Hogwarts Summer Camp Chess Combat, Game 3

Interacting with @Ami Procoppio as Maksim Preobrazhensky and the rest of TEAM WHITE.

Kheanu Maravilho Mondelez turned up his delicate nose as he stood up from the crowd of spectators, their team having been called to finally have a turn at the group duel. None of the games he just witnessed beforehand piqued his interest even a tiny bit--they were simply just a mind-numbing prelude to the actual fight of the event: his. It was painful having to sit through the fumblings of prepubescent European teens, and it was time to show these kids exactly how a fight was done.

The Mondelez boy was nothing if not flashy.

As the boy strode into the arena, years' worth of Foil Fencing training could be seen from the way he took every step deliberately, kept his eyes moving from one opponent to the next, and held his head like he had every right to be there. He knew everyone's eyes were on him and his sleeveless Donatella Versace blouse tucked into his high-waisted pants--and he couldn't help a sharp smile at all the attention he was getting. His demeanor spoke of a confidence that can only be born from never being used to defeat and there was a certain alertness to the way he stood--back straight and legs spread shoulder-width apart--as he took his position as the Queen.

A fitting title--one that is only given to the most worthy of the renown.

A powerful position for a powerful wizard.

Kheanu's loose-fitting Louis Vuitton slacks billowed in the light wind like a superhero's cape as he removed his tapered wand from the holster on his right bicep. In one swift motion, he brandished it elegantly through the air and let it rest idly to the side like a foil blade--a rapier held by a fierce warrior.

The cold, calculating glint in his eye never wavered as his teammates engaged in idle conversation.

The long-haired boy aimed a sharp smile at the greetings and raised an eyebrow at one that called out his name. His teammate looked familiar--chocolate skin, sunny disposition, and a wide smile. He'd never mistake that for anyone other than, "...Maksim." He'd acknowledge the other student with a soft mutter of his name, his tone like crushed velvet on an exquisite chaise lounge. "You know full h'well I do not have my 'ired translator with me in this fight. Talk to me in English or not at all, tesoro. [darling]" The heavy Italian accent made Kheanu roll his Rs and enunciate breathily. "Il lupo perde il pelo ma non il vizio. Old 'abits die hard, my friend. I see you're still very talkative." With a smirk (and a small wrinkle of his nose at a teammate that arrived in an ugly, clunky, cardboard armor), Kheanu turned towards his opponents and pronounced clearly, "Enough talk." He'll twirl his wand in his fingers and point it casually at the student across from him. "Let's get this over with."

Action: Doing as strategized

Nichlas would be one of the first to move as he securely strode over to the chess board and would take place in the center of the black team's row, all the way showing confidence and no weakness before he would let his gaze drift over the opponents team. First of all he would notice their queen and a wry smirk would appear on his lips as he acknowledged Kheanu who he knew from his own school; a fencer who he could get along with as long as they weren't on opposite sides like they were now. He knew better than to underestimate the kid, but after glancing at his own team he was sure that Kheanu would not stand a chance. He himself would be fine as long as he would trust his instincts.

The teenager wouldn't speak a word to his team as he waited for the game to start, thoughtfully twirling his wand between his fingers as he would stand relaxed. But the image might betray, since he was very much present with both his mind and body, silently calculating his chances and figuring out the white team with low profiled caution. He was watching as his team joined him by his sides and the corner of his mouth twitched as the game's start was announced.

| sta 05 || eva 04 || str 01 || wis 15 || arc 08 || acc 12 | | evasive maneuvers || spellspread || perfectionist |

Alexx wasn't usually the type to get herself into this. She knew that dueling and spell casting and the like didn't really... Interest her. However, it had been far too long since Alexx had gotten out and actually done anything, and this seemed like a good opportunity. Her biggest hope was that she wasn't going to make a fool of herself, because she didn't know if she could show her face around here after that if she did.

Still, even so, now was not the time to address that. As far as her team knew, she was more than capable of getting the job done. Why else would anyone sign up, right? Coughing into her hand, she got into place, and only hoped for the same luck that she had the first time she tried dueling. And, yes, Alexx was not above mentioning that was luck.

So she put on her confident face. Mean eyes, flat mouth, and head held high. She could at least trick everyone into believing that she was confident, or that she walked as big of a game as she talked. All of these things she needed people to believe. It was all a big part of her image, and she needed to pass as someone who was seven feat tall, even though she was only 4'11".

Doing as Strategized
8 STR | 10 STA | 7 ARC | 5 WIS | 7 EVA | 9 ACC
a1. cat's grace | a2. sixth sense | a3. lovely creature

interacting with: Team Black

Cecily, for the thousandth time, was beginning to regret a lot of her life choices. In particular, though, she was really wishing to backtrack on everything she had said that landed her here, on a giant, life-sized chessboard, ready to sling some spells. It wasn't that she was afraid of competition, or that she would rather be reading-- although the latter was debatable-- it was more revolving around the fact that she couldn't cast for crap. Sure, the spell came out of the tip of her wand and nearly without fail hit her target, it was just that they were...weak. She just was inherently bad at attack spells. And yet, somehow she had managed to end up here, where flopping on a spell could very well lose her the game.

It wouldn't only lose her the game, though-- it would lose it for all of her teammates, too. And that was a lot of pressure. Adam and Amadea would understand; they both knew her well enough already. But she wasn't about looking like a failure in front of some prissy Durmstrang kids. (Not that she knew for a fact that they were prissy. For all she knew, they could be totally chill people. But from the look of the three on the White Team, they would take no prisoners.)

She gave a half-smile to her teammates as Amadea and Adam gave some pep talks, at which they so excelled. She was honestly a little spooked that they were all on the same team-- it seemed that fate would always force them together, regardless of the event. Not that she had an issue with that, as they did also happen to be her two closest friends. But still, it was strange, even if they didn't get the benefit of having a kickass team name this time.

She moved into position, head held high. So she was definitely the weak link on this team, but what the hell-- she wasn't gonna worry about it. Every hit helped, right? And at least she almost never missed. She tried to pretend that if they lost, it was just a game, but no-- it was their reputations on the line here. She gripped her wand a little tighter.

| sta: 6 | eva: 7 | str: 6 | wis: 8 | arcp: 4 | acc: 10 |
race: metamorphmagus abilities: sixth sense | skilled transfigurer

action: as strategized

Alright. It wasn't exactly a game of chess, something that Adam had to remind himself as he got into position next to the Durmstrang boy on his team. Amadea was on his other side and he gave her a smile as she cheered them on one last time. Their team was looking ready, wands in hands, game faces on. Unfortunately, so was the other team. It could be a close match.

It had been a long time since Adam had been in a duel, or even really thought about duelling. It had been his dream when he was a first year, but time had softened his passion for the sport. The rules and etiquette of a traditional duel had long since escaped him. The wandwork was a different story; all of the trauma that struck Hogwarts periodically was, yes, traumatic, but it gave Adam lots of chances to apply his classroom knowledge. He'd taken down a mosp this spring with the Severing Charm alone. Adam wasn't planning on slicing up any students, but the knowledge that he was capable of it was a small comfort. With a small arsenal of duelling spells at their disposal, he and his team could do some damage and take the prize. Just, you know...not too much damage.

Glares didn't come naturally to Adam, and though he admired the intimidating look on Alexx's face, Adam wasn't quite sure that he could match it. He stared the other team's queen down and put on a competitive smile. This was still a game at its roots. It wouldn't hurt to have fun — as long as he ended up winning. As soon as Professor Zahid gave them the go-ahead, Adam leapt into action, leaving all other thoughts behind.

ACTION: As strategized!

STA 12 || STR 6 || ACC 8 || EVA 4 || ARC 9 || WIS 6
Spell Spread | Prodigal Charms | Calming Presence

Round One

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

Well, this was an interesting first round. Only one of the six spells the contestants had (attempted to) cast actually connected with a target. And of course it had to be one that set the student in question on fire. Truly, what was it with Magic schools and the fascination with fire? Four of the students – all of them in the role of Bishops – merely moved to a new position.

Zahid had been glad to see most if not all the the contestants interacting and seemingly confident - a sign that they had hopefully not been pressured into this - though he had to admit he was quite surprised to see one of them arrive in what seemed to be a card-board suit of armour. Where had the boy even found the time? Granted, it had been three hours since the sign-ups had opened, but still. That had to be some dedication. For the sake of the boy and his team mates, though, Zahid hoped that the armour would not hinder his movement too much.

Team Black (4200/4200, 100%) Alexx (1000/1000), Rook, A1 Reducio Round Start Effects: None Action: Cast Incendio at Oliver Spell DC: 9 + 2 = 11(Kheanu's Lovely Creature) Wisdom: 5 < 11 → Roll required, >6 to cast (11–5=6) Spell Success Roll (1d10): 9 > 6 → Success → Missed Oliver's Auto-Dodge Round End Effects: None Cecily (600/600), Bishop, B1 Reducio Round Start Effects: None Action: Move → B1 Round End Effects: None Nichlas (500/500), Queen, A3 Reducio Round Start Effects: None Action: Cast Incendio Duo at Kheanu Spell DC: 12 + 2 = 14(Kheanu's Lovely Creature) Wisdom: 15 > 14 → No Roll required, Automatic Success Spell Success Roll (1d10): - Accuracy Nichlas: 12 Accuracy Roll: [d20: 4] + 12 – 1 = 15 (Maksim's Charmer) Evasion Kheanu: 0 Evasion Roll: [d20: 2] + 0 = 2 → Hit (15>2) Damage: 60 + 8 ARC ×10 = 140; -10% → 126 Kheanu's Terrible Presence Duration: [d3: 2] → 1 round (1-2: 1 round; 3: 2 rounds) Round End Effects: None Adam (1200/1200), Bishop, B3 Reducio Round Start Effects: None Action: Move → B3 Round End Effects: None Amadea (900/900), Rook, A5 Reducio Round Start Effects: None Action: Cast Flipendo at Alisa Spell DC: 8 + 2 = 10(Kheanu's Lovely Creature) Wisdom: 8 < 10 → Roll required, >2 to cast (10–8=2) Spell Success Roll (1d10): 9 → Crit Success Advanced Casting → Missed Alisa's Auto-Dodge Auto-Dodge: [d10: 2] failed. Against Alisa Round End Effects: None

Team White (4074/4200, 97%) Oliver (1200/1200), Rook, E1 Reducio Round Start Effects: None Action: Cast Incendio Duo at Alexx Spell DC: 12 + 2 = 14(Alexx's Lovely Creature) Wisdom: 9 < 14 → Roll required, >5 to cast (14–9=5) Spell Success Roll (1d10): 6 Auto-Miss: [d10:10] → Missed. Kheanu's Terrible Presence Auto-Dodge : [d10: 10] Success Against Alexx Round End Effects: None Dymphna (600/600), Bishop, D2 Reducio Round Start Effects: None Action: Move → D2 Round End Effects: None Kheanu (874/1000), Queen, E3 Reducio Round Start Effects: None Action: Cast Incendio Duo at Nichlas Spell DC: 12 + 2 = 14(Alexx's Lovely Creature) Wisdom: 12 < 14 → Roll required, >2 to cast (14–12=2) Spell Success Roll (1d10): 2 → Failed. Round End Effects: Damage taken: 126 Nichlas' Incendio Aflame for 1 round: -75HP None Maksim (700/700), Bishop, D3 Reducio Round Start Effects: None Action: Move → D3 Round End Effects: None Alisa (700/700), Rook, E5 Reducio Round Start Effects: None Action: Cast Incendio Duo at Amadea Spell DC: 12 + 2 = 14(Alexx's Lovely Creature) Wisdom: 9 < 14 → Roll required, >5 to cast (14–9=5) Spell Success Roll (1d10): 9 → Success Accuracy Alisa: 7 Accuracy Roll: [d20: 10] + 7 = 17 Evasion Amadea: 8 Evasion Roll: [d20: 15] + 8 = 23 → Miss (17<23) Auto-Dodge : [d10: 10] Success Against Amadea Round End Effects: None

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.

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Interacting with Team Black | Mentioning Alisa Sokolova (Edric)

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𝓐madea did her best to focus as the round began. She had a strategy in her mind and plotted out a good course of action. Staring at the girl in front of her, Amadea tried not to show her nerves, hoping that she appeared as calm, cool, and collected as she possibly could have been. Even though Amadea knew she was anything but intimidating, it helped to try to get into the mindset.

She waved her wand and yelled, "Flipendo!" Unfortunately, the spell missed, as the girl across from her had easily dodged after casting her own spell back at Amadea. Amadea narrowed her eyes; she would have to pay better attention to which way the girl moved from now on. Amadea herself easily sidestepped the oncoming spell, which if she had heard correctly from the other side of the board was none other than Incendio Duo, as if using regular incendio wasn't bad enough.

Amadea tried not to glare at the girl. If she wasn't from Hogwarts, then she probably didn't know about the relationship between Hufflepuffs and fire. Ever since Amadea's first year, she had been wary of the element, shying away and opting to go toward the water instead. She still had memories of being put on fire and the horrible burning sensations she felt while it happened and it was something Amadea would be happy to live without for the rest of her life. Nevertheless, Amadea pushed way the thoughts in her mind and quickly glanced over at her teammates, sizing up the situation.

"We got this guys!" she said watching as her friends moved their formation on the board, ready for the second round. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted that the opposing team had also changed their formation; she kept an eye on where everyone had moved, warily keeping on defense mode. She focused on the wood of the wand in her hand and steadied her feet, ready for whatever was going to happen.

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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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Alexx always knew she wasn't the best spellcaster, and at least she wasn't kidding herself when she went into this. So, when things didn't work out quite as she hoped, she surely wasn't surprised. But she kept her head up on account of the fact that, miraculously, she wasn't hurt.

Unfortunately, though, Incendio was usually her lucky charm, and she had been relying on that to at least go in her favor. All things considered she had only done something like this one other time so she didn't really have any statistics about how likely she was to fail versus succeed, but the thought was there at least. If all Alexx had to cling onto was a sliver of hope, so be it. She'd cling.

And maybe she was concocting but- she really felt something in the pit of her stomach. Like this might all work out in the end. Hearing Amadea's encouragement, she couldn't help but smile, and felt a little bit more confident in herself. As she prepared herself to make her next move, she kept Dea's words with her, hoping it would boost her confidence going into this round. The last thing she needed was to fall out right now.

Doing as Strategized
8 STR | 10 STA | 7 ARC | 5 WIS | 7 EVA | 9 ACC
a1. cat's grace | a2. sixth sense | a3. lovely creature

Team White | Amadea Campbell

The girl who introduced herself as Alisha was staring which Dymphna ignored. It was getting easier to ignore such things and focus on the task at hand. They would have her back because they were a team, not because of her Veela ancestry. She would never try to use it to her advantage like her grandmother prompted her to.

She returned Maksim’s smile, listening intently to his conversation in what she presumed to be Russian. It wasn’t like she could understand it but languages in general were exciting. There was nothing like Gobbledegook however. The language had the strangest sounds but she enjoyed the looks on people’s faces when she easily slipped into it to speak to the goblins at Gringotts.

Being the strange boy that he was, of course Oliver showed up in some sort of handmade knight suit. Dymphna chose to ignore that idiotic decision - what were they supposed to do if he caught fire? Was he even wearing clothes underneath? She didn’t want to think about it too much, turning her attention instead on their other team mate, introduced to her as Kheanu, in some sort of luxury clothing. She didn’t see the point in that either, wearing something that high end to a duel. She much preferred something comfortable and easy to move around in, something she wouldn’t get hurt feelings over if it were to get ruined.

The first round went about as well as she expected. The use of fire was uncreative in Dymphna’s eyes. Hogwarts had enough fires as it was. Her eyes shot over to Amadea to see if she was alright. She didn’t know the exact details of the Hufflepuffs first year. It effected her other friends too, so much that she and Reid sat a bit farther away from the fireplace when they studied. She wasn’t about to speak against her team though; they were only playing the game. She was focused, watching the other team's every move like a hawk.

ACTION: Doing as strategized.

Interacting with Team White, RPing as Alisa Sokolova

Alisa watched Preobrazhensky talk in silence. She hadn't remembered that he was that... chatty. In retrospect that must have been why she hadn't interacted more with him despite his obviously rather liberal views on blood-purity – she didn't open up to strangers easily, and while what he said didn't altogether sound insincere, he was embellishing the achievements of the Durmstrang students in their team a bit. Alisa was tempted to answer with a sharp "No!" when the young man offered her to address him by his first name, but stomped down on the urge in the last second. They had to show a united front to the Hogwarts kids, being hostile to her classmates would only make her look like an ass out here. So she gave a noncommittal shrug in return and mumbled "As you wish!" in Russian, half hoping he wouldn't hear.

She still hadn't found Milena in the group of onlookers, but the Hogwarts Professor called for the game to begin while her blue eyes were scanning the stands for her best friend. Alisa made her way to her side of the field then, and almost stumbled when she got a closer look at the Hogwarts boy on their team. Was he wearing armor? What was that made of, cardbox? Unfortunately she didn't have the time to go over and ask him.

While it was true that Alisa had good grades and excelled in class, Maksim - urgh, she would need to pay very close attention to call him by his first name now - had been a little too enthusiastic about having her on their team in this game. She hadn't dueled much before, and aside from her experience in avoiding to get hit there wasn't much in her studies that had prepared her for actual combat.

Maybe it was luck, or maybe Alisa was indeed underestimating herself, but the moment the Hogwarts girl on the opposite side of the chess board lifted her wand she knew where to move, just like she would have avoided a spell coming from Kirill. "Icendio Duo!" she shouted the first offensive spell that came to her mind, totally focused on her opponent, but the girl had the brains to avoid her attack in time. Stalemate.

When she risked a glance to see how her teammates were doing, she saw that Mondelez was burning, hit by a Fire-Making Spell. Damn, she'd thought he'd do well in this game after how Preobrazhens- Maksim had boasted about his skills earlier.

Action: Doing as strategized.