In my experience sages are only available at certain (random?) times in the day,
When desperate to find a sage in a region I start with full hours then check to see if one is around, if not I spend an hour from my pool doing something (resting, gathering etc) then check again, continue until you find one (or not). Seems to be the best way to find a sage. If *really* desperate you can just check every hour (real time) when you gain an hour in-game for 24 hours. That way if there is a sage in the region you'd almost certainly find them. Of course, that required commitment. (I know a good institution if you do need committed)
