In Search of the Source of the Creeping Darkness Main Story

Mentions | @Piper Clark | @Percival Rainwood | @Mathias Pride | @Selim Faust

Ileen heard it, the knocking Percival pointed out. She also heard the girl she had tried to save calling for help, mentioning a boy in the room next door.
Panic rose in her as all this information poured in while she tried to incapacitate the rats. She wanted to help. She wanted to help so badly, and right now she didn't know where to start. Maybe that was why her spell backfired.
Just as the other boy ran past her to use physical force against the rats, she spoke the words, but instead of easing the fight and helping, she became a victim herself.
She felt the energy shoot back into her body and her arms snapped to her side. Every muscle in her body was frozen. With her eyes wide open, she swayed in place, slowly lost her balance, and then crashed to the stone floor.
The impact squeezed all the air out of her lungs and suddenly her field of vision was extremely limited.

Helpless and frozen, she lay on the cold dungeon floor, feeling the throbbing pain in her body and silently fighting her own spell.
She heard footsteps and shouts. Someone was calling a name she knew. Selim. Was it Selim who had been pounding on the door?
The name, which she associated with a boy with whom she felt a certain connection despite little interaction, made her fight even more desperately against her own spell. These were people she was not indifferent to.
Not for a second did she wonder why no one had caught her. This was a matter of life and death. Still, she felt growing frustration and despair rising within her. Something that hurt more than hitting the ground. Here she was, to help and now she herself had become a burden and had to be saved.

Action: waiting for help
Ability: Sixth Sense, Prodigal Charms Learner
Stats: Sta:6 | Ev:8 | Str:3 | Wis:9 | Arc:6 | Acc:9
Location: Room 2

Koko had not expected to run so quickly. It was as if her life depended on it - and, perhaps, it had.

'Thanks,' she said to the boy. A worried smile was plastered on her face before she understood just what she had escaped from, and it faded just as quickly as it had come.

The door had shut behind them when Koko finally noticed the presence lurking next to her. She didn't want to believe it, not at all, but when she turned her head to glance at it, she took in a sharp breath and promptly glared at the shadowy creature.

She would have tried to shove her wand through it, but if her Lumos hadn't done anything at first, it wouldn't do anything now.

What was this creature?

Koko didn't really want to think about it, but she studied it for a moment before she understood that it hadn't moved and was stuck on her.

She hadn't wanted to get hurt. In fact, she'd wanted to go back to the first room and warn everyone that there was danger here and they should be sensible and leave.

Koko couldn't really do that now, could she?'

She chewed her lower lip as she tried to formulate an idea of how to get the painful thing off of her. It felt like... Well, it couldn't be, unless..?

She shoved her wand toward it and had to grip her wand as tightly as she could to keep it from dropping out of her hand.

A huge, wrong-looking spider was on her. It would not leave.

Koko remembered the spider invasion in the Common Room and fought to keep her breathing steady. Flipendo had worked on those, right?

But... Did she really want to Flipendo something like this?

She noticed the boy - he seemed familiar. She knew him, didn't she?

She realised why just a second later: he was in her house. Most of these kids were Slytherins, which was even more of a reason to get them out of here. Wasn't his name... It wasn't Frank. It was flashier.

Flash?

He had drawn his wand out in the time that it took Koko to puzzle out her little mystery, and she - hopefully - would manage to catch on with what he was doing.

She aimed her wand the best she could at herself - stupid, stupid, this is SO stupid... - and then adjusted her aim so that, if she was aiming correctly (she'd never shot a proper spell at herself, not one that went right) she would hit the huge spider with her spell.

She took a deep breath, hoping she could keep her words steady as she cast her spell, and finally she said it: 'Flipendo.'

Action: Cast Flipendo at the creature.
Interactions: @Flash Holmwood

Reminder: posting next mod tomorrow. There are dying students.

Hjørdis mentally sighed a breathe of relief when her hand did not go through another fake wall. She really did not fancy yet another curse. How many had it been now? Four, five? She did not know. Worse would have been if a hag stuck its nasty hands out, which had also happened in front of her. But this wall seemed to be just that, an actual wall. It added a whole level of mystery to the situation, as she had to wonder who provided the note. It did not appear to be a trap but she did not fully trust it. Then again, she had very little choice. A strange note that appeared out of nowhere it seemed was her best bet.

Tapping the stone a few times, she noticed it was likely something she could pull out. It appeared to be loose, at the very least. Moments like this was when she missed her army of handsome strong men by her side. No one could judge her taste in friends, at the very least. She chose the most beautiful ones, after all. Alaric, Marcus and Caradoc to name but a few. Though the last was definitely the most irritating with that infuriating smirk, he would likely have been the best choice in this situation. She needed a few healers on her side it would seem.

Nonetheless, Hjørdis attempted to remove the loose stone, trying to get down to the pair as fast as possible. She was about ready to just jump down the well to join them at this point, though she knew that would definitely never work. Well, maybe with a very well timed spell at the end... no, no, let’s avoid the risk.

ACTION: Attempt to remove stone (Maintain Lumos Maxima if possible)

Interactions: @Hjørdis Jensen
Mentions: Henry Knight, Illowy Magnard, Starlee Kennedy, and Santario Martin

By 'just wanting to check something', Bridget hoped Henry meant poking his head around a corner and not straying deeper and deeper into the dungeons. Either way, she wouldn't be following. Quite uninterested in placing herself in more danger without reason, reconsideration would only occur if he started screaming or something. She had her priorities, namely not dying and getting the pair in the well to safety. If Henry was going further in, surely increasing the risk to his person, that was his choice. But hopefully he would be fine.

"Not that I know of," came her answer to Profesor Jensen's questions pertaining the note. She hadn't seen it before and didn't think anything else had changed. It was to Illowy she looked for confirmation, her friend right where she'd left her. She'd been too occupied by everything else to check on her since coming back, but from what Bridget could tell, she had been careful and kept things from falling apart any more. And then, again, her gaze dropped down the well. She couldn't even really see them down there, even if the two girls at the bottom were about all she could think about.

How anxious should she be? Was it unnecessary, better to stay calm and rational? Or was stress absolutely appropriate? How much longer would they be okay like that? As far as she knew, they weren't dead yet, which was really the only thing keeping her from losing it, but were they stable? Was time running out? She didn't know enough about the human body or healing to answer any of those questions, though from playing Quidditch, she was well aware such a fall was dangerous and that was on grass. But it was hard to know how life-threatening such a fall actually was, in a game there was always immediate medical attention. She hated this uncertainty.

Too distracted by the terrifying questions, she was barely paying attention as she scanned her surroundings. Maybe there was more to find, something here that would help, but she wouldn't find anything. They weren't under attack, at least. She returned to attentiveness with Jensen's instructions, stepping to the far edge of the ring of light. The Head of House had been clear: never stray out the light. She understood why.

The wall did not appear to be a trap on first touch. Lowering their guard would be premature, of course, but it was nice to not immediately be thrown another threat. It looked like there was a... loose stone? Oh, please be an actual way down there. Were they going to have to move that entire wall, or would removing that stone reveal a mechanism to open a trapdoor or something? Whatever it was, they needed it to be fast. Figuring that out looked to be a one-person job for now; Bridget didn't want to crowd her Head of House and wasn't sure if she should still stay back. But she had to help. It was unfair to expect one person, adult or not, to remedy the mess they'd gotten themselves into, and this was partly her fault. What if she hadn't gone in? She could have advised others to do the same since she knew this was a bad idea. Sure, not everyone would have listened, but some probably would have and that was fewer people in danger.

The past was not something she could change. She knew that, and she knew thinking about it now was of no help. Leading Jensen to injured students was one step, but she could do more. Pulling at her sweater's sleeves, she spoke up. "I can take over the light?" She readied her wand, something she actually hadn't used yet. That would make one less thing for Professor Jensen to do. Useless to help Santario and Starlee herself, this would at least aid the person who could do something. It was darker in here, anyhow, now that Henry had walked away, and the last thing they needed was an attack by the shadows. This would help. This she could do; she was a duelling captain, was she not? "Lumos Maxima."

Action: Casting Lumos Maxima
Location: Room 3
Stats: STA: 7 | EVA: 9 | STR: 7 | WIS: 9 | ARC: 7 | ACC: 8
Abilities: Sixth Sense | Evasive Maneuvers | Prodigal DADA Learner

[font=century gothic]INTERACTING WITH @Alexander Varellion | MENTIONING @Flash Holmwood, @Koko Riddle | PROXIMITY TO n/a[/font]

As would be expected given her practice with the spell, light flashed from her wand without a hitch, signalling a successfully cast spell. Unfortunately, the result was not as desired. Instead of colliding with the intended target, it skipped helplessly off the wall in the background. Time was hardly afforded her to reconsider and try again. Whispered words and giggles seemed to echo disjointedly about them as though they were right out of a horror. A blur of movement from nearby diverted the girl's attention and she glanced just in time to see a second such doll coming directly for her. A hitch of her breath accompanied the scattered echoing of flat heels echoing off cobble as she retreated a few steps to avoid it.

The gravity of the situation started to settle uncomfortably within her. Especially so as shouts of flipendo echoed distantly from down the hall. She wanted to look. One of those voices was Flash, and he was obviously in his own set of danger. How arrogant could they have been? Had they thought themselves really so wonderously prepared that they couldn't possibly become the targets of an assault? Had they fancied themselves heroes to shepherd the wayward flock of Hogwarts' sheepish students, sparing them from themselves and the denizens that lurked in the darkest corners of the castle's shadows?

What a great job they were doing. Eyes widened and Evelynn would swear her heart momentarily stopped as she resisted the urge to glance in the direction in which her partner had previously disappeared in favour of glancing back to the stranger she had sought to follow. He was still struggling with the doll, panic clearly written upon his features—or maybe that was her own panic she was just imagining upon him—but unable to scream. She watched in horror, the doll midway through sewing the boy's mouth shut.

"Flipendo!" Another shout in earnest, wanting nothing more than to just get that monstrosity off of him. The spell would not be sent targeting the animated figure needling his face, however. Just as one's own safety should be assured before helping someone else in need, Evelynn determined that she would need to deal with her own problem first. The boy would be able to breathe for a little while at least. The last thing she needed was to ignore the twisted doll targeting her and find herself in a similar position, unable to cast. Unable to help herself. Unable to save him. Unable to do anything at all.

[font=century gothic]ACTION: Casting Flipendo at the doll attacking Evelynn[/font]

[font=century gothic]STA | 8‏‏‎ ‎ ‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎ ‏‏‎ ‎ ‏‏‎ ‎ ‎ STR | 2‏‏‎ ‎ ‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎ ‏‏‎ ‎ ‏‏‎ ‎ ‎ EVA | 10 WIS | 10‏‏‎ ‎ ‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎ ‏‏‎ ‎‎ ‎ ARC | 2‏‏‎ ‎ ‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎ ‏‏‎ ‎‎ ‎ ACC | 10 KEEN EYE — There is a 25% chance of automatically finding something. FEARLESS — Immunity to fear effects.[/font]

[font=century gothic] ‎ ‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎ ‏‏‎ ‎ ‏‏‎ ‎ ‎ INVENTORY ‎ ‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎ ‏‏‎ ‎ ‏‏‎ ‎ ‎ — Broom Compass — Sketched Map of Underground — Locksmith's Knife — Wizard's Tight — Magical Candles / Lighter — Flash's Invisibility Cloak — Bottle with blonde hair[/font]

For the past few hours, Percival had been looking for all the help he could get outside of the dungeons. Yet, he was not able to find anyone he trusted to come back down with. As he went down into the dark depths again he wondered if anyone was still standing, or even by that fact alive. He wasn't sure what he was getting himself into at this point, for all he knew he was probably the last one alive going into certain doom.

Still dressed in his fresh black sweater, he slowly took out his wand and strolled back into the dark abyss. In the far reaches, he heard distant sounds, but he wasn't sure where they were coming from or who was making them. All he could do was strive forward and help whoever needed it, considering he should have been down there with them in the first place. Nonetheless, he was here now, and that's all that mattered

One step after the other he wandered into room two, uncaring if his spell worked or not as he began to whistle a ghostly tune that echoed off the old stone of the dungeons. Even through all of his confidence, Gray expected the worst...

| Outfit |

Percival turned back towards Ileen intent on gaining her confirmation that she too heard the mysterious knocking. "Ileen I think it's-" the words died in his throat as he heard a sudden crash. The boy quickly turned around to see Ileen stiff and frozen like a dead corpse. "Ileen!" he called out quickly rushing to the girl's side. All thoughts of mysterious knocking escaped his head as he looked at the girl's pale face. "Are you okay?" he would ask before mentally slapping himself as he remembered that she was unable to speak at the moment.

The boy studied the situation with a frown. It would appear she had tried to use Immobilus but had failed at doing so. "Don't worry Ileen, I'm not too sure you can hear me, but I'll help you." he said in hopes of calming her down. Truth be told, Percival could not help but be worried. His spell casting was hardly consistent enough to feel confident in. The boy cleared his throat before pointing his wand towards Ileen. "Finite Incantatem!" he would call out as he moved his hand.

Open to Interactions

Location: Room 4
Action: Casting Finite incantatem

Interacting with: @Ileen Knight, @Mathias Pride
Mentioning: @Evelynn Decipio, @Selim Faust, @Piper Clark

Reducio

|Sta 6 | Eva 6 | | Str 8 | Wis 5 | | Arc 8 | Acc 7 |

Inventory: ⋅ Metal Lighter ⋅ Scrap of Parchment / Fountain Pen

Foulplay ⋅ Lovely Creature

The stone was taking too long. It was incredibly frustrating when she knew there were at least two students at the bottom of the well, very badly injured from the sounds of it. "Get this stone, there should be a way down there safely," She ordered the room - hoping that one of the students in it will hear her and attempt to remove it.

With that, she quickly moved to the well - whilst being as careful as possible to not fall inside herself - and pointed her wand down it with the hope that she could see what was going on down there. All she knew was that there were two students down there. If they fell from a distance, they would likely have broken some bones - which definitely needed healing. They were not making any sounds, so they were likely unable to, which meant that they could have been unconscious. From this height, there was likely also blood. Whatever it was, there was something serious happening down there and she needed to get to them as soon as possible.

Aiming for the bottom student, if she could see the two - with the pure assumption that the one underneath was hurt more when the other fell on top - Hjørdis pointed her wand down the well and attempted to cast a healing spell into it. It might remove the light but Collins had made a comment about taking over the light - and right now, all she could do was trust that it would work. "Ferula!" She hissed quietly, trying to help stop the situation from deteriorating if that was, at all, possible. It was one of the few spells that would not hurt the situation but could potentially help stop some bleeding and could help with broken bones that she likely had.

ACTION: Attempt to cast Ferula at Santario (Maintain Lumos Maxima if possible - unsure if it's similar to broom racing or not)

OOC: Feel free to ignore this post. Since it's not been moderated, just going to change the action to this instead of the stone removal. But feel free to put this in the next round, if needed.

Many of you never posted, moving on because this adventure has been going on for some time. Some of your friends are hurt real bad.

Room 1

@Percival Gray would descend the stairs into the lower levels. Why he had lingered in the wake of his peers was anyone's guess. There were noises up ahead. He would follow the noise, the sounds of muffled distress that echoed these soulless halls.

Percival moves to Room 2

Room 2

Poor @Ileen Knight came crashing down onto the floor. The floor was hard, it hurt and there were no strong, manly (Percival) arms to save her a fall. The ground was unforgiving, she was eye level with the soles of her classmates. None came to her, nobody helped her up.

There were more pressing matters like rescuing the boy Paige was carrying on about but Ileen would be in a vulnerable state on the floor. Incapable of escape, of defense. More importantly, unbeknownst to her, near a rapidly spreading cloud of chloramine gas.

A late arrival @Percival Gray would amble into the common space in time to see the chaos. He would likely regret everything. Why was it that his housemates had the uncanny skill to make everything worse? There was no need for hags or monsters, they only required the presence of one another.

It was an unfortunate scene, many of his peers were standing there uselessly - rubberneckers who would later claim that they were there for it. There for some sort of traumatizing event. The owner of some sort of kn owledge that required their presence, unmoving in the first room. Well, they would not earn much. They really did not serve any purpose as Ileen laid on the floor, a traumatized Piper would scream about someone else being in trouble. The concerned voices in every direction would have split most parties where this one remained frozen at the start.

It took poor Percival a few moments to notice poor Ileen. Yes, his girlfriend was laying helpless on the ground among the panicked, stomping Slytherins and in the presence of agitated and hungry rats and emotionally compromised or unstable peers.

"Ileen I think it's-"

He was going to say something, sound smart. Be impressive. Be on Ileen's mind even more (it that was possible). Alas, that was not what was intended. Crash! A loud noise without a scream would alert him that something was wrong as he stopped mid-sentence. Still it would take seconds to register. The shocking sight of the girl would have been jarring, terrifying in fact.

"Ileen!"

Percival rushed to the girl's side. He did care about someone after all. How cute. Thankfully his dormmates were otherwise occupied, it was unlikely any of them would have a chance to say much unless Grey or Miller had a hankering for a bit of blackmail at a later date.

"Are you okay?"

Who the hell cared, Ileen needed him! Their presence likely barely crossed his mind. She could not answer. She could not call out. she could not explain. He would have to remember what she had cast. A mental 'oh shit that was dumb' he would think quickly. he knew what to do, he had learned all about this!

"Don't worry Ileen, I'm not too sure you can hear me, but I'll help you."

Percival assured her. He was not much of a caster, more a brawler, maybe a lover. One would have to ask Ileen after this if the later was very true but he would learn just now that he was a more talented caster than he had previously thought.

"Finite Incantatem!"

Percival cried. It was probably useless. it would probably do nothing and he would have to helplessly wait for the girl's spell to wear off and he would have to keep her safe in the meantime.

Percival casts Finite Incantatem on Ileen.
Roll: 11 (+5)

In an astonishing turn of events Percival got to be 'the man', the 'hero' that saved his lovely damsel. The spell would work, despite the teen's doubts. Ileen would feel that burden, that stiffless release from her.

Ileen is no longer bound!

----

Room 3

Bridget took no solace in Henry's claim -- just going to look in the dungeon full of traps while a pair of students face death. While a girl in the room previous (Piper) screamed about a boy trapped in another room. Someone else in need of immediate help. it was overwhelming, it was snowballing and Henry could very well make things worse.

@Bridget Collins would not pursue Henry, she could not. She would not. @Hjørdis Jensen's Lumos Maxima would continue to provide a bright light. She could see the loose stone, her long, thin fingers would fit where the mortar should. The stone was not too large, it was not too heavy. Nora would fantasize about @Caradoc Browne and his needlessly sexy smirk.

The stone would be moved aside, left on the floor. the space left was not very large but it was passable.

Bridget was standing behind Miss Jensen, wand in hand. "I can take over the light?" The teen offered. Not that Jensen was insufficient, her Lumos could persist forever if she willed it (with that Wisdom score). Still considering the circumstances, there was no such thing as too little light.

"Lumos Maxima."

Bridget casts Lumos Maxima.
Roll: 4
Attack: 20
Evasion: 4

A blindingly bright light would emanate from the tip of her wand.

The only problem was help had come too late.

Death saving throw:
San: 4
Starlee: 4

That would mean that Santario Martin would die. Kick the bucket. Gave up the ghost. Breathed her last. Bought a farm. Popped ones clogs. Pushing up daisies. Joined the church triumphant. Took a dirt nap. Got murdalized.

That was all she wrote.

Well, not exactly...

"Ferula!"

A last ditch effort for the Professor, she would not revive the girl but she would stabilize the girl that remained in precarious health. Starlee still languished on the edge of oblivion. How did these girls end up so injured!

---

Room 4

"There's a boy in there!"

@Piper Clark shouted, the girl in near hysterics. She was referring to @Selim Faust who was in the room adjacent. He had left her to fend for herself in a room full of hungry, aggressive rats. He never looked back, he truly did not care. Curiosity, the want for adventure, and selfish ambition drew him deeper into the dungeons. yes, Selim was a true Slytherin.

"I- I followed him and...and he left me here with the rats. He's trapped, he needs help!" Piper cried. Why she cared was anyone's guess, Selim did not give her or anyone else a second thought. It was always about him, his needs and his fears.

There was a dead rat on the ground, it's spine twisted unnaturally. The second was devouring what remained of the jerky on the floor which would do well to sate their voracious hunger. "Rats don't stop....no fire...open next door, save him...dark in there-" Piper babbled semi-sensically. Her frantic shouts were like a terrible melody, the distant cries of shock and fear from her peers and the fant, frenzied scratching on the other side of the door made a song none would want to hear.

Piper would stumble into the populated room, she was not going to save Selim just tell others where he could be found.

Pipers returns to Room 2

Mathias was drawn to the door, the door that Piper was making such a fuss about. Someone was there, a someone that he presumed was Selim Faust. He saw the strage, wraith-like corpse of a boy dart into the darkened room before Piper when he went to fetch the house mother. A choice he made in defiance of his dormmates. Irksome really. Troublesome truly.

"Selim?" He would call into the next room. Selim would not call out for help, to confirm.

"Opening a door!" Mathias warned. Selim or perhaps a mound of hungry rats awaited him. This too was perhaps foolish, hardly a calculated risk but he would grip the door with both hands.

Mathias attempts to open the door.
Roll: 14

Mathias was not know for his strength. However he was known somewhat for his witt (not in a positive manner) as well as his luck. The later would benefit him and more than him, Selim. He would force the door open with a pathetic heave and a burst of chloramine gas would meet the teen in the face. Selim on the ground, his knees pressed against the door he was scratching in futility. He would fall forward into the next room.

The gas would escape into the next room.

Mathias would breathe in the toxic gas and it would burn - burn his eyes and throat.

The sweet, still tainted air would however greet Selim but he would have to escape the spreading, toxic gas.

----

Room 5a

In the darkness Selim Faust would hear a muffled voice on the other side of the door. Someone was coming for him. They did not forget about him! Not that Selim answered when someone called out his name. Not that he responded when they gave a warning cry that they were coming.

The door would let out a clattering noise, the sort that a door gives when to refuses to comply. Yet light, a dim light as Mathias had no lit wand and the room was dark so the little light that met Selim's eyes was what came from the common space at the start of the dungeon.

Sweet air, calm and cool comparatively when in fact it was damp and musty would be the sweetest scent he ever encountered. The pain was enduring, the gas would filter into the next room. Mathias would be compensated for his efforts with a lung-full of chloramine gas. The next room offered not necessarily safety or even respite but it was 'less' than death scenario if he snatched the opportunity. Yes, a chance to live.

The gas was filtering into the next room. It was a self-destruct scenario in a way. The dungeons were swiftly becoming uninhabitable as the toxic fumes started to infect the room adjacent. They would not be able to linger. They would not be able to stay. They needed to get out of here!

---

Room 6B

"I'll be back, I just want to check something Bridget."

@Henry Knight announced. He was not going to give her any details as he moved on in spite of the dire condition of his peers whose care he trusted in Miss Jensen as well as the other girls gathered around the well's edge. The scent of blood drew him onward in spite of all logic.

Looking either way he would not see much, broken bits of stone, cobwebs, the corpses of insects and a layer of filth that lined the edges of the hall. Signs of madness pervaded the space, much likely the fault of Kaegen Deathmote but his madness was not mutually exclusive with the setting. There were other factors, other oddities that were drawn to the darkness underbelly of Hogwarts.

Henry would sniff the air and the same scent would tickle his nares. Old blood... the metallic scent was there, the blood was remarkably distinguished, obvious. The putrefaction, the congealment, the rot and decay. It was unsettling, something that should repel.

Does Henry notice Kaegen?
Henry 15
Kaegen 2

Henry would notice something move, that the clothes breathed. The dungeon goblin has been discovered! Of course there was no way that henry would know that Kaegen was a friend or foe. If Kaegen was hiding or near death. Henry was poorly hidden, a floodlight in his hand Henry's intrusion was obvious.

---

Room 10

@Flash Holmwood would come to a terrible revelation: the darkness was getting stronger. The light alone was not enough, at best it was a deterrent. Of course who would have thought otherwise? Diseases mutate, they change, they become more dangerous and more virulent. The darkness was living, it was alive and they were witnessing here and now an aspect of adaptation, of evolution.

"Thanks," a single word of gratitude. More than Flash normally got. Holwood had really saved @Koko Riddle. Lumos in hand, the darkness was more persistent than it had been historically.

Koko maintains Lumos.
Roll: 2

The light would flicker out. they would plunge into darkness. The spider would increase in size.

Attached to her like a tick as aptly described by Flash, she would see the horrific creature up close. Made of shadow and gloom, there was no form but there was certainly mass. she could feel its wait. She could feel its fangs plunge into her flesh. She could feel the spread of the dark curse. The sting, this deep pain that she could not reach. Like alcohol in an open wound with no promise of respite.

"Flipendo."

"Flipendo!"

The two of them cried.

Flash casts Flipendo.
Roll: 6
Attack: 1
Evasion: 13, 9
Koko casts Flipendo.
Roll: 12
Attack: 4
Evasion: 18, 19

Flash missed and he hit Koko instead. Koko would be launched back, the darkness unharmed and he would crash into the stone wall. She probably deserved it for a plethora of reasons - she had run off on her own in a dangerous place. She entered a room in an obviously trapped setting alone. This was perhaps less a mistake than he would proclaim to evren himself.

A rightful consequence.

Not even the worst issue they were about to face. Little did they know that toxic gas was about to spread throughout the dungeon.

Shaken, Koko would try to knock the spider off her arm, a powerful Flipendo that she was more than capable of. Indeed, she would cast the spell effectively. Yet respite was not meant to be. She would miss the spider on her own arm in an awesome display of panicked clumsiness. The spider would strike a second time. The pain would extend, as would the dark necrosis.

This was not Koko's day. Her wand would sputter and go dark. The space would become dark and as the darkness fell she would see the creature made of pure gloom grow in size.

---

Room 11

Evelynn had problems of her own as a living doll attempted to latch onto the girl. "We can take another!" The strange doll cried. She would watch as it started to change, as it began to mimic her features crudely. Hair a tussle of copper wire rather than brown bits of discarded fur. Alexander became a secondary concern as the two of them were over their head.

"Another!"

What were these things? Was this where they were made? They were made? Why! A wall plastered with a familiar face, one would be left to wonder if the face belonged to an intended target or were a collection of pictures from people with similar features.

"Flipendo!"

Eve would shout. A contrast to the sound of disparaged orphans that surrounded her from shadowy places and seemed intent on latching to the duo. Alexander might thrash and flail (but he never posted). The doll would scratch and grab at the boy as it tried to suffocate the unfortunate Slytherin for purposes hopefully left to never be known.

Evelynn casts Flipendo at the living doll.
Wisdom Check: 10 (+7)
Accuracy (Eve): 14, 9 (+10) Success
Evasion (Doll): 14, 1 (+10)
Keen Eye: There is a 25% chance of automatically finding something. 53 No effect.
Doll attacks Eve.
Attack (doll) 14 (+10) Hit!
Evasion (Eve) 11 (+10)

She would launch the doll away as it grabbed onto her. Its' rough hands felt like they were stuffed with needles. She would hit the doll with the flippendo and blast it across the room. The doll would hit the workbench and fall to the floor motionless.

She was temporarily saved but she could hear the snicker of hidden observers. Many, childish and eerie. Poor Alexander, from him she would only hear his muffled scream is anything at all as the small fall brandished its needle and from the sewn mouth it would continue to stitch, now his left eye, closed with a large black button covering where his eye once was.

The lack of oxygen. The traumatic assault on his formerly handsome face, Alexander would crumble to the ground unconscious.

Alexander is no longer conscious.

What Happened?

Room 1
@Percival Gray moved to Room 2. [Room 2]

Room 2
@Piper Clark moved to room 2. Hysterical about Selim. [135/600 Health remains] [Room 2]
@Ileen Knight remains the victim of her own immobulus spell. She was freed by true love's first kiss Percival's Finite Incantatem. [550/600 health remaining] [Room 2]
@Percival Gray moved to Room 2. [Room 2]
@Percival Rainwood casts Finite Incantatem on Ileen successfully. [Room 2]
@Michael Miller never posted. [Room 2]
@Søren Silverwood never posted. [Room 2]
@Thora Larkson never posted. [Room 2]
@Opeila Winters never posted [490 health remaining] [Room 2]
@Violet Carrington never posted. [Room 2]
@Astrea Soleil Neptune never posted. [Room 2]
@Dan Palmer never posted. [Room 4]
@Sarah Lightwood never posted. [Room 2]

Room 3
@Bridget Collins Casts Lumos Maxima successfully. [535 health remaining] [Room 3]
@Hjørdis Jensen Maintained Lumos Maxima (passively skilled enough). Finds route to the bottom of the well as instructed on a slip of paper (that would have been the stone removal from the previous round). She stabilized Santario with Ferula. [Room 3]
@Starlee Kennedy trapped at the bottom of a well. Broken leg, shoulder and pelvis. Failed death saving throw x2. Unconscious. 0/400 health [Room 3]
@Santario Martin Unconscious at the bottom of a well. Failed death saving throw, should have died. She was revived by Jensen. Stable, unconscious. 0/600 health [Room 3]
@Cassandra Ironwoods never posted. [Room 3]
@Illowy Magnard never posted. [Room 3]

Room 4
@Piper Clark moved to room 2. Hysterical about Selim. [135/600 Health remains] [Room 2]
@Mathias Pride opened the door to 5A. (25 damage from chloramine gas) [-25] 175/200 health remaining. [Room 4]

Room 5A
@Selim Faust chloramine gas is filling the room, the door has opened into Room 4 giving Selim a breath of fresh air. Selim took a consistent level of damage rather than exponentially more damage (100 this round)! [-100] 200/500 health remaining. [Room 5A]

Room 6B
@Henry Knight would maintain Lumos Maxima (was a Critical Success when cast, no need to roll for maintain). Sniffed room. Noticed that someone is there, just not who/what (Kaegen). [Room 6a/b]
@Kaegen Deathmote Never posted. He is poorly covered himself with dust and cobwebs. The dirtiest of boys. He has been visualized by Henry.[Room 6b]

Room 10
@Koko Riddle moved to Room 10. She has been attacked by the darkness in spite of having Lumos on. She is no longer maintaining Lumos (critical fail on maintain). The spider is larger. Flash hit Koko with a Flippendo. She was launched into a stone wall. Koko missed the spider also with a Flippendo and the spider bit her a second time. *Cursed* [-600] 500/1500 health [Room 10]
@Flash Holmwood Would attempt to cast Flippendo at the spider on Koko but critically miss and hit Koko instead. she would be launched back and take damage from the attack. [Room 10]

Room 11
@Evelynn Decipio enters room 11. Attempted to cast Evelynn casts Flippendo on a living doll. - hit. She was attacked by a living doll and it grabbed hold of her temporarily. [-100] 700/800 health remaining [Room 11]
@Alexander Varellion maintains Lumos. [-100] Mouth has been sewn closed, he cannot speak (or incant). The doll starts to sew his eye closed and cover with a button. Alexander is unconscious. 0/700 health remaining. [Room 11]

Room 12
@Koko Riddle moved to Room 10. She has been attacked by the darkness in spite of having Lumos on. Flash hit Koko with a Flippendo. She was launched into a stone wall. Koko missed the spider also and the spider bit her a second time. *Cursed* [-600] 500/1500 health [Room 10]