Pigeon.
bird brain
Hogsmeade is not the only wizarding community in Britain, you know.
The village of Tintagel has been a tourist spot for decades. Muggles from every corner of the United Kingdom and beyond travel there in their holidays, seeking coastal walks, cream teas and a sprinkling of history - if one could call it that. The legend of King Arthur is prominent here, the ruins of Tintagel Castle linked with the mythical monarch. Historians have never confirmed that Tintagel and Arthur are linked, or that Arthur himself is not simply a story - either way, people cannot resist a tale. And Tintagel has become a physical embodiment of this tale, both the castle above ground and the cave below. The muggle children love the mystery and intrigue of Merlin’s Cave, the sight in which baby Arthur was supposed to have washed up at the legendary wizard’s feet.
“They found a naked child upon the sands / Of dark Tintagil by the Cornish sea; / And that was Arthur; and they fostered him / Till he by miracle was approven King”
For some reason, it is only the children that entertain these kinds of stories. For the rest of the muggles, the idea that a rickety old magical man lived in a cave and looked after baby Arthur is a step too far - and they would be right. The real story is that it was here, in Tintagel, that Merlin came to realise that there ought to be rules to safeguard muggles against magical wrong-doers. Arthur was to be heir to the throne, but needed protection from cunning muggles who wanted to take the throne and from wizards who felt threatened by muggle power. Merlin felt a responsibility to raise him to be a sympathetic muggle king, so took baby Arthur away. The cave itself became the meeting place of the Order of Merlin for hundreds of years, until, in the eighteenth century, somebody wondered why they didn’t just have these meetings somewhere warm and comfortable.
What sprouted from these muggle tales and wizarding history was not only a muggle holidaying spot, but also a wizarding community - Merlinstow. Rivalling Hogsmeade in size and population, Merlinstow is hidden by repellent charms, nestled in what appears to the average muggle as grassy fields alongside the cliff-face with no discernable coastal trail. Most of the community has been built into the cliffs, surrounding a bay-like port. Unlike Hogsmeade, the inhabitants of Merlinstow tend to mingle with neighbouring muggle communities to keep the community well supplied, so much so that it is said that those muggles who live in Tintagel are aware of a magical presence - and seem to tolerate it.
The population stands somewhere around 2,500. The amenities include Merlin’s Square (location of the town hall and National Muggle Relations Museum), Sickle Street (location of most shops), the harbour (home to fishing boats and visiting vessels), The Pixie and Porlock (the most popular pub) and The Wayward Bludger (the dodgiest pub, located right by the harbour).
Notable inhabitants include the Trevarthen family, a pureblood family typically belonging to the house of Ravenclaw that is not part of the Sacred Twenty-Eight but still respected in many circles for producing talented witches and wizards. As Merlinstow is classified as a wizarding town, there is an appointed Mayor. Currently, Yestin Trevarthen is serving as the town’s Mayor, a position that has been held by a Trevarthen for the past three-hundred years. The Chegwin family, typically belonging to the house of Hufflepuff, are no longer considered a pureblood family, even by Trevarthen standards. Their lines got ‘muddied’ back in the late eighteenth century. However, they are still a well-liked family and known for their capabilities in farming and rearing magical creatures, their husbandry of winged horses is second to none in Britain.
What's the premise?
The summer of 1995 revealed that He Who Must Not Be Named has returned with full strength and dozens upon dozens of supporters crawling out of the woodworks to stand by him. An atmosphere of unease has swept over the usually jovial town of Merlinstow, a place which has historically stood alongside Muggles and the rights of Muggleborns. Ships bearing unwelcome guests have arrived from across the world, and the inhabitants nearest the harbour can tell that they are seeking to rejoin their old Master.
It becomes more imperative than ever to ensure that the Muggle communities around them are protected, as violence against Muggles sees a sharp upturn. Some of the residents of Merlinstow decide to form a group to for the protection of Muggles in their area, but this soon extends across Britain - a neighbourhood Muggle watch, so to speak.
As the tension rises and the Ministry takes on sinister attitudes towards Muggleborns, Merlinstow suddenly becomes a refuge point - Muggleborns who already live their are vowed protected, Muggleborns on the run pass through the town with hope of finding safe voyage away, to be hidden on islands off the coast or further afield until the trouble passes...if it ever passes. Despite the consequences, there are those waiting in Merlinstow ready to help - but the Death Eaters who had infiltrated the heart of wizarding government are onto them.
What roles are there up for grabs?
This is purposefully left quite open. There are two established 'pureblood' families that are well known in Merlinstow that I'm happy to flesh out and allow people to be part of. They would potentially have a lot of influence and connections to canon characters. One idea I'm already toying with is the Mayor betraying the town by siding with the Ministry, which creates a lot of turmoil within the Trevarthen family.
How involved will the canon cast be in this roleplay? No idea. Probably makes more sense for canon characters to be mentioned in passing - would be hard not to!
Your (main) character can be anyone from anywhere, just so long as they are now a resident of Merlinstow (and have been for at least a year). Want to create a whole family but only play as one member? Be my guest! What I want is for everyone play someone who actually lives in the town - the sort of town where everyone knows everyone, maybe not well, but faces are familiar.
Then, people are free to play additional characters (an overseas visitor, a Muggleborn on the run, a Ministry worker tasks with investigating the town, a Death Eater scouting for more Voldemort supporters) as they please.
What are the expectations?
Accept that this is a major WIP in terms of what I want from this setting, and what I want as an ongoing plot - help is always appreciated
Be at least 16 or over
Aim for 500 words or so per reply (two small paragraphs), per character - posts need to be legible, so good spelling/grammar are required
Reasonable character creation (they need to adhere to most of the canon lore, but I can be flexible about certain things so just ask), I'm not asking for a perfectly balanced personality, just a realistic one - also accept there may be limits on the amount of 'special' attributes our cast can have - i.e. there cannot be loads of werewolves, or Animagi, or Metamorphmagi
Upfront about the amount you can post, when you're busy etc. haven't decided on how frequent posts should be, but as I'm fairly free over the next six weeks, I can be probably provide multiple within a week
Have a Discord, makes communication much easier
Be accepting and tolerant of all members of the community, no bigotry of any kind
Interested? Please comment below with a writing sample in a spoiler, or PM me privately - doesn't have to be much!
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