIL AR AURAZIL (Gen. Aurazil) is an ancient scholar of the noble Celestial race with a mysterious past. Until recently he was neutral, but his approach has changed. His hair is silver as if woven from glistening wires, and his skin is indigo blue. He has four arms, and the other Architects hold him in unprecedented respect.
Two Architects are remembered who are no longer among the eight—one with love, one with horror:
SUVARNA (Gen. Suvarna) is an Azharian mystic, the oldest of the Architects. Sometimes he is called simply The Elder, despite having a relatively youthful appearance aside from his silvery hair. Unlike the other Architects, he brought not so much magical power to the collective trunk as knowledge, wisdom, and understanding. Suvarna was murdered by Saurahan in the sky above Sairis, but through the efforts of heroes, he was eventually reborn. After his rebirth, he had to focus his strength on the battle in higher spheres and could not return to Sairis.
SAURAHAN (Gen. Saurahan) is a powerful mage of the lineage of Princes and Princesses. Eons ago, he woke in the Rifts east of Sairis and was the first of his sleeping race to creep into the world. For many years he remained unrecognized in positions of power. When his true face was revealed, the Architects trembled with horror and clamped Sairis in new protective spells and rules. Saurahan perished by the hand of Adamant, but like Suvarna, he was reborn through inverse magic. His current location is unknown.
