Community Profile

Lumién House, one of the four Houses of L'Université des Arts Magiques, is a creation of Phoenix Rising. The community is open to attendees of Phoenix Rising and members of Lumién House.

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History

While the students of the Lumién House like to claim that their House is as old as time, the truth is that, while storytelling is as old as time, the tale of the Lumién House didn't officially begin until 1814. L'Université des Arts Magiques had many students during the early 1800s who weren't part of an established House, and a great many of those had taken to befriending a certain larger than life character, Mr. Jean Lafitte. Lafitte, being a rather accomplished wizard himself, had taken an interest in the school and was supporting it financially during America's early years controlling New Orleans. In return for his investment, he expected a certain amount of entertainment, and had taken to "plaguing" Headmaster Davis's tenure — in other words, shooting his pistols off while reeling about the corridors under the school, conducting raucous revels and encouraging the school houses into great rivalries by awarding the annual victor of the competition real pirate gold.

Lumién House started, to the disgrace of Headmaster Davis and the delight of the students, in the damp, moldy corridors below the school. First one student, then two, then five, then a raft of them — who had by this time taken to dressing in a rather dashing manner and affecting guttural accents — would gather to watch while Lafitte's pistol rang out and bullet after bullet marked the school. Eventually these gatherings were less about wanton destruction of property and more about camaraderie. Lafitte regaled the students with tales of the high seas, the students demonstrated their deplorable swordsmanship on cue and everyone drank rather a lot of rum. (In time, this also led to Lafitte's hiring the wizarding students to staff his Blacksmith Shop on Bourbon Street; he found their illegally performed memory charms worked better than the tavern itself in covering up his smuggling business.)

And it was around 1807 that the students officially petitioned Headmaster Davis to form the school's fourth house for players, performers, storytellers and general lovers of tales that might be more embellishment than truth. Headmaster Davis, horrified to see the far-ranging effects that the dastardly Lafitte was having on his fine institution of learning, denied their petition. The students petitioned again and again — splicing in a few more signatures each time — and again and again Davis denied it. This pattern continued to the annoyance of both parties until the Battle of New Orleans in early 1814. After Lafitte's undeniable patriotism, Davis finally relented and the Storytelling and Theater School was born. Unfortunately, the school lagged behind the other three in accomplishments on the stage of the magical arts. The students' antics kept them in the limelight (as did their eye patches), though sometimes in a negative way, and while they were unified under the memory of the great pirate, little else recommended their House or their department. It wasn't until nearly 1900 that the House found their true identity lay not in rum-soaked revelry, greasepaint and swords, but in film.

This advent came with the controversial appointment of Auguste and Louis Lumiére as visiting professors. While most of the faculty took the point of view that they were overgrown boys playacting at art, the world marveled at their introduction of "moving pictures." The students of L'Université were entranced and for the first time in their history, the Storytelling and Theater students resolved themselves to a purpose — though they still proceeded apace with the rum-soaked revelry and swords. L'Université began to turn out one advancement in the magical world of film after another, from MagiColor FilmTM to Ad-Libbing AudioTM to the Ever-Changing Ending Editor (View a New Denouement Every TimeTM!). In fact, it was while the students were experimenting with the effect of magical fire on playback lighting that the House gained its mascot: the Ashwinder. (This also gave rise to the complaints of other students that the Lumién students' newfound popularity was due entirely to love potions.)

The students named their House after the beloved Lumiéres, and the storytelling, theater and film program has become unparalleled in the magical world. The gold color that the House adopted as its own instantly identifies a work as one of high quality. The rum still flows, the swords still clash and only occasionally do the Lumién students release embarrassing documentaries of their fellow students.

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For more information on Phoenix Rising, please contact info@thephoenixrises.org, or see fromashandflame. To chat with attendees of all Houses, please join phoenixchat.

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