The Red Queen's Labyrinth
| IN SMALL HALL WITH @Valour Argentum, @Elena Clark and @Marcella di Angelo |
TWELFTH OF APRIL, 2026 Running for the hills |
There were no objections to his suggestion. The initial awkwardness seemed not to be overcome, as the others at first said nothing, except for the girl with the impenetrable gaze that he’d pointedly avoided for the last minutes. Only her comment about not “wanting to get her hands dirty so early in the game” broke his streak; he glanced in her direction, puzzled by the implication. What was that supposed to mean? he thought. Perhaps he’d misjudged the severity of the puzzles ahead of them, but he thought it was unlikely that they’d have to get dirty at all during the labyrinth. If so, he’d made a good decision by not wearing white and expensive clothes. Another moment of awkward silence and incapacitation passed before she went ahead to lead the way. He allowed her blonde friend, Elena, to follow her before he trailed after, keeping a respectful distance. Ilias tried to ignore the gnomes’ chattering and the tiny hands pushing at his heels as they walked further into the maze. One made him stumble, earning itself an annoyed huff and glare. They lost the blonde early to the distractions; he quickly surpassed her, and somewhere behind him, she was crouching down on the ground to attempt to make conversation with one of the locals. For some reason, he found her behavior entirely predictable, but no less strange. With no signs of care whether she’d catch up or not, he continued forward without looking back, quicker, partly to escape the relentless gnomes at his heels. At the end of the path, surrounded by rose hedges, a lavish rose-gold door awaited. A heavy smell of roses clouded his senses, reminding him of the awful old-lady perfume his least favourite teacher had worn back in elementary. The smell made him lightly nauseous as he felt the creeping headache pressing against his temple. He grimaced as he tried to focus on the riddle, but found it difficult to focus properly. He thought it went without saying that the door would be locked, but Valour ripped at the handle to make sure. Expectedly, it didn’t budge. “Predictable,” he mumbled, offhandedly. Realizing there was no way around it, she stepped back from the door and turned her attention to him and the shy brunette, who was yet to have spoken a word since their initial hello. As someone who wasn’t exactly known to be the best conversationalist himself, he could sympathize with having shitty social skills. He wasn't shy per se, but the urge to flee from her gaze overcame him when she watched him so closely. “I don’t suppose you two have names, do you?” He couldn’t speak for the other girl, but Ilias replied with a shrug: “Ilias.” Surname was insignificant. No one would know him, and he preferred it that way. “... Valour, right?” He followed up, thinking that it was the right thing to do, but immediately regretted it when it came out sounding just as forced as it had felt. Why had he said that? Great, he thought with an internal groan. Not only would it be obvious that he was awkward, but she’d also know that he’d overheard their conversation. Granted, it hadn’t exactly been a private setting. Unexpectedly, but not unwelcome amidst his spiraling overthinking, a girly, sweet voice mused. He whipped around to stare at the blonde girl twirling the key between her fingers. At some point along the way, the distracted blonde had caught up with the rest of the group, and somehow it had completely passed him by. She offered to try a spell, wand ready in hand. Reducio was cast before he could say anything, but he thought that she might as well get it over with. It wasn’t like he could do much himself with the key. He hadn’t even considered that a wand would be necessary until then. Perhaps that decision would prove to be a mistake later. The key was offered to the quiet brunette, and the question lingered in the air for longer than necessary for such a simple question. When too much time had passed and she still hadn’t taken the offer, Ilias decided to save her the trouble. “I’ll do it,” he said, almost exasperated, and snatched the key from Elena’s hand. The eyes, whether real or imagined, burned in his back as he approached the golden door. Shoving the shrunken key into the keyhole, he felt it settle perfectly into place. The lock and key began to glow in confirmation, and when he proceeded to turn the key, so did the door. Just as he was about to push the door open, it disintegrated into dust right in front of his eyes. Bewildered, he watched the last piece of the door drift into the air and disappeared into nothing. Left behind was an empty doorway. He gave the group an uncertain glance over his shoulder before he continued onto the next challenge with a shrug. Entering the opulent garden, the reflection from the pool blinded him, forcing him to squint and raise a hand to cover his eyes. When he had adjusted to the light a few seconds later and allowed himself to take a proper look at the obstacle, his eyes widened like saucers. What could only be explained as a death trap was set up as the next challenge. “Are they actually trying to kill us?” he asked aloud, staring at the swinging axe in the middle of the connecting path of grass across the pool like he was facing his own execution. He gulped. Of course, realistically, there was no way in hell that the teachers of Hogwarts would allow kids to be in physical danger. And the longer he stared at the scene, the more he realized that it was not a real axe—relieving, but that didn’t make him any more eager to take a swim. There seemed to be only one way forward. To run, and hopefully not get knocked out. With his record, his prospects did not look great. Dodging had never been his strong suit in P.E., returning home from dodgeball with bruises more often than not. Once he had decided that he only had one choice (besides, he didn't have his wand), Ilias took a deep breath, and charged. Gaze fixed on the opposite end of the pool, he sprinted across the grass, his heart leaping when he closed in on the axe. |
| SEER | INTUITION | STA 5 | EVA 3 | STR 2 | ACC 9 | WIS 7 | ARC 4 |
Camille De Varenne | Hogwarts
The Red Queen's Labyrinth
vincere aut mori │Marcella, thoughts, Italian
| mars | ☥ MENTIONS — @Valour Argentum, @Elena Clark, @Ilias Lahlou |
12.04.2026 — DATE ☥ | |
| mars | ☥ OOC NOTES — running forward for her life |
small hall — LOCATION ☥ | |
| mars | ☥ WORDCOUNT— 571 |
mars |
Riddles, twists, and turns. Is it that? Or is it this? With a nod to the boy, her delicate hands reached out to take the paper. Line after line, and thought after thought. Riddles were familiar to the raven, akin to the way the stars were familiar to the moon, and to the way the land was familiar to its beings.
Emerald eyes looked up as a stare burned her side. Valour Argentum. A fellow first year slytherin seen in odd classes here and there. Not very well known to each other. She was dressed up in a breathtaking white silk gown. How long had she been standing there? Like the light cloud in the bright sky, translucent at first but visible as time passes. She was a tragically beautiful young woman. She had raven locks, falling past her shoulder blades, and deep mahogany skin. Emerald and milky-white eyes clashed as they stared. Her eyes were a shocking contrast to her darkness. Beauty marks mapped out constellations across her cheeks. Marcella wondered whether she could trace them.
The door opened, and a girl made from light and stardust entered. The moon in her brightest form. With a lightness and grace to her steps, she brought a sense of peace and calm to the raging storm. A group of three familiar faces and an unknown. Will they be able to survive?
"Hi Elena! Delighted to see you," she said, smiling serenely. The older girl had blanketed the child of death with a sense of safety.
Ilias proposed his opinion after a moment of silence. They were an oddly well made team. The di Angelo nodded in agreement. "I agree with him, path two seems a pretty good option to me." The raven's choice followed silently behind Valour, as the intriguing girl took the lead. Tiny gnomes nudged and pushed at her heels, guiding them through the thicket. The path had a feeling of serenity. Marcella steeled herself for worse possibilities. The rest of the labyrinth surely wouldn't be as peaceful as this.
Hair coloured by the midnight's ink and the raven's feather, her emerald eyes that complemented her porcelain skin watched with unmasked interest at the new puzzle. Roses, freesias, and many more floral delights filled the air with its sweet scents. The girl looked towards Valour as she inquired.
"How rude of me, I haven't introduced myself," she exclaimed with a soft smile. "Marcella di Angelo is my name," she said, smirking.
Marcella was caught off guard as Elena offered. But perhaps her hesitation had stolen precious time; the American bug snatched the key. She rolled her eyes. The true epitome of patience. Someone give this boy an award. As the boy shoved the shrunken key into the keyhole, both the door and the key began to glow in confirmation, and when he proceeded to turn the key, so did the door. Soon, the door disintegrated into dust right in front of their eyes. The Italian girl shrugged, even though bewilderment settled in.
Upon entrance, she was truly blinded. Oh my perfect eyesight! Holy Hades! What in the deathtrap is that.
"If so, it wouldn't be the first time," she said as shock clawed at her. Marcella glanced at her team members. "I'm gonna drown," she gulped as she saw the axe's sharp edges shine in the sunlight. Death seemed to be calling the child of death back to its haven. She sprinted behind Ilias afte bunching up her gown.
Reducio
sta • 4 | eva • 5 | str • 4 | wis • 8 | arcp • 6 | acc • 8 |
Prodigal Potions Learner |
Last edited by Marcella di Angelo on 16 May 2026, 09:07, edited 1 time in total.
The Red Queen's Labyrinth
  
𖦏 THUS SAITH THE LORD 𖦏
𖦏 THUS SAITH THE LORD 𖦏
| .𖦏. |  𖦏 
|
The Red Queen's Labyrinth
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.. |  |
IFYOUNEEDTO,DARLING,LEANYOURWEIGHTONME.WE'LLFLOATAWAY,BUTIFWEFALLIONLYPRAY,DON'TFALLAWAYFROMME.
IFYOUNEEDTO,DARLING,LEANYOURWEIGHTONME.WE'LLFLOATAWAY,BUTIFWEFALLIONLYPRAY,DON'TFALLAWAYFROMME. |
. |   |
TRUE THAT I SAW HER HAIR LIKE THE BRANCH OF A TREE WILLOW DANCING ON AIR BEFORE COVERING ME
STATISTICS ; STA 6, EVA 7, STR 4, WIS 9, ARC 6, ACC 8 . | . SIXTH SENSE, CALMING PRESENCE ; ABILITIES  |
..... |  🂱 |
| ❝ 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐨𝐧-𝐝𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐤, 𝐡𝐚𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝, 𝐩𝐢𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐥.❞ ☘︎ STAFF ACCOUNT ; ᴍᴀʟᴀɪᴋᴀ ᴏᴍᴇɴᴜᴋᴏ |
The Red Queen's Labyrinth
ROUND 3 MOD POST
(Group 14)
Back and forth the axe swung over the grassy path across the pool. The axe glinted under the glow of sunshine, as if truly made of metal, and its weight made intimidating swishing noises in the air.
All four members of the group ran across, with varying success. Ilias and Valour had the intuition of a young seer on their side, which helped Ilias get across, without being hit, so he could successfully wait on the other side for his team.
Marcella was next to go, sprinting as though her life depended on it. However, she obviously didn’t dodge the axe, as she was flung up into the air, before landing in the water, which was shallow enough to stand up in, just, but she would be drenched for the rest of her time in the maze.
Valour and Elena ran across hand in hand, which meant that they should’ve shared their fate, but somehow the young seer got whacked by the axe, sending her flying into the pool of water with a loud splash, while Elena, the eldest in the group, got across with no problem.
Valour and Marcella would have to climb out, and try again, not able to climb out of the water on the side their team mates were on.
Evasion DC: 20
✥─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────✥
OOC InstructionsReducioRules
ROUND 3 SPECIAL INSTRUCTION:
- 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.
- Each participant is allowed one moderated action per round. Please include your abilities and stats in your post.
- 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.
- Please follow all usual HIO rules.
- This includes 200 IC word requirements.
- Wave those wands and good luck, challengers. Have fun!
For this obstacle, your character will have to use the action of “run forward”.
- The moderator will roll an evasion difficulty check (Evasion DC 20).
- The moderator will moderate the actions by order of whoever posted first. Moderation notes will be left for each player.
- For this obstacle, ALL members need to pass this difficulty check to succeed.
Group 15
- @ Valour Argentum
- @Elena Clark
- @ Ilias Lahlou
- @ Marcella di Angelo
DEADLINE: 1 week from time of posting
So, so sorry for the delay for your group!
Cinder Blaze Mirada Johnson
Je suis comme un dragon : dangereuse, fougueuse et magnifique.
Moonlight Dreams!
The Red Queen's Labyrinth
| IN SMALL HALL WITH @Valour Argentum, @Elena Clark and @Marcella di Angelo |
TWELFTH OF APRIL, 2026 Waiting for the others to finish |
The blade might not have been the real, lethal thing, but Ilias felt his pulse pounding in his throat all the same. The others were behind him, and whether they ran or laughed at his rash decision, he couldn’t tell. Racing across the patch of grass, his eyes flickered between the hedges ahead and the axe’s rhythm. It was beginning its upswing when Ilias reached the middle. He paused briefly, allowing the axe to crest its swing before it reversed, successfully slipping past as the faux blade swept back along its arc. Though he knew he was technically in the safe zone from being pushed into the pool once he’d crossed that line, Ilias didn’t stop running until he’d reached the end, where he bent over his knees, catching his breath for a moment. That had been close. Most surprising of all, he’d made it past on the first try. Behind him came a loud splash, reminding him that the rest of his group had to attempt the same run before they could continue. Marcella had not been as fortunate, drenched from head to toe by the time he caught sight of her as his attention flicked back toward the axe mid-breath. Drowning was unlikely, with the surface barely reaching her waist. Honestly, in that dress, Ilias had not expected any other outcome. Could he have continued alone? The thought surfaced briefly before he dismissed it; if anything ahead required a wand, he wouldn’t get far without the others regardless, no matter how much he hated being dependent on others. So, he waited, remaining mostly indifferent, impatient at most, to the outcome of the others. The remaining two girls ran together, hands clasped around each other’s, a detail Ilias would have found uncomfortably intimate under other circumstances, though he had long since learned that girls simply behaved differently (sometimes straight-up absurd) in groups. Hugging and kissing seemed almost common courtesy without any feelings involved, a concept Ilias couldn’t wrap his mind around without feeling sick to his stomach. Still, after having his gaze linger on their intertwined fingers, he pointedly glanced away as heat crept into his cheeks. Despite their team effort, in a strange streak of bad luck, the axe pushed Valour off balance to join Marcella in the water, while her blonde friend was miraculously spared from the other girl's fate. His eyebrows rose in visible surprise, having expected it to unfold the other way around. Out of everyone, the pale-eyed girl had appeared the most self-assured, judging by the wicked grin that had grazed her lips before the axe had knocked her down a peg. Literally. The contrast of expectation and the wildly different outcome was hilarious, causing Ilias to laugh, not bothering to attempt to stifle back the sounds. At least Marcella had been positively scared, and in hindsight, she’d been right to be. “I guess I made the wise decision by not wearing a gown,” he commented off-handedly, since the incredibly long hemlines seemed to be a common denominator among those who were soaked. Marcella and Valour would have to attempt the run again, though he imagined that this time the water clinging to them would likely only make things worse. “I would have offered to use a spell, but I didn’t bring a wand.” |
| SEER | INTUITION | STA 5 | EVA 3 | STR 2 | ACC 9 | WIS 7 | ARC 4 |
Camille De Varenne | Hogwarts
The Red Queen's Labyrinth
𖦏 THUS SAITH THE LORD 𖦏
𖦏 THUS SAITH THE LORD 𖦏
| .𖦏. | 𖦏
|