Rules!
Updates will be in black.
Please read carefully.
Failure to follow these rules will result in immediate detention, loss of team points, or perhaps expulsion!
All offenses will be evaluated by the crew.
General
- Follow all of Gaia’s rules in the ToS.
- To be a part of Durmstrang, you must be a member of the guild (with the exception of any Holiday Events).
- Do not create threads in the Main Forum. That area is reserved for announcements from Team Leaders, Instructors, and the Headmistress.
- You may advertise this guild, but do so in a civil manner. Do not harass people into joining.
- Observe all posted stickies and announcements. They are strictly focused on that particular subforum, posting important hints and information for your use.
- You must post at least once a week. If I see you are inactive a week after your last post, I will send you a message. I will wait a maximum of five days for a reply before I remove you from the guild.
- If you have not posted at all since you joined, you will have two weeks to post before either I or the crew removes you. If you know you will be absent, post in the Absences thread; I will always check there before I remove members.
- If you are waiting to become an accepted student at Durmstrang, keep yourself from going inactive by posting in the Muggle World (OOC & Chatterbox) subforum, or anywhere else that does not require you to post as a student. You can also make a Magical Creature or a Storeowner; those will be accepted quicker than students.
- We will remove members who join and do not post. We will announce many times before this happens. New members who are unfortunate to be removed due to "inactivity" during this time may reapply explaining that they were new and will not be counted for the following rule:
- Once expelled, you’ll have one more chance. After that, there’s no returning to Durmstrang.
- Check the announcements regularly. VixenViVi and the Vice Captains will communicate with the whole guild via Guild Announcements. Please make sure to read these and keep up with them! If you miss an announcement, you may be out of the loop.
- Times used in this forum are in the Central Standard Time or CST.
- Semesters are one month of real life time. Therefore, a whole Durmstrang year is equivalent to a two month time span in real time. The break between School years is a month of real time for you to rp in town and in the Ministry of Magic and Wizarding World. During the break we will do maintenance on the guild and clean out inactive members.
- Holidays and any special events will be announced. Each year will only have one holiday event.
- If you feel threatened, hurt, or insulted by any member of the guild, please talk to them before coming to me. Chances are, they’re just being their character. If it doesn’t change and you know it’s more personal, then feel free to PM me.
- If a crew member asks you to do something, please do it without questioning them. They are the authority around here. If there is any trouble, I will become involved. Attitude could result in removal.
- Crew members are in charge whenever VixenViVi and Rechosia are both gone for a week.
- Please make sure to check the Room of Kysymys subforum for guides and to see if anyone has asked a question that you have already. Guides are stickied and very useful!
- Users must sign these rules prior to roleplaying. The user has three chances, each chance posted in red in their posts stating that they must sign the rules. They have three chances before they are removed from the guild.
Roleplaying
- When you wish to talk out of character (ooc), please use a form of brackets to show others. (e.g. ((Hey, I’m gonna log off now. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.)) )
- In your post, please mention what house you're in and your character name.
- Do not talk in chatspeak. Type every individual letter out.
- This is a Semi-Lit to Lit roleplay. This means that you must type out at least a paragraph (3 sentences minimum). If you are having writer’s block, feel free to say so.
- Keep it PG-13. No one wants to read about someone’s guts splattering to the floor. Also, try to keep cussing to a minimum (but be creative about it!). We don't want intense romance either. The only exception to the PG-13 rule is in the Staffroom, which is pushing more into the PG-17 rating (due to cursing, alcoholic usage, and bad humor). You have been warned.
- No cybering.
-Use spell check as often as you can. Open a Word Document or Google the word to make sure it’s correct.
- Stay in character! Don’t make a character just to change the way they act! If your character plans to be a mean person, that’s fine. As long as it’s in your profile that they are that way, you may be as mean as you like. Just don’t overdo it.
- Godmodding is unacceptable. That means taking control of another’s character or forcing them to do something with their character without giving them a chance to post. This also includes overpowered characters, characters who never get hit, and characters who are flawless. If you’re not sure if you’re doing this, PM me.
School
- This is a roleplay guild for the school invented by J.K. Rowling. We are set in Post Second Wizarding War times, continuing the traditions of Hogwarts in a Semi-Literate to Literate roleplaying fashion. Everything has been reconstructed and fixed at Durmstang and there is no more threat of the Dark Lord.
- Team Leaders will wander the hallways (general chat areas such as the Common Room, Grand Staircase to classes, etc.). Anyone who is causing trouble will be shooed along, may lose house points, and/or receive a detention.
- Team Members are rewarded points for good performance and answering questions correctly. Points are also deducted for bad behavior and breaking the rules.
- Only Instructors , Team leaders, and the Head Mistress have the ability to deduct house points and give detentions. If a Team Leader gives out a detention, the student will be forced to attend the detention with the Caretaker.
- No student is allowed to wander the Forest without a teacher. It is strictly forbidden! (The only exceptions to this rule are those who transform at the full moon or any Magical Creature who is allowed to dwell there. See Accepted Magical Creatures and their Expected Conduct for more information.)
- No student is allowed to swim freely in "The Lake". (The only exception to this rule are the Merpeople. See Accepted Magical Creatures and their Expected Conduct for more information.)
- First years are not allowed to be flying on brooms unless in Flying class. Any person who did not get their Flying Certificate, may not be allowed to fly at any time.
- Should a student fail Flying, that student will be ineligible to play Quidditch until they pass (more on grading further down).
- First and second years are not allowed in Taika. Students may only be allowed with parents, guardians, holiday events, during class field trips, or if they are third years.
- Under-aged witches and wizards must refrain from using magic outside of Durmstrang unless in defense. It is a violation of Ministry of Magic rules.
- Students are not allowed to Apparate onto the school grounds. Taika is not technically part of Durmstrang therefore, any student may Apparate there. A student must be seventeen to Apparate and must take the class.
- Fifth years are required to take their O.W.L.s or Ordinary Wizarding Levels. This determines what courses a student will take for the final years of school.
- Durmstrang is full of surprises, so don't be surprised if one day a guild announcement claims that there is a kidnapper inside the school.
Grades
-Students will fill out the Master List of Knowledge posted in their profile.
- If a student fails to attend part of the class such as Potions I in their first year, they must take both Potions I and II at the same time to make up their failed grade.
- When the year ends, all students will have to update their grades posted on their character profiles.
Character Set-Ups
- I want original characters. This means no Samantha Snape, or Ronald Krum. That’s uncreative.
- Please post your Profiles in the correct locations.
- Note that if you post a profile that does not follow all the rules it will be labeled as "Needs Editing" which you will have one week to fix your profile. If the profile is not edited by the end of one week it shall be moved to The Wailing Cavern (Trash).
- Any character profile that has not updated their Team after being sorted or does not go to be sorted within a week will be moved to The Wailing Cavern (Trash) and will be labeled as "Inactive"
- If a profile has been edited and accepted BUT the owner of the profile changes it back to their original, unedited profile after being accepted, the profile WILL be moved to The Wailing Cavern (Trash), and will be removed from the guild as a warning.
- If you are new to the guild and wish to be a student, you must be a first year. This also means you must be 11-years-old. This is because we would like our new members to become acquainted with the school system and also because our years are only two months in real life. This means a student would go up in years faster. So, starting from a first year onward is perhaps the most efficient way to enjoy your seven years at Durmstrang.
- Not everyone is allowed to be a teacher. A list of available positions are here for those who are interested. I will be testing your roleplay ability, so make sure you are able to handle it!
- If you are interested in owning a store at Taika, make sure to read every Sticky and Announcement here and follow all instructions. There you will find separate rules that must be followed in that subforum. Signing here confirms that you will follow the rules for that subforum, should you participate in its activities.
- More-Than-Average characters (animagus, metamorphic, parseltongue, etc.) are accepted, but please note of the current open status. Read here to see if it’s possible to create a character as these creatures. (Also see Accepted Magical Creatures and their Expected Conduct for more information.)
- More-Than-Average characters (animagus, metamorphic, parseltongue, etc.) are accepted, but please note of the current accepting status and what we accept. We will not accept More-Than-Average attributes beyond the ones listed. Read here to see our list, how many are allowed right now, and each ones requirements. (Where to Post What When You Want to Be That! guide (for those confused at where to post their character profiles if they want to be a More-Than-Average student versus simply a Magical Creature). Professors, see here for your list.)
- Each character must only possess one More-Than-Average trait. This allows others the opportunity to have their characters become More-Than-Average.
- You can be from anywhere but your family must be pure to attend this school.
- Please see our Acceptable Wand Woods and Cores. If you would like to challenge to add an item onto the list, feel free to PM VixenViVi about it.
- You must be sorted in this guild if you are a student. Please don't pick a Team without first being placed on that team. We will have a ceremony for fist years to be placed.
- If the school year begins and you would like to make a new character, you may post their character profile, but know that it won't be accepted until the next enrollment period (after two months). The character profile will have "Pending" in its title until the next school year starts (see Pending Characters for more information on this).
- Non-students will not be allowed to post in the general Durmstrang areas. They can, however, post at Taika (if they are wizard-born and have a way to get there with their parents), in the OOC subforum, or in the holiday event subforum (if it’s open). Any posts made by a non-student will be deleted with a warning sent to the User.
Classrooms
- Professors must have a classroom; classes are held in the classrooms.
- If a professor is teaching a class which has more than one year attending it (e.g. first years, second years, third years, etc.), they must make separate classrooms for each year in their correct subforums. The classes then must be labeled as such (e.g. Charms I, Charms II, Charms III, etc.).
- For those teaching electives, you must have a class for third years and up (with the exception of Advanced Flying, as that is for second years and up) and must create the classrooms starting in the Third Year Classes subforum. You will then label it as such (e.g. in the Third Year Classes subforum, you would have your Divination I, then in the Fourth Year Classes subforum, you would have your Divination II, etc.)
- Classes should be updated on a weekly basis. If a professor’s Updating Classroom Schedule is on a Friday, then the professor will post an assignment on a Friday. Students may work on that assignment anytime they would like between the Friday that the assignment was posted until the next Friday. On the Friday (a week after the assignment was posted), the professor will then post another assignment for the students to finish.
- Assignments will be available for one week before a new assignment is posted by the professor.
- Classrooms will stay unlocked forever.
- Students are required to roleplay in the classroom.
- Students are not required to be in their classrooms everyday.
- Classrooms should be Normal posts and not Stickies.
- First years must (and only) take: Dark Arts, Charms, Transfiguration, Potions, Herbology, History of Magic, Astronomy, and Flying.
- Second years must take: Dark Arts, Charms, Transfiguration, Potions, Herbology, History of Magic, and Astronomy. They have the option for: Advanced Flying.
- Third years must take: Dark Arts, Charms, Transfiguration, Potions, Herbology, History of Magic, and Astronomy.
They have the option for (two or more): Advanced Flying, Study of Ancient Runes, Care of Magical Creatures, Divination, Art, Music, Ghoul and Ghost Studies, Languages, and Cooking with Magic.
- Fourth years must take: Dark Arts, Charms, Transfiguration, Potions, Herbology, History of Magic, and Astronomy.
They have the option for (two or more): Advanced Flying, Study of Ancient Runes, Care of Magical Creatures, Divination, Art, Music, Ghoul and Ghost Studies, Languages, and Cooking with Magic.
- Fifth years must take: Dark Arts, Charms, Transfiguration, Potions, Herbology, History of Magic, and Astronomy.
They have the option for (two or more): Advanced Flying, Study of Ancient Runes, Care of Magical Creatures, Divination, Art, Music, Ghoul and Ghost Studies, Languages, and Cooking with Magic.
Fifth years must also take their O.W.L.s this year!
- Sixth year is the first year in which students take N.E.W.T.-level classes. Based off of their O.W.L. scores, and depending on the minimum requirements of the Professor teaching the subject at that time, students are allowed to take any number of classes as long as they meet the requirements. Neither the core classes nor the elective courses are available to any student who does not meet said requirements. While students do have the opportunity to choose whether they wish to continue in particular subjects, those who begin studying N.E.W.T.-level subjects in their sixth year are expected to carry on with the subject into the Seventh year, and sit the N.E.W.T. exam in that subject.
They now may also take: Apparition lessons for a small fee of twelve Galleons.
- Seventh year contains the most important exams given at Durmstrang — the N.E.W.T.s. Students conclude their N.E.W.T. level studies in the seventh year, at the end of which they sit the N.E.W.T. exam pertaining to each of their subjects. A student in the Seventh Year would have the same schedule he or she had in the Sixth year, and would sit only those classes in which they received O.W.L.s meeting the minimum requirement of the professor for that subject. However, not all students take N.E.W.T.s as some occupations require only O.W.L.s.
Instructors
- Instructor must have a classroom and an office for students. Classes are held in the classrooms, and the offices should be used for students to come in and ask questions or finish a test outside of the classroom.
- Instructor must fill out a skeleton and wait to be accepted. Please see is there are any openings that you may take. If there is not, you’ll have to wait until a job opens up.
- Every year, Instructor will be subject to Evaluations. This means students will be rating the performance of each professor and how well they did that year. Poor performance may result in staff removal.
- If you are an Instructor, check the Instructor Expectations for more information. Students are advised to read these as well, but it’s not required.
- Instructors must provide me with 4 quiz grades (2 of which are attendance during the lector weeks) and two test grades before the end of the school year. This means two quiz grades and a test grade for each month.
- Instructors must now post all points awarded/deducted in the Points thread in the staff room.
- If you will be absent for a long period of time, please post in the Absences so we can find you a suitable substitute until you return.
- If you can’t be an Instructor any longer PM VixenViVi about it. Do not just up and leave. We need to know if we need to replace you.
- If you are ever confused when it comes to a topic about professors, please speak to VixenViVi.
Once you have read these rules, please sign.
