Order of the Arcane sages, The Scion-Students

The order of the Scion-Students, formed over a thousand years ago, is the foremost authority on all of Az regarding any and all matters relating to magic and the soul, for it has been the goal of this order to strive for greater knowledge and wisdom on such things since its inception. Formed by the powerful cadre of mages headed by White-Raven, this gathering of individuals has grown in size and reputation to such an extent that all major powers on the globe recognize them as their own sovereign body, with none daring to dispute this fact.   With the Order's base of operations being the Isle of the Sage-scholars (Raven's Nest) near the center of the Contender's Ocean, they have a unique position as a regulator between the major naval powers of Az. Starting as a collection of small houses and studies, over time the continuous manipulation and raising of land around the isle has resulted in many sub-islands being created with different functions, with the main island housing the fabled Bastion of Truth, an immense complex, housing one of the grandest libraries in history and various scientific laboratories, protected with enchantments and spells from nearly every magical Discipline and school on the planet.   On this note, by the time of current events there are several sub-isles encircling the main body, each providing a specific aspect to the functioning of the Scion-Students. These are as follows; The Isle of the Bountiful, a verdant locale housing many endangered species of plants and animals which is also responsible for the gastronomic needs of the order, The Isle of the Hospitable, where the vast majority of accommodation and housing is located, The Isle of Graves, site of burial and reflection for the more spiritual elements of the Order, The Isle of Confinement, a secure fortress island which houses many of the most dangerous magical artifacts and individuals on Az, finally ending with The Isle of the Desolate, a barren crag where the more restless mages practice their abilities against each other and the environment in order to test themselves and their destructive abilities. Additionally there are six outcrops located far from the main body of the Raven's Nest which serve as look-out posts for the Order as well as acting as markers for the border of the Scion-Student's jurisdiction.   As their name suggests, The Scion-Students are first and foremost focused on learning the true nature of magic and the world as a whole, dedicating considerably resources to education on the sciences. So while the acts these mages perform appear as inexplicable as any other gathering of caster's on Az, there is a highly pronounced emphasis amongst the order on conjoining the principles of science to the casting of magic, which leads to the Scion-students boasting the most efficient magicians on Az to date. As the founding members were from various places around Az, all are welcome to join the order, even common-folk, granted they show a genuine desire to learn.   Due to the wide reach of applications of magic and the numerous different modes of magic casting found across Az, it naturally follows that the Order of Scion-students is further split into several sub-orders, each one dedicated to a specific aspect of arcane study. Examples include the Astrologist's order, focused on the study of planets, stars and how phenomena such as gravity interact with magical manipulation, The Biologist's Order, presiding over the study of life, which includes the practice of honing healing abilities, owing to their alternate name as the Healer's Corps.   With this in mind, the main governing body of the Order is comprised of a small group of Masters, each assigned their position at the head of a sub-order in which they display the greatest proficiency in. The official name of this group is the Ascendant Students, with the majority of its members being made up of high ranked exemplars and several divine-eyed mages. Amongst these masters there is one among the group elected to take the role as Grand master of the Scion-students, usually an individual proficient in many Disciplines and Isolate magic alike. While it is not unheard of for individuals to step down from the position of Master, either due to fatigue or a more unfortunate circumstance, the nature of mages leads to most of the Masters living for great lengths of time and occupying their seats for as long as they live. To illustrate this concept, the seat of Hearth-Master has only had one person hold the position since the founding of the Scion-Students over a thousand years ago, Irith Gount of the initial mages to follow White-Raven.