There are about 60 mages living on the island, with perhaps a dozen more visiting from abroad at any given time. 20 of them live in the immediate capital region, while the remainder are scattered about the country, usually based in larger settlements. The magical governance of the island is loosely based on medieval traditions. Icelandic mage society as a whole is organized into the Goðorð, five regional Consilium-like governments.
Icelandic mage politics have traditionally been somewhat modeled after the original methods of governance in the Icelandic Commonwealth. Individual cabals would throw their weight behind a prominent individual, and by that nomination he or she would become a goði. Similar to their Sleeper counterparts, these mage goðar would meet at points in the year to trade magical knowledge, settle disputes, and review the arcane law of the island.
Unlike the Sleeper system, the goðorð of the mages were never a quasi-feudal inherited office, but they generally were lifetime appointments. Today, a more formalized version of the original system is in use. The number of goðar are fixed, each representing a specific area, and mages must vote for candidates in their area. Appointment to a goðorð is indefinite, until enough mages agree that an election should be held.
The goðar are responsible for Consilium-like governance in their region. They appoint other Mages (and sometimes Sleepwalkers) to positions that mirror Consilium posts.
There are currently five goðar in Iceland, roughly corresponding to geographical regions:
The Eastfjords are divided between the goðar of the North and South. Because there are so few mages in Iceland, there is no need or ability for there to be more goðar. The exact way the goðorð is run is mostly up to the goði and those who support him/her. Usually 3 or 4 other mages from different cabals are appointment by the goði to fill positions that would exist in a traditional consilium.
Each year, the mages of Iceland convene to settle disputes and harmonize the Lex Magica. A separate set of appointed positions exist to facilitate this ceremony. Office-holders are voted in by the 5 goðar.
With only two Orders present, cabals tend to be entirely of a single Order, or a mix of one Order and apostates. There are only a few diverse cabals that have members from both Orders. Despite the tendency for mono-Order cabals, there are still divides between cabals and disputes over resources. There are enough ideological and geographical divides in the Orders that two cabals from the same Order can have disagreements.