You are standing in the middle of a forest, clutching a key that says your name on one side and “Hawthorne” on the other. You glance around, noticing that there are other people around you, looking just as confused. Out of the darkness of the forest, you see a man come forward, a huge smile on his face.

“Congratulations for finding your Faros key and successfully navigating your way through the portal. Welcome to Hawthorne Institute of Legends, one of the top schools in all of Atemnity. I am Martin Acker, the Hawthorne Caretaker. I know you may be puzzled, worried, nervous, all of the above, but trust me, you are in safe hands. The luggage you have packed has already been sent to your dorm room and your parents have been notified that your journey through the portal is complete and that you are all safely at the school. Now, if you will follow me, we must start heading towards the school.”

You look around and start following the rest of the students. Into the forest you go. As you enter, you see a sign that says: “Hawthorne Institute of Legends, straight ahead”. You smile, butterflies dancing in your stomach as you approach this mysterious school.

After what felt like a lifetime, you finally arrive at the Great Gates of Hawthorne, seeing the wonders that surround you. Flying creatures you have never seen before soar above the peaks of the school, bright-colored plants shine as students prance across them, running towards the intricate door of one of the beautiful buildings. You follow Mr. Acker through the gates and down one of the paths.

You soon arrive at an enormous courtyard, with five of the biggest trees you have ever seen circling the grassy area. Four people, three women and one man, are standing in the middle of the courtyard, obviously waiting for you to arrive. Dozens of students are already waiting there. It seems like you were in the last of the groups to come.

One of the woman, dressed in a blue and black dress, comes forward with a beaming smile on her face. “Welcome, first years. My name is Aria Winters, the Headmistress here at Hawthorne. We are excited to welcome you here to your school for the next six years. For those who do not know, Hawthorne is a school that trains heroes, villains, guardians, and royals. Students take classes in their chosen track and, after graduating, have the knowledge to achieve greatness. I, along with the three other lovely people standing with me, are the Track Heads,  representatives of the four tracks. In the next few days or so, you will be choosing which track you would like to study. Don’t worry, we will give you some time to decide which one you want because you cannot change tracks once you have chosen!

Now, before we go to our feast, each of the Track Heads will talk about each of the tracks. For those interested, I am the Head of the Hero Track. It is my job to make sure that the heroes that come out of Hawthorne are physically, mentally, and emotionally prepared to handle being a hero in the real world. Being a hero is hard. It takes a lot of training, and that is exactly what you will be doing if you choose the Hero Track. It is a lot of difficult work, studying about correct morality and ethical choices, training physically for hours every day, learning about the justice system, discussing past heroes and what made them successful or unsuccessful, and much more. Although being a hero is tough and will not be easy, it is highly rewarding.”

An elegant and poised woman comes forward, her eyes twinkling. “It is a pleasure to meet you all!  Welcome to Hawthorne, I am Professor Bell the Head of the Royalty Track.  I am responsible for your preparation and education as a member of royalty.  In this track, you will be introduced to to the royal world of politics, mannerisms, foreign relations, and much more.  While at Hawthorne and a part of the royalty track, it is expected that you will behave as such and treat both your Professors and fellow students with the same courtesy you would a fellow member of royalty.  The royal life is not as easy as it may seem at first glance.  Remember that actions will always speak louder than words.  Congratulations on arriving once again and I look forward to seeing you all do quite well.”

A kind-eyed woman walks forward, a strong gust of wind coming out of nowhere appears when she opens her mouth, about to speak. “Hello new students! My name is Professor Tippett and I am the Head of the Guardian Track. The role of a guardian is to protect, help, and guide others in their work and/or life. You will learn about the history of guardians and everything you need to know to become, in my opinion, the greatest people in Atemnity, as it is down to guardians to ensure that everyone else is kept safe and happy. In year three of the Guardian Track, you will have the opportunity to choose a concentration, the type of guardian you want to be. These concentrations include Fairy Godmother training, Guardian Angel training, Evil Guardian training, Light Magic Guardian training, and Confessor training. Whichever path you choose, it is important that to be a guardian you are kind and considerate to all and put the lives and interests of other before your own.”

Lastly, a man with furrowed eyebrows and the oldest pair of glasses that you have ever seen comes forward, a little grimace forming. “I am Professor Markaus Lithes and I am Head of Villain Studies and you know what I want? I want a generation of evil. Agents of chaos. These agents of chaos will be the cleverest, the sneakiest, and the cruelest bunch of villains Atemnity has ever seen. Here at Hawthorne I and the villain professors will train them. You will be learning how back stories and names make up your identity in the evil world. You will be learning the darkest of arts provided by the darkest of professors. You will be learning how villains have stood up to authority, how they have showed their views throughout history. You will even have the opportunity to create evil schemes throughout your time at this Institute. The professors of the Villain Track will work our hardest to make sure the new generation of evil is strong.”

The Headmistress comes forward again. “Thank you all for your introductions. Hopefully this gave you a look into the Tracks and will help your decision. We will be going to the Dining Room momentarily to have our welcoming feast. We will be talking more about the school, and then, once you learn more about Hawthorne, you will get to choose what track you would like to be apart of and you will be apart of the Sprouting Ceremony, a tradition which will tell you what dorm you belong in. If you already know about the school, you may go straight to the sorting. ”

If you would like to continue learning about the school, you can explore the pages in the navigation bar. You can learn about Hawthorne’s history, about Hawthorne’s founders, our mission statement, and where we are located.  You can also learn about our academics, our staff, about our student life (our dorms, the Grand Courtyard, Roleplaying, Quests, or clubs), or frequently asked questions.

When you are ready to enroll, you can get sorted here.