Mage/Theme/Consilium/The Martyr's Tree
The Martyr's tree grows in the courtyard of the consilium Hall, walled in on four sides by the shelter of the consilium itself, and domed over with imbued glass that forever keeps the courtyard at a pleasant temperature, humidity, and light level. The tree itself is ancient and gnarled, and has been almost from its birth. It does not seem to grow or age, existing in some timeless state of forever fruiting and forever shedding its leaves. Buds will appear on branches, even as others seem to wither away and die, only to appear upon the next viewing heavy with fruit.
The location is now a hallow, and one overseen by the Martyr's Tree Consilium under the oversight of the Mysterium's Curator. For the fruits that the tree periodically bears, while tass in their own right, are each one a proper Mystery. Mysterium Savants have made a career out of doing nothing more than studying and cataloging the epiphanies provided by the fruit of the tree. Local cadres compete for the privilege of acquiring a fruit to study on their own, and the consilium itself often rewards a single fruit to those who have achieved great things in the name of the consilium. Tapping the fruits for potentia is almost unheard of, as is drawing from the hallow that supplies the fruits. It is widely considered to deny the world the insights of the Archmaster who spawned it, and is sometimes viewed as a violation of Hubris. Given that a full half of the fruit is reserved for the Lodge of the Unnamed Nation, the competition over the remainder has on spawned more than one Duel Arcane.
The tree is under constant surveillance both mundane and magical, as even the act of scrutiny if done carelessly can mar the resonance of the tree and occlude the study and inspection of more learned investigators. What is widely known is that being in the presence of the tree fills one with a sense of calm and purpose, that the fruits produced are varied and strange, rarely appearing like any other fruit known to have grown from it prior. There are some who claim to know someone who tasted a fruit, but few claim the same flavor. Some say sweet, others like ash, some bitter, some sour.