Who: Headmistress Pendragon, Select Members of Faculty, All students who have volunteered who wished to attend.
What: Briefing on the Creature to be searched for
Where: Unused lecture hall, dinner time, Friday January 28th
Rating: PG. Come on folks, it's the Headmistress. Be respectful.


Headmistress Pendragon called the group to order. All who had attended were to be given a brief summary of the creature in question, as well as a summary of what they would be asked to do when they went out in search of more of these things and who they would be searching with. The students were to be given the opportunity to ask questions that they might have about what they would be doing and what they were to be looking for. Marissa waited until the room was quiet before beginning.

"I would like to thank you all for your willingness to help us to search for this creature. I'll get right to the points I have here, and then open this up for questions." Casting a spell to create an image of the creature, about half the size as it was in life, she left that slowly rotating in the air as she spoke about the creature itself.

"We have been calling this a 'Deathmantle' for lack of its proper name. So far as we have been able to determine, this creature is unique, even among magical creatures, save for its likenesses to other magical creatures. It apparently can shapeshift to a minute degree, turning itself into what we would think of as a cloak in times of distress. It is carnivorous, as some may be aware, and acts in most ways like a lethifold." Another spell cast, and the image of a lethifold appeared next to that of the new creature. "Save for some interesting differences. For example, spells other than that of casting a Patronus will work on this, we have reliably found out. Also, it appears to be able to fly rather than glide, and does not attack things in their sleep, rather ambushes them from above."

Pausing to take a drink of water, Marissa Pendragon looked down at her notes again. "It seems to prefer the dark, and has very sharp teeth. That is... pretty much all we know about it, unfortunately. We have surmised that this is what attacked that owl in Sonnier owlery, though there is no real conclusive proof. So we have to be cautious. To that end," she looked around the room at those assembled, "We have ensured that there is at least one practiced dueler in each group of students, and you students will be paired, then placed with a member of faculty. You will work as a trio, one faculty member and two students per team, in order to look for, and if you see one or more, subdue it or them."

Holding up a sheet of paper ever so slightly, she looked down at it before saying "Teams will be as follows: Ms. Sommer and Ms. Cavalier, you will be with Professor Carson. Ms. Devlin and Mr. Oliver, with Professor Fortis. Professor Baer will be with Mr. Howe and Mr. Stoyanov, while Professor Hudson will lead Mr. Leon Shaw and Ms. Callahan. Mr. Gael Shaw and Mr. Burford will be paired with Professor Langley. Ms. Van Rensselaer and Mr. LeClaire will be escorted by Madame Thibaut, and Professor Eastman will be with Ms. Passos and Mr. Frost." Putting the paper down again, she looked solemnly out at the assembled group.

"Your goal here is to find, and subdue the creatures if they appear. To that end, you may use whatever force you deem necessary, save for that which would break the laws that govern us here. No dark magic, and no unforgivable curses under any circumstances. If those rules are broken, you will face not only my wrath but that of the AAW as you are all over age and considered adults in the eyes of magical law. If that is agreed to by all then I would like to open up the floor for questions. Feel free to just speak."

With that, the Headmistress stepped aside from the podium she had been behind and waited in case there was someone who wanted to speak.