(Please note: We highly encourage users to sort themselves. If one house becomes too full we will put a moratorium on new members until the other houses fill up. If you chose to be sorted by the staff it will be based on information from your character profile. All sorting are final.)To be sorted into one’s house is arguably the most profound memory a first year can make. The house you’re sorted into with be your family away from home when you are on the island, one should not approach this magical ceremony lightly. Put on the black robe, clear your mind, and make your way down to the beach. The crystal ball is waiting…
What to expect:
It has been noted that for first years this ceremony can be a bit intimidating. High magic directed at you performed in front of the entire school is a daunting thought, no matter how exciting the sorting may seem. This guide is to let First Year students know what to expect during the Salem Academy House Sortings.
On the night of the sorting ceremony First Years with gather in the great hall at 11:00 pm sharp dressed in plain black robes. From there, two lines will form, one for boys, one for girls. The head boy and girl will lead their respective lines out of the Great Hall, across the lawn, and to the cliffside path.
The twisting path is illuminated by hundred of floating torches and leads the students down to the sea where the rest of the student population is waiting with the faculty. The older students are divided by their house and each student section wear their hose colors proudly.
Once the first years reach the beach they are seated opposite of the upperclassmen and faculty with a considerable expanse of beach between them. At this time the Headmaster will open the ceremony and call for the presentation of the Crystal Ball which is brought out, usually, by the Caretaker and the Master of the Grounds.
From here the Headmaster will turn the ceremony over to the Divination professor to begin sorting. A spell of protection is first cast around the entire gathered populace, and then it begins. Student by student is called forward by name, the Divination Professor will look deep into the Crystal Ball until the shape of the Animal representing each house appears, then the students black robes with magically change to the color of their house.
Now, the sorted student will leave the general population of first years and join the brotherhood of their new house. Once each student has been sorted, the Headmaster and Divination Professor will jointly break the circle and conclude the ceremony. While it is customary for the faculty to leave at this time, students are allowed to stay on the beach an extra hour and socialize with the new house members before being escorted back to the castle so they may enter their common room for the first time.
October 1819, the dawn of a new year at Salem Academy was about to begin. Little did the students know, this year would be different from any other year before and it would change the school’s future forever. Championed by four professors and approved by the Headmaster and Town Council, four houses were created for the students to be sorted into. Longing to bring what they saw at larger school to Salem, the four founding house professors spent a week in potion induced spirit quest seeking the spirit that would embody each house. From their ethereal journey, they brought back the names of four creatures that were to become the four houses of Salem.
House of Lupin
Founder: Mortimer Crines, DaDA Professor
Characteristics: Wisdom. Vigilence. Honor.
Moto: Praemium virtutis honor .
'Honour is the reward of virtue’
House Colors: Green & Gold
Lupin members will find their common room behind the fireplace in the Great Hall. With the utterance of a spell known only to Lupin, students can walk through the fire and into their private quarters unscathed.
House of Ursa
Founder: Callista Cassiopeia Calloria, Divination Professor
Characteristics: Strength. Tact. Endurance.
Moto: Fortis in arduis
'Brave in difficulties’
House Colors: Brown & Maroon
Descending down into the basements of Salem has struck fear into the heart of many students. Not those in the House of Ursa though. Making their way down the dark and winding staircase into the basement and off to a nondescript storage room near the kitchen, Ursa’s find there way to a portrait of their founder who will step aside only for her students.
House of Cetus
Founder: Lilith Traymore, Professor of Flying
Characteristics: Honor. Courage. Ferocity.
Moto: Toujours fort
'Always strong’
House Colors: Blue & White
Historically always located near the water, the Cetus common room is the most recently constructed. After the town approved funds for the Oceanic Paddock the House of Cetus common room went from near the water to underneath the water. The dome under the sea provides a 180-degree view of the bay and its inhabitants.
House of Corvus
Founder: Jeremiah Paddworth, Professor of Runic Studies
Characteristics: Knowledge. Wit. Intuition.
Moto: Praestat opes sapientia
'Virtue by wisdom’
House Colors: Red & Black
Hopefully, members of the House of Corvus are not afraid of heights because their common room sits at the tallest point in The Academy. After climbing to the roof, then atop the great hall, A Corvus will pass the astronomy room and head from the tower turret. To keep the tower, or Crows Nest, safe from intruders, alumni (and deceased ) Hortense McGidleman has been guarding the door since his demise some hundred years ago. Before that, there were just a series of magical locks that had to be turned in a certain order to gain access. Hortense finds his way far more efficient.
It should also be noted that the original journals used by the house founders to document their spirit journey went missing within days of the creation of the house. The journals are believed to still be on the island and most are sure they are hidden somewhere on the campus. To this day, The Keeper of the Scrolls in the Town Record Office still maintains a reward for their safe return.
