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Founders: - Isolt Sayre (1603 - 1703) - James Steward (unknown) - Chadwick Boot (1618 - unknown) - Webster Boot (1620 - unknown) Isolt Sayre was born in the year, 1603. She was the offspring of two pure-blood wizarding families. Her father, William Sayre, was a direct descendant of the famous Irish witch Morrigan. Growing up in Coomloughra, Ireland, Isolt had a peaceful childhood amongst her loving parents. Sadly, in 1608, when Isolt was five years of age, a fire took both her parents' lives. This left Isolt in the care of her vicious aunt: Gormlaith Gaunt. Who lived in the neighbouring valley of Coomcallee. More commonly known amongst wizards as "Hags’ Glen". After twelve years of being raised in isolation and under the influence of her aunt's dark magic. Isolt managed to escape after learning the truth behind her parents' deaths. It had been her aunt who set up the entire event and in retaliation, Isolt escaped with her life and her aunt's wand. Soon enough, she managed to secure passage across the Atlantic in 1620. Under the alias of a boy named Elias Story, she boarded the Mayflower and ventured forth to America. Leaving her old life and her puritan aunt behind. Arriving amongst the first European settlers at the time, Isolde wasted no time in isolating herself once again from public view. She deeply believed her aunt would come and find her, wherever she had fled to. After she convinced the other settlers that young 'Elias' had died during one of the harsh winters, Isolt set out to live in the wilds on her own. On one of her travels there, she witnessed a struggle between a Hidebehind and a Pukwudgie. The young woman was able to save the Pukwudgie with a spell and promptly was told he owed her a debt of life. William, as she named the Pukwudgie after her father since he refused to give his real name, felt humiliated to owe such a large debt to a young foolish girl. Soon enough, though, the pair became close friends and William showed her all around the wilds, teaching her of magical creatures and the landscapes. In their many travels, they eventually came across a family with two young boys. The young men, Chadwick and Webster Boot, had survived a lethal encounter with the same Hidebehind that had attacked William years ago, but their parents gave their lives in their protection. Isolt took both of them in and had a surprise encounter as she returned to bury the parents. James Steward was an ordinary stonemason with no affiliation to magic whatsoever. While Isolt meant to obliviate him after healing both him (who had made the mistake to wave a wand as a no-maj) and the Boot boys, she found joy in the fact she was able to converse with another adult. James stayed for a while, helping Isolt build a proper home, which she dubbed 'Ilvermorny' after her old family home in Ireland. She never ended up obliviating James and the pair eventually fell in love with one another. Having two daughters of their own, whilst still taking care of their two adopted sons, the Boot boys. Soon enough, as the Boot boys began to grow and needed magical schooling, Isolt and James began teaching the young blossoming wizards. After a while, they were teaching dozens of children from neighbouring communities as well as a handful of young Native American witches and wizards, as well. Inspired by what Gormlaith had told Isolt about Hogwarts, she and her family decided to establish four houses to sort these children in. While Isolt's girls were still little and Chadwick and Webster Boot were teenagers, Gormlaith Gaunt located her niece after hearing news of this new school, conveniently named Ilvermorny. Gormlaith hunted Isolt and her family down, seeking her revenge as well as retrieving her old wand. After a brief skirmish, Isolt's aunt was eventually defeated. Struck by a poison arrow, with a life debt fullfilled, by William the Pukwudgie. Now at peace once more, Ilvermorny continued to grow and flourish after Gormlaith’s defeat, and Isolt and her husband James both lived to be over a hundred years old.
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Name: Lazarus Plott Age: 46 (born 4th of July, 1975) Nationality: American Blood status: Pureblood Born in New York City, Manhattan. His parents, both wizards, graduated from Ilvermorny. He grew up surrounded by magic, his parents worked in the theater. The theater was a great place for his kind to hide, contact with muggles has been historically limited for his kind. While he was born after Rapport's Law was repealed, it shaped his early experiences and contact with muggles who were deemed dangerous to wizards. That was why the theater worked for them -- "eccentrics" are taken as normal in the theater. Spectacular magical events, taken as showmanship, his parents were effective in the theater. When Lazarus came of age, he, like his parents went to Ilvermorny. It was the horned serpent that chose him. It fit him well, he did well academically and was fairly popular among his peers. He was bullied his earlier years, that was until he channeled his showmanship which inspired awe more than ridicule in his peers. Also, it was helpful in securing dates. It was his third year he developed a special "fog" he uses when he enters a room for particularly dramatic entrances that he uses casually. It is a combination of a few routinely available, non-caustic potions that have a bit of a mist-like effect. He is also a fan of the voice amplification charm. When he graduated, he joined his parents in the theater. While he enjoyed the spectacle, he felt unfulfilled. He enjoyed the lights, the buzz and the crowds, but he was not speaking his words but rather the words others wrote for him. He decided that he wanted to be his own man. He originally took another showman role as a stage Magican where he mostly worked at children's birthdays. He enjoyed the experience and it was there that he decided to pursue a life of academia. It was the wonder in the children's eyes, the questions from the true muggles if magic was real. He wanted to tell them the truth but he knew better, even as a showman there was a fine line between the truth and the act and here that line was blurred. He was mostly ignorant to the Wizarding War that went on in the United Kingdom. It was something he read about in the papers as well as the aftermath. During these youthful years, current events that did not directly affect him were not a great concern. After his brief stint as "the greatest birthday magician alive" he applied for a staff position in Ilvermorny. He said he would take any role, he got a role as a groundskeeper. He was a terrible groundskeeper. It was a miracle, perhaps a sign of the divine that he was not fired. Eventually the then headmaster approached him, noting in his quarters the numerous potions he had in storage, some unique to Lazarus. Commended on his natural skill as a potioneer and offered him the post as the next Potions Professor as his predecessor was retiring the next year. Lazarus committed his spare time to his studies, preparing himself (and his curriculum) to be the best Potions Master he could be. He did well as the Potions Master, serving as the Professor of Potions for 5 years. He was eventually offered the role of Head of House for his former House, the Horned Serpent. He took the role, the House flourished and won the House cup twice in a row. This was before he was offered the role of Headmaster. That was this past year, a position he has taken with a great deal of honor. It is his hope that during his tenure he accomplishes great things.
	Chadwick Boot, Webster Boot, Rionach Steward, Seraphina Picquery, Porpentina Goldstein, Queenie Goldstein,

Ilvermorny started out as a simple home for Isolt and her family. As they began teaching their adoptive sons, eventually Isolt and James accepted other magical children to come study in their home. As soon as there was a need for more housing, they began expanding their house and eventually their grounds. Over decades, Ilvermorny had become a full-fledged school, with its reputation on every American wizard's lips. It succeeded in becoming America's number one school on the subject of magic, and is considered to be Hogwarts' little sister by many. Though not every wizard or witch will take that as a compliment.

Due to the many stages of expansion over the decades and centuries even, Ilvermorny castle is a bit of an eclectic mix in architecture. Oddly enough, this has actually worked to its advantage due to many settlers from the past coming from elsewhere in the world and making a new home in this new land. Various immigrants helped influence the many shapes and sizes that make Ilvermorny's silhouette so unique.

With more and more students streaming in, Isolt decided to have her own four houses to sort these different individuals in. She, her husband James and their two sons each chose a creature to represent their house. Chadwick chose the mighty thunderbird whilst Webster opted for the Wampus. Isolt chose to honour a dear friend, the Horned Serpent whom she still had regular conversations. James had a hard time finding something he felt fitting. After some debate, he proudly picked a Pukwudgie, like William, to represent his house.

Aside from their eclectic housing, Ilvermorny has its own way of handling wands. They in fact provide them within the school itself. Coming from a time when wand makers were not likely to make the trip west and overseas, there were frighteningly few who would be able to provide usable wands for Ilvermorny's first students. Isolt and James had made their sons' wands and would continue to craft wands until they could teach others to be their successors in the field. Regardless, Ilvermorny made sure to keep providing them to anyone attending the school. So none of them would be left without.

Due to Isolt's (at the time) unique approach to teaching magic and providing for everyone instead of the select few of the right blood. She built up her school with a reputation of the least elitist and most democratic of all the other famous schools spread across the globe. Even to this day, Ilvermorny stays true to Isolt's dream. And though things such as Rappaport's Law might have been counterproductive to this ideal, Ilvermorny will not waver. Along with a reputation, there was eventually a need for a uniform. Isolt kept things simple by opting for the colour blue just because she always wished she had been sorted in Ravenclaw house at Hogwarts. Cranberry was added as a secondary colour due to James's love for cranberry pie.

The train station connecting Mount Greylock and New York City was something that was added two centuries after the first house was built. Previously, news of Ilvermorny would simply be passed in conversation. You had to get lucky to catch news of this magical place. Eventually, Isolt managed to once again mimic Hogwarts' procedures and have owl sent out to bring magical children their respective invitations. With more invitations going out, there were more students coming in. At some point, Ilvermorny had a troublesome year keeping its location hidden with a large stream of students marching on to Mount Greylock. This is when it began construction in the 19th century to connect the school with New York City. With the invitations, students would have found a Gordian knot and been ordered to bring it with them. Once in New York, they be able to access a secret platform that would send them to school via train, in a little over five hours, they'd arrive at their destination.

Traditions

Ilvermorny has a couple of traditions that help to bring the community together and remind them of how the school started. Within their opening ceremony welcoming old and new students they actually do a land acknowledgment of the Native people that once occupied the land that they’re now on. They had an influence on the school at its start, and the school continues to honor them as much as they can. In the later half of the year they have the biggest event of the year which is, a school-wide field day. This is one of the only events that they are separated by house to compete. There is an opening ceremony that mimics the Olympics, with various clubs performing on the first day. The next week there are limited classes, and there are many competitions that take place. While there are various activities that take place otherwise, the competitions are broken into four parts, representative of the houses.

Reducio

The Mind

• Arithmancy Achievement Tournament
• Duelling Competition

The Body

• Transfiguration Tournament
• Quodpot

The Soul

• Excellence in Runes Cup
• Xylomancy Reading

The Heart

• Excellence in Potions Cup
• Care of Creatures Competition

Other Activities

• Sports (soccer, flag football, baseball, basketball)
• Escaping a Maze
• An Art Tent (tie-dye, painting, drawing, chalk on a designated wall on the stone castle, face painting)
• Bubble Blowing Area
• Obstacle Course
• Water Balloon Toss
• Scavenger Hunt

Clubs

Due to the school's unique position and the melting stew that is its student population. It has grown to develop numerous clubs both public and very secretive that encompass the varied beliefs, religions, ideologies, and common goals of the many unique students and culture that make up the institution. Many of these clubs were started in the first few centuries of the school's founding with some of the more influential and secretive ones being founded within the last century and a half.

Along with clubs, Ilvermorny is a bit unique with its sports culture. There are many sports clubs at the school along with their main Quodpot team and Quidditch team respectively. Along with the magical sports there are many muggle incorporated sports as its believed that a good wizard should know at least a little about the muggle world. The school also holds to the doctrine that a healthy body equates to a healthy mind and sports clubs help facilitate this nicely.

Like Hogwarts, children are accepted into the school once they turn 11 years of age. School starts between the end of August and the first days of September. After receiving their acceptance letter the prospective student is to gather their necessary schooling supplies and fly to New York City. Children all over North America are accepted into the school.

Obscured and kept well-hidden from prying muggle eyes by numerous heavy magics and enchantments is a secret platform. In order to access this secret platform students will need to keep their acceptance letter and the Gordian knot pendant that will grant them access to the platform and school itself. Where all students will take an underground train to Ilvermorny. Disembarking all first years will be greeted by a small group of Pukwudgies who will lead them up through the lower parts of the school and into the entrance hall where they will be sorted.

There are four houses at Ilvermorny: Horned Serpent, Wampus, Thunderbird and Pukwudgie. When a student starts their education at Ilvermorny, they step onto a Gordian Knot on the floor in the center of the entrance hall with large wooden statues of the mascots for the four houses facing them. The carved statues react if they want the student in their house. The older students watch in silence from a circular balcony on a floor above them as the new students are sorted. The carvings react in different ways: the crystal in the Horned Serpent carving's forehead glows, the Wampus carving roars, the Thunderbird carving beats its wings, and the Pukwudgie carving raises its arrow.

However, sometimes more than one carving will try to select the same student, so the student is then able to choose the house they prefer. This happens very rarely. Sometimes — as rare as once a decade or even a generation as in the case of one student — a student will be selected by every house.

Since the repeal of Rappaport’s law some students choose to pick their wands from one of many wand stores across North America. However, many students attending Ilvermorny choose to take part in the famous tradition where after the sorting ceremony is completed. Students are led into the wand hall, where a Pukwudgie (the creature) will take a student’s hand to one of many tables inside the hall.

They will then go to one of the shelves that line the entire perimeter of the hall and choose a wand they feel fits the young wizard. They’ll ask the student to try some things with the wand and if it does nothing or there is an undesirable effect from it. The Pukwudgie will take the wand and bring the student a new one, repeating this process until the right wand has chosen the student. At which point the Pukwudgie takes the student back to the group of first years and picks another to repeat the whole process.

Due to the history of the school and its diverse background students at Ilvermorny have a unique opportunity to take a vast array of courses. The first four years students take a number of core classes like Transfiguration, Herbology, Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and several others.

Additionally, because of the school’s location, and very diverse student population many of whom are bilingual. There are several language classes offered that students can take as an extra elective. Parseltongue is one of these counted languages as it is more common at Ilvermorny, given the school’s history and frowned upon less. As a result, several hybrid courses are offered for those students interested.Going along with those language classes are other more, unique classes that go into the more intricate and finer details of magic in relation to varying religious practices, beliefs, ideologies, etc. These classes are pretty popular among the younger students and are offered as solely elective classes or ones a student could take for extra credit.

For the entirety of their 5th year students are prepping for their ADAPTs, or Absurdly Difficult Advanced Placement Test. These sets of exams which have a number of focuses are the single most important exams of a student’s career. As many future employers and potential internships weigh ADAPTs heavily on a student’s acceptance. These exams also determine which of the advanced classes at Ilvermorny a person is able to take.

For example, if someone wants to focus on being a healer then they would take a number of ADAPTs related to that focus. At the beginning of their 5th year students meet with their counselors, usually their HOH to discuss what career path they would like to go down. Based on that meeting and sometimes sets of meetings a student will study to make the required set of grades on several ADAPTs. In addition, ADAPTs help students get the necessary internships for specific jobs as most internships base their decisions heavily upon the score of someone’s ADAPTs.

When students graduate, they already have the necessary experience to enter a wide spectrum of jobs and in some cases their internships will turn into a full-time apprenticeship or job after graduation. Armed with diverse knowledge and the resolve to succeed it is no surprise that all who graduate from Ilvermorny are a formidable Bunch.

Ilvermorny castle is situated on the top of Mount Greylock in Massachusetts. It’s enchantments protect it from the muggle gaze by creating a strong misty cloud in the area. The castle did not start off as grand as it was, rather over time it grew into the castle it needed to be. Originally built as a home by Isolt and James to live in, once it became a school they slowly expanded it as needed to become the grand castle that it is now.

There is no shortage of statues that welcome students and visitors into the castle. Starting with the founders of Isolt and James, displayed in marble on either side of the entrance. Once inside there is a circular entrance hall with dedications of wooden statues of Thunderbird, Horned Serpent, Wampus, and Pukwudgie. The entrance hall also has a gordian knot in the floor, something that looks akin to a tangled ball of yarn. This was representative in Ancient Greece of a seemingly impossible problem solved through a decisive or creative solution. The gordian knot can also be seen on the entrance gates to Ilvermorny. The balcony above the entrance hall is where older students look on to the first years as they’re sorted into their houses. Atop the balcony there is a glass cupola, a small dome of glass protruding out of the ceiling.

In addition to the standard dormitories that exist on the grounds of a boarding school, there is a large central tower. On this the Ilvermorny crest is proudly displayed, as well as a stained-glass window depicting a Snakewood tree. The Snakewood tree was grown on the ground from Isolt’s buried wand in the grounds, where her tomb also rests. Every year on the anniversary of her death there is a tradition of placing mayflowers on her final resting place.

Dorms

The dorms were built directly off the left and right side off the entrance hall when the house turned into a boarding school. To the left, Pukwudgie and Horned Serpent. To the right, Wampus and Thunderbird. The two houses on either side actually shared a common room, and students were free to visit the other common room across the hall. A mesh of house colors and typical likes of the students filled the rooms. It was a place for students to communally be together besides the Great Hall. From the common rooms were the girls and boys dorms, which were separated by house. Those were off limits to other houses as well as the other sex. Gathering and community was heavily encouraged by school, which made the open common rooms extremely popular among students to hang out.

Great Hall

Directly past the entrance hall laid a hallway. On the left side was an ornate door leading to the area of the Wand Hall for students without a wand with them to have the wand choose them. On the right side, two grand doors were opened during meal times. It was a grand hall, with a mural that went along the entire perimeter, detailing the story of the founding of the school. There were many round tables that filled the halls, seating around ten students at each one. It was another aspect of the communal inter-house interaction that the school encouraged. Though, at some points the houses naturally ended up separating themselves to talk amongst themselves. At the end of the hall was a long U-shaped table that sat the professors and caretakers of the castle to watch over the students and chat amongst themselves.

Artist: @tarowRow

Blue and Cranberry are still the two primary colours used in Ilvermorny's uniforms. Though over the years, their dresscode has become a little bit stricter and more expansive. They can opt for trousers or skirts in a dark blue and wear vests in the same colour. On top of that they wear their traditonal Cranberyy coloured jackets. Their cloaks for rainy or colder weather sport the same colour. To hold their cloak in place, they use their Gordian Knots to tie the two ends together.

To make their houses stand out, each house has a different checkered pattern on their tie or bow. Funnily enough, shoewear has never been assigned. Students are allowed to wear any they like, which has allowed them to express themselves more openly thorugh them. Due to this, an Ilvermorny student will often start a conversation by noticing someone's shoes. Or... lack thereof...

*Lore by Quinn Healy, Robyn Finley & Caradoc Browne. Banners by Caradoc Browne.