2020, Stage 1 Group D: Ravenclaw vs Slytherin

"Reparifors," Phaedra said with conviction, waving her wand over her head to heal herself. The effects weren't as strong as she would have liked, but it made her stand a little straighter and the newfound confidence had her twirling her wand between thin fingers. Lana did nothing and Phaedra exhaled through her nose in disapproval, wondering why she'd let an opportunity like this, an opponent at their mercy if only for a single round, go to waste. But once she heard the Slytherin shout "Protego" from the opposite end of the stage, perhaps it was a blessing in disguise that she hadn't sent anything the third-year's way. Although the shield was invisible and Phaedra could not gauge its width, at least she knew now that Bridget had learned it and would resort to the tactic if she felt compelled. The game had come to a standstill, but Bridget couldn't hide behind the protection forever.

Action: Doing as strategized.

Reducio

STA: 6, EVA: 8, STR: 1, WIS: 15, ARC: 10, ACC: 10
Perfectionist, Perfectionist II, Spell Spread

Round 11

Bridget

Reducio

Bridget removes blindfold!

Phaedra

Reducio

Phaedra cast Petrificus Totalus at Bridget!
Wisdom DC: 14
Wisdom Check: [d20:19] + 15 = 34
Auto-Miss (10): [d10:9] → No Auto Miss! (Lana's Terrible Presence)
Accuracy Check: [d20:2] +10 = 12
Auto Dodge (Bridget) [d10:6]
Evasion Check [d20:13] +0 =13 Evasion = 0 due to Obscuro's effects
13 > 12 Evasion Successful!
Effects:

Once again, @Lana Monet was stood stock-still in the middle of the match and Artemis had to wonder if the girl was okay. Quickly, he paused @Phaedra Stavrou's motions with a raised hand as he moved onto the platform to grab the girl by her shoulders and move her off to the side of the stage where he was, protected behind the magical shield before nodding in the older girl's direction to continue. He didn't bother mentioning anything to @Bridget Collins as she was quite focused on removing that blindfold over her eyes but he was sure she was smart enough to put 2 and 2 together to figure out what was going on with her other opponent. He would have to figure out what was wrong with the girl beside him before calling it on her inactivity. As for the other two, @Bridget Collins managed to get the cloth from around her eyes much faster than @Phaedra Stavrou probably thought the younger girl could as the minute light reflected off the girl's irises, she managed to dodge the oncoming spell zipping her way. Another miss for Ravenclaw.

But this duel was not over. It was now 1v1...at least temporarily. He had to figure out what was wrong with young Miss Monet, first.

-You have 72 hours from now to write your entrance posts (50 words min)

-Send me (Artemis Vernatis) your moves/actions via Owl. Give nothing away in your posts as that ruins the element of surprise (smirk). You can post your reactions after every modpost.

-Don't forget to talk and strategize with your teammate and send in your moves together.

-Please remember that you must cast the spells that are in your trunk only!

-If you don't post in the allotted time frame, your action is void. If you require an extension, you can do so in an owl addressed to me before the next modpost. You will be given, at most, twenty-four (24) hours' extension in addition to the original 72. Your spells, stats, and abilities are locked to what they are now for this duel. Good luck, and remember to have fun!

She decided it was worth the risk. It would be better to just get the blindfold off, even if she risked getting hit, because being able to see gave her more options. Especially since she couldn't tell if her Shield Charm had worked, it was the most logical course of action, and besides, her chances in a 2 vs. 1 already weren't great, so she definitely didn't need Phaedra healing herself and erasing the damage Santario had dealt to her earlier.

There was a deftness to her movements as she reached up, fingers quickly finding the tie and undoing it as fast as she could. It likely helped that this wasn't her first time taking one of the magical blindfolds off. She could hear Phaedra's incantation--still nothing from Lana, oddly--and still taking off the black cloth, her speed would give her the glimpse she needed to narrowly avoid the spell.

She let out a quiet sigh of relief, tossing the removed blindfold to the side. For a moment she was confused, brows furrowing. Where was Lana? She was no longer facing two Ravenclaws, just Phaedra. She couldn't really risk looking away for long, but a glance towards the match's moderator, Professor Vernatis, showed the girl with him. She wasn't sure why that had happened, but it wasn't hard to formulate a guess since Lana hadn't cast anything the past two rounds.

Was Lana out, then? She wasn't quite sure, and while that would be her first assumption since the girl was no longer on the platform, all there was to do was wait and see. Her chances of pulling this off if she was only up against Phaedra were better, but she was still a bit worried. She hadn't had any of her spells hit so far, which did nothing for her confidence for future casts. Her attention was caught by a familiar voice, cheering her on. She didn't dare look now, but the corners of her mouth tilted up into a smile. Even if she didn't have Santario by her side anymore, she wasn't facing the older girl entirely alone.

Action: Doing as strategized
Stats: 6 Stamina | 9 Evasion | 7 Strength | 9 Wisdom | 7 Arcane Power | 8 Accuracy
Abilities: Sixth Sense | Evasive Maneuvers | Prodigal DADA
Trunk: xxx

The first time Lana stood there twiddling her thumbs, she’d given her the benefit of the doubt. It was only natural that one would want to calculate their risks, but this was getting ridiculous. There was no actual risk with Bridget blindfolded, so why was she doing nothing? Phaedra cleared her throat, eyes flickering between both her teammate and foe across the stage. No spells hurled toward her this time; she could make out that Bridget had begun to fidget with the fabric over her eyes. Phaedra looked away and hissed out a curt “Monet,” sparing no effort in minding her tone. “Standing there won’t accomplish anything. Mind giving me a hand?”

Professor Vernatis raised his hand to call a pause to the match before Phaedra could finish her spell, disqualifying Lana permanently. A surge of emotions hit the fourth-year then. Annoyance. Betrayal. Anger. Phaedra grumbled to herself, staring daggers into the girl’s back as the man led her off of the stage and behind the barrier, her shoe tapping irritably on the floor. Why did Lana do that? Phaedra just didn’t understand the game plan there. All it did was remind her that others only got in her way. She didn’t feel any better either when her spell flew close to Bridget, missing by mere inches after she could see again.

The temptation to raise her hands and forfeit was high. She and everyone else watching knew her chances weren’t looking well with Lana out of the picture, but her pride wouldn’t allow her to quit. Fourth year, prefect, and Headliner second-in-command... running from a match? She’d never hear the end of it. With a shrug of her shoulders that screamed ‘fuck it,’ Phaedra decided she had no choice but to take another stance and keep at it. At least if she went down she could say that she tried. It was more than what could be said about her partner, who Phaedra was drawing up a few choice words for later.

Action: Doing as strategized.

Reducio

STA: 6, EVA: 8, STR: 1, WIS: 15, ARC: 10, ACC: 10
Perfectionist, Perfectionist II, Spell Spread

Round 12

Bridget

Reducio

Bridget casts Ventus at Phaedra!
Wisdom DC: 11
Wisdom Check: [d20:11] + 9 =20
Accuracy Check: [d20:19] +8 =27
Evasion Check [d20:5] +8 =11
11 < 27 Evasion Failed!
Spell Duration: [d3:2] -> 1 Round of Ventus!
Effects: Suffers -120 HP and suffers –4 Evasion for 1 round!

Phaedra

Reducio

Phaedra's Actions voided this round!
Effects:

It was a disappointment that Artemis had to remove one of the players from the platform, but her freezing in the middle of the duel was not safe whatsoever and she left the Charms Professor no choice but to disqualify her for her own safety. That left third year @Bridget Collins
and fourth year @Phaedra Stavrou left to finish this out. Bridget quickly sent out a vicious Wind Jinx at the older girl that captured Phaedra in a whirlwind of sorts, causing a bit of damage and Artemis could only imagine how hard it would be to breathe properly through the heavy gusts. Phaedra would also cast her own spell at the younger duelist, but with the wind rushing at her so heavily, the spell completely missed. Maybe the other Ravenclaw on the field truly did mess with each player's spell casting, as it seemed as if the round was moving back in the Slytherin Team's favor.

But it was still anyone's game.

Due to a past occurrence where a post was made later than a mod post, Phaedra Starvou's action for round 12 has been voided. Her action for the next round will be cast as normal. If there are any questions about this call, please contact her dueling captains Dealla Prince and Mars T'ien.

-You have 72 hours from now to write your entrance posts (50 words min)

-Send me (Artemis Vernatis) your moves/actions via Owl. Give nothing away in your posts as that ruins the element of surprise (smirk). You can post your reactions after every modpost.

-Don't forget to talk and strategize with your teammate and send in your moves together.

-Please remember that you must cast the spells that are in your trunk only!

-If you don't post in the allotted time frame, your action is void. If you require an extension, you can do so in an owl addressed to me before the next modpost. You will be given, at most, twenty-four (24) hours' extension in addition to the original 72. Your spells, stats, and abilities are locked to what they are now for this duel. Good luck, and remember to have fun!

Mod Post: Artemis would admit as he looked back on that day that he was a bit disappointed at how the duel ended, but he could understand the reasons behind it. He would also be quite frustrated if he were in that same situation and didn't blame the player for the actions taken that day. But like most people, a duel wasn't a duel until the opponent was knocked unconscious, disqualified, or unable to fight somehow. At least in this school, being "unable to fight" just meant you passed out or were too injured to do much else than getting in the way. He hoped that whoever took his place come January will have as much fun watching and monitoring over these duels as he did. It was a good game and he hoped the four players would return to the stage once again.

The duel has ended after the last moderator post due to Ravenclaw's forfeit. Please continue to use the spectator thread here and remember to have fun.

Eligible for Rewards:

To be eligible for rewards, your team must have won the duel and you can't have been disqualified.

@Santario Martin
@Bridget Collins

Please link to this post in the trunk updates if you are eligible for rewards and wish to claim the +1 stat point from this duel.

She was back in the same duelling stance, preparing to cast, but things weren't quite the same. It was a one vs. one, and more importantly, the absence of Lana lessened her nerves. There just was something about her, something unsettling, but maybe now that it wasn't there she'd be able to focus and make up for all her previous failures.

"Ventus!" Ileen's tips from several days prior in mind, she moved her wand in a clockwise twirl. Out came a gust of wind and for the first time today, she didn't miss. The spell went straight at Phaedra, catching her in the vortex of wind.

All she had to do was dodge and land a few more spells and she could do this. Except... Phaedra was forfeiting. She blinked in surprise, but now that she thought about it, she supposed it did make sense. Phaedra's frustration at Lana abandoning her, the damage she'd taken. It wasn't the call Bridget would have made, but it wasn't an unwarranted one either.

She'd won. It didn't really feel like it, though. She had, what, one successful spell to show for? This wasn't remotely how she'd expected her duel to go, but at the end of the day, how much did it matter? She'd finished it for Santario. Even if she wasn't proud of her performance, it was a win for Slytherin, a step closer to reigning victorious at the end of the year.

Bridget was ready to go to the Hospital Wing and check in on her teammate, but first, her time on Muggle sports teams had ingrained the importance of sportsmanship. The thing was, well, she had no idea what to do in this situation. Duels usually ended when both members of the other team were unconscious, so that would mean visiting them in the Hospital Wing or something. That wasn't the case this time. She settled on giving Phaedra a nod if she looked her way, an acknowledgment of her skill, and Lana one as well. "Thank you, Professor Vernatis." He'd been the moderator of her first duel a year ago too, so it had been nice to have him again. This time, though, she was walking away on her feet. With that, she headed off the stage and started towards the Hospital Wing.

All that talk about not forfeiting to save face? Honorable in theory, but bad in practice, especially now when it was so undeserved. That principle was abandoned at once, and Phaedra was certain then she'd never changed her mind about anything so quickly before. It wasn't about the damage she'd taken—that was the nature of duelling—but rather the close victory slipping from her grasp at the last second that had left her discouraged and frighteningly irked. And it was all out of her control, to add salt to the wound.

After the wind subsided, Phaedra refrained from firing back. She merely pat her hair back into place as prim as she could manage and raised a single hand towards Bridget and Professor Vernatis. If that weren't clear enough to the spectators, then her formal bow and turning away was, and she swiftly took the stairs offstage, bypassing the medics with no plans to visit the Hospital Wing later. Try as she might to hide it, the faintest limp was evident as she took her leave through the club doors. She would handle it herself; she knew Reparifors. But it wasn't her physical wounds that needed most tending to.

Exit Scene

Action: Forfeit
Thank you @Artemis Vernatis for modding this match and congratulations to the Vipers @Santario Martin & @Bridget Collins on your win