Exralot: The Isle of Mages

Exralot is a barren and mountainous island formed from volcanic rock with a big lake in the centre. On the shores of the lake stands the Great School of Magic: Fabon. Around the school a city prospers, filled with magic and curiosities. The school is a fortress, heavily protected and sealed off to outsiders. The school, and by extension the island, are ruled by the Council of Mages, consisting of the heads of the eight schools of magic.

History
The Isle of Exralot was birthed from the remains of a great volcano from eons ago, and was unpopulated by both animals and humanoids for a long time. A group of Dwin’retyn mages and fae from Baequirretyn settled on the island in the first century BD to practice and perfect their arcane arts in isolation. To further this cause they founded a school of magic - Fabon - and began to draw students from all over the continent, in doing so a small city started forming around the school fortress. Both the city and the school grew over the centuries, slowly expanding to encompass the Southern shores of the Crater Lake. Using magic, the barren rock of Exralot was shaped to support crops, helped by arcane-fueled greenhouses. Exralot became a curious haven of clashing cultures and magical delights, the city and its vibrant life a wonderfully strange contrast to the harsh climate it was built upon. The Council that rules both the school and the island has kept itself separate from world politics for a long time, only starting to engage more with the continental powers in the last century.

Geography
The landmass of Exralot is formed from the remains of an ancient volcano, with a lake in the center where the crater once was. The island is mostly barren rock, with little natural plant or animal life.

Structures of Power
The Council of Mages

The council is the ruling power of Exralot, and consists of the eight heads of the different schools of magic. They govern both the school and the island, and usually keep their title until death takes them. The council appoints a new head when necessary, usually based on magical talent and merit.


 * The Head of the School of Divination, Kyrad Maisanvin Hlaeitryn, is the oldest council member. She is an 836 year old Dwin’retyn elf. She is calm, steady and impartial, unbothered by what she views as petty human conflicts. She has seen into the very fabric of the world and learned its secrets, and she is content in the knowledge that it is not her place to try and change what is meant to be. She is the unofficial head of the council and an important figurehead as the only founder still alive.
 * The Head of the School of Abjuration, Cornelia Merriweather, is a 70 year old halfling woman from the Blessed Valley. A bit skittish and nervous, but a very warm and motherly presence. She is terrifying when angered, but it takes a lot to truly shake her. She may be involved in underground rebellions against the empire. She organizes a lot of Exralot’s agents on the continent who go out to find magically gifted children to bring to the school.
 * The Head of the School of Enchantment, Sel-Zysparor, is a roughly 400 year old satyr. A very typical fae, very chaotic neutral, very ‘fuck your little human problems’. Enjoys toying with people, lowkey a psychopath. They’re the oldest member of the council after Kyrad, and they do NOT like each other. Though they share a similar disinterest in intervening in human squabbles, Kyrad’s calm impartiality clashes hard with Sel-Zysparor’s games and chaotic exploits. Sel-Zysparor is pretty much the only person in the school who doesn’t get along with Nthanda Khan.
 * The Head of the School of Necromancy, Nthanda Khan, is the youngest and newest member of the council, a 45 year old tiefling man. An unexpectedly warm and open presence, he’s every student’s favourite teacher. Stresses the importance of the balance between life and death a lot. He does more teaching than the other heads of schools and oversees the school’s infirmary.
 * The Head of the School of Illusion, Nasaryn Azaharmus Hlaetlarn, is a 300-something year old Dwin’retyn elf. He is a descendant of the Dwin’retyn elves who founded Fabon and a distant cousin of Kyrad’s. He is one of the very few council members who has a family and children and is most involved with the day-to-day goings on at the school. He is responsible for the curriculum and the teachers and roughly functions as the school principal.
 * The Head of the School of Conjuration, Maidrim Hunitheldth, is a 297 year old Daevanna elf who sought refuge on Exralot when her people were forced to bow down to the Empire. She took a great deal of their magical knowledge with her, seeking to keep it out of Empire hands, and led a group of Daevanna mages on their long journey Northward. She trains the island’s nonmagical forces and works with Sora on the war mage program.
 * The Head of the School of Evocation, Myastan Sora, is a 70 year old blue dragonborn that was born with magical talents. She has since honed her natural inclinations into extremely precise and deadly methods. She’s calm and strict, and has a fiery temper when she is disobeyed. Sora is also the head of the training programme for war mages, and organizes the protection of the island, both from inside and outside threats.
 * The Head of the School of Transmutation, Egill Gunnarr, is a human man from the Empire who has sustained an unnaturally long life through the usage of clones. He is a quintessential mad scientist, someone with shady morals and little interest in actual people. He is not actively malicious, but tends to overlook possible harmful effects of his experiments, not very aware of general ethics. He is responsible for the research division of the war mages and their contact with the empire and was the founder of the Pureblood program. When the results of that program turned out quite disastrous, he retreated back to his labs at Fabon and stopped teaching.