Beauxbâtons Academy of Magic ::

BBAM's History and FAQ
History of Beauxbâtons Academy of Magic
Brief Summary of Houses

Ciel
Eau
Flamme
Terre

Beauxbâtons: A History by Marcel Asselin

Beauxbâtons was founded somewhere in Provence in 1633 by six wizards and witches: Garrululus Mantyka, Carmen Ramirez, Mireille Dorante, Lucien Jourdain, Sofie Vankommer, and Jan Visser (you may notice that the Beauxbâtons Crest has six stars on it - this is why). They, together, carved the school out of a rock face - not an easy task, even for six powerful witches and wizards, but they succeeded admirably. They hollowed it out, and decorated it beautifully; but unfortunately, a horrible accident occurred. Mireille Dorante was carving out an area of marble into a great hall and accidentally cut too far in and was crushed by a falling slab of marble. Her passionate lover, Lucien Jourdain, was devastated and wept upon the rock for three days straight. The other founders, believing the rock was cursed, moved it down to the lowest dungeon to sit for the ages after Lucien had left it for solitude in his own chambers. The other four remaining founders carved out houses for their students to be sorted into, each according to his or her personal characteristics, expecting Lucien to also carve one out, but he left one morning and disappeared for unknown reasons, never to be seen or heard from again.

The rock sat in its own solitude in the dungeon for the very first teaching year of Beauxbâtons, until its thoughts were disturbed by a very frightened first year, who had been carried down there by a nesting welsh green who had gone previously unnoticed. The first year managed to escape and hide behind the rock where the Founders, who, after capturing and releasing the dragon far from the castle, rescued him. This was not the first time that the rock was there in momentous moments. After having been moved up to the Entrance hall, ten years later, a student in his seventh year rallied the rest of the students who then rose up against the Magic Government, then in place and launched a revolution of wizards, which eventually caused the formation of a regulated government system and children to be treated with much more respect.

The rock also saw sorrow and troubled times too; Carmen Ramirez died across it when she was mortally wounded in a fight with a dark wizard who attempted to kill the son of a wealthy landowner. The Headmaster during the French Revolution was assassinated while staring at the rock. Finally, a decent portion of the student body was injured or killed when half the rock exploded due to seismic vibrations. Nevertheless, the rock survived the original Beauxbâtons Academy, which was disbanded under Napoleon, a very powerful military leader and wizard, who split the school into two, regionally divided into North and South. The two schools, although reunited again in 1919 after World War One, retained the North and South system of dividing the students. It was not until the 2005 move that Beauxbâtons returned to its roots and went back to the houses of the four founders: Flamme, or Fire, Eau, or Water, Ciel, or Sky, and Terre, or Earth.

Of course, you may see the dilemma here: how does one decide which house each student is sorted into? This obviously posed a dilemma to the original founders too. So, in their infinite wisdom, having recognized what the rock was very early on, they imbued the rock with some of their personality and power. Fire, Carmen Ramirez, added the fiery passion of her thought and willpower, as well as her scalding wit. Garrululus Mantyka, Terre, added a bit of his work ethic and strong sense of ideals. Ciel, Sofie Vankommer, surrendered her 'lost-in-the-stars' attitude as well as her constantly changing and inquisitive mind; meanwhile Jan Visser, Eau, gave up some of his compassion and fluidity of mind. Through the rock, the sorters placed enough of themselves that the rock could sort the students with a 100% success rate. The rock, through 3, and now 4 different schools, has survived with the founders' spirits to guide young students on their path of learning, just like the founders themselves.

A Brief Summary of the Houses at Beauxbâtons

Ciel

For individuals sorted into the Ciel house, their mind is their most valuable asset. Ciel people are smart thinkers and handle abstract reasoning well. They love to analyze, synthesize and probe.
Ciel people can usually excel in any field that requires negotiation skills because they have a knack for abstract reasoning, codes of law and ethics. They are very good at perceiving, comparing and communicating. And they are usually very objective.
Individuals with Ciel characteristics are alert, curious and perceptive. They are are inventive, clever, and they tend to see all sides of the equation, which makes their perception of the world an interesting one.
Ciel people regard others with the utmost fascination. Ciel people tend to be very empathetic and compassionate towards others, but sometimes stray away from heavy emotional discussions. They value truth, see both sides of opposing issues, and can offer balanced views of each, but they can also become cold very quickly. Just when you think you know them, poof, they change again. They love humanity, but are not that close to individuals.
Another Ciel characteristic, is to be humane. They tend to be objective, cooperative and really want to help make a better world.
A Ciel's weakness comes in the form of indecisiveness. Too much thinking can result in lost opportunities. Ciel people tend to have a lot of interests and they are always eager to learn. They are usually very kind, cheerful, and openminded, and they enjoy mixing with individuals who they find interesting. But because Ciel people tend to have a lot of interests, they can sometimes be restless and ever searching. What interests them today, might bore them tomorrow.
Another downfall for the Ciel person, is that they can become dreamers, thinking and planning, but not applying.
So, who are people who belong in Ciel? That depends just on when you catch them. While these folks are often cool, calm and collected, they can turn cold if their equilibrium is upset. A word to the wise: there's little upside in baiting a Ciel.

Eau

True to themselves
Hardworking and not afraid of a challenge
Empathetic to those in need

Need for freedom and to follow their heart
Outgoing and working to make a difference
Believing in there talents and skills
Lifelong learners with a thirst for knowledge
Endless potential

Honest and trustworthy
On task and well prepared
Unified and strong
Striving to go beyond expectations to make there dreams come true
Experiences of an individual are valued

On there way to becoming outstanding members of society
Forging there own paths

Encouraging each other
Accepting of all bloodlines and backgrounds
Unwavering friendships

Flamme

Flammes are generally quick thinkers and occasionally impulsive, stubborn to the very end, with quick tempers and short fuses.
Not for the laid back, friends do have to deal with this type of personality, but usually when a Flamme makes a friend, they try to make it last for a very long time. Usually, when a Flamme finds something he/she agrees with, he/she latches onto that idea and passionatly defends whatever it is, often to the point of obstinacy.
Flammes are leaders - they have high spirits, great self-confidence, enthusiasm, and commonly direct honesty and openness (which can be overbearing sometimes). They are assertive, individualistic, active and self-expressive. They value having a good time above material possessions. They are generous but egoistic.Flamme's may believe so strongly in their own powers and abilities that they fail to notice the powers and abilities of others. This may mean that they do not give others the credit they deserve, or it may be that they underestimate their opponents; however they believe that "If you want a job done well, then do it yourself."
However, they belong to a group that is the most daring and capable inspiring natural leaders. They lead from the front. In war or business, they are out in the front leading the way. They are independent and individualistic leaders, rarely consulting others before they act. In fact, they may not even think things through to themselves, because their mode of thought is intuitive.
They are always "on stage" and need to be recognized and admired for their attainment and accomplishments. They consider being appreciated more important than being rich. Nothing hurts them more than being ignored. The fire sign sense of honesty is straightforward and often child-like. They believe everyone is like themselves an open book. This may lead them to be gullible and naïve, or to others exploiting their openness.

Terre

The earthen types, people tend to expect humility, solidarity, stability, and closeness to nature. Terres/Terrans are closer to nature than the other house, and have a nurturing side.
But on the flipside of it is a tendency for occasional earthquakes, so to speak. Terres, while grounded, may have a molten core, may be gems in the rough, or may be something other than that. There are those that are clay, moldable until set by the other elements, there are those that are loam, silty, and have a lot of potential for growth, and there are those that are sand, rough yet with uses of its own.
And there are those that may seem rotten but are the best ones there is.
Terrans tend to be resourceful, mysterious, and quiet until their potential is uncovered. Terres can be both shallow and deep, good and bad, stable and unstable, safe and dangerous all at the same time.
Quite most undesirable, it takes people time to realize that it is from earth that much wealth comes from. And it is earth that grounds the other elements.
As is Earth, ground, Terre is your best friend and quite possibly your worse enemy. It is the solution and the problem.
To sum up, Terres are practical, objective, hardworkers, and usually stick to the rules and established order. They are all for what is and not what might be. Unless, of course, they're the sort to shake it up.
Expected Traits:
Fixed, organized, stable, predictable, rigid, limited, disciplined, cautious, premeditational, conventional, dependable, responsible, methodical, attentive to detail, realistic, constructive, pragmatic, hard working
Likes to collect things, warm, friendly

The Beauxbâtons Mystery: A Short FAQ

What is the mystery?

The mystery - so noted in your common rooms and on IRC - is a series of events planned by a committee that is selected each term. The mystery is just that - it is a mystery; the events that happen result in the culmination in a single situation, a crisis if you will that is solveable before it happens. Before the final event occurs, the Headmistress will ask the student body if they have any information regarding what may be going on in the school. At this time, you may submit answers to AidezMoi (at) bbamagic (dot) com. The events will then occur, and the winner will receive a fairly decent award (re: trophy for services to the school, and lots of house points). In the event that there is no winner, the house points are awarded to the house with the most discussion/closest guesses in their common room - this means that not only do you have to find the clues, but interpret them as well!

How do I get on the mystery committee?

Participation in solving the mystery, dedication to the school, good roleplay, and strong english and teamwork skills are noticed by the administration and then invited privately to join.

Is X a clue?

It is a mystery after all - discuss it with your housemates!

Who is on the mystery committee currently?

This is generally not disclosed for several reasons: for starters, it gives people clues to look for; secondarily, it encourages badgering of the people on it; and tertiarily, other's roleplay will sometimes provide red herrings that throw you off the trail. Should it be really drastic, you'll be notified that this isn't part of the mystery - that being said, there's a couple things going on right now that may or may not be red herrings, so be discerning! Watch, discuss, and think! A Hint: Not all the administrators are on the committee.

How long does the mystery last? When does the mystery start?

In answer to the former, however long it takes to finish. In answer to the latter, the mysteries are made in such a way that there is a continuous history of events - ie, one mystery would lead into the next, just like History in general. You'll know when a mystery is about to end by the Headmaster's request for information from the students. The events after this are the conclusion of the mystery, and generally there will be some obvious signs a mystery is starting or is in progress (safety warnings, mystery discussions, IRC topics...).

What do you want me to submit with my answer to the mystery / what should be included in my answer?

It should be a detailed synopsis of what's going on. Ideally you should explain what the 'grand event' will be (this is quite analogous to the climax in a novel - Think Harry Potter!) - include who is doing it, what they are doing, where they are doing it, how they are doing it, when they are doing it (if relevant), why they are doing it (This is a huge one, don't forget it), as well as your username and house.

I have a question that wasn't addressed here!

You can send additional questions through AidezMoi (at) bbamagic (dot) com or via Private Message to any of the administrators.