Haunted Halls
The haunted maze is especially bewitching and eerie tonight, the slick, cold walls of the house set up in the courtyard uninviting and spine-chilling. The stone of the room before the students is gray and downcast, setting the perfect mood for this Halloween’s spirit. Despite the uneasiness the atmosphere of the room should have caused, there is still a small tremor of excitement reverberating throughout the room. Perhaps the students like the thrill of the fright? No matter. The reason they find themselves here tonight is unknown - maybe it’s instinct, calling them to the room, like an alluring siren’s call: chilling but ever so enticing. Or perhaps it’s morbid curiosity.
The door before them is plain, and frankly, uninteresting. It is simple, if not underwhelming. It’s made of wood, and even that material has begun to age and grow moss and wither away like leaves in the winter. But what lies behind it is the true mystery. A few cautious whispers travel throughout the thrum of students. Who is to go in first? Does anyone dare? The door is already thrown open, inviting students to enter the shadows beyond. What’s behind it? It beckons, almost, like a pool of sweet honey waving amiably at a swarm of hungry flies. A light breeze travels through the students’ hair, bringing with it the scents of fear, thrill, mystery, and temptation. It feels cold, but even that piercing chill sends shivers of curiosity down the students’ spines. Bravely, the crowd steps forward. The door continues its relentless taunt, whispering, jeering, luring the students closer and closer.
Once entered, the room is rather plain, with dim light fixtures that almost seem to be more ancient than the students, and a somewhat musty smell, as if the room had never before known what a “spring cleaning” was. The room is adorned with silky cobwebs, their resident spiders nowhere to be found but surely not too far away. The students should be careful here - especially in those expensive Gala outfits of theirs. One misstep could lead you into a puddle of…who knows? Monster spit? Spoiled milk? Sewer water? Nonetheless, the off-putting aura of the room does not dispel the students or their undying excitement. There is no music to set this haunting atmosphere. Just the footsteps of the students entering, and the quiet conversations between them. Until the howls of the nighttime wind become a symphony and the fear of the night reaches its peak…
On this 19th day of October, fantastic, magical, frightening things are about to happen.OOC INFORMATION:
Reducio- To participate in this thread, your character must be indexed. If you are confused about the index process, here is some information that might help you
- Moderation will occur every Saturday. Your characters are allowed one moderated action per round, like casting a spell or moving between threads. Things like talking to other characters do not require a moderated action. Please make sure you specify your action somewhere in your post for easy moderation
- Including stats and abilities in your post would be much appreciated by us poor mods
- If you are leaving this thread for one of the other ball thread (or just leaving) please specify it as your moderated action. Be aware that some areas of the house may not be realistic IC to just up and walk away from
- All normal hio rules apply in this thread"the night beckons...will you succumb? fear not her cold, icy touch, but her unforgiving gaze."
"if rescuing you is a sin...then i'd gladly become a sinner."
-Raiden Mei
iNPC: Kiyoko Nakamura
Haunted Halls
Aly Salinger had made quite a name for herself, in her younger years, of being late to... well, pretty much to everything. Classes, Quidditch matches, balls - you name it, there was a very slim chance that Aly had been on time to it more than once or twice during the entire school year. As such, one can imagine Aly's surprise when, upon arriving to the Haunted Halls, she found herself the very first person there.
"Hello?" she called out, tiptoeing through the open wooden door, her nostrils flaring at the sickly, musty scent permeating the very walls of the makeshift house within the courtyard. This was certainly a creative gala, she had to admit - it reminded her of the Blossom Ball trials in her second year, almost underworldly and otherworldly in its construction and mystery. The wind whistled through her carefully coiffed curls as she stepped inside, her hand slipping softly into the tulle-covered pocket of her tan dress to grasp the wand hidden within. A security blanket, almost, though she had too a different weapon concealed there, in case something too dangerous to mess about with magic came around. "Anyone... anyone there?"
She blinked as her green eyes took a moment to adjust to the darker setting; she'd just walked through the ball area, full of golden light and foggy shadows, so the dimness was not entirely welcome nor familiar. The corner of her glossed lips turned up into a disgusted snarl at the sight that greeted her - puddles on the ground, cobwebs in the corners... yuck. Suddenly glad that she had worn a shorter dress and not one of the ball-gown length she typically brought to balls such as this, considering the fact that the hem would have dragged on the floor and likely coughed up all sorts of nasty dust and germs and things, Aly carefully picked her way around the puddles and began to search the room. Whilst she still had the privacy of being by herself, maybe she could find something that would lead her to a well-needed victory... if one could win a maze, that is.
✰✰✰
✰ No mentions or interactions yet... ✰Action: Searching the area (Keen Eye ability)
Open to interactions
Charmer | Paragon of Health | Lovely Creature | Foulplay | Keen Eye
STA 10 | EVA 11 | STR 5 | WIS 16 | ARCP 7 | ACC 14
Paragon of Health allies: Dealla Prince, Pericles Dralt
Charmer & Lovely Creature are meant to affect everyone.
Items: Love Potion Antidote, wand, locksmith's knife
Last edited by Aly Salinger on 13 Mar 2025, 02:59, edited 4 times in total.
| Aly Salinger's ency |
| | |
STA 10 | EVA 14 | STR 5 | WIS 19 | ARC 7 | ACC 18 Charmer • Keeper’s Catch • Paragon of Health • Lovely Creature • Foulplay • Keen Eye who's afraid of little old me? |
| | |
Haunted Halls
Interactions: Open
Speech: #926f34Date: October 19th
Location: CourtyardBoots: x
- Haunted Halls -
What did you do when your whole world was turned upside down? Acacia had been so excited for the ball in the weeks leading up to it. Sure, if anyone had asked her she would have grumbled about having to go all the way out to England and pretended she wasn't, but she had still been happy. Now, she was just still sort of shocked. Some days she remembered the ride in excruciating detail and could remember exactly which foods were in her vomit (Ew. So much ew) and other days all she could tell you was that it had been bad. She hadn't slept well since. Nighttime now included a whole lot of walks to get fresh air, and she was not a big fan of fireplaces anymore. Not that she had ever been. Who needed fireplaces when you went to school in the middle of the Amazon rainforest? Either way, it didn't matter. None of it mattered right now. If she concentrated on having a good time at the ball, it would all be fine.
And have a good time she would. She had emptied a decent chunk of her savings for this dress, which had caught her eye in the window of a fancy dress shop that was just for dresses. She hadn't even been shopping for one, but once she saw it she had to have it. It fit just right, and she looked stunning in it if she did say so herself. Ready to show these Hogwarts kids how balls were done. Ariam @Aston Beckett, permission gotten to godmod them walking in was right beside her, looking only slightly less gorgeous in a dress of their own. She had decided to leave the main ball for later, because she had to admit that some of the stories about past ones scared her (Scared was such a strange word. When did she start getting scared of things?). Anyway, this weird maze/haunted house/escape room thing sounded like fun.
Even if it all did look totally fake. It was a bit over the top honestly. Did they really expect her to be scared by a building? "Ahhh" she said sarcastically as she and Ariam walked in the door. It was slightly more impressive inside, if by impressive you meant absolutely disgusting. What even was that on the floor? Hadn't it occurred to the organisers of this thing that people would be turning up in nice clothes that they probably didn't want unidentified good all over? At this point she was convinced that all Hogwarts event organisers were idiots who probably got given the jobs as detention. First the "summer" camp, and now this? Castelobruxo could do way better if you asked her.
She walked around the walls a bit, trying to look for where they were meant to go next. Why on earth was it so dark? Would a bit of lighting kill these Hogwarts students? "I can't even see whatever dumbass puzzle we are meant to solve" she said to Ariam "You'd think Hogwarts would have learned to organise a decent event by now". Squelch. She had stepped in a puddle. A puddle of what, she didn't know, and she didn't want to know. Eugh. It was all over her shoes. This house was absolutely shit. Angry for very obvious reasons, she kicked the stupid wall. Ow. That just hurt her toes.
Absolutely stunning banner by the lovely Astra Norrick
I took a little journey to the unknown
And I've come back changed, I can feel it in my bones
And I've come back changed, I can feel it in my bones
Haunted Halls
Banner was made by Zach Zaphiere
Date : October 19th, 2024 Color code : Written|Thought|Said It is Sere Nade's first ball! After a whole year of watching Hogwarts Balls' excitement from afar, in solitude, Sere decided to get out of her den and joining this year's Autumn Ball. Beside of her train-back-home friend @Brookline Quinn said that attending ball was one of her memorable events, the very interesting concept: the Gala of Mysteries, is another thing that convinced the British-Korean girl to attend the Ball.
She could remember it clearly; how was the excitement peaked inside herself when she participated in Scavenger Hunt at Summer Camp, and now that feeling seemed to re-grow... but accompanied by doubt. Sere was not sure whether the excitement of the Ball would suit her awkward self. A party-like situation would make her -who was a little bit awkward- became even more awkward. But still, amidst all of her doubts, curiosity gnawing until she unknowingly finished dressing up, and now standing in front of a plain aged opened wooden-door with moss decorating it.
Haunted Halls. I wonder how scary this will be. Does it live up to its title? Sere looked left and right, doubts rising to the surface again. This thing won't suit me. Will it? She poked her head a little to peek at what was behind the door, but she couldn't see anything clearly. Her skin indeed felt something chilling, something so interesting, but this Gryffindor girl definitely had to go inside to see everything.
Umm... Should I go in? But I probably won't suit this event very well. Isn't it better if I take some steps back? But I'm deadly curious!Action : Peeking in
Waiting for : @Zach ZaphiereThing(s) : Her Wand
Stats : STA 9 (+4)| EVA 8| STR 4 | WIS 8 | ACC 8 | ARC 7
Abilities : Statistically Relevant (STA) | Statistically Relevant (STA)
Haunted Halls
It was the ball day again. Zach was excited to join the event. The costume from his mom was on the bed, ready to be worn. Along with the costume package, his mom also sent a contact lens for him with a note: I don't want to hear you not wearing your glasses. Follow the instructions. And don't forget to put these off when you are going to bed. Love, Mom. Zach read the instruction slowly before putting the lens on. He took a deep breath before putting them on. "Oooh... Not bad..." Zach now could see clearly without his glasses. Then he put on his costume: a shirt with mountain mist colour and slate-grey trousers, with the addition of a navy-coloured robe and purple-taupe peat cap. He looked good, he thought after seeing himself in the mirror. He didn't forget to give a magical touch to his appearance. "Crinus Muto." The black hair was now changed into pink. He smiled at himself before going to the ball with a satchel slung on his shoulder and a camera clung to his neck.
The boy hummed on his way to the ball. With small jumps, he enjoyed his way to the place. However, his eyes caught something. The courtyard became unusual with the unfamiliar building. Zach had never seen that before. The atmosphere of the building wasn't good, at least that was what Zach felt. It also somewhat attracted the curious boy to check it, even with its plain door that was grown with some moss here and there. Near this unfamiliar building, he saw someone who he knew. Sere Nade. He smiled before running to the girl. "Sere," he tapped her shoulder. The girl was peeking inside the buillding. Zach followed her. But it was never enough.
"Any chance you know what place is it?" Zach asked Sere. He was really curious of the building. The urge to enter the building was nearly unbearable for Zach. "I want to see what's inside. Let's go," He said with a ready wand in his hand. He entered the peculiar building with a slight trembling hand. His mind was already thought of thie spell that might be useful for him.
Open to Interaction
Mention: @Sere Nade
Statistics: sta 7 | eva 9 | str 3 | wis 10 | arc 8 | acc 12
Abilities: Prodigal Charms | Blindvision | Healing Sage
Action: Enter the Haunter Halls. If possible, cast a Revelio to the floor.
Haunted Halls
❂ October 19, 2024 ▎ --:-- ❂▪ ◚ ◚ ◚ ❂ ◚ ◚ ◚ ▪Raizel needs a break. A lot had happened and as much as she doesn’t want to admit it, she had reached her limit. The incident back in Hogsmeade, that was still fresh and then her first broom racing was earlier today and that left her exhausted but instead of staying put and trying to recover from everything that had happened so far, here she is, attending a ball. Well, she wanted distractions, something that’ll take her thoughts away for a bit from the troubling things that had happened so far. This was perfect for that.
Eerie, creepy, spine-chilling, a perfect place for a test of courage if she says so herself. Not like she’s easily frightened anyway but it was still worth a look to see what they have in store for them. Perhaps they even planted a boggart somewhere. That’d be fun. There is no point gawking at the entrance though, the fun is inside, past that uninteresting wooden door. But just as she was about to do just that, something caught her eyes. A pair of familiar figures. The sight alone made her grin.
She let her playful side reign this time, a way for her to fight the exhaustion that’s been telling her to just go back and rest but she knows she won’t be able to. After all, there are thoughts that won’t just leave her alone, especially after that terrifying visit to Hogsmeade. This was her way to diffuse the tension that she had been feeling since then. She wasn’t exactly sneaking, there were tons of people to blend in as she approached them and once she was near, she gave both of them a tap on the shoulder and then a: “Boo!”
The boy jumped, surprised, that means her quick scare was successful. She waited for the other one’s reaction but whether that was also a success or not, she would just give them a bright grin, one that none of them might even think she was in need of a nice rest. “Oi!” she greets, fixing up the fedora that she had been wearing. “What's up?” she asked before letting out a snicker.▪ ▫ ◙ 360/200 ◙ ▫ ▪
▪ ▫ ◙ Dialogue | #800000 ◙ ▫ ▪▪ ◛ ◛ ◛ ❂ ◛ ◛ ◛ ▪
◘ ◘ ❂ Mentions: @ | @ | @
Enchanted Satchel
Potions: See Inventory
Prod. Charms | Perfectionist | Fearless
Trying to scare both Zach and Sere. Zach's reactions were granted by his writer. I’ll leave it up to Sere to decide her reaction.
Last edited by Raizel Voltrouz on 29 Oct 2024, 04:44, edited 1 time in total.
Oziel Toussaint | Miharu Goto
STA: 7| EVA: 9| STR: 3| WIS: 12| ARC: 10| ACC: 10
Perfectionist I | Fearless | Wandmaker | Terrible Presence
Haunted Halls
Like each year, the girl had sent a letter to her mother, a simple letter, announcing the theme of the ball, or this year, of the gala. Like each year, her mother had sent back a package, with a dress and shoes, and a letter saying that, yes, she will have to attend this fall's ball. Like each year, the girl had sighed, not wanting to go, but getting ready anyways. She had put on the dress, some mascara, silver eyeshadow and dark burgundy lipstick, and her black heels. She had slipped her wand into the dress's pocket and headed out of the Ravenclaw dorms. With a sigh, she walked past the great hall, from which came nice jazz music and conversation noises. If she had to be here tonight, might as well do something instead of stand off the dancefloor for two hours.Heels clicking on the floor, she made her way out of the castle, heading towards the courtyard. The Haunted Halls stood in front of her, four grey stone walls and a simple opened wooded door. Lifting up the hems of her dress, she walked into the building, scrunching her nose after taking in the smell of old and rot. The place just looks old and rotten, even if it was placed on Hogwarts' grounds only today. A few other kids were already inside. A Ravenclaw, Salinger, was looking around while two younger students came in together. Another girl was kicking the walls. "You'd think Hogwarts would have learned to organise a decent event by now" She smiled at this. After Hogsmead's chaos five days ago, she wasn't expecting much from her school.
Dress slightly lifted up in one hand, Anastasia dragged her other hand on the dusty walls of the room. She walked slowly next to the bare walls, looking for something that would bring her -them- to the next room. She made small steps, carefully walking over puddles of whatever was on the floor. She smiled at the cobwebs, thinking about her own spider, in her own cobweb in a corner of the girl's dorm.
interactions @open
mentions @cass ito @aly salinger
dhampir | DADA prodigal | perfectionist
sta • 7 | eva • 7 | str • 5 | wis • 12 | arc • 8 | acc • 9
action touching the walls, trying to find something
mentions @cass ito @aly salinger
dhampir | DADA prodigal | perfectionist
sta • 7 | eva • 7 | str • 5 | wis • 12 | arc • 8 | acc • 9
action touching the walls, trying to find something
| Anastasia Blackwood-Varney Mors irrumat omnia |
Haunted Halls
Interacting with: no one in particular, talks to general group
Moderated action: stomping on the floor, attempt to see if it's hallow
Reducio
Stats: Stamina: 5, Evasion: 6, Strength: 4, Wisdom: 7, Arcane Power: 7, Accuracy: 6
Inventory: Wand, sharp hair pin
Outfit discription:
Poppy was wearing a sparkling black dress with deep purple accents. It was a short dress, and she made sure there were shorts underneath, and the skirt was removable. After what happened at hogsmade one could never be too careful. Poppy had picked out an outfit that not only looked cute, but one that would allow her to fight in an emergency. All she had to do was undo the velcro and the skirt part of the dress would drop. It would be awkward but it would be worth not dying. The decorative top part of the dress was short sleeved, which also helped with her mobility if she had to fight. The best part, the dress had a hidden pocket designed specifically to conceal her wand. Not that she had many useful spells, but it was nice to have it on her. She even did her hair in a nice bun, using a sharp hair pin to ensure that she would have a mundane weapon if needed.
The young ravenclaw was not encouraged to go to the ball. Her mom was one of the Auoros that was currently working on finding the culprits of the attack on hogsmade. She believed that the large event would be too dangerous, however Poppy had figured that if she stuck to the less crowded area of the maze she would be fine. If an attack was going to be made again, they would surely go for the party and now the few students who felt like working their way through puzzles to spend the evening.
Poppy entered to see a few people already working on solving this puzzle, however it seemed like not much progress was being made. She watches as a student attempted to cast something on the floor. That gave her an idea, she started to stomp on the floor, listening for any echoing that would indicate hollowness. Her eyes kept wandering to the sixth year she knew was apart of the quidditch team. She was always so interesting to watch on the quidditch fields, and here Poppy wanted to see if she would find anything. Surely an older ravenclaw could make a discovery? affects of @Aly Salinger charmer ability
"Has anyone found anything yet?"
Haunted Halls
Interacting with @Anastasia Blackwood-Varney
Open to Any Interactions
The minute school had started, the talk of the Fall Ball was on so many peers' minds. Upperclassmen were often talking about the ball as some sort of main attraction. According to Colby's eavesdropping, she heard there were two balls a year: one in the fall and the other in the spring. Additionally, something always happens during the ball that are either annoying or dangerous. There was talk about giants entering the ballroom once, a cursed doll interacting with students, and even slugs coming out of students' bodies. A shiver ran down Colby's spine just thinking about the last one. Quite frankly, no matter how much people talked about how dangerous or scary the balls were, they seemed all so excited and eager to attend.
As a matter of fact, hearing rumors about these occurrences only makes Colby excited to go herself. Right now, everything was clockwork: wake up, eat, go to class, eat, do homework, eat, sleep, and repeat. Sure, she socialized with some in-between, but Colby had yet to really make friends and has focused primarily on her studies, showing a lot of interest in both Charms and Defense the Dark Arts. Perhaps something dangerous, scary or even annoying can help break the "groundhog day" curse.
The theme of the ball was "film noir-horror" and Colby had no idea what that had meant. She wasn't as cultured in muggle fashion although her mother was Muggle-born. Colby had brought a lot of clothes, but not specific themed and styled clothing for anything like the ball. She did have a black, long-sleeve dress that was a high scoop at the top. It wasn't sexy, but it was form fitting and comfortable and that was all she cared about. Often in the common room she would hear others talk about significant others. Colby wasn't there yet and just wanted to explore and learn more. Maybe this ball would help her do just that.
Her hair down and curly, face natural and in her black, long-sleeved dress with black comfortable boots, Colby made her way down to the courtyard where she began to hear, smell and see the fall ball's extravaganza. As she made her way towards the main part of the ball, her eyes reverted to the side where she found a not-so-interesting door. What called her to look there was unknown to her. But curiosity began to trickle down her spine, arms and legs as she made her way there.
Colby tried using her sense of smell, but could smell nothing. She could feel a cold breeze blowing from the other side of the door. Should she go in? In a way, the feelings she felt was familiar to her. To go and do something that she knew may not be safe to do, but to do it anyways... It almost felt like the night her life changed. The question now is... Did Colby learn from experience?
That was out in the wild. I'm at school, what can go wrong? she thought, making an excuse. While it was logical that schools should be safe, it doesn't mean that nothing will happen. But of course, it was enough for her to begin walking through the slightly opened door. When Colby made it to the other side, she couldn't help but to let out a big cough. The smell had shifted from being fresh to musty. Once her nose had gotten used to the smell, she was able to really see the room: a plan, dim room that was filled with cobwebs and dust. She could hear footsteps of others who have entered. Colby looked back to see the door she entered from. She could walk back out and enjoy the party itself, or she could keep going... Colby gave herself a little smirk and turned back around, away from the door. She was going to take on the challenge and figure out why this place was open to her and other people.
As she walked further into the room, she began to really hear other people looking around and figuring out the place, too. She heard someone get grossed out by something on one side and someone else asking if anything was found. Was something supposed to be found? Who knows.
Another person or two seemed to be kicking the walls of the room. They were much older than Colby and had a comment about Hogwarts' ability to create decent balls. Colby couldn't help but to laugh. "Even though I'm new, this seems pretty cool," she said with a shrug. In muggle school, dances and events were always so cheery and social. It was nice to see a blend of pure fear in the mix for an event related to Halloween. "This is what Halloween should feel like!" she said with excitement to anyone who wanted to hear her as she continued to explore the room. When looking around, everyone seemed to be looking with their eyes. Colby wondered if there was something that could help with smell. If she could only get past the musty smell, maybe it could help find a clue or vicinity of where they should be looking.
ACTIONS: Enter the Haunted Hall; use her sense of smell to help find a clue or vicinity of where they should be looking.
STATS: Stamina - 7 | Evasion - 5 | Strength - 6 | Wisdom - 4 | ArcPower - 4 | Accuracy - 4
Werewolf
Haunted Halls
Banner was made by Zach Zaphiere
Date : October 19th, 2024 Color code : Written|Thought|Said In the midst of her doubts, Sere felt a light tap on her shoulder. The girl immediately turned around and found a very familiar Ravenclaw Boy, "Oh, Hi Zach! Wow... with that light-colored hair." Sere realized Zach's hair color was brighter than the darkness around him. Unexpectedly, the color matched the retro peat cap and the overall costume he was wearing pretty well.
"Haunted Halls, one of the three events in this Autumn Ball. At least that's what I read from Bulletin Bo-- Oh my Gosh... Wait for me!" The girl stepped in quickly following the foxy-eyed, "Did you even listen to my explanation?" Sere raised an eyebrow when Zach took out his wand. Look at those steady face and words, but the hands are trembling. Sere shook her head, preparing her wand as well.
The Hall felt chilling, shivering, minimal lighting from ancient lamps with a combination of musty smell. "Whoa, look at those creeping creatures..." Even the insects like flies, spiders, and the like were willing to be extras to make this event a success. Sere's eyes flashed with excitement, "This is all looks so cool." Rather than scary, Sere thought that everything in this room was very interesting. Yuck! Except for whatever-liquid is on the floor. Gross.
Another tap landed on her shoulder, followed by a 'Boo!' and Zach jumping in the corner of her eye. Sere aggressively raised her wand while her mouth reflexively casted, "Flip-- Uh, oh.. No no no. I'm sorry!" Sere cleared her throat, canceled the spell, and lowered the wand which tip had been in front of Raizel's nose. The reflex to spit out Flipendo seemed to have been formed from her several previous duels.
"Gosh, I thought you were a part of this event! Something like... The Walking Dead?" Sere imitated the movement of a walking zombie and stretched both of her hands to Zach's neck as if to strangle him. "Anyway," She put back down both of her hands, "This event is called 'Haunted Halls', right? But all I can see is this Hall, only a Hall." Sere tapped her chin with the tip of her wand, "Looks like this is all just getting started." Her excitement is expecting something more, bigger than this.Action : Casting the Passage Opening Charm - Dissendium
Interacting with : @Zach Zaphiere & @Raizel VoltrouzThing(s) : Her Wand
Stats : STA 9 (+4)| EVA 8| STR 4 | WIS 8 | ACC 8 | ARC 7
Abilities : Statistically Relevant (STA) | Statistically Relevant (STA)