Staff
- Mr. Edmund Rancourt
- Headmaster
- 50s
- Lives on site full time
- Stays in the manor house
- Teaches rhetoric
Mr. Rancourt is an administrator first, teacher second. Raised by a banker and a lawyer, he studied economics at the prestigious Illuminated College of Saint Lauren of Thembly. Afterwards, he spent the early years of his career managing various trusts, both private and charitable. Eventually, through contacts in this field, he was hired as a replacement by his predecessor Dame Constance Allumiere II. He has resided and run Russel Hall going on 15 years now.
- Ms. Esha Venkatesh
- away on sick leave
- 30s
- Lives on site for fall and spring
- Stays in the manor house
- Teaches language (
French) - Teaches literature
Ms. Venkatesh is a first generation immigrant to the Holy Isles, by way of high placement in university. As a term of immigration, she is part way through the mandatory 5 year “tour of charity”. After a year of teaching at a secondary school in Albioch, she opted to transfer to the quieter country life and took a position at Russel Hall. She has been here for 2 years.
- Mr. Ryan Hayes
- filling in for Ms. Venkatesh
- Mid-to-late 20s
- Lives somewhere nearby
- Stays elsewhere in evenings / weekends
- Teaches language (Old Yornian)
- Teaches literature
Mr. Hayes is a local villager, filling in for Ms. Venkatesh while she is away on sick leave. He is enthusiastic and smart, but has no formal experience teaching. He often looks to his students to understand what he’s supposed to do.
- Mr. Jim Harrans
- Groundskeeper
- 60s–70s
- Lives on site full time
- Stays in the cottage
- Occasionally chaperones field trips
Jim is shy and reclusive, but quietly friendly to the students when they interact with him. He’s been the groundskeeper for Russel Hall as long as anyone remembers. He lives in a small cottage overgrown with ivy by the forest’s edge, and spends his days tending to jobs large and small around the school. Occasionally he’ll chaperone a field trip into the forest, or step in for a sick teacher, but has no standing scholarly tasks.
- Mrs. Sinead Laravell
- 40s
- Manages the garden under the Oak
- Lives on site full time
- Stays in the carriage house
- Teaches botany
- Teaches gardening
Mrs. S1 has been teaching at the school for 8 years, after convincing her wife Katherine to move to the countryside. She has a green thumb and a love for colorful flowers, so under her eye the garden by the Oak has become a notable spot of color against the green and brown of its surroundings.
- Mrs. Katherine Laravell
- 40s
- Lives on site full time
- Stays in the carriage house
- Teaches industrial education2
Mrs. K1 loves machines almost as much as she loves Sinead. If the balance were tipped the other way, she wouldn’t be living so far away from… anything. She helps Jim when grounds-tasks verge into needing engineering help, keeps the sole remaining carriage in tip-top shape, and teaches in the hall’s workshop.
- Mr. Charles “Chip” Pondry
- Late 20s
- Lives on site full time
- Stays in the Cranog lodge
- Teaches maths
- Teaches recreation
Chip is the youngest teacher on staff. He came to Russel Hall last year, having recently graduated from university and started off his career in education. He is full of energy and tries to make friends with all the students, making him generally unpopular (though he doesn’t seem to notice).
- Prof. Berwyn
- 30s
- Comes and goes by semester
- Stays in the Cranog lodge
- Teaches arts
- Teaches theater
Professor Berwyn alternates between their staff position at Russel Hall and a moderately successful directorial career in Balliswan. They are by far the most bohemian of the staff, returning from Balliswan in the latest fashions. Generally aloof with students—though not unkind—they have an air of mystery that results in many varied rumors and musings about them. Berwyn’s classes are among the most demanding.
- Mr. Beaty Fitzpatrick
- 50s
- Lives on site for fall and spring
- Stays in carriage house
- Believes the Cranog lodge is haunted
- Teaches social studies
- Teaches applied sciences
Beaty—quite frankly—doesn’t give a shit. In his youth he found significant success climbing through Ballyswan’s social scene. After nearly joining the landed gentry (a story he will hint at repeatedly when teaching) he ran afoul of some powerful people and “retired” from public life rather abruptly. A natural polymath, Beaty found himself quickly bored, and spent his next decade idly traveling the world. Upon reaching his 50s, he found he was finally slowing down, and volunteered for a quiet year teaching at Russel Hall.
Former Staff
- Prof. Henry Walsh
- 40s
- Lived in The Burnt Building
- Father of Emily Walsh
- Died in the fire, 156 H.A.
Professor Walsh was the school’s science teacher, living onsite above a small but capable laboratory in the Hall’s converted barn. He died in a fire, but was survived by his wife and young daughter (Emily Walsh). They moved away to Ballyswan.
| Building | Teacher |
|---|---|
| Manor house | Mr. Rancourt |
| Ms. Venkatesh | |
| Cottage | Mr. Harrans |
| Carriage house | Mrs. S Laravell |
| Mrs. K Laravell | |
| Mr. Fitzpatrick | |
| Cranog lodge | Mr. Pondry |
| Prof. Berwyn | |
| [empty room] | |
| [empty room] |
Curriculum
| Class | Teacher |
|---|---|
| Rhetoric | Mr. Rancourt |
| Language | Ms. Venkatesh / Mr. Hayes |
| Botany | Mrs. S Laravell |
| Gardening | Mrs. S Laravell |
| Maths | Mr. Pondry |
| Recreation | Mr. Pondry |
| Literature | Ms. Venkatesh / Mr. Hayes |
| Arts | Prof. Berwyn |
| Theater | Prof. Berwyn |
| Industrial education | Mrs. K Laravell |
| Applied sciences | Mr. Fitzpatrick |
| Social studies | Mr. Fitzpatrick |
Grades
| Class | Caoimhe | Devlin | Jonathan | Bran | Shiv |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rhetoric | B+ | B | A | C | B3 |
| Language | A– | B | A | A | B |
| Botany | C+ | B | C | B+ | A4 |
| Gardening | B | C | C– | A | A4 |
| Maths | B–5 | A | B+ | D | C |
| Recreation | B | B | B– | B+ | B |
| Literature | B+ | A | A– | C | C |
| Arts | B+6 | D | A | B– | B3 |
| Theater | B+ | F | B– | C | A3 |
| Industrial education | B– | D | B | C | F |
| Applied sciences | B– | B | C+ | B | D |
| Social studies | B | B | A– | B– | C |
| Average | B | B– | B | B– | B– |
Upperclass (17–18)
- Liam Gallagher
- 17
- He’s an aspiring rugby player and hopes to play professionally one day.
- Seán Flynn
- 18
- Natural leader.
- Started a debate study group when an underclassmen.
- Fiona O’Donnell
- 18
- Talented seamstress and creates many of her own outfits in the carriage house workshop.
Underclass (14–16)
Players:
- Devlin Burke
- Gifted in games
- Jonathan Ayers-Barret
- The fire within
- Siobhan “The Shiv” O’Rourke
- Finder of lost things
- Neill “Bran” Brannigan
- Friend of the forest
- Caoimhe ó Ceallaigh
- Memories of violence
NPCs:
- Camden Worthwort
- 15
- Met Neill coming over on the ferry.
- Kicked a barn cat.
- Eoin Kelly
- 15
- He’s a math whiz.
- Emily Walsh
- 16
- Gifted writer and has won a few mail-in writing competitions.
- Tara O’Connor
- 14
- Loves running, and generally any of the more endurance related sports.
- Axe-wielder, feller of trees, Aneir-visitor
Foundlings (10–13)
- Aisling Byrne
- 13
- Loves horses, wants to be an equestrian.
- Daniel O’Neill
- 11
- Talented at violin and plays in the school orchestra.
- Sara Murphy
- 10
- She’s the youngest student in the school and has a stuffed hedgehog named Harry.
- Sean Casey
- 12
- Loves to draw, spends most of his time sketching things around the grounds.
- Rheesa
- Looks ~11
- Inhuman, actually ~3
- Came in during The Storm, originally claiming that the explosion on the road was her parent’s carriage. After building up trust with the main group
Animals
- Whitespot
- Juvenile male raven
- Exchanged an old locket for a half-burned clove cigarette with Bran
- Lives in The Oak
- Haberdash
- Middle aged male tabby cat
- Brown mottled fur
- Old scars from getting into fights with forest creatures
- Social with the children
- Lives in the carriage house
- Domino
- Young calico cat
- Shy
- Lives in the carriage house
- Cedric, Laura, Dominic, Genevieve
- The 4 elder ravens
- Once the retinue of Tiebalt Russel
- Sacrificed for some as yet unknown part of The Pact
Other beings
- Penarddun ferch Aneir
- First to be named
- Binder of the flame
- The burnt one
-
Since the Laravells share a last name, they are generally referred to formally with their first initials instead. ↩︎
-
“Industrial Education” is the Holy Empire’s name for basic trades skills like woodcarving, metalworking, etc. ↩︎
-
(derived from skill) ↩︎
-
(derived by sweet-talking the teacher) ↩︎
-
(Mr. Pondry decided she needed it as an encouragement, she probably should have gotten a C) ↩︎
-
(Berwyn decided not to give her an A because he wanted to challenge her) ↩︎