[LORE] Founders of Penwick School

[The Quill]

The Founding of Penwick.

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Penwick school of Witchcraft and Wizardry was founded in 1841 by Griffith Virell, Gerard Mercator, Viviane Floranti and Pelles Modron. Mirroring the creation of Hogwarts, each of the founders also created a house in the school.

• The first house is house Dranaga, which was founded by Griffith Virell and is the house that most parents wish their children to be in because of its reputation of producing great leaders.
• The second house is house Mercator, which was named directly after Gerard Mercator, the famed muggle cartographer. This house is favoured by students with a naturally curious inclination.
• House Floranti was stewarded by the great witch Viviane Floranti and attracts idealistic and patient students.
• House Modron was created by Pelles Modron and it is generally considered to be bad luck to be sorted into this house because of Modron's reputation and the association of its sigil, a black hound, with The Grim.

Gerard Mercator, using his vast knowledge, located a magically significant spot in Wales where he believed Camelot had once stood. Viviane Floranti helped shape the surrounding lands, attracting magical creatures to it and shielding it from muggle interference. Pelles Modron constructed the foundations of the castle with his raw and intuitive magic, which Griffith Virell refined and embellished into the fine architectural wonder it is today. Like Hogwarts, Penwick is secured by many magical means. Gerard Mercator was said to have moved many significant magical artefacts into the school and was instrumental in creating its wonderful library. The school first opened its doors to students in 1842.

After overseeing their houses for a few years, Gerard Mercator and Viviane Floranti both choose to retreat to their normal lives, but Pelles Modron and Griffith Virell stayed on and shared power for a while. Nevertheless, it was plain to everyone that there were tensions between the two. Pelles Modron favoured a more intuitive understanding of magic, allowing and encouraging experimentation whereas Griffith Virell insisted on magic being done properly and by the book. They also butted heads on whether other beings should be allowed at school with Virell arguing against such inclusions. Griffith saw Pelles as an unruly younger brother who kept derailing his perfect school, his legacy.

Their conflict came to a dramatic head in 1857 and that year marks a dark page in Penwick's history.

In this year it was discovered that a great and terrible dragon lay slumbering underneath the castle. Some say it had always been there, others say it had secretly been brought there by Pelles Modron and that Modron had some dark purpose with it. In Griffith's account of the events, Pelles Modron is said to have awakened the dragon which lay slumbering underneath the foundations because he thought he could tame the great beast. Griffith and the other founders came to Modron's aid, but could not prevent the great beast from felling Pelles Modron and Gerard Mercator. Viviane Floranti fled the scene after the battle with the great beast and was never heard from again, leaving Griffith Virell as the sole survivor of the deadly encounter, and also the only source on what exactly transpired.

This much is certain: Griffith Virell became the headmaster of Penwick and lead the school for seven more years until his passing in 1864 when he succumbed to a strange and wasting illness. To this day there is still much speculation about what happened in 1857 and the exact causes of the death of each of the founders, or Viviane's fate. The generally accepted version of events however is that Griffith Virell was the hero of the day who saved the school from the great dragon, and it is because of this history that house Dranaga has always had the brightest reputation of all the houses at Penwick.

[The Quill]

Griffith Virell/Pendragon (1815-1864)

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Griffith Virell was a prodigal student of Hogwarts and the mastermind behind the founding of Penwick

Griffith attended Hogwarts in his youth and later in life discovered he was a legitimate descendant of Arthur Pendragon. Born into a wealthy and respected pureblood family, Griffith showed brilliance from a young age. Sorted into Gryffindor at Hogwarts he quickly made a name for himself as an exceptionally talented and, above all, charismatic student. However, he soon became disillusioned with Hogwarts which he perceived to be too rigid and too limited in the education it provided. Even before he graduated in 1832, Griffith had become fascinated by historic magic, and came to belief that much knowledge of magic had been lost. In 1839, when Griffith was 24, he learned about Gerard Mercator and managed to locate the reclusive wizard in the Ardennes.

Mercator's vast collection validated Griffith in his beliefs and it was through Mercator's collection that Griffith discovered that he was direct descendant of Arthur Pendragon. While he kept this knowledge to himself, it inflated his ego and gave him the desire to leave his mark, starting by founding a new and greater school of witchcraft and wizardry which would surpass Hogwarts. Mirroring the founding of Hogwarts, Griffith sought to find three other great witches and wizards to help realize his great work. Gerard Mercator was an obvious first choice, and together they located, awakened and recruited the great witch Viviane Floranti. She, in turn, told of an old wizarding family, the Modron's who had all but disappeared from history, but whose name she remembered from her time.

[The Quill]

Gerard Mercator (1512-1857)

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Gerard Mercator, looking surprisingly sprightly for being centuries old!

Known to muggles as a cartographer from the renaissance, Gerard Mercator was in fact a knowledgeable wizard and collector of ancient artefacts. His vast collection included items from all over the world and ranged from Egyptian amulets and Byzantine spell scrolls to Celtic rune stones. During his travels, Gerard Mercator befriended Nicholas Flamel, thanks to whom his life was extended for many centuries. By the 1800s, Mercator had become something of a hermit, a recluse content with forever pouring over his vast collection of rare books and magical artefacts. While not innately powerful, Mercator possessed immense knowledge and had accumulated many artefacts which artificially enhanced his capabilities. In the mid 19th century, Gerard Mercator was located by Griffith Virell in his tower in the Ardennes and was persuaded by the charismatic young wizard to help found a new school of witchcraft and wizardry.

[The Quill]

Viviane Floranti (1117 - alive)

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Viviane Floranti is by far the oldest of the Penwick founders and has outlived all others.

In muggle tales, Viviane is remembered as Blodeuwedd, a woman made from flowers and a staple of Welsh mythology. In truth Viviane was the daughter of Math ap Mathonwy, a great enchanter and a master of illusions. Born sometime during the 12th century, Viviane was a gifted witch who learned much from her father. Little is known about her past, but it is certain that she became a master of transfiguration. It is said that during her age she often took on the form of an barn owl and provided council to local rulers. In later life, dismayed at the wicked ways of the world, she was said to have retreated into the forest where she eventually transfigured into a tree. In this way, she managed to survive for centuries until she was located and awoken by Griffith and Mercator in the 19th century. She was initially reluctant to join the effort and distrusted Mercator who she deemed too taken with material things, while she regarded Griffith as too young and hasty. After some time however, they managed to persuade her, convincing her that she could bring about much good in the world by helping in the construction of the school, rather than withdrawing and remaining idle, as she had been for centuries.

[The Quill]

Pelles Modron (1822 - 1857)

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Little is known about Pelles' history and nowadays he is mostly remembered for awakening the dragon underneath Penwick in 1857.

The last living heir of the once-great Modron line, Pelles lived in isolation in a remote, blighted part of western Cymru. Having grown up among muggles, Pelles enjoyed no formal magical education and did not even possess a wand. Because of his innate magical abilities, he was feared and shunned by muggles. The only ancestral item in his possession was a talisman of unknown origin which he had been tasked to protect. While neither Griffith nor Mercator were particularly impressed by Pelles, they were fascinated by this talisman which clearly exuded significant magical power. Initially they tried to buy it off him, but Pelles said he was bound to it. Griffith fashioned Pelles a wand in hopes of persuading him, but Pelles maintained he could not be separated from it. Equipped with a wand and instruction from the other three, Pelles's magical prowess became evident, and so the fourth and final founder of Penwick joined their ranks. Both Griffith and Mercator coveted Pelles's talisman and both made various attempts to acquire it, but never succeeded in their efforts.

[The Quill]

House Dranaga

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Colors: Red & White
Core traits: Might, leadership
Sigil: A red dragon
Bearing the legacy of founder Griffith Virell, House Dranaga stands as Penwick's most prestigious house, and it is the house that most parents secretly hope their son or daughter will be sorted into. The house has a long history of producing celebrated Ministry officials, business magnates, and many different kinds of leaders. A true Dranaga is someone with vision and the drive to make that vision become reality. A Dranaga will never quietly accept defeat, nor will they settle for second place when first remains within reach.

Yet this drive comes at a cost. Dranaga students often mistake confidence for infallibility, dismiss advice that conflicts with their vision, and grow impatient with those who cannot keep up with their pace. Some Dranaga students have such a need to boast that they turn to reckless showmanship, endangering themselves and others in the process. At the best of times, this house produces effective, visionary leaders worth following. At the worst of times it produces proud, arrogant, and vain graduates who think themselves superior to others.

The sigil of house Dranaga is a fierce red dragon.


House Modron

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Colors: Black & Spectral Blue
Core traits: Perseverance, loyalty
Sigil: A black hellhound
House Modron bears a burden no other house shares. Pelles Modron's tragic end in the dragon incident of 1857 established the house's unlucky reputation and that reputation has persisted into the modern age. Even now, the black hellhound sigil invokes immediate association with The Grim, marking its students as harbingers of misfortune before they ever get a chance to prove otherwise. This black reputation follows them throughout their seven years at Penwick and often beyond graduation into their professional lives. Yet these students possess qualities that shine brightest under pressure. Students of house Modron are known for perseverance and loyalty. At its best, Modron produces people who can be relied upon in the most difficult situations. They are the quiet allies who stay until the work is done and who remain loyal when it would be easier to walk away.They work through hardship without complaint and often quietly succeed where more celebrated peers fail. Many Modrons pursue careers in curse-breaking, magical law enforcement, or other fields where persistence is the key to survival. Yet their loyalty can be exploited, and their determination can harden into stubbornness. Outsiders may call them unlucky, but a Modron knows that luck is irrelevant when you refuse to give up. At its worst, Modron breeds stubbornness that borders on self-destruction, or loyalty to the wrong person or cause, leading them into trouble they could have avoided.

The sigil of House Modron is a black hellhound.


House Floranti

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Colors: Green & Yellow
Core traits: Adaptability, patience
Sigil: An barn owl
Viviane Floranti built her house around adaptability and patience, virtues she believed could tame even the wildest magic. Floranti students prefer to see the whole board before making a move. They are planners and listeners, measuring not only what is said, but also that which is left unsaid. In classroom discussions, they listen to all arguments before offering their own insights, which often prove surprisingly profound. Most Floranti students think in months rather than days. They plant seeds for projects that may not bear fruit for a long while and are surprisingly organized. Suprisingly because they have a reputation of being dreamy idealists who never actually do anything, but that reputation is completely false. In some sense, they work the hardest, planning for every calamity and making sure that the circumstances are perfect for their plan to hatch.

Many Florantis excel in healing, diplomacy, and long-term magical research, where results may take years to manifest. They are idealists, often aiming for what could be, rather than what is. This can make them seem out of touch or slow to act, but when they finally commit to a cause, they commit fully. Students of this house excel in theoretical subjects requiring sustained effort and deep understanding, though they just as often lean to subjects such as Herbology and Care for Magical Creatures.

The sigil of House Floranti is a barn owl.


House Mercator

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Colors: Brass & Purple
Core traits: Curiosity, shrewdness
Sigil: A magpie
House Mercator embodies the spirit of its founder, Gerard Mercator, whose insatiable hunger for knowledge led him to collect magical artifacts across centuries. Students here view the world as an endless treasure trove of fascinating secrets waiting to be discovered and, when possible, acquired.

These students ask questions others never consider. They investigate subjects their classmates find boring and develop expertise in obscure and unexpected areas. A Mercator might spend weeks researching the magical properties of common garden weeds or the trading patterns of wizard merchants in medieval Europe. Mercators ask questions others overlook, and they often know facts that seem useless until they become essential. They excel in negotiation, trade, history and investigative work. While their curiosity can lead to groundbreaking discoveries, their cleverness and desire for worldly belongings may edge into manipulation. Their collector instincts can become compulsive. They hoard information, books, and magical items, sometimes crossing ethical lines to add desired pieces to their collections. Their shrewdness in trading can shade into manipulation when they identify others' weaknesses.