Hogwarts Summer Camp Chess Combat, Game 1

With the Ilvermorny houses, Horned Serpent represented the mind of a wizard. What could be more representative of those skills than a friendly wizard chess match? He played muggle chess frequently at home, it was seen as a basic skill to have within his family so he was taught it from a young age. Wizard chess was a whole different ball game, but he could still handle it. He twirled his wand in his hand as the names were called, a sneer coming over his face as he realized he was surrounded by Hogdorks. "I'll keep my introduction brief, Everett Brooks, call me Rett. Ilvermorny, Horned Serpent. Representatives of the mind. If you want a powerful queen, you'll do the smart thing and put me in that position." His eyes stayed locked surveying the other side, spotting his friend Theodore on the other side. He sent a sly wink his way, now he had to win, even more than before.

Wasn't it every caster's dream to compete in a duel? Well, maybe not, but that certainly held true enough for Mars. There was something about the idea of dueling that stroked both the competitive nature within them and lit that fire in their fingertips, the one that pulsed and burned right before the magic arched out of the tip of their cherry wand. They were addicted to that feeling, to that and flying, and so far, they'd had little opportunity to push either to its limits.

That was really what had been running through Mars' head when they'd signed up for Chess Combat. A chance to blast spells in another person's face and ultimately take the victory? Was signing up ever a question? God, this was going to be fun. The wix twirled their wand in their fingers, glancing at the people around them.

By face, Mars only knew Dee. They'd smiled when her name had been called; they knew by first had experience how powerful of a witch she was. They recognized a few people on the other team, but that wasn't really important. At the moment, it was sizing up the three other wixes they'd never met before.

From the announcement, they could put names to faces. Santario Martin, rather unassuming but there was something in her eyes that sent a shiver down Mars' spine. They didn't know why, but it was there. Jack Warren... Hufflepuff Prefect if they remembered correct. And then there was Everett Brooks. From the looks of him—nevermind, Mars didn't need looks. Right off the bat, he rubbed them the wrong way. But nevermind that for now.

They gave everyone a small grin, flashing the smirk that was concealed beneath it before flipping their wand up. The silver "they/them" heart on their lapel glinted as it arced through the air. As they caught it, Mars bulleted,

"And after that beautiful introduction from Mr. Brooks, I'm Mars. I don't care much about position as long as we win." They'd always been a little half-and-half when it came to team games, but this was where their strategic nature excelled. With a final glance over the team, Mars had already started the beginnings of a plan.

~Interaction with the White team, and taunting of the Black team~

Jack hadn't expected actually to participate in the chess combat portion event because of his late entry on the signup sheet. So one could imagine his surprise when he happened to hear his name called out. As confident as ever, Jack steps forward towards his team. The incessant need for him to be the center of attention took hold, and he slapped Rett across the back in a 'friendly' manner. The strength behind the hit, however, may have come across too strong. He didn't know anybody on his team if he were honest, but it didn't seriously bother him. Jack knew he was polarizing. You either love him or hate him. Grinning like an idiot, Jack stood up to his full height and puffed out his chest.

"This mister seems to know what he wants. Let's make him queen. But it doesn't matter terribly now that I'm here. With me on this team, it's basically a guaranteed win, innit?" The boy flexed his right arm across his chest before grabbing his bicep with his other hand. A cocky grin smeared across the boy's face, before giving a very blatant wink at the other team. Patronizing was his game, and he played it very well. Sticking out his middle finger and thumb, he let his flex fall into an outstretched arm. Aiming down the sights of his finger gun at his opponents, Jack called out. "You guys can go ahead and forfeit. I know you're scared. It's in yer eyes! It's okay; you can cry if you really feel like it!" Even if Jack's taunts didn't land, the boy just enjoyed yelling. Being loud was just stress releasing. Glancing at his three other teammates, Jack gave his best charming smile. Confidence inspires.

Interacting with the Black Team

What had she done... It had seemed like such an innocent thing at the time. During her wandering of the camp, Greta had happened upon one of the clearings between the primary camps of the three schools. Although it was closer to the Hogwarts area, it had been near enough for her to feel comfortable poking her head around to take a closer look. She really hadn't been sure what to make of it at first. Large squares had been sectioned off with grid lines, and there had been a booth set up for sign-ups. It wasn't until she had spotted her friend's older brother, Nichlas, timidly asking him for clarification on what this was all about that she'd really understood.

A mix of dueling and chess! It sounded like a lot of fun, and a great chance to put the famed combat training received at Durmstrang to the test. To see just how she measured up to these Brits. If she could bring home a win in this respect, no doubt she would earn at least a few prideful comments from her parents.

But now that she was here... Now she was being called forward to play... It was as though all confidence had drained from her. The instant she'd heard her name, she'd frozen. Reflexively, she'd looked around for some sign — any sight — of Hanzo. He had always been the anchor to settle her nerves. The sail of her wayward ship when marooned at sea. His presence offered her reassurance, even if hers wasn't always welcomed. He was nowhere to be found, though. Yet again. Perhaps she should have grown used to that by now at camp, but it was every bit as unsettling as the first time she had lost sight of him. Her only comfort came from the fact that Nichlas was at least a familiar face in the crowd, apparently awaiting his own game to begin.

With a steadying breath, teeth nibbling at her lip and eyes wide with uncertainty as they glanced around, Greta stepped forward to join those she assumed were to be her peers. "Ehm.. Hello?" She offered to them, hand lifting to hover near her cheek and wave awkwardly back and forth a couple of times before rotating to grasp hold of her shoulder as though grounding herself. "My name is Greta?" she added sheepishly, a thick Norwegian accent lilting her statements to make them sound as though she were asking questions. "Ehm...It is the nice meet you?"

[In Norwegian] "Is there anyone here that speaks Norwegian?"

[In Russian] "Or Russian?"

[In German] "Even German..?"

"Ehm... English is.. very.. little?" This was going to be mighty difficult if she couldn't communicate with any of them. On the plus side, she at least knew the premise of the game and could probably fumble her way through a match with even just the basics of gestured prompts if she absolutely had to.

Dee skipped out onto the field when her name was called, her brown locks bouncing around her. A completely legal and acceptable opportunity to duel other students? She'd signed up as soon as she had seen the announcement. Not that she hadn't appreciated the other activities this camp had had to offer so far, but this... There was excitement thrumming through her veins and shining out clearly through her eyes.

Of her team, Dee had only ever talked to Mars, although she recognized Santario Martin and Jack Warren as other students from her year. The tall boy who immediately declared he should be Queen was entirely unfamiliar, but Dee only snorted in amusement. Let Everett be Queen if he wanted to - Dealla had never been the type to dream of being queen. She wanted to be the knight, fighting.
"I agree with Mars," she announced and shot the wix a quick but brilliant smile. Mars was someone she was definitely glad to have on her team. "Also, please forget that Dealla nonsense, and just call me Dee," she added while gathering up her hair and tying it into a ponytail. She didn't want it in the way for the game to come - or to catch on fire.

She also smiled at the taunts Jack threw at the other team, shortly tempted to join him when she spotted Adonis among their opponents. She wished Jack had chosen something different than muscles to impress the other team before a fight that was based on, well, magic, but she could appreciate the enthusiasm.
She wanted to win, but also, no matter how this went - it was going to be fun.

Interacting with the Black Team

Thomas wasn't sure what to expect when he signed up for Chess Combat. It'd be his first officially sanctioned duel, and since the boy wanted to be an accomplished duelist, it was a no brainer to enroll. He looked around at his teammates, recognizing only one of them; he and Adonis had met on the train ride to Hogwarts. Though they hadn't spoken since that day, they parted on good terms, so hopefully, the two newly graduated second years would be able to drum up some form of teamwork and solidarity for the match to come.

His gaze flitted over to the white team, expression unreadable as a certain Jack Warren threw taunts there way. Fitting, really, that Thomas would have the opportunity to get his revenge against the Prefect in a Hogwarts sanctioned event. Should the black team drum up no strategy, his first move would be to cast Incendio towards the upstart Hufflepuff, since all was fair in such a setting. A mischievous smile broke out on his face, likely not the reaction the Prefect was looking to elicit with his taunts. However, his attention was drawn to another member of his team before he could call something in response.

Listening to the girl as she introduced herself, the first thing Thomas noticed was her accent. It'd be something to get used to, but not impossible to navigate. That was, until he came to a rather unfortunate conclusion as Greta continued.

"Ehm... English is.. very.. little?"

Wincing a bit at the unfortunate circumstance, Tommy shrugged awkwardly. He didn't know how to speak any of the languages she had just spoken in. The boy was fluent in English, nothing more nothing less. Hopefully, their team would be able to iron out some form of strategy through the usage of hand gestures, or this game might become frightfully awkward. "I am Thomas," he began, trying to talk slow and use enough hand gestures to get the point across. "Good to meet you, Greta." God, he hoped some of those words were cognates, otherwise their exchange would be massively awkward.

Thomas stood on the field, hoping that the position he chose to play wouldn't be contested by any of his teammates.

Interacting with the Black team.

Interacting with the black team.

Ability: The Muggle Condition

Stamina: 6
Evasion: 7
Strength: 1
Wisdom: 8
Arcane Power: 6
Accuracy: 7
Total: 35 Stat Points