2024/25 Stage 3 Slytherin vs Hufflepuff: Match 1

This was a slightly quieter round, but not by much. The Hufflepuffs continued with the explosions, sending a Blasting Curse and a Cracker Jinx the Slytherins’ way. Ruby thought that the debris from the Blasting Curse may have clipped Astrea, but besides that, the Slytherins seemed relatively untouched from this round of spells. Nevertheless, Ruby healed Astrea again with a spell that seemed perfect – she could almost feel its strength. It was always satisfying to have a cast like that, and hopefully now Astrea would be feeling close to her best. The fog finally lifted, much to Ruby’s relief. It hadn’t been that bad, and she was getting used to it by now given its frequency in her duels, but it was nice to be able to see properly again.

Doing as strategised

It was a slow degradation of Lea's mental and physical fortitude, the moments to breathe never quite feeling long enough as once again she felt her legs seem to slip from her control before another buffeting of winds restricted further movement. The Fifth Year was thankful to have Haven by her side- the healing likely the only reason why she wasn't collapsed on the side already. Her own spell had made a pretty display but caused no actual confusion or harm, Lea seeming increasingly miffed by the lack of progress made. Surely she'd find some greater success soon, although the Slytherin team being the opponent made that far more of a challenge.

So, she was still sticking to her good old Confringo after all these time, but apparently the loyalty was one-sided. Lindsey sighed softly as again she missed her target, shrugging and retaking her stance. Her ponytail was all messed up by now, beads of sweat forming on her forehead. The cheers of the crowd echoed in the duelling hall, yet they sounded so distant to her. Still way to go, Lindsey. She told herself. Just keep calm.

In the contention of attempted advantage, it appeared that the two houses had temporarily plateaued. An upperclassmen duel would not be complete without a bracing shockwave of explosions, yet Astrea found her aches peppered only by glancing shards and still readily soothed by Ruby’s merciful volunteering. It was as if a war of attrition had quietly formed within the last few exchanges of spell work, with one of each house remarkably healing and healed— even so, even the faded fog could not obscure the textbook-effectiveness of Ruby’s recast Reparifors. It was too effortlessly brilliant and refreshing to be anything but perfect.

Gratefully refreshed, Astrea’s own trip jinx straddled the well-beaten path between underhandedness and resourcefulness as she aided Bridget’s gusted wind, rounding out the terribly effective distribution of Viper expertise despite Hufflepuff’s resilience. If not for dignity itself, both strategy and exploitation seemed near-synonymous for the ambitious house, and now was no exception as the magical gloom lifted from the piste. She gripped tight to the intoxicating prospect of certainty— With neither fog nor fellow as limiting factors anymore, Astrea could only hope to anticipate a less reciprocal push forward.

Action: Doing as strategised.

Round 5

Astrea vs Lea (but really Lindsey)

Reducio

Astrea Soleil Neptunecasts Confringo at Lea Hirsch
Wisdom DC: 17
Wisdom Check: [d20: 7] + 16 = 23 > 17 → Success
Accuracy Check: [d20: 1] + 20 = → Crit. Miss
New Target: [d4: 4] → Lindsey (1: Bridget, 2: Ruby, 3: Haven, 4: Lindsey)
Auto-dodge Check: [d20: 3] < 19 → No auto-dodge
New Accuracy Check [d20: 8]
Evasion Check: [d20: 6] + 8 = 14
8 < 14 → Miss
Damage: 10 + 10 ARC × 8 = 90

Bridget and Astrea

Reducio

Bridget Collins casts Reparifors at Astrea Soleil Neptune
Wisdom DC: 11
Wisdom Check: [d20: 15] + 17 = 32 > 11 → Success
Healing: 50 + 10 ARC × 8 = 130

Ruby vs Lea and Lindsey

Reducio

Ruby Cazares spell spreads Ventus at Lea Hirsch and Lindsey Springhall
Wisdom DC: 11 + 2 [LC] + 2 [SS] = 15
Wisdom Check: [d20: 12] + 17 = 29 > 15 → Success
Auto-split Check 1: [d20: 3] < 19 → No auto-split
Accuracy Check 1: [d20: 10] + 17 - 2 [SS] = 25
Lea Evasion Check: [d20: 4] + 17 - 4= 17
25 > 17 → Hit
Damage: 50 + 12 ARC × 15 = 230
Duration: [d3: 1] → 1 round (1-2: 1 round, 3: 2 rounds)
Effect: –4 Evasion for the duration
Auto-split Check 2: [d20: 2] < 19 → No auto-split
Auto-dodge Check: [d20: 5] < 19 → No auto-dodge
Accuracy Check 2: [d20: 13] + 17 - 2 [SS] = 28
Lindsey Evasion Check: [d20: 13] + 8 = 21
28 > 21 → Hit
Damage: 50 + 12 ARC × 15 = 230
Duration: [d3: 2] → 1 round (1-2: 1 round, 3: 2 rounds)
Effect: –4 Evasion for the duration

Haven and Lea

Reducio

Haven Bohannon casts Reparifors at Lea Hirsch
Wisdom DC: 11 + 2 [LC] = 13
Wisdom Check: [d20: 18] + 11 = 29 > 13→ Success
Healing: 50 + 10 ARC × 8 = 130

Lea vs Astrea

Reducio

Lea Hirsch scast Offendo at Astrea Soleil Neptune
Wisdom DC: 16 + 2 [LC] = 18
Wisdom Check: [d20: 11] + 12= 23 > 18 → Success
Effect: Target suffers -6 Evasion this round

Lindsey vs Astrea

Reducio

Lindsey Springhall cast Confringo at Astrea Soleil Neptune
Wisdom DC: 17
Wisdom Check: [d20: 17] + 17 = 34> 17 → Success
Accuracy Check: [d20: 7] +14 = 21
Evasion Check: [d20: 18] + 20 - 6 = 32
21 < 32 → Miss
Damage: (10 + 12 ARC × * .9 = 95.4

10:30 on Saturday the 3rd, May 2025...

As the duel rolled on it seemed the duelists had found a few favorite spells.

The round seemed familiar, yet fresh. The Badgers would try to mirror the Snakes' previous round, having Lea aim an Offendo at Astrea, their intended target for the round. Lindsey would go for the followup with a Confringo, while Haven did her best to keep Lea standing with another Reparifors. It was Bridget's turn to go on healing duty, aiming the Viper side's Reparifors at Astrea. Ruby would copy her opening move with a spell spread Ventus, and Astrea would send the Viper side's Confringo cross the piste.

It was a good thing for the healing too, as each of our recipients would take damage - some worse than others. Astrea would only suffer from a few splinters as she gracefully dodged Lindsey's destruction. Lea would be less lucky. Stuck in a whirlwind from last bout's ventus she'd be unsuccessful dodging the incoming gust. Lindsey would likewise get struck by Ruby's split gust, trapping her in a vortex. Astrea's Confringo would be the last spell to make impact, though not with it's intended target. Due to a slip in the aim, the Confringo would curve off course and crash by Lindsey's feet.

The Viper's had managed to strike ahead this bout, but would they be able to keep the pressure? Or would the Badger's be able to burn a hole in their plans?

Information

1. You have 96 hours from now to write your posts. A minimum word count of 50 is needed per post.
2. In the same time period, send me (Galton Lansdale) your team's actions per owl. Do not hint at your actions in your post.
3. Unless asked not to, if all actions have been submitted and posts made, I will (hopefully) be moderating before the deadline
4. If you don't post in the allotted time frame, your action is void.
5. Your Stats, Abilities, and Spells have been locked to what they are now for the duration of this duel.
6. Please owl or message me if you have any questions or concerns!
7. Best of luck, let's have some fun!

The spectator thread for this duel can be found here.
Come cheer for your House and friends!

Credit to Prat Pass

Now that Ruby and Astrea were out of the fog, she pivoted to being the one casting Reparifors over Astrea. Any of them could cast an offensive spell, but her teammates had a handle on spreading spells that she'd never managed and she would rather they went for such a two-pronged attack than hang back with healing spells. And her healing was nearly very necessary--Lea replicated their tripping strategy so Lindsey could deliver a direct Confringo--but Astrea managed to twist away from the worst of it, so it mostly served to bring her back to full strength.

Ruby had, as she'd hoped, launched a brilliant spread Ventus across the stage, neatly catching both Lindsey and Lea in the vortex of it. A strong Confringo from Astrea followed, just without the same accuracy, exploding at Lindsey's feet. That was probably to be expected when her balance had been so disrupted; it was likely either that or taking a Confringo, and with the explosive spells missing on both ends, that exchange was really just a draw.

Action: Doing as strategized

Astrea being hit with a Trip Jinx obviously wasn't ideal, but she still managed to more or less get out of the way of the Blasting Curse sent her way. Unfortunately, though, it seemed to throw her aim off. Ruby, meanwhile, made up for some of that lost potential damage with her double Wind Jinx that hit both of her targets quite perfectly. Her head tilted slightly to one side, unable to stop the small, self-satisfied smirk that appeared on her face. It was nice to succeed like that.

Doing as strategised

Some progress was made- while she couldn't rely on her own accuracy, perhaps she could help make it a little easier for her teammates. It would also put an end to her own line of failures, only needed a target and focused mind rather than the aim required of other spells. It was unfortunate that Lindsey wasn't able to use the Slippery Jinx to her advantage but Lea couldn't blame her after her own track record. She was also taking the brunt of the attacks this time around, the Fifth Year wincing slightly as the wind crashed against them both and the ground cracked beneath Lindsey's feet. Haven was providing comfort, though, still cheerful amidst the chaos and continuing to heal her some more- Lea's reliance on it was worrisome but that couldn't be fixed now, not until this duel was over.

"You can do it! We can do it!" Haven cheered on her team. She was a much better cheerleader than duelist. "Just think of the biscuits we have waiting for us!" she encouraged. Mm, biscuits. Her ma was a great cook, and she definitely needed to send treats more often, even though Haven always had more than enough. Maybe she could bribe the other team... or the referee. Duelling always hurt, and she wanted to avoid that this time. And wanted everyone to avoid it. Really, why did they format the duels this way and the method of determining the winner was by essentially sending the other team into comas? She didn't fancy another duel nap. She'd much rather be in a duel where the winner was determined by how cool they made the other team worked- honestly, it was a shame that colovaria or crinus muto weren't considering duelling spells. After all, Haven was capable of doing quite a bit of damage with those spells! Just ask her summer tentmates! They hated her redecoration! Maybe if she turned the piste a yellow enough yellow, the other team would concede. Hmm... That was an idea. And maybe it would cheer her teammates up some.