Silvermorne
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Contents
Overview
Silvermorne Academy is a wizarding school based in northeastern North America, in present-day Massachusetts. Surrounded by mountains and forestry, the school building and grounds were accessible to visiting Hogsworth students for the 2022 Winter Waltz event. To make visiting students feel more at home, all players were sorted into one of the Silvermorne houses: Resaye, Berrora, Yantatte, and Tuilaiwen. These houses were attuned to the natural elements: air, water, earth, and fire respectively. Here, players stayed and studied along with the other students until they were ready to “graduate” from the school. Players were then treated to a unique Silvermorne graduation ceremony and received a special wand from their respective houses.
Silvermorne’s founding started from one woman's journey from London to America in the 1620s. Eloise Livingston, a London native and an ancestor of Sevran Serpent, grew up in a time of new change and new foundations. She was exhausted from the environment around her due to the social differences. Sick of others' perceptions, Eloise packed up all her precious items and boarded the first ship to get away from England.
After a long two-month voyage in early 1627, Eloise finally reached the coast of a new area known today as Massachusetts. Excited to start her life over again, she was ready to embrace who she truly wanted to be. Shortly after her arrival in the foreign land, she stumbled into another Englishman in a village who identified as Johnathan Sanders. Both of them started talking and quickly grew close. After a week of staying in the village, they decided it was not for them and planned to move on to an area near Berkshire Hill.
However, getting to Berkshire Hill required a long trek. Eloise and Johnathan peacefully hiked for many days until tragedy struck one night. While resting under a tree, a bobcat, which had been preying on them, sprang out of its hiding spot and attacked them. Its claws and sharp teeth caused both of them to be severely injured. Shocked and with their wands far away from them, the two were 'sitting ducks' against the creature.
Squeezing their eyes closed, the pair thought it was the end until a barrage of spells scared the creature off. Opening their eyes again, they found themselves wrapped up in various plant and mud mixtures to help them with the healing process. Around their necks was a necklace which acted as a translator between their saviours and them. Two men stood in front of them and explained the entire situation. Later, the saviours introduced themselves as Gwilelth, chief of the Carayarro tribe and Teilent, chief of the Nengarmo tribe.
The two chiefs had heard loud screams from the attack and rushed in to help the distraught travellers. Realising that they could do wandless magic, Eloise and Johnathan were fascinated. They had not seen wandless magic before and could not believe that it existed. For the next few days, numerous discussions about different cultures were brought up and the four of them got to know each other even better. The two Europeans enjoyed their company so much that they decided to set up a makeshift home near the two tribes.
Over the next few months, the four individuals met up to teach each other magic and learn the significance behind magic itself. Their curiosity and respect for magic led to discussing the possibility of teaching various forms of magic from around the world. At first, Gwilelth and Teilent were wary of the idea as school systems are not typically found in North America. However, upon further discussions, the two chiefs agreed to the idea under certain conditions set by them.
The first condition was that the land that Silvermorne Academy is built on does not belong to anyone except for Earth itself; the land is to be borrowed for a school, but it must be recognized as such.
Secondly, any resources that are removed to create space for the castle and campus, such as trees, stone, or other wildlife, must be re-used in the school in some form. This meant using the trees as foundations or the stone as the walls for example; no resource should go unutilised.
Lastly, the flora and fauna must be allowed to thrive as they were prior to the school’s foundations. This meant that the native animals must be allowed to roam the campus without being kicked off unless they caused an actual threat, in which case it should be dealt with appropriately. The plants should be allowed to grow as they please, covering the walls of the school. Nature must be present throughout the campus, inside and outside of the walls. This also includes the prohibition of magic for the use of destroying the flora or fauna without a real intended purpose.
It was also discussed that violation of any of the rules would lead to the demolition of the school immediately. The rules applied to all in attendance at the school, including Eloise and Johnathan. This ensured that the conditions set would be followed, even by future generations. The school was also not allowed to employ house elves and students had to learn to clean up after themselves instead.
These foundational events led to the founding of Silvermorne Academy. The school was built atop Mount Greylock which was near the area of Berkshire Hills where the four originally met. The four founders became part of the first school council in order to run the school smoothly. In 1627, the school opened its doors to everyone no matter who they were. The only condition was that all students needed to accept and appreciate everyone's differences in the school.
Geography & Environment
Located on the highest peak of Mount Greylock in Massachusetts, North America, Silvermorne Academy remains intertwined with nature. Due to the pact made between the two tribes and Eloise and Johnathan, special care was taken so that the school grounds did not destroy the environment around it. Anything which was in the way was moved to be re-implemented into the school design afterwards.
This led to a grand and mostly monochromatic castle resting on the peak of the mountain. The primarily grey, white and black colours allowed flora and fauna to be the centre of attraction in the school. Around the campus grounds, earthy tones are used to bring out an even more enchanted appearance to the school. Instead of flattening the mountain to build the school, it is built around the mountain, making it even more unique. Native plants can also be spotted everywhere in the castle, and, even the outside walls of the school are lined with vines.
Around the castle's front doors sit four marble statues, two on each side. Each statue was a different representation of each house in Silvermorne: on the left were the statues representing the Resaye and Berrora spirits while on the right were the Yantatte and Tuilaiwen statues. Each was also enchanted with the respective elements floating around it to give it a special touch. Both magical and non-magical creatures can also be seen roaming around the school grounds frequently.
Notable Locations
Resaye Common Room
The Resaye Common Room is located high up in a tower to be in the air to symbolise the air element. The common rooms are filled with windows that can be left opened or closed at the will of the Resaye students. The room is incredibly light, with whites, silvers and light greys bouncing off the common area in an air-like manner.
Berrora Common Room
The Berrora Common Room is located on the ground floor of the school near a natural water source to symbolise the water element. There is a secret entrance to the common room that only those in this house will know about. Throughout the common room, various hues of blue decorate the walls and floor to reflect the ripples across the water's surface.
Yantatte Common Room
The Yantatte Common Room is located underground to symbolise the earth element. The common room is shaped like a burrow of a hare and has an earthy appearance to it. Filled with flora, the common room is adorned with natural tones of browns and greens.
Tuilaiwen Common Room
The Tuilaiwen Common Room is located midway between the other common rooms of the school. It is not located on tall towers or underground. Having a giant balcony, it is common to spot smoke rising from the fire pit. Symbolising the fire element, this common room is filled with reds, oranges and yellows hues.
Silvermorne Great Hall
The Silvermorne Great Hall is filled with rows of tables which are categorised into the four different Silvermorne houses. This place is a great gathering place for students to have their meals and spend quality time with friends. The Silvermorne Great Hall is also used for any formal events or announcements where everyone in the school can get together.
Sorting Forest Clearing
This unique forest clearing just beyond the castle is where all new students get sorted every year. In the centre of the clearing, there is a circle of rocks where the student getting sorted will have to stand. The spirits from each house would then question the student before sorting them into the house which suits them the most.
Pre-Years Area
The Pre-Years Area is a standalone building within the castle walls providing a daycare and normal school for children under nine years old. This area consists of a two-story school for the pre-year students to learn and play in. The second floor of the building contains the professor’s offices, while the first floor is the main classroom where the children spend their day at.
Quabbleball Pitch
The Quabbleball Pitch features a training ground for Silvermorne Quabbleball teams and is frequently used for practice sessions or matches. There are also seats available for spectators to cheer on and watch any ongoing games as well.
Trivia
Student Life
- There are no age limits for students who can attend the school. The year that the student is placed in is mostly dependent on their magical skill and not their age. On the first week in Silvermorne, the students will go through a series of different assessments to see which year is most suitable for them. Typically, students will end up following an age group which is similar to their own.
- After a week, the students will be brought out into the forest clearing for the sorting ceremony. Once there, each of the house spirits will take turns asking each student different questions to see which house they are most suitable for. The house which is the most suitable for the student will then become the student’s new house in Silvermorne.
- For students who are less than nine years old, they will still be able to attend classes as part of the “Pre-Years”. These younger students will not be suited and mostly learn how to control their magic. They will also be able to attend a few classes such as Herbology, Magical Understanding and Unmagical Studies.
- The “Pre-Years” are also taken on field trips around the school and taught to appreciate all flora and fauna around them. The younger students are also taken around Massachusetts to learn about its history and the rich legacy behind their school. Respect and appreciation of different cultures are also highly emphasised to all students in the school.
- After a student completes all of the years and successfully graduates, they will be deemed as a “Graduate” after going through the graduation ceremony. All graduates would need to return to the forest clearing and the four house spirits will congratulate each student from their house.
- The students will also receive a house necklace which can double as a wand accessory. To finish up the graduation ceremony, the students would need to wear the necklace before casting a spell from their house’s element into the sky.
- As a general baseline, each house wears the same uniform albeit a differently coloured sash to distinguish a house from one another. This consists of a white button-up and an earth-toned green blazer. The shoes are also earthy or neutral tones such as browns, blacks, or whites.
Houses
- To represent the unity and coming together of different cultures, the four founders of Silvermorne each picked out a different animal or spirit to represent each house. The four houses chosen were: Resaye, Berrora, Yantatte, and Tuilaiwen.
- The Resaye spirit resembles a fox, yet it has attributes that make it more than a normal fox. Its fur is very dark in order to blend into the background when wished. Out of the mouth of this creature comes heavy, glowing smoke that swirls and turns silver in the controlled air of the Resaye.
- The Berrora spirit resembles a beaver in size and body. However, there are noticeable differences. The Berrora’s colouring reflects a celestial being, as it appears slightly translucent with a galaxy-like colouring and twinkling stars like a constellation. Around the body of the Berrora is a stream of water that magically floats like a ribbon in the air.
- The Yantatte is a magical creature with a similar appearance to a snowshoe hare. The colouring of the Yantatte is that of light reflecting off snow, leading to purples, blues, greens, and yellows to dance across the fur of the Yantatte. Around the legs near the paws of the creature are little bracelets made of pine from the native evergreen trees. This pine is also seen sticking out of the Yantatte’s tail and on the tips of the ears.
- The Tuilaiwen has an appearance similar to a black-chipped chickadee in size and general appearance. Unlike the Unmagical bird, the Tuilaiwen has fire spreading from the ends of its wings as well as from its eyes most times. When the fire isn’t in the eyes, they tend to glow bright like the sun. The creature is typically very hot, causing the wood to burn foot marks into it when the Tuilaiwen lands on it.
