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The Daily Diviner - Issue 44

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The Daily Diviner

New Magician
Staff
#1
Butterbrew Returns!
Feature
Written by Creme_de_Creme
Edited by bluecherub

Hello readers, and welcome back to the Feature column of the Daily Diviner! Potterworld’s latest event, the Summer Beach Party, closed earlier this month on August 7th. Since then, people have been busying themselves by either enjoying the last bits of summer while they can or preparing for the upcoming school year. However, just because the school year is beginning does not mean that the fun will be ending. Quite the contrary- the fun is just getting started!

To start off the school year with a bang, the Magiventologist team is bringing the Butterbrew Festival back! Older players may remember this brew-tastic event, but for those of you who don’t know, the Butterbrew Festival has always been an event that players look forward to. Unfortunately, we were unable to have one last year, but the festival is making a comeback!

This year’s event will be released in mid-September. The Butterbrew event will have several quests for you to complete including the opportunity to make some delicious Butterbrew! For those of you who like a challenge, this event will offer a story mode and a challenge mode for different event quests, as previously teased in the GD Q&A. The harder the difficulty selection, the greater the rewards for that quest! There is so much to look forward to!

For those of you that have never experienced a Butterbrew Festival, here are a few fond memories from players that attended the previous Butterbrew events:
gospojken: A memory that I have is the Butterbrew Trial Challenge that they had during the Butterbrew Festival. There were multiple objectives in that challenge, and I believe it started with a puzzle with Butterbrew barrels in a basement. Once you had figured out the puzzle, you advanced to the kitchen and tried to figure out a way to open the door. Then, when the door was open, you had to collect ingredients in a maze. If I recall correctly, after you had gathered all items from the maze, you did some task in the kitchen. Then, you proceeded to a parkour that took place in a freezer, and I remember how much I struggled with this parkour because my parkour skills were not the very best at the time. However, it was still really fun because I remember plenty of players enjoying their time together, and it was a really nice experience. We had people who literally just backtracked in the parkour just to redo it whilst the others were still trying, instead of just continuing on their own. I believe there was a maze after the freezer parkour that you had to do which was really nice. Finally, you came to a room where you had to gather some ingredients to finally brew your very own Butterbrew! Again, I might recall a few of the details wrong, but it's definitely an experience I remember well!
TeknoPsycho: I do remember one thing; it was Butterbrew in Diagon Alley, and I remember some of the Head Staff would giveaway some exclusive rewards to players! Players were usually excited about the scarf, and some were also looking forward to the tankards. I remember stocking up on so much Butterbrew because you actually lost hunger back then, and it gave you pretty good saturation, so why not? Yeah, I do miss the old Butterbrew events... hopefully players will enjoy our twist to this year's Butterbrew Festival though!

As you can see, many remember the Butterbrew Festival fondly, which is why the Magiventology team has been hard at work to bring this event back! For some players, taking part in this upcoming event will be like recovering a forgotten memory. It will certainly be a festival to remember! I am so ecstatic to try all the different Butterbrew flavors and activities.

To enhance your experience, the Potterworld store will be releasing some fun items alongside the event. Some old favorites from the Potterworld store will make a reappearance including the Butterbrew hats and scenery. You should buy one to commemorate your time at the festival!

I can’t wait to celebrate the Butterbrew Festival with you all. We don’t want to leave anyone out, so bring your friends and family along to join in on the fun! See you there soon! This has been Creme_de_Creme reporting for the Daily Diviner.
 

The Daily Diviner

New Magician
Staff
#2
New Developments in the Tech/Dev Department
Editorial
Written by Creme_de_Creme
Edited by snotflower

Hello readers, and welcome back to the Editorial column of the Daily Diviner! In recent news, we have had a lot of promotions on Potterworld. As of August 7th, Deniz stepped down as the Head of Community Management and passed this role onto Erica (who was previously the Assistant to Head of CM). Congratulations to Erica! While Deniz will be missed as the Head of CM, he is not leaving. In fact, he has taken on a new position as the co-Head of Technology and Development!

Some of you may be wondering: What is Technology and Development? Those within the Technology and Development department work to create the technology for our website and server. They create, develop, and test new plugins. These plugins are then brought into the next stage where they test the new gameplay, making sure to log and fix any bugs. After these plugins are thoroughly tested, they are released to the public. However, it is hard to catch every bug before release. Therefore, when players find and report bugs, the Technology and Development department reworks and fixes the technology! This department is very important to Potterworld because it helps create new content and fix anything that isn’t working correctly.

Some of the things they have been working on were revealed in the Q&A session. For those of you who haven't seen it yet, I recommend watching it on Potterworld's YouTube channel! The main project the Technology and Development team has been working on is technology needed for dungeons. On top of that, as the co-Heads of Tech/Dev, Alexis and Deniz are working on making sure that their department is more transparent about what they do on the server. One of the ways they have been doing that is by opening more applications so that anyone who desires to apply has the opportunity to join the team.

There are currently three different Tech/Dev applications open that anyone can apply to: Java Developer, Web Developer, and Grounds Keeper. For those of you that have experience coding in Java, I highly recommend that you take a look at the Java and Web Developer applications! For those of you who are interested in testing new gameplay as well as finding and logging bugs, then I would recommend that you take a look at the Grounds Keeper application!

I would like to take a moment to thank our Technology and Development department for all that they do for us, and extend a final congratulations to both Deniz and Erica on their new roles! If you are interested in joining the team, take a look at the open applications on Potterworld’s website! Have a fantastic day! This has been Creme_de_Creme reporting for the Daily Diviner.
 

The Daily Diviner

New Magician
Staff
#3
Taking a Look at Events
Editorial
Written by Silquer
Edited by _xHope

Hello my dear readers, and welcome to the second Editorial article of this issue! I sincerely hope you’ve enjoyed all of the articles so far. A few weeks ago, the Summer Beach Party event came to a close, marking the end of the sixth Potterworld event of the year, with still hopefully more to come. Let’s take a stroll down memory lane and revisit all of the fantastically crafted events we’ve had till now, and perhaps even take a look at the events we might have in the future!

Enchanted Valley Valentine’s Event

The first event of this year was the Enchanted Valley Valentine’s event! This event lasted a month and ran from February 13th to March 13th. This event had us travel to the Enchanted Valley to help storybook characters find their happy endings!

The best part of this event was, by far, the build. The Enchanted Valley was massive. The castle was enormous and beautifully designed, while also being fun to explore. The town also had many nooks and crannies that were a joy to discover. Traveling through this vast map to complete quests was never a chore, and both the repeatable and main quests brought life to the experience.

A few rewards from this event include the magical emotes, such as the “Wherefore Art Thou” and the “Bippidi Bobbidi Boo” emotes, the Fairytale Scarf, and Valentine’s Banner Set. Overall, this event did an outstanding job getting players into the Valentine’s mood, and I can’t wait to see if there will be another Valentine’s event next year.

Bunny Burrow Event

The next event of this year was the Spring Event, Bunny Burrow. This event began on April 3rd, and lasted till April 24th. The event itself was focused around the various bunnies that required your help, from an egg hunt to baking treats. The best part of this event were the many rewards that it offered to players who actively took part in it. The hats, scarves, and banners were all super fun to collect, and trying to obtain them all provided a rewarding challenge. Some of the best of those rewards include the four different spring hats, the Bunny Burrow Scarf, and the special Spring Banner Set. Hopefully, we’ll be able to hop back into the burrow next year as well!

May Fourth Event

The third event of this year was the May Fourth event. It ran from, as you might guess, May 4th to June 1st. This event was centered around Star Wars, and by entering the Centennial Hawk, you would find yourself in the Cantina. Here, you could participate in an escape room-esque quest, and even craft your own Plasma Blade! The best part of this event were the minigames, which, every year, never disappoint. There were four new minigames this time, each of them being more interesting than the former. A few rewards from the event include, of course, the Plasma Blade, a B-Unit Plushie, and the famous Blue Milk. Hopefully, they’ll introduce more Star Wars themed minigames next year!

Potterworld Anniversary Event

The fourth event was Potterworld’s famous Anniversary Event! This ran from May 18th to June 19th, and was one of the most interesting events of the year (so far)! We were given the opportunity to travel back in time to events that were held several years ago, and it was certainly nostalgic entering these old builds and completing just-as-old quests. That being said, the best part of this event were the quests! Some of those quests haven’t been seen for several years, but they still held up, and were great fun to complete once again. A few of the most interesting rewards from the Anniversary were the Temporal Scarf, the 7th Anniversary Scarf, and the Fireworks Spell.

Pride Festival

The fifth event of the year was the Pride Festival, yet another one of my favorite events. This event started on June 5th and ended on July 1st, giving plenty of time to work towards the infamous Pride Staff. The best part of this event were the iconic collectibles, although the quests are a close second. A few of these lovely rewards include the well-known Pride Flag, the Pride 2021 Scarf, and more knowledge about the LGBTQ+ community (which is the greatest reward of all)!

Summer Beach Party

Now, we find ourselves at the most recent event: the Summer Beach Party. It ran from July 17th to August 7th, ending only a few weeks ago! This event focused on the spectacular vibes of summer, allowing us to travel to a warm, sunny beach to help out other beach-goers, and even various other sea-natives. The best part of this event were the side quests, which were renewed every twelve hours. The Beach Cleanup quest was especially unique, and allowed students to gain house points. Overall, it was a great event, and I’m excited to see if it makes a return next year.

Before our conclusion, there are some honourable mentions. The Otterworld April Fool’s gag was genius, and the otter pet released was an immediate classic. There was also the roleplay event, Risen from the Ashes, which continued the ongoing Potterworld lore.

The first half of this year has been quite the whirl, and it’s not over yet! The Butterbrew Festival is just around the corner, and we can look forward to seeing a Halloween and Christmas event in the near future. I, for one, am thrilled to know that there will be more to come. Happy reading!
 

The Daily Diviner

New Magician
Staff
#4
With the Aurorlocks Until the End
Student Spotlight
Written by bea_5OOOO
Edited by kvmw

Hello readers, and welcome back to the Daily Diviner! Today we’ll be shining the spotlight on graduate and Raven, Ivy_Winter. Ivy has been a part of the Aurorlock Allegiance for a very long time. This week I got the wonderful chance to get to interview her about her roleplay character, experience with unofficial roleplay, and about her experience with the Aurorlocks.

To start off our interview, I first asked her about her experience here on Potterworld.

What’s your favorite quest or event and why is it your favorite?
“My favorite event would have to be the Pride event. It was so much fun and had great quests. It’s my favorite because of the color head quest. I learned more than I had known before doing the quest.”

What convinced, or inspired you to keep playing here on Potterworld?
“What inspired me was the community that it was building. I love the community so much, you get to meet so many people and learn where they are across the world.”

Ivy has been loyal to the Aurorlocks time after time, ever since she began roleplaying here on
Potterworld. So from then on, I asked questions more focused on their experience with unofficial roleplay and about her loyalty to the Aurorlocks.

What sets your roleplay character apart from others, is it their personality, behavior, or something else?
“So what helps set my role play character apart is for starters she has morals. One of her morals is that she doesn’t believe in raising a wand to start a duel. She believes in talking out the situation, and she only uses her wand if provoked. Something else that helps set her apart is that she's skilled in Revelomency.”

Why has your character stayed loyal to the Aurorlock Allegiance for so long?
“Ivy has stayed loyal because she wants to serve justice to the Wizarding World. She also wants to defend her parents. Her mother used to be an Aurorlock before going to Hogsworth to be the best dueling professor they have seen. Sadly her mother was killed in battle. As for her father, he was killed by a Dark Follower and she had to sadly watch his death. Ever since starting school she knew she wanted to work for the Ministry. She worked extra hard to get to be an Aurorlock. Her goal is to protect her friends and loved ones.”

What inspired you, to originally create your character, and start joining in on unofficial roleplay?
“The inspiration that I got was that I started roleplay on the server with a few friends just doing small role plays around the world. What built up to joining Unofficial Roleplay was seeing where I could take my character and how to develop her.”

What is your favorite thing about your character, and why is that your favorite?
“My favorite thing about Ivy is that she is always willing to jump in and help everyone. Even if I can’t be there in game I always tell the Aurorlocks in chat to be safe and always watch their surroundings. The reason that this is my favorite is because I’m like this in real life. I’m always willing to help so I gave that to my roleplay character.”
What is something you like about the Aurorlock Allegiance, and why does it draw you in?
“Something that I like about the Aurorlocks is how we’re like a family. We are always there for each other, we always make each other laugh. What really draws me in is how supportive everyone is for one another. It also helps that we have the best leaders for the Aurorlocks, Rani & Matt are great people. They help bring the family around.”

Is there any advice you would give people looking into trying out unofficial roleplay?”
“The advice I would give to someone would be to always give it a shot. The roleplay community that Potterworld has built is so incredible. Literally everyone on the server is always willing to help people create their character and help give inspiration for backstories.”

If you were able to go back and give any advice to your past self about roleplay, what would it be and why?
“The best thing I could say to my past self would be to always talk to someone before making huge life changing decisions. I made that mistake, and I would never want to do it again. So speaking to someone would be the best route to go. That’s what I would tell myself. To go along with what I was saying I made a decision to join the Dark Followers as a spy for the Aurorlocks but I didn’t speak to any other Aurorlock before doing so. So if I would have spoken to someone, I could have had a different outcome.”

Any final words, comments, or anything of that nature that you would like readers to know?
“My final comment would be that the Unofficial Roleplay server is always looking for more people to join. The roleplay community is a nice family with little families built inside of the main family.”

With that, my interview with Ivy came to an end. I would like to give a huge thank you to the wonderful Aurorlock, Ivy_Winters, for allowing me to interview her! I highly recommend you all check out both the Aurorlocks Allegiance and unofficial roleplay community if you haven’t already. Thank you for stopping by this issue of the Daily Diviner, and have a fantastic day!
 

The Daily Diviner

New Magician
Staff
#5
A School Survival Guide on Making Friends!
Lifestyle
Written by joyellen
Edited by bluecherub

Greetings, lovely readers! Welcome back to this issue of the Daily Diviner. With the new academic year rapidly approaching, the daunting task of making friends has appeared at the forefront of many people’s minds, replacing the tranquility that the summer holidays brought with them. However, while relaxing days by the beach may be everything but a distant memory, I am here to ensure that your school year starts off right! In this article, I will be sharing my favourite tips and tricks for making friends at school and on Potterworld. Without further ado, let's jump into the article!

The first tip I have to give is one of my most important tips: Be yourself. Being yourself is the first step necessary in making and sustaining fulfilling friendships. It allows you to find people who you can be comfortable around and accept who you truly are. Additionally, it can make finding friends a whole lot easier, as you can just be yourself instead of worrying about acting like someone else on top of making new friends.

My second tip is to try and befriend someone who shares common interests. Sharing interests with a person allows you to start conversations with like-minded people which will hopefully result in new friendships forming! This can also make spending time with people a whole lot easier, as you can partake in an activity that both parties enjoy.

Participating in school events can also be a great way to form friendships with your peers! These events are designed to encourage students to have fun and to socialize amongst themselves and, therefore, are a perfect way to make friends. This tip can also be used on Potterworld! Community Engagement events and events happen regularly on the server and can be a fun way to meet other players in order to do activities and quests together that you cannot do anywhere else!

The fourth tip I have is to join clubs! Similar to my previous point of sharing common interests, joining a club will help you to meet a ton of new people who share similar interests. Depending on the club you join, friendships can be formed through working together on projects or by partaking in club activities. Not only are school clubs a great way to make friends, but they also look great as extracurricular activities!

The next tip is majorly important in making a good first impression! Remembering a person’s name, while seemingly simple, is a meaningful action that signifies you recognize the person as more than just a stranger. It also makes the person you are talking to feel good, as you have remembered a significant part of their identity.

My sixth tip is one that might strike fear inside some introvert’s hearts, however, more often than not the results are amazing. Step out of your comfort zone and converse! While striking up conversations with people you are not acquainted with can be a daunting task at first, in most circumstances the person will feel ecstatic that someone went out of their way to talk to them. Furthermore, the person will most likely feel relieved and grateful that they, themselves, did not have to strike up the conversation!

My last tip is to compliment the person you are trying to befriend! Complimenting someone is a great way to make an impact on someone. Whether it be their intellect or their outfit, saying nice things about a person is a meaningful and kind gesture. However, make sure that your compliments are genuine, and you are not solely complimenting for the sake of complimenting!

That brings us to the end of my list of tips for making friends, and along with it, the end of this article. I wish you all the best of luck for this new academic year and in your friend-making endeavours! Thank you so much for tuning in; this has been Joy, reporting for the Daily Diviner. Have a splendid day!
 

The Daily Diviner

New Magician
Staff
#6
Knowledge Around The Globe
Lifestyle
Written by bea_5OOOO
Edited by snotflower

Hello readers, and welcome back to one of this issue’s Lifestyle articles! We’re finally nearing the end of August, and for many, that means school is back in session. Of course, school isn’t just a big part of the real world, but Potterworld as well. However, Hogsworth isn’t the only magical school, and today I would love to share with you a few other amazing magical schools around the world!

One of these wonderful institutes is the Boreas Institute, founded in the late 1980s by Christina Zephyrus, a Hogsworth graduate. In a mishap with a malfunctioning warp key, Christina was led to the coast of Cape Poinsett in Wilkes Land, Antarctica. Christina wanted to share the wonder and beauty of Antarctica with others, convincing her to found Boreas. Unlike most other wizarding schools, Boreas is structured like a camp, with a month-long program allowing magicians of all ages to come and attend. There is no limit to how many times a student may attend the camp.

At Boreas, instruction is offered in English, with magical translators hired if attendance is large enough. However, instead of offering traditional courses, the institute instead focuses on magic specific to the environment, with each student group being provided a list of activities at the beginning of each week. Some of these activities include astronomy, a mermish language course, magical creature studies, and more! At the end of the camp, students are awarded enchanted miniature ice sculptures, carved from some of the glaciers themselves, as a token to remember the month.

Another magical school is the Academy of the Merry Witch, or AMV, located on top of Mount Osborn in the eastern Falklands of South America. Here, students are recognized for their alchemy abilities. Education is taught in both English and Spanish, although the two groups don’t attend classes together. However, this academy isn’t typically recognized by other magical schools due to its exclusion of Unmagical-born magicians.

AMV was originally founded when Felicity Cygnus, a Hogsworth professor, went to visit the Falklands in 1886. Felicity was very intrigued by the landscape and knew that there was a lack of magical schools for the islands around the Atlantic, so she opened an academy for the Magical-born and Unmagical-born magicians alike. Her vision was shortly outlived, however, as her true-blooded grandmother, Carina, disapproved of the education of Unmagical-born magicians. Carina called Felicity straight home, sending Felicity’s niece, Lyra, to be the headmistress instead. Lyra is still in charge of AMV to this day, with Carina’s policies of the exclusion of Unmagical-born magicians still in effect.

The final magical school we’ll be going over today is Kilwin’s School for Sports and Recreation, located in Mount Cook, New Zealand. Kilwin’s was founded by a famous Quabbleball player, Jacob Kilwin. He stepped down from his position as an all-star searcher after his nephew complained to him that there were no schools directly focused on Quabbleball, inspiring Jacob to create Kilwin’s School for Sports and Recreation. Unlike the other schools we’ve gone over today, Kilwin’s focuses solely on training those interested in Quabbleball into talented and successful players. Students are required to be between the ages of 15 to 18 (with some exceptions) so that they can already have their primary education done before they start. The unique curriculum at Kilwin’s includes broom care strategies, agility, hand-eye coordination, and even a Haka class! (A Haka is a ceremonial dance used to intimidate challengers.)

Overall, their curriculum is extremely challenging, as they train students for victory. It’s even rumored to be so intense that they yell at the students if they lose a game. Students here also spend their time after hours practicing strategies and playing games such as the magical version of the floor is lava, where the floor they were on just moments ago turns into lava, as well as the non-magical game rugby. In the end, graduating students must play a game against their teachers. Since there are so many graduating students each year, it takes over two weeks with a game every other day.

Boreas Institute, the Academy of the Merry Witch, and Kilwin’s School for Sports and Recreation are just a few of the many schools for magicians around the globe. In the end, I hope you all enjoyed learning about these schools as much as I did, and good luck to those of you in school this year!

Finally, do you think it is a good idea for the curriculum and focus of magical schools to differ across the globe?
 

The Daily Diviner

New Magician
Staff
#7
A Page for Two
Original Works
Written by ohKeira
Edited by mckennq

A boy was walking around Diagonal Lane, his short blonde hair hung down in front of his face as he weaved through bustling crowds of people. What he didn’t see was another girl walking right in his direction, looking down at a small list that rested in her palms. The two collided, sending the girl tumbling to the ground.

“Watch where you’re going! Ugh...” she muttered groggily, her list flying out of her hands and into his grasp.

“I’m really sorry- Hey, I remember the Quabbleball team! Cassidy, right?” He put out his hand, offering to help her up. Cassidy scoffed, standing up on her own as she snatched the list out of his hands.

“I suggest staying out of my way, Damien O’Brien, or you’ll be sorry.” Cassidy turned around and began walking off. Damien sighed, placing his hand on his head, and watched her walk away from him. “I guess she still isn’t over that game..” He looked back down at his bag, disappointed, and trudged away.

◍◍◍
After the whole fiasco, Damien set off to get The Standard Book of Spells, the last item he needed on his Hogsworth shopping list. He stepped inside Boundless Books, adjusting his blue sweatshirt as he looked around. After a few seconds of searching, he spotted a large book with a worn, red leather cover positioned on a stand. Just as he was about to reach out and grab it, he had the unmistakable feeling of being watched. He turned around startled, as he locked eyes with Cassidy, standing just behind him.

“I need that book,” Cassidy said bluntly as she grabbed it off of the stand. Damien placed his hand on the textbook, giving it a large yank towards him.

“You aren’t the only one,” he said through gritted teeth, trying to pull the book out of her hand. Cassidy gave it another pull in her direction, sending both the pair and the book flying into the air. As the book hit the ground with a large thud, the spine of it cracked, leaving the cover scattered on the floor, shreds of pages soon following it.

The shopkeeper, who had been watching, began to storm over, steam practically fuming out of his ears. He looked at the boy and girl, slumped in a heap on the floor, and muttered something in Italian under his breath before grabbing them both by the collar of their sweaters.

“If you don’t find a way to pay for that book by the end of the day, you won’t be so lucky.” The shopkeeper threw them outside roughly, slamming the door in their faces.

◍◍◍​

“Oh great, look what you got us into now,” Cassidy groaned, setting her hand down on the stone pavement beneath them. The two were sitting next to each other, both looking in the opposite direction.

“Me? What do you mean, me? You were the one who took the book!” Damien yelled at her, the two avoiding making eye contact.

“You are ridiculous,” Cassidy muttered quietly, scoffing as she looked over her shoulder, watching people walk down the winding streets, passing the pair.

“So you are still not over that Quabbleball game, are you? It wasn’t my fault that you fell off your broom, it was yours. You ruined your own career.” Damien glared, running his hand through his hair as Cassidy gave him a nervous glance.

“I’m sorry,” she muttered quietly under her breath. Damien only smirked jokingly.

“What was that? Sorry, I couldn't hear you,” he said sarcastically. Cassidy rolled her eyes and gave his arm a playful punch.

“What I said was,” Cassidy started, “I am sorry, Damien, for what I did at the bookstore. And.. for everything, really.” Damien’s expression quickly changed to a warm smile as he accepted the apology.

“I apologize too. I should have been more careful, and let you have that textbook.” He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly as Cassidy stuck out her hand for him to shake. As he began to reach for it, her bag slipped off her shoulder, tumbling to the ground.

“Oh, let me get that.” Damien reached down, catching a glimpse of something inside. “Is that a ukulele?” Damien asked, as Cassidy quickly picked up her bag. She looked down at the wooden instrument that rested on the ground in front of her, replying with a nod.

“It was a gift from my grandfather. He played when he was younger,” Cassidy said as Damien leaned over. He took the ukulele in his own hands, running his fingers down the strings as he strummed a short song.

“Wow! I never knew someone as clumsy as you could play an instrument,” she remarked with a smirk as Damien handed back the ukulele. He suddenly froze, his blue eyes lighting up.

“That’s how we can earn money!” Damien exclaimed with a snap of his fingers. Cassidy gave him a confused look. He ignored it, simply asking, “Can you sing?" She nodded her head quickly.

“I.. think I can?” she said with a hint of anxiousness in her voice. Damien gave her a comforting grin. “You got this, ok?” He said reassuringly, before returning to the ukulele in his hands.

He began strumming a fun tune as Cassidy sang next to him. Crowds of people passed, throwing coins in the brown bag that previously held Cassidy’s ukulele. When the song finally ended, the coins had piled up, filling the bag to the top of it’s brim.

◍◍◍
The two quickly went back to the shop, stopping as they saw the shopkeeper standing angrily in front. “What are you two doing here again?” he started, before Cassidy cut him off by shoving the bag into the man’s hands.

“Here is the money to pay for the damage, and a bit extra.” She gave the shopkeeper a smile. Damien winked, as the two gave each other a high five. They waved goodbye to the shopkeeper and began to walk away from the store.

“That was some adventure, huh?” Damien asked as he gave her a friendly smile. Cassidy shrugged and returned it with a smile of her own.

“I guess, but I’m glad we met.” She paused for a moment. “So I’ll see you at school?” Cassidy asked, as Damien nodded in reply. “You betcha!”
 

The Daily Diviner

New Magician
Staff
#8
Ghosts of the Mansion
Original Works
Written by Silquer
Edited by kvmw

It was a dark evening and raining bullets. Pulling his already-soaked coat closer to his sodden chest, Keith couldn’t help but feel a sense of dread looking at his destination. Lightning flashed, thunder roared, and a mansion, dark and brooding in the cloudy darkness, consumed his vision as he made his way up the gravel driveway.

At last, he reached the familiar old doors of the mansion. He pushed one of them open (it creaked more than he remembered) and quickly closed it, finding himself in a large foyer wreathed in darkness, quiet except for the rhythmic drip of rainwater from his damp coat.

It was a minute before Keith noticed another man in the room with him.

They both stood still for a moment, staring at each other, before the man spoke. “Are you here for the dinner party?”

“I suppose so,” was Keith’s quiet response.

They stood for a moment longer, until the man broke the silence again. “How did you know my sister?”

Keith’s eyes snapped to his. “What?”

But there was no time to contemplate this, as the door opened, and two new guests stepped inside. Surprise flashed across their faces, and then another person entered, and another, until there were seven of them standing in a circle, dumbstruck at each other’s presence.

Keith cleared his throat and spoke in the tense silence. “I suppose we’re all here for a party.” They all nodded. “Who, may I ask, invited you?”

The man who had first entered spoke. “The invitation was from my sister, who disappeared three years ago.”

The woman who came in second chimed in. “It came from my mother… She went missing last year.”

They went in a circle like that, each describing an invitation from a relative long lost. Keith’s horror was only growing.

“We need to get out of here,” he said.

“No,” one of them said. “I’m not leaving. If they know anything about my sister, I have to talk to them.”

The other guests chimed their agreement. Keith sighed. The least he could do was guide them safely.

He pulled out his wand and cast Lumen, leading them through the halls until they reached a dining room. The room lit up from above, revealing a lavishly decorated table with seven perfectly set placemats and an assortment of exotic foods. There was a note on the table, and Keith read it aloud.

“Dearest guests, I’m afraid I’m occupied at the moment, and will not be able to attend dinner. I know you have questions, and they will be answered soon enough. Regards, your host.”

As he finished, the light in the chandelier above flickered and went out.

The darkness was frantic as they fumbled for their wands. Keith had just found his wand when the lights reignited themselves, but it was too late. One of them was missing.

Murmurs broke out, but Keith spoke above it. “Quiet! We can’t stay here. We need to leave.” Startled into obedience, they followed him out, and he once again led them through the halls, until they reached a ballroom of sorts. That was when the lights went out again, and they were left in darkness.

When the lights came back, they were one less guest.

Arguing broke out as Keith watched and listened. Then, the lights flickered again, and there was silence once more.

When they came back on, two people were missing, and a ghostly giggle ran out through the ballroom. There were only three of them left.

“You’re doing this, aren’t you? You know your way around these halls too well.”

Keith looked at the woman who accused him. “No, I-”

“I think we should split up,” the other said, turning away. But just as they reached the hallway, the lights went, then came again, and they were gone.

He wasted no time. Down the halls he went until he found an unremarkable bookcase. A tug on a book hidden in the shelf was all it took to reveal the staircase behind it.

He descended into the dungeons and cursed at what he saw. Bound to the columns and gagged were the other guests, and at the head of the room, a little transparent girl sat, smiling.

“Oh, Elise, what did he do to you,” Keith whispered, and the girl looked at him. She hadn’t aged a day since he last saw her. That had been over five years ago.

“Keith, you came!” she cried. The guests looked on in horror.

“How did you die? Where is your family?” he asked as gently as possible.

“It doesn’t matter,” she grinned, “Because Brother is taking care of me! He told me to lead these people here, and I really wanted to play with someone again…”

A chill ran down his spine and a man stepped out from behind one of the columns. “Thank you, Elise. You may leave,” Keith’s old friend, John, said.

Elise nodded and drifted off. John turned to him.

“Well, you discovered my little secret. I know you thought I died all those years ago, but, here I am!” He spread his arms wide and grinned maniacally. Keith felt sick. “I’m afraid I have to cut this reunion short, however. Soulcruxes need making, after all.”

Keith felt one last flare of horror as John pointed his wand at him, and then he knew no more.
 

The Daily Diviner

New Magician
Staff
#9
How to Begin Dueling with Curses
Branches of Dueling
Written by Creme_de_Creme
Edited by mckennq

Hello lovely readers, and welcome back to the Daily Diviner’s web-exclusive article! In our last issue, we covered how to duel with Jinxes. If you have not read it yet, I highly recommend that you read that article before reading this one. If you are new to our “How to Begin Dueling” series, then start with our Charms article in Issue 42. This issue, we will be covering Curses!

What are Curses? Curses are the third spell branch located on the spell tree, and contain spells that cause a lot of damage. However, unlike Jinx spells that are concentrated on one person, many of these spells take effect over a small region. We call these spells Area of Effect spells, otherwise known as AoE spells. Some of the most commonly used Curse spells include Venenox (Lvl. 38), Contagios (Lvl. 16), Conflamorus (Lvl. 57), and Flamonstrum (Lvl. 77). Duelists tend to use Curse spells to initiate effects such as poison, nausea, burning, or even immobility on their opponents, which assists in gradually taking damage. Because 0f this, the Curses spell branch works most effectively in team-based duels.

Venenox and Contagios are both spells that are commonly used in dueling. Venenox is an AoE spell that deals a significant amount of curse damage, along with extra poison damage. As long as your opponent continues to remain in the poisoned area, they will continue to take damage until either the spell wears off or until the spell is countered. Similarly to Venenox, Contagios uses a lasting poisonous effect that deals a significant amount of damage if it isn't countered. However, unlike Venenox, Contagios is not an AoE spell.

Another spell that is highly feared amongst duelists, if used correctly, is Flamonstrum. This spell sends a tidal wave of flames in the direction it is cast in, and anyone in the way takes a lot of damage from the initial force of the spell. They are then set on fire, harming them even more. People dread getting hit by this spell because it generally takes away anywhere between a half or two-thirds of your health. The only disadvantage to using Flamonstrum is that you cannot move for three full seconds as this spell is taking place, leaving you susceptible to any incoming attacks. During these three seconds, your opponent can counter your oncoming Flamonstrum attack if they succeed in hitting you with Stupeficus or Expellimo as you wait for the spell to be released from your wand. Yet, if you succeed in hitting your opponent with the spell, it can give you the advantage you need to win the duel!

Many Curse spells can leave a lingering effect that deals extra damage to an opponent, but what if they are used on you? This is where using a counterspell comes in handy! Counterspells get rid of the lasting effects that certain spells cause. For example, a lasting poisonous effect can be countered by using Renervo (Lvl. 19), or if you are set on fire, you can extinguish yourself by using the counterspell Purificus (Lvl. 10). Lacerum Incisis is a currently unobtainable curse spell that causes a draining effect, but in the rare chance that a duelist uses this spell in you, it can be countered by using Finite Enchantum (Lvl. 46). Other slowing spells can be countered by using Resolvus (Lvl. 15).

If you choose to main in Curses, you’ll want to keep an eye out for gear with high cooldowns. The current, most-recommended gear for Graduate students maining in Curse damage are as follows:
Head: Soul-seeing Spectacles
Glove: Gauntlet of the Deadly Kiss
Body: Chestplate of Heroes
Trinket: Shadow Necklace
Leggings: Nightslayer Greaves
Boots: Hermes' Treads

For those of you looking for more insight on what it is like to be a Curse duelist, I interviewed Andyreu (Arena Master and Lore Master), SLGMatt (Sr. Professor and Poltergeist), and BurntBananaSplt (Jr. Builder).

Why did you choose to use Curses as a duelist?
Andyreu: Since I haven’t dueled much after gear was added, I decided to pick Curses since it mostly consists of a high-damage area of effect spells, which can be utilized in team duels but not much otherwise.
SLGMatt: I chose Curses because of the versatility they gave me with the play style that I have. They hit hard, have good range, and can be used to fight multiple people at once in the right situation.
BurntBananaSplt: I chose to use Curses because my aim is less than average. Curses help to provide me with a good range of AoE spells allowing me to deal good damage without being right on target.

What is your favorite Curse spell and why?
Andyreu: Flamonstrum would probably be my favorite Curse spell since it does a ton of damage and can hit so many people at once.
SLGMatt: It’s hard to narrow down to just one spell, but I’d say that Paralotum is the spell I enjoy using the most. Doing damage is great, but being able to immobilise an opponent is extremely useful.
BurntBananaSplt: Flamonstrum. Although this spell prevents me from moving for a few seconds, it is difficult to avoid and deals a great amount of damage upon my opponent. It can be countered though, so I always need to be careful with it.

Do you have a go-to combo?
Andyreu: I don’t have many combos that I use, but I like to use Mollio (which turns the ground into slime blocks) and Flamonstrum at the same time, which lets you jump especially high.
SLGMatt: Paralotum to a Conflamorus headshot is the combo I use the most, especially when it's 1v1.
BurntBananaSplt: Fortifius to Flamonstrum. I cannot stop people from countering Flamonstrum but since I would be immobile I would be easy to hit. So, I try to use Fortifius before Flamonstrum to minimize the damage I take while Flamonstrum is being cast.

What is something that you struggled with when learning how to duel?
Andyreu: It was particularly difficult for me to adapt to different play styles that I fought against when I first started dueling, especially those that are really mobile (which is hard to play against with a curse gear set).
SLGMatt: I struggled with tracking players a lot when I first started dueling. Being able to stay on target is important and it was a skill I didn’t have much experience with at the time.
BurntBananaSplt: Gear. Gear can be pretty difficult to learn how to use properly. A lot of different things go into it and you have to find what is best for yourself as you make your own customized set of spells. Gear may also be expensive and grindy so finding your ideal set can be difficult.

Do you have any advice for first-time duelists?
Andyreu: You shouldn’t feel demotivated by people who you play against who absolutely destroy you. Lots of people have been dueling for a very long time and have grown very skilled but that doesn’t mean that you can’t become just as good with practice.
SLGMatt: Experiment and practice with different spells. Not everything will suit the way you duel. I would also suggest duelling different people so that you can adapt to whatever you face.
BurntBananaSplt: Take your time to figure out what spell types and gear is best for you. You can always change it and there is no right or wrong way. Find the spell type first before the gear as it is easier to pair gear with spells then spells with gear.

I would like to thank Andyreu, SLGMatt, and BurntBananaSplt for their time and insight into dueling with Curses. Now that you know more about what Curses are and how to use them, start practicing! Check out Potterworld’s brand new Arena Discord to find people to help you out. This has been Creme_de_Creme reporting for the Daily Diviner, and happy dueling!
 
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