Harrington School
Harrington School used Marchwood Hall as its campus, which was the sprawling country estate of the Harrington family, located near the coastal village of Westmarch. It was a primarily fishing village just abutting the border between England and Scotland. The land and environs of the estate had a wild and untamed look about them, with high sea cliffs, low rolling hills, and a foreboding forest, called the Marchwood.
The lower school uniform was a white oxford shirt; white slacks for the boys and white pleated skirts for the girls; white socks and tan oxfords. The upper school uniform was much the same, except they the following differences: grey slacks for the boys and and green-blue tartan pleated skirts for the girls; argyle socks and black oxfords or saddle shoes for the girls. Sweaters and cardigans were optional wear for the winter.
Marchwood Hall
The estate was large and sprawling, the manor built on the bones of the old castle, as Westmarch had once been a ducal seat before its line had been extinguished. There were parts of the estate that were constantly being built or remodeled as the needs of the school changed. When the students were of a certain age, they were required to complete a work project each term, essentially helping to build parts of the campus.
Dormitories
When the students were young children, they were kept in separate wings of Marchwood Hall segregated by gender. During this time, the children were kept four to each room. As they reached a certain age, the children were moved to separate girls and boys dormitories external to Marchwood Hall, old guesthouses converted for their use, which were about a five to fifteen minute walk from the main house. It was very likely that they had a hand in constructing parts of each house for their term work projects.
Each of the dormitories were expected to "govern themselves", so to speak, with each electing and running their own committee households, as an exercise in social responsibility, with various students assuming cleaning and cooking duties, yard work, et cetera. Household committee elections were held at the beginning of each term.
A few of the younger students were still confined to the nursery at Marchwood Hall, though the majority of the students lived in the old guesthouses.
Students
The students at
Harrington School were all of them orphans and had arrived at the institution from a very young age. Some were said to be heirs to large fortunes, while others' tuition was paid for by various different funds and charities organized under the umbrella of the school.
Generally, each students' numerals denoted their order of arrival to the school, rather than their actual precedence by age.
V. Alice
Activities: history, literature, reading
Quote: "'m sorry, I'm a little busy with... (mumble mumble)"
Description: Alice was slender and willowy, with a pale complexion, long black hair, and dark eyes. She had a reserved demeanor and a mild nature, always reading from some book pilfered from the library. Quiet and shy, she rarely spoke a word to her teachers or to the other students. Some thought her arrogant while still others thought her mute or not quite there in the head.
Notes: Alice was the last daughter of the Timeless World, a World-that-never-was, suspended in a single point in time. It was the world that existed before reality was overwritten into the World-we-know, preserved in the moments before its Fall. The reasons for its downfall were a mystery, but the people of that great civilization, the prelapsarians, were capable of feats of impossible magic.
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VII. Beatrice
Activities: athletics, household committee, stargazing
Quote: "Someone has to think about the future."
Description: Beatrice had a lightly freckled, tanned complexion, boyish figure, and a skinny long-limbed, almost coltish, build. She kept her strawberry blonde hair shoulder length. Growing up, she was a tomboy who could roundly beat most of the boys at wrestling and running. Lately, a strange mood had overtaken her, a storm clouding her grey eyes. Often, she was crippled by a great shyness, and her face was almost too easy to read. She was often the subject of her teachers' wrath for nodding off or sleeping in class.
Notes: Beatrice was the reincarnation of Arthur Pendragon, the rightwise king of England.
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XII. Jane
Activities: dating, sneaking off campus, truancy
Quote: "What's the point of studying? We're never getting out of this school, are we?"
Description: Jane possessed a beauty that seemed to strike at the very heart of every boy and man at the school. Her blue eyes were bright, her smile brilliant, and her night dark hair falling in waves down her back. Though boisterous and loud, Jane derived very little pleasure for being at the center of attention and indeed often tried to keep out of the spotlight. Nevertheless, her impulsive nature often got her into trouble.
Notes: Jane was rumoured to be one of the bastard offspring of Zeus, the King of the Gods, though this was not entirely clear.
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XIV. Royce
Activities: athletics, brawling, household committee
Quote: "There's no one better to lead than me."
Description: Royce was a consummate troublemaker, pushing and testing the bounds of what was acceptable and not. Through it all, he affected an air of aristocracy and noblesse oblige. He either ignored those he considered beneath him or denoted them as resources to be used.
Notes: Royce was of the line of Balor, one of the Fomorian giants who battled the gods of old.
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XIX. Birgitte
Activities: chess, history, mythology
Quote: "There's something different about you today."
Description: Birgitte was one of the tallest girls in the school. Her green eyes and fire red hair gave her a pale fey complexion, though she was no conventional beauty. She was in truth one of the most observant people on campus, always noting what patterns and schedules her fellow students kept and even teachers did not escape her notice. She rarely spoke much to anyone, keeping mostly to herself and a small coterie of intimate friends.
Notes: Birgitte was in truth Brighma the Watcher, the ever watchful guardian of the nameless king of the gods, though trapped in mortal form.
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XXI. Lucy
Activities: cinema, mischief, theatre
Quote: "What's a bit of harmless fun among friends, hum?"
Description: Lucy was short and slim of figure, possessing long dark brown hair and dark, mischievous eyes. In defiance of school rules and convention, she wore a black aviator's cap and a pair of thick goggles in addition to her normal school uniform. She was a bit of an eccentric personality, prone to mischief and practical jokes. She often made inappropriate remarks at inopportune times, though her heart was often in the right place.
Notes: Unknown.
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XXX. Nicholas
Activities: music, singing, writing
Quote: "People always want you to be someone you're not."
Description: Nicholas was quiet and unassuming, with short blond hair, hazel eyes, and a thin frame. His voice was soft and smooth, and he spoke only when spoken to and in great need. His fingers were long, tapering, the fingers of a musician, and his eyes lit up when he spoke about music, including such wide-ranging genres as classical, hip-hop, and rock and roll. Otherwise, he seems closed off and unapproachable.
Notes: Nicholas was the living reincarnation of Asklepios, the First Healer.
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The founder of the school,
Heloise H. Harrington, envisioned an institution providing the very best in education. To that end, it was said, she devised a curriculum rigorous yet diverse and employed professors and teachers to realize her vision.
Headmaster St. James was no less strict for being in a wheelchair. No one quite knew how she lost the use of her legs, but many rumours abounded. Her main subject was philosophy.
Dr Benjamin Fell was the maths teacher, with many self-professed PhDs at the most amazingly prestigious institutions. He always had the appearance of grimacing from toothing a particularly loathsome sore.
Miss Daisy Norris, the literature professor, seemed to charm and captivate most of the student body with her youth and beauty, her infectious laughter, and her easy-going, amiable manner.
Miss Amelia Brehmer was the librarian and was at once a part of the school faculty as well as the Marchwood Hall household. She had a severe manner and rarely favoured the students with anything other than distrust.
Ms Anne Dawes rarely spoke except in class, though she was never seen without a smile upon her face. She taught history as well as physical education.
Staff
Harrington School was located at Marchwood Hall, the sprawling country estate of the Harrington family. The house itself required a large and expansive staff in order to keep it running, even employing several people from the nearby village. It had a hierarchy completely separate from the school, though the staff usually deferred to the faculty in matters pertaining to the students directly, though the borders of their authority were not always so clear.
Mr Ezekiel Matthis was the butler of Marchwood Hall. He had a very efficient and business-like manner.
Mrs Delecoeur was the beautiful housekeeper of Marchwood Hall. Before the students moved to the dormitories, she oversaw the female students in the western wing of the house.
John,
William, and
Thomas were the footmen at Marchwood Hall. Like the housemaids, they were around the same age or a bit older than the students, though were instructed by the school not to speak to one another.
Cecilia,
Beryl, and
Charlotte were housemaids employed at Marchwood Hall and were quite a chatty trio, liable to talk ones ear off if they let them. Like the footmen, they were around the same age or a bit older than the students, though were instructed by the school not to speak to one another.
Bethany,
Theresa, and
Georgianna worked in the kitchens at Marchwood Hall, each somewhere in their mid-fifties. They spoke a mangled version of Romanian that no one could quite place, even with years of study in the language. Though it was probable they knew a few words of English, they rarely used it, preferring instead to point and gesture in order to communicate.
Danielle Basner was the
chef de cuisine of Marchwood Hall. When not sabotaged by the kitchen staff, with whom she frequently clashed, her food was exquisite and some of the best in the country.
Miscellany
Mogget was a cat with snowy white fur. He wore a red leather collar, adorned with several intricate complicated-looking knots spread evenly about his neck, at the center of which was a small silver bell. The students could not quite remember how long ago the cat had lived at Marchwood Hall, but it treated the house and its environs as his own personal demesne.
This message was last edited by the GM at 10:35, Wed 14 July 2021.
