Ellis University World Building Journal

[MelodicWitch]

INTRODUCTION
A college of stories​

Four hours outside Buffalo, New York, sits an outcropping of old, stone buildings surrounded by dense foliage, humungous lakes, and, in the autumn months, thick fog. Watched over by an ancient, imposing clocktower, this is Ellis University, one of the oldest and most remote institutions in the state. Boasting a student body of only 3,459, the university is best known for the sense of community and comraderie among one's peers. While lounging at the student center, it isn't unheard of for peers to strike up a conversation regardless of how well they may know each other, and stories are shared often. This general attitude is why most students come here, though rumor has it that a certain secret society meets somewhere among these old buildings, and parents who wish to continue their family's membership in the society send their children here for that reason.

It is, of course, here that we see one of the most interesting things about this school: the stories! Every student at Ellis College has an unbelievable tale or two. Cheerleaders swap rumors about pale professors and strange noises in the forest, while English majors turn in short stories inspired by doors that seem to lead nowhere and classmates whose eyes seem to sparkle. These stories run the gamut from obvious lies used to liven a party to strange encounters embellished for dramatic effect.

But what if I told you the myths are more than just that? What if all the additions— the lies, the exaggerations— were stripped away to reveal a truth no less strange, and perhaps a little terrifying?

If this question excites you, I encourage you to read on.

WIZARDS
With understanding comes control
​

Let's return to the rumors of a secret society. Unconfirmed as they are to the general public, they are nonetheless true. Those who know what questions to ask in class quickly find themselves in the orbit of the Order of Pentangles, a group of magicians who learn to manipulate a mysterious force— mana. Made up of five houses— Gaia, Hermes, Helios, Thalassa, and Hecate— the Order of Pentangles communicates through coded phrases, esoteric patterns, and even mind magic at higher levels. It also frequently engages in shadow wars against various eldritch monstrosities, villainous magicians, and other supernatural threats. Being the initial founders of the school, the Order of Pentangles is deeply intertwined with the administration, and the university chancellor is the highest ranking member.

Organization: The Five Houses form the basis for the Order's organization, with neophytes beginning as members of House Gaia, where they lay the foundations of their magic and learn to simply sense many rather than manipulate it. House Hermes, which members join upon graduating from the sense stage of their training, teaches students that mana, like the wind, is moveable and can be changed, though it tends to do so subtly and with regard to the path of least resistance. Moving on to House Helios, students begin the deadliest portion of their training as they cast more dramatic, more powerful spells, learning that powerful action and a strong enough will can force mana to bend to the user's will, though not without the risk of the mana "biting back," so to speak. House Thalassa trains students who are almost done with their schooling, focusing on the all-encompassing fluidity of mana and featuring a return to the concept of mutability, with one notable difference: under the right conditions, mana can harden, and a spell can last. Finally, House Zeus completes a student's training by introducing them to the concept of ether, the fifth element. Not much is known about ether, or how it interacts with the sturdiness of earth, moveability of air, passion of fire, and duality of water. Members of House Hecate keep the exact nature of what they learn a secret, both motivating those under them to learn faster and (potentially) protecting a vital magical reality.

WEREWOLVES
Where there is passion, there is pain​

More than a few students have shared stories about violent attacks by great, terrifying beasts with gnashing teeth and bristling fur. On full moon nights, one my hear the lonesome cry of the lycanthrope, provided one is lucky enough to avoid seeing one up close. These creatures seem drawn to Ellis College for some reason— either because one werewolf a long time ago cause an outbreak, or for more spiritual reasons. Whatever the cause, they are a real presence, and a real threat. Driven by nothing but rage, werewolves can transform into horrific monsters at the drop of a hat— the beast within is always looking for an excuse to come out and get its claws and teeth wet, and so just the right amount of anger can be lethal when one is in the vicinity of a lycanthrope.

Organization: Werewolves possess both monstrosity and humanity, and so they recognize the danger they pose to others. Typically, a newly-bitten wolf will fall into a deep depression, fully convinced that the only way to protect the world from themself is complete isolation. So it is that the vast majority of werewolves live out in the wilderness around Ellis College, only coming onto campus when absolutely necessary. Legend has it that some have returned, fully in control of their rage and monstrosity, but these legends are unconfirmed.

FEY
Always do good; you never know who is watching
​

Some tales tell of a mysterious kind of student, one you don't want to piss off. These are the fey of Ellis College, mysterious tricksters whose magic upends any concept of order and often gives evil-doers a nice little Hurtz Donut. Possessing innate magic such as transformation, immortality, teleportation, and supernatural strength, the fey do more than just punish students for getting on their bad side: aeons ago, an evil kingdom called Fomoria ruled much of the earth, and it was only when the Tuatha De Danan, the ancestors of the fey, arrived on earth that the Fomorians were forced to let go of their iron grip on the world. Today's fey keep this twisted creatures at bay, often waging war against them as they prank mortal fuckboys and road-ragers.

Organization: The fey fall into two courts based on their view of humanity and Fomorians alike. Seelie fairies believe that humanity is perfect, a reflection of the fey themselves almost, and will only ever trick humans but refuses to do them harm, while they look unfavorably upon the Fomorians, seeing them as irredeemable monsters who must be eradicated. Unseelie fae believe things are more complex, seeing evil in humans and good in Fomorians just as much as they see the inverse. Instead of avoiding certain actions on the basis of who they are dealing with, Unseelie fey consider their goals in what they want to do. They might prank a human pickpocket in order to teach the thief a lesson, but they won't extend that courtesy to a human terrorist. Likewise, they may viciously kill a Fomorian tyrant, but a Fomorian con-artist might just find themself cursed to only speak in limmericks until they learn to tell the truth when dealing with the Unseelie court.

VAMPIRES
I offer you immortality. All I ask in return is a little blood
​

Finally, we come to the undead menaces of Ellis College. Vampires have had an established presence at the university since the Halloween of 1888, when, it is said, a student of the Order of Pentangles learned the secrets of immortality. Small clans of vampires have sprouted up around the college since then with varying practices around feeding, enthralling, and hiding from mortal sight. Like lycanthropy, vampirism is spread through a bite. Vampires, however, also have the ability to override a person's will, making their monstrosity much less overt and violent, and much more coercive and manipulative. Also like werewolves, most vampires recognize the evil that was thrust onto them when they were bitten, and so a new dominant school of thought among them has arisen, with most vampires trying to balance their need to feast with ethics and morality, only feeding on mortals when they can obtain consent.

Organization: Vampires form clans— small societies that share a home, and can often trace a "lineage" of sorts back to an initial biter. These clans have their own codes, rules, and hierachies, though most only allow enthralling in dire circumstances and stress the importance of feeding with consent. Still, this doesn't stop more violent and sociopathic vampires from hunting humans like animals, and thus violence between ethical and unethical clans is becoming more and more common.