Is there an actual end to the game?
No. Finish collections, make elders, get on leaderboard, that's pretty much it.
different colors of master totems?
Seems random, but someone smart may come along and tell us it is based on a modulo 8 of some villager parameter (such as a sum of skills) when the totem was earned.
way to make collectibles appear?
Not legally.
Is there a school somewhere?
Not in VV2.