22 Jan 2025, 19:45
The Wizarding Schools Potions Championship
Third and Final Task - Red Caps and Apples
__ Eye colour: Red
Skin colour: Green
Native to: Northern Europe
Height of average adult: 3-4 feet
Distinction: Dwarf-like appearance | long, sharp nails | Attracted to split human blood | Bludgeons unwary to death
Ministry of Magic Classification: Beast XXX (meaning: These creatures should be no trouble to competent wizards.)
After a busy morning in which all teams had the opportunity to brew their best potions, using all their knowledge and best of skills, professors @Melisande Lennox and Méabh Regan would be waiting for the brave and daring contestants at the Quidditch Stadium. Alongside them was the prestigious and international panel of judges, constituted by Hogwarts' @Hjørdis Jensen and @Dusana Sabo, @Célestine de la Croix-Valmer from Beauxbatons, @Évodie Ndoto Masudi of Uagadou and Hugo da Silva [NPC] former Castelobruxo's potions professor and a renown author.
It was mid-autumn and the Scottish highlands would welcome them with gray skies and a very unpleasant cold wind. Meli looked at the heavy clouds forming a dense blanket that threatened to dissolve into raindrops and hoped that wouldn't happen for a while longer. Behind her, the representatives of the various schools participating in the tournament were sitting comfortably, they would be the ones who would evaluate the performance of all the teams and they would be the ones who would decide the winner in the end. Who among them would deserve to walk out of the stadium with a shiny new golden cauldron and bring honor and prestige to their names? Melisande knew that she flinched a little when she saw some of the potions being prepared...now she only could hope for the best!
The Quidditch Stadium was completely renovated and prepared to receive the event. In it, three different sections could be found, each prepared for the challenges corresponding to each age group.
First Section:
There, in the first third part of the Stadium, a dense forest had blossomed. Tall pines were separated by bushes that hid the ground from anyone looking or trying to cross the forest. Well, unfortunately for the competitors, it would be precisely on the ground that the mischievous little Red Caps would hide! Inside their holes they would wait with their bludgeons until their victims dared to penetrate the dense vegetation. Once the adventurous students entered the forest their mission would prove to be quite difficult, of course! To achieve prestige the challenges could not be easy to overcome!
Melisande and Méabh were standing together, making themselves noticed among the seated spectators, as they waited for all the competition participants to arrive at the place where the last part of the Potions Championship would be held. Once all the contestants were present, Meli, with her voice amplified by the Sonorus spell, would finally address everyone present, "Dear students and honorer guests, welcome to the third and final part of the Potions Championship. As you can see, in front of you is not the usual sight that we are used to finding inside our Quidditch Stadium. The organisation of this event took liberties and transformed it into a more suitable setting for this contest.”
“First, inside that lush green forest,” Meli continued pointing with her hand and outstretched arm towards the patch of tall trees, “There is a basket of apples that needs to be retrieved. Unfortunately, it is in the possession and custody of a group of mischievous Red Caps. You’ll need to use all your courage and wits to succeed in this dangerous mission."
"Completing your task should be your main goal, but let me remind you that you’ll lose points if you get yourself harmed or any of the Red Caps. I hope you’ve done your best and brewed the most outstanding potions!” She merrily ended saying, giving the crowd one of her brightest smiles. It certainly would be entertaining!
“So when you are ready…” She started again, looking at the youngest students with an encouraging nod and smile, “Remember you will only have one hour to finish this challenge, when the time is over so it is your opportunity to succeed. Time starts as soon as you enter your challenge field. In your case, as soon as you cross the gate in the fence surrounding the pine forest. Time will stop counting when you return."
"Pay attention to your surroundings, remember everything you have learned so far, trust your companions and I’m sure you’ll be victorious! Good luck!” Then she would give them a signal, letting them know that they were free to enter the forest and start their challenge.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION:@Mylo Atkins, @Emily ShephardTHIRD CHALLENGE FOR 1ST AND 2ND YEAR
- Retrieve a basket of apples from a dense patch of forest - it is guarded by Red Caps.
- The groups will be judged and rated by a prestigious panel of international wizards, by the following criteria:1. Quality of the potions2. Successful completion of the task3. How fast they finished the task4. Injuries and other harm to the competitors5. Injuries and other harm to the beastsjjjj
- The tasks will be performed in the same groups that brewed the potions in the first and second part. Each member of the group will have one dose of each of the two potions they brewed to use - but be careful, their effect will depend on the success of the brewing stage, and a bad brew might harm more than help!
(This potion is IC only and only usable for this thread - there is no potion item associated with this.)
- The event has a total of three moderated rounds, after which the time is up! Your characters can perform one moderated action per round (incl. casting spells - think adventure threads, balls, sports etc.). Using a potion as a bonus action (can be performed additionally to the moderated action). You can use both potions in the same round, in this case one potion counts as the first moderated action and the second as a bonus action. Will your strategy lead to victory?
- Moderations take place roughly weekly. The deadline for posting is six days (144 hours) after the moderation is posted. The word requirement is 200 words per post.
- The top team of each age group is crowned victor and earns eternal glory for their schools. And of course, a magnificent golden Cauldron!
- OOC reward: One dose of a potion depending on your age group for every participant who has posted in every moderation round:1-2nd Year: Fire Breathing Potion3-4th Year: Invisibility Potion5-7th Year: Strengthening Solution
Raphael Aveline | Méabh Regan | Dealla Prince |
27 Jan 2025, 12:17
The Wizarding Schools Potions Championship
----- Dad----- PaAndrea-----
Interacting with @Emily Shephard Date - xx/10/24 WC 246/200 Color Legend - Mylo | Thoughts Now was the time to see if their hard work during the preparation stages had paid off. After they had finished their second potion, hopefully correctly, they had been told to gather at the Quidditch Stadium where they would have to do the final task and test their potions. It was nerve wracking to say the least.
Looking over the field Mylo had already started thinking up some strategies they could use. Although they had made the dogsbreath potion that was one they only wanted to use in case of an emergency as they didn't want to harm the creatures. So the sleeping draught would be the star of the show.
Looking over at Emily they started spewing out a few of their strategies, knowing that they had the time to do so as their time didn't start until the two of them would enter the forest itself.
"Okay, so firstly I think we have to locate the redcaps, and sneak in there. Then once we've found them maybe one of us can distract them with a spell or something and the other can sneak in and grab the basket? If things go wrong we can always use the drowsiness draught. Oh! Maybe we first use the drowsiness draught to get them in a place where they're not paying attention, then distract them and while that's all going on grab the basket?" How does that sound?" He asked, hoping that it would be a solid strategy.
Action: Strategising.ABILITIES | STATS
Perfectionist | Wandmaker [Dragonheart, Elm wood]
sta • 8 | eva • 6 | str • 5 | wis • 9 | arc • 6 | acc • 6Code by Ara Villa
| sta • 8 | eva • 7 | str • 5 You will grow strong wis • 10 | arc • 7 | acc • 8 | Perf. | Wand. | Calm. pres. In the softest way ability | ability | ability |
27 Jan 2025, 14:34
The Wizarding Schools Potions Championship
Speech: #cfa120
Thoughts: Italics
@Mylo Atkins
The last round! Emily knew her team could do it. The group all had smarts but combined together they formed the ultimate potions masters! Ever since the success of the preliminaries, Emily had been biding her time for the final task. In the meantime she had been waving and sharing grins with Casey, who had been watching her the whole time from the side. Every now and then he would grace her with a nod of acknowledgement, sometimes even a hint of a smile, all of which just made the Huffie beam with more energy. Emily had never seen Casey so invested in something before. How nice it was to see him be a part of school cheer!
Arriving for the final task, Emily signalled a wave to Mylo. It was down to the two of them now, but as two heads are better than one as the saying goes. The two whispered ideas back and forth to each other, each one stacking onto an even better idea. Before long the plan was settled!
"Sounds good to me! So we'll go in, distract them and sneak right by them to nab ourselves a basket of apples...!" Emily repeated, affirming Mylo's idea.
"I'm ready to begin if you are!"
Because once they would go in, they wouldn't be coming back out. Not without a basket of apples and victory, regardless of the road ahead!
Word Count: 233
Action: Strategizing the Strategy!
Stats: Stamina: 7|Evasion: 6|Strength: 6|Wisdom: 8|Arcane Power: 7|Accuracy: 6
Abilities: Non-Human Enthusiast |Cat's Grace
Trust Yourself - Love Yourself - Be Yourself
iNPC = Casey Stone
27 Jan 2025, 18:03
The Wizarding Schools Potions Championship
----- Dad----- PaAndrea-----
Interacting with @Emily Shephard Date - xx/10/24 WC 215/200 Color Legend - Mylo | Thoughts As Emily had agreed to the strategy Mylo had come up with they started making their way over to the forest, admiring the lush green forest in the process. If this hadn't been a timed task and a task in the first place they would have gladly spent some time walking through this place, maybe sitting down and doing some reading or homework. Unfortunately that was out of the question for now, as as soon as the two of them stepped into it their time would begin.
Taking a deep breath Mylo started walking into the forest next to Emily trying not to step too hard on anything and make too much noise, hoping to catch the red caps by surprise. Trying very hard to keep themselves focussed on the task ahead and not have their thoughts drift to the forest around them and how nice it would be to read a book in here. And instead turning their thoughts to the next step, which would be to throw the drowsiness draught onto the redcaps to hopefully distract them better so that they could grab the basket and get out of there!
Looking over to their companion they wondered how this would all go down and hoped that they truly had made the potion properly.
Action: Sneaking through the forest, once at the redcaps (hopefully unnoticed) throwing the drowsiness draught on them as a bonus action. - Please let me know if any of the actions need to be changed or edited to comply with the rules!
I've been given permission to godmod Emily.ABILITIES | STATS
Perfectionist | Wandmaker [Dragonheart, Elm wood]
sta • 8 | eva • 6 | str • 5 | wis • 9 | arc • 6 | acc • 6Code by Ara Villa
| sta • 8 | eva • 7 | str • 5 You will grow strong wis • 10 | arc • 7 | acc • 8 | Perf. | Wand. | Calm. pres. In the softest way ability | ability | ability |
27 Jan 2025, 22:00
The Wizarding Schools Potions Championship
@Emily Shephard ~22 hours to the deadline! What's your action?
Raphael Aveline | Méabh Regan | Dealla Prince |
27 Jan 2025, 22:39
The Wizarding Schools Potions Championship
Speech: #cfa120
Thoughts: Italics
@Mylo Atkins
The plan was planned. The strategy was strategized. Mylo and Emily were good to go! Once both gave each other the ceremonious "Nod of Determination", they began to make their way to the edge of the forest. Emily was so ready for this. She was born for forest escapades. It was just a matter of mixing her smarts together to bring about the best string of success for her and her potion buddy.
As soon as they crossed over the first line of the forest, the duo's footsteps instantly became lighter and quieter. They both mimicked each other's movements, stepping into each other's footsteps on where was most quiet to step. Emily tensed her toes as she crept alongside Mylo. Even the tiniest crunch of the forest floor felt too loud for her, making her tense her feet even harder until one of them was almost cramping.
Until finally! There they were... The red caps. Target identified. Emily mouthed confirmation of their next step to Mylo and after another "Nod of Determination", Mylo carefully fished out the drowsiness draught. Distraction, armed and ready.
With the perfect angle and force, the plan will go just as they were hoping. Emily curled her cramping toes in anticipation as she and Mylo prepared to initiate Phase 2 of their master plan.
Word Count: 221
Sneaking with Mylo ever so quietly into the forest and helping to throw the drowsiness draught at the red caps to distract them That makes sense, right? ><
Stats: Stamina: 7|Evasion: 6|Strength: 6|Wisdom: 8|Arcane Power: 7|Accuracy: 6
Abilities: Non-Human Enthusiast |Cat's Grace
Trust Yourself - Love Yourself - Be Yourself
iNPC = Casey Stone
4 Feb 2025, 19:01
The Wizarding Schools Potions Championship
Wrapped tightly into her cloak to protect herself from the cold weather, Méabh had cheerfully pulled out her wand to point it at her own throat. "Sonorus." She was not part of the judges' panel - as an organiser, she was busy enough, and also likely not quite impartial as she was teaching most of the kids on the pitch right now, but she intended to enjoy herself to the fullest by commentating.Round: 1
"Next up, we have Mylo Atkins and Emily Shephard, representing Hogwarts!" she announced. "They had a third team mate, who decided to withdraw before the final task, but Mylo and Emily are bravely facing this challenge on her own. Will their strategy play out?"
They'd chosen to approach quietly, sneaking through the thick underbrush with as little noise as possible - but varying degrees of success.
"Oooh," Méabh commented, wincing at the display. "Mylo might want to work on their sneakiness skills. Emily could teach them a thing or two."Sneakiness Level:
Mylo sneaking:
Eva: [d20: 2] + 6 = 8
Red Caps awareness:
Wis: [d20: 12] + 2 = 14
Emily sneaking:
25% Chance to enter hidden (Cat's Grace): [d20 : 14], fail
Eva: [d20: 19] + 6 + 2 (Cat's Grace) = 27
Red Caps awareness:
Wis: [d20: 18] + 2 = 20
Emily goes undetected and gets advantage on all perception checks.
Leaning forward slightly, Méabh squinted at what was happening between the trees. "Oh? What's that? Emily has decided to make use of one of her potions! She is throwing it into one of the holes - did she spot something down there?"Perception - Spotting Red Caps: WDC 13, Spotting Apples: WDC 18
Mylo perception:
Red Caps 1
Wis: [d20: 1] + 9 = 10
Red Caps 2
Wis: [d20: 12] + 9 = 21
Apples
Wis: [d20: 1] + 9 = 10
Emily perception:
Red Caps 1
Wis: [d20: 19, 4] + 8 = 27
Red Caps 2
Wis: [d20: 17, 2] + 8 = 25
Apples
Wis: [d20: 18, 16] + 8 = 26
Mylo notices one group of Red Caps. Emily sees all.
There was a cloud of fumes billowing from the hole, and Méabh hoped her students had listened to her in class, and stayed far enough away from the hole to not be affected themselves. "Judging from the colour, this was a Drowsiness Draught. Let's see if it has the effect they're hoping for!"Red Caps vs Drowsiness Draught
Successful potion. Upon hit, Red Caps have a 50% chance to fall asleep and get -4 on Accuracy and Evasion rolls.
Gaseous Potion, EDC 25
Red Cap 1
Eva: [d20: 4] + 7 = 11
Red Cap 2
Eva: [d20: 16] + 7 = 23
Both are affected. Do they fall asleep? 50% chance
[2d20 : 10,13]
One falls asleep, one does not.
One Red Cap came stumbling from the hole, clearly drowsy and not too happy about the disturbance - and promptly attempted to attack Mylo with a wooden club, apparently unable to spot the real perpetrator.
"Oh, that looked like it hurt." Was Méabh's voice too cheerful for the occasion? Perhaps. "How are our young contestants going to handle this attack?Red Cap Accuracy
Acc: [d20: 10] + 8 - 4 (drowsiness) = 14
Mylo Evasion
Eva: [d20: 5] + 6 = 11
Hit, 200 damage.
Summary:
- Mylo is really bad at sneaking. Spotted one group of red caps, got jumped by a drowsy redcap from another group for 200 damage, has no idea where the apples are. [HP 600/800]
- Emily is a genius sneaker, saw all there is to see including the apples, and put a red cap to sleep.
@Mylo Atkins, @Emily ShephardImportant Reminder:
Moderations take place roughly weekly. The deadline for posting is six days (144 hours) after the moderation is posted. The word requirement is 200 words per post.
Raphael Aveline | Méabh Regan | Dealla Prince |
9 Feb 2025, 09:51
The Wizarding Schools Potions Championship
----- Dad----- PaAndrea-----
Interacting with @Emily Shephard Date - xx/10/24 WC 301/200 Color Legend - Mylo | Thoughts Sneaking was not Mylo's speciality, as they winced at every snap, crack and thump that accompanied his horrible horrible attempt - if you could even call it that with the amount of noise they were making - at sneaking, they somehow managed to find every twig and leaf possible to stand on.
At least one of the duo was good at what they were trying to do and Emily seemed to glide through the forest like wasn't even touching the ground, not a single sound being made to alert the redcaps of their approach.
Keeping an eye out for the redcaps and apples the two continued to make their way through the forest, when suddenly Mylo spotted something red peaking through the leaves. Pointing at it it seemed that Emily had spotted that and more which had prompted her to throw the drowsiness draught. Apparently the redcaps didn't like that and as Mylo peaked out from their hiding spot to check if it had worked on the redcaps they could see they were attacked by the ones they hadn't spotted, which really hurt although they'd live.
Keeping their eye on their assailant Mylo spotted Emily trying to signal them something, and with a bit of puzzling they realised she was telling them about where the apples and other redcaps were and that if he could maybe distract them she could grab the apples.
So as Mylo hoped this would work they got out their wand and cast Jaculor at a tree opposite them and backed away from Emily and the other redcap. Hoping that either they'd follow the sound of the projectile hitting the tree if it worked or Mylo themselves, if they weren't sneaky enough, away from Emily, and give her the chance to grab the basket so they could run away.
Action: Casting Jaculor at a tree opposite/away from them and trying to be sneaky but prepared to play bait to give Emily the chance to grab the apples.
Permission to godmod Emily granted.ABILITIES | STATS
Perfectionist | Wandmaker [Dragonheart, Elm wood]
sta • 8 | eva • 6 | str • 5 | wis • 9 | arc • 6 | acc • 6Code by Ara Villa
| sta • 8 | eva • 7 | str • 5 You will grow strong wis • 10 | arc • 7 | acc • 8 | Perf. | Wand. | Calm. pres. In the softest way ability | ability | ability |
9 Feb 2025, 22:55
The Wizarding Schools Potions Championship
Speech: #cfa120
Thoughts: Italics
@Mylo Atkins
Emily never had the prestigious grace or elegance to be a dancer, but she sure knew how to sneak! All those times of snooping, sneaking and spying on her mother's workaholic routine as she faffed around with her fashion-obsessed minions had blossomed a unique skill to tip-toe like she was no more than a breath of air in the wind.
She moved along the forest floor like she was gliding over it, bobbing and weaving between the trees to conceal herself when she thought a red cap had turned its head towards her and Mylo.
She spotted something off the corner of her eye. At first she thought it was her imagination, but when the ground down that direction shifted a little, she decided to investigate. With quiet footsteps she made her way over and stopped when she realised what she had stumbled upon. A red cap nest! And it seemed Mylo had also caught on to that realisation too.
She dug out the drowsiness draught and tossed it into the hole in the ground where seconds later, a red cap lazily crawled out with the most foulest of expressions. Emily mouthed a small "sorry" behind its back but winced when the red cap in question attacked Mylo.
She mouthed a worried, "Are you alright??" to them.
Mylo took it like a champ though, brushing the hit off quickly before they took their wand out. From what Emily could see, Mylo was preparing to take on a defensive stance.
And that wasn't the only thing Emily could see. From where she stood she spotted more rep caps nearby and then-- the apples! They were just straight ahead of her! All she had to do was creep quietly past the red caps and it would be smooth sailing from there.
A plan was forming neatly in her head.
Through a series of hand charades, Emily communicated a silent message to Mylo.
"Stay... Hidden... I'll sneak behind... And grab the apples...".
With Mylo casting Jaculor, Emily put her sneaky shoes back on. With everything going according to plan and Mylo having her back, they both might get those apples after all!
Word Count: 340
Action: With Mylo casting Jaculor, Emily attempts to sneak past the distracted red caps and grab the apples before sneaking back again.
Stats: Stamina: 7|Evasion: 6|Strength: 6|Wisdom: 8|Arcane Power: 7|Accuracy: 6
Abilities: Non-Human Enthusiast |Cat's Grace
Trust Yourself - Love Yourself - Be Yourself
iNPC = Casey Stone
16 Feb 2025, 15:00
The Wizarding Schools Potions Championship
Round: 2
After landing a hit on Mylo, the second Red Cap also succumbed to its drowsiness, leaving Emily and Mylo in a rather good position... but their plan was already underfoot.Emily keeps sneaking.
Eva: [d20: 4] + 6 + 2 = 12
Does the second Red Cap fall asleep? (50% chance, 11-20)
[d20 : 20]
Fast asleep.
Emily remains hidden as there are no Red Caps who care to notice her.
Coughing to hide her amusement, Méabh leaned forward slightly. "Well, this isn't very exciting, is it? But smart, I'll have to give them that. Two sleepy Red Caps, a hidden Emily, and Mylo thankfully did not wake up the Red Caps. Now what?"Mylo casts Shooting Spell.
Wis: [d20: 1] + 9 = 10
Saved from backfire by Perfectionist.
Stone Power
Arc: [d20: 13] + 6 + 3 = 22
Rebound Chance (20): [d20: 13]
The stone shoots straight into a nearby tree. Does the ruckus wake the Red Caps up? (10%, 19-20)
[2d20 : 12,5]
They slumber on.
"Would you look at that! Putting your opponents to sleep is apparently a valid strategy, and Emily has gained possession of the apples." Méabh clapped her hands, smiling. "Now all that's left is to get out of there, huh?"Emily attempts to grab the apples (DC 8, as the Red Caps sleep and cannot guard it)
Acc: [d20: 8] + 6 = 14
Success.
Summary:
- Both Red Caps are asleep.
- Mylo shoots a stone into a nearby tree as a distraction. The Red Caps remain asleep. [HP 600/800]
- Emily grabs the apples.
@Mylo Atkins, @Emily ShephardImportant Reminder:
Moderations take place roughly weekly. The deadline for posting is six days (144 hours) after the moderation is posted. The word requirement is 200 words per post.
Raphael Aveline | Méabh Regan | Dealla Prince |