a thorough treatment by Edwir
The Lord Scholars of the Grand Consiliarium are an extremely old society still active in the Free Provinces. They are dedicated solely to the accumulation knowledge and its use by mankind. They are known by many names including, Ancient Society of the Learned, the Immortal Sages, and the Learned Men of Old Cambris.
While rumors swirl as to their advanced age and immortality, it is understood by educated men that the Lord Scholars are but the intellectual descendants of their original charter members. As a society, they remain available to all seekers with no respect to position or rank, effectively selling their knowledge and setting their prices according to an ancient formulation which only they understand.
It is believed by some that the orginal Lord Scholars were part of the governments of the Dragon States of the Sixth Age. They would have been the counselors employed by each of the Dragon Princes of old. Third in command behind each Prince and his Master of Coin, they were beings entrusted with great power. At the conclusion of the that Age, those who escaped judgement and destruction fled to the last vestiges of the Dragon States in what was then known as the Principalities of Vyruma Serpentis and trained the next generation of sages to succeed them.
Once well-established in Vyruma Serpentis, the Society undertook a pledge of strict nuetrality and thus re-organized themselves as the so-called Immortal Sages. They became ambassadors, peace brokers and adjudicators of dispute and established a great academy of learning in Cambris. As the Immortal Sages, they were highly sought by the White and Black Princes, because they were loyal to their assigned geographic province irrespective of the power struggles which were so often waged between the provincial regents.
After Favian of Peakshadow conquered Vyruma Serpentis and established the Free Provinces, the Society reconfigured itself yet again. This time, they retreated wholly from their influence in society and became ensconced at the old academy of Cambris. The Lord Scholars became known as mercenary sages -- no longer offering their knowledge for the general weal, but for any who were able to pay. And so, there they remain, locked in their tower and charging what they will to whomever seeks them.
