FHI // CATWORKS R&D

Northlake University is a small Canadian university located near the United States border, built along the wooded slopes surrounding a large mountain lake. The campus is scenic, hilly, and relatively compact, with elevation changes that frequently provide views across the water toward forested mountains and distant communities along the lakeshore.

Northlake's architecture blends old collegiate buildings with newer facilities. Much of the older campus is constructed from warm red brick and pale stone in Gothic and traditional university styles, with steep roofs, tall windows, towers, courtyards, stone retaining walls, stairs, and narrow pedestrian paths. Modern glass-and-steel academic and research buildings are interspersed among them rather than occupying a completely separate campus. Mature trees, evergreens, landscaped commons, benches, black iron railings, and old-fashioned campus lamps are common throughout.

The university is attended by humans and numerous supernatural or nonhuman peoples, including demi-humans, elves, vampires, merfolk, witches, demons, and others. Their presence is an ordinary and openly accepted part of life at Northlake rather than something inherently shocking or secret.

Northlake functions much like an ordinary contemporary university, with residence halls, academic departments, libraries, student organizations, campus businesses, healthcare services, athletics, social events, and surrounding student-oriented neighborhoods. Modern technology such as smartphones, computers, social media, and contemporary vehicles is commonplace.

The region experiences pronounced seasonal weather. Autumn brings vivid foliage and cold evenings, while winter regularly covers the campus in snow and ice. The lake and surrounding mountains remain major visual landmarks throughout the year. Despite its dramatic scenery and supernatural population, everyday student life at Northlake is fundamentally ordinary: classes, friendships, dating, parties, jobs, studying, commuting, and complaining about university bureaucracy.

Species and supernatural traits are real and may meaningfully affect characters' biology, abilities, culture, or experiences, but they do not automatically dominate everyday interactions. Students should be treated as individuals first rather than reduced to their species.

NORTHLAKE UNIVERSITY — RELEVANT PLACES & NAMED LOCATIONS

Northlake University is a compact, hilly campus built along wooded slopes overlooking the lake. Most major campus locations are within reasonable walking distance of one another, although steep paths, stairs, elevation changes, winter weather, and the wooded terrain can affect travel.

Central Campus

• West Quad — Major outdoor campus green and pedestrian gathering area surrounded by academic buildings.
• Student Commons — Central student-life building containing lounges, seating, food services, meeting spaces, and the Student Commons Coffee Cart.
• Calder Memorial Library — Main university library. Includes the Ground Floor Café and Music & Media Floor.
• Harrington Hall — Older multipurpose academic building used for classes, student activities, performances, and events. Practice Room 3B is located here.
• Calder Academic Hall — Major traditional academic building on the older campus.

Science & Research

• Medical Arts Building — University medical and biomedical teaching/research facility.
• Physical and Metaphorical Biology Laboratory — Specialized research facility used for conventional, supernatural, and artificial-organism biology.

Athletics

• Athletics Centre / Athletics Complex — Main university athletics and recreation facility.
• Calder Ice Arena — University ice arena used for athletics, recreation, and events.

Student Housing

• Westbridge Dorms — On-campus student residence complex.

Campus Grounds

• Lakeside Campus Path — Wooded pedestrian route along the lake-facing side of campus connecting portions of the university grounds.

Westbridge Dorms — A major on-campus student residence complex housing undergraduate and other university students. Located within the main Northlake campus and within walking distance of central academic and student-life buildings.

University Village Apartments — A large off-campus apartment complex immediately adjacent to the university district and heavily populated by Northlake students. Apartments are arranged as private or shared units rather than traditional dormitories. University Village is a common location for student parties, informal gatherings, and students seeking greater independence while remaining within easy walking distance of campus.

Bellweather Street Student Housing — A dense area of privately owned off-campus student housing near Northlake, consisting primarily of converted houses, duplexes, townhouses, and small apartment buildings. Rentals are overwhelmingly marketed toward university students and young adults. House parties and shared rentals are common.

Demi-humans are people who possess predominantly human anatomy alongside physical traits associated with another animal species. Depending on their ancestry, these traits may include animal ears, tails, wings, horns, specialized teeth, unusual eyes, scales, fur in limited areas, or other species-specific characteristics. They remain fundamentally humanoid rather than anthropomorphic animals.

Demi-human traits are genuine parts of their anatomy and function accordingly. Ears, tails, wings, and similar features can move involuntarily or deliberately and may communicate emotion through ordinary body language. Species may also possess relevant sensory or physiological adaptations, but these should follow the particular species rather than granting every demi-human the same abilities.

Demi-humans are an ordinary part of modern society and are fully integrated into everyday life, education, employment, relationships, and public spaces. Their existence is common knowledge. People do not normally react to someone simply having animal traits as though they are exotic, magical, or shocking.

Individual personality is not determined by species. Animal traits may influence biology, senses, habits, or body language, but should not automatically produce stereotypical animal behavior.

Supernatural and nonhuman people are a normal and publicly known part of the modern world. Humans live openly alongside demi-humans, elves, vampires, witches, demons, merfolk, and other peoples. Their existence is neither secret nor a recent discovery.

Northlake University reflects this broader society. Students and staff of different species attend classes, work, live together, date, socialize, and participate in campus life without their species inherently defining the interaction. Infrastructure and university services reasonably accommodate differing biological needs where necessary.

Species can possess genuine biological or supernatural differences, and these may affect senses, lifespan, diet, physiology, abilities, or other aspects of life. Specific traits should follow established lore for that species or character rather than being invented solely from folklore or stereotypes.

Magic and supernatural abilities exist, but they do not replace ordinary modern technology or institutions. Smartphones, medicine, vehicles, law enforcement, universities, businesses, and other contemporary systems coexist with supernatural phenomena.

A person's species does not determine their personality, morality, intelligence, interests, relationships, or social role. Unusual traits should be treated as ordinary parts of the setting unless a particular situation makes them relevant.

The peoples of Northlake include humans alongside a wide variety of supernatural and nonhuman peoples. These include animal demi-humans of many varieties, elves, vampires, witches, demons, merfolk, and other supernatural, mythological, or fantastical peoples. This is not an exhaustive list; other species and supernatural peoples may exist when appropriate to the setting.

There can be substantial variation among members of the same species. Species may provide physical, biological, magical, or supernatural traits, but does not determine an individual's personality, morality, interests, culture, relationships, or behavior.

Northlake is intentionally flexible regarding supernatural lore. When specific setting or character lore has not established otherwise, reasonable traits associated with a species may be inferred without treating real-world mythology, folklore, or genre conventions as rigid universal laws.