Congratulations, you have been admitted to the premier school for magical and esteemed bloodlines in this and several adjacent worlds. Perhaps you are unaware of your lineage, but it matters little. The blood is resurgent in you, and you have access to the manifold arts of magic. So sayeth the letter that you received, hand written and without any post mark. You have journeyed to some godforsaken hole in Romania, descended deeper than any documented natural cave, and before you lies a great campus surrounded by a small stone city. The sun shines through clear skies overhead, and trees lie at the boundary of the city, overgrowing the most distant buildings.
Scholomance is an esteemed school lasting seven years and admitting children at the age of thirteen. Those who graduate go on to do great things, but the school has a poor reputation for public safety. Students are almost entirely unsupervised outside of classes, and the houses have been squabbling somewhat violently of late. Worse, there are strange things in the cellars and foyers of the largely abandoned city, and odd beings occasionally wander in from the areas beyond it. Worse, many classes are graded on a curve so students who excel the most can be targets for their peers. Some teachers even contribute to the danger, as there is no ethics committee overseeing the research here. Overall the school is significantly more dangerous than any first world mortal school, even those rape-loving colleges of the eastern United States; critics compare it to cities like Chicago or Johannesburg. The central campus and first year housing are monitored and protected, but most students will venture beyond these areas before long.
Regardless of the flaws, Scholomance is the most prestigious school out there for the quality of its education, and you will be making connections with the best of humanity and many others.

HOUSES
Scholomance can be dangerous, lonely, and a downright hassle to live in, and after your first year you'll have to find housing on your own. Communities make all that so much easier. In Scholomance, five main communities have formed, each under the auspices of powerful entities known as gods. Those gods may provide minor boons in exchange for sacrifices and worship, and in times of extreme turmoil could even step in personally, but mostly they serve as little more than an mascot and role model. There is no prohibition against changing houses, but leaving a house (or staying houseless for more than a year or two) is not generally respected, and without a very good reason, this will make it hard to get accepted into another house.

    Golden Crown: A tentative union exists between House Jupiter and the House of the Morningstar. Since this alliance, a few smaller posses have joined in, taking the auspice as a protection or hoping to seize some power, but they remain smaller than those aligned with one of the two primary signatories. Of course, when two try to share a crown, they are sure to butt heads, but as both houses were already characterized by individuals struggling for dominance, the union remains fairly solid. House Jupiter is is an all male sub-house dwelling in a great regal and classical dorm, which they often lounge about, jockeying for social position, and occasionally pour out of all at once when someone attains enough control over the group. The activities scheduled could be almost anything, occasionally purely recreational, but more often they march to raid other houses, stealing wealth, books, or just having a fine time partying and raping. The House of the Morningstar has less taste for such frivolities. They live in sensibly appointed apartments with a small image of Yaldabaoth etched above the door and a separate wing for each gender. The Morningstar has the fastest internet connection at the school but this line is not for recreational access; it is tied to a stock market hub where initiates gamble on the fates of corporations and nations. The Morningstar members work together to ensure that they and their friends control important resources in the world, so the stock market often reflects their actions, while Jupiter is more concerned with control over their fellow elites at Scholomance.

    Odin: A very small house, counted by human involvement, but still an influential one. All the ravens in Scholomance are members of this house, and in order to qualify, one must receive an invitation from one of them, and have the wisdom to understand it. The dorms of Odin are a great tree, and finding the way in is one of the tests that the house offers new members. The tests later in the progression of house Odin can be far more costly, and it is not rare to see the upperclassmen of Odin with missing eyes, limbs, or other body parts. But the work and sacrifices are rewarded, because members of Odin are unmatched in their knowledge of strange mysteries, and they have methods of divination that can be attained through no other avenue. The followers of Odin often live fairly ascetic lives and are generally reserved and quiet in manner, so much so that their entirely mixed dorm arrangement works entirely fine and is only rarely awkward or debaucherous.

    House of Five Houses: This house is dedicated to the spirits and is arguably the most religious house, venerating the five great spirits which exist on every world. It is named as it is for the five sub-houses within it. Students in the House of Five Houses choose one patron at the beginning of their third year, and thereafter they room with people of that patron and specialize accordingly. The Sun is a god who encourages fertility and rule of law, and her initiates bare their chests. The Sun dorm is a square nunnery with an open central courtyard and a small annex to one side for the few male members. The Moon is a feral god, and his initiates train in combat and in the ways of nature, and shun modern convenience. His dorm is a simple wooden hall with a table down the middle, bedding strewn along the sides, and dogs everywhere. There is no privacy and both genders live communally in the same hall, though the moon has a substantial male majority. The Sky is a patron of the arts, sciences, and magic, and as such is popular at Scholomance. Her initiatives dress finely and devote themselves to their studies. The Sky's dorm is a tower made of a single piece of solid ivory, with separate floors for each gender and library and laboratory floors near the top. The Earth is a god of creation and of fortification, and his initiatives spend days forging and creating useful tools and items. He is also the god of memory and stories, and the Earth's dorm is a network of high-roofed tunnels, each one engraved with legends from days gone by. Genders have separate rooms but are not otherwise separate. Darkness is not spoken of. It has no single dorm, and initiates of Darkness have no clearly defining characteristic.

    The Greeks: A whole neighborhood is filled with small cottages, well-appointed and painted in cheerful colors. The Greeks, more formally known as the League of Hellenic Fraternities, are the largest house and claim the blessings of Pan, Dionysus, Aphrodite, and Eris. While they can be dedicated to studies, they are more dedicated to parties and revelry, and there is always at least one party somewhere within their walls. The Greeks consume massive amounts of alcohol, red solo cups, molly, and lube in the course of their activities, and they also expend massive amounts of labor fixing things and occasionally rebuilding entire destroyed cottages, so the skies over their land are full, during the day, of slaves hard at work while the students sleep. Most cottages are populated by a single gender, officially, but the Greeks are often in each other's beds.

    Houseless: You need not choose a house. You will have to seek out the auspices of a god, or not, on your own, and you will need to find, build, or steal a home for yourself. The path of no house is a hard path, and you'll have no shelter against the depredations of others aside from those you make yourself, but you can do so nonetheless if you so choose. Finding a place to live is actually quite easy, as the city surrounding Scholomance held far more people at some point in the past than it does now, but if you want your home to be defensible and in good repair, you will have to work a lot harder. Lacking social distractions, you could put yourself entirely into studying or some other endeavor, but if you truly want to make your mark on the school, you could also choose to forge your own house. Some have already tried this, and you may find smaller posses and groups without patron gods, working together if none of the true houses suit your tastes. Regardless, you will have a hard time if a party of raiding Jupiter students or Panic Greeks roll through your neighborhood, so being hidden and being more prickly than you are tasty is a necessity.

CLASSES
You may select your classes almost freely. Each class is three credits unless stated otherwise, and you must take at least eight credits each year, up to a maximum of twelve. A credit corresponds to a four hour period once per week, either from 8:00 to 12:00 or from 13:00 to 17:00. Classes are available Monday through Saturday. Free certifications require no additional class and are awarded upon completion of their prerequisites.

    Physics: Understanding of motion and the relations of matter and energy.
    Chemistry: Understanding of the fundamental nature of matter and the interactions between different forms of matter. Atoms, molecules, electron valence and etc.
    Biology: Understand the fundaments of living things and the nature of life itself.
        Care of Creatures: Magical, Mundane, and Magnificent monsters.
        Herbalism: Botany and gardening.
        The Veil: Understand the barrier of life and death, and learn to see through it to consult with the recently deceased.
            Necromancy: Induce the dead to walk and serve you. Requires significant power.
    Elemental: Basics, with specializations. Four common ones have advanced classes.
        Alchemy: Req. Elements, Chemistry, Herbalism. grants the ability to change one thing to another
    Evocation: Manifest and project magical effects via force of will
        Battlemagic: Throw magic about very quickly, and with accuracy
            Transmutation: Requires Evocation and Elementalism Allows the art of alchemy through pure will-working
    Theology: Understanding of fundamental divinity
        Healing: Req. Biology. Mystical wound-mending and disease removal.
    Language Arts: Writing, literature, and oration, both persuasive and creative
        Journalism: Investigation and the big reveal
        Music: Your choice of three instruments, plus sheet reading, notation, and composition
            Spirit Invocation: Req. Theology. Calling of ancestors, nature spirits, and small gods.
        Acting: Stagework and directing also available
    Visual Art: Painting, drawing, sculpting, and pottery
    Economics: Taxes and business, balancing a checkbook, and appraisal.
    Civics: Laws and governance.
    Meditation: Attaining inner understanding. Helpful for mental health.1
        Psychology: Understanding the ways in which the minds of others behave
            Negotiations: Req. Economics. Diplomacy and the art of the deal
            Telepathy: Direct interface with the minds of others, and investigation into the deeper contents thereof
                Mind Control: Req. Special recommendation from a teacher. Exerting direct influence on the minds of others, including short tricks and permanent enthrallment(discouraged)
        Chi Manipulation: Opening of chakras and manipulation of chi flows, as well as extension of chi beyond the body
            Self-Enhancement: Permanent manipulation of the physical self to exceed normal human limits
                Shapeshifting Req. Self Enhancement, Transmutation. Adjust your body to take on the aspect of natural animals, or of other humans.
                    Druidism: Free certification with shapeshifting, care of creatures, and Spirit Invocation
                Immortality: Req. Firmamental Mathematics Attain an existence beyond the mortality inherent to any plane, abandon aging and susceptibility to disease
        Illusion: Req. Meditation, Language Arts. Project images and sounds which do not exist
            Thoughtscapes Req. Enchanting, Acting. Bind entire portions of the land to have surreal and deceptive properties
        Telekinesis: Req. Meditation, Physics. Move things about with pure force of mind
    Enhancement: Identify, sense, and bring out the properties in mundane materials and items
        Enchantment: Req Enhance and Fund.Maths Bind magical effects into items permanently, especially with runes
    Fundamental Mathematics: Algebra, geometry, and trigonometry
        Ritual: Req. Enhancement, Fund. Math. You know how to create sigils and designs that channel power from land features and from potent items you have access to, empowering magic.
                Leyline: Req. Ritual, Physics. Siphon energy from the natural flows of the earth for use in spellcraft. Hugely powerful, but only useable at specific places.
                Life: Req. Biology, Ritual, special permission from a teacher. Draw orgone enrgy, harvest through sexual techniques or blood sacrifice.
            Binding and Banishing: Allows manipulation of the banes of extraplanar beings, and creation of barrier shapes
        Overarching Mathematics: Calculus and statistics, intro to modals
            Firmamental Mathematics: Req. Archmath, Physics. Modal math, astronomical calculations, planar interactions
                Summoning: Req. Special recommendation from a teacher. Conjure demons, angels, and fairies. Does not allow control.
                Portals: Opening gates to other dimensions. Very magically expensive.
                    Demiplanes: Free certification with Portals and Thoughtscapes: Crafting and destruction of artificial planes. Extremely expensive.
    Electronics: Circuits, computers, and machine logic
        AI: Creating sentient or pseudo-sentient machine beings
    Workshop: Basic manufacturing, including woodcraft and welding
        Smithing: Metals and other materials, their refining and their properties, taught in a context of producing melee weapons and armors using archaic and modern techniques.
        Weapons: Firearms and propulsion, explosives.
        Mechanics: Machines and vehicles
            Robotics: Req. AI, Mechanics, archMath. You can build autonomous or semi-autonomous robots, including basic AI.
        Engineering: Req workshop and fund math. Large-scale contraptions, weight tolerance, and all manner of efficiency calculations
                Mecha: Free certification with Robotics, engineering, and weapons.
    Home Economics: Cooking, cleaning, basic home maintenance including sewing.
        Sexual Edification: Req. Specially signed parent or guardian permission. Seduction and bedroom skills including training to increase the capacity of orifices and sexual endurance
    Majesty: Beauty, Elegance, and manners
    Self Defense: Basic combat principles
        Fencing: Swordsmanship and dueling
        Marksmanship: How to shoot good, with rifle, gun, and bow.
        Cavalry: Riding, jousting, and use of war from atop a horse or other mount.
            Dracomachy: Req. Self defense, care of creatures. Care of dragons and their use in war, and weapons aboard a flying mount.
        Soldiery: Formations, marching, and doing what you're told.
            Tactics: Force multipliers and gaining the advantage
                Command: Strategic-level decisions and ensuring the loyalty of your men
                Logistics: Req. Economics. Feeding your men, keeping the supply train going, and the realities of grand strategy
                    Rulership: Free certification with Logistics, Majesty, and Civics.