General
The Monastery itself has been described as a combination of a boarding school and a training ground for disciples of Bahamut, the god of metallic dragons. The inhabitants of the Monastery are inducted into the Order of the Sheltering Wing, some of whom are sent forth in groups to further Bahamut's will in far-flung places. Thain is one such place, where the Order members Vladimir, Deidra, and Jestin were assigned to aid the local populace and find and kill any chromatic dragons or dragonkin they could find.
Location
Although the exact location of the Monastery is rarely described, local Order members have indicated that is to be found in the mountains to the north of Cormyr. The Monastery itself and the surrounding grounds are hidden from detection spells and accidental discoveries; an individual can only find the Monastery if they have previously been there, or are in the company of someone who has been there.
Two large, main buildings and a smattering of many other much smaller buildings occupy approximately a third of the total area of the Monastery, the rest being fields, pools, stretches of sand, etc. used for training or leisure time for Order members between studies. The largest building is known as the House of the Masters, and it is where young Order members are schooled by the older members, where meals are served, guests are received, and most importantly where the Masters of the Monastery make their homes. The smaller of the two large buildings is the Hall of Aspirants, and it contains the living quarters of the younger Order members as well as special rooms or areas for specific classes that require a different atmosphere.
The Order of the Sheltering Wing
The Order of the Sheltering Wing are made up solely of metallic-blooded dragonkin faithful to Bahamut. There is no known restriction on purity of blood, and members may be inducted even if their Draconic ancestor is many generations past. There are currently four known rankings among Order members.
Aspirants
The youngest and least-trained members of the Order. Young children, aged from four to seven (and modified for the longer lifespan of elves, dwarves, etc.), are identified by Order members from their blood. Their parents are approached to offer the children to the service of the Order, and of the Monastery, and few refuse.
Aspirants are taught combat skills with the weapon of the Order, the lance and shield, and are well-trained in the use of the longbow for ranged combat. Apart from martial training, every Aspirant to the Order receives a different lesson plan and set of skills; no two Order members have been schooled in exactly the same way. Classes include languages, survival training, profession training, and other skills that would be useful to any Order member after leaving the Monastery. A very few are taught the secrets of magic.
After approximately seven to ten years of training, Aspirants each undergo a trial, suited to their lineage, to determine whether they will continue their training to become Paladins of Bahamut, or whether they will serve the Monastery and the Order in another capacity. Those who complete their trials continue with their education and training for a further ten years at a minimum before being sent forth from the Monastery to serve Bahamut.
The Ascended
Order members who have completed their training at the Monastery and have been sent out into the world. Before an Aspirant can be named among the Ascended, however, they will undergo physical and mental preparations to catalyze the blood of their ancestor and undergo a transformation. The Order believe that the vastly physically-enhanced bodies of an Ascended are much better suited towards combat with the followers of Tiamat. The Ascendancy ritual often produces easily distinguishable characteristics, including but not limited to: scales, fangs, horns, tails, wings, and talons. Ascended Order members are also significantly larger than the general population, and depending on the lineage of the individual, tend to range between seven and eleven feet tall (for humans) with musculature and body-mass to match.
The largest majority of the Order are Ascended, as are almost all Order members who serve away from the Monastery itself. After several decades of service, many Ascended prefer to return to the Monastery to teach a new generation of Aspirants, or simply to assist in the day-to-day tasks required to keep such a large institution running smoothly.
The Anointed
The Anointed are those Ascended who have returned to serve at the Monastery and elect to undergo additional training, and devote themselves, body and soul, completely to Bahamut. Extremely brutal tests of faith and trials of character await those courageous enough to test the very limits of their belief in Bahamut and the abilities of their bodies and minds. The Anointed make up a very small percentage of the population of the Order and are held in high regard by every Order member.
In concert with the Masters, the Anointed are the Order members who determine the direction of study for each Aspirant, where each hopeful Ascended will be sent to demonstrate their faith, and teach a great number of Aspirants in a great many fields of study, though not all instructors are Anointed. Great things are expected of Aspirants selected by an Anointed for personal tutelage.
The Masters
Five in number, the Masters are pure-blooded dragons, one of each metallic flight, who oversee the entirety of the Monastery's operations and of the Order itself. They determine polices and make suggestions to the Anointed directly. It is the Masters who scry on townships and cities in the nearby area, searching for those of metallic lineage who they believe would serve the Order well. The Masters are highly esteemed even some miles from the Monastery, and it is considered fortunate to be asked to give a child to the Order.
The Masters administer the trials of Anointing to hopeful Ascended, teach an enormous number of subjects (though they often adopt a humanoid form for such days), and search through both magical and mundane means for the best locations to send new Aspirants upon completion of training.
It is a closely guarded secret among the Masters and the Anointed that the children studying at the Monastery are fed small amounts of their blood over the years, resulting in their enormous size once they undergo the Ascendancy ritual. Each student is fed the blood of the Master associated with their lineage, i.e. the bronze Master Tsuthilix's blood is only fed to students of bronze heritage. Only a very few Order members outside of the Masters or the Anointed have ever discovered this secret, believing instead their massive bodies a result solely of the Ascendancy ritual.