The Order of Zythore was the first order of mages ever recorded. Tilnarus Zythore, one of the most powerful mages of the time, sought out others and formed the Order for the purpose of studying the arcane in the world. Their knowledge was not accessible by any who claimed to be interested in the ways of magic; they had a strict set of tasks one had to perform before being accepted as fully fledged member.
Those tasks included, but were not always limited to:
Successfully completing a spellbook.
Successfully learning one spell.
One years shadowing completed under a member of the order.
Exploring and discovering a rare component.
The ability to show proficiency in magic by overcoming three consecutive arcane energies without losing.
Teaching someone else of the order magic they do not know.
Once fully initiated, there were three levels one could rise to:
Apprentice, introduced as an up and coming of the Order of Zythore.
Arcanite, introduced as Mage of the Order of Zythore.
Archmage, introduced as Master of the Order of Zythore.
The initial Order was not interested in the pursuit of power, but merely gaining a deeper understanding of the workings of TerVarus. Many of today’s botanical and medicinal archives were written by member of the Order. In later generations, however, the Order’s leaders became power hungry. It was because of the power they had access to that many kingdoms put out bounties for members of the Order and they were systematically hunted down.
While there is no definitive record of any members surviving, it cannot be ruled out. One such anomaly is Dorian Dunarth, one of the first to join the Order.