High in the mountains of Romania lies a castle, a hidden refuge where they say the Devil himself instructs students in the art of magic. The teachers of the Scholomance instruct in all fields of magic, though they specialize in diabolism; harnessing infernal power.

The Scholomance recruits students from all over the world, though the majority tend to be from the western world. America and Europe are the big ones, but students can come from all places and walks of life.

Invitations to the school are granted to those the staff deems to have ample magical potential. Candidates typically receive a letter through some impossible means that informs them of their opportunity. Afterward they are directed to a testing area, where they are given both a written and practical exam. Those who pass both are then given a month of basic magic instruction before they are allowed to take the final entrance exam and be admitted to the Scholomance proper.

Only thirteen students are accepted in each class, and unlike a traditional school there is little emphasis on grades. Students who do not excel are instead punished, and those not diligent are unlikely to survive long.

The schools of magic are numerous; evocation, divination, diabolary, necromancy, the list goes on and on. All of them, however, have this in common: They are ritualized applications of will. Casting a spell always involves a physical component, and sometimes a verbal. Hand gestures are common, as well as specific words. Generally the more complex the magic, the more complex the ritual; hurling a ball of fire may require a short flick of the wrist, while conjuring a blizzard might be an hour-long exercise.

Though in theory any human is capable of magic, casting spells is very difficult and most beings are not intelligent, obsessive, or unfortunate enough to dedicate themselves entirely to perfecting their craft.

There are other things out there. Vampires, werewolves, faeries. None of them are friendly, none of them are good. Some of them have their own kinds of magic distinctly different from what humans can do, stranger and more powerful by far.