In Search of the Source of the Creeping Darkness Main Story

Interacting with : @Bridget Collins
Mentioning : everyone in Room #3
Open to Interactions

This is an absolute shite show. That was all Illowy could think as the event rushed past her. Despite her attempts to save her housemate, the first year ultimately became a Shooting Starlee before crashing right back down to square one; the bottom of the well. As Illowy gazed back down into the darkness of the well, she tried to think of some sort of solution. Which was easier said then done.

By this point, they'd gathered quite the crowed. People were trying to assume their own solutions as to how to try to get the girls out; though it seemed only one of them had the most logical solution. They needed an adult. They needed actual help. Bridget seemed more then ready to assume the role of Lassie. Illowy gave her friend a nod, "I'll do my best." she promised, "Be fast, and keep an eye out." she added in warning before the girl scurried off the way they had come.

With little else to do other then try to come up with a solution, Illowy took a moment to actually look around the room they were in. She stepped away from the well and the rest of the group, pale eyes searched for something, anything as she treaded carefully around the little room. A clue to what was down here, an odd miswaver of a shadow like Bridget had pointed out before... maybe a rope to lower someone down there with to get the girls? Anything at this point would do.

There wasn't much to see that differed from the other rooms. The strange white powder had led the three girls in here, there were some more bottles, an absurdly long nail on the ground in the middle of a chalk ring with the word 'TRUTH' beside it... truth? She went through the possible meanings of such a thing for a moment before her gaze continue. There was a more grotesque looking thing in the corner she was pretty sure she didn't want to know what it was. Finally her eyes lifted to the walls. There was more chalk drawings and scribbles; a great arrow pointing back to the room they'd come from, and strangest of all, little figures and letters circled and X-ed out in a way she couldn't make sense of. Surely there was a meaning to all of this... there was a method to all madness. one just had to figure it out.

For Moderation :
Location : Room #3
Actions : observing Room #3 and looking for more clues
Abilities : Lovely Creature
HP : 700/700
Stats : Stamina: 7 | Evasion: 8 | Strength: 5 | Wisdom: 9 | ArcPower: 7 | Accuracy: 9

Interacting with | @Percival Rainwood | @Evelynn Decipio | @Piper Clark
Mentions | @Jack Burnett | @Søren Silverwood | @Flash Holmwood | @Dan Palmer

Ileen flinched as Percival snapped at her. Maybe it was good that it was dark so he couldn’t see her blushing. A mixture of embarrassment and anger rose in her - it was not like she wanted to hold his hand. It was only for safety reasons. “Sorry.” Her voice was a sarcastic his and her dark brown eyes were narrowed to slits as she glared at the blonde boy. “But we are better off together, okay? So just make sure to stick together and I can’t see where you are walking.” Her voice became softer and the anger vanished as quickly as it had appeared.
It was true. Even though they had a complicated relationship and were not particular friends, they had fought side by side when it had mattered. They were better off together. No matter how awkward they felt because of the violent kiss or the passion with which Percival hated her best friend… When one of them was threatened to be hurt or to do something really stupid, the other one was there to safe them from the worst.
Ileen wouldn’t admit it, but she had started to like Percival because of that a while ago. It was a challenging relationship with many conflicts, but that was also something that factored into the fun they had sometimes. Teasing each other…
Whatever. Ileen wouldn’t let his hand go and was surprised how relieved she felt when he didn’t either.

After they had arrived in the second and way bigger room, the Gryffindor girl had already collected some more information. Yes, she was right, the trail of the white powder continued and led to another room, something that Jack confirmed shortly afterwards.
As Evelynn showed Ileen and the others the paper she was holding and asked her about the written numbers 6621, the young girl frowned and slightly shook her head. “Maybe it's a combination code for a muggle lock?” Her dad had collected those things. “Where did you find it? Was anything else there?”
Her own attempt to contribute something to the situation failed embarrassingly. Maybe she felt still unsettled by the darkness or it was the fact that some people noticed that she held hands with Percival and thus had given her a certain look.
However, she failed to lighten her wand. Now, after letting go of Percivals hand she felt even more embarrassed and looked around to quickly pick up another topic to cover her struggle.

The distraction came faster than she had expected and definitely in a different form than desired.
While they had been standing around, Flash, Dan, and Søren had kicked down a door nearby, and an alarming sound and smell rippled through the room. Fire! A girl on fire!
Ileen did not question for a second how this had happened. The healer in her finally reached the surface. Ileen had her wand already in her hands, every other thought was gone. She had to save the girl. Without any explanation, she would rush towards the door.
Jack’s voice, screaming the spell she intended to use, reached her. If he was unsuccessful, Ileen would point her wand at the poor girl and repeat the incantation, hoping to extinguish the flames.

If they somehow managed to stop the fire, Ileen would shoo the boy’s out of the way, scanning Piper for any injuries and wounds. “Hey! Are you hurt?”

Action: If Piper is still on fire casting Extinguo on Piper, if Piper isn’t on fire anymore observe room #4 (if possible )
Ability: Sixth Sense, Prodigal Charms Learner
Stats: Sta:6 | Ev:8 | Str:3 | Wis:9 | Arc:6 | Acc:9
Location: Room 2

There! the door was down!
Dan began to rush in to help,when he stopped for a moment.
Something else was here... He could smell it...

A dirty little brown nosing Rat Boy. He just entered the area. He didnt need to look and see who, as he could hear her. Serpent Mother had arrived. And she was not happy.
What. A. Loser. Whoever this little snitch was, Dan would see to it that he got the FULL treatment a snitch deserved.
Dan hated Bullies. More than ANYTHING. But if there was one thing that could rival and compete with bullies for the top spot, it was little rats like this kid.

Dan wrenched himself out of his vengeful thoughts. He had to do something quickly. He was prepped for a fun and cool and maybe a little scary adventure, and he wasn't going to let Professor Buzzkill ruin it if he could help it.

Flash just... up and bailed. When he knew someone in there needed help. The dick moves were just piling up all of a sudden.

By the looks of things, neither Serpent Mother, nor her little pet and future loo diver had seen him yet, so he quickly slipped into room 4.
Flattening himself against the left wall by the entrance (well as much as he could), he observed the room to get stock of what was going on. Also to hide just in case Serpent Mother or her little nark had managed to see him.

From what he could see immediately, the gerl who needed help was Piper. He'd never met her, or talked to her, but he knew she existed. And... apparently she had lit herself on fire. Evidently, nobody knew how to properly use the incendio spell on something other than themselves. He didnt know if it was the least helpful spell ever made, or if everyone just sucked at using it.

Still, he might as well express concern.
"You okay?"

Actions: Moving into Room 4.
Observing Room 4 to get bearings.

| Outfit |

Percival sighed before nodding quietly at her explanation of why they should hold hands. After a few seconds, it occurred to him a few moments later that she couldn't see him. "Alright." he said quickly to show he understood. He wondered why she wanted to be near him. Especially, after he had accidentally shoved the two of them down the stairs. Percival had fully expected her to hate his guts for the rest of his life. Though, instead, here they were holding hands as if they were...close friends. The tips of his ears felt hot, and it took everything within himself to concentrate on what was going on around him.

The boy looked about the larger room to see a Gryffindor girl hard at work. He didn't offer anything to Ileen's questions. He himself had little clue how Muggle items worked. Percival let go of the girl's hand as quickly as she did. The boy glanced towards the direction of Jack as he spoke. "It is quite weird how all of the powder got everywhere. It looks deliberate." he said his lips twitching downward.

Percival's eyes widened as his eyes locked onto the girl burning alive in front of him. The boy had trouble looking at anything else. His mind stuck on the way the flames seemed to lick at the air. The boy turned his gaze as he heard the name 'Miss Jensen'. Anger flashed through him as he noted exactly who the boy was. "Well well I guess we have a snitch. Do pray tell Pride how you were expecting things to turn out for you?" he sneered at the redheaded boy. Percival took a step away allowing for Burnett to continue chewing out the younger boy. While he himself didn't exactly like Burnett, he did appreciate the fact the boy could deal with the situation. Burnett could verbally strike the boy, and later maybe he and Leonard could strike him in a more physical manner. The boy would turn away from the boy, and try to reinvestigate the white powder.

Open to Interactions

Location: Room 2
Action: Reinvestigating to see if the white trail leads to any other rooms.

Interacting with: @Jack Burnett, @Ileen Knight, @Mathias Pride
Mentioning: @Piper Clark, @Flash Holmwood, @Evelynn Decipio, @Hjørdis Jensen

Reducio

|Sta 6 | Eva 6 | | Str 8 | Wis 5 | | Arc 8 | Acc 7 |

Inventory: ⋅ Metal Lighter ⋅ Scrap of Parchament / Fountain Pen

Foulplay ⋅ Lovely Creature

Interacting/Mentioning: @Flash Holmwood | @Søren Silverwood | @Dan Palmer | @Jack Burnett | @Ileen Knight

Open to Interaction

Something about Piper's attempt at Incendio had gone dreadfully, dreadfully wrong. She let out another involuntary scream of pain as the inferno meant for the rats backfired directly up her leg. She never failed at casting; why now? The pain seared across her calf; this would be a nasty burn. As Piper desperately flailed her leg, trying to put out the white-hot agony, the three rats took their opportunity. They leaped at her, looking even more wicked in the orange lighting. The fire apparently was no deterrent. Despite being barely able to think through the pain, Piper wondered how the rats got like this, for this addiction to blood certainly wasn't natural.

Along with the agony of fire, Piper felt pieces of her body being ripped out of her by those evil, murderous creatures. She only then became aware of the tears of pain streaming down her face, vision blurry both from that and her torn-apart legs. It was all she could do to keep from falling on the ground and exposing the rest of her body to the rats. As a matter of fact, that was her only reason for not succumbing to the rats and allowing her shaky limbs to give in and collapse.

"Stand back!"

Fortunately, the somebodies at the door burst in - three boys who to Piper could not be more angelic at the moment. She thanked her lucky stars and every supernatural being she could think of. This had gone far enough and she was well aware of how stupid she probably looked - crying like a toddler, had lit herself on fire and been taken down by a couple of rats. Nevertheless, the boys' shocked expressions lasted a few seconds before another boy (a redhead) raced in, pointed his wand at Piper and bellowed, "EXTINGUO!"

The door seemed to have attracted quite a bit of attention. Another girl, who also looked older than Piper, hurried into the room. If Jack failed to extinguish the excruciating fire crawling up Piper's leg, the girl would come to her rescue and try again.

If she (and/or Jack) succeeded, Piper would scramble to her feet. The sight of so many people paying attention to her would have been both repulsive and embarrassing fifteen minutes ago, but Piper was too desperate for arbitrary stubbornness at this point. In fact, the sight of such a motherly figure, despite looking not too much older than herself, caused Piper to break down more. “Hey! Are you hurt?” the girl would ask, pushing aside the boys, who had already begun to argue with each other over Merlin knew what. Slytherins seemed to argue an awful lot; it sure was easier to simply assume the worst of people in Piper's opinion. That way she was never disappointed.

Taking deep breaths, Piper would gesture at the bloodthirsty rats (minor detail), which were still very much attacking her - though their needle-sharp stings would be no more than numbed throbs due to Piper's newfound hope. "I need help," she managed. This would also be in response to the dark haired boy who also seemed concerned for her. She continued to whack at the rats, attempting to terminate as many as possible.

If both Extinguo's failed, Piper would attempt to put herself out while kicking blindly at the still-biting rats. "No, I am certainly not alright!" she would shriek indignantly, her dignity gone. She didn't care who heard. The devil himself could be down here and she wouldn't care if he heard her screaming the injustices done to her thus far. "I am on FIRE. I was TRAPPED. And LEFT BEHIND. I am being EATEN. I have NEVER been less okay!"

ACTION: If Ileen/Jack successfully extinguish Piper, continue to attack back at the rats. If both Extinguo's fail, attempt to put herself out, cry for the first time in forever
LOCATION: Room 4
STATS: || Stamina: 6 | Evasion: 5 | Strength: 4 | Wisdom: 8 | ArcPower: 6 | Accuracy: 6 ||
ABILITY: Perfectionist
POST TRACKER: X | X | X | X | X

It was almost peaceful, if only for a moment. The darkness was not peaceful by any means - she knew that well enough by now. But somehow, there was a moment of peace. The quiet before the storm, perhaps. Other than the bystanders she had spotted earlier, all seemed to be relatively quiet and back to normal here.

Her companion was quiet. She followed suit, for she had nothing really to say. Her eyes attempted to search the room but the darkness was prevailing. As the light faded, Hjørdis instantly pulled out her wand, muttered an incantation and flicked it as she attempted to cast the wand lighting charm. It was not as strong as she normally did it - for she did not wish to blind any students that happen to come across them - but she was hoping to give the pair of them enough light to avoid any shadows, should any of them still be lurking down here. After the last year, she knew better than to trust the darkness.

Too many students - and professors alike - were still left with this curse. A curse that could be managed but had not been cured yet. She clutched her fist closed, gripping around her wand as the feeling of irritation flooded through her. It was frustrating not being able to do anything. She kept rereading her notes but she could not recall writing them all or what she actually checked. Perhaps a side effect of the curse: a sense of confusion or messing with her mind or... she had no idea.

As she followed the young student into the next location, she silently seethed to herself. Her eyes fell onto a crowd. Students who likely thought wandering around in the dungeons and the darkness, despite everything, was a smart idea. Her eyes instantly narrowed as she heard Burnett's words. Was he really going to yell at someone for calling a teacher when that was, in fact, the only smart decision made here? And to go as far as to call him 'a little shit' in front her, really? But time and place. This was neither the time nor the place to scold him for his behaviour. Instead, she just snapped her fingers at him, in an attempt to get his attention and distract him long enough to get him to shut up. His yelling was not going to help the situation whatsoever - especially if it was drawing more attention to them... It was also rather uncalled for.

"Is this everyone?" She asked, quickly trying to search the room to figure out what was going on, why everyone was here and most importantly, where they all safe? It looked like there were more students here than she had anticipated. Pride did not emphasise just how many students were here. This was... bad.

Why the hell was everyone here? God dernit.

ACTION: Cast Lumos Duo, follow Mathias Pride into #2

OOC: @Jack Burnett - Not sure if we can interact with people in a different room (like Piper in #4) so I'm just ignoring it in this post and saying Nora hasn't noticed Piper/Room 4 yet.

When Sapphire hadn't followed her, Koko began to worry. After all, Sapphire was her sister. Plus, she was a prefect; she was supposed to worry for students of her house that were in danger.

There were many students in her house in danger at the moment, and Koko was one of them.

A knot began to form in her stomach, and she stared at her wand, clenched tightly in her fist. 'Improper form,' Rosalie's voice chastised in her head. 'Hold it correctly.'

She shook it off and narrowed her eyes in an attempt to focus on the walls. Surely there was something she would be able to see; surely the darkness wasn't that overpowering... But it seemed so. The mildewy scent of the dungeons made Koko wrinkle her nose, and the damp chill made her shiver. Something was wrong. Why had she come down here, anyway?

Had Sapphire left her here?

Her sister wouldn't do that; she was certain of it. But... she was worried, so worried, and it just wasn't right. She wished she had her cat with her or something she could protect herself with. Perhaps her broom; she could hover roughly a metre off the ground and pray it was enough.

She only had her wand, though, and staring at it, she watched as the vague silhouette of her fist clenched and unclenched around it, not strong enough to break the stick. Still, emotions could do many things to a person's strength, and Koko couldn't help but worry once again.

With a deep breath and the most intense focus she'd had since she tried duelling, she sounded out the word slowly, softly, and with far more apparent confidence than she felt on the inside.

"Lumos."

Action: Cast Lumos
Interactions: None
Open to Interactions

Reducio

Stats:
-Stamina: 15
-Evasion: 6
-Wisdom: 6
-ArcPower: 5
-Accuracy: 6

Abilities:
-Part-Veela Alluring: 10% opponent friendly fire
-Evasive Maneuvers: 10% autododge
-Part-Veela Scream: Disorient (-1 acc -1 eva), can be aoe (up to 5 users), or could cause a target deafness for 5 rounds

[font=century gothic]INTERACTING WITH n/a | MENTIONING @Flash Holmwood, @Matthias Pride, @Ileen Knight, @Jack Burnett, @Hjørdis Jensen | PROXIMITY TO @Koko Riddle, @Sarah Lightwood, @Percival Rainwood, @Alexander Varellion[/font]

Bottle after bottle, Evelynn unscrewed and sniffed. There had been nothing obviously apparent to identify their contents from the exterior, so this seemed the next logical course. She almost wish she hadn't. Their acrid aroma curled the hairs of her nares and immediately conjured a brim of moisture to her lids. Not that she had any experience doing so, but it was like huffing concentrated chemicals. Because it was. Bleach was easily discernable. It was a chemical common to many of the cleaning products around her home, and something her mother occasionally diluted with water to whiten their linens and take the sweat stains from shirts. The other though… it left her somewhat perplexed. Entirely unpleasant, it also smelled like a cleaning agent. But not bleach. Pungent. Almost like sweat? Or cat pee that had been left to go stale for too many days in the litter? But she couldn't think of what it might be called—

A shout from behind commanded her attention. Rising with a start, a bottle of ammonia in one hand, bleach in the other, Evelynn wheeled in search of the source. Her gaze landed on Burnett. She caught the tail-end of him berating the Slytherin boy who had disappeared earlier to find Professor Jensen. Altogether, the realization of her arrival accompanied the accusation "What do you want with Flash?", the image of the professor at the boy's side, and Flash rushing back across the room pausing only briefly to utter "The cloak…" to her before disappearing into the bottled hall.

Bugger.

The sight of Flash's flight had put her own system into overdrive. Heart rate skipping up in tempo, Evelynn rushed to hurry after him. Not because she felt the need to run from Professor Jensen. Well. Not entirely, at least. True, she wasn't quite sure whether or not she could trust the woman. But moreso, Flash had just rushed into the hall of bottles, an area that still flashed "red flag" in the back of her mind for reasons that she simply couldn't quite put her finger on just yet. He was her partner. He was rushing in recklessly. There was the very real possibility that he could get hurt, and she simply wasn't going to abandon him to that fate.

Hurriedly, Evelynn lowered the bottles as carefully as she was able back to the ground and fished up Flash's journal where she had left it while inspecting the liquids, and snagged the burning candle from the air. Without so much as a backwards glance towards Ileen and the others gathered nearby, she followed after Flash and into the hall of bottles. It really was rather a convenience that at least some of the vessels had been removed. For as far as she could, she wove her wave along the empty path after Flash. Her goal: to reach the door at the back and get through it. Until then, however, the invisibility cloak would stay tucked away in her pack. The last thing she needed was to battle with an ungainly cloak and have the hem knock bottles over in the process.

[font=century gothic]ACTION: Following Flash, entering room 10[/font]

[font=century gothic]STA | 8‏‏‎ ‎ ‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎ ‏‏‎ ‎ ‏‏‎ ‎ ‎ STR | 2‏‏‎ ‎ ‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎ ‏‏‎ ‎ ‏‏‎ ‎ ‎ EVA | 10 WIS | 10‏‏‎ ‎ ‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎ ‏‏‎ ‎‎ ‎ ARC | 2‏‏‎ ‎ ‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎ ‏‏‎ ‎‎ ‎ ACC | 10 KEEN EYE — There is a 25% chance of automatically finding something. FEARLESS — Immunity to fear effects.[/font]

[font=century gothic] ‎ ‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎ ‏‏‎ ‎ ‏‏‎ ‎ ‎ INVENTORY ‎ ‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎ ‏‏‎ ‎ ‏‏‎ ‎ ‎ — Broom Compass — Sketched Map of Underground — Locksmith's Knife — Wizard's Tight — Magical Candles / Lighter — Flash's Invisibility Cloak — Bottle with blonde hair[/font]

Room 2

@Percival Rainwood would make his way down the stairs hand in hand with @Ileen Knight. Yes, that was what normal 'friends' do. No, it really was not. How cute, enter the murder basement hand in hand with a cute girl like Merlin intended. That was until he did the very normal friend thing of quickly relinquishing his hold.

“Sorry.”

Not a great time to deny her, semi-public and all. She was not happy with him.

“But we are better off together, okay? So just make sure to stick together and I can’t see where you are walking.”

They might have been better together but this is where their path would split. Percival off to threaten a boy, Ileen off to see what the commotion was about in the next room and perhaps why it smelled like smoked chicken.

“Maybe it's a combination code for a muggle lock?”

Ileen offered before she inquired further not that she would be present for an answer since she was moving in the opposite direction. “Where did you find it? Was anything else there?”

"It is quite weird how all of the powder got everywhere. It looks deliberate."

It was.

"The white stuff in the first room was salt. I'm guessing this stuff trailing down the stairs might be the same thing."

He would take a look around the room and observe -- where was trail headed? He was going to take another look, reinvestigate where the trail led.

Percival Rainwood looks for the trail.
Observation Roll: 2

Well, Percival was more a do'er than a thinker. It was a nice way of saying he was not particularly bright but he had an imposing presence. He just saw a meandering trail of white but he lost track between the foot-traffic of his housemates.

@Jack Burnett announced to the others, but mostly Percival it would seem. Jack was sharing information rather than keeping what he knew under wraps. It was in his best interests to not selfishly squirrel away all the things that he knew in a place like this. Secrets had a value in and of themselves but secrets had a way of making lives worse when they were kept for the sake of keeping them. Who knew, a cunning serpent can also be clever.

Yes, the boy was smarter than he looked. He would notice Palmer and Holmwood knock down the door to the right of the room. A girl was trapped inside and he asked the right question -- how? Potentially an extension of why but one question would answer the other. A trap indeed.

The girl was on fire also, somehow. No time to ask questions, the girl was being immolated. An overused spell in the hands of a novice proved to be dangerous indeed. "EXTINGUO!" It was reflect at this point, don't let the fire burn. The fire that had burned his dormmate, colleague, acquaintance, perhaps at one point something more, like a friend. Indeed, he seemed like a fine boy. Sensitive, caring, but he overlooked the flaws. He was damaged, broken and dangerous. Gentle except at the end - was that an act of desperation, something he was forced to do, or something else entirely? Was the boy a sicko? There was dark magic, there were things he was dabbling in that just were not right. They were dangerous, they were wrong.

Jack cast Extinguo on Piper Clark.
Roll 7 [+10]

A gust of wind, the fire would be gone. Sweet respite, Jack could feel accomplished in one thing - nobody else would suffer the same fate as one Victor Moore on his watch.

@Mathias Pride was likely going to become public enemy number 1 in not just his dorm but in his house as he led Professor Jensen into the depths of the dungeon. He would point in Flash Holmwood's direction, he was already gone.

"Here we are Miss Jensen," the rat! "And Flash is over there," well was.

"Is this everyone?"

Professor Hjørdis Jensen would find a room of students milling about. The tale end of a fire being extinguished, rather normal considering then population but she was likely hopeful that Pride was filled with silly childish lies. Hopeful that the truth was not exactly what she feared, her memories of the dungeon's twisting, unmapped corridors and the darkness that threatened her. That refused to be dispelled. That the rumors, those that she could remember - everything was a bit fuzzy but she could recall enough. The curse, the terror, the growing power of something dire and the underlying threat to the students. Over the summer they stopped it, they killed it. There was some peace, or so she hoped. Perhaps the incident in Hufflepuff was merely residual effects of a vile presence.



The curse was still unanswered, it was likely the nurse was overwhelmed with the needs of the student body as they tried to managed or at the very least quarantine the curse.

Jensen cast Lumos Duo
Roll: 15

It was like she cast a flood light or perhaps one of those spotlights in those old detective movies. Her presence would make some flee but she was also right in the nick of time, Miss Jensen was needed. Bridget Collins would depart from the next room, where the bodies of two of her classmates lay. She could not even be certain if they were still alive, Starlee had joined Santario in unconsciousness. It was possible that they had already dead but if they were not, they probably would not have much time.

Mathias would not have a chance to make things even worse for Flash. No, fetching Jensen would earn him the ire of Burnett. A wand would jab the boy in the chest, an act of intimidation from the shorter upperclassman.

"You little shit! What do you want with Flash? It's his freakin' birthday and he probably wants to be spending it down here less than anyone else!" Yet here Flash was wandering the dreary and dark dungeons with the rest of them. Although Jack was only making things worse, he gave Matt an occasion. He gave the boy a reason, a holiday. Means, motive, opportunity and evidence.

Flash was here drunk, with his friends, his housemates and his dormmates celebrating his birthday like a real party animal when everything went to hell. Burr might recommend talking less, smiling more.

"Calling Professor Jensen over was one thing, but at least call her for something useful! You really think Flash would be in these dungeons if no one else was? Did you stop to think for one second that maybe he was trying to get the others out?"

That was a story too, not quite the truth either. The question here was which one was more plausible.

"The cloak..."

@Flash Holmwood was not the most stealthy, especially when he ran rather than slunk away. Would running help with Burnett's story? No, it really would not. Yet Flash would flee - he was fast in part due to his youth and vigor. Also due to the fact that he just asked @Evelynn Decipio for her invisibility cloak, compounding his alleged guilt and making her a witnessed accessory during the fact.

The girl had cleaning products in either hand, had just been asked for her cloak. Flash's departure was an indication of guilt and Evelynn's rapid departure after did not no favors.

"Well well I guess we have a snitch. Do pray tell Pride how you were expecting things to turn out for you?"

Another threat, this form Percival. Did they just forget that their Head of House was standing in the room with them? Well, as previously mention he was not particularly bright. As for Burnett, well he had no excuse.

Room 3

Henry Maintains Lumos
Roll: 6 (+10) Success

@Henry Knight's lumos maxima shone a bright light onto the situation. The cold stone floor that had not been swept for some time. A pair of curious Slytherins that thought they should climb, no jump down a well. This was not good, no, this was more than Henry had prepared himself for. Who in their right (or very wrong) mind would give a well a false bottom. Why would anyone build a well in a basement in the first place? Little known fact: In some older homes you may find that the water well is a drilled or hand dug well located in the building basement or crawl space. Wells located in the basement or crawl space of a building are sometimes found, usually at older, pre-1940 buildings. On occasion it appears that the well was originally outside the building but the building was expanded over it. ...construction sometimes located a well (or cistern) in a basement so that a mechanical hand pump could be located indoors (perhaps in a kitchen). [Citation]

"Santario? Starlee?"

Yeah, @Santario Martin and @Starlee Kennedy. They were in trouble. Starlee would be ok, she just needed to get out of the pit. The same could not be said for Santario, she was not moving. Rescue attempts for Starlee went wrong, when did they ever go right? Now it was the two of them, Santario had taken the brunt of the first impact, the first to fall and land. To be landed on, not once but twice. Of the pair, Martin was in bad shape. Battered, bruised and yes, internally bleeding.

"It's okay." @Bridget Collins lied. "We'll figure something else out." What was a question that needed answers. She was generally level-headed, almost a Ravenclaw in scaly skin but this was a lot, people were hurt and she did not have time to think.

This was Henry's chance to do something, to help someone. To be the brains of an outfit. To be more than a passive observer. "Red can you cast Lumos while I cast Finite at Cash, uh Bridget and Illowy if maybe both of you cast the levitation charm on either Starlee or Santario then perhaps it will be enough to carefully lift them out." That was the plan at the very least. Finite Incantatem is an incantation used to end the effects of many spells. It seems to act as a counter-spell for most minor jinxes and hexes. [Source] The damage both the girls suffered was from the fall, ok not the floor but the landing. Magic did not harm them, it just might have been a contributing factor in the case of Miss Starlee's final injuries. He was not going to be able to help the girls in the pit but he could help the girl who was hit by her ally's spell -- Arresto Momentum was it?

“I can try,” @Henry Llewllyn complied. He did not sound confident or powerful, more he would do as told but there was little if any promise. If nothing else he could try, he could be of some help. There were a lot of moving parts and one failure could result in disaster for these girls.

"Finite Incantatem."

Henry casts Finite Incantatem at Cash
Roll: 20 Critical Success

It worked. Merlin, it really worked. The fates were in Mr. Knight's favor as movement was restored to Cash. Llewellyn would do his part or at least try, everyone else was doing something. Everyone else was helping. The room would plunge into darkness, but Cash was fine. They would not be able to see the girls but this was a temporary issue

“Lumos,” Henry L. incanted.

Henry L. cast Lumos
Roll: 5 (+4)

He would try, but his wand would not light. The room would remain dark, the pit even darker in which the two girls lay. “Doesn’t that not work on people?” he voiced his doubts. “I mean, it’s still worth a shot,” he relented. He was not wrong, Leviosa did not work on people, it worked on things. It did not levitate a person but it could pull them up by their clothes. Not far usually, a few feet maybe. It was a common spell to use in dueling, they would lift someone up and then put... not drop them onto the floor.

A bounty of miscellany would be offered-- a button, a friendship bracelet he’d gotten from Diana, several small stones, and a couple of his origami stars. “I dunno if these could be useful, but perhaps we could use them?”

"He's right. Levitating would be too risky," Bridget added. What would happen if they dropped the girls again? While there were some students who might have hit their head a few times, when you look at people like Kyle DeRook you can tell. Indeed, he was one of a kind and they should keep it that way.

"I'm going to go get help." She announced. Luckily help was near, Jensen had been lured there for questionable purposes but she was what they needed.

Illowy, "you should probably stay, see if you can figure something out. Be careful."

"I'll do my best." @Illowy Magnard promised. "Be fast, and keep an eye out."

She would not levitate anyone, she would wait for Bridget to return. Rather she would ook around the room. Her powers of observation could offer them something.

Illowy observes the room
Roll: 2

Perhaps she had a headache, forgot her glasses or something. She must have blinked too long, she was a step away from forgetting she was even in the basement. She was of no help at all.
Room 4

Worst birthday party ever. Selim had abandoned the girl in the locked room with an angry, hungry rat. Not that he was the sort to defend the damsel, he probably thought the rat was the damsel and the meal, it was a potato-po-tah-toe sort of situation. But @Piper Clark needed a man (or a woman, it is June) to keep her out of trouble to to confiscate her wand. She had set herself on fire and the flames would engulf her. It was like touching a pan that was too hot, only it was over every inch of her form. Excruciating and inescapable.

It it was not for Burnett's quick thinking and the flames had not been extinguished who knows what the girl's fate might have been. Ever the hero young fox, when will you ever learn?

Her body would still sting, like an all-over sun burn, even the places where the sun don't shine. Her hair and clothes scorched, ruined really. "I need help," @Piper Clark would declare. Indeed, she was in crisis. She would swat at the rats as they aggressively came at her yet again.

Piper would swat at a rat as it came for her.
Roll: 11 [+6]

She would bat the rat off her, broadsiding the vermin as it tried to sink its diseased teeth into her side. Of all those who saw the girl, when Jensen came some (Flash) would flee. But @Dan Palmer was not about to flee, he had defeated the door. A soft boy maybe, but he was not weak. In fact, if by divine purpose or comedy, he would be a hero.

He would not flee, he would step inside the rat room. He was there to help. "You okay?" The words almost synchronous with @Ileen Knight's as she asked almost the same question. “Hey! Are you hurt?”

"No, I am certainly not alright!"

Piper shrieked. "I am on FIRE. I was TRAPPED. And LEFT BEHIND. I am being EATEN. I have NEVER been less okay!"

The other two would come at her.

Rats attack Piper
DC 15
Evasion Roll: 2 Miss
Evasion Roll: 17 Bite

The girl would scramble out of the way of the second rat after batting the first away. It would dart across the common room (room 2). The second would sink its tiny, yet substantial enough teeth into the girl's burnt skin.

Room 5A

@Selim Faust would find it hard to hold his own against even a rat. There was a difference between men and beasts, it being rules and social convention. The burden of bipedal movement, eating food that has been roasted over a fire rather than raw. Things take time, even rational thought and time was not something young Faust had. Thankfully Selim was not much of a thinker, bipedal movement might have been a recent evolution for the youth.

Vermin, those diseased, flea-infested, viscous creatures were far from unnatural. Hungry, predatory, primal and dangerous and Selim was but a boy of twigs and taut flesh. A meager meal even for a rat but it was eat or be eaten. The youth was trapped in a small, enclosed and dark environment, this left him vulnerable. Yet he could still hear it skitter, was that a hiss?

Selim would lurch in the direction of his prey, his assailant.

Selim pounces at the rat.
Attack 6 (+10)
Evasion 14 (DC 15, roll was not needed)

Selim was more accurate than he appeared. It was more like hurling a rino at a housecat. Selim would blindly land and then...squish. He would feel something fleshy beneath him that would give way under his apparently substantial-enough weight. In the darkness he would not see it, what he landed on but one could presume. One could hope. This flaccid, lumpy ball of meat and hair.

Selim would let a noise escape him, it would have been unsettling if there was an audience. Hell he was unsettling to the specters that lurked these dungeon corridors. He would hear it of course, this encroaching force. Not small, something he could catch or he could crush. A predator, a force, a threat of a different kind. The noises he made, be them of a satisfactory hunt or a warning for those that were trying to break in that they should go away, find another path, seek another lost boy.

Room 6B

Was he drawn by the shouts, the cries and perhaps even the screams? Yes, he was. There was so much noise and he needed to observe. He would follow the walls in the darkness, following the noise like a bat in the dark. Where was he headed? He did not even like people. He did not want to be found.

He was in the hall, looking in. If only Illowy was looking in his direction she would have seen him (failed observation). He would see them however from the shadows in the dark. Hidden in the quiet, among the forgotten. They were looking at the dry well. Yes, a dry well that was trapped. Might have (probably) been his fault. A way of deterring the curious, to protect the realm. Not that he was alone in this basement, it was a a place that attracted the lost and the vile, the hidden and the scorned like himself.

There were some strange places, questions a hidden boy should never ask.

Room 10

@Flash Holmwood would overhear the encounter between Jensen, Pride and Burnett because he was right there, but he would not stay and corroborate the story, he would go deeper into the darkened dungeon. Dash... dash away now! Evelyn had the cloak and she was beckoned to follow and she did. Blind faith, madness, friendship... who knows why, but she did, she followed him into the dark, questionable room lines with bottles of if mixed dangerous fluids. Was that what all of these bottles were filled with? Unlikely but that was not the present point. From the shared common space, between the bottles along the thin and meandering path cleared Alex, Eve and Flash would escape for the time being.

Indeed, @Alexander Varellion and @Evelynn Decipio were good at relocating all of those bottles. What were these things anyways. To be frank, he really did not want to know. Who packs an abandoned room in a dungeon like a hoarder? No, the better question is why does someone pack an abandoned room in a dungeon like a hoarder.

The room was dark but they could see the outline of the bottles that lined either side of the makeshift aisle. @Koko Riddle, the nimble thing she was, was left in the dark. A party of housemates would rush past her, not one among them would be Sapphire.

She needed to see, she needed to know more in this dark and creepy place. Wand in hand she would utter a familiar incantation. "Lumos."

Koko Riddle cast Lumos
Roll: 13

As Alexander ventured forth he would make a simple incantation, one he knew quite well. "Lumos".

The tip of her wand would illuminate the room. The space was jam-packed with bottles and jars with closed lids. The purpose unknown, the scene quite strange. This was the settings of either a deviant, a ne'er do well or a madman.

Alexander cast Lumos.
Roll: 15

He would cast the first year spell with ease, he had plenty of practice considering how many years he was a first year. It was a good thing he had a light, the room was dang creepy. The yellow and the red, the green and the strange. All corked with no discernable order. Something or someone could easily hide in here and he was separating himself from his peers, from potentially slower classmates that could have been the first to die. The boy had been neglecting his tropes, he only needed to find a secluded corner to take a pee before the man with a hook guts him.

Room 11

The next room was cleaner, but creepier. There was a long, narrow hall that would take him out of sight of his classmates. The tall would terminate at a door. A simple, wooden door with iron fasteners. The door was unlocked, who needed to lock a door that had a potential bomb in the room prior. With a prolonged creek, the door would open inward to reveal an open space. A large room with a table and a wooden mallet, tweezers, screwdriver, hammer and a handsaw. Piles of sandpaper, bits of porcelain and glass. There was a stout kiln in the room, located in the corner. The source of the scent that blasted the boy in the face as he entered the room properly.



The scent of smoke, of burnt plastic.

That was just the wall he was looking at, he should turn around. Look back at the door, at the way he came. The door still open. Then look and see his face. Yes, his face among others. His, some of his targets such as Vladimir, Marion, some he likely did not know as well such as a few Hufflepuffs (Jack Warren and Willow Anderson), a Gryffindor (Meenauh) and a pair of Ravenclaws (Sylvain and Pericles). There was one face that seemed to overwhelm the rest. Was Henry Knight among them, yeah he was in there. In fact, a few of these boys looked awfully alike. It was hard to tell who was who in a few cases



What Happened and Where?

Room 1
@Percival Gray never posted [Room 1]

Room 2
@Mathias Pride causing trouble [Room 2]
@Michael Miller never posted [Room 2]
@Jack Burnett successfully cast Extinguo at Piper Clark. [Room 2]
@Søren Silverwood never posted [Room 2]
@Thora Larkson never posted [Room 2]
@Bridget Collins Left for Room 2 from Room 4 [535 health remaining] [Room 2]
@Opeila Winters never posted [490 health remaining] [Room 2]
@Evelynn Decipio left from Room 2 to Room 10 after Flash [Room 10]
@Violet Carrington never posted [Room 2]
@Flash Holmwood flees room 2 and goes to room 10. [Room 10]
@Hjørdis Jensen entered from room 1; cast Lumos Duo effectively [Room 2]
@Percival Rainwood observes the trail but fails. Made his future wife bad.[Room 2]
@Astrea Soleil Neptune did not post [Room 2]
@Dan Palmer Maintains Lumos. Enters Room 4 from room 2. [Room 4]
@Sarah Lightwood did not post [Room 2]
@Bridget Collins returned from Room 3 to room 2, looking for a Professor. Can see Jensen. [Room 2]

Room 3
@Henry Llewellyn Attempted to cast Lumos but failed.[Room 3]
@Henry Knight would cast Finite Incantum at Cash Critical Success, her movement was restored; maintained Lumos Maxima until he cast Finite Incantum. [Room 3]
@Starlee Kennedy trapped at the bottom of a well. Broken leg, shoulder and pelvis. Failed death saving throw x1. Unconscious. 0/400 health [Room 3]
@Santario Martin Unconscious at the bottom of a well. 0/600 health [Room 3]
@Cassandra Ironwoods Released from Arresto Momentum by Henry Knights critically successful Finite Incantum. [Room 3]
@Bridget Collins Left room 3 and went to room 2 [535 health remaining] [Room 2]
@Illowy Magnard Entered from Room 2.Successfully cast Arresto Momentum but due to critical failure hit the wrong target (Cassandra), she had tried to save Starlee. [Room 3]

Room 4
@Piper Clark Attacked by rats, 1 swatted away a second missed (and is now in Room 2) and the third would bite her hard. [-50] There are a total of 2 rats in the room with her, the other in Room 2. The fire was extinguished with Extinguo by Burnett. [185/600 Health remains] [Room 4]

Room 5A
@Selim Faust is locked in a room alone and in the dark. He belly flopped on a rat, crushing it in the dark. 450/500 health remaining. [Room 5A]

Room 10
@Alexander Varellion Cast Lumos successfully. Moves to [Room 11] from Room 10.
@Evelynn Decipio entered from room 2 [Room 10]
@Flash Holwood entered from room 2 [Room 10]
@Koko Riddle cast Lumos successfully [Room 10]

Room 6B
@Kaegen Deathmote hey can see the well from there. [Room 6B][/quote]

Remember:

• 1 action per round.
• May move into up to 1 room.
• Observation is an action, but there are some passive effects that have grant users some passive observations.
• You cannot hear what is happening in the rooms adjacent unless it is screamed, please do not metagame. With screaming, up to 2 rooms. Just remember, others can hear you too.
• To escape, must return to Room 1.

Interfaces With: @Percival Rainwood, @Jack Burnett
Mentions: @Flash Holmwood, @Hjørdis Jensen & @Piper Clark

Everyone seemed to have a problem with him. After all he was a ...snitch. He had just brought Professor Jensen down here and why? Because Flash dared him to. Yes, Holmwood started it. He pushed the ball down that steep hill and gravity, yes nature itself would just cause it to accelerate. There was a reaction for every action and the one thing people would eventually learn is you do not challenge Mathias Pride.

"You little shit! What do you want with Flash? It's his freakin' birthday and he probably wants to be spending it down here less than anyone else!"

Mathias would take a step towards Jack. Yes, mouthy Jack. A pretty face, but the words that come out were more like verbal diarrhea. "Mmm Jack... I thought you were the smart one," he would attempt to smugly pat Jack on the side of the face.

"Calling Professor Jensen over was one thing, but at least call her for something useful! You really think Flash would be in these dungeons if no one else was? Did you stop to think for one second that maybe he was trying to get the others out?"

A smug smile would grace his expression. "You can't be serious," for once he did not even have to lie. Jack was full of crap but his lie might be the preferred one - the whole adage that snitches get stitches was his only hope. Yes, the corroboration of two dozen on the spot without planning. That was going to work out for all of them swimmingly. He would have to make certain that he celebrated Flash's birthday next year, get Faust to jump out of a cake. It will be a real hoot.

"He did a great job of evacuating--" or fleeing for that matter. Yeah Flash was an apt name for the boy, he moved in a ahem *flash*. There was that opportunity for plausible deniability, to feign organization and an attempt to evacuate the dungeons. But no, he decided asking Evelynn for a cloak and then dashing away would be in his best interest. To prove his evacuation attempt by erm evacuating the wrong way. Way to go Burnett and Holmwood.

He really did not need to do much to prove the truth, that was why they were so much more boring than lies. That was a story too, not quite the truth either. The question here was which one was more plausible.

"Later lady," he called after Eve. He did not know her nor did he really care, he just wanted to make certain the Head of House saw her, Flash's partner in crime.

"Well well I guess we have a snitch. Do pray tell Pride how you were expecting things to turn out for you?"

"Very well thank you," he was not oblivious to the threat but he seemed to be oblivious to the fact that their Head of House was standing next to him. Must have been the failed observation roll. "You see her don't you?" He was talking to both Burnett and Holmwood. Was he hallucinating? "Are you seriously threatening and berating me for getting help? Help that you obviously need."

• Evidence A - the fire Jack just put out.
• Evidence B - the rat that scurried across the shared space they had congregated in.
• Evidence C -the duo of rats that were attacking some girl (Piper).
• Evidence D - the bottles of unknown fluid, was the booze-hounding true after all?

"Yeah, I am the bad guy," he let out a laugh. "But," he had to look up at Rainwood, was he a damn redwood? The only taller in their dorm was Grey. The boy was either insane or fearless. "You should not threaten me with a good time," he gave the boy with more boring problems than he a wink and a kiss in the air. Germs. Redwood, I mean Rainwood germs. Besides, he had to unknowingly save his lips for the lovely Drakos.