Whether or not you had been previously aware of the wizarding world, the invitation to enroll as a student of Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was an exciting prospect; a castle built from the ground up only a few centuries ago, with a little bit of history of its own, protected by a series of charms and other enchantments to keep it away from prying Muggle eyes. Mt. Greylock was said to be a majestic place, and nearly half of it was shrouded in the obfuscating misty barrier that protected it.
When the owls flew up to each of you and dropped their letters at your feet, it had been undeniable that something strange and otherworldly had begun, and as you opened your letters and read the contents, the details of your new direction in life became clear:
Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft & Wizardry
Headmistress: Phoenix Nightingale, of the Esteemed Nightingale Family
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted as a 1st-year student of Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The enclosed token will take you to a place to purchase supplies at a certain time (---- the --th), and then the next day to a meeting place where your initiation will begin.
Our dress code is lax, but you will be required to take with you:- 1 plain cloak
- 1 plain pointed hat
- 1 pair of protective gloves that are made of dragon hide or any similar material
- 1 plain winter cloak
You will be provided 1 Gordian knot fastening for your cloaks, as well as a selection of wands to choose from/be chosen from.
Cloaks will be worn at all times on school grounds, and you will be provided with an identifier for your chosen House to complete the ensemble. Besides that, anything (tasteful) can be worn underneath, but graphic tees or outward-facing logos from the Muggle world are highly frowned upon.
Respectfully,
Captain Roseline de Rayne
Deputy Headmistress
A token with the symbol of a Gordian knot had been enclosed as well.
The days after had been a whirlwind of activity: packing away what you might need for the entire school year and saying your goodbyes before the date arrived. When the time came, you each held your tokens, and felt the vortex rush of a portkey transportation across the world.
Traveling via portkey was a very chaotic experience, in which you held on for dear life as the world spun around you and all kinds of cosmic forces pressed in on you from all sides - unpleasant, to say the least, and probably just a little bit painful.
Nevertheless, you arrived at Diagon Alley - the letter mentioned that you were usually meant to go to an American wizarding town, but that… certain complications had made contact with that place impossible. You took your time, seeing the sites and purchasing what you needed, before again holding the token aloft at the time of departure and portkey traveling to your final destination.
It was a good thing all of you were relatively young and healthy; two trips so close to each other brought with it at least a little bit of nausea, but you would be alright.
Reality rushed back into focus as the portkey finished its work, and all of the sights and the sounds arranged themselves back into something that each of you could parse...
Mt. Greylock, Portkey Landing
Mid-January was one of the chilliest times of the year, and halfway up Mt. Greylock out there in Massachusetts, all of you were feeling it. You all had appeared in the middle of an ancient stone clearing in the middle of the forest, with many other students either standing around or coming in at the last minute. The birds sang in the trees, and the insects only flitted here and there in this winter climate.
The breeze smelled strongly of crisp alpine air, nearly hurting your nostrils it was so sharp.
"Students! May I have your attention please?"
An authoritative feminine voice cut through the idle chatter that had begun to bubble amongst the crowd like a hot knife through butter.
"Thank you." She had a slight French accent, and the gruff demeanor of a soldier.
"Allow me to introduce myself: My name is Captain Roseline Marie-Claude de Rayne."
As everyone quieted down and turned to the person in question, they were able to get a good look at her.
Captain Rayne was a tall and imposing figure at a height of 6', made all the more intimidating by the openly presented remnants of an old battlescar that had ruined her right (your left) eye and made the area around it pink and raw. She wore a military-esque uniform colored a formal navy blue with gold accents.
She had fair skin where it hadn't been scarred, aquamarine eyes, and straight black hair that was braided on the side to keep it away from her face but otherwise let down. Curiously, her left arm and right leg were exposed, but it was obvious that the limbs themselves had been replaced entirely by brass, clockwork prosthetics that moved with almost the same amount of dexterity as their normal counterparts.
"I'm sure you are all curious as to why you were not transported immediately to the castle proper in order to begin your initiation?" She began, resting her hands on the small of her back and pacing slowly from side to side.
"There are many reasons - matters of security, mostly - but I'm sure that such enthusiastic and enterprising children like yourself won't mind a little jaunt up the mountain… on foot, of course."
A few of the assembled students groaned.
"Now now, chin up! A little walking never hurt anyone, and believe me..."
She smirked a little, a dimple appearing on the unblemished side of her face and a glint appearing in her working eye.
"This is only a fraction of what you will find in my class."
"Allow me to introduce a few of my fellow colleagues, who will be joining us on this expedition for additional safety and support - the mountain is not usually dangerous at this time of day, but you never know. First, Professor Sequoyah:"
A darker-skinned man stepped forward at the mention of his name, and put his hands on the lapels of his plum-and-golden vest to present an aura of studiousness. Beneath the sauve vest, he wore a simple white dress shirt and a golden tie; black trousers finished the ensemble, but he also appeared to have a chain loop at his hip to indicate perhaps a watch of some kind, as well as a pair of reading glasses hanging from his neck.
He, too, had jet black hair, similarly to the Captain, but it's waviness (as well as other indicators) belied that it was from his Native American roots instead. He smiled softly, his chocolate brown eyes twinkling with wisdom and mirth.
"Hello!" He said in a deep, resonating voice.
"I teach an elective course, Study of Ancient Runes, but I am just as invested as all the others in your education and wellbeing, so if you have any questions or concerns, then don't be afraid to come find me."
Professor Sequoyah stepped back, and Captain Rayne turned to present the person on her other side.
"And now, our teacher of Defense Against the Dark Arts, Drucilla." The Captain announced.
The last figure struck a much stranger visage as she drifted -
literally drifted, as if without moving her legs - to the fore. A long white cloak obscured almost the entirety of her body, with only the lower half of her face visible beneath the hood; the cloak had accents and esoteric symbols done on it all in silver, and once she turned her back it would be obvious that there was a large, intricate, and unidentifiable circular symbol dominating the back.
What
could be seen of Druscilla's face revealed dark, dark skin, and an unnatural youth and beauty which could be felt from even this glimpse of her. She spoke in a soft yet sinister voice.
"The world out there is a cruel and unforgiving place; I will teach you to be more cruel, and more unforgiving."
Her statement was so matter-of-fact that a slightly uncomfortable silence fell over the assembled students, while she drifted back to her original position. Captain Rayne seemed unperturbed, but Professor Sequoyah rubbed the back of his neck nervously and just looked off into the distance.
Captain Rayne cleared her throat.
"A few more latecomers still seem to be dropping in, so take a few moments for now; stretch in preparation for the hike, get to know your fellow 1st-years, introduce yourselves to any of us, etc. etc." She made eye contact with each of you, establishing herself further as the authority figure in this situation.
"Dismissed."
Slowly, the gentle murmur of many conversations began again. Each of you found yourselves a little lost in the crowd, maybe looking for a clique or group to gravitate toward, but most everyone seemed to have made their own by now.
The only really interesting kids to observe were a brother and sister, judging by how similar they looked; the sister seemed to have a gravitating personality, having already gathered several kids to her side, but the brother just looked like a hanger-on - he seemed younger than he should be to be here, and was struggling a little to carry all of the books and things he had.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:57, Fri 12 Nov 2021.
