Magic users have long sought ways to preserve and enrich their knowledge. While some are content to be independent operatives, or to work through organisations like the Guild for all their magic needs, there are many who seek other ways to gain greater access to resources. This comes in organisations of various types. The ones that are sanctioned by the Grand Alliance and other political entities around the world are called 'covens', although often that political sanction, and therefore the requirement for following local laws, is all that distinguishes them from cults in the eyes of some.
The Guild has opened communication with a select few official covens, who have approached members to discuss mutually beneficial assistance. Covens tend to have both libraries and artifacts that are only available for study by those officially in the coven, so this is an opportunity many in the Guild have rushed to investigate.
Known Covens
(Note, this is not an exhaustive list, others may reveal themselves in time or may wish to remain a secret only discoverable through play. Setting up your own coven would be incredibly rare and would need sign off from the highest levels of the Grand Alliance itself)
Sisters of the Moon
Representative: Sapphire Randale
This is a coven of women and non-binary individuals, traditionally it was only for werefolk, but following the death of Martin, it appears they are opening the door to non-weres as well.
It was originally established by female weres with the aim of raising awareness of the werefolk pantheon.
Circle of the Aether
Representative: Tim the Enchanter
This is a coven that specialises in elemental magic. It is one of the oldest covens, predating the Grand Alliance. It was originally created with the focus of creating the Philosophers Stone through harnessing the power of the elements, but the coven have never been successful in these attempts. Nowadays, they focus on utilising elemental magics, and investigating the planes of fire, water and earth.
Coven of the Crystal Lake
Representative: Cassius Donovan
This is a coven of illusionists. It is a young coven, which is still establishing itself and its reputation, but it's friendly and welcoming nature has helped it grow fast. This coven considers the magic they wield to be like an art more than a science. While it focuses on trickery, deception and altering of perception, this is not necessarily in a mean or cruel way. It can be as simple as hiding a pun in a piece of artwork, for the few who see it to be able to appreciate.
The Enchanted Tree Coven
Representative:
This is a coven focused around beast keeping and nature magic. While animal familiars in the way some stories tell where the animal can boost the casters magic and so on, are not possible, this coven nevertheless finds strong connections with animals. They have found ways to sacrifice a portion of their power to bind their companion to them, extending its lifespan. They seek ways to further enhance and perfect this technique, as well as studying the power they can unlock in nature magic. This coven has run into some confrontations with werefolk, some of whom believe that their practises limit an animal's free will and removes them from their natural environment