The Arcane Conclave is an Ekeria wide organization that manages the dangers posed by unrestrained use and research of magic. They have existed since shortly after the breach of the Maelstrom over a millenia ago. They are also responsible for the training of arcane spell casters. With rare exception, all arcane spell casters in Ekeria were trained by the Conclave.
The Arcane Conclave has a presence on every nation of Ekeria. Though not every ruler is enthusiastic about their presence, the Conclave's deep neutrality on all political issues keeps them willing hosts as the alternative could be a rapid influx of powerful mages unleashing all kinds of chaos upon their realm.
When a child is discovered to have an aptitude for magic (typically during puberty) they are reported to the Arcane Conclave who takes them away for training or delivers them to a temple of the family's choosing. Though most families understand the need and purpose of taking magicaly gifted children away (fear of the horrors of the Maelstrom are seared into collective memory) there are inevitably families who try to hide their children. To avoid a hidden hedge Sorcerer wreaking havoc on an unsuspecting community the Arcane Conclave will send a represenative to even the smallest communities for a month once a decade to thoroughly investigate all members of the community. Though "accidently" not recognizing the signs of magical aptitude are considered understandable, lieing to or misleading an Arcane Conclave inquisitor can lead to a death sentence.
Not every arcane spell caster is a member of the Arcane Covenant. Most Mages complete their training and live their lives without ever speaking to the Conclave again. Members of the Arcane Covenant are
Conclave Stones
All arcane spell casters have a small gem embeded in their skin referred to as a Conclave Stone. This stone is implanted on every caster when they enter training at the Conclave. It buries itself so as to be flush with the surrounding skin and is either emplaced on center of the chest or on the forehead. Through the Conclave Stone a spell caster can be detected and easily teleported to. The ritual to implant the stone was devised by Jai-Blynn himself and can only be removed by a Wish spell a Tower Master performing a day long ritual.
The Arcane Conclave uses the Conclave Stones to scry upon and monitor arcane spell casters for breach of the Arcane Covenant. Whoever is being observed through the Conclave Stone immedietely becomes aware of it. Scrying on a stone requires the approval of a Tower Master and is rarely done as it's a considered a grave breach of privacy. However if they have good reason to believe violations are taking place, the conclave will not hesitate to observe the suspect and act accordingly.
The Arcane Covenant
The Arcane Covenant was established at the same time as the Conclave itself. It lays out the rules that givern Arcane Spellcasters as well as the rules of governance for the Arcane Conclave itself. It is a long and complex document but the most important rules that every Mage knows are listed below with their corresponding punishments:
No mind altering spellcasting on nobility. Death
A lord may determine the legality of spell casting within settlement limits but must clearly mark the boundaries of the settlement. Fine or imprisonment
A lord may appoint a Court Mage. A court mage may only cast spells to benefit their lord and may not cast any spells with the intent that affect another lord's land, politics, or people. Imprisonment for no less than 10 years
A Mage can be nobility, but not knowingly be landed nobility. Death
No Mage can participate in a war against a lord who is recognized by the Arcane Conclave. Death
Opening extraplanar gates is prohibited. Imprisonment for 5 years
Arcane Covenant Towers
The covenant has locations all over Ekeria referred to as "towers". Towers are where official Covenant business is conducted from training, trials, and investigations to imprisonment of convicted mages. Not all Arcane Covenant "towers" are actual towers but most are. The Arcane Covenant wants their presence to be easily recognizable to the local populace and mages.
The interior of such towers often surprise the rare guests with their mundanity. Various magical wards and traps protect sensitive parts of the tower (like magical research areas) but the vast majority of rooms are simple living quarters and teaching spaces.
