Clubs

Each student belongs to one of the school clubs. They’re a place to find like-minded individuals, learn new things and show off your character’s skills. Most clubs have one or two meetings during the larp, and some might also have ongoing plotlines or organize larger events like performances or competitions. In addition to the clubs, many students love playing Fireball Dragon and belong to their House team, anxiously waiting for the first tournament of the year.

Dueling Club

Dueling is said to be the high art of spellcasting, and professional dueling is a widely popular sport in the magical world. The Dueling Club of Czocha is almost as old as the school, founded centuries ago, even before House Sendivogius. It’s an institution rooted in ritual and honor that teaches both the grand gestures and fine details of wand magic, and its members carry themselves with appropriate dignity. They say that any witchard can best an opponent with an onslaught of spells, but the trick is to win with style and composure. Dueling Club is very particular about etiquette, and it’s not uncommon to enjoy a cup of tea alongside a duel. Critics mockingly say the club is for dating rather than wand fighting, and to be honest, that’s not far from the truth. Good manners and spellcasting skills can very well be just the thing to make an impression, and many members have found their future partner in the club.

Dueling Club organizes practice sessions filled with pleasantries and social codes. Sometimes they practice new spells all together, sometimes they test each other’s abilities in practice matches. It’s also common for the club members to settle any disputes between them with a public duel – in front of as many people as possible, of course. When the club really wants to show off their skill and superiority, they might even put on a grand tournament or a gala event where everyone at school is allowed to participate. After all, an excellent performance in such an event might pave your way to eventually become a professional duelist.

Horse Without Wings

Horse Without Wings is a uniquely Czochan phenomenon and a gathering of some of the most eccentric minds at the school. The club of all things creative of Czocha College, the name of this venerable society is a reference to the punchline of an old joke that nobody can remember. This is where all kinds of outrageous artists and talented souls gather to present new revolutionary ideas, find collaborators and plan new artistic endeavors that will take the school by storm. Do you remember the time they decorated the opening ball with glowing butterflies or the year they produced a whole series of fictional stories about the school and its people? Whatever this club does is sure to go down in history.

The members of Horse Without Wings perform, create and love sharing their art with the rest of the world, and their presence truly makes the school life more colourful. Their club activities vary from year to year depending on what the students happen to be passionate about: some run the school choir, some set up a newspaper, some organize waltz classes in preparation for the opening ball. Do you want to arrange a poetry reading or a performance piece? The stage is yours!

W.A.N.D.

Witchards Against Non-hexborn Discrimination started as a coalition of smaller witchard justice groups fighting hexism, anti-werewolf sentiment, and discrimination against duds born to hexborn families. Over time W.A.N.D. has become the nexus of progressive student politics at Czocha College, and its members keep the banner flying high against the inequalities pervading witchard society. W.A.N.D. attracts all sorts of firebrands and magic activists from anti-hexists to those opposing cruelty towards magical creatures. Pro-werewolf activists, dud activists and dozens of other tendencies exist under the umbrella of W.A.N.D., and while the goals of the group might seem unfocused, the truth is that strength comes from diversity, and together they are stronger than apart.

W.A.N.D. members meet up to discuss ongoing issues and to find solutions. They make posters, flyers and badges to advertise their agenda, create petitions to overturn discriminatory school rules and organize debates to draw attention to their viewpoints. If needed, they might even turn to rallies, demonstrations, sit-ins or boycotts in order to get their point across. They also have a never-ending feud with A.R.M., a club that simply by existing represents everything they fight against. They will gladly use any chance to take A.R.M. members down a notch whenever they can, and show there’s so much more to life than being born into a high-class family line.

A.R.M.

The name of Alliance for Reclaiming Magic stems from 1800s, when radical measures were needed to oppose the sudden rise of mundaneborn rights. While the club is still the main opponent of W.A.N.D., nowadays these students don’t see a reason to fight with those ruffians – they already have it all. A.R.M. is a society for the offspring of the rich and influential hexborn families spanning centuries to mingle and find like-minded company. Nowhere is it said that the club is only for the old-blooded and hexist, but for some reason only those with proper lineage and politics get invited. On top of that, many of the old hexborn Staff members are alumni of the club, which gives the current members a lot of leeway and favouritism. Not all of them might even notice though, they simply think this is their natural place in the world. The club doesn’t have a single mundaneborn member, though there is also no sensible reason why any of them would want to join. Even if a mixborn or a new blood hexborn somehow makes it in, they’re going to have a rough time proving they really belong.

A.R.M. members are very proud of their long family histories and enjoy letting the entire school know that they’re the ones you want to be friends with. They might eat lunch privately or organize fancy parties where it’s very clear who’s welcome and who isn’t. They also want to stay in power, which is why they generally oppose all kinds of pro-mundaneborn, pro-werewolf and other overly liberal movements. Some more radical branches also remain, ready to campaign for hexist supremacy. Many members engage in heated debates with W.A.N.D. or find other ways to show the superiority of ancient hexborn lineage. If anything threatens their place at the top, they are determined to put the upstarts back in their place.

Ancient Order of Mischief

There are mysteries to be solved at Czocha, and this bunch is determined to solve them all by any means necessary. Ancient Order of Mischief is home to adventurers, truth-seekers and conspiracy theorists, each with their own pressing questions they must find answers to. They have a reputation for being troublemakers, but their aim is not to do harm – sometimes you just need to stretch some boundaries in order to find what you need. Discussions about banning the club have been had several times over the years, but somehow they always manage to talk themselves out of trouble. After all, they’re not doing anything illegal, they’re just a bit too curious for their own good. Members of the Order are always walking the fine line between abiding by the rules and ending up in detention, and they’re proud of it – after all, what’s more rewarding than the exasperated look of “Oh no, not them again” on a Professor’s face?

At the beginning of the new school year, the Order is once again faced with a new conundrum. They gather evidence, host nightly excursions to look for clues and try fishing information out of classmates and Professors. The club likes to meet in secret and send coded messages, because you never know when a Professor has finally had enough of “this utter nonsense”. It’s better to stay low, but these brave students won’t let such hindrances prevent them from doing whatever it takes. After all, it’s a matter of pride to solve the first mystery of the year before the Czocha Trophy has even been awarded.