DreamLyrics™ Play-by-Post Forums Front of House Play-by-Post Game Studio Platform 9¾ Recruiting Thread

This thread is a jumping point for anyone interested in being a Witch or Wizard.

A couple of background scenes, and information/guidelines/boundaries to help you form some ideas on what kind of character you might like to play.

I will also be requesting a Forum so that I can upload more information - like the complete Character Generation process for people to look through.

Thanks for taking a look and considering jumping on the Hogwarts express.

Seventeen years ago

The large room, normally used for meals and gatherings at Hogwarts, was somber and draped in black.

No one said a word as a steely haired woman stepped up and addressed those gathered, speaking in a cultured tone, accented and full of unshed tears and anger.

Professor McGonnagal, Headmistress of Hogwarts, looked out at the frightened students gathered before her.

"It is with a sad heart that I must confirm rumors- rumors that I am sure you all have heard by now. Five of our ranks are dead, killed in a viscous and cowardly attack in the village. Another nine are in critical condition."

Professor Minerva McGonnagal took a soft breath, looked out over the crowd, then continued.

"I will make it my mission to find those who did this, and bring them to justice -"

The speech continued on, washing over a sea of pale faces.

Perhaps it was shock, or something else, but no one moved when the topic turned to other coordinated attacks, in Great Britain and other countries.

The world had gone mad.

It was believed to be the last bit of desperate revenge from a fanatical group that had been brought to heel and crushed- At least they all had firmly believed such, until recent events proved otherwise.

Were the Death Eaters back?



One Week Later

Casualties from the Hogsmeade Attack have increased as six of the nine injured students did not recover and succumbed to their wounds.



Fifteen years ago

The attacks had continued, Hogwarts was just the first of several over the last two years.

Hogwarts.

Knockturn Alley.

Beauxbatons.

Dreadle Denning's private residence.

It was the last that shocked many.

Until then, it had been establishments, or locations frequented by groups of wizards.

This was the first time that there had been an attack at a private residence- one Dreadle Denning, an elderly wealthy wizard. He was an eccentric scholar, but outside of obscure academic circles he was not noteworthy at all.



Thirteen years ago

Many had believed that this current terrorist group were members of the Death Eaters, however information has been gained that dispute this claim.

Someone came forward, their identity concealed by the Ministry, to tell who was truly responsible.

Not the Death Eaters.

A new group, one using similar tactics, but whose motives were unknown.

The group calls themselves The Returned, and despite using a symbol quite similar to the infamous 'Dark Mark' for maximum terror and effect, have no other affiliation with those in league with He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named.

The identities of several of the main group were also discovered, at the cost of the lives of several Aurors and informants - after an attack killing over forty muggles at a muggle museum in London.

The Returned also staged more attacks in France and Germany within weeks of the London massacre, though this time mixed marriage couples were targeted and murdered in their homes.

Heading the group, that were calling themselves 'The Returned,' were Hieronymus Travers, his twin sister Titian Travers, and Phineas Vane.

The trio had graduated three years prior to the first attack at the top of their class, and were, indeed, prefects for Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Slythernin respectively, with Titian being Head Girl of their year.



Twelve years ago

The wedding of Muggleborn Frieda Collins and Pureblood Grant Prewett was set to be memorable.

Both had been in the same year at Hogwarts, both in Ravenclaw, and the pair had been chosen as Head Boy and Head Girl.

The wedding will remain memorable for other, more tragic, reasons.

The Returned also made their appearance, killing the majority of the guests, as well as the bride and groom.

Those in attendance were stronger than the group imagined however, with several attendees gaining the upper hand, and eventually routing the attack.

Heironymus Travers, Phineas Vane and Sullivan Chang, were apprehended along with Cassandra Eiderlon and Mildred Flume.

Chang is of note as he has been identified as one of the major forces in The Returned, as well as Chang being in the same year as Vane and the Travers twins- and had been Head Boy of their year to Titian's Head Girl, though he was in Ravenclaw while she was in Hufflepuff.

Chang graduated the year previous to Collins and Prewett, and was said to know them quite well, with many referring to them as 'friends' until Chang's final year at Hogwarts.

Their last year started with the three having a 'falling out,' and Chang distancing himself from others in his class.

Speculation rises since that makes prestigious members of all four Hogwarts Houses of the same year leading members of a radical group.

While some wonder how large a role Titian Travers plays in the group, the Daily Prophet has reliable reports that the quartet were taking their orders from a fifth member - someone who is truly in charge of The Returned.

Though Titian Travers remains at large, it is hoped that she will be caught soon.



Current Time

The house in Little Whinging was the same as many on the row.

Each one clean with porches swept, windows polished and shining, looking like nothing more than stately normal homes of average people who went about their normal day to day average lives without an idea that the world was not what they thought it was.

It was the inside of this house that set it apart.

Everything in place, almost orderly, except for one fallen lamp and one cracked mirror.

Four bodies- a man, a woman, a small child about 6 or so, and an older child, perhaps 10 or 11 none showing any signs of violence.

A woman moves through the room, a cruel smile on her face as she picks up a piece of paper, liberally splattered with blood, about 10 centimeters by 16 or 17 long- a train ticket.

Looking at the bodies she laughed a cruel harsh sound, and tossed the ticket at the fireplace.

"Not like you will be using this now, will you?"

As it flew into the fireplace, even though it was not lit, the ticket burst into flames and turned to ash.

Looking a final time at the bodies of the family, she shakes her head.

"This would have been so much easier if you had just cooperated, and you still would be alive. Instead- well I have what I needed. That is all that matters, isn't it? You really have only yourself to blame."

The woman pocketed a large vial of smoky black crystal.

As she turned, deftly, on the spot, the house was suddenly empty of anyone except the four dead bodies.





On the television, a short news broadcast warning citizens to be careful- several violent deaths of two families throughout the local area had law enforcement worried.

Currently there were no suspects.



Elsewhere

Professor Flitwick, Deputy Headmaster, and current interim Headmaster, of Hogwarts paced, and whirled to face the men and women who had been discussing the death of Muggle families throughout Great Britain - Muggle families who had a child that had just been accepted to Hogwarts.

"There must be something that can be done! Five! FIVE! Muggle-born students for next year's class, dead. Dead! These are the first attacks in a decade, true, but - Something must -"

The diminutive man had a large presence, but so did the others in the room.

"Filius, we are going to post Aurors near the homes of as many Muggle-borns as we can. We will be spreading thin, if we could, that is, it would be helpful if-"

Filius interrupts quickly.

"I know what you are going to ask- and I will ask some of the teachers if they would consider posting to some of the homes or neighborhoods, at least until the beginning of term. Though with Minerva's disappearance in the middle of last term, many are quite shaken."

He looks, understandably, upset.

"However, this year is one of the largest we have had for Muggle-born wizards and witches. We need to -"

The discussion proceeds with details on how best to protect incoming students.

Character creation guidelines:

Platform 9 3/4 is going to (try) and mimic the feeling of the books - I will do my best.

This includes the feeling of getting to know other members in your class, creating connections both good and bad - I am fine with PCs being friends, rivals, or enemies after all a mix of emotions make for a more interesting story.

PCs, as I mentioned, will not have met each other before the game begins.

For example, the Malfoy scions and the Weasley children knew of each other's families, but in had never met before the game.

In the original HP books, the adults kind of knew each other, some knew each other very well.

However, no one (the adults at least) knew the Dursleys or the Grangers, but the Weasley's knew the Malfoys, Snape had a history with James/Sirius/Remus/Lily, the Longbottoms had a painful relationship with Bellatrix - Get the point?

I have a feeling in this game some of the major dirt is going to be with the adult connections- and those secrets, loves, rivalries and alliances may or may not come out during game play.

But they will be there and will influence the story.

But enough about the boring adults.

They are not the main characters of this story.

Here are a few guidelines to take into consideration when thinking about a character and their background:

Age
Characters must be 11, on or before September 1.

No 12 or 13 year old - you will all be First Years and, at least on the first day of school, starting at the age of 11.


Missing/Dead family members:
If you have missing or dead family members, The Returned will have been involved somehow.

Just like missing/dead family members were involved with events dealing with the Death Eaters, in our game the main boogeymen will be The Returned.

This is one way to help tie in a few story elements that will make my job more fun.


Siblings/Cousins:
You can have older/younger siblings or cousins you are close to, but none of the same year.

Is it a cousin your character barely knows - probably, but nothing guaranteed.

The characters will need to build relationships with other PCs and most NPCs in game.

Curious or have some ideas?

Ask.


Friends:
If you want to start off having close friends at Hogwarts there are several conditions:
One - Let me know and I will give you a list of potential NPCs that would fit your requirements.

Two - You need to "purchase" them using the Allies Trait.

Three - If you want them to be background friends only at the start of the game with them going different paths - talk to me, we might be able to come to a compromise, but they will be former friends.

Of course you can also have NPCs as Rivals or Enemies.


PC Friends/Enemies
Friends?

No. That is the simple short answer.

The long answer- still no. Make friends after the start of the game.

Enemies may possibly be worked out in advance, though you would not have met before school - or you can just develop your antipathy after the game starts.

If you go the true enemies route, both players could take the Enemies Trait as a bonus (giving you 5 points) but this is not a surface tension, it would be a "I will sabotage you every chance I get" feeling between the characters - At least until they pay it off.

Since both chose Player Characters as Enemies they both must pay off the Bonus Trait for the feud to end.

Because of this, this option comes with a warning: Be sure this is what you really want.

This relationship will be along the lines of Severus/Sirius level of hatred lasting a long, long, time.


House Sorting
If your character has a strong preference/expectation on which House they will be sorted into - The Sorting Hat takes that into consideration and you will be sorted into that House.

If you, as a Player and as a character, have strong preferences on the House(s), please let me know.

I would prefer to have a mix of characters in various Houses, and letting me know that you have no preference means you may be surprised on which House you end up in.

A reminder - The Sorting Hat will give you the choice, if your character is hoping for one House, that is where you will go.

There will not be any unexpected shocks for those with a strong preference.


Houses
The Houses we saw came from only one perspective.

We see the Wizarding World through Harry's eyes, where the bold go to Gryffindor, the evil to Slytherin, the smart to Ravenclaw, and the 'duffers' into Hufflepuff.

But this is just Harry's perspective, and the characters turned out to be more than he saw.

For in noble Gryffindor we find Peter Pettigrew.

In despicable Slytherin there was a noble Severus Snape.

In bookbound Ravenclaw loyal and brave Luna Lovegood made her home.

And, in the house where boring people who like yellow go, a Tri-Wizard champion named Cedric Diggory.


The Houses are complex, not all bright colors showing good nor darker colors that are all bad, but usually falling into pastel rainbow shades somewhere in between.




Here is a bit of information of the Houses for you to think over:




At their best: Courageous and valorous, Gryffindors will jump into a fight without hesitation if they feel it is the right thing to do.

At their worst: Some Gryffindors are smug and sanctimonious, leading them to become manipulative bullies (cough-James Potter / Sirius Black -cough - cough). Their unshakable belief that they are right have had some walking down the road of good intentions- and we all know where that road leads.




At their best: Hufflepuffs excel because they persevere no matter the obstacles. Not afraid of difficulties, they often find creative solutions to problems.

At their worst: They are driven, pushing themselves and others to do better, to be better. Beware those Hufflepuffs who start to believe that the ends justify the means, because they will push through any challenge to reach their goal regardless of the cost.




At their best: Inquisitive and knowledgeable Ravenclaws can be counted upon to find the solution to many problems. Their ability to see life as a series of puzzles allows them to find answers to almost any question.

At their worst: Some Ravenclaws lack empathy and compassion leading to a lack of understanding that just because something can be done does not mean that something should be done. Some of the very worst wizarding atrocities were committed by Ravenclaws who just wanted to see what they were capable of.




At their best: Ingenious and resourceful, Slytherins will do whatever it takes to win. Channeled in a positive direction, they will make a difference in the world and can be the shining example of what is possible.

At their worst: Slytherins are exceptionally competitive. At their worst they can be cheats- sabotage is not beyond them. Dedicated to a negative direction, they have, in the past, felt such a strong desire to win that they have unleashed forces that rocked the world.


The main point - there are good and bad people in every House.

Getting started!

The Forum is up with information and background.

Take a look around, snoop, browse through the rules.

When you are ready, send me a PM with your character concept and how you are thinking about spending your points.

Along with your concept, please let me know if there is any House you are dead set on joining, or would prefer to avoid - I do suggest choosing "any" as a preference, it makes the sorting a lot more fun.

Once that is approved, post a picture in the Gallery!

The game will officially begin in a bit, when everyone has a chance to come up with ideas.

Until then - questions? Let me know.

Comments? Let me know.

If you just want to come in here and discuss character ideas with each other - go for it!

By the way, the House Quidditch teams will be accepting new players this year.