2022, Stage 2 Gryffindor vs Slytherin: Match 2

Strangely- against all odds-, both members of the Gryffindor team, so confident in their solidarity in tearing her down, faced an outcome that spelt only chaos. Two wands aimed at her and words racing against her own incantation in an assertion of power, only for both spells to backfire- disarming one and blindfolding the other. The last syllable of the Wind Jinx upon her lips, Astrea's own spell culminated within the crook of her ability as if salt upon the wound, bursting from her wand in a show of grey light before dispersing into a single violent cyclone of wind afflicting her newly blindfolded Gryffindor target.

Astrea had never been witness to such ill-fated action in all her time in the duelling sphere and, slightly light-headed with the imminent dread of time running out, she desperately hoped she would never face the same misfortune from the other position. A beneficial position for her, yes, but with so little time left, she would need to give it her all.

Action: Doing as strategised.

@Alec Mason | @Astrea Soleil Neptune

Rose lifted her chin and looked straight at Astrea. "Expelliarmus." Her wand flew out of her hand. No, not Astrea. Rose. Surprise at Rose's new position showed on her face, then she realized- her own spell had backfired. She bit the inside of her mouth, glancing over at Alec, finding his position even worse. His own spell had backfired, too, but he was now blindfolded, and in addition to Astrea's successful wind jinx...

Yeah, this was not... great.

They were close. They were so close. They just had to wait for time to run out and they would win. Astrea couldn't do that much over the little time they had left, could she? Rose shook her head, unwilling to jinx it.

They could do this. They just needed to hang in there a little longer.

Round 11

Alec Mason

Reducio

Alec Mason removes his blindfold
Effects: Alec is no longer blinded, his accuracy and evasion return to normal.

Rose Moon

Reducio

Rose Moon searches for her Wand.
Effects: Rose has retrieved her wand and has an evasion buff of one half her dodge bonus

Astrea Neptune vs Alec Mason and Rose Moon

Reducio

Astrea Neptune cast Knockback Jinx at Alec Mason and Rose Moon using Spell Spread.

Wisdom DC: 9 + 2 (Rose's Lovely Creature) + 2 (Spell Spread) = 13
Wisdom Check: [d20: 3] + 11 = 14
14 > 13 → Success

vs. Alec Mason
Alec Auto-Dodge Check: [d10: 9] → No Auto-Dodge (Alec's Evasive Maneuvers)

Accuracy Check: [d20: 15] + 12 - 2 (Spell Spread) = 25
Evasion Check: [d20: 6] + 7 - 7 (Obscuro) = 6
25 > 6 → Hit

Damage: 100 + 10 × 10 = 200

vs. Rose Moon

Accuracy Check: [d20: 17] + 12 - 2 (Spell Spread) = 27
Rose Search for Wand Dodge Bonus: (5 + (8 × 0.25)) / 2 = 7 / 2 = 4
Evasion Check: [d20: 16] + 8 + 4 (Search for Wand) = 28
27 < 28 → Miss

Jake could barely stand still as he watched the three remaining students standing off. It was so intense!! And so the Hufflepuff fidgeted in place as he kept an eye on the time, knowing that he'd have to stop this duel any second now. He had thought that it was going to be all over for the Slytherin team, until Alec and Rose's wands had backfired like they had. Now Astrea was back in the fight...Rose had no wand, Alec was blinded and still being blown by the remains of Astrea's gust of wind...and the Slytherin had surely noticed her good fortune and was not going to let that opening slide.

The Gryffindor team tried admirably to get themselves together before it was too late. Alec raised his hand to try to get the blindfold off, and Rose ducked down for her wand. Maybe she even could have raised it to cast...but Astrea was quick, and she wasn't going to miss this opportunity. It was all she had. She was going to need a burst of strength to overcome the lions in time, and a burst of strength she gave...

The girl's wand moved through the air swiftly, and Jake gaped as suddenly not one but two knockback jinxes jetted out from it, shooting through the air at what looked like lightning speed, directly towards the hearts of the Gryffindor team.

There was little time to dodge. One spell hit its target, stumbling Alec backwards. Rose managed to only narrowly escape, and she would feel the spell go whizzing by her. Had she not bent down to grab her wand at that moment, she would have suffered the same fate as Alec. The time was ticking, ticking, ticking.

...Oh wait.

"Um, Um, the duel is almost over! One last spell then wands down!!"

Could Astrea beat the clock and the odds with one spell? Or would the formidable Gryffindors brush themselves off and overwhelm the opposition? Gryffindor or Slytherin, Gryffindor or Slytherin, who would win??

1 round remains!!

Information

1. You have 96 hours (4 days) from the time of this post to post at least 50 words and owl me (Jake Morris) your moves.

2. Please don't hint at your move inside of your RP, as it gives the other team an advantage.

3. If you don't post before the deadline, your move will be void.

4. If you have any questions, or notice anything wrong in the mod post, please don't hesitate to send me an owl!

5. Your stats, abilities, and spells have been locked for this duel. Any new abilities added to your trunk after this duel started cannot be used.

6. For your convenience, here are the duelling rules, the duelling spells, and the latest patch. There are some changes including the new 12-round limit so if you haven't checked it out yet take a look!

7. Good luck!

The spectator thread for this duel can be found here
This duel takes place during Day 1!

Hex code:#A0A9B8

Alec felt the force of being pushed back and he knew he'd been hit with the knockback jinx. It was frustrating, managing to make such a mistake and blindfold himself. The spell hitting him only rubbed it in. They had tried so hard, put so much effort into this duel. Neither of them could fail now, Alec couldn't... No he wouldn't let it happen now. He had to push through. Even if his pushing through was just taking off a measly blindfold. Alec took in a breath to center himself as he tugged off the blindfold. Sighing in relief as the light bled into his vision once more.

He could see now, that was good. The moderator mentioned something about one round left. Right, one round, one time left to make this count. Don't mess it up. Alec ran a hand through his hair as he tossed the blindfold to the side and glanced towards Rose. He would be fine, she would be fine.

“One more, huh-?” Alec managed a half-laugh and a smile for Rose. “I think I hear victory butterbeer calling our name.” Almost as sweet as the taste of victory but not quite. Pulling off a win like this meant something, even if Astrea wasn't going to end up going down. Alec and Rose had done their best, whatever happens, happens.

Action: Doing what was/will be owled~

Important Note: It's come to my attention that I had two errors in the above mod post.

1. I had only used -1 accuracy instead of -2 accuracy for Spell Spread
2. I had forgotten the evasion bonus from using Search for Wand.

As a result, the flipendo spell sent at Rose should actually have missed.

I've edited the mod post to reflect this and I'm very sorry for the errors. Thank you to Dealla Prince for catching this issue.

@Alec Mason | @Astrea Soleil Neptune

The redhead dove towards her wand, picking it up and seeing Astrea's Knockback Jinx come her way. Somehow, she had been able to send two spells at once (again!), one shooting towards Rose and one towards Alec. While Rose had been able to grab her wand and step out of the way of the spell, Alec, who had just been blindfolded, was not so lucky. She winced as the spell hit him, though he looked worse for wear, he looked like he was going to be okay.

Jake called out that there was only a little bit of time left before their time ran out. One more spell. And it had to be used well.

She looked over at Alec as he commented on the last spell, smirking at his confidence. She nodded. "We got this," she said in reply. Even though her personal nature as a perfectionist was motivation enough to win a duel, a butterbeer as a reward definitely couldn't hurt. "And this time, you are letting me pay," she said, the look in her eyes teasing even though she meant the words.

One more spell.

There are just over 28 hours remaining in the final round! I still need moves from the Slytherin team, and from Rose @Alec Mason @Rose Moon @Astrea Soleil Neptune @Piper Clark

With both members of the Gryffindor team temporarily incapacitated for the time, Astrea had but a singular strategic round to breathe freely, the familiar twist of practised flair buzzing at her cultivated magic. It was not to fail her once more, the red beam of light splitting jaggedly to strike one square in the chest and just barely miss the wand-reaching other.

A single round left, and while there was little she could do in such time, the sheer audacity of her opponents' disregard baffled her. Were they truly so blind as to cast away the bitter future memory of Astrea, mostly unharmed except for her own wasted spell and unwilling until the forced end of a duel, and commemorate such a half-finished victory to memory? Perhaps it was simply the culture shock of teams, of Astrea's antiquated idea of a brutal win, but either way, she could not afford to waste time puzzling over such a peculiarity.

Action: Doing as strategised.

Round 12

Alec Mason vs Astrea Neptune

Reducio

Alec Mason cast Knockback Jinx at Astrea Neptune.

Wisdom DC: 9 + 2 (Astrea's Lovely Creature) = 11
Wisdom Check: [d20: 10] + 7 = 17
17 > 11 → Success

Auto-Miss Check: [d10: 4] → No Auto-Miss (Astrea's Terrible Presence)

Accuracy Check: [d20: 7] + 9 = 16
Evasion Check: [d20: 7] + 10 = 17
16 < 17 → Miss

Rose Moon & Alec Mason

Reducio

Rose Moon cast Healing Spell at Alec Mason.

Wisdom DC: 11 + 2 (Astrea's Lovely Creature) = 13
Wisdom Check: [d20: 9] + 9 = 18
18 > 13 → Success

Healing: (50 + ( 5 × 8 )) × 1.3 (Healing Sage)= 117

Astrea Neptune vs Rose Moon and Alec Mason

Reducio

Astrea Neptune cast Knockback Jinx at Rose Moon. with Spell Spread

Wisdom DC: 9 + 2 (Rose's Lovely Creature) + 2 (Spell Spread) = 13
Wisdom Check: [d20: 3] + 11 = 14
14 > 13 → Success

10% Auto-Fail Chance: [d10: 4] → No Auto-Fail (Auto-Fail Counter)

vs. Alec Mason
Auto-Dodge Check: [d10: 3] → No Auto-Dodge (Alec's Evasive Maneuvers)

Accuracy Check: [d20: 4] + 12 - 2 (Spell Spread) = 14
Evasion Check: [d20: 4] + 7 - 4 (Ventus) = 7
14 > 7 → Hit

Damage: 100 + 10 × 10 = 200

vs. Rose Moon
Accuracy Check: [d20: 10] + 12 - 2 (Spell Spread) = 20
Evasion Check: [d20: 16] + 8 = 24
20 < 24 → Miss

It was the final seconds of the match, and Jake's breath was held as he watched the three warriors enter the final stretch. It was Astrea's last stand and she wasn't going to give up. Surely Alec and Rose knew that as well. The Gryffindors looked confident...but looking at Astrea's eyes Jake really thought they shouldn't be so sure.

Alec would try to take her out with a knockback jinx - would it be the final blow? But Astrea would side-step the spell, and it would sail harmlessly past her. Jake saw her wand moving through the air and knew what was coming, as surely as the other two did...Once again, dual knockback jinxes sailed across the platform...but this time the Gryffindors were ready.

Both would try to dodge away, but surely Astrea was expecting that. While Rose would manage to escape oh so narrowly, Alec wouldn't be so lucky. Not for the first time, a knockback spell would hit him, and drive him backwards. But before he could fall to the ground, he would feel a surge of energy as Rose once again would restore his strength with Reparifors, giving him the ability to stay on his feet.

Surely any second now they were all going to strike again, and Jake found himself grateful for the time limit...he could stop this before anybody killed each other. "Stop! Wands down!" Jake blurted out, as the time came. The Hufflepuff waved his arms in the air to get their attention, making sure nothing else was cast.

And there the dust settled, with three duelists left standing. Astrea had put up quite the fight, and had managed to defend herself, but hadn't been able to take out any of her opponents.

And now...now....

Suddenly, Jake found himself not liking the time limit quite so much, because he would begin to feel the eyes on him. Since there was no winner, it was down to him to declare one. He was the judge now, and he didn't have much time to think. They were waiting to hear who the winner was.

But who WAS the winner? The Gryffindors had fought very well. They had managed to take Piper out of the duel completely. But Astrea had done a really good job too. She had been fighting two-on-one and STILL holding her own. She almost seemed like she was winning at the end there. That had to count for something right? The Gryffindors had done great but the Slytherins had done great too, and only one team COULD win. It had to be the right one though...this was important.

"Um......"

Nervously, Jake watched both teams and bit down on his finger. Both of them were probably going to be pretty mad if they didn't get picked. They probably both felt like winners. It was just a few seconds he was standing there, but his heart beat more quickly as he felt like he was taking forever. They were all waiting to hear an answer and if he didn't have one now...He turned his head to take in all three duelists who were still standing, his mind going back and forth by the second. But...

The small boy looked up at Astrea and the look on her face. He had a job to do, and he had to do it. That meant being honest and judging as best as he could. And with what had happened to Piper and all, and the way the Gryffindors had worked together, and Rose dodging like she had ...Yes, it was clear which team had won so...

"G-Gryffindor wins!" Jake squeaked, before scurrying off before he could be on the receiving end of an Astrea knockback jinx.

GRYFFINDOR WINS!!!

Information

1. You have 96 hours (4 days) from the time of this post to post at least 50 words and owl me (Jake Morris) your moves.

2. Please don't hint at your move inside of your RP, as it gives the other team an advantage.

3. If you don't post before the deadline, your move will be void.

4. If you have any questions, or notice anything wrong in the mod post, please don't hesitate to send me an owl!

5. Your stats, abilities, and spells have been locked for this duel. Any new abilities added to your trunk after this duel started cannot be used.

6. For your convenience, here are the duelling rules, the duelling spells, and the latest patch. There are some changes including the new 12-round limit so if you haven't checked it out yet take a look!

7. Good luck!

The spectator thread for this duel can be found here
This duel takes place during Day 1!

Eligible for Rewards

To be eligible for rewards, your team should have won the duel and you shouldn't be disqualified.

@Alec Mason
@Rose Moon

Please link to this post in the trunk updates if you wish to claim your +1 stat point from this duel.