The Red Queen's Labyrinth Group 2

Banner by Skylar Astor

Interacting with:	@Zephyr Deakin, @Harumi Everdane,
—	@Skylar Astor & @Edward Bishop
Dialogue:	#770B08
Words:	419

The day of the ball was here. More importantly, the labyrinth! He had scheduled with a few friends to go together, and he was sure it was going to be a blast. The hope was to get out some built up energy, to hopefully have his head properly screwed on for the ball itself.

He had found his way to the small hall. It was almost funny, it was filled with doors in all different sizes and shapes. He had received a key by owl, and he turned it over in his hands as He stood there, looking from side to side. The shape was not mistakable, there was only one door it could possibly match. He took a deep breath, grin widening, as he stepped up and entered.

Green. The hedges towered in all directions. Red roses were spread out. He found himself mesmerized by the color of it all for a moment. He was inside, wasn’t he? It didn’t seem like it anymore. There was only one path to take. A checker-pattern ran down. It was colorful too. He found himself childishly avoiding stepping on some of the colors as he moved along.

The path narrowed, and he slowed. As one of the hedge walls were ripped apart before them, he let out a surprised laugh. This really was uncanny. His eyes were immediately drawn to the first path. It was colorful, sure. But mushrooms he knew. He stepped closer, hoping to get a proper look further in. He didn’t want to just go ahead, because the rest of the group might have a different opinion.

He looked back at them. They all seemed preoccupied with looking at a sign of some sort. Begrudgingly he stepped back to join their ranks. The riddle didn’t make much sense to him. «I’m no expert at the jungle or anything, but I do know forests?» He offered, looking back at the first path once more. «And mushrooms and fungi aren’t what I know best, but I bet I could get us through there no problem!»

He listened as the group discussed. To his realization, quite a few of them seemed to lean towards the creepiness of path number two. He shot it a quick glance. All eyes, everywhere. But there was something moving. He narrowed his eyes trying to see better. Gnomes. Were they dancing, or just moving around? He couldn’t quite tell. Before long his gaze returned to the colorful fungi. At least that seemed like a fun one…

Action:

Discussing with group. Leaning to path number 1, but will follow the group

Stats:

Sta 6

Eva 5

Str 8

Wis 4

Arc 5

Acc 7

Made by Skylar Astor

So it finally came, the day everyone in school is so crazy about. The day of the ball and the labyrinth is finally here. He was thorn between wearing his formal clothes and casual clothes because of the labyrinth, you'll never know the extend of what they have to do for this game. Though majority have their dates, he was one of the few fortunate souls who would be going with his friends instead. That sounded more fun than anything. Anyway, he chastised himself to focus on the task at hand and put on his game face as soon as they entered the small hall.

There were several doors in different style and sizes and the key would only match one door. The shape and size were pretty obvious that it didn't take long for them to figure out which door fits the key. It led them to a garden full of green hedges with red roses. He only realized a bit late it was a maze. He was just walking behind the others as they went to follow the patterned path which became narrow the more they walked farther until they reached the end of the path. It's where they revealed their first challenge.

He stepped back a bit as the hedge walls started rustling he honestly though something huge would come out but none of that happened, instead, one of the hedges broke and three more paths were revealed to them. It was obvious to him they were to choose between these three paths. There was a riddle provided for them to decipher, which should point them to the right path. The question is...which one? All this time, he was just observing more than speaking. His eyes drifted to the first path. The fungi growing too densely was unnatural, it reminded him of things he's familiar with on the farm. Max’s voice pulled him out of his thoughts as he spoke up about knowing forests. He reread the riddle, particularly the lines about a jungle and a knowing local.

He's not really good when it comes to solving riddles, he would rather do physical work than think too much. And puzzles relied on guessing too much. His attention went to the second path as he heard giggling and a song playing. Looking further and he saw they were tiny creatures. Recognition flashed across his face, gnomes! His attention shifted between three paths, the first path is the obvious answer if it's about the jungle and the third path, something about it didn't sit right with him. It looks too easy, though if he'll based the main theme of the event, that one surely would fit the bill. But...among the three paths, only the second has 'someone'. Looking toward the second path where the gnomes were dancing and laughing in those strange formations.

He rubbed his nape as he glanced toward the others. Part of him thought the first path made more sense the way he understood plants, at least in theory. But this was not their farm, it's a maze and whatever the maze wanted from them, that's what they're supposed to follow. That was starting to bother him more than the choice itself. "We need 'someone' who knows where we’re going...you think those can help us? Thoughts?"

Action: Checked the clue and discussed with the group, leaning toward Path 2.
Stat: Sta: 5, Eva: 5, Str: 7, Wis: 5, Arc: 8, Acc: 5
Special Ability: Calming Presence

Made by Skylar Astor

Edward had dropped by the ball briefly, but he didn't see why so many people were enjoying it when they could be exploring a cool labyrinth instead ~ fortunately, his friends had been convinced to do both! He had a great group of friends that he trusted by now implicitly, each of us had our own strengths that we brought to the group, which as a true Hufflepuff he knew that our friendship made us all stronger together than we could have been individually on our own - especially as first years! While he was no Ravenclaw, he also knew that his own talents lied more on the mental than physical side, so he stuck close to Zephyr and Max just in case he needed to quickly duck behind one of them or needed their help getting himself stuck out of a tight situation; the first task however appeared to be well within his wheelhouse - he loved riddles! He had once won the junior riddle competition of the month from an issue of Wizarding Weekly, which his mother had allowed him to subscribe to alongside her own subscription to Witch Weekly;

He took a moment to study the riddle while the others gathered their bearings before finally speaking up, "I think the middle path is the best choice, from what I understand of the riddle", he said confidently before going onto further explain his rationale, "I believe the first and third paths represent false paths of ease via delight and comfort, but that the creatures in the middle path - however unpleasant gnomes can be at times - in this case, might be presenting themselves as the helpful local guides as the riddle says, look there how it appears as if they're forming an arrow for us to follow!", he had hoped that his logic and reason had convinced the others, he was pretty sure of it himself, but he knew he would die - at least of embarrassment - if it turned out he was wrong, never the less they had to make a choice and it may as well one he thought was most rational indeed!

Action: Checked the clue and discussed with the group, leaning toward Path 2.
Stat: Sta: 5, Eva: 8, Str: 0, Wis: 11, Arc: 5, Acc: 8
Special Ability: Statistically Relevant (Wis)

☆Made by Skylar Astor☆

After days of excitement, it's finally April nineteenth. Harumi couldn't wait any longer, she woke up and dressed in comfortable sports clothes, who knows how long they'll be running around before they get to rest, but she's not complaining, she doesn't mind skipping anything for this, even her favourite classes, thankfully though, today is Sunday.

♠︎♥︎ After eating breakfast, she quickly found her way to the small hall, skipping all the way there, did she look overly enthusiastic? Yes! Did she care about how she looked? Absolutely not! She was childishly happy about walking through a labyrinth with her friends, mazes were, and still are, one of her favourite games.

♣︎◆ When she arrived at the small hall, she was mesmerised to say the least. There was so many doors with different shapes and colours, her eyes were shinning with playfulness as she scanned the place for her group. Finally finding them, she quickly waved at them and joined. She guessed they were supposed to find the door that matched their key, thankfully that wasn't too hard.

♠︎♥︎ When she stepped into the door, she immediately looked around and noticed how the path was colorful and checker-patterned. As she walked with her group, the path became more and more narrow until they reached the end. That's when the hedge walls started to rustle, Harumi half expected something was going to appear from a corner and attack them, but nothing happened thankfully.

♣︎◆ If asked, Harumi was going to say she wouldn't appreciate having some sort of living creature appear out of nowhere and attack them, but deep down, she wouldn't mind some jumpscares, she would be scared definitely, but she knew it had to be safe, the headmaster and professors wouldn't send students to get hurt, so she was going to enjoy every moment, even moments of fear.

♠︎♥︎ Well, not exactly nothing happened, nothing jumped at them or attacked, yes, but the path split into three, the wall itself ripped apart to become the three new paths. Harumi looked at the first path, it looked very colorful, and there was so many fungi and mushrooms. A funny thought crossed the girl's mind, was any of those fungi edible? Either way, it felt as if there was a rainbow party down that path, and its colours seemed to lure Harumi in, if she was alone she might have chose that path even if it was dangerous, purely out of curiosity, though she wouldn't eat anything there. Thankfully, she had a team and she was trying to win here, otherwise who knows what crazy things she would actually do.

♣︎◆ The second path felt eerie in a way, perhaps it was the many eyes staring right into your soul, Harumi wondered if she's the only one that felt this way, nevertheless, Harumi felt drawn to that path as well, perhaps because it was the only path that contained talking, and singing, creatures, or perhaps because of its weirdness.

♠︎♥︎The third path, in Harumi's opinion, was nothing short of boring, the classic easy-looking and full of gold path meant to lure in the greedy and stupid, in no world Harumi would pick that path. However, Harumi suddenly had a thought, what if they wanted them to think that way? Then, is the correct choice the one they least expect? Was there a correct choice in the first place? Or do they all lead to the same place with varying levels of difficulty? Doubt found its way into Harumi's mind, she wanted to share it with her friends, but she didn't want to influence their thoughts and cause doubt to fill their minds as well.

♣︎◆ Before Harumi could reach the conclusion that logically all paths were equal, because whoever planned this out probably thought of what they were thinking currently, she saw it, the riddle! So it was meant to be solvable after all, why would they make it unsolvable anyway? It's not like they would gain anything from having everyone lose.

♠︎♥︎ Harumi read the riddle carfully. The part where it said "The second path is nothing short of hearty." caught her attention. Can they consider that a promise? Are all the riddles going to be true no matter what? Or will there be lies? Harumi decided to trust its truth until otherwise proven later, she can't keep doubting everything she sees or she'll lose her mind. The last part, where it said "To brave the jungle, is to have a knowing local in the bundle.", was clearly a warning not to go through the first path unless they had a guide, but who counts as a guide really?

♣︎◆ Hearing Max talk about getting them through the first path made her smile, even if they didn't go through the first path, she was happy to see that her group members were confident. But that led her to think, could the guide be one of them? Or is it supposed to be someone or something they meet here? She brushed off those thoughts when she heared Zephyr's question, which in turn led her to think if the gnomes would actually help? The strange arrow dance seemed to be pointing them to the correct way, and the gnomes seemed friendly enough, too friendly but friendly nonetheless. In case the gnomes attack, it wouldn't be too hard escaping them, they can always just run, at least Harumi hoped so.

♠︎♥︎ Harumi still had her doubts about everything, but after Edward and Skylar voiced their thoughts about the second path, she felt a bit more reassured, someone else seemed to have similar thoughts. It seemed the last path was out of question, it's definitely a trap, and between the first and second path, the riddle seemed to tell them the first path is not safe without a guide, leaving only the second path.

♣︎◆ She decided to voice her thoughts for once. "I agree with Skylar and Edward." She stated. "Between the first and second path, it's more likely we'll be helped in the second path." She concluded before unconsciously taking a step closer to the second path.

The group of five first years—Maximilianus Vidler, Zephyr Deakin, Edward Bishop, Skylar Astor, and Harumi Everdane—were the brave adventurers that entered the Red Queen’s Labyrinth with excitement.

At first, the group seemed to be troubled by the riddle. Max offered his knowledge about the forest, and Zephyr mentioned an important keyword in the riddle. Then, Edward soon articulated his brilliant idea about the riddle and pointed out the correct path. Skylar and Harumi seconded and thirded Edward’s idea. Even though the path might look a bit terrifying and suspicious, the brave adventurers made their way to the second path.

At the end of the correct path lay the next obstacle for our brave challengers. Before them stood a door buried deep in neat, jade hedges. The air smelled of fragrant roses, and there was nothing around other than roses, hedges, and that mysterious door. If players were to try and twist its shimmering rose-gold handle, they would find it locked. A keyhole could be found beneath the handle. It was unusually small, smaller than most keyholes. To the right of the door, between a trimmed hedge and a stone wall, players would find a table. Resting on the table was a silver key, the metal glinting in the sunlight.

Above the door, a wooden, heart-shaped sign swings with the following riddle:

A key that’s right but far too tall,
Will never fit a door so small!
Shrink the problem, not the door...
Then the key may be used once more.

Oh dear, such a predicament. Perhaps this will be a job for those wands!

OOC Instructions

Reducio

Rules

Congratulations, your group has made it to the second obstacle! Please note the following rules for this obstacle:

1. Similar to before, moderation will occur once a week, if at least HALF of the members in the group posted an action.
   • If one or no members post an action that round, moderation will happen only the next week to give more time for members to post. This is for the sake of game progression.
   • If there are any special circumstances (eg, members are ill), please owl us. We will consider making exceptions on a case-by-case basis.
2. Each participant is allowed one moderated action per round. Please include your abilities and stats in your post.
3. Please specify your character's action(s) in your post (as an OOC note).
   • This includes moderated actions, which are actions that require dice rolls to determine their outcome, like casting a spell.
4. Please follow all usual HIO rules.
   • This includes 200 IC word requirements.
5. Wave those wands and good luck, challengers. Have fun!

ROUND 2 SPECIAL INSTRUCTION:
As hinted above, a spell should successfully be cast in order to pass on to the next stage. Procedure will go as follows:

1. The moderator will moderate the actions by order of whoever posted first.
   Moderation notes will be left for each player.
2. If the obstacle is successfully passed before the moderation of some of the later posters’ actions, we will disregard the other actions and automatically let the group pass.

Group 2

1. @Maximilianus Kenneally Vidler
2. @Skylar Astor
3. @Edward Bishop
4. @Zephyr Deakin
5. @Harumi Everdane

DEADLINE: 1 week from time of posting

Made by Skylar Astor

Everything happened spontaneously with Max talking about the forest, Edward breaking the riddle down piece by piece, Skylar and Harumi backing it up. He only pointed out a small part of it, but somehow it all came together in the end, leading them to finally chose the second path. He was not completely sure but he trusted them and turned out, it worked. The gnomes had not led them wrong, instead made the journey easier. He was relieved when they got through the first one but it’s only the beginning.

When they reached the end of the path, they were met with another door, surrounded by hedges and roses. Reading the next riddle, they were told it’s locked as expected. His attention went to the keyhole and then to the table with silver key. He picked it up and examine it against the keyhole, “It’s too big, it won’t fit.”

A key that’s right but far too tall…
Will never fit a door so small…

Although the riddle already hinted that, it wouldn’t hurt to check it out first. You’ll never know with puzzles like this.

Shrink the problem, not the door…

Shrink. It’s as if they wanted them to make the key small so it would fit the keyhole, which is the logical thing to do. That part was simple but he had not learned any spells that could shrink or make something small. “I don’t know anything that can make it smaller, do any of you know a spell like that?” They’re all first years and share bunch of classes together, chances are, they possess the same knowledge in spells and charms. “If someone knows how to shrink or make the key smaller, we can try that…” He glanced toward his group mates. “But if not, maybe we’re just overthinking it.” He was just trying to make sense of the situation in a straightforward way possible.

He was not good with riddles, because he doesn’t particularly enjoy breaking down every word or hidden meaning. After reading the riddle, he doesn’t see every part in a symbolic or clever way. His brain immediately goes straight to what’s obvious to him such as there’s a locked door and the key doesn’t fit so find other means. That was it, he reduces everything to what he can see and understand only.

He was looking at the key curiously, “We don’t actually have to use the key, do we?” He was not overly confident with his words, he was mostly thinking out loud. “It says it’s locked and we know a spell that could unlock it. How about we try that first?” Pulling his wand out, he pointed it on the locked door and waited for them in case someone else wanted to do the same, after all, one couldn’t guarantee his attempt would work, and casted it with proper wand movement, “Alohomora.”

Action: Suggested using Alohomora spell and tried it on the door.
Stat: Sta: 5, Eva: 5, Str: 7, Wis: 5, Arc: 8, Acc: 5
Special Ability: Calming Presence

Banner by Skylar Astor

Interacting with:	@Zephyr Deakin, @Harumi Everdane,
—	@Skylar Astor & @Edward Bishop
Dialogue:	#770B08
Words:	235

He didn’t really want to take the creepy second path. Something about it just seemed… wrong. But as the group discussed, that was what they decided to do. He didn’t much feel like being the fool that got separated from the group, so he followed. It didn’t turn out so bad. The gnomes were even helpful.

They reached the end of the path, and were met by a door. As members of the group spent time actually reading and understanding the riddle, Max wanted to check wether the door was actually locked. He stepped up, grabbed the handle and tried to turn it. As expected, there was no use. As he turned back to the others, he shrugged. «Worth a try, right?» At least he had thought so. It would be sort of a waste standing there, trying to interpret a riddle, if the door hadn’t even been locked.

He stepped back to get a better look at the riddle as well. He nodded along as Zeph voiced the challenge. He did not know any charm to adjust size. «I think you might be right, Zeph. And if unlocking it won’t work, we could always try to blast through it or something?» He looked between all of them. He could remember the unlocking charm just fine, so he, too, raised his wand. With the proper incantation and wand movement it should be a breeze. «Alohomora»

Action:

Casting the unlocking charm on the door

Stats:

Sta 6

Eva 5

Str 8

Wis 4

Arc 5

Acc 7

☆Made by Skylar Astor☆

In the end, the second path wasn't as terrifying as the girl expected. Everything went smoothly and they reached the end of it without complications, and soon they were already at the next obstacle.

♠︎♥︎ Unlike last time, there was only one path behind a locked door, so this time they'll just have to find a way to pass? Sounds too easy, but the girl wasn't complaining. Harumi glanced at the table sitting to the right of the door, it had a sliver key, one too big to fit the small keyhole, obviously they weren't just going to give them the correct key in the correct size, there had to be a catch obviously.

♣︎◆ Harumi looked at the sign swinging above the door, it contained the next clue as a riddle again. The riddle claimed the key to be indeed the correct one, so they'll have to shrink it? Harumi couldn't think of any shrinking spell she knew, so was that a dead end for them, do they just turn around and go to their dorms because they already lost? That's not something the little Hufflepuff was willing to do today, she was going to finish this no matter what.

♠︎♥︎ She thought of the riddle again, the phrase "shrink the problem" caught her attention, was the key even the problem here? Maybe she was overthinking again.

♣︎◆ Before she could overthink any longer, Zephyr's idea caught her attention. Just use Alohomora, sounds like the only correct thing to do, if the girl hadn't seen the key, she would have done that without a second thought, she's a witch not an investigator, that's what she should do. "Yeah, let's do that!" She agreed with Zephyr. "And like Max said, we could just use brute force if we fail." Harumi added. Why use your brain when you can use your muscles or magic anyway, she's thankful they have Max to balance the brains with brawn.

♠︎♥︎ Without wasting anymore time on meaningless overthinking, she took out her wand and moved it in a backwards S shape. "Alohomora" She mumbled.