Rules, Disclaimers, and About Us

[Headmistress Serenity Dracula]

First I'd like to welcome you all to the site!

Now first things first, the disclaimers:

We, the owners and runners of Novus Atrum Dominus, do not, we repeat do not own Harry Potter, if we did we'd be very, very rich at the moment and we're far from it... >.<

The stories made here are property of the people who make them as are all original characters, hence the copyrights that have been added to the posts by our Headmistress! We have been on sites at one point in time where ideas for forums and such have been stolen word for word, and will not see that happen to our members!

Now, We understand that there is only so much you can do with RPG forums on the same subject that has so many out there and that after a while they will start to repeat themselves, people have the same ideas or rather similar ones, some boards look the same, etc. This is unintentional on our end and hope the same for yours.

Pictures used on the site are property of the people who they really belong to, we don't claim to own them the only thing we here claim is any changes made to them so that they can be used here, we also claim nothing but our own words and works.

Note: We originally opened our doors as simply a forum rpg site July 14th of 2007. Using a different host. That host was also used in combination with our Headmistress' last site that was open about six years ago, so we have been around the block. From there we opened HCTTA on Jul 30, 2008 and had a great run with great members until Nov. 1st 2010[/i]

On to:

• Rules
  
• Punishments
  
• About the Site
  

[Headmistress Serenity Dracula]

Now the Rules:

SITE RATING
At one point we used to give a specific rating for the site, but I like to think that we are all grown up enough to carry on without slapping a rating on the site, as we shouldn't need one anyway.

Just keep in mind that this is an all ages site and not everyone shares the same maturity level. Keep things light, not to gory, etc. If you're not sure if something is okay think about what we see in the Harry Potter movies and if you're still not sure after that just ask one of the staff, it's what we're here for.

MULTIPLE ACCOUNTS/CHARACTERS
Multiple Accounts are allowed!

All we ask is that you keep all characters you create active and that you are honest with us about which are yours so you don't end up with a fantastic number of positions and such etc. as that would not be fair to other members.

There is a thread in the Character area called Who's Who? that contains a list of all multiple characters under your cbox name. Please OWL Orion Rhys Brystan any updates to the list. Also, if you are sharing a computer with other users, please let the admin staff know.

Also, please do not constantly create and delete characters every couple weeks. We have to keep updating our lists and it does become difficult then. Thank you!

CANON CHARACTERS
There are NO canon characters on Novus Atrum Dominus.

That being said, however, we will allow select last names to be utilized. Any non-major canon last name is acceptable. The exceptions are characters brought over from our former site that were canon characters and thus will be allowed to keep their last name.

SIGNATURES
General signature size is preferred 500x200.

Please remember when asking for/creating/posting a sig, the specs are a MAX of: 550 x 200 px... This does not mean "or 500 x 300" "or 600 x 300" or anything else. You may wish to have it smaller, but that is the maximum size.

Also, please try to keep your signatures as short as possible as it saves page loading time and makes it easier to scroll through. Signatures that are excessively long will be removed by the site staff.

PREGNANCIES
If your character is a student, you may not get pregnant. It is is a pet peeve of ours here. Hogwarts is not a daycare center, so let's not turn it into one.

If you are an adult, try to be reasonable and don't pop out a kid every couple weeks. Not only does it make it hard to keep up with how many "babies" your character might have it also makes it harder for those that wish to RP with you to keep up with all of them.

POSITIONS ON THE SITE[/u][/color]
If you hold a position on the site, such as but not limited to: prefect, head of house, moderator, shop owner, ministry positions, or any other school positions; You need to be very active on the site to hold these positions. So if you can’t, please let us know so that someone else may have a chance or at least give us a heads up on the situation so we know what's going on.

SPAM
Do not Spam the forums! There is nothing I hate more then random spam posts. There is a OOC Area with a SPAM section for a reason, use it! If you're not sure what we mean:

Spam = posting random comments and random tips/ideas or promoting commercial services to blogs, wikis, guestbooks, and other sites

Short/Stupid/Silly Particularly/Pointless Annoying Messages, Self-Promotional Advertising Material, Sending Persistently Annoying Mail, etc.

We believe you get the point, so just don't do it!

PERSONAL INFORMATION[/u][/color]
Do try not to give out personal information on the boards or in the cbox, if we see it, your post will be edited to get rid of it or deleted all together. We cannot be held responsible for anything that comes from you sharing your personal information with anyone on this site. Be smart and safe everyone, keep that stuff to yourself.

DRAMA[/u][/color]
Remember, we are here to have fun, try not to take things to seriously here. If we find out anyone has been taking RP drama OOC whether on this site or not, there will be dire consequences.

Also, please try to resolve your problems yourselves. We are not here to babysit you. Unless it is a serious matter, I am positive you can handle it yourself. ^.^

GRAMMAR
I'm a bit of a stick in the mud when it comes to proper grammar and spelling, now I'm not saying anyone is perfect, but there is such a thing as spell check. So please, it is your friend, try to use it.

CLUBS[/u][/color]
About clubs, you may apply to both clubs as a "spy" if you wish, there is no rule against this, but there is also no rule saying that a club must accept you!

Any questions, feel free to PM one of us, or post your question in the help forum and we'll try our best to answer it for you ^.^

[Headmistress Serenity Dracula]

What will happen if rules are broken.

We try to be pretty lenient here so here are the steps:

Minor rule breaking:

1. Double posting
2. God-modding
3. SPAM in Non Spam forums
4. Fighting with other members
5. Short choppy posts
(more will be added as needed)

How Minor Rule breaking will be handled:

1st offense - warning
2nd offense - 2nd warning and loss of galleons
3rd offense - final warning and loss of galleons and house points
Final - two day ban.


Major Rule Breaking:

1. Excessive swearing
2. Character bashing
3. Cbox violations
4. Fighting with mods or admin staff.
5. Excessive breaking of minor rules.
6. Continued short and/or choppy posts.
(more may be added as needed)

How Major Rule Breaking will be handled:

1. Warning and loss of galleons and house points
2. One week ban.
3. One month ban.
4. Voted on by staff and banned as long as deemed needed.
Final - Banned for good.

Automatic Bans:
1. Lying to Site Staff - This one is simple. Be honest about things and we won't have a problem.

2. Abuse of Positions Given - This is a bit more complicated and more will be added.

3. Continued Disrespect to the Staff and their Positions.

4. Continually harrassing members in the Cbox (being pushy to new members etc.)

[Headmistress Serenity Dracula]

Site Plot and Historical Background

History’s path is far from etched in stone. A single moment can change the entire course of destiny, warping all that could be into a new reality. One hesitation at a critical cusp of battle can tip the balance of power and bring to light a new era. Like the falling of small stones triggering a rock-slide, everything that was once prophesied can be changed in a heartbeat...

The year was 1945, a date that would be remembered forever as the turning point of the war. Torn by his past friendship with the nefarious Gellert Grindelwald and haunted by the circumstances of his sister’s death, Albus Dumbledore came forth to answer the cries of the people. A great battle raged between them, a display of pure power that was cited later as one of the greatest wizard duels ever. For a moment.

Dumbledore appeared to gain the upper hand but his wand wavered. Grindelwald took advantage of his old friend’s hesitation to destroy the iconic symbol and crush any hopes the people had of salvation.

With victory in his grasp, Grindelwald quickly brought Britain to its knees alongside the rest of Europe already firmly under his control. The slogan: For the Greater Good – was murmured in the wake of vicious murders and ruthless muggle slaughters. Changes came slowly as the wizarding world was reshaped to suit his grand vision of a pure future. Hogwarts was among the last of the wizarding schools to comply to new curriculum requirements, but it too soon fell beneath the sway of Grindelwald’s influence. The Minister of Magic was one of Grindelwald’s men but there were silent hold outs.

Dumbledore’s followers had scattered to the wind and vanished into society without a trace. Those of pure blood were elevated to a higher standing than those of tainted blood. Muggles were soon ignored as the focus shifted to rooting out the impure among them. Grindelwald believed that the impure could be bred out of them so to speak. Muggleborn children that were discovered were sent to special camps and schools where they could be studied and contained. The violence of the revolution slowly wound down as Grindelwald settled into a comfortable ruling position.

But Grindelwald soon became complacent in his power and as age crept up on him, lost sight of his goals. His followers were disbanded, scattered about the various nations in positions of power. Rumors of a resistance were dismissed even as the ever aging man crept closer and closer to the grave despite the continual increase of his powers. The ancient Dark Wizard took it upon himself to seek out an heir to study his believes that had revolutionized the world. He chose a child born of purity without a drop of non-magical blood, a child practically engineered by Grindelwald by bringing together two very powerful families.

Mentored by Grindelwald till he was of age, the young heir saw failure in the face of the old man. Hatred and anger flooded through him and Grindelwald was finally slaughtered by the very young man he had chosen to take his place. Proclaiming himself as the new Dark Lord, a second wave of darkness descended upon the world. It wasn’t enough simply to have those of pureblood in charge. Eradication of all tainted blood and the muggles who still thrived across the world became his goal. But in the shadows of the new world, a force was gathering to finish was Dumbledore failed to accomplish. The battle for the world was just getting started.