Amortentia Dolorosa

The Magical Arts are taught worldwide, but each school follows a different set of traditions, shaped by its physical environment and culture of origin. While all of our players should be intimately familiar with Hogwarts, other schools are given far less description, and few places outside Wizarding Britain are mentioned at all. To offer a more full-featured magical world, we've bloody well written it, ourselves.

Please consider this list when choosing your Alma Mater on the registration form.

• Acoma Academy of Mortal Mages, New Acoma Territory, North America
• Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, Thoronet, France
• Durmstrang Institute, Lithuania
• Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Hogsmeade, Scotland
• Salem Witches' Institute, Eastern Territory, North America

The Acoma Academy serves, primarily, the American Southwest and Northern Mexico. It is located in the Zuni-Bandera volcanic field, of New Mexico, between El Malpais and what remains of the Acoma Pueblo. The Academy and grounds are gracefully concealed with charms mirroring the surrounding desert and a strong compulsion to look elsewhere.

Introduction to New Acoma Territory
In the Americas, wizarding territories only infrequently share boundaries with Muggle territories. Thus the territory of New Acoma, which the school serves, is actually comprised of the whole of New Mexico, Arizona, and Nevada, as well as the greater part of Texas, Utah, and the Mexican states of Sonora, Chihuahua, and Coahuila, and smaller sections of Southern Colorado. Within the New Acoma Territory, a high percentage of Muggles retain a belief in magic and Magical Beings, and Wizards are able to live more openly, if not fully so, in most parts of the Territory. Many Muggles even seek out magical assistance from known Wizards and Magical Beings in the area. As might be expected, New Acoma refused the International Statute of Secrecy in 1692, instead, taking on a far less restrictive version of the same, and is one of the few places to do so that still survives, today.

Overview of Acoma Academy
The Acoma Academy for Mortal Mages, as might be discerned from its name, only instructs Wizards and Witches, to name them in the European parlance. Studies focus a great deal more on subjects greatly ignored by the European schools, like "Interactions with Magical Beings", "Native Historico-linguistics", and "Integration of Muggle Technology".

As Hogwarts has Houses, Acoma has Paths, with each path focusing on a different approach to the Magical World.

Deist
The Deist path leads a follower in attributing magic to the god or gods of their choice. Many Deists become religious leaders after graduation, and are frequently attributed with miracles or extreme good fortune. While in school, they tend to study Native Historico-linguistics, one or more pantheons, Charms, and Interactions with Magical Beings.

Naturalist
The Naturalists attribute all magic to nature, and tend toward elemental magics, Astronomy, Herbology, Potions, and similar studies. They are inclined toward open spaces and woodlands and frequently reject city life after graduation, preferring to settle in small communities or on self-contained farms or ranches.

Technoshaman
The Technoshaman's path leads a follower to attribute his magic to himself, and popular studies include Integration of Muggle Technology, Transfiguration, History of Magic, and Arithromancy. They are inclined to live in cities with a high population of technically-savvy individuals, and tend to form communal groups with others of the same path.

The Durmstrang Institute is Europe's most intimidating school of magic. From its policy of only accepting Purebloods to its renowned, in-depth Dark Arts program, Durmstrang is a power unto itself.

The castle which houses the institute is located in Lithuania, in the mountains near Vilinus, and as with all European Wizarding academies, it is Unplottable.

And this. I need to write this, too.

The only student-aged characters we are allowing, at this time, are canon Death Eaters who would still have been in school in 1974, according to the canon timeline. The Hogwarts forum may be used for conferences with instructors, discussions with characters who are still in school, and similar affairs.

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was founded in the latter portion of the tenth century by two witches and two wizards -- the greatest minds of their time -- with the intention of collectively educating the wizarding youth of the isle of Britain. Over the next thousand years, the school expanded to serve Ireland and portions of mainland Europe, but the four-house system and its ideals remained intact.

Gryffindor

• Founded by: Godric Gryffindor
• About the founder: The most accomplished duellist of his time, Gryffindor hailed from Godric's Hollow, in the West Country. He was an activist for Muggle and non-Pureblood rights, believing that anyone who showed magical ability should be allowed to attend Hogwarts.
• House ideals: Gryffindors are most renowned for their courage. At best, they boldly defend noble ideals. At worst, they shoot first and ask questions later.
• Stereotypical students:
  The Paladin: These Gryffindors want to use their strength and bravery to support a good cause. They will defend their compatriots to the last breath, and are quick to release their fury on any who would do harm to their chosen ideal. DADA is popular with paladins.
  
  Don Quixote: These Gryffindors want to be heroes -- to be seen by others displaying their bravery. They rush headlong into danger, even to the point of creating danger in order to rush into it. Sirius Black is the classic example of a Don Quixote type.

Hufflepuff

• Founded by: Helga Hufflepuff
• About the founder: A plump Welsh Witch, with profound skill in food-related charms, Hufflepuff campaigned for better working conditions for House Elves. Her recipes have come forward in time, still practised by the House Elves of Hogwarts.
• House ideals: Hufflepuffs are best known for their loyalty. At best, they will serve a cause stubbornly and unbreakably until death. At worst, they'll sink the ship, rather than let their captain suffer mutiny.
• Stereotypical students:
  The Sidekick: These Hufflepuffs work hard for nearly no recognition, preferring that others do well because of them. They give their time and energy almost selflessly to those who will protect them in some way. Potions is popular with sidekicks.
  
  The Suicide Bomber: Blind devotees of a cause, these Hufflepuffs are the Kamikaze agents of the Wizarding War. Their lives are worth far less than the final success of the cause, whichever cause that may be.

Ravenclaw

• Founded by: Rowena Ravenclaw
• About the founder: The most brilliant witch of her time, Scotswoman Rowena Ravenclaw believed in personally training others who shared her brilliance. She is said to be responsible for the migratory nature of rooms and staircases within Hogwarts Castle.
• House ideals: Ravenclaws are best known for their intelligence. At best, knowledge is power, and the Ravenclaw mind is a force to be reckoned with. At worst, absolute power corrupts absolutely, and many a Ravenclaw has fallen to arrogance and the lure of fame and fortune.
• Stereotypical students:
  Ivory Tower Academics: These Ravenclaws are interested in pure knowledge, whether or not it serves a practical purpose. They are primarily theorists and believe that testing and other mundane concerns are someone else's problem. History of Magic is popular with Ivory Tower Academics.
  
  Vocational Students: Though the Ivory Tower Ravenclaws think less of them, these Ravenclaws are inclined to learn things that are useful and will help them to solve problems and perform new tasks. They are frequently the people who end up testing the new theories. Muggle Studies is popular with vocational students.

Slytherin

• Founded by: Salazar Slytherin
• About the founder: Slytherin hailed from the fens -- likely East Anglia or Norfolk. His belief that only Pureblood wizards should be educated at Hogwarts echoes through Slytherin House to the present day, although mixed blood is no longer a bar to sorting.
• House ideals: Slytherins are widely known for their cunning. At best, they are excellent strategists. At worst, they are fantastic double-agents.
• Stereotypical students:
  The Profiteer: In the end, it all comes down to one thing -- what do I get out of this? If these Slytherins don't see some sort of gain, they can't be bothered to care. Legilimency is popular with profiteers.
  
  The Spy: Like Ravenclaws, these Slytherins believe that knowledge is power. But it isn't about what you can learn in textbooks. Real power comes with knowing the secrets of those around you, and being able to exploit those weaknesses to your best advantage. Occlumency is popular with spies.

The Salem Witches' Institute, despite the name, serves the Witches and Wizards of the Eastern Wizarding Territory of North America.

An Introduction to the Eastern Territory
The Eastern Territory covers parts of North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, and Ohio, as well as the entire states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Maryland and Delaware, in the US. It also covers all of Labrador, Newfoundland, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island, on the Canadian side of the border.

Wizards of the Eastern Territory are frequently even more uptight and traditional than their counterparts on the other side of the pond. As the territory was primarily settled by Wizarding deists and Muggles who feared magic, there is a strong tradition of secrecy and attribution of magical talent to the Christian god. Many Wizards of the Eastern Territory speak of directing miracles, rather than casting spells, and Wizarding traditions have fallen under strong Puritan covers, in much the fashion that the Crypto-Jews of Spain "converted" to Catholicism.

Reasons for Wizards of the Eastern Territory to return to England and join the Knights of Walpurgis frequently revolve around genealogy and wanting to learn the roots of their traditions, by returning to the source. Voldemort's ideals can be particularly appealing to Wizards who have been raised under such strong restraints from the Muggle world.

One of these days, I'll finish writing this.

An Overview of the Salem Witches' School
The Salem Institute is a six-year school, beginning the September after the student turns ten. Unlike other schools with core divisions of the student body, the Salem Institute does not base those divisions on personality or interests, but rather on gender. After the third year, students are separated into Witches' Studies and Wizards' Studies.

Witches' Studies
The Witches' Studies program is focused on creation and protection, with the final year testing, at a minimum, skills in Occlumency, Disillusionment, Medical Magic, and household charms. Popular courses in the program are Potions, Herbology, Home Maintenance Magic, Medical Magic, Shielding and Home Defence, Understanding the Services of Magical Beings, and Specialities in Transfiguration.

Wizards' Studies
The Wizards' Studies program is focused on hunting and magical offence, with the final year testing, at a minimum, skills in Duelling and Dark Arts, self-protection charms, magical pursuit techniques, and Memory Charms. Popular courses in the program include Duelling and Dark Arts, Magic and Memory, Care of Magical Creatures, Alchemy, Tracking and Pursuit, and Specialities in Charms.