Hogwarts Summer Camp Chess Combat, Game 3

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Interacting with Team Black!

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𝓐s Amadea surveyed the field in front of her, she took a bunch of deep breaths, trying to calm the butterflies in her stomach. When she had originally signed up for this 'Chess Combat' event, she had been in the mindset she had adapted to at the end of the school year: she was going to stop overthinking everything and just start signing up for things and participating in as much as she could whenever opportunities were thrown her way. So far, Amadea had managed to follow through with the deal she had made to herself, participating in as many things as she could.

Amadea took a deep breath again, trying to calm her nerves. Looking around, she saw that she had been placed on a team with two of her good friends, Cecily Quinn and Adam Harringtom. Then there was Alexx Séverin, who Amadea didn't know that well but liked, and a boy from Durmstrang. She was glad there were some friendly faces on her team and at the same time felt pressured to perform well with the eyes of her peers watching her. As she glanced at the other team that was filled with a bunch of people Amadea didn't know, she tried to get into the mindset for the game.

She was a duelist. This was her thing. She could totally do this, right? She looked at her team members and tried to give what she hoped looked like a reassuring smile. Maybe if she just pretended she wasn't nervous at all, she would convince herself that she was fine. "Alright guys," she said to her teammates. "Oh, I'm Amadea, by the way," she added, realizing that not everyone knew each other. "We can totally do this!"

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interacting with Team Black
mentioning Dymph, Oliver, & the rest of Team White

Adam had always been a big fan of wizard chess, but this new game blew the old one completely out of the water. He was eager to get started and wasted no time in getting to the field, hustling through Hogwarts' encampment as fast as he could without getting reprimanded. As the tents fell away behind him, a giant checkerboard came into view up ahead, drawn in for the game. Adam grinned at the sight of it. He couldn't wait to tell everyone at home — well, just his mum, come to think of it — about the game. She was going to be so jealous!

He was on the Black Team this time around, which was a change from his usual selection. It would be strange to be playing for the other color; luckily, Adam's new team was full of familiar faces. He was excited and honestly a little amazed to see Cecily and Amadea on his side of the boar, and waved at them vigorously. "Hey guys!" They hadn't planned to be on the same team (at least, Adam didn't think so) but apparently the universe had noticed their bond. He definitely wasn't complaining. Cecily had a good strategic mind from being a Chaser, and if he remembered right, Amadea was good with her wand. They were as valuable teammates as they were friends.

It was great to see Alexx again too, and Adam gave her a friendly smile to show it. They'd talked briefly at the Blossom Ball before he'd been interrupted by friends — and subsequently, angry magical bugs. She seemed like a formidable witch. Adam was glad to have her on his side. The last member of their team was a boy that Adam had never seen before. That was strange: he looked like he was their age, and Adam knew plenty of the people in their class. He could've been from one of the other schools. Nevertheless, Adam gave him the same smile in greeting. Their team was looking good!

The other team was much harder to read, mostly because Adam didn't know the majority of its members. Dymphna stood out right away, of course; even if she hadn't been one of Adam's friends, she had a beauty that was hard to miss. He waved at her quickly but reminded himself that she was his opponent, at least for now. The rest were unfamiliar faces, except for Oliver Hart, one of his housemates. They didn't know each other quite well enough for a wave. Having properly surveyed the competition, Adam turned back to his team and listened as Amadea introduced herself.

He cheered at her words of encouragement. "Hell yeah! Go Black Team!" The boy pumped his fist in the air. It felt great to be back in the middle of a game like this. "I'm Adam. Let's do this!" The game would surely be starting any minute now, and then anything could happen. Adam ran one last check through his mental inventory of spells and jinxes, gripping his wand tight. If there was every a time to remember his lessons, it was now.

Nichlas had been waiting for a camp activity that would sound more like him, something that would make staying worthwhile and when he had seen the sign ups for the chess combat he finally felt like there was something he could do. Strategy and combat was his thing so he had excused himself from Ella that afternoon, letting her know where to find him if she would need him or anything. He doubted it but he could never be sure with her getting into trouble all the time. Or at least that was what he often assumed because of her personality being all bubbly.

He was a bit disappointed to see that he was in a team full of Hogwarts student and wondered how many of them even qualified as actual wizards and how many of them were from the muggle world. Being greeted by one of the people, he would incline his head in a minimal nod back as he waited for the professor and prefects to show up who had been said to lead the event. He would glance around, taking in the view and trying to scrutinize their opponents. They seemed like a good match, making it even more exciting to see them lose eventually. For himself there was no other option but to win this. Disa would never let him live it down if he lost against a bunch of kids.

Combat Start

10th of July 2020, 02:00pm
Chess Combat, Game THREE

So it was finally his turn to moderate another bout of Duelling, even if it was a variant like the Chess Combat game. Zahid was still not quite sure how exactly he had ended up part of the duelling team, given that he was a History (of Magic) teacher, but he supposed it made more sense now that he had already overseen two test duels last year than it did then. He was admittedly still not an advocate for letting students duel – maybe once they had their O.W.L.s and purportedly knew what they were doing … but definitely not starting in their first year – but he had more or less come to accept it as just another facet of life at a “proper” Magic school.

Once all ten contestants had stepped up, Zahid gave them a moment to greet each other and maybe get a first rudimentary strategy planned, before motioning for them to take their positions on the field. “Alright, let's get this started. Take your positions and good luck.” While the students moved to their starting locations, he added a reminder about the rules. “Remember the rules, duel approved spells only and no physical attacks. Keep in mind in which directions you are allowed to cast for this.”

As soon as everyone got situated, Zahid gave a nod. “Good. And now: BEGIN.”

Team Compositions

Team Black	Team White
Nichlas Forsberg (@Alan Vanes) @Alexx Séverin @Adam Harringtom @Amadea Campbell @Cecily Quinn	Alisa Sokolova (@Edric Banes) @Dymphna Teague @Oliver Hart Kheanu Maravilho Mondelez (@Dmitri Jones) Maksim Preobrazhensky (@Ami Procoppio)

This match will be moderated by Zahid al-Benghazi ibn Masoud

Team Black (4200/4200, 100%) Alexx (1000/1000), Rook, A1 Reducio Round Start Effects: None Action: - Round End Effects: None Cecily (600/600), Bishop, A2 Reducio Round Start Effects: None Action: - Round End Effects: None Nichlas (500/500), Queen, A3 Reducio Round Start Effects: None Action: - Round End Effects: None Adam (1200/1200), Bishop, A4 Reducio Round Start Effects: None Action: - Round End Effects: None Amadea (900/900), Rook, A5 Reducio Round Start Effects: None Action: - Round End Effects: None

Team White (4200/4200, 100%) Oliver (1200/1200), Rook, E1 Reducio Round Start Effects: None Action: - Round End Effects: None Dymphna (600/600), Bishop, E2 Reducio Round Start Effects: None Action: - Round End Effects: None Kheanu (1000/1000), Queen, E3 Reducio Round Start Effects: None Action: - Round End Effects: None Maksim (700/700), Bishop, E4 Reducio Round Start Effects: None Action: - Round End Effects: None Alisa (700/700), Rook, E5 Reducio Round Start Effects: None Action: - Round End Effects: None

Some important links

The Chess Combat Rules can be found here.
The list of Duelling Spells can be found here.
The Duelling Mechanics explanations can be found here.
If you need a reminder of which spells you personally have access to, they are locked-in here.
The spectator thread for this game is here.

Starting now you have 72 hours to post RP for the next round and to discuss and decide amongst each other which actions each of you will take and your Queen will owl your actions to Meenauh Silmataurea AND Professor Zahid AND Professor Vernatis.

Interacting with Team White | Mentioning Team Black

The blonde was a little bummed considering many of the faces familiar to her were on the opposing team. Her house mate Cecily, former boss Alexx, new friend Amadea and Adam who had gone to her birthday party last year. At least she had Oliver with her, someone who had proved to be reliable and trustworthy, albeit a little nervous at times. She had that effect on people, especially in the last few years. It was embarrassing and she mostly brushed it off, ignoring the crushes and stares her way.

Her other team mates were from different schools. It seemed important to be friendly towards them, to make a good impression on Hogwarts. Dymphna made her way onto the board, lost in thoughts about what the other schools thought of her own. Did they know of it's dangers; did they have dangers of their own? Was Beauxbâtons as safe as Ruthie's letters described? "Nice to meet you all," she said to the newcomers. If she had seen them around before, she didn't take any notice of it. She did see Adam give her a wave and returned it with a smile.

"Call me Dymph," she requested of her team mates. The nickname had stuck during their first year, though she didn't dislike her full name as much as before. It was given by a naming Seer and that was something special in itself. After listening intently to the Professor's instructions, she got into position and eyeballed the other team as though she could predict what their first move would be.

ACTION: Doing as strategized.

Interacting with Team White, RPing as Alisa Sokolova

Alisa wasn't even sure why she had joined this Chess Combat mock-duel – or, more precisely, she knew very well why she had joined, but now that the chance of sending some stuck-up pure-blood idiot onto their ass or face first into the ground had become almost nil, her motivation for the whole event had dropped considerably.

The opposing team was almost completely made up of Hogwarts students, who – if she was being honest – looked like a bunch of nice people altogether. Three were girls, one prettier than the next, which made Alisa turn her blue eyes away from them after no more than a short glance. They made her feel... well, under-dressed and not all good about herself if she compared them to herself. Suddenly her washed out jeans and the dark tee that she'd considered a good choice of clothing not even an hour ago seemed too shabby and not all flattering. Instead she looked at the boys on the Black Team, a Hogwarts student and a classmate from Durmstrang. She hadn't interacted with the boy from her own school before, but if she remembered correctly he was the same type as Kirill and Nikita: pure-blood and rubbing it in the face of anyone who did or didn't care to hear. With a sneer Alisa joined her own teammates.

At least this time there were more familiar faces. One of the boys – Preobrazhensky, was that his name? – she'd never had trouble with, which meant that he was more agreeable than three-quarters of her yearmates. The other boy she didn't remember the name of, but she'd seen him around before as well, he was another pure-blood. He stood out, but not in the way students at Durmstrang usually wanted to stand out, so Alisa didn't immediately count him as a lost cause.

Her other teammates where a boy and a girl from Hogwarts. The blonde teenage girl was even more beautiful than the girls on the other team, and when she addressed them Alisa stared at her, speechless, for a moment before she remembered her good manners. They were supposed to make a good impression on the students from the other schools after all, the Headmistress had been clear about that.

"Hello, nice to meet you, too, I'm Alisa," she introduced herself to the two British students, aware of their custom of sharing first names easily. Her English was passable thankfully, her Dad had made sure of that.

Her attention drifted away for a second when there was noise in the stands. Milena had promised to watch the game, and that memory alone lifted her spirits. She would need to do her best for her friend, if nothing else. It would be embarrassing get her butt kicked when the other girl would come just to cheer her on.

Action: Doing as strategized.

rping as iNPC Maksim Preobrazhensky [x]

primarily interacting with Team White.

If dialogue is in italics, Maksim is speaking in Russian.

Maksim traipsed onto the chess board with a wide smile, geared up and ready to get going. He'd sat patiently and watched the other two games, although he'd had to restrain himself from laughing at the younger kids' rather simple games. He loved to duel, and had gotten some pretty good practice at Durmstrang, but there had never been stakes like this before.

And by "stakes", Max really just meant impressing all the pretty people. And truly, everyone on the board seemed to be incredibly attractive, whether male or female or any other gender that happened to be represented on the board. Studying the opposing team with a small smile, his eyes jumped from the girls to the boys, darting back and forth between the good-looking lot. One of them he recognized as Nichlas Forsberg, waving a timid hello to his classmate. Everyone else seemed to be from either Hogwarts or Ilvermorny, and the tall blond boy seemed quite excited about the proceedings, as well as the redhead. There certainly were a lot of redheads from Hogwarts, weren't there? An unearthly amount, if he was being honest.

Taking a look at his own team, Makim's smile widened as he realized he already recognized two of them. Alisa and the absolutely gorgeous blonde girl seemed to be getting acquainted, and Maksim sidled up to them, patiently waiting his turn. "It is nice to meet you, Dymph!" he said with a gentle smile, "My name is Maksim Preobrazhensky! But you can just call me Maksim."

Side-eyeing Skolova, he added quietly, "You can call me Maksim if you'd like, Skolova. But it's up to you." He didn't dare ask her if he'd be allowed to call her by her first name, as he could only assume that the answer would be a hard no, so he resigned to making more small talk with her. "I know appearances mean nothing," Max added in an even lower tone, just in case someone else just happened to understand Russian, "But those students don't look very bright. Skolova, I'd bet you my spot in the boys' tower that you're smarter than all of them combined. With you? We'll have no trouble winning."

His gaze wandered over to his other two teammates, and his expression lit up when he spotted a certain blond Durmstrang student. "Look who it is!" he exclaimed. "Mondelez, how kind of you to show up. You look..." His eyes flickered over the boy's frame fleetingly, before glancing back up to smile charmingly at him again. "You look wonderful, as always. Wow, you AND Skolova? The Lord must be smiling down on me today!"

Turning to the final boy, a rather stout one, Maksim explained in hushed excitement, "Skolova-that's Alisa-and Mondelez-that's Kheanu, him over there-are geniuses. We'll have no problem winning with them on our team!"

Satisfied with his team, Maksim flashed an innocent smile at Kheanu. "I won't let you down, Mondelez!" he said confidently. He desperately wanted to impress his classmate- both of them, actually. Earning Alisa's respect would certainly mean the world to Maksim, as he had always held a deep respect for her poise and stoicism. "Let's go, team!" he exclaimed, holding his wand at the ready. "We have got this!"

ACTION: As strategized!

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Interacting with Team Black!

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𝓐s Amadea attempted to size up the other team, her heart was beating wildly in her chest. While she did not recognize many of the other students, who appeared to be from other schools, she did recognize her new friend Dymphna Teague. Amadea was glad that she didn't know many of the other players, as she would feel bad casting spells at her friends, though she was ready to do so if she had to. Team Black totally had this.

She took her position as a rook, at the corner of the board, staring across her at the other players. Amadea felt ready. She was glad she had her two best teammates by her side. Somehow, she, Adam, and Cecily always ended up together for team events. From their first year during the Blossom Fest Maze event to completing relay races for an errand, Amadea was always paired with the two Ravenclaws, complete with a snazzy team name and all. While they were simply labeled the black team for now, she felt more at ease with the two as her allies; she was comfortable with them, knowing she could easily rely on them. The rest of her team were people Amadea had either never met or only interacted with once or twice, and while that fact would normally terrify the Hufflepuff, she was too busy focusing on their strategy.

Dueling was her thing. While Amadea was quite out of practice considering she had missed half of her third year, but she was back and more ready than she ever was before. She gripped her wand tightly, remembering the words Ollivander had spoken to her when she had purchased the wand as a scared first year: Rather bendy, highly powerful and loves being powerful, extremely difficult to control. Extremely difficult to control, and yet Amadea had wielded it well for three years. Alright wand, she thought to herself. Don't fail me now. With one last, "Let's go team!" she focused on the first round as it began. Holding her wand at the ready, she prepared to demolish the other team.

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STATS: STA: 9 || EVA: 8 || STR: 2 || WIS: 8 || ARC: 9 - || ACC: 9----

ABILITIES: advanced casting || evasive maneuvers || calming presence

ACTION:
Doing as strategized!

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Interacting with Team White

Oliver looked around a bit confused. Had he misunderstood the game? Why hadn't anyone else dressed up? (Revoke if they had) He stood in panic as he wore a full set of armor made completely out of cardboard. It was boxy in most areas and covered him completely. His runners were the only non cardboard material visible on him. His skin showed in a few areas, mainly his face, which was left clear to not block his vision. All joints had space as to not obstruct his movement. However, on inspection, one would notice Oliver's skin could be seen under these gaps. In fact, under this card board armour, he was only wearing underwear. It was a hot summers day, he had no choice!

Feeling somewhat like a fool only on realisation that nobody else was dressing up for the battle, Oliver marched his way to the battle field.

***

After meeting his team and going to his spot on the field, Oliver was now tremendously sweaty. The cardboard had many dark patches and no air was getting to most of his skin. Oliver would be seen before the game began casting water on his face. He glanced nervously to his right, standing next to Dymphna. He hoped she hadn't noticed he wore a cosplay to the game, or thought it was cool if she did. He hoped she wouldn't notice that every inch of his body was sweating profusely. He hoped.

Looking over at his opponents, Oliver mentally scanned his memories of their performance in class. He knew them to be very skilled, each and every one of them (besides that non-Hogwartser). He then looked at his own team, he didn't know any but Dymphna. He'd give this match everything he had, but he was already doubting his odds. At least Dymphna would see him cast magic successfully for once. Staring at Alexx, standing opposite to him, he gripped his wand tightly.

Action:
As strategised!