Scientin

I did not want to leave. Not a day goes by that I do not feel I should be with them now, leading their fight. But I had no other choice. Yes this is about finding a cure for Andreu, but that isn't the only reason. Arabella and Max insisted that I leave, for they knew my life was in imminent danger. And I would have gladly laid it down for the Phoenixes... but I do see the wisdom in their words, and that is why I left.

Perhaps it is best this way. This is giving me time to travel, to think, to contemplate a great many things. I believe I am beginning to understand the bigger picture of all of this. But, not only that, I am beginning to see the threads of something else. Something far more... personal. Another conspiracy, buried deep in the dark.

I know the forces arrayed against me are great and many. But there are also those who wish to support me, who believe in me and my cause. I will not let them down. I will continue to fight, to lend aid and guidance as I am able. Once a Lord of the Phoenixes, always a Lord of the Phoenixes.

It has been five months since I last put pen to paper. So much has happened since then. Too much. I will not recount it all, only enough to organize my thoughts.

The matter with the relics never bore fruit. My brother abandoned his efforts in that respect, or perhaps he was bluffing from the beginning. My family is no longer in immediate danger, thus I have advised them to be able to go out without use of the homunculi.

We were able to establish a new base in and around the great tree. Even now the Phoenixes are there, living and working, and I know his protection keeps them safe. But it is not perfect. The DF did manage to breach into our prisons on some false lead, and Andreu...

No. No use dwelling on that tragedy. But it seems tragedy is what I continue to find. The files are gone. Aure, mysterious cousin of mine, dead. Longbay attacked. All the allegiances at each other's throats. And to top it all off... this departure of mine.

I'm taking the little free time I have to write this down. I have spent the last few hours pouring over maps, tomes of lore, scraps of old parchment, trying to find a clue, something to give us an edge. The obvious answer is, of course, Excalibur or the Grail. But those are lost and legendary for a reason. They will not be found until the need is greatest. I could also try to track down the items belonging to the Hogsworth Founders, lost after the events of 1997-1998. But even they are not powerful enough to turn the tide. However, these islands are old and filled with magic and legends. I believe Uther, my noble companion, has given me a clue in the proper direction. He brought to my desk an old scroll clasped in his claws, containing some valuable information. Of these, I'm not sure which will be most helpful... but I am eager to pursue them nonetheless, for they may give us the edge we need.

You want to bring myths onto the battlefield, brother? Fine. I'll give you myths.

The new year has begun, and with it comes new struggles and challenges. It seems that some sort of contest is being arranged between those who would vie for the position of Dark Lord/Lady. An interesting situation to be sure, but not one that seems to provide any opportunity for sabotage. The Dark Followers seem more united in their zeal than ever before, and thus any hope of dividing them seems faint.

Preparations of my own are proceeding apace. The Dark Followers do not seem to be aware of this location, or of our plans. All the better for us, and more time to prepare defenses. The past will not be repeated, that I swear.

The Deputy Aurorlock has sent me the files, as I asked. There is surprisingly little of use here, and I have to wonder whether she is withholding things from me or if the Aurorlocks themselves know nothing about Shakti. Or perhaps... perhaps the records were erased, as if they had never existed before. Strange. I've seen such erasure once before, but not in connection with these matters.

I am growing restless, as are the Phoenixes that I serve. I know there is more to this, even now as lines are drawn for battle it becomes clearer. But the time I have to investigate this mystery grows shorter and shorter, with the Dark Followers and werewolves acting bolder. They consume too much of my time. I knew I wouldn't be able to research and theorize as much as Lord of the Phoenixes, but now I barely have any time at all. Almost as if...

Ah.

Of course. This individual is clever, I'll give them that. Not only are they masking their trail, they're ensuring we're too busy fighting ourselves to pursue them. But even knowing this, it changes little. I cannot stop the oncoming conflict; I can only hope to minimize the damage.

So much chaos lately. So much upheaval... I have no doubt that with my brother at the helm, the Dark Followers will pursue paths of greater violence and destruction. In these moments I think of where I've come from, and where I am going. I think of a simpler time, when we were students eagerly pursuing knowledge of magic, wanting to understand how this new world we'd been accepted into worked. But then our paths diverged. I took up the study of Alchemy, he searched for dark rituals. I joined the Phoenixes, he joined the Dark Followers. When we lost our last Lord of the Phoenixes in the battle to destroy that Soulcrux, we were lost like a ship without a helmsman. We threatened to dissolve. It became clear there was no one worthy or willing to step up... except for me. The Phoenixes had given so much to me, it was only right I gave them what they needed most at that time: purpose, direction, leadership. I have led the Phoenixes as best I can, trying to see things as objectively as possible. But now the Dark Lord is my own brother, and this conflict has become personal.

Is this the legacy of the Pendragons? Betrayal and murder? Perhaps we are still even now paying for Uther's sin. Yet... I do not believe that is all we have been left. Merlin, the great guide to my ancestors, perhaps he has left behind some clue to guide me now. And after so much searching, I believe I finally know where to look. Past, present, future, all are coming together now.

The incident with the Werewolves and Vampires has thrown me off course, not to mention the leaked notes belonging to Joel. Because of them, my search was postponed... now who knows if I will be able to pick up the trail again. Whenever I have a free moment I pour over these notes, trying to decypher them and understand what they point me to. I know I was meant to find them, but they do not yield their secrets to me easily.

He discovered something, a long time ago. Some secret that enabled him to modify a living being, to take away their abilities. If he hadn't been stopped, who knows what he would have used this for. Knowing their trueblood history, I wouldn't be surprised if his ultimate goal was to take away the magic of those unworthy. But in my hands, that research can be used for good and not for evil.

Magic... what is it? Is it an innate power born in our genes? Or is it a form of energy that emerges from some great wellspring? Why is it that some can tap into it and others cannot? These are the questions that plague my mind, night after night, tormenting me. I feel as though there are layers of reality we have yet to reach, knowledge that still eludes my understanding. We cannot reach our full potential until we understand the properties of magic fully. I must continue to search, to look back through our history to the greatest, hoping their ancient wisdom will guide me.

--/.-/--./---/.-./..-/--//.-././-..-//

Life, everlasting. So many have struggled, bled, wasted away for that dream. Only a handful have succeeded, at least that we know of. And now another searches for a way to live forever. What foolishness. It is a far better thing, in my estimation, to nobly face the reaper and accept your rest.

What lengths will he go to over this mad ambition? It is clear he has already gone through a number of possibilities, and it is a good thing indeed he did not retrieve any of my Alchemic research from the old base. Extracting his own soul... surely that is not possible. Or if it were, surely it would only leave behind a lifeless husk. But that does raise the question... what about the spirit?

Soul, Anima, Sulphur. The energy of life, the animating spark, the blue flame of nature, that which is divine.
Spirit, Spiritus, Mercury. The mind, volatile, the center of thought and reason, that which is transitory.
Body, Corpus, Salt. The base matter, the vessel, the center of action, that which is earthly.

To remove one from the other upsets the balance, the other two spilling out of control. To add to one upsets the balance, the other two breaking from the stress. If one is altered, the others must be similarly altered.

Lapis philosophi non solum viam vitae vel auro est , sed etiam viam perfectioni.

I am distinctly not a fan of the character limit on posts in this website. Breaking up a post into multiple parts is never fun

(3/3)
For those who believe they would be a good fit for Ursanor, here are some extra details to support your newfound pride. Ursanor's house colors are purple and white, and its crest is a white bear on a purple field with white stars (to represent the milky way). Ursanor's Head of House teaches Astronomy, and Ursanors tend to excel at Divination, Astronomy, Ancient Runes, and the various new magical art classes. The Common Room is located near the clock tower, so that students have easy access to the grounds where they can pursue their arts. The Common Room itself is a large round room with beautiful shifting murals on the walls, easels perched by purple couches, and telescopes pointed towards an enchanted ceiling that shows the stars no matter the time of day.

(2/3)
Utgard prized creativity, spiritualism, and independence, and taught that magic should be used to create beauty and express the soul of the mage. He was famous for his work in divination, particularly Rune-casting which he adopted from Norse wizards and perfected, and enjoyed many talks with the centaurs. He was responsible for creating the Tablet of Ursanor, a beautifully carved stone tablet said to contain numerous prophecies hidden in its runes. Legend says Rowena once attempted to decipher the tablet but failed, and Utgard told her that it could never be understood through logic. The Tablet would of course become Ursanor's house item.
Yet Ursanor's presence could not prevent Salazar from leaving the school. Though he understood persecution, he felt Serpent's arguments were flawed, knowing firsthand that British wizards were just as capable of persecution than muggles. Nor could the presence of Ursanor house change important historical events such as the rise of you know who. However, Ursanor does change some details from the books. Hogwarts would have a greater selection of Arts to support the creative minds of Ursanors and others. Certain individuals may have been sorted into Ursanor instead of their canon house, the most notable of which being Luna Lovegood. And due to Utgard Ursanor's friendship, the centaurs of the Dark Forest were far more courteous to the students of Hogwarts.

(Non-RP) (1/3)

So, I had an idea for a thought-experiment that I wanted to pursue, and I wanted to share my results here. That thought-experiment poses a simple question: What if Hogwarts had a 5th house?
The easiest part of this was the primary house color, which I decided should be Purple. Of the colors not already claimed by a house, this one fits the best with the others and is the most distinct. However the next part, deciding the house traits, was the most challenging. I decided to get inspiration by thinking in terms of elements. The four houses we have are all themed around one of the classical 4 elements: fire, earth, water, and air. Some ancient philosophers proposed a fifth element, Aether, but no one's quite sure what that is. Most interpret it to be the stuff of the heavens, and it's often represented as "spirit" in modern media. Using this as a base, and thinking about what traits aren't represented by the current houses, the answer suddenly became obvious: this house should represent the Creative and Spiritual.
The next question is to decide what animal (and by extension what name) will represent the house. After some thinking, I decided on the Bear. Bears feature prominently in stories of spirits, their hibernation can be representative of spiritual isolation/contemplation, and two important constellations are themed after them. With this in mind I was finally able to flesh out more details for this house.
Ursanor House was founded by Utgard Ursanor, a descendant of Norse settlers in Britain. Utgard received ridicule from "native-born Britons", which caused him to gain an independent streak. Yet he still found friendship among four other mages, and he helped them create Hogwarts school.

I grow in knowledge, but true understanding still eludes me. For every clue I uncover, another mystery springs up for me to chase down. For every milestone I cross, another lead appears to throw me in a different direction. And all the while the dark forces gather and plot, readying their armies and forging their schemes. Every day I spend out here, the chance of our enemies noticing my absence grows. I am taking a great risk in traveling so far from home, but it is one that I hope shall be worth it.

Angels, demons, fey, ghosts, djinn. All here and yet not. Near and yet far. Alike and yet worlds apart. Where is the overlap, the bridges that tie them and us? I must get to the root of the matter. If I cannot answer these questions, then we shall never truly triumph over the darkness.

bjjgudvlo

East and south my travels take me, far beyond the borders of the known. I travel most often under cover of night, keeping H and Scout out of sight. I have been stopped a few times by Aurorlocks of other countries, but they have never detained me for long.

We are all so different, so varied and distinct. Many bear similarities, but those various traits keep us from being united. How did it start? What links explain this strange twisting tree? I must know.

..././..-./../.-./---/-

It has taken far, far too long to find a method of bypassing the enchantments here, but at last I have what I've been searching for. Recent events have taken away too much of my attention, and rightly so. Violence has reached even the streets above where I dig now. Yet even with all this chaos, these attacks in the night, what I hold now takes priority.

I must leave now, following the trail wherever it leads me. H and Scout shall come with me, for their unique abilities are necessary for this mission. I know the Phoenixes will be fine under the leadership of the Council of Cinders. It is clear that there are a great many powers at play here, and if we are to prevail I must find the hidden links that connect them all.

Day 19:
No... this can't be! They can't seriously be planning...

I have to get out of here, now! I have to warn them. If only I had found the files sooner...

It's so obvious now. The decreased number of guards, the papers that were recovered from the Aurorlock Manor... they've been planning this for months, even before they blamed me for Noah's escape. This is so much bigger than even I anticipated.

There isn't enough time. I had already sent H to gather my lieutenants to help me break out, but he's out of range of the link for me to tell him—and them—what I know. I have my wand, I have Scout, and I have the information I need. After the next guard shift I'm using Avomora and getting out of here. I only hope it's not already too late...