2024/25 Stage 2 Hufflepuff vs Slytherin: Match 4

Action: As Strategized | Calming Presence Is In Affect For Allied Vipers | Banner Credit to Prat Pass

Date: February 9th 2024

Putting it simply this wasn't a match, it was an execution.

Stepping up to the piste he looked across at his opponents, the feeling that knotted in his stomach was like facing death itself, which was only further doused in irony upon learning that one of the seniors was quite literally called Hades. If this was the way he was to go at least he could find some penance that the king of the underworld himself was the one to deal the blow and guide him into the afterlife.

Matthew was quite literally wordless. Utterly baffled as to how the logistics of such a fight had even come about but resolved in that at the very least he was guided by a generational wealth of knowledge passed down from historical Vipers to the present. Their team may be significantly younger and inexperienced but they weren't ill prepared. In the game of war Matthew favoured Athena, strategy above force, it would be all the hope they could possibly rely on. Wishing off a prayer he hoped the wisdom goddess was pissed off enough at her uncle to consider favouring them but either way he was resolved to go out swinging.

Bringing his ornate amber ring to his mouth he whispered a small prayer of assistance to the object in hopes of tapping deeper into his mother's bestowed gift. Feeling the serene rush of calm emanating as he did he mentally thanked her and smiled comfortingly towards his team sending a little extra down the line to Archer. As if the matchup hadn't been bad enough Matthew couldn't help but find concern that this was the last thing the grieving boy needed. Though anger was a useful channel it could lead one down a dark path and Matt wanted nothing of the sort for his friend.

The enemy team may have had the upper hand but the Vipers would bite back until they no longer could, resounding determination above all else. Knowing that there was a good chance they wouldn't win this fight was tough but they would be damned if they gave up before even trying.

The calm before the storm was exactly how Archer felt. Just absolute calmness. A visage so uncannily placid he seemed he was not even there plastered onto his face, he offered his teammates bare nods as he wordlessly took his place by their sides. Vaguely aware of the anxiety and indignation masked by determination they displayed his own features did not follow suit as murky hazel eyes flitted indifferently across the room. Despite the trepidation his teammate displayed at their dark haired king of the dead Archer found it befuddling; the two of them shared the undeserving bound of being visited by the old friend.

Despite whatever furtively concerned glances sent his way Archer would give no care to Matthew even if his intentions came from a place of kindness. He gave little care to very little things, from the dull aching in his stomach attributed to having eaten little today to the fact that his opponents were frightfully all upperclassmen he had never even come across.

The duel would be a respite, in an odd, sick way. As Matthew had encouraged that day he had let it all out, yet his heart was not so easily cleaned. While sorrow still clung on, grief shadowed over it menacingly, and grief, as the stages say, meant denial would soon slither away and come back stronger as anger. For Archer the flame would build up slowly, from the very beginning of starting to gather kindling to the gentle touch of the lighter on dried wood, yet once that flame started to lick at the sidelines, it was only a matter of time before nature does her job. Soon enough he would realise rage was an emotion much easier than melancholy. Rage made you feel as if you towered above the entire world.

Today victory was not Archer’s active objective, not that it was a goal that seemed achievable in the least. But just like how when the dam breaks and floods the town, the fatalities were not the water’s intent.

@Draven Mirador, @Matthew Campbell

Jake looked across the platform wondering how it had come to THIS. Had they dueled so poorly last time that they'd been matched up against second and third years? To be honest, even though he was a captain, Jake never really felt like he had a KNACK for dueling. He didn't always think too well under pressure, but he HAD improved a lot since he'd started. This still didn't really seem like a fair fight, unless the young Slytherins were proteges. Draven he had seen duel before, but the other two were newer to him.

Jake felt a bit of a knot in his stomach - different nerves from the ones he usually felt before a duel. As somebody who had been bullied a lot when he was younger, the last thing he wanted to do was come off like a bully himself. But how could he not, when he was fighting against twelve-year-olds? He winced, knowing that it was a bit of a lose-lose situation. If they won, they sort of came off like they'd beaten up children. If they lost...well....that wasn't going to be too fun to face either.

Jake tried his best to shake off the doubts. A duel was a duel, wasn't it? He didn't want to go too brutal against them, of course, but he knew he couldn't hold back TOO much either. They probably wouldn't like that either. As a kid, Jake surely wouldn't have minded. But he'd found that most duelists had more pride than he did.

Hades was still recovering from the last duel. Now there was another in which he had to put face to the duellists of Slytherin. He walked slowly, reaching the area where he started to evaluate his rivals, what caught his attention was that the others were much younger than him, being Hades in sixth year. It was something he had not dealt with before...

His teammates were the same as before, Jake and Julian. Hades looked at them with a calm expression, nodding his head slightly. His facial features denoted a calm, his eyes closely studying his rivals. If he had learned anything, it was not to form hasty opinions, being something unwise on his part. But Hades could notice a change in the atmosphere...

Something that was visible was the advantage, but it would not change Hades' mind. They were all there, but the only thing he was thinking about was that despite the big difference in age and year, he wasn’t going to make it easy. He was going to do it the same way he always did with everyone else, show the same strength and not feel guilty about it.

After all, were not all duels the same? That's what thought Hades. He had heard how Julian wished luck to the Slytherin members. Hades only made a slight gesture of nod, maintaining the same expression from the moment he entered “A little yes, but if they have been the ones who have put us together.” said the voice down an eighth grade.

Round 1

Julian casts Ventus at Draven.

Reducio

Wisdom DC: 11
Wisdom Check: d20[2] + 14 = 16 > 11 → Success
10% Auto-Split: d20[18] → No Auto-Split
Accuracy: d20[18] + 14 = 32
Evasion: d20[14] + 8 = 22
32 > 22 → Hit
Damage: 50 + 10 × 15 = 200
Duration: d3[3] → 2 rounds

Draven is hit by Julian’s Ventus and takes 200 damage. He will receive -4 Evasion for 2 rounds.

Draven spell spreads Incendio Duo at Hades and Julian.

Reducio

Wisdom DC: 12 + 2 Spell Spread = 14
Wisdom Check: d20[4] + 15 = 19 > 14 → Success
Hades –
10% Auto-Hit Calming Presence: d20[6] → No Auto-Hit
Accuracy: d20[15] + 8 - 2 Spell Spread = 21
Evasion: d20[17] + 10 = 27
21 < 27 → Miss
Julian –
Accuracy: d20[11] + 8 - 2 Spell Spread = 17
Evasion: d20[12] + 11 = 23
17 < 23 → Miss

Julian and Hades evade Draven’s Incenio Duo

Jake casts Expelliarmus at Archer.

Reducio

Wisdom DC: 10
Wisdom Check: d20[8] + 11 = 19 > 10 → Success
10% Auto-Dodge Evasive Maneuvers: d20[18] → No Auto-Dodge
Accuracy: d20[2] + 14 = 16
Evasion: d20[14] + 7 = 21
16 < 21 → Miss

Archer evades Jake’s Expelliarmus.

Archer casts Flipendo at Julian.

Reducio

Wisdom DC: 9
Wisdom Check: d20[2] + 9 = 11 > 9 → Success
Accuracy: d20[4] + 9 = 13
Evasion: d20[16] + 11 = 27
13 < 27 → Miss

Julian evades Archer’s Flipendo.

Hades casts Flipendo at Matthew.

Reducio

Wisdom DC: 9
Wisdom Check: d20[20] + 10 = 30 > 9 → Critical Success
Accuracy: d20[16] + 10 = 26
Evasion: d20[16] + 8 = 24
26 > 24 → Hit
Damage: 100 + 8 × 15 = 220 + 50 Critical Success = 270

Matthew is hit by Hades’s Flipendo and takes 270 damage.

Matthew casts Petrificus Totalus at Hades.

Reducio

Wisdom DC: 14
Wisdom Check: d20[13] + 9 = 22 > 14 → Success
Accuracy: d20[6] + 9 = 15
Evasion: d20[4] + 10 = 14
15 > 14 → Hit
Damage: 50
Duration: d3[2] → 1 round

Hades is hit by Matthew’s Petrificus Totalus, takes 50 damage, and is paralysed for 1 round.

The audience, moderator, and possibly his fellow duellists would be momentarily blinded by the twin jets of roaring flames conjured by Draven. The snakes had a tough fight ahead of them, so Jessamine respected the oldest one for bringing the fire right out of the gate. But as big as those flames were, they were easy to see coming. Hades and Julian wasted no time stepping away from the path of fire, coming through unscathed. Also targeting Hades and Julian were the younger snakes. Archer would find the same lack of success as Draven as his Knockback Jinx passed nowhere near Julian. In contrast, Hades would feel his body clamp up. Collapsing like a plank, the badger would meet the eyes of Matthew who seemed to have studied ahead in the Defense Against the Dark Arts syllabus.

Poised to rain hell on the opposing team, the badgers chose to keep things simpler than usual. Jake opted for a spell that would cause no direct harm to the young ones, but his head must have been more focused on strategy than aim. Archer would watch as Jake's wand, initially pointed at him, skewed left and produced a Disarming Charm that never reached him. Hades and Julian would find more success. Buffeted by winds at Julian’s hand, Draven would note that the Wind Jinx affected his vision and ability to move. And while he would be out of commission for a little while, Hades made sure to cause some havoc with a majestic Knockback Jinx, the favored spell of the lower years. It slammed into Matthew who had done a good job in trying to evade it, but it was just not enough.

Information

1. You have 96 hours from now to write your posts (50 words min).
2. In the same time period, send me (Jessamine Hemlock) your team's actions per owl. Do not hint at your actions in your post.
3. If you don't post in the allotted time frame, your action is void.
4. If something seems odd about the moderation post or you have any questions, don't hesitate to owl or DM me.
5. Good luck, and have fun!

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The spectator thread for this duel can be found here.
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As the duel began, everything else drowned out in the background. Even faced with a teammate who shot twin flames from one fragile spruce wood wand. For once Archer knew better than the connect the brief fire show with the fragmented remnants of the all-consuming inferno plaguing his memory. A burnt child must learn to love the fire.

Pinpointing a spindly boy in glasses as his target — though that word was probably far too generous for Slytherin’s team of underdogs — Archer fired the one spell that first emerged in a clustered mind, Flipendo, reliable but brutal. Of course, to an upperclassman of such stark contrast in year and ability, he might have as well been a fly harassing a lion as it battered its easily ignored body upon the beast. To put it simply, the absentminded caster had missed, as most of the onlookers would expect.

Yet demise would not come so easily. Gripping onto his wand tightly as an expelliaramus that threatened to tear it away from him was dodged, he subconsciously took a step back to recuperate. Despite his mind being a complete mess he would rather not dive into, despite the entirely indifferent visage his features had pulled themselves into, survival instincts were still there.

24 Hour Extension

Due to a site access issue, we are granting a 24 hour extension. This is calculated using the last moderation post. To be clear, you normally have 96 hours to post and submit strategies. You now have 120 hours (24 extra hours) from the last moderation post.

Note: This is not a moderation post, this is an extension post.

@Julian Pritchard @Draven Mirador @Jake Morris @Archer Duncan @Hades Schweighöfer @Matthew Campbell