29 May 2021, 16:25
Blossom Ball - Trial of Hermes
❢◥ ▬▬▬▬▬▬ ◆ ▬▬▬▬▬▬ ◤❢
Happening alongside the ball, in all its refinement and peace, there were darker activities and “games”. The most nightmarish resided in the Underworld where they were born, though there were a few oddities occurring in the Spring side. There was a distinct contrast from, say, Apollo to Hades, but a bond between the two, and those lines were blurry. The universe was not born for two possibilities, but a spectrum, a bridge between good and evil, light and dark, black and white. At that bridge, another trial. It took something special to cross it, something certain. Perhaps agility here, but what else? What, in life? Bravery? A dark side untapped, a soul unknown?
It could be debated for decades, but there was no telling if the moderator felt a certain way. It was unknown if these questions even occurred to him as he stood at the crossing, waiting for a hero to dare and entertain the special guests. Said bridge was unstable, in the midst of this chaos, shaky and willing to break should said hero take a wrong step. If the light hit the path—or rather, didn’t—in a certain way, perhaps the hero would begin to understand the commitment they made in participating. Perhaps they could conceive of what they’d signed up for.
Nevertheless, should one dare, Justin would deliver a set of instructions and explanations before allowing them to begin. They were to race from the exit of the Spring Celebration to the Underworld, facing whatever fate deemed necessary to protect the treasurable pomegranate they were to fetch. A simple fruit, but with red jewels within its shell, defended by traps and trickeries the hero would need to evade in order to pass. Speed was key, but as was evasion, a keen eye, and reflexes they’d be paid for in the ghostly gratitude of Persephone. Should they fail, well… they would suffer for it.
In deducted points, of course.
Nothing else.
When Justin performed his personal commencement, they were to begin dashing along the ever-darkening bridge of good and evil. Sometimes, evil and corrupt. Which end would ultimately call to them, only they would ever know. Perhaps not now, but someday, the children would find themselves stranded on this bridge again, faced with a decision as heavy as a million bricks, as impactful as a million hurricanes. No need to ponder such devastation now, though. Just fetch your fruit, kids, whatever may be standing before you.
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❢◥ ▬▬▬▬▬▬ ◆ ▬▬▬▬▬▬ ◤❢
TRIAL OF HERMES
Welcome! This is one of six trials, provided as rewarded side activities for the Blossom Ball and are not mandatory. Two of the participants will be named King and Queen of the ball for outstanding performances in every trial, decided by tallied points as we moderate your results. Along with those bragging rights, expect galleons to slide into your pocket.
Remember, you are only eligible for this prize if you complete all of the trials before the deadline. That deadline will be the sixth moderation post (July 9th) of the main event threads, and a reminder will be provided beforehand. Do not godmod the host.
In order to participate in this trial, please post an RPG below of minimum 200 words describing your character performing the trial or deciding to, using the information provided above. There are not a specified set of obstacles because the pathway is charmed to have these be randomized for each student. This avoids any heroes giving tips to one another, and you have a reasonable amount of creative liberty if you choose to describe those obstacles in detail. Use sense, know your limits, choose to be vague, or only write select parts. That is up to you.
Remember: It requires only ONE action in a round of the main thread to participate in ALL of the trials at once.
Some stories should never be told...
30 May 2021, 19:29
Blossom Ball - Trial of Hermes
English = 5D4A64 | Russian = 4E7A27For Moderation:Irina was trying to move through the trials as quickly as she could so that she could go back to the party and talk to people from the other schools. She was hoping to get these over with before many people came to the ball and hopefully win the prize. Then she would get to interact with people as well as have the adventures of the trials.
As Irina walked up to this next trial she was unsurprised to find a young boy standing there waiting for the “heros” to arrive. It had been the same with each trial so far, someone would instruct them on what to do and she would attempt to do it to the best of her ability. All she could hope was that she was doing a good enough job to earn the max amount of points on each one.
This trial turned out to be a race and Irina regretted her outfit even more than before. She was dressed to dance at a ball not run around the grounds of Hogwarts. All she needed to do was fetch a pomegranate from dangers unknown. If she was going to complete these hero trials she needed to do this and she didn’t want to trip during this trial so she slipped off her shoes. She held her dress up so it didn’t get dirty and started off to go grab this pomegranate.
WC: 246ReducioAction: Doing the Trial
Stats: STA: 8 | EVA: 8 | STR: 7 | WIS: 9 | ARCP: 6 | ACC: 7
Heath points: 800/800
Abilities: Sixth Sense, Fearless, and Calming Presence
Effect: +2 to their awareness rolls. If a player attempts to enter a thread that you are already in, there is a 25% chance that you automatically detect them on entry.
Effect: Fear effects such as a dhmpir's aura, the ability terrible presence, a lycanothrope's intimidation or certain charms, potions and jinxes that would normally cause a fear effect do not work on you as you are immune to them.
Effect: An aura of calm. Allies (defined at the START of an instance regardless of later betrayal) gain a 10% chance to auto-hit their chosen target. This does not stack.Trials tracker: [Orpheus] [Hades] [Hecate] [Persephone] [Hermes] [Apollo]
| Lavinia Cloven Irina Afanasyeva | | STA: 10 | EVA: 18 | STR: 7 | WIS: 8 | ARCP: 6 | ACC: 29 | Foulplay, Interception, Evasive Maneuvers, Keen Eye, and Muggle Condition | --—--#337085 |
31 May 2021, 16:30
Blossom Ball - Trial of Hermes


♠ No Interactions ♠
♦ Running Through the Trials ♦
♠ Metamorphmagus ♠
♦ Cats Grace ♦

♦ Cats Grace ♦

After the last trial, regardless of success or failure, a good run was certainly something that was needed. Or jog. Or... scuttle. The movement varied with the attire one chose. It was such a good feeling- running from oneself, from disappointment. A temporary fix for a rather big problem. Xailah walked swiftly to the next area. Her posture was stiff. It was as if she was still trying to restrain herself from looking back, despite the Orpheus trial being over. Lingering paranoia maybe.
There was relief in finding that the trial of Hermes would not be taxing on the spirit. Presumably. Only taxing on the lungs, and legs- okay, maybe the mind; that (metaphorical?) bridge the students were supposed to cross, looked rickety as hell. Someone was bound to have a breakdown. This task involved fetching a pomegranate for the lovely Persephone. Very simple. There was of course a catch: traps strewn about the course. Traps. Of course. What was an event without traps? Sad, thats what. Moving towards the start, Xailah lifted the hem of her skirt. Despite her seemingly tight ensemble, she appeared to move easily in it. She wasn't the type to wear something that would put herself (or others) in any sort of danger. She knew what she was doing. A person could be safe and look good too, believe it or not. This wasn't the metamorphs first rodeo- or race for that matter.

Reducio
Outfit
Dress drawn by me. Design was inspired by this lovely illustration made by @skullflower_ on Instagram.
Dress drawn by me. Design was inspired by this lovely illustration made by @skullflower_ on Instagram.
Gotta go fast.
Fetching a pomegranate.

Before me, you rightly tremble. But, fear is not what you owe me. You owe me awe....
Stamina: 12 ~ Evasion: 17 ~ Strength: 2 ~ Wisdom: 16 ~ Arcane Power: 4 ~ Accuracy: 17
Student Account: Martyr Daeva-Lazarus
1 Jun 2021, 20:39
Blossom Ball - Trial of Hermes

Durmstrang 3rd year Yefim Rumyantsev
YES! FINALLY! This was the kind of trial Yefim was pumped for. He lived for physical tests of strength, and running was going to finally blow off some steam after how annoying some of the other trials ended up being. He would push a fellow 'hero' in a show of machismo, but nothing more than picking on the weak to assert his clear superiority. None of the dweebs on parade were anything more than an ant in comparison to his own statuesque build. The gods themselves would be pleased with his sheer masculinity, if they existed. The only god Yefim was sure to be real was the one fueling the passion and hatred inside him, and it was calling for the uncontested defeat of the puny Warthogs.
Throwing off the drapery that gave him the smallest hint of modesty, he had only his white shortshorts and his strappy sandals as he bolted onto the scene. He had nothing to fear from a few obstacles on his path, they would be dominated just as much as every other obstruction in his life. Destroyed, incinerated, mangled. Besides this being a natural fit for him, he was also emboldened by the idea of the others watching him work and losing all of their morale. How could they hope to compare?
Health
600/600
Stats
◇Sta: 6 ◇ Eva: 7 ◇ Str: 10
◇ Wis: 3 ◇ AP: 4 ◇ Acc: 10
Abilities
Martial Artist
Terrible Presence
For we dreamed a lot//And we schemed a lot//And we tried to sing of love before the stage fell apart
Sta: 9 ★Eva: 5 ★Str: 7 ★Wis: 15 ★AP: 3 ★Acc: 15
2 Jun 2021, 16:32
Blossom Ball - Trial of Hermes
[font=Times New Roman]The explanation of this trial seemed simple. Run, collect a pomegranate, return. However, Anja looked sceptically at the instructor. He was a First Year, it seemed, like her. She wondered why so many of the people tasked with organising this ball were First Years — surely it would be safer if the ball was placed into older, more experienced hands? Nonetheless, she continued to the starting line, wondering what she should do with her shoes.
This trial was the one that was going to cause Anja the most difficulty. She was never the strongest physically, and had gone for overall stunningness rather than her usual practicality in her outfit. The heels she wore were not the right kind of footwear for a race, but she knew she could run very well barefooted. In fact, she was more comfortable running barefoot, as she had better grip and agility for avoiding obstacles and other hindrances. She slipped off her shoes, and taking a lace from her pocket, she tied them together and slung them around her neck. Thank god for good dressmakers, she thought, no skirt is complete without pockets.
She continued onto the start. At least it wasn't cold tonight. Besides, fetching a pomegranate on a summer night like this was an easy task. It didn't require any specifically complicated skills, except being able to run — and Anja could run. Even if she couldn't run, her pride would have motivated her to keep running anyway. She set off on the trial.
ReducioAction
Completing Trial of Hermes.
Stats and Abilities
's Grace
Stam 4 | Evas 4 | Stren 3 | Wisd 8 | Arc power 8 | Acc 8
Trial links to come!
[/font]
2 Jun 2021, 23:13
Blossom Ball - Trial of Hermes

So help her, Merlin if she tripped or bruised anything while dealing with the messenger god. Elena wasn't what you would call an expert on Greek mythology but she knew the background of Hermes well. She also knew the god could move faster than the speed of light and she was more than unfazed when told that they would essentialy be particpating in race. The objective was not to beat any real-life Hermes or really anyone, they only had to retrieve a specfic pomengrate from the Underworld and really, it seemed like such a simple errand if they didn't have to run. Elena was in attire built for formal dances and balls like this one, she was nowhere prepared to exert this physically. "Hermes better cough up if my dress rips or something." She would say in an offside to Justin before slipping off her heels and holding them in one hand.
Using her other hand to hold up the long flowing fabric of her dress, she would inhale in a deep breath knowing she would need it. This was better suited for those bulky Quidditch players, not her as the instruction to start was given and throwing her fate to the gods, the girl took off swiftly going as fast as her feet would allow her. Why couldn't the gods just conjure up a pomnegrate or something? What so special about this one that it required them to make haste to retrieve it. Perhaps Hades was having a moody day or something, they could chalk it up to that if this pomnegrate really was essential to retrieve it from the Underworld. Perhaps they were concerned that he was going to curse it or something, somehow, Elena wouldn't put that past the god of death given his dark and brooding personality. It almost seemed fitting for someone of his caliber anyhow.
She gritted her teeth as she felt the friction of the ground against her bare soles as she ran or attempted to at least. As long as all they had to do was run and the brunette didn't lost her footwear in the process, the third year reckoned they would be alright. She would be sorely dissappointed and probably looking for someone to unleash her wrath upon if she lost those footwear and also ended up ruining her dress in the process. She thought it was plain unfair, this trial given that the majority of them were in formal attire and she refused to believe the organizers couldn't have got wind of that. It was a ball for crying out loud, who came dressed in anything else? Her breath started to come in slow gasps as her stamina wavered but she truged on endlessly refusing to give up after coming this far. Whatever their reward was, it had been better worth it for a singular pomengrate.
STA: 9| EVA: 10|STR: 6|ArcPower: 5|WIS: 15|ACR: 10
3 Jun 2021, 20:52
Blossom Ball - Trial of Hermes
Closed to interactions outside of moderation
OutfitA run! As much as Pericles was pleased by chances to test his knowledge, this was one of the few physical feats he found himself excited about. He ran in the early morn if he could, the late evening if he could not, both on the better days. It was easy to detach from the present while racing alongside the lake, delving into one's thoughts to tune out the physical tedium. He ran even in winter, when the frigid air rolling off the loch stung his lungs.
Peri would limber up first, ready to duck, dodge, and leap if necessary. Unperturbed, he stretched his arms above his heads and swung his legs one at a time at the hip like a pendulum. He wasn't the sportiest sort, not in the way one would use the word. If this was a matter of lifting heavy objects and lugging them around, he might have been less certain. He was not nor would he likely ever be a beefy muscle head, but a race? The Ravenclaw was a runner, fencer, horseback rider, keen on obstacle-courses. This was a challenge he would leap to. It wasn't until he was on the verge of bolting across that bridge that he wondered, what sort of obstacles could they expect to face...? Well, it was just a dance. Surely they weren't anything especially dangerous, though he was regretting the missed opportunity to add wings on either side of his sandals.Racing to retrieve the pomegranate
Underworld | Hades | Hecate | Orpheus | Hermes | Persephone | Apollo | Aftermath
Reducio
﴾ Stamina - 7 | Evasion - 7 | Strength - 4 | Wisdom - 8 | ArcPower - 8 | Accuracy - 7 ﴿
Perfectionist - Reduced crit range by 1, counters 1 point of crit fail caused by abilities or spells
Keen Eye - 25% chance of automatically finding something (if there is anything to be found)
Perfectionist - Reduced crit range by 1, counters 1 point of crit fail caused by abilities or spells
Keen Eye - 25% chance of automatically finding something (if there is anything to be found)
{ 𝔗𝔥𝔢𝔯𝔢 𝔴𝔞𝔰 𝔞 𝔟𝔬𝔶: 𝔞 𝔳𝔢𝔯𝔶 𝔰𝔱𝔯𝔞𝔫𝔤𝔢, 𝔢𝔫𝔠𝔥𝔞𝔫𝔱𝔢𝔡 𝔟𝔬𝔶. 𝔗𝔥𝔢𝔶 𝔰𝔞𝔶 𝔥𝔢 𝔴𝔞𝔫𝔡𝔢𝔯𝔢𝔡 𝔳𝔢𝔯𝔶 𝔣𝔞𝔯 𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔯 𝔩𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔰𝔢𝔞. }
(iNPC: Madhup Hexum)
3 Jun 2021, 22:34
Blossom Ball - Trial of Hermes
INTERACTING WITH: @Marshal Mozor MENTIONING: n/a
A test of physicality, but one of speed, not brawn. That suited Evelynn well. One of two trials making use of the bridge between death and life, the underworld and summer, the heroes would have to cross from light and comfort into the depth of darkness and despair in order to retrieve a pomegranate. And then return again. It was a simple enough task. Even the warnings heading a keen eye and careful step would do little to ruffle Evelynn's resolve. Was this not what she was built for?
On most mornings, she took to the grounds, jogging around the lake. Most evenings, she took to the sky, practicing and honing her agility aloft upon her broom. Her position on the quidditch team was a precarious one. One that often left her targeted and falling into a state of survival as she rolled and swayed, attempting to dodge bludger and bodies alike, all the while attempting to seek and entrap an evasive snitch. A stationary pomegranate was nothing to that flighty little golden orb. And although she was more accustomed to evasive maneuvers in the air than on foot, neither was she unaccustomed to manipulating her body for such feats of dexterity. Between ballet and equestrian sports prior to hogwarts and over the summers, and her continued physical activities at here at school, she had developed a competitive level of stamina and physical control.
Granted, that was tempered slightly by her attire. The rack of antlers perched upon her head were cumbersome and impaired her balance. And the dress that hung to the ground could tangle about her ankles and make it difficult to run. The latter could be fixed, at least. And she did so, pulling the front of the dress through her legs to the back and up and around to tie in the front of her waist. She'd made the same preparations during last year's ball. As much as she appreciated an elegant appearance and desired the ability to mingle inconspicuously with the rest of the guests, she would never do so at the expense of maneuverability and practical survivability. Just as last time, her dress for this occasion had been selected with length and material in mind such that it could easily be tied to free her legs and facilitate movement. A ridiculous sight it must have been, though, with her standing in such a state of a tied dress revealing buckled worn brown riding boots that did not at all match the rest of her attire.
Nevermind. The antlers, too, could be addressed. And she did so with them as well, carefully extricating them from atop her head. Not only did she not wish to be encumbered by their presence, but she'd worked too hard to make them and loathed the thought of damages during a hell-bent—literally—race. She handed them off to Marshal, settling him with an apologetic, "You don't mind, do you?" before once again dropping her bag to his feet as well.
The only thing she didn't immediately relinquish was her broom. They were to race from the exit of the spring area, to the underworld, and back again. But there had been no stipulation as to how. Only that there were to be obstacles and traps to avoid and address. How easy this could be if she could simply fly. How at home she would feel as well. It could be just like a quidditch game, flattening herself against her Silver to rocket across that bridge, swoop and swipe up the pomegranate snitch, and careen right back again. The close quarters wouldn't even have been all that unfamiliar. There had been that one occasion someone had dared her to catch a snitch in the common room. She'd mounted her broom and tornadoed a tight lap then to snatch it from the air with ease. Her heart leapt at the thought of being able to cleverly play to her strengths and think outside the box to accomplish this task.
Unfortunately, clarification soon yielded that this would, in fact, be cheating. Thus, with a resigned frown dampening her spirits ever so slightly, she relinquished her broom to Marshal as well. Was he really her date? Or simply a convenience upon whom she could unload her numerous burdens when the need arose? Poseidon indeed. Creator of the horse. More like he was the horse. A touch of guilt bubbled up to colour Evelynn's features a dusty shade of pink and she offered a muttered, "My apologies… and thank you… I'll be quick."
And then she set herself at the ready to begin, and on the count, exploded into the waiting bridge, eyes peeled for whatever might appear within the gloom thinking to delay her time.
WORD COUNT: 790
4 Jun 2021, 00:29
Blossom Ball - Trial of Hermes
speech #bf0040
action attempting to retrieve the pomegranate
abilities prodigal charms leaner, fearless
stats stamina 7 | evasion 6 | accuracy 8 | strength 6 | wisdom 6 | arcane power 9
word count 202 (cutting it close)────── ☆ ───────[font=times new roman]T[/font]hank the Greeks for running sandals. This next trial required Scarlett to run from the end point of the Spring area all the way to the 'Underworld' to fetch a pomegranate for one reason or another. Anyway, Scarlett was a Beater and she had mainly been working on upper body strength, what with the hitting-metal-balls thing. Most of the time in Quidditch was spent sitting on a broom, so Scarlett's legs definitely weren't as athletic. However, she had spent a lot of her life running away from scenes of a prank, where adults were yelling at their neon hair/toilet-papered house/dripping wet clothing, and also when angry adults (namely her parents) were yelling in general. So it was safe to say, running wasn't too much of a challenge for her.
Except apparently, there would be obstacles. Of course there would be obstacles. What Hogwarts trial would happen without obstacles? None. But that made it more exciting, didn't it? So Scarlett thanked Fiona and the Ancient Greeks for creating/sending her some practical running sandals, before taking off her sparkly gold jacket and looping it around her waist. She then cracked her knuckles and got ready to retrieve a piece of fruit.────── ☆ ───────
chill, it's only chaos
4 Jun 2021, 01:56
Blossom Ball - Trial of Hermes
Seeing that the next trial required running Adlai began to question her decision to join her dear friend Elena in joining the trials and began to question her decisions related to fashion, specifically related to what she was wearing in this very moment. "Well, it's now or never." she told herself as she slipped off her heels and held them in one hand as she picked up the skirt of her dress with her other. Before beginning a crazed bolt across the courtyard, she was sure she looked as though she was mad.
Nonetheless, she expected for others to pass her as she was not the fastest nor the most limber despite her history in gymnastics. However, little by little she saw rather talented runners begin to slow, others seemingly become stuck. Curious, she began to look around her only to find obstacles of all kinds appearing. Of course there would be obstacles - she thought, though she wouldn't have expected the types of obstacles some were having to go through such as fire or thorns or swarms of bug, which she wasn't even sure how could appear or why such things would appear. But then again Hogwarts was a school for magic, and all normal laws of rhyme or reason meant very little here and thus she would eventually learn should be thrown out the window.
Adlai Winifred Rod






