Tucked into a forested valley in the middle of Northern California's Coastal Mountain Range, is the small and little-known village of Idyllwild. History says that it was originally a mining camp, and that after the Gold Rush was over, it became known as a retreat for artists and writers who wished to escape from high society. By the middle of the twentieth century, Idyllwild had become a full-blown artists' colony, boasting an array of shops and restaurants not generally found in such a comparatively small place. Despite this, it has remained largely obscure, and while the population now includes dot-com divas and an assortment of telecommmuters, the general sense is that everyone who lives there is subtly different from the whole of society.

Above the village, perched on a broad plateau just below the peak of the highest mountain, is The School. It's a structure that manages to incorporate many and varied architectural styles without being garish, and it boasts panoramic views of the rugged coastline and the ocean beyond, as well as a more peaceful view of the sheltered village below, though no one is quite certain how this is possible.

Students and teachers refer to the sprawling institution as “The Academy” or ISOMATA. Brochures, should one be lucky enough to come across any, refer to it as “Idyllwild School of Music and the Arts” but some rare people have claimed that this is a cover, and that the real purpose of the school is to serve as the west coast's educational facilty for young witches and wizards of extraordinary talent. The real name of the place, they claim, is Idyllwild School of Magic and the Arcane.

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If you're reading this you've been invited to help do some world building, using the world of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter novels , but translating them to an American setting without feature characters, as the basis of new MUSH.