Boarbristle Academy of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Your destination is the hoary old magic school, the Boarbristle Academy of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

For hundreds of years, the crumbling pile has stood on a bluff atop the Chilly Tarn, a gloomy lake that lives up to its name, as generations of students have learned, emerging bare and pimpled with gooseflesh as the magic of the lake dissolves their bathing garments into water to the dismay of new students not privy to its secret. "The Chilly Willy Tarn!" more than one male student has been known to protest.

A more cheerful neighbor is the little magical village of Turnbuckle, which has made its living over the years by turning a blind eye to the vices of Boarbristle's students and professors.

The more adventurous, or more solitary, may wander from Boarbristle Academy to the Weirding Woods. Forbidden to students because of its dangerous, monstrous inhabitants rumored to have a taste for tender student flesh -- or is it a lust for tender student flesh? -- the Weirding Woods are a constant source of whispering and rumor among the underclassmen. Upperclassmen are usually too busy with coursework, keeping up with House Duties, rivalries and love affairs to bother about Boarbristle's enchanting though eldritch setting.

There are also secrets hidden within the walls of Boarbristle itself, and under its floors.

Four Academic Houses hold the students of Boarbristle.

• Draconis, whose banner is the Green Dragon and whose Trait is Ambition. The Housemistress, and Headmistress of Boarbristle, is Pernilla Porcinilla, Mistress of Potions and Alimentation. Boarbristle's banquets are legendary under her Headmistressship, and often attract distinguished guests. Draconis favors bisexuality and promiscuity.
• Leontes, whose banner is the Red Lion and whose Trait is Bravery. The Housemaster is Fergus Firetail, Master of Conjurations and Dueling. Leontes favors heterosexuality and having a steady partner, but tolerates most sexual patterns.
• Minerval, whose banner is Medusa in Black on the Silver Aegis and whose trait is Cunning. The Housemaster is Oscar Whiplash, Master of Divination. Minerval favors homosexuality and frowns on exclusively straight House members.
• Beavertail, whose banner is the Golden Beaver and whose trait is Diligence. The Housemistress is Bertha Beeblossom, Mistress of Scrolls. Beavertail welcomes all sexual patterns and encourages House members to try everything once.

Leontes and Beavertail have good relations. Everyone is suspicious of Draconis, despite its students' legendary charm and affability. Minerval stands aloof, cultivating reserve but watching the other Houses with its beady eyes.

Each House has a Master or Mistress who is the ceremonial and practical head. Each House typically has a Tutor, who deals with students' academic and personal affairs, and a Warden, who deals with the House's physical premises and any safety or immediate threat issues.

Fraternization and sexual connections within a House are encouraged. Friendship across Houses is tolerated if there's some pretext for a common interest, but looked on with suspicion. Professor-student relationships are officially forbidden and cause for severe punishment, including expulsion or dismissal, yet just about every professor takes advantage of one or more biddable, impressionable students and gets away with it unless caught in the act. The highest-risk dalliance is with a student's Head of House. If things go wrong, the best one can hope for is a quick sponsorship into another House and a web of protective charms. This is mitigated by the tendency of each Head of House to build up a little harem among their students to dilute the opportunities for drama. Of course, being part of a Head's harem might cause a student to be caught up in whatever personal schemes the Head has outside their official role, amplifying the risk.