As I worked on the method to bring true life to the planet's inhabitants, Karl had a very different idea. He wanted to know what happens if you turn an entire world into a giant magical circle.
Back on Earth, there were legends about it even among the non supernatural mundane population. The Earth Spirit, Mother Earth, and various other names are for mystic sentience to the planet itself. It's often linked to the ley lines, which this planet doesn't have yet.
That's what made Karl think it was a planet-sized magical circle. Basic sentience that rewards desired actions and attitudes is child's play for the mage; it's only one of the many elements of the Golem spell after all, but executing a self-perpetuating one on a planetary scale? That's just crazy talk.
