HLBoES: Flying Homework #4

County Laois Cluricauns
(Laois is pronounced “leash”; Cluricauns are relatives of leprechauns. You can find out more about them here.)

Robes:

Emerald green (one-shouldered for the ladies, standard robes for the men) with golden embellishments on the front & a golden harp embroidered on the back (such as the Leinster province flag below).
 
Players can also be recognized by their rouged their cheeks & light blue stockings.

Brooms:

Our brooms are made within County Laois, from Monterey Cypress trees grown outside of Emo. Each broom carries special charms to repell livestock and open flame (cypress can cause cattle to miscarry and can be extremely flammable) and to enhance the natural strength and reddish-gold color of the wood.

Trademark Formation:

Sláinte Slant

Most Effective Move:

Luath Lunge

Pitch:
Our pitch is located in the bog below the Rock of Dunamase (Dún Masc is Irish Gaelic for “the fort of Masc”) in Leinster Province, Ireland. Our historic pitch was originally built in the early ninth century, but was demolished in 845AD when the Vikings of Dublin attacked the fort. Though the fort remained unoccupied for the next few centuries, the farmers and shepherds in the area attempted to maintain what was left of the pitch, using it for pick-up-games. In the late twelfth century, a muggle nobleman, William Marshal, built a castle on the Rock of Dunamase (see picture of ruins below). His wife, Isabel (née Strongbow), who was -- unbeknownst to him -- a witch, secretly funded the renovations of the nearby quidditch pitch. The original County Laois team included the noblewoman’s handmaiden, one of the stable boys, and the castle’s chief gardener. Later teams would include the magical heirs of William Marshal, as well as members of the Moritimer and Moore clans -- leading to the tradition of the County Laois team consisting solely of players with “M” surnames. Over the years, the castle fell into disrepair and, by the early fourteenth century, was abandoned. By this time, the countryside near the Rock of Dunamase had drawn a number of magical families. While the area is not exclusively magical, most of the local muggles are in some way related to a magical family, leading to a fairly loose interpretation of Clause 73 of the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy. (Yes, we have quite a few muggles who hold season tickets -- don’t tell!)

 

Ruins of the Castle
 
View from the Ruins (pitch is beyond hill on right)

Our current pitch is not as aesthetically pleasing as others made of marble or magicked to be invisible, in homage to the surrounding natural beauty. The County Laois stands are, like our broomsticks, made of Monterey Cypress (don’t worry, we have anti-splinter charms steadfastly affixed!). They are decorated with garlands of holly and ivy. The pitch itself is a carpet of shamrocks, naturally. Our hoops are embellished with golden celtic knots & look as if they were strung with silver harp strings. The strings are merely an illusion charm -- the quaffle can sail right through!

Mascot:

We have one cluricaun, Cassán, who comes and goes as he pleases.